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and at another time, Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. For this is the law and the prophets. And, Love is the fulfillment of the law; which he also says here. For if abiding comes from love, and love from the keeping of the commandments, and the commandment is that we should love one another; then abiding in God comes from love for one another. And He does not simply say love, but also shows the manner: As I have loved you. Again He shows that this departure is not of hatred, but of love; so that I ought rather to be admired for this. For I lay down my life for you. But nowhere does He say this in this way; but above, when describing the good shepherd; but here, in exhorting them and showing the greatness of love, and who He Himself is. And why does He everywhere exalt love? Because this is the sign of the disciples, this is what constitutes virtue. For this reason Paul also says so many things about it, as being a genuine disciple of Christ, and having had experience of it. You are my friends. I no longer call you servants; for the servant does not know what his master is doing. You are my friends; for all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you. How then does He say, I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now? By 'all' and 'heard' He establishes nothing other than that He speaks nothing foreign, but only the things of the Father. Since this especially seems to be a mark of friendship, to speak of secrets, you have been deemed worthy, He says, of this fellowship. But when He says 'all things,' He means all things that they needed to hear. Then He also puts forth another proof of friendship, and not an insignificant one. What is this then? You did not choose me, He says, but I chose you; that is, I hastened to your friendship. And He did not stop there; but also, I have appointed you, He says, that is, I have planted you, that you should go (He still uses the metaphor of the vine); that is, that you should be extended, and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. But if the fruit remains, much more do you. For I not only loved you, He says, but I also bestowed the greatest benefits, extending your branches throughout the whole world. 2. Do you see by how many things He shows His love? by speaking secrets, by being the first to hasten to the friendship, by granting them great good things, by suffering for them the things He was then suffering. And from this He shows that He also abides continually with them who are about to bear fruit. For it is necessary that those who enjoy help from Him should so bear fruit. That whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you. And yet it is for the one who is asked to do it; but if the Father is asked, how does the Son do it? So that you may learn that the Son is not less. These things I have spoken to you, that you may love one another, that is, I do not say these things as a reproach, that I lay down my life, that I was the first to hasten to you, 59.416 but to lead you into friendship. Then since being persecuted by the many and being reproached was difficult and hard to bear, and sufficient to humble even a lofty soul, for this reason Christ, having foretold countless things, then came down to this point. For having first smoothed their soul, He thus comes to these things, and abundantly showing that these things are for their benefit, just as He also proved the other things. For just as He said that they ought not to grieve, but rather to rejoice, because I am going to the Father (for He does this not abandoning them, but loving them exceedingly); so also here He shows that they ought to rejoice, not to grieve. And see how He establishes this. For He did not say, I know the matter is grievous, but bear it for my sake, since you also suffer for my sake. For this reason was not yet sufficient to comfort them. Therefore, leaving it aside, He puts forward another. What one then? That this is a proof of that primary virtue. And on the contrary, one ought to grieve, not that you are hated now, but if you were going to be loved. For He hints at this by saying: If you were of the world, the world would love its own. So that if you were loved, it is clear that you would be showing a sign of wickedness. Then, since having said this before He did not elaborate on it, He returns again to the saying: A servant is not

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ποτὲ δὲ, Ὅσα θέλετε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Καὶ, Πλήρωμα νόμου ἡ ἀγάπη· ὃ καὶ ἐνταῦθα λέγει. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ μεῖναι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης γίνεται, ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν τηρήσεως, ἡ δὲ ἐντολή ἐστιν, ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους· τὸ μεῖναι ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπης γίνεται. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀγάπην φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τρόπον δηλοῖ· Καθὼς ἐγὼ ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς. Πάλιν δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐχὶ μίσους ἐστὶν αὕτη ἡ ἀναχώρησις, ἀλλὰ ἀγάπης· ὥστε με μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν θαυμάζεσθαι ὑπὲρ τούτου. Ὑπὲρ γὰρ ὑμῶν τὴν ψυχήν μου τίθημι. Ἀλλ' οὐδαμοῦ οὕτω φησὶν αὐτό· ἀλλὰ ἀνωτέρω μὲν, τὸν ἄριστον ὑπογράφων ποιμένα· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐν τῷ παραινεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ δεικνύναι τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ὅστις ἐστί. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν πανταχοῦ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπαίρει; Ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ δεῖγμα τῶν μαθητῶν, τοῦτο τὸ συγκροτοῦν τὴν ἀρετήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τοσαῦτα περὶ αὐτῆς φησιν, ἅτε μαθητὴς ὢν γνήσιος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ πεῖραν αὐτῆς λαβών. Ὑμεῖς φίλοι μου ἐστέ. Οὐκ ἔτι ὑμᾶς λέγω δούλους· ὁ γὰρ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδε τί ποιεῖ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ. Ὑμεῖς φίλοι μου ἐστέ· πάντα γὰρ ὅσα ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός μου, ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν. Πῶς οὖν λέγει, Πολλὰ ἔχω λέγειν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι; Οὐδὲν ἄλλο διὰ τοῦ Πάντα καὶ τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι κατασκευάζει, ἢ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀλλότριον φθέγγεται, ἀλλ' ἢ τὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο μάλιστα δοκεῖ φιλίας εἶναι τὸ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα λέγειν, καὶ ταύτης ἠξιώθητε, φησὶ, τῆς κοινωνίας. Πάντα δὲ ὅταν εἴπῃ, ὅσα αὐτοὺς ἀκοῦσαι ἐχρῆν, λέγει. Εἶτα καὶ ἄλλο τεκμήριον, οὐ τὸ τυχὸν, φιλίας τίθησι. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς· τουτέστιν, Ἐγὼ τῇ φιλίᾳ ἐπέδραμον τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη· ἀλλὰ καὶ, Ἔθηκα, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς, τουτέστιν, ἐφύτευσα, Ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑπάγητε (ἔτι τῇ μεταφορᾷ κέχρηται τῆς ἀμπέλου)· τουτέστιν, ἵνα ἐκταθῆτε, Καὶ καρπὸν φέρητε, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑμῶν μένῃ. Εἰ δὲ ὁ καρπὸς μένει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς. Οὐ γὰρ ἐφίλησα μόνον ὑμᾶς, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα εὐηργέτησα, πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκτείνων ὑμῶν τὰ κλήματα. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς δι' ὅσων δείκνυσι τὴν ἀγάπην; τῷ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα εἰπεῖν, τῷ πρώτως ἐπιδραμεῖν τῇ φιλίᾳ, τῷ μεγάλα αὐτοῖς χαρίσασθαι τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τῷ παθεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἅπερ ἔπασχε τότε. Ἀπὸ δὲ τούτου δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ παραμένει διηνεκῶς αὐτοῖς μέλλουσι διδόναι καρπόν. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας ἀπολαύοντας, οὕτω καὶ καρποφορῆσαι. Ἵνα ὃ ἐὰν αἰτήσητε τὸν Πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, δῷ ὑμῖν. Καίτοι τοῦ αἰτουμένου ἐστὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι· εἰ δὲ ὁ Πατὴρ αἰτεῖται, πῶς ὁ Υἱὸς ποιεῖ; Ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐλάττων ὁ Υἱός. Ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους, τουτέστιν, Οὐκ ὀνειδίζων ταῦτα λέγω, ὅτι τὴν ψυχήν μου τίθημι, ὅτι πρῶτος ὑμῖν 59.416 ἐπέδραμον, ἀλλ' εἰς φιλίαν ὑμᾶς ἐνάγων. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ τὸ διώκεσθαι παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ ὀνειδίζεσθαι χαλεπὸν ἦν καὶ ἀνήκεστον, καὶ ἱκανὸν καὶ τὴν ὑψηλὴν ταπεινῶσαι ψυχὴν, διὰ τοῦτο μυρία προειπὼν, τότε εἰς τοῦτο καθῆκεν ὁ Χριστός. Προλεάνας γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν, οὕτως ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἔρχεται, καὶ αὐτὰ ἐκ περιουσίας δεικνὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ὄντα, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀπέδειξε. Καθάπερ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι οὐ μᾶλλον οὐκ ἀλγεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαίρειν δεῖ, ὅτι ἀπέρχομαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα (οὐ γὰρ ἐγκαταλιμπάνων αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα φιλῶν, τοῦτο ποιεῖ)· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι χαίρειν, οὐκ ἀλγεῖν δεῖ. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Οἶδα λυπηρὸν ὂν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ δι' ἐμὲ φέρετε, ἐπειδὴ καὶ δι' ἐμὲ πάσχετε. Οὐδέπω γὰρ αὕτη ἡ πρόφασις, ἱκανὴ ἦν παραμυθήσασθαι. ∆ιόπερ αὐτὴν ἀφεὶς, ἑτέραν προτίθησι. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Ὅτι τῆς προτέρας ἀρετῆς τοῦτο τεκμήριον. Καὶ τοὐναντίον ἀλγεῖν ἐχρῆν, οὐχ ὅτι μισεῖσθε νῦν, ἀλλ' εἰ ἐμέλλετε φιλεῖσθαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίττεται ἐκ τοῦ λέγειν· Εἰ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἦτε, ὁ κόσμος ἂν τὸ ἴδιον ἐφίλει. Ὥστε εἰ ἐφιλεῖσθε, εὔδηλον ὅτι πονηρίας ἐξεφέρετε δεῖγμα. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο προειπὼν οὐκ ἐξειργάσατο αὐτὸ, ἐπεξέρχεται πάλιν τῷ λόγῳ· Οὐκ ἔστι δοῦλος