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of God in truth. Not in word, he says, nor in deceit, but in the works themselves, This, therefore, he says, Bearing fruit; that is, the signs and wonders, because when you received it, you at once knew the grace of God. How then is it not difficult now to disbelieve that which immediately demonstrated its own power? As you also learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant. It is likely that he preached there; you learned the Gospel. Then, to show the trustworthiness of the man, he says, Our fellow-servant. Who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who has also declared to us your love in the Spirit. Do not doubt, he says, concerning the future hope; you see the whole world turning. And what need is there to speak of things among others? The things among you yourselves, even without these, are trustworthy. For you have known the grace of God in truth; that is, in works. So that these two future things are confirmed, both that all will believe, and that you will; and it was not that some things happened, and Epaphras said other things. Who is, he says, faithful; that is, true. But how, A minister on your behalf? By his having come to him, and having declared to us, he says, your love in the Spirit; that is, the spiritual love; the love for us. But if this man is a minister of Christ, how do you say that you are brought near by angels? Who also declared to us, he says, your love in the Spirit. For this love is wondrous and steadfast; whereas the others have only the name of love. But there are some which are not such; but this is not friendship; for which reason it is also easily dissolved. 3. Many are the pretexts that make friendships; and 62.303 for now we will pass over the shameful ones; for no one will contradict us about those, since they are wicked; but, if you wish, let us bring forward into the midst the natural ones and those of common life. Those of common life, then, are these: for example, someone was treated well, inherited a friend from ancestors, shared a table or a journey, or is a neighbor; these are also good; or has become a fellow craftsman; this one, then, is not sincere; for it has a certain jealousy and envy. And the natural ones, for example, of a father to a son, of a son to a father, of a brother to a brother, of a grandfather to a grandchild, of a mother to children; and if you wish, let us add also that of a wife to a husband; for all nuptial ones are also of common life and earthly. These then seem to be more intense than those others; but they seem so, I said, because they are often overcome by those others. For elsewhere friends have appeared to be more genuinely disposed than brothers, and than sons towards fathers; and the one who was born did not help, but the one who did not know him, stood by and helped. But spiritual love is superior to all, like some queen ruling her own, and has a splendid form; for nothing earthly begets it, as it does the other, not custom, not benefaction, not nature, not time, but it comes down from above, from heaven. And why do you wonder, if it does not need benefaction to be established, when it is not even overthrown by suffering evil? But that this is greater than that, hear Paul saying: I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers. What father would have wished this, to be in evil things? And again, To depart and be with Christ is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. What mother would choose to say these things, so as to overlook her own interests? And again hear him saying, For being taken from you for a short time, in presence, not in heart. And in this case a father, having been insulted, has dissolved the friendship, but in that case no longer, but he went to those who were stoning him to do them good. For nothing, nothing is so strong as the bond of the Spirit. For the one who became a friend because of receiving good, if this does not happen continually, will be an enemy; the one inseparable from custom, again, when the custom is broken off, has extinguished the friendship. The wife again, if a fight occurs, has left the husband, and has dissolved the longing; the son, if he should see the father living for a long time, is even burdened. But in the case of the spiritual, there is none of these things; for it is dissolved by none of these, since neither from

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τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. Οὐκ ἐν λόγῳ, φησὶν, οὐδὲ ἐν ἀπάτῃ, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἔργοις, Τοῦτο τοίνυν λέγει, Καρποφορούμενον· ἤτοι τὰ σημεῖα καὶ τὰ θαύματα ὅτι ἅμα ἐδέξασθε, ἅμα ἔγνωτε τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὸ τοίνυν εὐθέως ἐπιδειξάμενον τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν πῶς οὐ χαλεπὸν νῦν ἀπιστεῖσθαι; Καθὼς καὶ ἐμάθετε παρὰ Ἐπαφρᾶ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ συνδούλου ἡμῶν. Τοῦτον εἰκὸς ἐκεῖ κεκηρυχέναι· ἐμάθετε τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Εἶτα τὸ ἀξιόπιστον δεικνὺς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, φησὶ, Τοῦ συνδούλου ἡμῶν. Ὅς ἐστι πιστὸς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν διάκονος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ καὶ δηλώσας ἡμῖν τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην ἐν Πνεύματι. Μὴ ἀμφιβάλλετε, φησὶ, περὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἐλπίδος· ὁρᾶτε τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπιστρέφουσαν. Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις; τὰ ἐν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ χωρὶς τούτων πιστά. Ἐπέγνωτε γὰρ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ· τουτέστιν, ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις. Ὥστε δύο ταῦτα τὰ μέλλοντα βεβαιοῦται, τό τε πάντας πιστεῦσαι, τό τε καὶ ὑμᾶς· καὶ οὐκ ἄλλα μὲν ἐγένετο, ἄλλα δὲ εἶπεν Ἐπαφρᾶς. Ὅς ἐστι, φησὶ, πιστός· τουτέστιν, ἀληθής. Πῶς δὲ, Ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν διάκονος; Τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ δηλῶσαι ἡμῖν, φησὶ, τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην ἐν Πνεύματι· τουτέστι, τὴν πνευματικήν· τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς. Εἰ δὲ οὗτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ διάκονος, πῶς δι' ἀγγέλων λέγετε προσάγεσθαι; Ὁ καὶ δηλώσας ἡμῖν, φησὶ, τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην ἐν Πνεύματι. Αὕτη γὰρ θαυμαστὴ καὶ βεβαία ἡ ἀγάπη· ὡς αἵ γε ἄλλαι ὄνομα ἀγάπης ἔχουσι μόνον. Εἰσὶ δέ τινες οὐ τοιαῦται· ἀλλ' οὐ φιλία τοῦτο· διὸ καὶ εὐδιάλυτος γίνεται. γʹ. Πολλαὶ προφάσεις εἰσὶν αἱ φιλίας ποιοῦσαι· καὶ 62.303 τέως τὰς μὲν αἰσχρὰς παρήσομεν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ἀντερεῖ, ὡς πονηρῶν οὐσῶν· ἀλλ', εἰ βούλεσθε, τὰς φυσικὰς καὶ τὰς βιωτικὰς εἰς μέσον παραγάγωμεν. Βιωτικαὶ μὲν οὖν εἰσιν αὗται· οἷον εὖ ἔπαθέ τις, ἀπὸ προγόνων ἐκτήσατο φίλον, ἐκοινώνησε τραπέζης ἢ ἀποδημίας, ἢ γείτων ἐστί· καλαὶ καὶ αὗται· ἢ ὁμότεχνος γέγονεν· αὕτη μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν εἰλικρινής· ἔχει γάρ τινα καὶ ζῆλον καὶ βασκανίαν. Αἱ δὲ φυσικαὶ, οἷον πατρὸς πρὸς υἱὸν, υἱοῦ πρὸς πατέρα, ἀδελφοῦ πρὸς ἀδελφὸν, πρὸς ἔγγονον πάππου, μητρὸς πρὸς τέκνα· εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, προσθῶμεν καὶ τὴν τῆς γυναικὸς πρὸς ἄνδρα· καὶ γὰρ πᾶσαι αἱ γαμικαί εἰσι βιωτικαὶ καὶ γήϊναι. Αὗται μὲν οὖν ἐκείνων εἶναι δοκοῦσι σφοδρότεραι· δοκοῦσι δὲ, εἶπον, διὰ τὸ πολλάκις ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἡττηθῆναι. Καὶ γὰρ φίλοι ἀλλαχοῦ γνησιώτερον ἐφάνησαν ἀδελφῶν διακείμενοι, καὶ υἱῶν πρὸς πατέρας· καὶ ὁ μὲν γεννηθεὶς οὐκ ἐβοήθησεν, ὁ δὲ μὴ γνοὺς αὐτὸν, παρέστη καὶ ἐβοήθησεν. Ἡ δὲ πνευματικὴ ἀγάπη πασῶν ἐστιν ἀνωτέρα, καθάπερ τις βασίλισσα τῶν ἰδίων κρατοῦσα, καὶ λαμπρὸν ἔχει τὸ σχῆμα· οὐδὲν γὰρ γήϊον αὐτὴν τίκτει, καθάπερ ἐκείνην, οὐ συνήθεια, οὐκ εὐεργεσία, οὐ φύσις, οὐ χρόνος, ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν κάτεισιν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ εὐεργεσίας οὐ δεῖται πρὸς τὸ συνεστάναι, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ τῷ κακῶς παθεῖν ἀνατρέπεται; Ὅτι δὲ αὕτη μείζων ἐκείνης ἐστὶν, ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος· Ηὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου. Τίς ἂν τοῦτο ηὔξατο πατὴρ, ὥστε ἐν κακοῖς εἶναι; Καὶ πάλιν, Τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον· τὸ δὲ ἐπιμεῖναι ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς. Ποία μήτηρ ταῦτα ἂν ἕλοιτο εἰπεῖν, ὥστε τὰ αὐτῆς παριδεῖν; Καὶ πάλιν ἄκουε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἀπορφανισθέντες γὰρ ἀφ' ὑμῶν πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας, προσώπῳ, οὐ καρδίᾳ. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὲν ὁ πατὴρ ὑβρισθεὶς ἔλυσε τὴν φιλίαν, ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐκέτι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς λιθάζοντας ἀπῄει εὐεργετήσων αὐτούς. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, οὐδὲν οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν, ὡς ὁ τοῦ Πνεύματος δεσμός. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὸ παθεῖν εὖ φίλος γενόμενος, ἂν μὴ διηνεκῶς τοῦτο γίνηται, ἔσται ἐχθρός· ὁ ἀπὸ συνηθείας ἀδιάσπαστος ὢν, πάλιν τῆς συνηθείας διακοπείσης, ἔσβεσε τὴν φιλίαν. Ἡ γυνὴ πάλιν, ἂν μάχη γένηται, ἀφῆκε τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ τὸν πόθον ἔλυσεν· ὁ υἱὸς, ἂν ἐπιπολὺ ζῶντα τὸν πατέρα ἴδοι, καὶ βαρύνεται. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος τούτων οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδέν· οὐδενὶ γὰρ τούτων λύεται, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἐκ