Love, Life and Eternity

Σαφῶς ἐν τούτοις παρίσταται ἡ κατὰ τὸν δημιουργὸν τοῦ κόσμου Θεὸν καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ Γραφὰς κηρυσσομένη ζωὴ αἰώνιος, ἤν κὶα ὁ Σωτὴρ καταγγέλλει. Πυθομένου οὖν τοῦ νομικοῦ· Τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω; ἐπὶ τὸν νόμον ἀναπέμπει, ἐκεῖθεν συνάγῃ ἐντολὰς τὰς προσαγούσας τὸν ποιοῦντα αὐτὰς τῇ αἰωνίῳ ζωῇ. Μαρτυρεῖ γοῦν τῷ εἰληθότι ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ Δευτρονομίου τὸ Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Λευῖτικοῦ τὸ, Τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτὸν, Ὁρθῶς ἀπεκρίθης, καὶ προστίθησι· Τοῦτο ποίει, καὶ ζήσῃ, δηλονότι τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον, περὶ ἦς κάκεῖνός 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 τῷ, ὅτι Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου, τὴν ἐντολὴν ἀπὸ Νόμου εἰρηκότι, οὐ παρὰ τινος ἄλλου ἤ του δυμιουργοῦ εἰρημένην, καὶ φήσας ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτῷ, Ὀρθῶς ἀπεκρίθης, τί ἄλλὸ βούλεται ἡμᾶς πράττειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ζῆσαι τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν, ἤ ἀγαπᾷν τὸν Θεὸν, τὸν ἐν νομῳ καὶ προφήταις, ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ; Ὁ Σωτὴρ δὲ ψοῦν ἀπεφήνατο περὶ τῶν δύο ἐντολῶν λέγων· Καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ὅλος ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται κρέμανται. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λουκαν Ἐπαγγελιον Source : Migne PG 13.1904c-d

According to God the creator of the world and the things preached in the Scriptures and as the Saviour declares, eternal life is manifestly offered in these things, whence being questioned by the lawyer, 'What shall I do to have eternal life,' 1 He directs him to the Law, there to gather from the commandments what shall grant eternal life. He gives witness, therefore, to that which is found in Deuteronomy: 'Love the Lord your God,' and in Leviticus: 'Love your neighbour as yourself,' 2 saying, 'You have answered correctly,' then adding, 'Do this and live,' that is, the life that is eternal, about which the man questioned Him, and the Saviour taught. And these things said are opposed to the sectarians of Valentinus and Basilides and Marcion, for they have these same words in their own Gospel, and we say to them, the commandment 'Love the Lord your God,' is quoted from the Law and He does not commend it as anything else but as something said by the Creator, and therefore He says, 'You have answered correctly,' because what else does He wish us to do so that we might live the eternal life but to love God with the whole heart, which is likewise found in the Law and in the prophets? Then the Saviour gives His judgement regarding these two commandments, 'And from these hang all the Law and the prophets.' 3 Origen, On the Gospel of St Luke, Fragment from the Orations of Macarius Chrysocephalus on Luke 1 Lk 10.25 2 Deut 6.5, Levit 19.18 3 Mt 22.40