Letter 206: Know this: those who discipline you are not your enemies, and those who flatter you are not your friends.

To Eutonios. Concerning the coin that Peter received. The coin which Peter was commanded to take from the deep, hidden in the fish, signified our form hidden by the passions, which the Lord recalls in himself to the archetype. He commanded this to be given on his behalf, as one who, having become man, was subject to all our obligations — neither permitting resistance to a king who gives harmless orders, and demonstrating the operations of his divine power.

ΣΤ΄. – ΕΥΤΟΝΙΩ. Περὶ τοῦ στατῆρος ὃν ἔλαβεν ὁ Πέτρος. Ὁ στατὴρ ὃν ὁ Πέτρος ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ λαβεῖν ἐκελεύετο ἐν τῷ ἰχθύϊ κρυπτόμενον (98), τὴν μορφὴν ἡμῶν ἐδήλου καλυπτομένην τοῖς πάθεσιν, ἣν ἐν ἑαυ- τῷ πρὸς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον ἀνακαλεῖται ὁ Κύριος. ᾿Ανθ' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ τοῦτον δοθῆναι προσέταξεν, ὡς γεγονὼς ἄνθρωπος τοῖς ἡμῶν ἅπασιν ὑποκείμενος· οὔτε βασι- λεῖ συγχωρῶν ἀντιτάσσεσθαι ἀβλαβῶς ἐπιτάσσοντι, καὶ τῆς θεϊκῆς δυνάμεως τὰς ἐνεργείας ἐπιδεικνύ- μενος. ΣΤ'. – ΕΡΜΙΝΩ ΚΟΜΗΤΙ. Διὰ τὶ πάντα τὰ θεῖα τῷ τοῦ πυρὸς ὀνόματι χαρακτηρίζεται. Διὰ τί, ἔφης, πάντα τὰ θεῖα τῷ τοῦ πυρὸς ὀνόματι σχεδόν χαρακτηρίζεται; Πῦρ γὰρ εἴρηται ὁ Θεός· καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι πῦρ φλέγοντες· καὶ ὤφθησαν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός· καὶ, τῷ Πνεύματι ζέοντες; Οἶμαι τοίνυν, ὅτι διὰ τὸ ἄφθονον καὶ πλούσιον, ὅτι ἀπὸ ἑνὸς λύχνου μυρίας ἀνάπτει λαμπάδας, καὶ οὐ μειοῦται, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἑτέρας τοσαύτας καὶ πλείους ἀνάψαι δύναται· τὴν δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ σώματα φέρουσαν ὁδὸν ἀνακεχώρηκε, τῷ τὰ ἄνω μόνον τὸ πῦρ τῶν ἐπιγείων διώκειν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν γῆν, τὸ δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν ποθεῖ· καὶ τὰ μὲν τὴν κάτω φορὰν, τὸ δὲ τὴν ἄνω οἶδεν ὁδόν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ λίθος καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τὴν ἄνω ὁδὸν ἀγνοεῖ, οὕτω καὶ τὸ πῦρ τῆς κάτω οὐκ ἀνέχεται.