Letter 66

To Aphthonius the Deacon. All who order their lives by love of God and a disposition toward blessings are said to stand near the mountain called Gerizim [Mount Gerizim, the mountain of blessing in Deuteronomy 11:29 and 27:12]; but all who carry out good works not for the sake of blessing and friendship and the praise of God, but out of fear of the punishments that have been threatened, these are said to be near the mountain Ebal [Mount Ebal, the mountain of cursing in Deuteronomy 27:13], where the curses were pronounced — not so that the one who stands by Ebal may come under a curse, but so that, having beheld the fearful curses, he may guard himself with all his strength against falling into them.

Ὅσοι ἀγάπῃ Θεοῦ καὶ προθέσει εὐλογιῶν πολιτεύονται, οὗτοι λέγονται ἵστασθαι πλησίον τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ Γαρίζειν προσαγορευομένου· ὅσοι δὲ οὐχὶ δι’ εὐλογίαν, καὶ φιλίαν, καὶ ἔπαινον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν ἀπειληθεισῶν κολάσεων τὰ καλὰ ἐπιτελοῦσιν ἔργα, οὗτοι λέγονται εἶναι ἐγγὺς τοῦ ὄρους Γαιβάλ, ὅπου αἱ κατάραι ἐδόθησαν, οὐχ ἵνα ἐν κατάρᾳ γένηται ὁ παρὰ τῷ Γαιβάλ σταθείς, ἀλλ’ ἵνα θεασάμενος τὰς φοβερὰς κατάρας παντὶ σθένει φυλάξηται τοῦ μὴ περιπεσεῖν αὐταῖς.