The Whole Law and the Prophets

Σαφῶς ἐν τούτοις παρίσταται ἡ κατὰ τὸν δημιουργὸν τοῦ κόσμου Θεὸν καὶ τὰς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Γραφὰς κηρυσσομένη ζωὴ αἰώνιος, ἤν καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ καταγγέλλει. Πυθομένου οὖν τοῦ νομικοῦ· Τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω; ἐπὶ τὸν νόμον ἀναπέμπει, ἐν ἐκεῖθεν συνάγῇ ἐντολὰς τὰς προσαγούσας τὸν ποιοῦντα αὐτὰς τῇ αἰωνίῳ ζωῇ. Μαρτυρεῖ γοῦν τῷ εδηνφατι ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ Δευτερονομίου τὸ, Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Λευϊτικοῦ τὸ, Τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτὸν, Ὁρθῶς ἀπεκρίθης, καὶ προστίθησι· Τοῦτο ποίει, καὶ ζήσῃ, δηλονότι τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον, περὶ ἦς κάκεῖνος τε ἐπύθετο, καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ διδάσκει. Ταῦτα δὲ εἴρηται πρὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ Οὐαλεντίνου, καὶ βασιλίδου, καὶ τούς ἀπὸ Μαρκίωνος. Ἔχουσι γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς λέξεις ἐν τῷ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς Εὐαγγελίῳ· καὶ φήσομεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὁ μαρτυρήσας τῳ, ὅτι Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου, τὴν ἐντολὴν ἀπὸ Νόμου εἰρηκότι, οὐ παρά τινος ἄλλου ἤ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ εἰρημένην, καὶ φήσας ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτῷ, Ὀρθῶς ἀπεκρίθης, τί ἄλλο βούλεται ἡμᾶς πράττειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ζῆσαι τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν, ἢ ἀγαπᾷν τὸν Θεὶν μ τὸν ἐν νόμῳ καὶ προφήταις, ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ; Ὁ Σωτὴρ δὲ γοῦν ἀπεφήνατο περὶ τῶν δύο ἐντολῶν λέγων· Καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Το Κατα Λουκαν Εὐαγγελιον, Κεφ Α'

Patently it is shown in these things under consideration that the creator is God and these things are found in the Scriptures when the Saviour was preaching about eternal life. Asked by the lawyer, 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life,' 1 to the law He sends him that from it he gather the commandments by the practice of which he shall be led to eternal life. He then quotes from Deuteronomy:  'Love the Lord your God' 2 and from Leviticus: 'Your neighbour as yourself' 3 'Rightly you have answered,' he is told, and then it is added, 'Do this and live,' clarity thus being given regarding eternal life, about which the man asked, and about which the Saviour taught. And these things may be used against the followers of Valentinus and Basilides and Marcion. For they have the same words in their Gospel, and so we say to them: He who said, 'Love the Lord your God', that commandment is taken from the law, and it cannot be any other than the Creator that spoke, and on account of it He says, 'Rightly you have answered,' and so what would He have us do if we are to have eternal life, than with the whole heart to love the God of the law and the prophets? The Saviour therefore with these two commandments announces: 'And on these depend the whole law and the prophets.' 4 Origen, Commentary On Luke, Fragment 1 Luke 10.25 2 Deut 6.5 3 Lk 10.27 4 Mt 22.40