54

Love truly is. It is the head of all things, and a garment, and glory. But a body without a head is both dead and breathless. And how will a body without a tunic not be naked? Virtues without love are stale, and useless; and naked of divine glory, he who does not have love, even if he has all the virtues, stands stripped bare, and not bearing the nakedness, wishes rather to hide. For he possesses both shame and condemnation and he hears "I do not know you" from the judge of all. The creator came to earth, he took a soul and flesh, and he gave the Divine Spirit, which is love. If therefore you desire and if you wish to receive the Divine Spirit, (112) believe in God completely, deny yourself likewise, without hesitation take up the cross upon your shoulders and you will receive it; die in your intention, child, so that you may become a partaker of immortal life! Let not deceivers deceive you with their false words, that those who die receive life after death; lest being persuaded, you become negligent and do not partake of life! Hear the words of God, hear the Apostles, hear the teachers of the church, what Christ cries out every hour. "Rivers from the belly of those who believe in me will flow from the divine spring, of ever-living water." What is he saying this water is, if not the grace of the Spirit?

54

ἔστιν ὄντως ἡ ἀγάπη. Κεφαλή τῶν πάντων ἔστι καί ἱμάτιον καί δόξα. Κεφαλῆς χωρίς δέ σῶμα καί νεκρόν καί ἄπνουν ἔστι. Σῶμα δέ χωρίς χιτῶνος πῶς οὐχί γυμνόν ὑπάρξει; Ἀρεταί χωρίς ἀγάπης ἕωλοι, ἀνωφελεῖς τε˙ καί γυμνός τῆς θείας δόξης, ὁ μή ἔχων τήν ἀγάπην, ἀρετάς κἄν πάσας ἔχῃ, ἵσταται γεγυμνωμένος, καί τήν γύμνωσιν μή φέρων κρύπτεσθαι μᾶλλον ἐθέλει. Τήν αἰσχύνην γάρ ὡς ἔχων ἔχει καί τήν καταδίκην καί «οὐκ οἶδά σε» ἀκούει παρά τοῦ κριτοῦ τῶν ὅλων. Ἦλθεν ἐπί γῆς ὁ κτίστης, ἔλαβε ψυχήν καί σάρκα, ἔδωκε δέ Πνεῦμα Θεῖον, ὅπερ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη. Εἰ οὖν βούλει καί εἰ θέλεις τοῦ λαβεῖν τό Θεῖον Πνεῦμα, (112) πίστευσον Θεῷ τελείως, ἄρνησαι σαυτόν ὡσαύτως, ἐπί ὤμων ἀδιστάκτως ἆρον τόν σταυρόν καί λήψῃ˙ θάνον τῇ προθέσει, τέκνον, ἵνα μέτοχος γενήσῃ τῆς ζωῆς τῆς ἀθανάτου! Μή πλανήσωσί σε πλάνοι ταῖς αὐτῶν ψευδολογίαις, μετά θάνατον λαμβάνειν τήν ζωήν τούς τελευτῶντας˙ μή πεισθείς καταμελήσῃς καί ζωῆς οὐ μεταλήψῃ! Ἄκουσον Θεοῦ τούς λόγους, ἄκουσον τῶν Ἀποστόλων, ἄκουσον τῶν διδασκάλων, τῶν ἐπί τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τί Χριστός βοᾷ καθ᾿ ὥραν. «Ποταμοί ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας εἰς ἐμέ τῶν πιστευόντων ῥεύσουσι πηγῆς τῆς θείας, ὕδατος τοῦ ἀειζώου.» Τί τό ὕδωρ τοῦτο λέγων, εἰ μή Πνεύματος τήν χάριν;