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De caritate

On love.

60.773 No word is sufficient to speak worthily about love, because it is not earthly, but heavenly. I think that even the tongue of angels is at a loss for the most precise inquiry into it, since it proceeds unceasingly from the very magnanimity of God. Therefore, since the tongue of men is not sufficient for its most precise explanation, shall we also shrink back? But by no means; since with God even the vast offerings of the very wealthy are acceptable; but also those of the sincere with a cheerful mind, even if they happen to be very small, just as the offering of that widow who cast two mites into the treasury was preferred over those who put in much gold.

And we, placing our hope in the Lord as a helper and corrector of what is said, with a ready heart let us cast the two denarii of love into the treasury of your mind. For I think these two denarii are those two commandments, on which the whole law hangs and the pro 60.774 phets. For it is said by the Lord in the Gospels, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the law and the prophets. Love for God, and love for neighbor, two commandments connected to one another; he who has one of these, but does not have the other, does not possess even what he seems to have. For as a soul without a body is not called a man, nor again a body without a soul; so also love for God, if it does not have love for neighbor as a consequence, is not love; nor again is love for neighbor, if it does not have love for God, called love. Therefore it is rare to find perfect love. The Greeks are ignorant of this, even if they seem to have love for one another; but being ignorant of God, they happen to be strangers to it. The Jews, even if they have love for one another, having imitated the Lord of the law who says, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, they themselves, instead of 60.775 love, embracing hatred, crucified the Lord of glory, as he says in the prophet: And they returned hatred for my love. Neither do those who call the Son of God a creature or a created thing possess this love, even if they have love for one another.

For how will one who loves God call him a creator or maker of Christ, and not the one who begot him before? or how will one who claims that he is a creature or a created thing say he loves the Son? Even if he says he loves the Father, not loving the Son, he is deprived of love for the Father, as the Apostle says: He who does not have the Son does not have the Father either. Those who call the Spirit a creature or a created thing do not have this love, even if they seem to confess and love the Father. For if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. Therefore, as many as think orthodoxly concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and keep love for one another, these possess the perfection of love. Love confesses the Father, worships the Son, and glorifies the Holy Spirit; love does not divide the harmony of the Trinity. O love, companion of angels, foster-sister of fathers, tent-mate of prophets, fellow-contestant of martyrs, fellow-chorister of apostles, bond of the Church.

Love knows no war, has no enemy, bestows peace; love calms murderous rages, ennobles rational peoples; love, which is not contained in the world, yet dwells in a humble heart; love of honey and milk

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De caritate

Περὶ ἀγάπης.

60.773 Λόγος μὲν οὐδεὶς περὶ ἀγάπης κατ' ἀξίαν εἰπεῖν ἱκανὸς, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὴν ἐπίγειον, ἀλλ' ἐπουράνιον. Οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων γλῶτταν ἀπορεῖν πρὸς τὴν ταύτης ἀκριβεστάτην ζήτησιν, ἐπειδήπερ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλονοίας ἀπαύστως προέρχεται. Ἆρα οὖν ἐπειδήπερ οὔτε ἀνθρώπων γλῶσσα ἱκανὴ πρὸς τὴν ταύτης ἀκριβεστάτην ἐξήγησιν, ἀποκνήσομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς; Ἀλλὰ μηδαμῶς· ἐπειδὴ παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ τῶν πολυαργύρων παμμεγέθεις προσφοραὶ εὐπρόσδεκτοι· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀνυποκρίτων μετὰ γνώμης ἱλαρᾶς, κἂν σφόδρα βραχύτατα τυγχάνωσιν, ὡς καὶ τῆς χήρας ἐκείνης τῆς βαλούσης τὰ δύο λεπτὰ εἰς τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον προεκρίθη ἡ προσφορὰ τῶν τὸν πολὺν χρυσὸν θεμένων.

Καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον θέμενοι ἀρωγὸν καὶ διορθωτὴν τῶν λεγομένων, προθύμῳ καρδίᾳ τὰ δύο δηνάρια τῆς ἀγάπης εἰς τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν βαλώμεθα. Ταῦτα γὰρ οἶμαι ἐκεῖνα τὰ δύο δηνάρια τὰς δύο ἐντολὰς, ἐν αἷς ὁ νόμος ὅλος κρέμαται καὶ οἱ προ 60.774 φῆται. Εἴρηται γὰρ παρὰ Κυρίου ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις, Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ σου, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτόν. Ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Ἀγάπη πρὸς Θεὸν, καὶ ἀγάπη πρὸς τὸν πλησίον, δύο ἐντολαὶ ἀλλήλων ἐχόμεναι· ὁ ἔχων μίαν τούτων, τὴν δὲ ἄλλην οὐκ ἔχων, οὗτος οὐδὲ ἢν δοκεῖ ἔχειν κέκτηται. Ὡς γὰρ ψυχὴ ἄνευ σώματος οὐ καλεῖται ἄνθρωπος, οὐδ' αὖ πάλιν σῶμα ἄνευ ψυχῆς· οὕτως οὐδὲ ἀγάπη πρὸς Θεὸν, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ ἀκόλουθον καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπην, οὐ τυγχάνει ἀγάπη· οὐδ' αὖ πάλιν ἡ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπη, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, οὐ καλεῖται ἀγάπη. ∆ιὸ σπάνιόν ἐστιν εὑρεῖν τελείαν ἀγάπην. Ἕλληνες ταύτην ἀγνοοῦσι, κἂν δοκῶσιν εἰς ἀλλήλους ἔχειν ἀγάπην· τὸν Θεὸν δὲ ἀγνοοῦντες, ταύτης ξένοι τυγχάνουσι. Ἰουδαῖοι, κἂν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχωσιν ἀγάπην, μιμήσαντες τὸν Κύριον τοῦ νόμου λέγοντος, Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας σου, αὐτοὶ ἀντὶ τῆς 60.775 ἀγαπήσεως μῖσος ἐγκολπωσάμενοι, τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν, καθά φησιν ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ· Καὶ ἔθεντο μῖσος ἀντὶ τῆς ἀγαπήσεώς μου. Ταύτην τὴν ἀγάπην οὔτε οἱ λέγοντες τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ κτίσμα ἢ ποίημα κέκτηνται, κἂν ἔχωσιν εἰς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην.

Πῶς γὰρ ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦτον λέξει κτίστην ἢ ποιητὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὐχὶ προγεννήτορα; ἢ πῶς τὸν Υἱὸν λέξει ἀγαπᾷν, ὁ φάσκων εἶναι τοῦτον κτίσμα ἢ ποίημα; Κἂν τὸν Πατέρα λέξῃ ἀγαπᾷν, τὸν Υἱὸν μὴ ἀγαπῶν, ἐστέρηται τῆς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἀγάπης, ὥς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Ὁ μὴ ἔχων τὸν Υἱὸν οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα ἔχει. Ταύτην τὴν ἀγάπην οἱ τὸ Πνεῦμα κτίσμα ἢ ποίημα λέγοντες οὐκ ἔχουσι, κἂν δοκῶσι Πατέρα ὁμολογεῖν καὶ ἀγαπᾷν. Εἴ τις γὰρ Πνεῦμα οὐκ ἔχει Χριστοῦ, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ. Ὅσοι τοίνυν ὀρθοδόξως φρονοῦσι περὶ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ τὴν εἰς ἀλλήλους φυλάττουσιν ἀγάπην, οὗτοι κέκτηνται τὸ τέλειον τῆς ἀγάπης. Ἀγάπη Πατέρα ὁμολογεῖ, Υἱὸν προσκυνεῖ, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον δοξολογεῖ· ἀγάπη τὴν συμφωνίαν τῆς Τριάδος οὐ διαιρεῖ. Ὢ ἀγάπη, ἀγγέλων σύμβιος, πατέρων σύντροφος, προφητῶν σύσκηνος, μαρτύρων σύναθλος, ἀποστόλων σύγχορος, Ἐκκλησίας σύνδεσμος.

Ἀγάπη πόλεμον οὐκ οἶδεν, ἐχθρὸν οὐκ ἔχει, εἰρήνην βραβεύει· ἀγάπη φονικοὺς θυμοὺς πραΰνει, λογικοὺς λαοὺς σεμνύνει· ἀγάπη, ἡ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ μὴ χωροῦσα, καὶ ἐν ταπεινῇ καρδίᾳ κατοικοῦσα· ἀγάπη μέλιτος καὶ γάλακτος