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of her, but because he had this as a more exceptional and well-known measure of love than others—yet the love of God is much greater than that—he added: “But even if a woman should forget these things, yet I will not forget you, says the Lord.” 6.5 Do you see how he surpassed the measure of a mother? And so that you may learn that he surpassed by a great abundance both a mother's affection and a father's longing for his children, the prophet on the one hand says: “As a father has compassion on his sons, the Lord had compassion on those who fear him.” And he himself again introduces this image of love; for he knew that this had something exceptional beyond others. 6.6 But the Master of both prophets and all men, showing that the care of God surpasses even this measure by a great abundance, and as great as is the distance of light from darkness and of wickedness from goodness, so great is the measure of the goodness and providence of God compared to 6.7 a father's affection, hear what he says: ”What man is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? And if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him,” showing that as great as is the distance between wickedness and goodness, so much greater is the goodness of God than the care of fathers. 6.8 But I have mentioned these examples so that, when I bring forward other images of love, you might not stop your thought at the measure spoken of by the prophets, but having this rule, you may go further in your reasoning and see the ineffable excess of his love. For he is not content with the measures of nature, but leaving them behind and surpassing them, he again adds other examples. 6.9 For such is one who loves; he wishes to show this to the beloved through many things; which indeed he himself does, extending the discourse to the magnitude of spatial distances, not so that you might again think his love is only so great, but because this measure of distances alone was exceptional and well-known to those hearing. 6.10 And through David he says: “According to the height of heaven from the earth, the Lord has made his mercy strong upon those who fear him,” and, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our iniquities from us,” but through Isaiah: “For my counsels are not as your counsels, nor are my ways as your ways; but as far as heaven is from the earth, so far are my ways from your ways, and my thoughts from your thoughts.” And he said these things, having discoursed above concerning the forgiveness of sins, and having said: “For I will abundantly forgive your iniquities.” 6.11 Then, showing how much, he introduced this example; and he is not content with these alone, but brings the discourse down to another, more tangible image. For in Hosea he said: “What shall I do to you, Ephraim? What shall I do to you, Judah? I will make you as Admah and as Zeboim. My heart is turned within me; my repentance is stirred up.” 6.12 What he says is something like this: I could not even bear the word of the threat, he says. And he speaks in a human manner, not so that you might suspect anything human, far from it, but so that from the most tangible language you might understand a love that is worthy of God, genuine, and indissoluble. 6.13 For just as someone who loves another madly, does not choose to grieve the beloved even with words, so indeed he himself says: Because I only spoke, I also grieved with the word; “My heart is turned within me.” For he does not shrink from introducing these very weighty images, in order to show the love, which is especially characteristic of one who loves. 6.14 And he did not stop here, but again proceeds even further, introducing another, deeper example and saying: “As a bridegroom will rejoice over a bride, so will the Lord rejoice over you,” because lovers are especially more ardent in the beginning. But it is said this way, not so that you might suspect anything human—for I will not cease saying the same things again—but so that from these things you might see the ardent, the genuine, the vehement, the fiery quality of the love. 6.15 Then having said that he loves as a father and more than

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αὐτῆς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων ἐξαίρετον μέτρον ἀγάπης γνώριμον εἶχε-τὸ μέντοι φίλτρον τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλῷ μεῖζον ἐκείνου-, ἐπήγαγεν· «Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπιλάθοιτο ταῦτα γυνή, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐπιλήσομαί σου, λέγει Κύριος.» 6.5 Εἶδες πῶς ὑπερέβη τῆς μητρὸς τὸ μέτρον; Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ὑπερέβη καὶ μητρὸς φιλοστοργίαν καὶ πατρὸς περὶ παῖδας πόθον, ὁ μὲν προφήτης φησί· «Καθὼς οἰκτείρει πατὴρ υἱούς, ᾠκτείρησε Κύριος τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν.» Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ πάλιν ταύτην εἰσάγει τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς ἀγάπης· ᾔδει γὰρ ταύτην τῶν ἄλλων ἔχουσάν τι ἐξαίρετον. 6.6 Ὁ δὲ καὶ προφητῶν καὶ πάντων ∆εσπότης δηλῶν ὅτι καὶ ταύτης τὸ μέτρον ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ὑπερβαίνει τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ κηδεμονία καὶ ὅσον τοῦ φωτὸς τὸ μέσον ἐστὶ πρὸς σκότος καὶ πονηρίας πρὸς ἀγαθότητα, τοσοῦτον τὸ μέτρον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χρηστότητος καὶ προνοίας πρὸς 6.7 τὴν πατρικὴν φιλοστοργίαν, ἄκουε τί φησι·»Τίς ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν, ὃν ἐὰν αἰτήσῃ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἄρτον, μὴ λίθον ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; καὶ ἐὰν ἰχθὺν αἰτήσῃ, μὴ ὄφιν ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; Εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς πονηροὶ ὄντες οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς δώσει ἀγαθὰ τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν», δεικνὺς ὅτι ὅσον πονηρίας καὶ ἀγαθότητος τὸ μέσον, τοσοῦτον ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθότης τῆς τῶν πατέρων κηδεμονίας ἐστὶν ἀνωτέρα. 6.8 Ταῦτα δὲ εἶπον τὰ ὑποδείγματα ἵν', ὅταν ἑτέρας ἐπαγάγω φίλτρου εἰκόνας, μὴ μέχρι τοῦ μέτρου τοῦ λεγομένου παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν στήσῃς τὴν διάνοιαν, ἀλλ' ἔχων τὸν κανόνα τοῦτον ὑπερβῇς τῷ λογισμῷ περαιτέρω καὶ ἴδῃς τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄφατον ὑπερβολήν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκεῖται τοῖς τῆς φύσεως μέτροις, ἀλλ' ἀφεὶς αὐτὰ καὶ ὑπερακοντίσας καὶ ἕτερα πάλιν προστίθησιν ὑποδείγματα. 6.9 Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὁ φιλῶν· διὰ πλειόνων βούλεται δεικνύναι τοῦτο τῷ φιλουμένῳ· ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ εἰς τοπικῶν διαστημάτων μέγεθος ἐξάγων τὸν λόγον, οὐχ ἵνα πάλιν τοσοῦτον αὐτοῦ νομίσῃς τὸ φίλτρον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο μόνον τὸ μέτρον τῶν διαστημάτων τῶν ἄλλων ἐξαίρετον καὶ γνώριμον ἦν τοῖς ἀκούουσι. 6.10 Καὶ διὰ μὲν τοῦ ∆αυΐδ φησι· «Κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐκραταίωσε Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν» καὶ· «Καθ' ὅσον ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ἐμάκρυνεν ἀφ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν», διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου δέ· «Οὐ γάρ εἰσιν αἱ βουλαί μου, ὡς αἱ βουλαὶ ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ αἱ ὁδοί μου, ὡς αἱ ὁδοὶ ὑμῶν· ἀλλ' ὅσον ἀπέχει ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, τοσοῦτον ἀπέχουσιν αἱ ὁδοί μου ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ διανοήματά μου ἀπὸ τῶν διανοημάτων ὑμῶν.» Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, ἀνωτέρω περὶ ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων διαλεχθεὶς καὶ εἰπών· «Ὅτι ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀφήσω τὰς ἀνομίας ὑμῶν.» 6.11 Εἶτα δεικνὺς πόσον, ἐπήγαγε τοῦτο τὸ ὑπόδειγμα· καὶ οὐδὲ τούτοις ἀρκεῖται μόνοις, ἀλλ' εἰς ἑτέραν παχυτέραν καταφέρει τὸν λόγον εἰκόνα. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ Ὠσηὲ ἔλεγε· «Τί σοι ποιήσω, Ἐφραΐμ; τί σοι ποιήσω, Ἰούδα; ὩςἈδάμα θήσομαι σε καὶ ὡς Σεβοείμ. Μετεστράφη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ· συνεταράχθη ἡ μεταμέλειά μου.» 6.12 Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐδὲ τὸ ῥῆμα ἤνεγκα τῆς ἀπειλῆς, φησί. Καὶ ἀνθρωπίνως μὲν διαλέγεται, οὐχ ἵνα τι ἀνθρώπινον ὑποπτεύσῃς, ἄπαγε, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀπὸ τῆς παχυτάτης λέξεως θεοπρεπῆ τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ γνησίαν καὶ ἀκατάλυτον νοήσῃς. 6.13 Ὥσπερ γάρ τις μανικῶς τινος ἐρῶν, οὐδὲ μέχρι ῥημάτων αἱρεῖται λυπῆσαι τὸν ἐρώμενον, οὕτω δὴ καὶ αὐτός φησιν· Ἐπειδὴ μόνον εἶπον, καὶ ἐλύπησα τῇ λέξει· «Μετεστράφη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν ταὐτῷ.» Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὰς βαρυτάτας ταύτας παραιτεῖται εἰκόνας παράγειν, ἵνα δείξῃ τὸ φίλτρον, ὅπερ μάλιστα ἐρῶντός ἐστι. 6.14 Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ περαιτέρω πρόεισι πάλιν, ἕτερον βαθύτερον ἐπάγων ὑπόδειγμα καὶ λέγων· «Ὃν τρόπον εὐφρανθήσεται νυμφίος ἐπὶ νύμφῃ, οὕτως εὐφρανθήσεται Κύριος ἐπὶ σοί», ὅτι μάλιστα ἐν ἀρχῇ θερμότεροι οἱ ἐρῶντές εἰσιν. Οὕτω δὲ εἴρηται, οὐχ ἵνα τι ἀνθρώπινον ὑποπτεύσῃς-πάλιν γὰρ τὰ αὐτὰ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι-ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐκ τούτων τὸ θερμόν, τὸ γνήσιον, τὸ σφοδρόν, τὸ πεπυρωμένον τῆς ἀγάπης ἴδῃς. 6.15 Εἶτα εἰπὼν ὅτι ὡς πατὴρ φιλεῖ καὶ πλέον ἢ