God is charity; love of God and neighbor
God is charity, and whoever abides in charity abides in God. This charity loves nothing earthly, nothing material, nothing corruptible; for it is against its nature to love anything corruptible, since it is itself the fount of incorruption. It alone has immortality, if indeed God is charity who alone has immortality. Therefore it is pleasing to God first of all that one love the Lord his God with the whole heart. And because God is charity and the Son who is from God is charity, he seeks something like himself in us, that through this charity we may be joined to God. This charity also counts every human being a neighbor, as the parable of the Samaritan teaches: by nature we are all neighbors to one another; but by works of charity that one becomes a neighbor who can do good to the one who cannot.
Latin
Deus caritas est, et qui manet in caritate in Deo manet. Haec caritas nihil terrenum, nihil materiale, nihil corruptibile diligit; contra naturam namque est ei corruptibile aliquid diligere, cum ipsa sit incorruptionis fons. Ipsa est enim sola quae habet immortalitatem, siquidem Deus est caritas qui solus habet immortalitatem. Propterea in primis placitum est Deo ut diligat quis Dominum Deum suum ex toto corde. Et quia Deus caritas est et Filius qui ex Deo est caritas est, sui simile aliquid requirit in nobis, ut per hanc caritatem Deo socieMur. Haec autem caritas omnem hominem proximum ducit, sicut in parabola Samaritani docetur: natura omnes nobis invicem proximi sumus; operibus vero caritatis fit proximus ille qui potest benefacere ei qui non potest.
About this text
Origen’s Commentary on the Song of Songs, Prologus (Rufinus’s Latin). Complete on this page: §§1–20.
English follows Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII (GCS 33, 1925), Rufinus’s Latin of the Commentary Prologus. Lawson ACW 26 was not used as wording. This page is Prologus §§1–20 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII = GCS 33 (1925) (Latin · Commentary Prologus §§1–20)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.