12

it is said, that you might have this also as a divine thing, the boundless and indefinite nature of virtue; not only to benefit those present, but also to be zealous for those absent, and those settled at a great local distance; and learning each time of its lengthy progress through those who arrive here, and not only so, but also through your esteemed letters, picturing, as through a mirror, the form of divine grace that befits you, I rightly rejoice and am glad; and giving thanks for you to God, the Giver of good things, I do not cease crying out with the holy Apostle: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places; being especially persuaded, and knowing that your holy soul is indissolubly attached to my wretched one in spirit through love, having as a friendly bond the law of grace, according to which, uniting me to yourselves invisibly, you brighten me along with you, making my shame from sin disappear by the juxtaposition of your own 15Β_054 good things. For truly nothing is more godlike than divine love, nor more mysterious, nor more sublime for humans on their way to deification; because, having comprehended all things in itself, it holds all the good things that the word of truth enumerates under the form of virtue; and it is far removed from all things indifferently that are apprehended in the form of vice, as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets(1); which the mystery of love succeeds, making us gods from men, and shortening the particular commandments into the universal principle, by which all are contained in a single form according to good pleasure, and from which they are issued forth in many ways according to the economy.

For what form of good things does love not possess? Does it not possess faith, the first principle of the things of piety, which fully assures the one who has it that God exists and of divine realities; and more than the eye, by encountering the surfaces of sensible things, provides to those who see an opinion about them? Does it not possess hope, which gives substance for itself to the good that truly subsists, and possesses it more than the hand possesses the densest part of matter that falls under its touch? Does it not grant the enjoyment of things believed and hoped for, having through itself future things as present according to its 0396 disposition? Does it not possess humility, the first foundation of the virtues, by which they [we] are able to become mindful of themselves, and to cast down the vain swelling of pride? Does it not possess meekness, through which we strike down both censure and praise, and push away the annoyance of contrary evils, I mean of both glory and dishonor? Does it not possess gentle-suffering, by which even when suffering we remain unchanged towards those who do evil, in no way being ill-disposed? Does it not possess mercy, according to which we willingly make the misfortunes of others our own; and do not allow what is kindred and of the same race to be ignored? 15Β_056 Does it not possess self-control and endurance, and long-suffering, and kindness, and peace and joy, through which we easily calm anger and desire, and their caustic boiling and burning? And simply, to speak concisely, love is the end of all good things, as leading and bringing those who walk in it to God, the highest of good things, and the cause of every good, as faithful, and unfailing and abiding.

For faith is the foundation of the things that come after it, I mean of hope and love, firmly establishing what is true; Hope is the strength of the extremes, I mean of love and faith, showing through itself that which is both faithful and lovable to both, and teaching to make the course towards it through itself. But love is the fulfillment of these, wholly embracing the whole final object of desire, and providing for them a cessation of their movement towards it, bringing in exchange for believing that it is and hoping that it will be present, the enjoyment of it as present through itself. This alone, properly speaking, according to the image of the Creator the

12

λέγεται, ἵνα καί τοῦτο θεῖον ἔχητε, τό κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ἀπερίγραφον καί ἀόριστον· τό μή παρόντας μόνον εὐεργετεῖν, ἀλλά καί ἀπόντας προθυμεῖσθαι, καί πολλῷ ἀπῳκισμένους τῷ τοπικῷ διαστήματι· καί τήν εἰς μῆκος ταύτης ἐπίδοσιν ἑκάστοτε μανθάνων διά τῶν ἐνταῦθα παραγινομένων, οὐ μήν ἀλλά καί διά τῶν τιμίων ὑμῶν συλλαβῶν, ὡς δι᾿ ἐσόπτρου τήν ἐμπρέπουσαν ὑμῖν τῆς θείας χάριτος μορφήν εἰκονιζόμενος, εἰκότως χαίρω καί εὐφραίνομαι· καί εὐχαριστῶν ὑπέρ ὑμῶν τῷ δοτήρι τῶν ἀγαθῶν Θεῷ, καί μετά τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀποστόλου βοῶν οὐ παύομαι· Εὐλογητός ὁ Θεός καί Πατήρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ εὐλογήσας ὑμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις· πεπεισμένος μάλιστα, καί γινώσκων τήν ἁγίαν ὑμῶν ψυχήν, τῆς ἐμῆς ἀθλίας ἐν πνεύματι δι᾿ ἀγάπης ἀλύτως ἠρτῆσθαι, δεσμόν φίλιον ἔχουσαν τόν νόμον τῆς χάριτος, καθ᾿ ὅν ἑαυτοῖς ἀοράτως με συνάπτοντες, συμφαιδρύνετε, τό ἐμόν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἶσχος τῇ παραθέσει τῶν ἰδίων 15Β_054 καλῶν ἀφανίζοντες. Οὐδέν γάρ ὄντως τῆς θείας ἀγάπης θεοειδέστερον, οὐδέ μυστηριωδέστερον, οὐδέ ἀνθρώποις πρός θέωσιν ὑψηλότερον· ὅτι πάντα ἐν ἑαυτῇ συλλαβοῦσα ἔχει τά καλά, ὅσα τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ λόγος ἐν ἀρετῆς εἴδει διέξεισι· καί πάντων ἀσχέτως τῶν ἐν κακίας εἴδει κατειλημμένων ἀπῴκισται, ὡς πλήρωμα νόμου καί προφητῶν(1)· οὕς διαδέχεται τό τῆς ἀγάπης μυστήριον, τό ἡμᾶς θεούς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ποιοῦν, καί συντέμνον πρός τόν καθόλου λόγον τῶν ἐντολῶν τούς μερικούς ὑφ᾿ οὗ πάντες κατ᾿ εὐδοκίαν μονοειδῶς περιέχονται, καί ἐξ οὗ πολυτρόπως κατ᾿ οἰκονομίαν ἐκδίδονται.

Ποῖον γάρ εἶδος τῶν ἀγαθῶν οὐ κέκτηται ἡ ἀγάπη; Οὐ πίστιν τήν πρώτην τῶν κατ᾿ εὐσέβειαν πραγμάτων ὑπόθεσιν, τήν τόν Θεόν εἶναι καί τά θεῖα πληροφοροῦσαν τόν ἔχοντα· καί πλέον ἤ ὅσον ὀφθαλμός ταῖς ἐπιφανείαις προσβάλλων τῶν αἰσθητῶν τήν περί αὐτῶν τοῖς ὁρῶσι δόξαν παρέχεται; Οὐκ ἐλπίδα, τήν ὑφιστῶσαν ἑαυτῇ τό ὄντως ὑφιστάμενον ἀγαθόν, καί πλέον κατέχουσαν, ἤ ὅσον χείρ τό τῇ ἁφῇ ὑποπίπτον τῆς ὕλης παχύτατον; Οὐ τῶν πιστευθέντων τε καί ἐλπισθέντων δίδωσι τήν ἀπόλαυσιν, δι᾿ ἑαυτῆς ὡς παρόντα τά μέλλοντα κατά 0396 διάθεσιν ἔχουσα; Οὐ ταπείνωσιν τήν πρώτην βάσιν τῶν ἀρετῶν, καθ᾿ ἥν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιγνώμονες γενέσθαι, καί τῆς ὑπερηφανίας τό μάταιον οἴδημα καταβάλλειν δύνανται [δυνάμεθα]; Οὐ πραότητα, δι᾿ ἧς τούς ψόγους τε καί τούς ἐπαίνους ῥαπίζομεν, καί τῶν ἐκ διαμέτρου κακῶν, δόξης τέ φημι καί ἀδοξίας, τήν ὄχλησιν ἀπωθούμεθα; Οὐ πραϋπάθειαν, καθ᾿ ἥν καί πάσχοντες ἀναλλοίωτοι μένομεν πρός τούς δρῶντας κακῶς, δυσμενῶς οὐδόλως διατιθέμενοι; Οὐκ ἔλεον, καθ᾿ ὅν τάς τῶν ἄλλων συμφοράς θέλοντες οἰκειούμεθα· καί τό συγγενές καί ὁμόφυλον ἀγνοεῖσθαι μή συγχωρούμεθα; 15Β_056 Οὐκ ἐγκράτειαν καί ὑπομονήν, καί μακροθυμίαν, καί χρηστότητα, εἰρήνην τε καί χαράν, δι᾿ ὧν θυμόν καί ἐπιθυμίαν, καί τήν καυστικήν τούτων ζέσιν, καί πύρωσιν εὐμαρῶς κατευνάζομεν; Καί ἁπλῶς, ἵνα συνελών εἴπω, πάντων ἐστί τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ ἀγάπη τέλος, ὡς πρός Θεόν τό τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀκρότατον, καί παντός αἴτιον ἀγαθοῦ, τούς ἐν αὐτῇ περιπατοῦντας ἄγουσα καί προσάγουσα, ὡς πιστή, καί ἀδιάπτωτος καί μένουσα.

Ἡ πίστις γάρ βάσις ἐστί τῶν μετ᾿ αὐτήν, ἐλπίδος λέγω καί ἀγάπης, βεβαίως τό ἀληθές ὑφιστῶσα· Ἡ δέ ἐλπίς, τῶν ἄκρων ἐστίν ἰσχύς, ἀγάπης λέγω καί πίστεως, τό πιστόν τε δι᾿ ἑαυτῆς καί ἐραστόν ἀμφοῖν ὑποφαίνουσα, καί πρός αὐτό τόν δρόμον δι᾿ ἑαυτῆς ποιεῖσθαι διδάσκουσα. Ἡ δέ ἀγάπη τούτων ἐστί συμπλήρωσις, τό ἔσχατον ὀρεκτόν ὅλον ὅλη περιπτυσσομένη, καί ταύταις τῆς ἐπ' αὐτό κινήσεως στάσιν παρεχομένη, τοῦ πιστεύειν εἶναι καί ἐλπίζειν παρέσεσθαι, τό ἀπολαύειν παρόντος δι᾿ ἑαυτῆς ἀντεισάγουσα. Αὕτη μόνη, κυρίως εἰπεῖν, κατ᾿ εἰκόνα τοῦ Κτίσαντος τόν