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makes it receptive of the seeds. Where there is love, all evil things are taken away; the love of money, which is the root of all evil, is not there, avarice is not there, vainglory is not there; for what could one boast of against his friend? Nothing therefore makes one so humble as love. For we perform even the services of domestics for our friends, and are not ashamed, but are even grateful to them for this service; we do not spare our money, and often not even our bodies; for someone has already even faced extreme danger for the one he loved. There is no envy, nor slander, where there is genuine friendship; for not only do we not slander our friends, but we even silence those who do slander them. All things are calm, all things are gentle, not even a trace of fighting or contention appears; all things are full of peace. For the fulfillment of the law, he says, is love; there is nothing unpleasant in it. How? For the very sins, greed, robbery, envy, slander, arrogance, perjury, falsehood, all these are destroyed when love is present; for those who commit perjury do so wanting to seize something; but no one would rob the one he loves, but would even give his own things to his beloved; for we are more grateful than if we were to receive from him. You know these things, as many of you as have had friends; I do not mean friends in name only, nor from mere address, but if anyone has loved as one ought to love, if anyone has been bound to another. But if some do not know, let them learn from those who do. Now I will relate to you a wonderful friendship from the Scriptures. Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David, and his soul, it says, was knit with him; so much so, that when mourning him he said, Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. To me you were wounded unto death. What then? Did he then envy him? By no means, although he had reason to be envious. How? For from the turn of events he saw the kingdom coming to him, and yet he felt nothing of the sort; he did not say, ‘This is the one who will deprive me of my father’s kingdom,’ but he helped establish his rule, and did not spare his father for the sake of his friend. But let no one consider him a patricide; for he was not wronging his father, but was restraining his plots and injustices. He was rather sparing him, than wronging him; he did not allow him to proceed to an unjust murder. He was willing even to die many times for him. He did not accuse, but even silenced his father; he did not envy, but even helped establish him; he shared with him not only his money, but also his salvation. Why do I say money? He even gave up his soul for him. He was not ashamed of his own father for the sake of his friend, since the one was undertaking unjust 62.641 deeds, while the other was conscious of no such thing in himself. There, 62.641 then, friendship was on the side of justice; this, then, was Jonathan. Let us now look at David as well. He did not have the opportunity to repay the kindness; for that one was snatched away before David's reign, and before the one who had been well-treated came to the kingdom, the benefactor perished. What then? In the ways that were possible and permitted, let us see how the just man demonstrated his friendship. You were beautiful to me, he says, Jonathan; to me you were wounded unto death. Was this all? For this is not a small thing; nevertheless, he also rescued his son and his grandson from dangers many times, remembering the kindness of the father; and he continued to preserve and protect them as if they were the grandchildren of one of his own sons. Such a friendship I wish all to have, both toward the living and toward the departed. 4. Let the women hear (for it was especially for this reason that I spoke of the departed), those who enter into second marriages, and corrupt the bed of the deceased, those who loved the first. I say these things not to forbid a second marriage, nor to say it is licentious; for Paul does not permit me, putting a bridle on my mouth, and saying to women, But if she marries, she has not sinned. But let us also see what follows:

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ὑποδοχὴν τῶν σπερμάτων ἐργάζεται. Ἔνθα ἐστὶν ἀγάπη, πάντα ἀνῄρηται τὰ κακά· οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία ἡ ῥίζα τῶν κακῶν, οὐκ ἔστι φιλαργυρία, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλαζονεία· τί γὰρ ἄν τις κατὰ τοῦ φίλου ἀλαζονεύσαιτο; Οὐδὲν μὲν οὖν οὕτω ποιεῖ ταπεινὸν ὡς ἀγάπη. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ τῶν οἰκετῶν τοῖς φίλοις διακονούμεθα, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχυνόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ χάριν ἴσμεν τῆς δουλείας ταύτης αὐτοῖς· χρημάτων οὐ φειδόμεθα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ σωμάτων πολλάκις· ἤδη γάρ τις καὶ ὑπερεκινδύνευσε τοῦ φιλουμένου. Φθόνος οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ κακηγορία, ἔνθα ἂν ᾖ γνησία φιλία· οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐ διαβάλλομεν τοὺς φίλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς διαβάλλοντας ἐπιστομίζομεν. Πάντα γαληνὰ, πάντα ἥμερα, μάχης καὶ φιλονεικίας οὐδὲ ἴχνος φαίνεται· πάντα εἰρήνης μεστά· Πλήρωμα γὰρ νόμου, φησὶν, ἡ ἀγάπη· οὐδὲν ἀηδὲς παρ' αὐτῇ. Πῶς; Αὐτὰ γὰρ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, πλεονεξία, ἁρπαγὴ, φθόνος, κακηγορία, ἀπόνοια, ἐπιορκία, ψεῦδος, ταῦτα πάντα καταλύεται, τῆς ἀγάπης οὔσης· ἐπιορκοῦσι γὰρ οἱ ἐπιορκοῦντες ἁρπάσαι βουλόμενοι· τὸν δὲ ἀγαπώμενον οὐδεὶς ἂν ἁρπάσειεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσδοίη τὰ ἑαυτοῦ τῷ φιλουμένῳ· χάριν γὰρ ἔχομεν μᾶλλον, ἢ εἰ λάβοιμεν παρ' αὐτοῦ. Ἴστε ταῦτα ὅσοι φίλους ἐσχήκατε· φίλους οὐ μέχρι ὀνόματος λέγω, οὐδὲ ἐκ ψιλῆς προσηγορίας, ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἠγάπησεν ὡς ἀγαπᾷν ἔδει, εἴ τις προσεδέθη τινί. Εἰ δέ τινες οὐκ ἴσασι, παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων μαθέτωσαν. Νῦν διηγήσομαι ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν φιλίαν θαυμαστήν. Ὁ τοῦ Σαοὺλ υἱὸς Ἰωνάθαν ἐφίλησε τὸν ∆αυῒδ, Καὶ συνεδέθη αὐτῷ, φησὶν, ἡ ψυχή· οὕτως, ὡς καὶ θρηνῶν αὐτὸν λέγειν, Ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ ἀγάπησίς σου, ὡς ἡ ἀγάπησις τῶν γυναικῶν. Εἰς θάνατον ἐτραυματίσθης ἐμοί. Τί οὖν; ἐκεῖνος ἄρα ἐφθόνησεν αὐτῷ; Οὐδαμῶς, καίτοι γε εἶχεν ἀνάγκην τοῦ φθονεῖν. Πῶς; Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων ἑώρα τὴν βασιλείαν ἐρχομένην εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲν ἔπαθε τοιοῦτον· οὐκ εἶπεν· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐμὲ ἀποστερήσων τῆς βασιλείας τῆς πατρικῆς, ἀλλὰ συγκατεσκεύαζεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς οὐκ ἐφείδετο διὰ τὸν φίλον. Ἀλλὰ μή τις αὐτὸν πατραλοίαν νομιζέτω· οὐ γὰρ ἠδίκει τὸν πατέρα, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ τὰς ἀδικίας κατεῖχε. Μᾶλλον ἐφείδετο, ἢ ἠδίκει· οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν εἰς φόνον ἄδικον ἐκβῆναι. Ἠθέλησε καὶ ἀποθανεῖν πολλάκις δι' αὐτόν. Οὐ κατηγόρησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἐπεστόμισεν· οὐκ ἐφθόνησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συγκατεσκεύασεν· οὐ χρημάτων αὐτῷ μετέδωκε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωτηρίας. Τί λέγω χρημάτων; καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ προήκατο. Οὐκ ᾐδέσθη τὸν γεγεννηκότα διὰ τὸν φίλον, ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν ἀδίκοις ἐπεχείρει πράγμα 62.641 σιν, ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνῄδει τοιοῦτον. Ἐκεῖ μὲν 62.641 οὖν μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου ἦν ἡ φιλία· οὗτος οὖν ὁ Ἰωνάθαν. Ἴδωμεν δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ τὸν ∆αυΐδ. Οὐκ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ καιρὸς ἀποδοῦναι τὰς ἀμοιβάς· προανηρπάσθη γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὸν εὖ παθόντα ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ὁ εὖ ποιῶν ἀπώλετο. Τί οὖν; ἐν οἷς ἦν δυνατὸν καὶ ἐξῆν, ἴδωμεν πῶς ἐπεδείκνυτο τὴν φιλίαν ὁ δίκαιος. Καλὸς ἐμοὶ, φησὶν, Ἰωνάθαν· εἰς θάνατον ἐτραυματίσθης ἐμοί. Ἆρα τοῦτο μόνον; οὐ μικρὸν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο· πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἐκείνου, καὶ τὸν ἔγγονον πολλάκις κινδύνων ἐξήρπασεν, ἀπομνημονεύων τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν χάριν· καὶ διετέλει καθάπερ υἱοῦ τινος ἔγγονα διατηρῶν καὶ διαφυλάττων. Τοιαύτην ἐγὼ βούλομαι φιλίαν πάντας ἔχειν, καὶ πρὸς ζῶντας καὶ πρὸς ἀπελθόντας. δʹ. Αἱ γυναῖκες ἀκουέτωσαν (μάλιστα γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο εἶπον πρὸς ἀπελθόντας), αἱ δευτέροις ὁμιλοῦσαι γάμοις, καὶ τὴν εὐνὴν διαφθείρουσαι τοῦ τετελευτηκότος, αἱ στέρξασαι τὸν πρότερον. Οὐκ ἀπαγορεύων τὸν δεύτερον γάμον, οὐδὲ ἀκόλαστον εἶναι λέγων, ταῦτά φημι· οὐ γὰρ ἀφίησί με ὁ Παῦλος, χαλινὸν ἐπιτιθείς μου τῷ στόματι, καὶ λέγων ταῖς γυναιξὶν, Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ γήμῃ, οὐχ ἥμαρτεν. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς·