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has come in the flesh; and to say this must now be heard in a real way; for many say it with the tongue only. (Cr 130, 10-15 Ma 224 u. 225) Just as it brings accusation and blame to one who does not choose what is choiceworthy and does not love what is lovable, so 68 the writer procures praise for those who love those worthy of being loved for being beloved; but when is this possible, if not when the savior takes away the sin of the world, so that man might be shown, such as he was made by God according to the likeness and image, having been shown to be of the one who made him? For thus man, being revealed, is at once beloved and worthy of being loved; Since, therefore, the savior sent to the world by the Father's love for his own creations came to reveal the beauty of those made in the image of God, those who have received this gift are beloved, whence they love one another; for each has both what is beloved and what is loving, having the commandment to love his neighbor. (Cr 132, 28133, 8 Ma 226)

69.10 If love is from God and God is love, who could be the one who proceeds from him if not the Word himself? If, therefore, anyone has love, he has Christ in himself; that is, the one who said, "God is love," this one again knows a love from God, which must be considered none other than the only-begotten, just as God is from God, so also love is from Love. (Cr 129, 26-31 Ma 225f) 73 Those born of God, by succeeding in virtue, are both children of God and friends, just like Abraham. (Cr 138, 18-19) He who is born of God, having believed that Jesus is the Christ, knew this, that he is born of God not by having a mere assent concerning the conception of Christ, 74 but by that faith to which works according to virtue are joined; which Abraham, having, was also reckoned to have righteousness; according to this meaning must be understood: "to find a faithful man is a work"; for such a one is a rare find, since there are many who, without good works, have a dead faith, which is not faith at all; he who has so believed as to be born of God has eternal life, as the savior says: "He who believes in me has eternal life"; if indeed someone is born of God, accomplishing the things that have been said, one must love him as being worthy of acceptance, and before him, the one who begot him. (Cr 138, 22-33 Ma 228)

75 The substance and, so to speak, the material of the love one must have for God, he says, is the keeping of the divine commandments; which refer the one who acts according to them to God; whence they are not burdensome nor heavy. (Cr 139, 3-6 Ma 228) But if anyone, approaching them in a way he should not, calls them heavy, he has accused his own weakness; for it is customary for those who have utterly lost their strength to consider even very light and easy things to be heavy; whence he did not write: "his commandments are light," but: "they are not heavy," with only and every man who justly pursues justice perceiving their uplifting nature, having learned by experience that Christ's yoke is light, having much kindness; he who is so disposed is born of God, and having obtained this, he despises the material life and the pleasures of the world; 76 and in this way he conquers the world, having passed from it to a super-cosmic way of life; this progress will be by faith which is active and reckoned as righteousness; which, showing it as subsisting and remaining, he said: "For this is the victory that has conquered the world," which faith we have who have accepted that Jesus is the son of God. (Cr 139, 6-20 Ma 228f) Those who have learned by practical experience how to accomplish each of the good things they strive for, become hopeful of achieving these things at another time as well; since, therefore, both the holy apostles and the blessed John him 77 self knew by their works, that having often asked God for what was dear and desired by them, they have received it, they are confident that each time they so ask, they will obtain what they long for, with God's assent. (Cr 141, 33-142, 6) From these things will be shown what is sought by some, how

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σαρκὶ ἐληλυθέναι· τοῦ λέγειν καὶ νῦν πραγματικῶς ἀκουστέον· πολλοὶ γὰρ γλώσσῃ μόνῃ λέγουσιν. (Cr 130, 10-15 Ma 224 u. 225) Ὥσπερ ἔγκλημα καὶ ψόγον φέρει τῷ μὴ αἱρουμένῳ τὸ αἱρετὸν καὶ μὴ φιλοῦντι τὸ φιλητόν, οὕτως 68 ἔπαινον περιποιεῖ ὁ γράφων τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τοὺς ἀξίους τοῦ ἀγαπᾶσθαι τὸ εἶναι ἀγαπητούς· πότε δὲ τοῦτο ὑπαχθῆναι δυνατὸν ἢ ὅτε αἴρει ὁ σωτὴρ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, ἵνα ἀναδειχθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οἷος ὑπὸ θεοῦ γέγονε καθ' ὁμοίωσιν καὶ εἰκόνα ἀποδειχθεὶς τοῦ πεποιηκότος; οὕτω γὰρ καὶ φανερωθεὶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος εὐθὺς ὢν ἀγαπητὸς καὶ ἄξιος τοῦ ἀγαπᾶσθαι τυγχάνει· ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὁ ἀποσταλεὶς σωτὴρ τῷ κόσμῳ ἀγάπῃ τῇ πρὸς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ποιήματα τοῦ πατρὸς ἦλθεν ἐπὶ ἀναδείξει τοῦ κάλλους τῶν κατ' εἰκόνα θεοῦ γεγονότων, οἱ ταύτης τῆς δωρεᾶς τυχόντες ἀγαπητοὶ ὑπάρχουσιν, ὅθεν ἀλλήλως ἀγαπῶσιν· ἔχει γὰρ ἕκαστος καὶ τὸ ἀγαπητὸς καὶ τὸ ἀγαπητικὸς εἶναι ἐντολὴν ἔχων τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν πλησίον. (Cr 132, 28133, 8 Ma 226)

69.10 Εἰ ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστι καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστί, τίς ἂν εἴη ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ προερχόμενος ἢ αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος; ἐάν τις τοίνυν ἔχῃ τὴν ἀγάπην, Χριστὸν ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ· ἤγουν ὁ εἰπών· "ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν", οὗτος πάλιν οἶδεν ἀγάπην ἐκ θεοῦ, ἥντινα οὐκ ἄλλην εἶναι νομιστέον ἢ τὸν μονογενῆ, ὥσπερ θεὸν ἐκ θεοῦ, οὕτως καὶ ἀγάπην ἐξ ἀγάπης ὄντα. (Cr 129, 26-31 Ma 225f) 73 Οἱ ἐκ θεοῦ γεννώμενοι ἐκ τοῦ κατορθοῦν κατ' ἀρετὴν τυγχάνουσιν οὗτοι καὶ τέκνα θεοῦ καὶ φίλοι καθάπερ καὶ Ἀβραάμ. (Cr 138, 18-19) Ἤδει τοῦτο ὁ γεννώμενος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ πιστεύσας, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, οὐ ψιλὴν συγκατάθεσιν ἔχων περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χρι 74 στοῦ διαλήψεως γεννᾶται ἐκ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐκείνην τὴν πίστιν, ᾗ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἔργα συνέζευκται· ἣν καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἔχων λελόγισται δικαιοσύνην ἔχειν· κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον ἐκδεκτέον τό· "ἄνδρα πιστὸν ἔργον εὑρεῖν"· σπάνιον γὰρ ὁ τοιοῦτος τὴν εὕρεσιν ἔχει πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν ἄνευ ἔργων σπουδαίων νεκρὰν πίστιν ἐχόντων, ἥτις οὐδὲ ὅλως πίστις ὑπάρχει· ὁ οὕτως πιστεύσας ὡς γεννηθῆναι ἐκ θεοῦ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ᾗ φησιν ὁ σωτήρ· "ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον"· εἰ δὴ γεννᾶταί τις ἐκ θεοῦ κατορθῶν τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιον ὄντα ἀγαπᾶν δεῖ καὶ πρὸ αὐτοῦ τὸν γεννήσαντα αὐτόν. (Cr 138, 22-33 Ma 228)

75 Τὴν ὑπόστασιν καί, ἵν' οὕτω φράσω, ὕλην ἧς ἔχειν δεῖ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀγάπης, τὴν τήρησιν τῶν θείων ἐντολῶν εἶναί φησιν· αἵτινες ἀναφέρουσι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν κατ' αὐτὰς ἐνεργοῦντα· ὅθεν οὐ κατωφερεῖς οὐδὲ βαρεῖαι τυγχάνουσιν. (Cr 139, 3-6 Ma 228) Εἰ δέ τις προσελθὼν αὐταῖς μὴ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον λέγοι αὐτὰς βαρείας, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθένειαν ᾐτιάσατο· φίλον γὰρ τοῖς ἄγαν ἀποβάλλουσιν ἰσχὺν βαρέα νομίζεσθαι καὶ τὰ πάνυ ἐλαφρὰ καὶ κοῦφα· ὅθεν οὐκ ἔγραψεν· "αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὐτοῦ ἐλαφραί", ἀλλά· "βαρεῖαι οὐκ εἰσὶ" μόνου καὶ παντὸς ἀντιλαμβανομένου τοῦ ἀνωφεροῦς αὐτῶν τοῦ δικαίως τὸ δίκαιον διώκοντος πείρᾳ γνόντος, ὅτι ὁ Χριστοῦ ζυγὸς ἐλαφρός ἐστι χρηστότητα πολλὴν ἔχων· ὁ οὕτω διατεθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεννᾶται καὶ τούτου τυχὼν καταφρονεῖ τῆς ἐνύλου ζωῆς καὶ τῶν τοῦ κόσμου 76 ἡδέων· καὶ ταύτῃ νικᾷ τὸν κόσμον μεταβὰς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς ὑπερκόσμιον πολιτείαν· ὑπάρξει τὸ οὕτως προκόψαι τῇ πίστει ἐνεργεῖ καὶ εἰς δικαιοσύνην λελογισμένῃ· ἣν καὶ δεικνὺς ὡς ὑφεστηκυῖαν καὶ μένουσαν εἶπεν· "αὕτη· γάρ ἐστιν ἡ νίκη ἡ νικήσασα τὸν κόσμον"· ἣν ἔχομεν πίστιν οἱ προσηκάμενοι τὸν Ἰησοῦν εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. (Cr 139, 6-20 Ma 228f) Οἱ πείρᾳ τεχνικῇ μαθόντες, πῶς ἐστιν ἕκαστα κατορθοῦν τῶν σπουδαζομένων καλῶν, εὐέλπιδες γίνονται πρὸς τὸ καὶ ἄλλοτε ταῦτα ἀνύσαι· ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ οἱ ἱεροὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰωάννης οὗ 77 τος αὐτοῖς ἔργοις ἔγνωσαν, ὡς πολλάκις αἰτησάμενοι θεὸν τὸ αὐτοῖς φίλον καὶ θελητὸν ἐσχήκασι, θαρροῦσιν, ὅτι ἑκάστοτε οὕτως αἰτούμενοι τεύξονται τῶν ποθουμένων ἐπινεύοντος τοῦ θεοῦ. (Cr 141, 33-142, 6) Ἐκ τούτων δειχθήσεται τὰ ζητούμενα ὑπό τινων, πῶς