A Father's Love

Pater diligit Filium, et omnia dedit in manu ejus. Addidit: Et omnia dedit in manus ejus, ut nosses et hic quam distincte dictum est: Pater diligit Filium. Quare? Ergo Pater non diligit Joannem? et tamen non omnia dedit in manu ejus; Pater non diligit Paulum? et tamen non omnia dedit in manu ejus. Pater diligit Filium: sed quomodo Pater Filium, non quomodo Dominus servum; quomodo Unicum, non quomodo adoptatum. Itaque omnia dedit in manu ejus. Quid est omnia? Ut tantus sit Filius, quantus est Pater. Alcuinus, Commentariorum in Joannem, Lib II Source: Migne PL 100.790a

The Father loves the Son, and He has given everything into His hand. 1 It is added, 'And He has given everything into His hand,' that you might know how distinctly is said that 'The Father loves the Son.' How? Does the Father then not love John? And yet He did not give everything into His hand. Does the Father not love Paul? And yet He did not give everything into his hand. 'The Father loves the Son.' But the way in which the Father loves the Son is not the way in which the Lord loves a servant; the way of the Only Son is not the way of the adopted son. Thus 'He gave everything into His hand.' And what does this 'everything' mean? That the Son has as much as the Father has. Alcuin of York, from The Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Book 2 1 Jn 3.35