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A foolish man went mad with insolence, a wise man smiling. In all things, therefore, holy Father, forgive me your servant, and by your all-holy

prayers make Christ God propitious to me, whom you always serve with both purity of mind and strictness of life.

20. The same to Marinus the monk. I, for my part, knowing the multitude of my own offenses, and the condemnation that would fittingly

succeed me, perceiving it after the departure from this life; and contemplating that great and dreadful tribunal already assembled in my soul, before which each of us will receive the rewards according to the worth of what we have done; I resolved to have silence as my companion, abstaining in every way, as it seems to me, from the divine words which are beyond me, lest I be condemned more severely and more justly, as one uttering words of God that have been put to death by me through my inaction in good works, and are therefore unable to provide the life in grace to those who hear; and are not strong enough to show the ways of the virtues in the life of me who speaks; and that I may not become liable to the future threat, as one who has not only murdered the life-giving words of God within himself through my wicked ways, but also has presented to those who hear a living and universally manifest image of contempt for them, my whole wicked conduct of life. I, therefore, as I said, knowing and fearing these things, shook off my eagerness for speaking and writing the divine words, of which I do not have the practice, judging it to be the greatest injustice and a deadly loss to receive praise in vain from those who hear. But since the most holy abbot, who is great in wisdom and in all things honorable to me, has overcome my vote for silence with many divine incantations of thoughts, whom I could not refuse because of the beauty of virtues fitting for him according to divine understanding; and he compelled me to compose this modest piece for your piety, having recounted some parts of your achievements according to God, and having benefited me greatly; I thought it necessary to state in summary those things which are profitable and salutary for both you and me, and for all who wish to hear.

(600) David the great prophet and king, to those who have set their minds to love God, and have chosen the divine salvation above all things on earth, showing the truly gnostic way of the divine virtues, and opening the practical door of knowledge, says: The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; and good understanding is for all who practice it. And if fear has been established as the beginning of wisdom, then the end of wisdom, that is, good understanding, is naturally for those who practice it. And if these things are so, let us strive with all our might to acquire the fear of God, and good understanding. Fear, so that we may flee the defilements of sin, shaking them from the soul by the expectation of eternal punishments; and understanding, so that we may be shown to be knowledgeable doers of all the divine wills. For he who fears the penalties for transgressions of the divine commandments is not caught by the passions that defile his soul; and he who has good understanding in his heart, which distinguishes between the eternal and the temporal according to the proper principle, becomes adorned with all divine goods, in no way preparing for the knowledge in him to be shown to be idle. For just as fear, in those who truly fear God, becomes the destroyer of unclean passions, so also understanding of

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Ἐξέμηνε πρός ὕβριν μωρόν, σοφός μειδιάσας. Ἐν πᾶσιν οὖν, ἅγιε Πάτερ, συγχώρησόν μοι τῷ σῷ δούλῳ, καί ταῖς σαῖς πανιέροις

εὐχαῖς ἐξιλέωσόν μοι Χριστόν τόν Θεόν, ὅν διά παντός τῇ τε τοῦ νοῦ καθαρότητι, καί τῇ ἀκριβείᾳ τοῦ βίου θεραπεύεις.

Κ´Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Μαρίνον μονάζοντα. Ἐγώ μέν εἰδώς τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων τό πλῆθος, καί τήν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ὡς εἰκός

διαδεξομένην με κατάκρισιν, μετά τήν ταύτης ἀπόλειψιν τῆς ζωῆς καθορῶν· καί οἷον ἐκεῖνο τό μέγα καί φρικτόν δικαστήριον κατά ψυχήν ἤδη συνηθροισμένον κατανοῶν, ἐφ᾿ οὗπερ κατ' ἀξίαν ἕκαστος ὧν πεπράχαμεν τάς ἀμοιβάς ἀποληψόμεθα· τήν σιωπήν σύνοικον ἔχειν διενοήθην, τῶν ὑπέρ ἐμέ θείων λόγων, ὥς γέ μοι δοκεῖ, παντοίως φειδόμενος, μή πως πλέον κατακριθῶ καί δικαιότερον, ὡς λόγους θεοῦ προφέρων ὑπ᾿ ἐμοῦ τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων ἀπραξίᾳ νενεκρωμένους, καί διά τοῦτο τοῖς ἀκούουσι τήν ἐν χάριτι ζωήν παρασχεῖν οὐ δυναμένους· καί τούς τῶ ἀρετῶν παραδεῖξαι τρόπους ἐν τῇ πολιτείᾳ μου τοῦ λέγοντος οὐκ ἰσχύοντας· καί γένωμαι τῆς μελλούσης ὑπόδικος ἀπειλῆς, ὡς οὐ μόνον αὐτός ἐν ἑμαυτῷ διά τῶν πονηρῶν μου τρόπων τούς ζωοποιούς τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφονεύσας λόγους, ἀλλά καί τοῖς ἀκούουσι τῆς πρός αὐτούς καταφρονήσεως εἰκόνα ζῶσαν, καί πᾶσι κατάδηλον, τήν ὅλην μου τοῦ βίου πονηράν ἀναστροφήν παρεχόμενος. Ἐγώ μέν οὖν, ὡς εἶπον, ταῦτα καί εἰδώς καί φοβούμενος, τήν περί τό λέειν τε καί γράφειν τούς θείους λόγους προθυμίαν ἀπεσεισάμην, ὧν οὐκ ἔχω τήν ἐργασίαν, διακενῆς τούς ἐπαίνους παρά τῶν ἀκουόντων κομίζεσθαι μεγίστην ἀδικίαν εἶναι κρίνων, καί ζημίαν ὀλέθριον. Ἐπειδή δέ νενίκηκέ μου τῆς σιωπῆς τήν ψῆφον ταῖς πολλαῖς τῶν θείων ἐπῳδαῖς λογισμῶν, ὁ πολύς τήν φρόνησιν, καί πάντα μοι τίμιος ὁ ὁσιώτατος ἡγούμενος, ὅν οὐκ ἠδυνήθην ἀπώσασθαι διά τήν ἐμπρέπουσαν αὐτῷ κατά θείαν σύνεσιν τῶν ἀρετῶν καλλονήν· καί ταύτην ἐβιάσατό με χαράξαι τήν μετρίαν συλλαβήν πρός τήν σήν θεοσέβειαν, μέρη τινά τῶν κατά Θεόν σου κατορθωμάτων ἀφηγησάμενος, καί ὠφελήσας τά μέγιστα· δεῖν ᾠήθην ἐκεῖνα κατ᾿ ἐπιτομήν εἰπεῖν, ὅσα σοί τε κἀμοί, καί πᾶσι τοῖς ἀκούειν ἐθέλουσι συμφέρον ἐστί καί σωτήριον.

(600) ∆αβίδ ὁ μέγας προσήτης καί βασιλεύς, τοῖς ἀγαπᾷν τόν Θεόν προθεμένοις, καί πάντων τῶν ἐπί γῆς τήν ἔνθεον σωτηρίαν προελομένοις, τήν ἀληθῶς γνωστικήν ὁδόν παραδεικνύς τῶν θείων ἀρετῶν, καί τήν ἔμπρακτον τῆς γνώσεως θύραν ὑπανοίγων, φησίν· Ἀρχή σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου· σύνεσις δέ ἀγαθή πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν. Εἰ δέ σοφίας ἀρχή καθέστηκεν ὁ φόβος, τέλος δηλαδή σοφίας, ἡ ἀγαθή πέφυκεν εἶναι σύνεσις, τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν. Εἰ δέ ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τόν τρόπον, ὅση δύναμις τόν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ κτήσασθαι σπουδάσωμεν, καί τήν σύνεσιν τήν ἀγαθήν. Τόν μέν φόβον, ἵνα φύγωμεν τῆς ἁμαρτίας τούς μολυσμούς, τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν αἰωνίων κολάσεων αὐτούς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκτινάσσοντες· τήν δέ σύνεσιν, ἵνα πάντων ποιηταί τῶν θείων ἐπιστήμονες ἀποδειχθῶμεν θελημάτων. Ὁ γάρ φοβούμενος τάς ἐπί ταῖς παραβάσεσι τῶν θείων ποινάς ἐντολῶν, τοῖς μολύνουσιν αὐτοῦ τήν ψυχήν οὐχ ἁλίσκεται πάθεσιν· καί ὁ τήν σύνεσιν τήν ἀγαθήν ἐνδιαθέτως ἔχων, κατά τόν δέοντα λόγον διακρίνουσαν τῶν αἰωνίων τά πρόσκαιρα, πᾶσι γίνεται τοῖς θείοις κατάκομος ἀγαθοῖς, μηδενί τρόπῳ τήν ἐν αὐτῷ γνῶσιν ἀργεῖν δειχθῆναι παρασκευάζων. Ὡς γάρ ὁ φόβος ἐν τοῖς ἀληθῶς τόν Θεόν φοβουμένοις, τῶν ἀκαθάρτων γίνεται παθῶν ἀναιρέτης· οὕτως καί ἡ σύνεσις τῶν