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QUESTION 2 (LR 2-6)	ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Β.


Concerning the love of God and whether it lies within the power of human beings to naturally incline towards the commandments of God	Περὶ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπης͵ καὶ ὅτι κατὰ φύσιν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἡ πρὸς τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου ῥοπὴ καὶ δύναμις.
SPEAK to us first, therefore, of the love of God; for we have heard that we must love Him, but we would learn how this may be rightly accomplished.	Οὐκοῦν περὶ τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπης πρῶτον ἡμῖν διαλέχθητι. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ χρὴ ἀγαπᾷν͵ ἀκηκόαμεν· πῶς δ΄ ἂν τοῦτο κατορθωθείη͵ μαθεῖν ἐπιζητοῦμεν.
INTERROGATIO II. Quoniam igitur de charitate Dei primum ais esse mandatum, inde nobis primum omnium dissere. Nam quia oportet diligere audivimus, quomodo tamen hoc possit impleri desideramus addiscere.

RESPONSE:	ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ

R. The love of God is not something that is taught, for we do not learn from another to rejoice in the light or to desire life, nor has anyone taught us to love our parents or nurses.	Ἀδίδακτος μὲν ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγάπη. Οὔτε γὰρ φωτὶ χαίρειν͵ καὶ ζωῆς ἀντιποιεῖσθαι παρ΄ ἄλλου μεμαθήκαμεν͵ οὔτε τὸ ἀγαπᾷν τοὺς τεκόντας ἢ θρε ψαμένους ἕτερος ἐδίδαξεν.
RESPONSIO. Optimum sumpsistis sermonis exordium, et proposito nostro valde conveniens.Deo itaque juvante, nos quod dicitis, faciemus.
In the same way and even to a far greater degree is it true that instruction in divine law is not from without, but, simultaneously with the formation of the creature - man, I mean - a kind of rational force was implanted in us like a seed, which, by an inherent tendency, impels us toward love.	Οὕτως οὖν͵ ἢ καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον τοῦ θείου πόθου οὐκ ἔξωθέν ἐστιν ἡ μάθησις· ἀλλ΄ ὁμοῦ τῇ συστάσει τοῦ ζώου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φημὶ͵ σπερματικός τις λόγος ἡμῖν ἐγκαταβέβληται οἴκοθεν ἔχων τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἀγαπᾷν οἰκειώσεως.
This germ is then received into account in the school of God’s commandments, where it is wont to be carefully cultivated and skillfully nurtured and thus, by the grace of God, brought to its full perfection.	Ὅνπερ τὸ διδασκαλεῖον τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραλαβὸν͵ γεωργεῖν μετ΄ ἐπιμελείας͵ καὶ ἐκτρέφειν μετ΄ ἐπιστήμης͵ καὶ εἰς τελείωσιν ἄγειν Θεοῦ χάριτι πέφυκεν.
Wherefore, we, also, approving your zeal as essential for reaching the goal, shall endeavor with the help of God and the support of your prayers, and as power is given us by the Spirit, to enkindle the spark of divine love latent within you.	Διὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς͵ τὴν σπουδὴν ὑμῶν ὡς ἀναγκαίαν τῷ σκοπῷ ἀποδεξά μενοι͵ Θεοῦ διδόντος͵ καὶ ὑμῶν ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς συναντιλαμβανομένων ἡμῖν͵ τὸν ἐγκεκρυμμένον ὑμῖν σπινθῆρα τοῦ θείου πόθου κατὰ τὴν ἐνδεδομένην ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δύναμιν διεγεῖραι σπουδάσομεν.
Now, it is necessary to know that, although this is only one virtue, yet, by its efficacy, it comprises and fulfills every commandment. ‘If anyone love me,’ says the Lord, ‘he will keep my commandments.’ And again: ‘On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.’	Εἰδέναι μέντοι χρὴ͵ ὅτι τοῦτο ἓν μὲν ἔστι τὸ κατόρθωμα· δυνάμει δὲ πάσης ἐνεργητικὸν καὶ πε ριεκτικόν ἐστιν ἐντολῆς. Ὁ γὰρ ἀγαπῶν με͵ φησὶν ὁ Κύριος͵ τὰς ἐντολὰς τὰς ἐμὰς τηρήσει· καὶ πάλιν͵ ὅτι Ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς 31.909 ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται.
Sciendum ante omnia est quod mandatum istud unum quidem videtur esse; sed omnium in se mandatorum virtutem complectitur et constringit, ipso Domino dicente: Quia in his duobus mandatis universa lex pendet et prophetae (Matth. XXII) .
Yet, we shall not undertake at this time to carry our discourse to its complete development (for in so doing, we should, inadvertently, make our discussion of one portion of the commandments embrace a full treatment of them), but, insofar as it is fitting and germane to the present purpose, we shall exhort you regarding the love we owe to God.	Καὶ οὐχὶ νῦν δι΄ ἀκριβείας ἐφοδεύειν τὸν λόγον ἐπιχειρή σομεν (οὕτω γὰρ ἂν λάθοιμεν πάντα τὸν περὶ ἐντολῶν λόγον ἐπικυκλοῦντες τῷ μέρει)͵ ἀλλ΄ ὅσον σύμμε τρον ἡμῖν καὶ οἰκεῖον τῷ παρόντι σκοπῷ͵ ὑπομνήσο μεν ὑμᾶς περὶ τῆς ὀφειλομένης τῷ Θεῷ παρ΄ ἡμῶν ἀγάπης͵
First, however, we shall establish the fact that we have already received from God the power to fulfill all the commandments given us by Him, so that we may not take our obligation in bad part, as though something quite strange and unexpected were being asked of us, and that we may not become filled with conceit, as if we were paying back something more than had been given us. By means of this power, rightly and properly used, we pass our entire lives holily and virtuously, but through a perverted use of it we gradually fall prey to vice.	ἐκεῖνο πρότερον εἰπόντες͵ ὅτι πασῶν τῶν δοθεισῶν ἡμῖν ἐντολῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ͵ τούτων καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις παρ΄ αὐτοῦ προειλήφαμεν͵ ἵνα μήτε δυσχε ραίνωμεν͵ ὥς τι καινότερον ἀπαιτούμενοι͵ μήτε ἐπαιρώμεθα͵ ὡς πλέον τι τοῦ δεδομένου συνεισφερό μενοι. Καὶ διὰ τούτων τῶν δυνάμεων͵ ὀρθῶς μὲν καὶ προσηκόντως ἐνεργοῦντες͵ τὸν κατ΄ ἀρετὴν εὐ σεβῶς συμπληροῦμεν βίον· παραφθείροντες δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἐνέργειαν͵ πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ὑποφερόμεθα.
Ne tamen nos per [0488D] singula discutere aggrediamur ordinem mandatorum; alioquin videbimur totum opus introducere in partes: sed quantum ad propositum sufficit, et praesens ratio postulat, inquiremus: illud ante omnia designantes, quod omnium mandatorum quae a Deo accepimus virtutes in nobismetipsis insitas gerimus. Quo scilicet neque difficultas in nobis sit, tanquam novum aliquid et alienum a nobis expetatur: neque rursum elationis dari nobis aliqua videatur occasio, si putemus nos plus aliquid offerre Deo, ^[0489A]quam ab ipso in natura nostrae creationis accepimus. Quoniam quidem ea quae nobis a Deo insita sunt, si recte et competenter moveamus in opus, hoc est secundum virtutem vivere. Si vero naturae beneficia corrumpamus, hoc est in malitiam vergere.



Now, this is the definition of vice:	Καὶ ἔστιν οὗτος κακίας ὅρος͵
the wrong use, in violation of the Lord’s command, of what has been given us by God for a good purpose.	ἡ πονηρὰ͵ καὶ παρ΄ ἐντολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου χρῆσις τῶν ἐπ΄ ἀγαθῷ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδομένων ἡμῖν·
Est ergo mali ista definitio, non recte uti motibus animi a Deo nobis insitis.
Similarly, the definition of the virtue which God requires of us is:	ὥσπερ οὖν͵ τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐπιζητουμένης ἀρετῆς͵
the use with a good conscience of these same gifts in accordance with the Lord’s command.	ἡ ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ τοῦ συνειδότος κατ΄ ἐντολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου χρῆσις αὐτῶν.
Et rursum virtutis ista definitio, recte uti, id est secundum mandatum Dei, et secundum conscientiam, animi motibus a Deo insitis.


This being the case, we shall apply the same principle also to charity. Having received, therefore, a command to love God, we have possessed the innate power of loving from the first moment of our creation. Of this, no external proof is required, since anyone can discover it of himself and within himself.	Τούτου δὲ οὕτως ἔχοντος͵ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀγάπης ἐροῦμεν. Ἐντολὴν τοίνυν λαβόντες ἀγαπᾷν τὸν Θεὸν͵ τὴν ἀγαπητικὴν δύναμιν εὐθὺς τῇ πρώτῃ κατασκευῇ συγκαταβληθεῖσαν κεκτήμεθα· καὶ ἡ ἀπόδειξις οὐκ ἔξωθεν͵ ἀλλ΄ αὐτὸς ἄν τις τοῦτο παρ΄ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ καταμάθοι.
Cum ergo haec ita se habeant, idem hoc inveniemus etiam de charitate constare. Mandatum accepimus diligere Deum. Dilectionis virtutem in ipsa statim prima conditione a Deo anima sibi insitam gerit: in quo nequaquam extrinsecus testimonio indigemus: unusquisque enim in semetipso [0489B] et ex semetipso horum quae dicimus sumit indicia.
We are by nature desirous of the beautiful, even though individual conceptions of the beautiful differ widely. Furthermore, we possess - without being taught - a love for those who are near and dear to us, and we spontaneously render to our benefactors a full measure of good will.	Τῶν τε γὰρ καλῶν ἐσμεν ἐπιθυ μητικοὶ φυσικῶς͵ εἰ καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα ἄλλῳ ἄλλο φαίνεται καλόν· καὶ στοργὴν πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον καὶ συγγενὲς ἔχομεν ἀδιδάκτως͵ καὶ τοῖς εὐεργέταις ἑκουσίως πᾶσαν εὔνοιαν ἐκπληροῦμεν.
Omnis homo desiderat omne quod bonum est, et affectu quodam naturali constringimur ad omne quod bonum putamus. Sed et erga consanguineos et carnis proximos, nullo docente, in amore constringimur: his quoque quorum affectum et beneficia accepimus, omni affectu et officiis copulamur.
Now, what is more admirable than Divine Beauty? What reflection is sweeter than the thought of the magnificence of God? What desire of the soul is so poignant and so intolerably keen as that desire implanted by God in a soul purified from all vice and affirming with sincerity, ‘I languish with love.’	Τί οὖν κάλλους θείου θαυμασιώτερον; Τίς ἔννοια τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλοπρεπείας χαριεστέρα; Ποῖος πόθος ψυ χῆς οὕτω δριμὺς καὶ ἀφόρητος͵ ὡς ὁ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἐγγι νόμενος τῇ ἀπὸ πάσης κακίας κεκαθαρμένῃ ψυχῇ͵ καὶ ἀπὸ ἀληθινῆς διαθέσεως λεγούσῃ͵ ὅτι Τετρωμένη ἀγάπης ἐγώ εἰμι;
Et quid aliud tam bonum habetur quam Deus? Imo quid aliud bonum, nisi solus Deus? Qui decor? qui splendor? quae pulchritudo, quam naturaliter diligere provocamur, usquam talis qualis in Deo est et esse credenda est? Quae usquam talis gratia? quae amoris flamma, quae et animae secreta et interiora succendat, sicut amor Dei inflammare debet mentis arcana? praecipue si sit ab omni pollutione purgata; si sit munda anima, et [0489C] quae vero affectu dicat: Quoniam vulnerata charitate ego sum (Cant. III)
Totally ineffable and indescribable are the lightning flashes of Divine Beauty. Words do not adequately convey nor is the ear capable of receiving [knowledge of them]. The rays of the morning star, or the brightness of the moon, or the light of the sun - all are more unworthy to be mentioned in comparison with that splendor and these heavenly bodies are more inferior to the true light than is the deep darkness of night, gloomy and moonless, to brightest noonday. This Beauty, invisible to the eyes of the flesh, is apprehended by the mind and soul alone.	Ἄῤῥητοι παντελῶς καὶ ἀνεκδι ήγητοι τοῦ θείου κάλλους αἱ ἀστραπαί· οὐ παρίστησι λόγος͵ οὐ δέχεται ἀκοή. Κἂν ἑωσφόρου αὐγὰς εἴπῃς͵ κἂν σελήνης λαμπρότητα͵ κἂν ἡλίου φῶς͵ πάντα ἄτιμα πρὸς εἰκασίαν τῆς δόξης͵ καὶ πλέον ἀπολειπό μενα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς σύγκρισιν͵ ἢ καθόσον βαθεῖα νὺξ͵ καὶ στυγνὴ σκοτομήνη μεσ ημβρίας καθαρωτάτης. Τοῦτο τὸ κάλλος σαρκίνοις μὲν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀθεώρητον͵ ψυχῇ δὲ μόνῃ καὶ διανοίᾳ καταληπτὸν͵
Ineffabilem prorsus ego sentio amorem Dei, et qui sentiri magis quam dici possit. Inenarrabilis quaedam lux est: etiam si fulgura, si coruscum adhibeat, vel comparet sermo, non patietur, non recipiet auditus. Si luciferi fulgores, si Lunae splendores, si ipsum solis lumen assumas, ad comparationem gloriae illius obscura sunt omnia, et multo tetriora, quam si caeca nox et obscuritate profundae caliginis mersa limpidissimo meridiani solis lumini comparetur. Decor iste corporeis oculis non videtur, anima sola et mente conspicitur.
Whenever it cast its light upon any of the saints, it left them with an intolerable pain of longing, and they would say, weary of life on earth: ‘Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged,’ ‘when shall I come and appear before the face of God?’; and again: ‘to be dissolved and to be with Christ, a thing by far the better’; also: ‘my soul hath thirsted after the strong living God’	εἴπου τινα περιέλαμψε τῶν ἁγίων͵ καὶ ἀφόρητον τοῦ πόθου τὸ κέντρον αὐτοῖς ἐγκατ έλιπεν͵ οἳ ἀλύοντες πρὸς τὴν ἐνταῦθα ζωὴν ἔλεγον· Οἵ μοι͵ ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη. Πότε ἥξω καὶ ὀφθήσομαι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ; καὶ τὸ͵ Ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον· καὶ τὸ͵ Ἐδίψησεν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ἰσχυρὸν τὸν ζῶντα·
Qui decor si cujus forte sanctorum mentem animamque perstrinxerit, flagrantissimum in eis amoris sui stimulum defigit. Propterea denique velut amoris cujusdam ignibus ^[0489D]tabescens, et praesentem vitam perhorrescens, dicebat aliquis ex eis: Quando veniam, et apparebo ante faciem Dei (Psal. XLI) ? Et iterum dicebat istius ardoris ignibus flagrans: Sitivit anima mea ad Deum vivum (Psal. XXVI) .
and ‘Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord.’	καὶ͵ Νῦν ^31.912 ἀπολύεις τὸν δοῦλόν σου͵ Δέσποτα.
Since they felt the burden of this present life as an imprisonment, they were scarcely able to contain themselves under the impulses which the touch of Divine Love had made to stir within their souls.	Ὡς δεσμωτήριον τὴν ζωὴν ταύτην βαρυνόμενοι͵ οὕτω δυσκάθεκτοι ἦσαν ταῖς ὁρμαῖς͵ ὧν ὁ θεῖος πόθος τῶν ψυχῶν ἥψατο.

Indeed, by reason of their insatiable eagerness to enjoy the vision of Divine Beauty, they prayed that contemplation of the joy of the Lord would last as long as the whole of eternal life.	Οἵ γε͵ διὰ τὸ ἀκορέστως ἔχειν τῆς θεωρίας τοῦ θείου κάλλους͵ εὐχὴν ἐποιοῦντο πάσῃ τῇ αἰωνίᾳ ζωῇ συμπαρεκτείνεσθαι τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς τερπνότη τος τοῦ Κυρίου.
Et insatiabiliter ardens ejus desiderio orabat, ut videret voluntatem Domini, et protegeretur in templo sancto ejus (ibid.)
Men are by nature, then, desirous of the beautiful. But, that which is truly beautiful and desirable is the good. Now, the good is God, and, since all creatures desire good, therefore, all creatures desire God.	Οὕτω μὲν οὖν φυσικῶς ἐπιθυμητι κοὶ τῶν καλῶν οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Κυρίως δὲ καλὸν καὶ ἀγαπητὸν τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ἀγαθὸς δὲ ὁ Θεός· ἀγαθοῦ δὲ πάντα ἐφίεται· Θεοῦ ἄρα πάντα ἐφίεται.
Ita ergo naturaliter et concupiscimus quae bona sunt et amamus.
So then, whatever is rightly done of free choice is also in us naturally, at least, in the case of those who have not perverted their rational faculty by iniquity. The love of God is, therefore, demanded of us as a strict obligation, and for a soul to fail in this is the most unendurable of all evils.	Ὥστε τὸ ἐκ προαιρέσεως κατορθούμενον καὶ φυσικῶς ἡμῖν ἐνυπάρχει͵ τοῖς γε μὴ ἐκ πονηρίας τοὺς λογισμοὺς διαστραφεῖσιν. Ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ὄφλημα τὴν εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπην ἀπαιτούμεθα͵ ὃ τῇ ἐλλειπούσῃ ψυχῇ πάντων κακῶν ἐστιν ἀφορητότα τον.
Separation and estrangement from God are more unbearable than the punishment reserved for hell and more oppressive to the sufferer than the being deprived of light is to the eye, even if there be no pain in addition, or than the loss of its life is to an animal.	Θεοῦ γὰρ ἀλλοτρίωσις καὶ ἀποστροφὴ καὶ τῶν ἐν γεέννῃ προσδοκωμένων κολάσεων ἀφορητότερόν ἐστι͵ καὶ βαρύτερον τῷ παθόντι͵ ὡς ὀφθαλμῷ φωτὸς στέρησις͵ κἂν μὴ ὀδύνη προσῇ͵ καὶ τῷ ζώῳ τοῦ ζῇν.
Nihil autem, ut diximus, tam summum bonum est quam Deus: et ideo debito quodam exsolvimus hanc quam ab eo accepimus charitatem. Quae utique si denegetur, et non exsolvatur, irae nos inexcusabiliter obnoxios facit. Et quid dico irae obnoxios? Quae enim poterit esse major ira, quae ultio gravior, quam hoc ^[0490A]ipsum si accidat nobis, alienos effici nos a charitate Dei?
If, moreover, the love of children for their parents is a natural endowment and if this love is noticeable in the behavior even of brute beasts, as well as in the affection of human beings in early infancy for their mothers, let us not appear to be less rational than infants or more savage than wild beasts by alienating ourselves from Him who made us and by being unloving toward Him.	Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῖς γεννήσασι φυσικὴ στοργὴ παρὰ τῶν γεννηθέντων ὑπάρχει͵ καὶ δηλοῖ τοῦτό τε ἡ τῶν ἀλόγων σχέσις͵ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρὰ τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν πρὸς τὰς μητέρας διάθεσις͵ μὴ φανῶμεν ἀλογώτεροι τῶν νηπίων͵ μηδὲ τῶν θηρίων ἀγριώτεροι͵ ἀστόργως καὶ ἀλλοτρίως πρὸς τὸν ποιήσαντα ἡμᾶς διακείμενοι·
Quod si parentibus inest naturalis affectus erga eos quos genuerunt; et non solum hoc in hominibus, verum etiam in mutis animalibus invenitur: videte ne inveniamur vel pecudibus hebetiores, vel belluis feris immaniores, si nullo erga Genitorem constringamur affectu.
Even if we did not know what He is from His goodness, yet, from the very fact that we are made by Him, we ought to feel an extraordinary affection for Him and cling to a constant remembrance of Him, as infants do to their mothers. Furthermore, he who is our benefactor is foremost among those whom we naturally love.	ὃν εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐκ τῆς ἀγαθότητος ὁποῖός ἐστιν ἠπιστάμεθα͵ ἐξ αὐτοῦ μόνου τοῦ παρ΄ αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι ἀγαπᾷν καὶ στέργειν ὑπερβαλλόντως ὀφείλομεν͵ καὶ ἀποκρέμασθαι τῆς μνήμης αὐτοῦ διηνεκῶς͵ καθάπερ τῶν μητέρων τὰ νήπια. Κρείττων δὲ τῶν φυσικῶς ἀγαπωμένων ὁ εὐεργέτης.
Quem etiamsi quantus et qualis sit scire non possumus, ex hoc tamen solo quod ex ipso sumus, venerari et diligere parentis debemus affectu, atque indesinenter erga ejus memoriam pendere, sicut erga genitrices suas faciunt parvuli. Sed multo amplius multoque promptius; quanto et immensorum nos beneficiorum ejus obnoxios scimus.
This gratitude is characteristic not of men only, but it is also felt by almost all animals, so that they attach themselves to those who have conferred some good upon them. ‘The ox knoweth his owner,’ says the Prophet, ‘and the ass his master’s crib.’ God forbid that what follows these words should be said of us: ‘but Israel hath not known me and my people hath not understood.’	Καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀνθρώπων ἴδιόν ἐστι μόνον͵ ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων σχεδὸν ζώων πάθος͵ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγαθόν τι δεδωκότας οἰκείωσις. Ἔγνω͵ φησὶ͵ βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον͵ καὶ ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ. Ἀπείη δὲ λεχθῆναι περὶ ἡμῶν τὰ ἑξῆς· ὅτι Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω͵ καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκε.
Quod ipsum nobis commune esse puto etiam cum caeteris animalibus: meminerunt namque etiam ^[0490B] illa, si quid eis quis contulerit bonum. Si mihi non creditis, audite Prophetam dicentem: Cognovit bos possessorem suum, et asinus praesepium domini sui (Isa. I) . Absit autem de nobis dici ea quae sequuntur: Quia Israel me non cognovit, et populus meus me non intellexit (Ibid.) .
As for the dog and many other animals, I need not speak of the great affection they show toward those who rear them.	Περὶ γὰρ κυνὸς͵ καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων τοιούτων͵ τί χρὴ καὶ λέγειν͵ ὅσην πρὸς τοὺς τρέφοντας τὴν εὔνοιαν ἐπιδείκνυνται;
Now, if we bear a natural love and good will toward our benefactors and undergo any kind of hardship to make a return for what was first rendered to us, what words can fitly treat of the gifts of God? So many are they in number as even to defy enumeration; so great and marvelous are they that a single one of them claims for the Giver all our gratitude.	Εἰ δὲ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς εὐεργέτας εὔνοιαν καὶ τὸ φίλτρον φυσικῶς αἱ ρούμεθα͵ καὶ πάντα πόνον εἰς ἀντίδοσιν τῶν προγε νομένων ἡμῖν ὑπομένομεν͵ τίς λόγος ἀξίως ἐφικέσθαι ^31.913 τῶν δωρεῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναται; αἳ τοσαῦται μέν εἰσι τὸ πλῆθος͵ ὡς καὶ ἀριθμὸν διαφεύγειν· τηλικαῦται δὲ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τοιαῦται͵ ὥστε ἐξαρκεῖν καὶ μίαν εἰς τὸ ὑπευθύνους ἡμᾶς εἰς πᾶσαν χάριν τῷ δεδωκότι ποιῆσαι.
Quod si etiam eos qui beneficii aliquid nobis contulerunt, nullo docente diligimus, et omni studio, quantum fieri potest, referre gratias nitimur; quomodo sufficiemus gratiam referre beneficiis Dei, quae tanta sunt, ut effugiant numerum; et talia, ut sufficiat unum aliquod ex omnibus per totam vitam nostram efficere nos obnoxios largitori?
Some, therefore, I shall pass over, although these in themselves show forth transcendent greatness and glory, yet, being surpassed by greater ones as are the stars by the rays of the sun, they appear to be of a less striking worth. I have not the leisure, in fact, to leave the surpassing benefits and measure from His lesser gifts the goodness of our Benefactor.	Τὰς μὲν οὖν ἄλλας παρήσω͵ αἳ͵ εἰ καὶ καθ΄ ἑαυτὰς ὑπερβάλλουσι μεγέθει καὶ χάριτι͵ ἀλλ΄ ὑπὸ τῶν μειζόνων͵ ὥσπερ ἀστέρες ἡλιακαῖς ἀκτῖσιν͵ ὑπερλαμπόμεναι͵ τὴν καθ΄ ἑαυτὰς χάριν ἀμυδροτέραν παρέχονται. Οὐ γὰρ σχολὴ κα ταλιπόντι τὰ ὑπερβάλλοντα͵ ἐκ τῶν ἐλαττόνων με τρεῖν τοῦ εὐεργέτου τὴν ἀγαθότητα.
Nam omitto caetera omnia, quae quidem et ipsa magna sunt et praeclara, verum a majoribus et melioribus, velut stellae quaedam splendidioribus ^[0490C]solis radiis obteguntur; quoniam quidem nec tempus nobis est amplius dilatare sermonem, ut possimus etiam de minimis divina erga nos enumerare beneficia.