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considering in our mind the love of Paul for Christ. For he did not love Christ for the things of Christ, but for His own sake he loved the things of Him, and he feared one thing only, not to fall from the love towards Him. For this was to him more terrible even than Gehenna; just as to remain in it was more desirable than the kingdom. When, therefore, on account of his longing for God, he is content to fall even into Gehenna, and to be cast out of the kingdom, if both these were set before him, while we do not even despise the present life, are we then worthy even of his sandals, being so far removed from his magnanimity? For this reason Christ also said: Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it; and, Whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. For great is the labor of this right action, almost surpassing nature itself; and this those who have been deemed worthy of these crowns know well; for no word will be able to represent it; so much does the matter belong to a noble soul, and is wonderful beyond measure. But yet Paul said this wonderful thing profits nothing great without love, even if it has poverty joined with it. For what reason then he has spoken thus, this I will now try to show, first inquiring into that question, how one who gives all his goods to feed the poor is able to not have love. For one who is ready to be burned, and who has the gifts, it is possible perhaps even not to love; but one who not only gives his goods, but also feeds them piece by piece, how does he not love? What then is there to say? Either that he supposed what is not as if it were, which he is always accustomed to do, when he wishes to represent a hyperbole; as when writing to the Galatians he says: If we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed; and yet 63.575 neither he, nor an angel was going to do this; but that he might show the hyperbole of the matter, he has set down what would in no way happen. And again, when he writes to the Romans and says: Neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers will be able to separate us from the love of Christ; for angels were not going to do this either, but here too he supposes what is not; just as then also saying what follows: Nor any other creation; and yet there is not another creation; for he included all of it, having spoken of all things both above and below; but nevertheless here too he posits what is not, by way of hypothesis, so as to show his desire beyond measure. This indeed he also does here, saying, that Even if someone gives all things, but does not have love, he is not profited. Either this is to be said, or that he wishes those who give to be also joined to those who receive, and not simply to give without sympathy, but pitying and bending down, being broken over, and suffering with those in need. For for this reason almsgiving has also been legislated by God; for God was able to nourish the poor even without this; but that He might bind us together in love, and that we might be warmed towards one another, He commanded them to be fed by us. For this reason he also says elsewhere: A good word is better than a gift; and behold, a word is above a good gift. And He Himself says: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For since it is the custom for those who are benefited to love, and for those who are treated well to be more intimately disposed towards their benefactors, He, making a bond of friendship, legislated this. And that you may learn how great the achievement is, let us sketch it in words, since we do not see it appearing anywhere in deeds, and let us consider, if this were everywhere in abundance, how many good things would have come to be. For there would be no need of laws, nor of courts, not of punishments, not of penalties, nor of any other such things. For if all loved and were loved, no one would have wronged anyone, but also murders and battles and wars and seditions and robberies and covetousness and all evil things would have been out of the way, and wickedness would have been unknown even by name. The signs, however, would not have accomplished this, but it even lifts up those who are not attentive into vainglory and madness. And the wonderful thing about love, is that it has the other good things

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τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Παύλου φίλτρον ἐν διανοίᾳ λαμβάνοντες. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν Χριστὸν οὗτος ἐφίλει διὰ τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸν τὰ ἐκείνου, καὶ ἓν ἐδεδοίκει μόνον, τὸ μὴ τῆς ἀγάπης ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ γεέννης φοβερώτερον ἦν· ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ μένειν ἐν αὐτῇ βασιλείας ποθεινότερον. Ὅταν μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνος διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ πόθον καὶ εἰς γέενναν καταδέχεται ἐμπεσεῖν, καὶ βασιλείας ἐκπεσεῖν, εἴ γε ἀμφότερα ταῦτα προύκειτο, ἡμεῖς δὲ μηδὲ τοῦ παρόντος καταφρονῶμεν βίου, ἆρα ἄξιοι τῶν γοῦν ὑποδημάτων ἐσμὲν λοιπὸν τῶν ἐκείνου, τοσοῦτον ἀφεστηκότες αὐτοῦ τῆς μεγαλονοίας; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Ὃς ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, εὑρήσει αὐτήν· καὶ, Ὃς ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃ με ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ αὐτὸν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ γὰρ πολὺς ὁ τοῦ κατορθώματος τούτου πόνος, καὶ αὐτὴν σχεδὸν ὑπερβαίνων τὴν φύσιν· καὶ τοῦτο ἴσασιν οἱ καταξιωθέντες τῶν στεφάνων τούτων καλῶς· λόγος γὰρ οὐδεὶς αὐτὸ παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται· οὕτω γενναίας τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι ψυχῆς, καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς θαυμαστόν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο οὐδὲν μέγα ἔφησεν ὠφελεῖν, ἀγάπης χωρὶς, ὁ Παῦλος, κἂν τὴν ἀκτημοσύνην συνεζευγμένην ἔχῃ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὕτως εἴρηκε, τοῦτο ἤδη δεῖξαι πειράσομαι, πρότερον ἐκεῖνο ζητήσας, πῶς ὁ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ψωμίζων πάντα, δύναται μὴ ἔχειν ἀγάπην. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἕτοιμον ὄντα καῆναι, καὶ τὰ χαρίσματα ἔχοντα ἐγχωρεῖ ἴσως καὶ μὴ ἀγαπῆσαι· ὁ δὲ μὴ μόνον διδοὺς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψωμίζων, πῶς οὐκ ἀγαπᾷ; Τί οὖν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν; Ἢ ὅτι τὸ οὐκ ὂν ὡς ὂν ὑπέθετο, ὅπερ ἀεὶ φιλεῖ ποιεῖν, ὅταν ὑπερβολὴν παραστῆσαι βουληθῇ· ὡς ὅταν Γαλάταις γράφων λέγῃ· Ἐὰν ἡμεῖς ἢ ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εὐαγγελίζηται ὑμῖν, παρ' ὃ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω· καίτοι 63.575 οὔτε αὐτὸς, οὔτε ἄγγελος ἔμελλε τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ὅλως ἐσόμενον τέθεικε. Καὶ πάλιν, ὅταν Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιστέλλῃ καὶ λέγῃ· Οὔτε ἄγγελοι, οὔτε ἀρχαὶ, οὔτε δυνάμεις δυνήσονται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο ἔμελλον ποιεῖν ἄγγελοι, ἀλλὰ κἀνταῦθα τὸ μὴ ὂν ὑποτίθεται· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς λέγων· Οὔτε κτίσις ἑτέρα· καίτοι γε ἑτέρα οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις· πᾶσαν γὰρ αὐτὴν περιέλαβε, καὶ τὰ ἄνω καὶ τὰ κάτω πάντα εἰπών· ἀλλ' ὅμως κἀνταῦθα τὸ μὴ ὂν καθ' ὑπόθεσιν τίθησιν, ὥστε δεῖξαι τὸν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς αὐτοῦ πόθον. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ, λέγων, ὅτι Κἂν πάντα τις δῷ, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ, οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖται. Ἢ τοῦτο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἢ ὅτι βούλεται τοὺς παρέχοντας καὶ συγκεκολλῆσθαι τοῖς λαμβάνουσι, καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς διδόναι ἀσυμπαθῶς, ἀλλ' ἐλεοῦντας καὶ κατακαμπτομένους, ἐπικλωμένους, καὶ συναλγοῦντας τοῖς δεομένοις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ νενομοθέτηται· καὶ γὰρ ἠδύνατο τοὺς πένητας διατρέφειν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ χωρὶς τούτου· ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην συνδήσῃ, καὶ ἵνα διαθερμαινώμεθα πρὸς ἀλλήλους, παρ' ἡμῶν αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευσε τρέφεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Κρεῖσσον λόγος ἀγαθὸς ἢ δόσις· καὶ ἰδοὺ λόγος ὑπὲρ δόμα ἀγαθόν. Καὶ αὐτός φησι· Ἔλεον θέλω, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔθος τούς τε εὐεργετουμένους φιλεῖν, τούς τε εὖ πάσχοντας πρὸς τοὺς εὐεργετοῦντας οἰκειότερον διακεῖσθαι, σύνδεσμον φιλίας ποιῶν, τοῦτο ἐνομοθέτησε. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε ὅσον ἐστὶ τὸ κατόρθωμα, ὑπογράψωμεν αὐτὴν τῷ λόγῳ, ἐπειδὴ τοῖς πράγμασιν αὐτὴν οὐχ ὁρῶμέν που φαινομένην, καὶ ἐννοήσωμεν, εἰ πανταχοῦ μετὰ δαψιλείας ἦν αὕτη, πόσα ἂν ἐγένετο ἀγαθά. Οὔτε γὰρ νόμων, οὔτε δικαστηρίων ἔδει, οὐ κολάσεων, οὐ τιμωριῶν, οὐκ ἄλλου τῶν τοιούτων οὐδενός. Εἰ γὰρ ἅπαντες ἠγάπων καὶ ἠγαπῶντο, οὐδὲν ἂν ἠδίκησεν οὐδεὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ φόνοι καὶ μάχαι καὶ πόλεμοι καὶ στάσεις καὶ ἁρπαγαὶ καὶ πλεονεξίαι καὶ πάντα ἂν ἐκποδὼν ἐγεγόνει τὰ πονηρὰ, καὶ μέχρις ὀνόματος ἂν ἠγνοήθη ἡ κακία. Τὰ μέντοι σημεῖα οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο εἰργάσαντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς κενοδοξίαν ἐπαίρει τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας καὶ ἀπόνοιαν. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν τῆς ἀγάπης, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἀγαθὰ ἔχει