438

which some striving after have been led astray from the faith; and, He who loves Me will keep My commandments. And His commandments, and the chief of them, are: You shall love the Lord your God, and your neighbor as yourself. If, therefore, to love God is to love one's neighbor; for, If you love me, he says, O Peter, feed my sheep; and loving one's neighbor works the keeping of the commandments, He rightly says: On these hang all the law and the prophets. For this reason 58.662 he does here what he did before. For there too, when asked about the manner of the resurrection, he both taught about the resurrection, instructing them on more than they had asked; and here, when asked about the first, he also states the second, which is not very far short of that one; (for it is second, but like that one;) hinting to them the source of the question, that it was from hatred. For love is not jealous. From this He shows Himself to be obedient both to the law and to the prophets. But why does Matthew say that he asked, tempting Him, while Mark says the opposite? For, he says, Jesus, seeing that he answered wisely, said to him: You are not far from the kingdom of God. They are not contradicting each other, but are in strong agreement. For he asked, tempting Him, at the beginning; but having benefited from the answer, he was praised. For He did not praise him at the beginning; but when he said that to love one’s neighbor is more than all whole burnt offerings, then He says: You are not far from the kingdom; because he overlooked the lowly things, and grasped the principle of virtue. For all those things were for this reason, both the sabbath and the rest. And not even so did He give him complete praise, but as one still lacking. For to say, You are not far, shows that he is still distant, so that he might seek what is lacking. And if He praised him for saying, There is one God, and there is no other besides Him, do not be surprised; but from this too, understand how He answers according to the opinion of those who approach Him. For though they might say countless things about Christ unworthy of His glory, yet this at least they will not dare to say, that there is no God at all. Why then does He praise the one who said that besides the Father there is no other God? Not excluding Himself from being God; far from it; but since it was not yet time to reveal His divinity, He allows him to remain in his former doctrine, and praises him for knowing the old things well, so as to make him ready also for the teaching of the New, introducing it at the proper time. Besides, the statement, One God, and there is no other besides Him, both in the 58.663 Old Testament and everywhere, is said not for the rejection of the Son, but in contradistinction to idols. So also in praising this man for having spoken thus, He praises him with this meaning in mind. Then when he had answered, He asks in return: What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He? They say to Him, The Son of David. See after how many wonders, after how many signs, after how many questions, after so great a demonstration of unanimity with the Father, both in words and in works, after praising this man who said, There is one God, He asks; so that they might not be able to say, He performed miracles, but He was opposed to the law and an enemy to God. For this reason, after so many things, He asks these questions, secretly leading them to confess that He Himself is God. And He first asked His disciples what others were saying, and then what they themselves thought; but not these men in this way; for they would have called Him a deceiver and a wicked man, since they uttered everything fearlessly. For this reason He examines their own verdict. 2. For since He was now about to go to His passion, He puts forward the prophecy that clearly proclaims Him Lord, yet not simply, nor coming to this as His main point, but from a reasonable cause. For having asked them first, since they did not answer the truth concerning Him (for they said He was a mere man), overturning their erroneous opinion, He thus introduces David, proclaiming His divinity. For they supposed that He was a mere man, for which reason they also said, The Son of David; but He, correcting this, brings forward the prophet, and His lordship, and the genuineness of the

438

ἧς τινες ὀρεγόμενοι ἀπεπλανήθησαν τῆς πίστεως· καὶ, Ὁ ἀγαπῶν με, τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσει. Αἱ δὲ ἐντολαὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον αὐτῶν· Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ ἀγαπᾷν τὸν Θεὸν ἀγαπᾷν τὸν πλησίον ἐστίν· Εἰ γὰρ φιλεῖς με, φησὶν, ὦ Πέτρε, ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου· τὸ δὲ ἀγαπᾷν τὸν πλησίον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐργάζεται φυλακὴν, εἰκότως φησίν· Ἐν ταύταις ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται. ∆ιὰ δὴ 58.662 τοῦτο ὅπερ ἔμπροσθεν ἐποίησε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἐρωτηθεὶς περὶ τρόπου ἀναστάσεως, καὶ ἀνάστασιν ἐδίδαξε, πλέον οὗ ἐπύθοντο παιδεύων αὐτούς· καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν πρώτην ἐρωτηθεὶς, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν λέγει, οὐ σφόδρα ἐκείνης ἀποδέουσαν· (δευτέρα μὲν γὰρ, ὁμοία δὲ ἐκείνης·) αἰνιττόμενος αὐτοῖς, ὅθεν ἡ ἐρώτησις γέγονεν, ὅτι ἐξ ἀπεχθείας. Ἡ γὰρ ἀγάπη οὐ ζηλοῖ. Ἀπὸ τούτου δείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν καὶ τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις πειθόμενον. Ἀλλὰ τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖός φησιν, ὅτι πειράζων ἠρώτησεν, ὁ δὲ Μάρκος τοὐναντίον; Εἰδὼς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι νουνεχῶς ἀπεκρίθη, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Οὐ μακρὰν εἶ ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐκ ἐναντιούμενοι ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα συνᾴδοντες. Ἠρώτησε μὲν γὰρ πειράζων παρὰ τὴν ἀρχήν· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ὠφεληθεὶς ἐπῃνέθη. Οὐδὲ γὰρ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτὸν ἐπῄνεσεν· ἀλλ' ὅτε εἶπεν, ὅτι τὸ ἀγαπᾷν τὸν πλησίον πλέον ἐστὶ τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, τότε φησίν· Οὐ μακρὰν εἶ ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας· ὅτι τῶν ταπεινῶν ὑπερεῖδε, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς κατέλαβε. Καὶ γὰρ πάντα ἐκεῖνα διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ τὸ σάββατον καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτῷ ἀπηρτισμένον τὸν ἔπαινον συνέθηκεν, ἀλλ' ἔτι λείποντα. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Οὐ μακρὰν εἶ, δείκνυσιν ἔτι ἀπέχοντα, ἵνα ζητήσῃ τὸ λεῖπον. Εἰ δὲ εἰπόντα αὐτὸν, ὅτι Εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος, ἐπῄνεσε, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν κατάμαθε, πῶς πρὸς τὴν ὑπόληψιν ἀποκρίνεται τῶν προσιόντων. Κἂν γὰρ μυρία περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγωσιν ἀνάξια τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦτό γε οὐ τολμήσουσιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι καθόλου οὐκ ἔστι Θεός. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐπαινεῖ τὸν εἰρηκότα, ὅτι πλὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος Θεός; Οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐξάγων τοῦ Θεὸς εἶναι· ἄπαγε· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐδέπω καιρὸς ἦν ἐκκαλύψαι αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα, ἐκεῖνον ἀφίησιν ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου δόγματος μένειν, καὶ ἐπαινεῖ τὰ παλαιὰ εἰδότα καλῶς, ὥστε ἐπιτήδειον αὐτὸν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς Καινῆς ποιῆσαι διδασκαλίαν, κατὰ καιρὸν αὐτὴν εἰσάγων. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τὸ, Εἷς Θεὸς, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι· καὶ ἐν τῇ 58.663 Παλαιᾷ καὶ πανταχοῦ, οὐ πρὸς ἀθέτησιν τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν εἴρηται τῶν εἰδώλων. Ὥστε καὶ τοῦτον ἐπαινῶν οὕτως εἰρηκότα, ταύτῃ ἐπαινεῖ τῇ γνώμῃ. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἀπεκρίθη, καὶ ἀντερωτᾷ· Τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; τίνος υἱός ἐστι; Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Τοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Ὅρα μετὰ πόσα θαύματα, μετὰ πόσα σημεῖα, μετὰ πόσας ἐρωτήσεις, μετὰ πόσην ἐπίδειξιν ὁμονοίας τῆς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, τὴν διὰ λόγων, τὴν δι' ἔργων, μετὰ τὸ ἐπαινέσαι τοῦτον τὸν εἰρηκότα, ὅτι Εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐρωτᾷ· ἵνα μὴ ἔχωσι λέγειν, ὅτι Θαύματα μὲν ἐποίησε, τῷ νόμῳ δὲ ἐναντίος καὶ τῷ Θεῷ πολέμιος ἦν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τοσαῦτα ταῦτα ἐρωτᾷ, λανθανόντως ἐνάγων αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ καὶ αὐτὸν ὁμολογῆσαι Θεόν. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν μαθητὰς πρῶτον ἠρώτησε, τί οἱ ἄλλοι λέγουσι, καὶ τότε αὐτούς· τούτους δὲ οὐχ οὕτως· ἦ γὰρ ἂν καὶ πλάνον εἶπον καὶ πονηρὸν, ἅτε ἀδεῶς ἅπαντα φθεγγόμενοι. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο τὴν αὐτῶν ἐκείνων ψῆφον ἐξετάζει. βʹ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ πάθος ἔμελλεν ἰέναι λοιπὸν, τίθησι τὴν σαφῶς Κύριον αὐτὸν ἀνακηρύττουσαν προφητείαν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ προηγουμένως ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐλθὼν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ αἰτίας εὐλόγου. Ἐρωτήσας γὰρ αὐτοὺς πρότερος, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἀπεκρίναντο τἀληθῆ περὶ αὐτοῦ (ἄνθρωπον γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔφησαν εἶναι ψιλὸν), ἀνατρέπων τὴν πεπλανημένην αὐτῶν δόξαν, οὕτως εἰσάγει τὸν ∆αυῒδ, ἀνακηρύττοντα αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐνόμιζον, ὅτι ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ἦν, διὸ καὶ ἔλεγον, Τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦτο διορθούμενος παράγει τὸν προφήτην, καὶ τὴν κυριότητα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ γνήσιον τῆς