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as God filling all things, how could he be hidden otherwise? Will you move the Master from a place and cause him to be in another place, to be hidden from the eyes of the holy Apostles? Away with it, lest out of ignorance you fall into blasphemy! But hear the workings of love, if you wish, and you will learn how love is greater than all things! Than what all things? Do you not hear the Apostle crying out? Love is greater than speaking with the tongues of angels and of all men, than having all faith, so as to move mountains, than knowing all knowledge, and the depth of mysteries, than scattering all wealth and becoming poor oneself, than even giving up the body to be burned for Christ. And it is so much greater, because without it these things, whether one or all of them - (106) are of no benefit at all to the one possessing them. Therefore, whoever is deprived both of love and of all the things mentioned, tell me, where will he appear, what will he do, how will he dare to call himself faithful to those who ask? For this reason one must pay attention to him who speaks about love. I sit in the cell at night or in the day, love co-exists with me invisibly and unknowingly. But being outside all created things, it is also with all things; it is fire, it is also splendor, it becomes a cloud of light, it is formed into a sun. As fire, therefore, it warms the soul

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ὡς Θεός πάντα πληρῶν δέ, πῶς ἄν ἄλλως γε κρυβείη; Μεταστήσεις ἀπό τόπου τόν ∆εσπότην καί πρός ἄλλον τόπον δώσεις γεγονέναι ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν κρυβῆναι τῶν ἁγίων Ἀποστόλων; Ἄπαγε, μή ἐξ ἀγνοίας περιπέσῃς βλασφημίᾳ! Ἄκουε δέ τῆς ἀγάπης, εἰ βούλει, τάς ἐνεργείας, καί μαθήσῃ, πῶς ὑπάρχει μείζων πάντων ἡ ἀγάπη! Ποίων πάντων; Οὐκ ἀκούεις βοῶντος τοῦ Ἀποστόλου; Τοῦ λαλεῖν ἀγγέλων γλώσσαις καί ἁπάντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ τήν πίστιν πᾶσαν ἔχειν, ὥστε ὄρη μεθιστάνειν, τοῦ εἰδέναι πᾶσαν γνῶσιν, βάθος τε τῶν μυστηρίων, τοῦ σκορπίσαι πάντα πλοῦτον καί πτωχόν αὐτόν γενέσθαι, τοῦ καί τό σῶμα εἰς καῦσιν ὑπέρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκδοῦναι μείζων ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη. Καί τοσούτῳ μείζων πέλει, ὅτι δίχα ταύτης ταῦτα εἴτε ἕν εἴτε καί πάντα - (106) εἰς οὐδέν τῷ κεκτημένῳ ὄφελος ὅλως ὑπάρχει. Ὅστις οὖν καί τῆς ἀγάπης καί τῶν εἰρημένων πάντων ἀποστέρηται, εἰπέ μοι, ποῦ φανεῖται, τί ποιήσει, πῶς πιστόν τοῖς ἐρωτῶσιν εἰπεῖν ἑαυτόν τολμήσει; ∆ιά τοῦτο προσεκτέον λέγοντι περί ἀγάπης. Κάθημαι ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ ἐν νυκτί ἤ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, συνυπάρχει ἀφανῶς μοι καί ἀγνώστως ἡ ἀγάπη. Ἔξω δέ κτισμάτων πάντων οὖσα ἔστιν αὖ καί μετά πάντων, ἔστι πῦρ, ἔστι καί αἴγλη, γίνεται φωτός νεφέλη, ἥλιος ἀποτελεῖται. ˙Ως οὖν πῦρ ψυχήν θερμαίνει