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your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Do not seek, therefore, your reward in this mortal life, but even if you must stand before the ruler with fear, do not think this is unworthy of your noble birth. For God wills it so, that the ruler appointed by Him should have his proper authority. For when he who is conscious of no evil in himself stands before the judge with fear, much more will he who does evil be afraid. And you will be more glorious in this; for being held in contempt comes not from honoring, but from dishonoring; and the ruler will admire you the more, and from this will glorify your Master, even if he is an unbeliever. Owe no one anything, except to love one another. Again he takes refuge in the mother of good things, and the teacher of what has been said and the producer of all virtue, and says that this itself is a debt, not indeed such as the tribute, such as the tax, but a perpetual one. For he wishes it never to be paid off; or rather, he wishes it always to be paid, yet not to be fulfilled, but to be always owed. For such is the debt, that one is both giving and owing always. Having said, therefore, how one ought to love, he also declares the profit of it, saying: For he who loves another has fulfilled the law. Do not think this a favor to me; for this too is a debt; for you owe love to your brother because of the spiritual kinship; and not only for this reason, but because we are also members of one another; and if this fails us, the whole is torn apart. Therefore, love your brother. For if from his friendship you will gain so much as to fulfill the whole law, you owe him love, being benefited by him. For this, You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. He did not say, 'Is fulfilled,' simply, but 'Is summed up;' 60.619 that is, briefly and in short the whole work of the commandments is completed; for love is both the beginning and end of virtue; this it has as a root, this as a foundation, this as a summit. If, then, it is both beginning and fulfillment, what is equal to it? 4. But he does not seek a simple love, but an intense one. For he did not simply say, 'Love your neighbor,' but, 'as yourself.' For because of this Christ also said that the Law and the Prophets hang on it. And positing two kinds of love, see to what he elevated this one. For having said, that 'The first commandment is, You shall love the Lord your God;' he added, 'And the second,' and he was not silent, but added: 'is like it, And your neighbor as yourself.' What could be equal to this loving-kindness? What to this gentleness? When, though we are infinitely distant from him, he brings love for us near to love for himself, and says that the one is like the other. For this very reason, setting almost equal measures for each, concerning the one he said, 'With all your heart, and with all your soul;' but concerning this of the neighbor, 'As yourself.' But Paul said that without this one, one would not be greatly profited by that one. Just as we, then, when we love someone, say, 'If you love that person, you have loved me;' so also He, making this clear, said, 'It is like it;' and to Peter, 'If you love me, feed my sheep.' Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Do you see how it has both virtues: both the abstinence from evils (For 'it does no harm,' he says); and the working of good things, 'For it is the fulfillment of the law,' he says, not only by concisely introducing to us the teaching of what must be done, but also by making their accomplishment easy. For he has been zealous not only that we might learn what is beneficial (which is the work of the law), but he also brings much assistance to us for their accomplishment, not perfecting some part of the commandments in us, but the whole of virtue. Let us therefore love one another, as by this we will also love God who loves us. For among men, if you love the beloved, the lover fights; but here he even deems you worthy to share in the love,

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ἡ ζωή σου κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ. Ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς φανερωθῇ. τότε καὶ ὑμεῖς σὺν αὐτῷ φανερωθήσεσθε ἐν δόξῃ. Μὴ ζήτει τοίνυν ἐν τῷ ἐπικήρῳ τούτῳ βίῳ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, ἀλλὰ κἂν μετὰ φόβου παρεστάναι δέῃ τῷ ἄρχοντι, μὴ νομίσῃς ἀνάξιον εἶναι τοῦτο τῆς σῆς εὐγενείας. Ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ οὕτω βούλεται, ἵνα ὁ ἄρχων ὁ παρ' αὐτοῦ τυπωθεὶς τὴν οἰκείαν ἰσχὺν ἔχῃ. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν ὁ μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς πονηρὸν, μετὰ φόβου παρεστήκῃ τῷ δικάζοντι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ τὰ πονηρὰ πράττων φοβηθήσεται. Καὶ σὺ δὲ ταύτῃ λαμπρότερος ἔσῃ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ τιμᾷν τὸ ἐξευτελίζεσθαι γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἀτιμάζειν· καὶ ὁ ἄρχων δέ σε θαυμάσεται μειζόνως, καὶ δοξάσει σου τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐντεῦθεν, κἂν ἄπιστος ᾖ. Μηδενὶ μηδὲν ὀφείλετε, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾷν. Πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν καταφεύγει, καὶ τὴν διδάσκαλον τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ ποιητικὴν ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης, καί φησι καὶ αὐτὴν ὀφείλημα εἶναι, οὐ μὴν τοιοῦτον, οἷον τὸ φόρον, οἷον τὸ τέλος, ἀλλὰ διηνεκές. Οὐδέποτε γὰρ αὐτὴν ἀποδίδοσθαι βούλεται· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀποδίδοσθαι μὲν ἀεὶ βούλεται, οὐ μὴν πληροῦσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ὀφείλεσθαι. Τοιοῦτον γάρ ἐστι τὸ χρέος, ὡς καὶ διδόναι καὶ ὀφείλειν ἀεί. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν πῶς ἀγαπᾷν δεῖ, καὶ τὸ κέρδος αὐτοῦ δηλοῖ λέγων· Ὁ γὰρ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἕτερον, νόμον πεπλήρωκε. Μὴ γάρ μοι μηδὲ τοῦτο χάριν νόμιζε· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ὀφειλή· ὀφείλεις γὰρ τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἀγάπην διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν τὴν πνευματικήν· οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μέλη ἐσμὲν ἀλλήλων· κἂν αὕτη ἡμᾶς ἐπιλίπῃ, τὸ πᾶν διεσπάσθη. Φίλει τοίνυν τὸν ἀδελφόν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς φιλίας αὐτοῦ τοσαῦτα κερδανεῖς, ὡς τὸν νόμον ἅπαντα πληροῦν, ὀφείλεις αὐτῷ τὴν ἀγάπην, εὐεργετούμενος παρ' αὐτοῦ. Τὸ γὰρ, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις, οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις, καὶ εἴ τις ἑτέρα ἐντολὴ, ἐν τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται, ἐν τῷ, Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν. Οὐκ εἶπε, Πληροῦται, ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ', Ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται· 60.619 τουτέστι, συντόμως καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ τὸ πᾶν ἀπαρτίζεται τῶν ἐντολῶν τὸ ἔργον· καὶ γὰρ ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος τῆς ἀρετῆς ἡ ἀγάπη· ταύτην ἔχει ῥίζαν, ταύτην ὑπόθεσιν, ταύτην κορυφήν. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ ἀρχὴ καὶ πλήρωμα, τί ταύτης ἴσον; δʹ. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀγάπην ζητεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπιτεταμένην. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ἀγάπησον τὸν πλησίον σου, ἀλλ', Ὡς ἑαυτόν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ἐν αὐτῇ κρεμασθῆναι ἔλεγε. Καὶ δύο τιθεὶς ἀγάπης εἴδη, ὅρα ποῦ ταύτην ἀνήγαγεν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι Ἡ πρώτη ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ, Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου· ἐπήγαγε, ∆ευτέρα δὲ, καὶ οὐκ ἐσίγησεν, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκεν· Ὁμοία αὐτῆς, Καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν. Τί ταύτης ἴσον γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας; τί τῆς ἡμερότητος; Ὅταν ἀπείρως ἡμῶν αὐτοῦ διεστηκότων, τὴν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην ἐγγὺς ἄγει τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν, καὶ ὁμοίαν ταύτης ἐκείνην εἶναι λέγει. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο, καὶ μέτρα σχεδὸν ἴσα τιθεὶς ἑκάτερα, περὶ μὲν ἐκείνης ἔλεγεν, Ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου· περὶ δὲ ταύτης τῆς τοῦ πλησίον, Ὡς ἑαυτόν. Ὁ δὲ Παῦλος, ταύτης οὐκ οὔσης, οὐδὲ ὠφελεῖσθαι σφόδρα παρ' ἐκείνης ἔλεγεν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡμεῖς ἐπειδάν τινα φιλῶμεν, λέγομεν, ὅτι ἂν ἐκεῖνον ἀγαπήσῃς, ἐμὲ ἠγάπησας· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο δηλῶν ἔλεγεν, Ὁμοία αὐτῆς ἐστι· καὶ Πέτρῳ, Εἰ φιλεῖς με, ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. Ἡ ἀγάπη τῷ πλησίον κακὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται. Πλήρωμα οὖν νόμου ἡ ἀγάπη. Εἶδες πῶς ἑκατέρας ἔχει τὰς ἀρετὰς τήν τε τῶν κακῶν ἀποχήν (Κακὸν γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐργάζεται)· καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐργασίαν, Πλήρωμα γὰρ νόμου, φησὶν, ἐστὶν, οὐ τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἡμῖν τῶν πρακτέων συντόμως εἰσάγουσα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κατόρθωσιν αὐτῶν εὔκολον ποιοῦσα. Οὐ γὰρ ὅπως ἂν μάθοιμεν τὰ ὠφελοῦντα μόνον ἐσπούδακεν (ὅπερ ἐστὶ τοῦ νόμου), ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐργασίαν αὐτῶν πολλὴν εἰσάγει συμμαχίαν ἡμῖν, οὐ μέρος τι τῶν ἐντολῶν, ἀλλ' ὁλόκληρον ἐν ἡμῖν κατορθοῦσα τὴν ἀρετήν. Φιλῶμεν οὖν ἀλλήλους, ὡς καὶ ταύτῃ τὸν φιλοῦντα ἡμᾶς ἀγαπήσοντες Θεόν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἂν τὸν ἐρώμενον φιλῇς, μάχεται ὁ φιλῶν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ ἀξιοῖ σε κοινωνῆσαι τοῦ ἔρωτος,