Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 1

If the Arians say that God the Father is not created and God the Son is, then, as the natural creation of the innate Father makes known the unity of nature in the Father and in the Son, so eternity by nature of the Father does not allow one to attribute a beginning to divine creation. Therefore, the Father and the Son are without beginning, and the Father and the Son are one single and true beginning. For this reason God the Father speaks to his Son in the psalm: “With you the beginning, on the day of your power, among the splendors of the saints; from the womb I have created you before the dawn.” What is “with you the beginning,” if not that which is said elsewhere of wisdom, “It comes forth from the Lord our God and has always been with him and is before the beginning of time”? Therefore, rightly so, the Son affirms himself to be the beginning since he knows that he is coeternal with the Father from the beginning, just as he knows that he by nature is one single beginning with the same Father. And affirming himself to be the alpha and the omega, that is, the beginning and the end, the Son confirms himself to be without beginning and without end. Just as, in fact, no letter exists before the alpha, in the same way no nature could possibly exist before the Son. Therefore, the Son says he is the alpha in order to demonstrate that he is the beginning of all things, before which there can be no other beginning. This is the reason why the Evangelist, wanting to express the eternity of the Word without beginning, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has found nothing more suitable or more congruous to say than, “In the beginning was the Word.”

Against Fabianus, Fragment 19:2-3

The ineffable personality of the only-begotten God is beyond the most perceptive conception of the Evangelists and perhaps even of the angels. Therefore, I do not think anyone should be considered pious who presumes to investigate this subject, in direct contradiction to the injunction, “Do not seek what is too difficult for you or inquire into what is too high for you.” For the knowledge of numerous other things incomparably inferior is beyond the capacity of the human mind and cannot therefore be attained, as has been said by Paul: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of people, the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” God also told Abraham that the stars could not be numbered by him and asked, “Who shall number the grains of sand by the seashore, or the drops of rain?” If all this is so, how then can anyone but a madman presume to inquire into the nature of the Word of God? It is said by the Spirit of prophecy, “Who shall declare his generation?” And, therefore, our Savior, in his kindness to those who were the pillars of the whole world—and since he wanted to relieve them of the burden of striving after this knowledge—told them that it was beyond their natural comprehension and that the Father alone could discern this most divine mystery. “No one,” he says, “knows the Son but the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son.” It was, I think, concerning this same subject that the Father said, “My secret is for me and for mine.”

Ecclesiastical History 1:3

Wisdom was created before all things—not certainly that Wisdom that is clearly coeternal and equal to you, our God, his Father, and by whom all things were created and in whom, as the Beginning, you created heaven and earth. Rather, truly, it was that wisdom that has been created, namely, the intellectual nature that, in the contemplation of light, is light. For this is called wisdom, although it is created. But as great as the difference is between the Light that enlightens and that which is enlightened, so great is the difference between the Wisdom that creates and that which has been created. It is just as great as the difference between the Righteousness that justifies and the righteousness that has been made by justification.

Confessions 12.15.20

“I have acted thus so that he would be full of fear toward me; I have acted in such a way that he would cringe before my name.” Conveniently he enumerates all the splendid ornaments of the priesthood, obtained by means of the mystagogy of the Law. He inspired, first of all, the fear of God in the ministers of the divine worship, making them withdraw before his name, that is, making them fear and tremble when they hear the name of the Lord and driving them to experience a sentiment of reverence toward him that is not superficial but diligent, and next to which nothing is more precious. It is written, in fact, that he “who fears the Lord fares well.” And again: “The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation.” He has, therefore, guaranteed security to the one who fulfills the priesthood with sanctity and in truth. He does not simply say that they have been nourished with fear but that they were absolutely filled with fear, that is, the fear of God occupies their entire heart and soul. In this verse, the emphasis and the repetition of the words indicate to the audience the steadfastness in virtue of those who are praised.

Commentary on Malachi 2:19

Since grace has been given to us to flee from superstitious error and to be joined to the truth and to serve the living and true God and to rise above creation—passing by all that is subject to time and motion—let us look at and reason on God and divine things in a way that corresponds to this grace given us. But let us begin our discussion of them from the most fitting point. And the most fitting is what Solomon laid down for us: The beginning of wisdom, he says, is to get wisdom. And what this is he tells us: The beginning of wisdom is fear. For we must not begin with contemplation and leave off with fear—for an unbridled contemplation would perhaps push us over a precipice. Rather, we must be grounded and purified and so to say made light by fear, and thus we may be raised to the height. For where fear is there is keeping of commandments, and where there is keeping of commandments there is purifying of the flesh, that cloud that covers the soul and does not allow it to see the divine Ray. And where there is purifying there is illumination, and illumination is the satisfying of desire to those who long for the greatest things, or the greatest Thing or that which surpasses all greatness.

On the Holy Lights, Oration 39:8

Isaiah the prophet presents us with those seven well-known spiritual gifts. He begins with wisdom and ends with the fear of God, as though he were coming down from the heights to our level. He does this to teach us to climb back up again. Thus, he began from where we want to finish, and he arrived at the point where we should begin. “Here will rest on him,” he says, “the Spirit of God, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and courage, the Spirit of knowledge and piety, the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.” Therefore, just as he descended from wisdom to fear—not because he was slipping back but in order to teach—we in the same way must climb from fear to wisdom. We do this not as a matter of pride but in order to progress. “For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Sermon 347:2

The Lord often frequently speaks before he proceeds to act. “For my arrows,” he says, “will make an end of them. They shall be consumed with hunger and be eaten by birds; and they will suffer incurable convulsions. I will send the teeth of wild beasts on them, with the rage of serpents creeping on the earth. Out in the open, the sword will make them childless, and in their chambers shall be fear.” This does not mean the divine Spirit gets angry, as some believe. He often shows restraint and provides encouragement while showing us what ought to be done. But he also employs this effective method that consists in producing fear in us so that we do not sin. “For the fear of the Lord drives away sins, and he who is without fear cannot be justified,” the Scripture says.

The Instructor Book 1

Do not be misled. What I am about to tell you is that it is possible to become drunk even without wine. So that you understand that this is possible, listen to what the prophet says: “Woe to those who are drunk, but not with wine.” How then can someone get drunk without wine? There are any number of different ways: anger, conceit and foolishness provoke drunkenness. In fact, any one of the destructive passions born inside of us can arouse in us a sort of drunkenness and satisfaction that obscures our reason. Drunkenness, in fact, is nothing other than the alienation of our natural sentiments, the diversion of our thoughts and the loss of consciousness. In what way, then, tell me, are those who lose their temper any different from those who get drunk through wine? They get so drunk with anger and demonstrate such intemperance to the point where they throw themselves against everyone, no matter who it is, and they have no control over their words, nor do they distinguish one person from another.In fact, just as madmen and lunatics do not notice it when they are throwing themselves into the abyss, so it is with those who lose their temper and are struck with anger. That is why a wise man who wanted to demonstrate the devastation such drunkenness can bring says, “A man’s anger tips the scale to his ruin.” Notice how succinctly he captures the enormity of this destructive passion. Now, conceit and foolishness are another form of drunkenness—and in fact even more disastrous than drunkenness. Whoever is in the grip of these passions loses, so to speak, the faculty of his senses and is not all that different from a madman. Tormented each and every day by these passions, he does not notice it until he is dragged into the very abyss of sin, taken over by evils that seem incurable. Let us therefore escape, I beg you, both the drunkenness that comes from wine and the clouding of our thoughts brought about in us through absurd passions. Let us instead listen to our common master of the universe, who says, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery.” Do you see how clear this expression is about the possibility of getting drunk in other ways besides drinking too much? If there were no other kind of drunkenness, why then, after having told us not to get drunk he added “with wine”? Do you see the exceeding wisdom and precision evident in his teaching through this additional phrase? After having affirmed that we should “not get drunk with wine,” he adds, “for that is debauchery,” almost seeming to indicate that this kind of excess is the root of all evils. “For that is debauchery,” he says, that is, this is the reason we lose the wealth of virtue.

Baptismal Instructions 5:4-7

Regarding fear, our Scripture expresses itself in these terms: “Holy is the fear of the Lord, which lasts forever and ever.” But we should really clarify that this fear is to be distinguished from that other fear about which the apostle says, “In love there is no fear, but perfect love banishes fear.” The apostle is referring here to a fear that prevents one from sinning when one would otherwise be inclined to sin. This fear keeps a person righteous against his will. Then, there is the other kind of fear that the prophet speaks about: “The one who is without fear cannot be justified.” This refers to the person who is constantly increasing in love. So, on the one hand, there are those who fear to do evil when they know they will be punished, and there are those on the other hand who do not want to lose the righteousness that brings them such joy. Therefore, where sin is concerned, one should not nourish both fears but only that one of which it is written: “Fear has to do with punishment.” For the other situations—for instance, where it is said, “The fear of God banishes sin,” and, “The one who is without fear cannot be justified,” and, “Holy is the fear of the Lord, which lasts forever and ever”—fear should not to be counted among the vices but should above all be regarded as the opponent of vices.

On the Contemplative Life 3:31.3

“I stretched out my words, and you did not listen.” It is reasonable that he said he stretched out words in his heart because … God granted him a large heart. For one who can explain what is briefly said in mysteries in conjunction with the larger teachings asserted in Scripture has an enlarged heart. Therefore, it is necessary, in agreement with the teaching of the wise Solomon, for the person who desires to know wisdom to begin with moral training and to understand what is written: “You have desired wisdom; keep the commandments, and it will be given to you by God.”

Commentary on the Song of Songs, Preface

Wisdom is a good that fills those with joy who possess it but weighs down those who do not. But what does Scripture say? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Who would not love to reign, and yet in the Psalms the Spirit admonishes, “And now, O kings, understand; be instructed, you who judge the earth; serve the Lord in fear, and exult before him with trembling.” This is also why Paul says, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” And still we read, “If you desire wisdom, observe justice, and the Lord will grant it to you.” Since many, as you can readily observe, do not observe justice even though they ardently aspire to wisdom, the Scripture admonishes them that they cannot arrive at what they desire if they do not observe what they are neglecting. Observe justice, it says, and the Lord will grant you the wisdom that you desire. But only one who fears God can observe justice. “The one who is without fear cannot be justified.” Therefore, if the Lord grants wisdom to the one who observes justice, the one who is without fear will not be found just. We thus return to the affirmation that I have cited at the beginning: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Sermon 347:1

How should we deal with the body when it is encircled in misery when the will, which is joined together with the body, is diminished in its desire for the good and loses the strength it had at the beginning? This happens generally to those who follow God but have only partially escaped from the world while they also remain partially in it. Therefore their heart is not cut off from things here. Instead, they are divided within themselves, sometimes looking ahead, sometimes looking back. I believe that the sage exhorted such divided individuals as these who come near to the way of God when he says, “Do not come to the Lord with two hearts” but approach his way as one who sows and one who reaps. Our Lord—seeing that among those who want to totally renounce the things of this world there are some whose wills are prepared to do so but whose thoughts are still turned back because they fear tribulation and because they have not left behind the love of their bodies—nonetheless spoke definitively to them in a desire to disperse the hesitancy in their minds when he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself.”

Ascetical Homilies 37