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in mind and was re-winged. I speak of genuine friends, of those who are of one soul, of those who choose even to die for another, of those who love warmly. Do not, by thinking of those who are merely friends, and sharers of one's table, and friends in name only, suppose that the argument is refuted. If anyone has such a friend as I describe, he 62.404 will recognize my words; and though he sees him every day, he is not filled; he prays for him the same things he prays for himself. I know a certain man who, when asking holy men on behalf of a friend, would ask them to pray first for his friend, and then for himself. So great a thing is a good friend, that even places and times are loved for his sake. For just as a bloom flows off from shining bodies to the places near them, so also friends leave their own grace in whatever places they may be. And often, standing in those places without our friends, we have wept, remembering the days in which we were together, and we have sighed. It is not possible for words to convey how much pleasure the presence of friends imparts; only those who have experience know. It is possible both to ask a favor and to receive a favor from a friend without suspicion. When they command us, then we are grateful to them; but when they hesitate, then we are distressed. We have nothing that is not theirs. Often despising all things here, for their sakes we do not wish to depart from here; and they are more longed for than the light. For truly a friend is more longed for even than the light itself; I mean a genuine friend. And do not be amazed; for it is better for us that the sun be extinguished, than to be deprived of friends; it is better to live in darkness, than to be without friends; and how, I will tell you. Because many who see the sun are in darkness, but those who abound in friends could never be in affliction; I speak of spiritual friends, who prefer nothing to friendship. Such was Paul, who would gladly give his own soul, even unasked, and would gladly have fallen into hell. Thus one must love with a fiery disposition. I wish to give an example of friendship; friends surpass fathers and sons, friends according to Christ. For do not tell me of those of today, that along with other things this good thing also has departed; but consider that in the time of the apostles, I do not mean the chief ones, but the believers themselves; Of all, it says, the soul and the heart was one, and not one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own; and distribution was made to each, according as any had need. There was no "mine" and "thine" then. This is friendship, that one not consider his own things to be his own, but his neighbor's, and his own things to belong to another; that he may so care for that one's soul as for his own, and that one likewise may show the same disposition. And where is it possible, he says, for such a one to be found? Yes, it is not possible, because we are not willing; for if we were willing, it would be very possible. For if it were not possible, Christ would not have commanded it, nor would he have spoken so much about love. A great thing is friendship, and how great, no one could learn, nor could any word express, except experience itself. This has caused heresies, this still makes the Greeks to be Greeks. He who loves does not wish to command or to rule, but is more grateful to be ruled and commanded; he wishes to give a favor rather than to receive one; for he loves, and is so disposed as one who has not satisfied his desire. He is not so pleased when being well-treated, as when doing well; for he wishes to hold him in his debt rather than to owe him; or rather, he wishes both to owe him, and to have him as a debtor; and he wishes to bestow a favor, and does not wish to seem to bestow a favor, but to be his debtor. Perhaps I think many of you do not understand 62.405 what has been said; therefore it is necessary to say it again. And he wishes to be the first in beneficence, and not to seem to be the first, but to be repaying a debt; just as God also did in the case of men. He was about to grant His Son for our sakes, but so that He might not seem to be granting a favor, but to be indebted to us, he commanded Abraham to give his son

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διανοίᾳ καὶ ἀνεπτερώθη. Περὶ τῶν φίλων λέγω τῶν γνησίων, τῶν ὁμοψύχων, τῶν αἱρουμένων καὶ ὑπεραποθανεῖν, τῶν θερμῶς φιλούντων. Μή μοι τοὺς ἁπλῶς φιλοῦντας ἐννοοῦντες, καὶ κοινωνοὺς τῶν τραπεζῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ προσηγορίας φίλους, νομίζετε τὸν λόγον ἐλέγχεσθαι. Εἴ τις ἔχει φίλον οἷον λέγω, ἐπι 62.404 γνώσεται τὰ ῥήματα· κἂν ἴδῃ τοῦτον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἐμπίπλαται· ταῦτα αὐτῷ ἐπεύχεται, ἅπερ καὶ ἑαυτῷ. Οἶδα ἐγώ τινα, ὃς ὑπὲρ φίλου τοὺς ἁγίους ἄνδρας παρακαλῶν, παρεκάλει εὔχεσθαι πρότερον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τότε ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ. Τοσοῦτόν ἐστι φίλος ἀγαθὸς, ὡς καὶ τόπους καὶ χρόνους φιλεῖσθαι δι' αὐτόν. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὰ λαμπρὰ τῶν σωμάτων ἄνθος ἀποῤῥεῖ εἰς τοὺς πλησίον τόπους, οὕτω καὶ οἱ φίλοι, οἷς ἂν παραγένωνται τόποις, τὴν ἑαυτῶν χάριν ἀφιᾶσι. Καὶ πολλάκις χωρὶς φίλων ἐπιστάντες τοῖς τόποις ἐκείνοις, ἐδακρύσαμεν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναμνησθέντες, ἐν αἷς συνεγενόμεθα, καὶ ἐστενάξαμεν. Οὐκ ἔνι τῷ λόγῳ παραστῆσαι τὴν ἡδονὴν ὅσην ἐντίθησι παρουσία φίλων· μόνοι δὲ οἱ πεῖραν ἔχοντες ἴσασι. Καὶ χάριν αἰτῆσαι, καὶ χάριν λαβεῖν ἀνυπόπτως παρὰ φίλου ἔνι. Ὅταν ἡμῖν ἐπιτάττωσι, τότε αὐτοῖς χάριν ἴσμεν· ὅταν δὲ ὀκνῶσι, τότε ἀλύομεν. Οὐδὲν ἔχομεν ὅπερ μὴ ἐκείνων ἐστί. Πάντων πολλάκις τῶν ἐνταῦθα καταφρονοῦντες, δι' ἐκείνους οὐ βουλόμεθα ἀπελθεῖν ἐντεῦθεν· καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκεῖνοι ποθεινότεροι. Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ ποθεινότερος φίλος· τὸν γνήσιον λέγω. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς· βέλτιον γὰρ ἡμῖν σβεσθῆναι τὸν ἥλιον, ἢ φίλων ἀποστερηθῆναι· βέλτιον ἐν σκότῳ διάγειν, ἢ φίλων εἶναι χωρίς· καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ὅτι πολλοὶ τὸν ἥλιον ὁρῶντες ἐν σκότῳ εἰσὶ, φίλων δὲ εὐποροῦντες, οὐδ' ἂν ἐν θλίψει γένοιντο· περὶ φίλων λέγω τῶν πνευματικῶν, τῶν οὐδὲν προτιμώντων φιλίας. Τοιοῦτος Παῦλος ἦν, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡδέως διδοὺς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ μὴ αἰτηθεὶς, καὶ εἰς γέενναν ἡδέως ἂν ἐνέπιπτεν. Οὕτω χρὴ φιλεῖν διαθέσει πεπυρωμένῃ. Βούλομαι ὑπόδειγμα δοῦναι φιλίας· πατέρας καὶ υἱοὺς ὑπερβαίνουσι φίλοι, φίλοι οἱ κατὰ Χριστόν. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοὺς νῦν εἴπῃς, ὅτι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο ἀπέστη τὸ καλόν· ἀλλ' ἐννόησον ὅτι ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, οὐ λέγω τοὺς κορυφαίους, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας· Πάντων ἦν, φησὶν, ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ἡ καρδία μία, καὶ οὐδὲ εἷς τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἔλεγεν ἴδιον εἶναι· καὶ διεδίδοτο ἑκάστῳ, καθότι ἄν τις χρείαν εἶχεν. Οὐκ ἦν τότε τὸ ἐμὸν καὶ τὸ σόν. Τοῦτό ἐστι φιλία, ἵνα μὴ τὰ αὐτοῦ ἑαυτοῦ τις νομίζῃ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ πλησίον, τὰ δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀλλότρια· ἵνα οὕτω φείδηται τῆς ἐκείνου ψυχῆς, ὡς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, κἀκεῖνος ὁμοίως τὴν αὐτὴν διάθεσιν ἐπιδεικνύηται. Καὶ ποῦ δυνατὸν, φησὶ, τοιοῦτον εὑρεθῆναι; Ναὶ, οὐ δυνατὸν, ἐπειδὴ μὴ βουλόμεθα· ὡς εἴ γε ἐβουλόμεθα, καὶ σφόδρα δυνατόν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ δυνατὸν ἦν, οὐδ' ἂν ἐπέταξεν ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐκ ἂν τοσαῦτα περὶ ἀγάπης διελέχθη. Μέγα φιλία, καὶ πόσον μέγα, οὐδεὶς ἂν δύναιτο μαθεῖν, οὔτε τις παραστῆσαι λόγος, πλὴν τῆς πείρας αὐτῆς. Τοῦτο τὰς αἱρέσεις εἰργάσατο, τοῦτο τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἔτι ποιεῖ Ἕλληνας εἶναι. Ὁ φιλῶν οὐκ ἐπιτάττειν βούλεται οὐδὲ ἄρχειν, ἀλλὰ χάριν ἔχει μᾶλλον ἀρχόμενος καὶ ἐπιτασσόμενος· χαρίζεσθαι βούλεται μᾶλλον, ἢ χάριν λαμβάνειν· φιλεῖ γὰρ, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἐμπλήσας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, οὕτω διάκειται. Οὐχ οὕτως εὖ πάσχων τέρπεται, ὡς εὖ ποιῶν· βούλεται γὰρ κατέχειν αὐτὸν μᾶλλον, ἢ ὀφείλειν αὐτῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὀφείλειν αὐτῷ βούλεται, καὶ ὀφειλέτην αὐτὸν ἔχειν· καὶ βούλεται χαρίζεσθαι, καὶ οὐ βούλεται δοκεῖν χαρίζεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὀφειλέτην αὐτὸν εἶναι. Τάχα πολλοὺς ὑμῶν ἀγνοεῖν 62.405 οἶμαι τὸ εἰρημένον· οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον αὐτὸ πάλιν εἰπεῖν Καὶ ἄρχειν βούλεται εὐεργεσίας, καὶ μὴ δοκεῖν ἄρχειν, ἀλλ' ἀποδιδόναι· ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἔμελλε τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ χαρίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ χαρίζεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὀφείλειν ἡμῖν, προσέταξε τῷ Ἀβραὰμ δοῦναι τὸν υἱὸν