An exhortation to the love of God, and obedience to his law.
God is diligently to be serued, and loued with thy whole hart, thy whole soule, and whole strength. Al his precepts, ceremonies and iudgements must be carefully kept, and commended to posteritie.
1These are the precepts, and ceremonies, and judgments, which the Lord your God commanded that I should teach you, and that you should do them in the land into which you pass over to possess it:Questi sono i precetti, e le cerimonie, e le leggi, le quali il Signore Dio vostro mi ha ordinato d'insegnarvi, affinché le osserviate nella terra, di cui siete per entrare in possesso:THESE are the preceptes, and ceremonies, and iudgementes, which the Lord your God commanded that I should teach you, and you should doe them in the Land, whereunto you passe ouer to possesse it:Hæc sunt præcepta, et cæremoniæ, atque judicia, quæ mandavit Dominus Deus vester ut docerem vos, et faciatis ea in terra, ad quam transgredimini possidendam: 2That thou mayst fear the Lord thy God, and keep all his commandments and precepts, which I command thee, and thy sons, and thy grandsons, all the days of thy life, that thy days may be prolonged.Affinché tu tema il Signore Dio tuo, ed eseguisca per tutti i giorni della tua vita tutti i suoi comandamenti e precetti, che io intimo a te, e a' figliuoli, e a' nipoti tuoi, affinché sien prolungati i tuoi giorni.that thou mayest feare the Lord thy God, and keepe his commandementes and preceptes, which I command thee, and thy sonnes, and nephewes, al the dayes of thy life, that thy dayes may be prolonged.ut timeas Dominum Deum tuum, et custodias omnia mandata et præcepta ejus, quæ ego præcipio tibi, et filiis, ac nepotibus tuis, cunctis diebus vitæ tuæ, ut prolongentur dies tui. 3Hear, O Israel, and observe to do the things which the Lord hath commanded thee, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst be greatly multiplied, as the Lord the God of thy fathers hath promised thee a land flowing with milk and honey.Ascolta, o Israele, e abbi cura di fare quello che il Signore ti ha ordinato, onde tu sii felice e moltiplichi sempre più, come il Signore Dio de' padri tuoi ti ha promesso una terra, che scorre latte e miele.Heare Israel, and obserue that thou doe the thinges which our Lord hath commanded thee, and it may be wel with thee, and thou mayest be greately multiplied, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee a land flowīg with milke and honie.Audi, Israël, et observa ut facias quæ præcepit tibi Dominus, et bene sit tibi, et multipliceris amplius, sicut pollicitus est Dominus Deus patrum tuorum tibi terram lacte et melle manantem. 4Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.Ascolta, o Israele: il Signore Dio nostro è un Dio solo.Heare Israel, The Lord our God, is one Lord.Audi, Israël: Dominus Deus noster, Dominus unus est.
5Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.Amerai il Signore Dio tuo con tutto il cuor tuo, e con tutta l'anima tua, e con tutte le forze tue.Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with thy whole hart, and with thy whole soule, and with thy whole strength.Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota fortitudine tua. 6And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart:E questi comandamenti, che io ti do oggi, saran fissi in cuor tuo:And these wordes, which I command thee this day, shal be in thy hart:Eruntque verba hæc, quæ ego præcipio tibi hodie, in corde tuo: 7And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising.E gli spiegherai a' tuoi figliuoli, e li mediterai assiso in tua casa, e andando per viaggio, andando a dormire, e alzandoti.and thou shalt tel them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate sitting in thy house, and walking on thy iourney, sleeping, and rysing.et narrabis ea filiis tuis, et meditaberis in eis sedens in domo tua, et ambulans in itinere, dormiens atque consurgens. 8And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and shall move between thy eyes.E te li legherai alla mano per memoria, e gli avrai pendenti dinanzi agli occhi,And thou shalt bind them as a signe on thy hand, and they shal be & shal moue betwen thine eies,Et ligabis ea quasi signum in manu tua, eruntque et movebuntur inter oculos tuos, 9And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house.E gli scriverai sul liminare, e sulle porte della tua casa.and thou shalt write them in the entrie, and on the doores of thy house.scribesque ea in limine, et ostiis domus tuæ. 10And when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, for which he swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: and shall have given thee great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build,E quando il Signore Dio tuo ti avrà introdotto nella terra promessa da lui con giuramento a' padri tuoi, Abramo, Isacco e Giacobbe, e ti avrà dato quelle città grandi e magnifiche, le quali tu non hai edificato,And when the Lord thy God shal haue brought thee into the Land, for the which he sware to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob: and shal haue geuen thee great and goodlie cities, which thou didst not build,Cumque introduxerit te Dominus Deus tuus in terram, pro qua juravit patribus tuis Abraham, Isaac, et Jacob, et dederit tibi civitates magnas et optimas, quas non ædificasti, 11Houses full of riches, which thou didst not set up, cisterns which thou didst not dig, vineyards and oliveyards, which thou didst not plant,E le case piene d'ogni sorta di beni, le quali non sono state da te fabbricate, le cisterne non iscavate da te, le vigne, e gli uliveti, che tu non hai piantati,houses ful of al riches, which thou didst not erect, cesternes which thou didst not digge, vineyardes and oliueyardes, which thou didst not plant,domos plenas cunctarum opum, quas non exstruxisti, cisternas, quas non fodisti, vineta et oliveta, quæ non plantasti, 12And thou shalt have eaten and be full:E mangerai, e sarai satollo:and thou shalt haue eaten and be ful:et comederis, et saturatus fueris:
13Take heed diligently lest thou forget the Lord, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt serve him only, and thou shalt swear by his name.Diligentemente procura di non iscordarti del Signore, il quale ti trasse dalla terra d'Egitto, dalla casa di schiavitù. Temerai il Signore Dio tuo, e lui solo servirai, e pel nome di lui farai giuramento.take heede diligently lest thou forget our Lord, that brought thee out of the Land of Aegypt, out of the house of seuitude. Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God, and him onelie shalt thou serue, and by his name shalt thou sweare.cave diligenter ne obliviscaris Domini, qui eduxit te de terra Ægypti, de domo servitutis. Dominum Deum tuum timebis, et illi soli servies, ac per nomen illius jurabis. 14You shall not go after the strange gods of all the nations, that are round about you:Non andrete dietro agli dei stranieri di tutte quelle nazioni, che vi stanno d'intorno:You shal not goe after the strange goddes of al Nations, that are round about you:Non ibitis post deos alienos cunctarum gentium, quæ in circuitu vestro sunt: 15Because the Lord thy God is a jealous God in the midst of thee: lest at any time the wrath of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and take thee away from the face of the earth.Perocché un Dio geloso, il Signore Dio tuo sta in mezzo a te: guarda, che non si accenda contro di te il furore del Signore Dio tuo, ond'ei ti stermini dalla superficie della terra.because the Lord thy God is a Iealouse God in the middes of thee: lest sometime the furie of the Lord thy God be wrath against thee, and take thee away from the face of the earth.quoniam Deus æmulator Dominus Deus tuus in medio tui: nequando irascatur furor Domini Dei tui contra te, et auferat te de superficie terræ. 16Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, as thou temptedst him in the place of temptation.Non tenterai il Signore Dio tuo, come lo tentasti nel luogo di tentazione.Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, as thou didst tempt him in the place of tentation.Non tentabis Dominum Deum tuum, sicut tentasti in loco tentationis. 17Keep the precepts of the Lord thy God, and the testimonies and ceremonies which he hath commanded thee.Osserva i comandamenti del Signore Dio tuo, e le leggi, e le cerimonie, che egli ti ha prescritte.Keepe the preceptes of the Lord thy God, and the testimonies and ceremonies, which he hath commanded thee:Custodi præcepta Domini Dei tui, ac testimonia et cæremonias, quas præcepit tibi:
18And do that which is pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with thee: and going in thou mayst possess the goodly land, concerning which the Lord swore to thy fathers,E fa' quello che è buono e accetto dinanzi al Signore, affinché tu sii felice, ed entri al possesso dell'ottima terra, intorno a cui il Signore fe' giuramento ai padri tuoi,And doé that which is pleasant and good in the sight of our Lord, that it may be wel with thee: and entring in thou mayest possesse the goodlie Land, wherof our Lord sware to thy fathers,et fac quod placitum est et bonum in conspectu Domini, ut bene sit tibi: et ingressus possideas terram optimam, de qua juravit Dominus patribus tuis, 19That he would destroy all thy enemies before thee, as he hath spoken.Di sterminare dinanzi a te tutti i tuoi nemici secondo la sua parola.that he would destroy al thy enemies before thee, as he hath spoken.ut deleret omnes inimicos tuos coram te, sicut locutus est. 20And when thy son shall ask thee to morrow, saying: What mean these testimonies, and ceremonies and judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded us?E quando in appresso il tuo figliuolo ti domanderà: Che voglion significare queste leggi e cerimonie, e osservanze prescritte a noi dal Signore Dio nostro?And when thy sonne shal aske thee to morrow, saying: What meane these testimonies, and ceremonies, and iudgementes, which the Lord our God hath commanded vs?Cumque interrogaverit te filius tuus cras, dicens: Quid sibi volunt testimonia hæc, et cæremoniæ, atque judicia, quæ præcepit Dominus Deus noster nobis ? 21Thou shalt say to him: We were bondmen of Pharao in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.Tu gli dirai: Noi eravamo servi di Faraone in Egitto, e il Signore dall'Egitto ci trasse fuori con man possente:thou shalt say to him: We were the bondmen of Pharao in Aegypt, and our Lord brought vs out of Aegypt in a strong hand:dices ei: Servi eramus Pharaonis in Ægypto, et eduxit nos Dominus de Ægypto in manu forti: 22And he wrought signs and wonders great and very grievous in Egypt against Pharao, and all his house, in our sight,E fece segni e prodigii grandi e orribili nell'Egitto contro Faraone, e contro tutta la sua casa dinanzi a noi,and he did signes & wonders great and verie sore in Aegypt against Pharao, and al his house, in our sight,fecitque signa atque prodigia magna et pessima in Ægypto contra Pharaonem, et omnem domum illius in conspectu nostro, 23And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in and give us the land, concerning which he swore to our fathers.E fuor di là ci condusse per farci entrare al possesso della terra, di cui fe' giuramento a' padri nostri.and he brought vs out from thence, that being brought in he might geue vs the Land, wherupon he sware to our fathers.et eduxit nos inde, ut introductis daret terram, super qua juravit patribus nostris.
24And the Lord commanded that we should do all these ordinances, and should fear the Lord our God, that it might be well with us all the days of our life, as it is at this day.E il Signore ci ordinò di osservare tutte queste leggi, e di temere il Signore Dio nostro, affinché siamo felici per tutti i giorni di nostra vita, come oggi ci avviene.And our Lord commanded that we should doe al these ordinances, and should feare the Lord our God, that it might be wel with vs al the daies of our life, as it is at this day.Præcepitque nobis Dominus ut faciamus omnia legitima hæc, et timeamus Dominum Deum nostrum, ut bene sit nobis cunctis diebus vitæ nostræ, sicut est hodie. 25And he will be merciful to us, if we keep and do all his precepts before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.E avrà misericordia di noi il Signore, se osserveremo e adempiremo dinanzi a lui Dio nostro tutti i suoi precetti, come egli ci ha ordinato.And he wil be merciful to vs, if we keepe and doe al his preceptes before the Lord our God, as he commanded vs.Eritque nostri misericors, si custodierimus et fecerimus omnia præcepta ejus coram Domino Deo nostro, sicut mandavit nobis.
6:1
Year of the World 2553.
6:3
Clarius
Hear. The Jews have a particular respect for the seven following verses, which they write on vellum, and recite every day, as a preservative against the power of the devil. (Clarius.)
Worthington
To do. It will not suffice to hear nor to learn the law, we must also put it in execution, Deuteronomy 5:1. (Worthington)
6:5
Whole heart....soul....and strength. God admits of no partner, nor will he suffer any rivulet to be drawn from the fountain of love, which is not ultimately referred to himself. Our neighbour we must love only for his sake, and by the observance of this two-fold precept, we shall fulfil the whole law and the prophets, Matthew 22:40. (Haydock) See St. Augustine, de Doct. 1:22.
Calmet
We must love God disinterestedly for his own sake: we must sacrifice our soul and life for his honour, with all our strength, beginning every good work with fervour, and persevering in our undertakings. All our faculties and senses must be consecrated to the divine service, as well as all our goods; in which sense the Chaldean, etc., understand the word strength. Hebrew literally, ex toto valde tuo. By this singular expression, Moses seems to insinuate, that he cannot find words to specify how much we ought to love the Sovereign Good. (Calmet)
Haydock
"The measure of loving God, is to love without measure." (St. Bernard) (Haydock)
Menochius
By many words, the same thing is more forcibly inculcated. (Tirinus) (Menochius)
Haydock
In the gospel we find, with thy whole mind, (Luke 10:27,) added by the lawyer. (Haydock)
Tirinus
We must give God the preference before all, and thus have our heart perfect before him, like David, etc. (Tirinus)
6:7
Tell. Hebrew, "thou shalt chew them" as nurses do bread for their little ones; or thou shalt "sharpen," like a razor, "explain clearly and often," these precepts, which are of the utmost importance.
Meditate; speak of them to others, (Calmet) and entertain thyself with them in thy own heart. The mouth of the just man shall meditate wisdom, and (that is) his tongue shall speak judgment, Psalm 36:30., and Exodus 13:9.
Haydock
Sleeping. The spouse, in the canticle, (Canticle of Canticles 5:2,) says, I sleep, and my heart watcheth. If we carefully direct our intention, we may merit even when we are incapable of thinking. God will reward our good desires. Our last and first thoughts ought, in a particular manner, to be consecrated to God, (Haydock) when we go to rest and when we arise, (Menochius) as he is our first beginning, the source of all graces, and our last end, to whom we ought to refer every thing, even our ordinary actions of sleeping, labour, and diversion. If we make his divine perfections and his law the subject of our daily meditations, our soul will naturally be affected with the same sentiments during the night. Quicquid luce fuit tenebris agit. "The occurrences of the day have an influence upon our dreams;" (Petronius) and as we are accountable for many things by placing the cause, which in the hours of sleep or of drunkenness we are not able to prevent, so it cannot be doubted but that we shall increase in virtue, if we regulate our thoughts and actions in a proper manner, even when our soul is incapable of exerting her faculties. Hence we may perceive, of what vast importance it is to have a pure intention. (Haydock)
6:8
Sign, or seal, (Canticle of Canticles 8:6.; Calmet) attached to the ring which the Jews wore on their fingers, (Haydock) to seal their letters, after they were enveloped and tied with linen. The Jews have bandages of vellum on their hand, with sentences of the law inscribed upon them, (Calmet) as well as others upon their forehead; while many get the whole law, particularly the Book of Deuteronomy, by heart: for which purpose, the Rabbins inform us, there were above 400 schools and synagogues at Jerusalem, where the law of God was learnt and explained. The design of this injunction was not, however, to enforce the wearing of such bandages, as the Pharisees imagined, (Matthew 23:5,) but to put all in mind that they ought to meditate frequently upon the commandments, (Tirinus) and regulate their lives by their direction.
Haydock
Shall move. Septuagint adds a negation, but to the same import, "it (the sign) shall not be removed from before thy eyes." (Haydock)
Grotius
Hebrew, "they shall be as totaphoth, frontlets," ornaments hanging between the eyes. (Exodus 13:9.; Calmet) "Tephilim," (Chaldean) or "spectacles." (Grotius)
6:12
Haydock
Full. Our Saviour seems to apply this to his disciples, in a spiritual sense, remarking that Moses and the prophets had prepared the way for them. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours, John 4:38. (Haydock)
6:13
Calmet
Only. This is omitted in Hebrew; but the Septuagint and Jesus Christ retain it, (Matthew 4:10,) as the sense requires. You cannot serve God and mammon, Luke 16:13. (Calmet)
Haydock
Name, and not by that of idols, whenever you may be authorized to take an oath. (Haydock)
Calmet
To swear by any other, is to acknowledge him in some sort for a god. When we take an oath on proper occasions, and with due respect and caution, we perform an act of religion. (Calmet)
6:16
Temptation. Hebrew, "in Massa," where Moses gave the people water from Horeb, Exodus 17:7.
6:25
Merciful. Hebrew, "he will justify us." Chaldean, "reward us." Justice often denotes the mercy which God shews to his people, and the punishment which he inflicts upon their enemies. (Calmet) (Matthew 6:1.)
Haydock
Past, present, and future benefits concur to make the Hebrews observe the commandments. God had rescued them from slavery; (ver. 21,) he had already given them great possessions, and would grant them still more if they would be faithful; as on the other hand, all will be lost if they prove rebellious, ver. 15. (Haydock)
6:13
Some adoration agreeth to creatures, but seruice of Latria to God onlie S. Aug. q 61. in Gen.
6:3
Tertullian † AD 220 Five Books in Reply to Marcion 4
One God , whose mighty voice to Moses spake
6:4
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Antiochians 2
For Moses, the faithful servant of God, when he said, “The Lord thy God is one Lord,”
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Philippians 2
There is then one God and Father, and not two or three; One who is; and there is no other besides Him, the only true [God]. For “the Lord thy God,” saith [the Scripture], “is one Lord.”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.2.2
… or shall it be (what is really the case) the Maker of heaven and earth, whom also the prophets proclaimed,—whom Christ, too, confesses as His Father,— whom also the law announces, saying: “Hear, O Israel; The Lord thy God is one God?”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.22
… But the Word of God is the superior above all, He who is loudly proclaimed in the law: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one God;” and, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;” and, “Him shall thou adore, and Him alone shall thou serve.”
Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 2
… Which law had continued enough for them, had it been kept. For in this law given to Adam we recognise in embryo all the precepts which afterwards sprouted forth when given through Moses; that is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart and out of thy whole soul; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;
Tertullian † AD 220 Scorpiace 2
… “Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make unto you gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.” To the following effect also, in Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel; The Lord thy God is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy might, and with all thy soul.”
Novatian † AD 258 A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 30
… but by the presumption of human error, whereby they have chosen to be heretics. And in the first place, we must turn the attack against them who undertake to make against us the charge of saying that there are two Gods. It is written, and they cannot deny it, that “there is one Lord.”
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 4.8
8. For they attempt, by praising the Godhead of the Father only, to deprive the Son of His Divinity, pleading that it is written, Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is One
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 4.15
15. Their starting-point is this; We confess, they say, One only God, because Moses says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is One
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 4.33
33. Continue your study of the witness borne by Moses; mark how diligently he seizes every opportunity of proclaiming the Lord and God. You take note of the passage, Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is One
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 5.1
… The heretics have ingeniously contrived that this folly, which passes for wisdom, shall be their engine. They employ the confession of One God, for which they appeal to the witness of the Law and the Gospels in the words, Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is One
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Heathen (Contra Gentes) 46
Has then the divine teaching, which abolished the godlessness of the heathen or the idols, passed over in silence, and left the race of mankind to go entirely unprovided with the knowledge of God? Not so: rather it anticipates their understanding when it says
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 On the Symbols 'Of the Essence' And 'Coessential.' 1
… And of the Father it is written, ‘The Lord thy God is One Lord,’ and, ‘The God of gods, the Lord, hath spoken, and hath called the earth;’ and of the Son, ‘The Lord God hath shined upon us,’ and, ‘The God of gods shall be seen in Sion.’ And again of God, Isaiah says, ‘Who is a God like unto Thee, taking away iniquities and passing over unrighteousness?’ (
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 11
… For when the Guide to the laws is unknown, one does not readily pass on to the observance of them. Faithful Moses, the minister of God, adopted this method; for when he promulgated the words of the divine dispensation of laws, he first proclaimed the matters relating to the knowledge of God: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On 'Not Three Gods.' 1
… But the word “God” it employs studiously in the singular form only, guarding against introducing the idea of different natures in the Divine essence by the plural signification of “Gods.” This is the cause why it says, “the Lord our God is one Lord
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.2
… others as to which we ought to take heed. We must follow the ways of the Lord, and take heed to our own ways, lest they lead us into sin. One can take heed if one is not hasty in speaking. The law says: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 3.15
105. Such, too, was the teaching of the Law: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord,”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.3
23. There is, therefore, God in God, but not two Gods; for it is written that there is one God, and there is Lord in Lord, but not two Lords, forasmuch as it is likewise written: “Serve not two lords.” And the Law saith: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord thy God is one God;”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 3.12
102. Oneness in Godhead the Law hath proved, which speaks of one God,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 17
“And yet,” it may be said, “this is not the second, but the third; for neither is the first, “Thou shalt not kill,” but “The Lord thy God is one Lord.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 36
“What then?” one may say, “were they wronged, who lived before His coming?” By no means, for men might then be saved, even though they had not confessed Christ. For this was not required of them, but not to worship idols, and to know the true God. “For the Lord thy God,” it is said, “is one Lord.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 69
And since He had made mention of “the Lord” and “my Lord,” He recurs again to the law. And yet the law said nothing of this kind, but, “The Lord thy God is one Lord.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 1
… And how in particular should Jews, hearing as they did every day of their lives, and having it ever sounded in their ears, “The Lord thy God is one Lord, and beside Him is none other” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 15
[3.] “He hath declared Him,” saith John. What hath he declared? That “no man hath seen God at any time”? That “God is one”? But this all the other prophets testify, and Moses continually exclaims, “The Lord thy God is one Lord” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 5.11
… but the Trinity cannot in the same way be called the Father, except perhaps metaphorically, in respect to the creature, on account of the adoption of sons. For that which is written, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 7.4
… whereas, if we were to say three Gods, Scripture would contradict it, which says, “Hear, O Israel; the Lord thy God is one God?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Faith and the Creed 9
… for this Trinity is one God, not to the effect that the Father is the same [Person] as the Son and the Holy Spirit, but to the effect that the Father is the Father, and the Son is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit; and this Trinity is one God, according as it is written, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Morals of the Catholic Church 16
… and the prophet says, "Thou sendest Thy Spirit from the higher." For God alone is the highest, than whom nothing is higher. Paul shows that the Trinity is one God, when he says, "To Him be glory;" and in the Old Testament it is said, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one God."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 15.5
… As the apostle says, they have itching ears, and turn away from hearing the truth to listen to fables. How shouldest thou bear the sound doctrine of these tables, where the first commandment is, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord,"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Grace and Free Will 36
… Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him: The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel! the Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Harmony of the Gospels 1.26
41. Who, then, has effected the demolition of these systems but the God of Israel? For to this people was the announcement made by those divine voices which were addressed to Moses: “Hear, O Israel; the Lord thy God is one God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 75.11
… That people received the Law, they received commandments just and good. What is so just as, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not speak false testimony, honour thy father and mother, thou shalt not covet the property of thy neighbour, one God thou shalt adore, and Him alone thou shalt serve,
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 8.3
… as in this passage: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord;” and: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 8.23
… Which of the saints do we read of as not having observed some commandment of the law before the giving of the law? Which of them failed to keep this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord?”
St John of Damascus † AD 749 An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 1.5
… But that God is one and not many is no matter of doubt to those who believe in the Holy Scriptures. For the Lord says in the beginning of the Law: I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me . And again He says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 2.44
… for thus saith the Scripture to the Jews, ‘The Lord our God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords.’ Him alone the Scripture also commands to be worshipped, saying, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve;’ and, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.’
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 3.57
… as the Scriptures say, He said, ‘Call not me good, for One only is good.’ And again, ‘Be ye good and merciful, as your Father in the heavens, who makes the sun rise on good and evil men, and brings rain upon just and unjust.’ But to those who were misled to imagine many gods, as the Scriptures say, He said, ‘Hear, O Israel; the Lord your God is one Lord.’”
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 16.7
… But also somewhere else the Scripture says, ‘As I live, saith the Lord, there is no other God but me. I am the first, I am after this; except me there is no God.’ And again: ‘Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ And again:
6:5
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Smyrnæans: Shorter and Longer Versions 6
… and let no man’s low condition or poverty abase him. For the chief points are faith towards God, hope towards Christ, the enjoyment of those good things for which we look, and love towards God and our neighbour. For, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.27
… For the whole point of the rebuke lay in this, that they cared about small matters in His service of course, to whom they failed to exhibit their weightier duties when He commanded them: “Thou shalt love with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, the Lord thy God, who hath called thee out of Egypt.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.4
… For whether he speaks of the love which is due to God, or that which is due to one’s neighbor—in either case, the Creator’s grace is meant: for it is He who enjoins the first in these words, “Thou shalt love God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength;”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.19
In Deuteronomy: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
St Methodius † AD 311 The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity 8.13
… Moreover, the ten horns and stings which he was said to have upon his heads are the ten opposites, O virgins, to the Decalogue, by which he was accustomed to gore and cast down the souls of many imagining and contriving things in opposition to the law, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.50
262. First stands faith, which is a sign of wisdom, as Solomon says, in following his father: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” And the law says: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, thou shalt love thy neighbour.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Virgins 2.6
40. We ought to stir up the love of the bride, for it is written: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 3.8
15. Can it at any time or place be an unrighteous thing for a man to love God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his mind, and his neighbour as himself?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 10.7
… and the opinion has been held that this is the mind, nay, that it is even the whole soul altogether. And some accordingly think it to be the blood, others the brain, others the heart; not as the Scripture says, “I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;” and, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 14.14
… For in it, those other two [namely, memory and understanding] are understood by consequence, inasmuch as no one loves that which he does not remember, or of which he is wholly ignorant. And hence is that well known and primary commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Faith and the Creed 9
21. But inasmuch as love is enjoined upon us, not only toward God, when it was said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Morals of the Catholic Church 9
… What need to speak of the first statement, when it is clear to all that it is a quotation from the law given by Moses? For it is there written, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Morals of the Catholic Church 28
… one which only stark madness can oppose, do they not see the unreasonableness of denying that these very two precepts which they commend are quoted by the Lord in the Gospel from the Old Testament, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind;" and the other, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself?"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 65
… In respect, therefore, of that immortal life, the commandment is even now applicable: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 11
… And perhaps the general prohibition is, “Thou shalt not covet;” and the general precept, “Thou shalt love.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 19
… Then in all this plenitude of charity will be fulfilled the commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 6.2
… which must be avoided in this discourse, which we would have accommodated to the unlearned. But that the number three has relation to the mind may be understood from this, that we are commanded to love God after a threefold manner, with the whole heart, with the whole soul, with the whole mind:
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 95
… “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God out of all thy heart, and out of all thy mind, and out of all thy strength
6:6
St Justin Martyr † AD 165 Dialogue with Trypho 46
… For He enjoined you to place around you [a fringe] of purple dye, in order that you might not forget God; and He commanded you to wear a phylactery,
6:7
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 11
6. Therefore the righteous and faithful servants of the Lord, who ‘are made disciples for the kingdom of heaven, and bring forth from it things new and old;’ and who ‘meditate on the words of the Lord, when sitting in the house, when lying down or rising up, and when walking by the way
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 27
… and if the expression is permissible, we ought to do nothing else. Yea, I am one of those who entirely approve that Word which bids us meditate day and night, and tell at eventide and morning and noon day, and praise the Lord at every time; or, to use Moses’ words, whether a man lie down, or rise up, or walk by the way, or whatever else he be doing
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 6.16
… These roses never wither; these fruits never drop off; these dainties never corrupt. The former yield a temporary delight; but the latter a lasting advantage, not only after this reformation has taken place, but in the very act of reforming. For think what a good practice this would be, having dismissed all other matters public or private, to discourse
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 8
… ix. 15 .) And again, “How sweet are Thy words unto my throat.” (He said not to my hearing, but to my “throat”); “more than honey and the honeycomb to my mouth.” ( Ps. cxix. 103 .) And Moses says, “Thou shalt meditate in them continually, when thou risest up, when thou sittest, when thou liest down.” (
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 10.10
… This you should think about, according to the Lawgiver’s charge, “at home and walking forth on a journey,”
6:8
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 69
And what are these phylacteries, and these borders? Since they were continually forgetting God’s benefits, He commanded His marvellous works to be inscribed on little tablets, and that these should be suspended from their hands (wherefore also He said, “They shall be immoveable in thine eyes”),
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 13
What is, “of a carnal commandment”? Circumcise the flesh, it says; anoint the flesh; wash the flesh; purify the flesh; shave the flesh; bind upon the flesh;
6:11
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 17.2
… and lest one should have reason to say of us too, “When He slew them, then they sought Him, and returned, and enquired early after God.” Wherefore also Moses admonished the Jews, saying, “When thou shalt have eaten, and drunk, and art full, remember the Lord thy God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 53
… For they have learnt what befell Israel through a costly table. “For my beloved,” saith He, “ate, and waxed fat, and kicked.” Wherefore also Moses said, “When thou shalt have eaten and drunk and art full, remember the Lord thy God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 16
… ( ib. ix. 22 .) Hezekiah too, when he was in affliction, see what things he did in order to his deliverance; he put on sackcloth, and such like; but when he was in pleasure, he fell through the haughtiness of his heart. ( 2 Kings ch. xix. 20 .) For, saith the Scripture, “When thou hast eaten, and drunk, and art filled, take heed to thyself.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 32
… “Ye devour widows’ houses” ( Matt. xxiii. 14 ), He says. And the Prophets accuse them of things of the kind. For, “My beloved,” He says, “hath waxen fat and gross, and hath kicked” ( Deut. xxxii. 15 ). Wherefore also Moses exhorted them, and said, “When thou hast eaten and drunken and art full, remember the Lord thy God.” (
6:12
Tertullian † AD 220 Scorpiace 2
… Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him only, and cleave to Him, and swear by His name. Ye shall not go after strange gods, and the gods of the nations which are round about you, because the Lord thy God is also a jealous God among you, and lest His anger should be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 27
… ( Gen. ix. 20 .) Esau through greediness abandoned his birthright, and was set upon fratricide. The people of Israel “sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” ( Ex. xxxii. 6 .) Therefore saith the Scripture, “When thou hast eaten and drunken, remember the Lord thy God.” (
6:13
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Philippians 12
… but, “Begone, Satan,” to the course which thou hast chosen. “Begone” to those things to which, through thy malevolence, thou hast been called. For I know Who I am, and by Whom I have been sent, and Whom it behoves Me to worship. For “thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 5.11
… “for thou wilt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve;”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 7.64
… But Christians and Jews have regard to this command, “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him alone;”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Lapsed 7
… Have not they, full of the Holy Spirit, predicted the afflictions of the righteous, and always the injuries of the heathens? Does not the sacred Scripture, which ever arms our faith and strengthens with a voice from heaven the servants of God, say, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve?”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 An Address to Demetrianus 6
6. In fine, listen to Himself speaking; Himself with a divine voice at once instructing and warning us: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,” says He, “and Him only shalt thou serve.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus 2
“As it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.11
… “Cursed is the man who hath hope in man; and blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and his hope shall be in God.” Concerning this same thing in Deuteronomy: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 8.3
… So we understand these words to be said of the nature, “who alone hath immortality” and “to God only wise,” and “none is good save one, that is God,” for here “one” means the same as alone. So also, “which alone spreadest out the heavens,” and again “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.”
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On the Holy Spirit 1
… But you, persuaded as you are of what and how great things the Holy Spirit is the Giver, do you neglect the asking them from Him, taking refuge in the law which bids you ‘worship God and serve Him only
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 3.18
… for it is written: “They worshipped the creature rather than the Creator, Who is God blessed for ever.” God also does not worship, but is worshipped, for it is written: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 2.10
86. There is, therefore, but one only God, for it is written: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 5.8
… For when He said that the Lord spoke to the Lord, Sabellius is set aside, who will have it that the same Person is both Father and Son. Photinus is set aside, who thinks of Him merely as man; for none could be Lord of David the King, but He Who is God, for it is written: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
Sulpicius Severus † AD 420 The Doubtful Letters of Sulpitius Severus 1.4
… I said, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery,’ in order that I might prevent the licentiousness of fornication: I said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor,’ that affection might abound; I said, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord alone,’
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 1.6
… From whence they are called idolaters who tender that service to images which is due to God. For it is this service concerning which it is said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 2.10
… therefore, neither here does it appear plainly whether it was any person of the Trinity that appeared to Abraham, or God Himself the Trinity, of which one God it is said, “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and Him only shall thou serve.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Morals of the Catholic Church 24
44. What of justice that pertains to God? As the Lord says, "Ye cannot serve two masters," and the apostle denounces those who serve the creature rather than the Creator, was it not said before in the Old Testament, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve?"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 1.17
… but it “cometh of evil” on his part by whose infirmity you are compelled to swear. But no one learns, unless he has had experience, how difficult it is both to get rid of a habit of swearing, and never to do rashly what necessity sometimes compels him to do.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 99.8
… In another passage of the Scriptures it is said, “The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.” Doth he then bid us worship the earth, since in another passage it is said, that it is God’s footstool? How then shall we worship the earth, when the Scripture saith openly, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God”?
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 2.44
“But even if there be others, as we have said, who are called gods, they are under the power of the God of the Jews; for thus saith the Scripture to the Jews, ‘The Lord our God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords.’ Him alone the Scripture also commands to be worshipped, saying, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve;’
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 5.13
… and likeness, as the true Prophet Himself teaches, saying, ‘Be ye merciful, as also your heavenly Father is merciful, who makes His sun to rise upon the good and the evil, and rains upon the just and the unjust.’ Imitate Him, therefore, and fear Him, as the commandment is given to men, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 16.7
… But also somewhere else the Scripture says, ‘As I live, saith the Lord, there is no other God but me. I am the first, I am after this; except me there is no God.’ And again:
6:16
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Philippians 11
If, therefore, thou art trodden down under the feet of the Lord, how dost thou tempt Him that cannot be tempted, forgetting that precept of the lawgiver, “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God?”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.21.2
… For that was indeed written, [namely], “That He hath given His angels charge concerning Him;” but “cast thyself down from hence” no Scripture said in reference to Him: this kind of persuasion the devil produced from himself. The Lord therefore confuted him out of the law, when He said, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God;”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.22
… exalted position of every grace [that can be received], we should not, either by trusting to works of righteousness, or when adorned with super-eminent [gifts of] ministration, by any means be lifted up with pride, nor should we tempt God, but should feel humility in all things, and have ready to hand [this saying], “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Defence of His Flight. (Apologia de Fuga.) 25
… or David, because when he was concealed in the cave, he did not discover himself to Saul. As also the sons of the prophets remained in their caves, and did not surrender themselves to Ahab. This would have been to act contrary to the commandment, since the Scripture says, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 91.15
… for it is written, He shall give His Angels charge concerning Thee,” etc. If Thou shalt cast Thyself down, Angels shall receive Thee. And it might indeed, my brethren, happen, if our Lord had cast Himself down, the attending Angels would receive our Lord’s flesh; but what does He say to him? “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
6:4
Verse 4. HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD. — Hence the name of God is echad, that is, one, in Isaiah lxvi, 17, in the Hebrew. From echad God was called by the Syrians Ahad, and thence by the Assyrians was called Adad; for, as Macrobius teaches, lib. I Saturn. xxiii, Adad was the supreme god of the Assyrians; to whom also they assigned the goddess Atargatim as wife: by Adad they understood the sun (which, because it is alone and one in the world, which is the cause of all living things, and as it were the father, they thought to be god), by Atargatim the earth, because from these two all things are procreated. The reason why God is one is, first, because God is the most simple being, equally as the most absolute and most perfect: therefore one. For if there were two gods, one would have some perfection which the other does not have, and consequently some perfection would be lacking to both: therefore neither would be absolutely most perfect: therefore neither would be God. For God contains and embraces in himself all perfections of all things. Whence St. Thomas, I part., Quest. xi, art. 4, teaches that God alone is truly and fully one, because in God alone is full and supreme unity, namely simplicity, which is entirely and altogether free from all composition. Secondly, if there were two gods, they would have two and diverse wills; therefore they could will contrary things: from which war between them, and great perturbation in the government of the world would follow. Thirdly, if there were two gods, one would limit and restrict the power and dominion of the other. But God is infinite, and of unlimited power, who has entire, not divided dominion; therefore he is one, not two. Thus St. Cyprian, in the book On the Vanity of Idols: "One, he says, is the Lord of all; for that sublimity cannot have a partner, since it alone holds the power of all things." Fourthly, God is the monarch of the world: for monarchy is the best form of government; whence Homer does not wish many to rule, but: basileueto heis, let one king rule. Thus St. Cyprian in the place cited, and he proves this by examples: "The Romans, he says, though twins (Romulus and Remus), one kingdom does not contain, whom one womb received as guests. Pompey and Caesar were related, yet the bond of kinship did not hold in rival power." And further: "There is one king among bees, and one leader in flocks, and one ruler in herds; much more is there one ruler of the world, who commands all things whatsoever by his word, disposes by reason, accomplishes by power. He cannot be seen: he is clearer than sight; he cannot be grasped: he is purer than touch; he cannot be estimated: he is greater than sense; and therefore we estimate him worthily thus, while we call him inestimable." Fifthly, as from unity all numbers arise, and from the center all lines which are drawn to the circumference: so from God all created things arise; they ought therefore to come together, be united and terminated in one principle, namely God, as in their center. Sixthly, there ought to be one ruler of the world, who so orders and associates all things various and fitly congruous among themselves; otherwise all things would not agree in one order, unless they were ordered by one. But this is God. "One therefore God, one faith, one baptism:" which axiom is not only of the faithful, but also of unbelieving Philosophers, Orators, Poets and others. Thus St. Thomas and the Scholastics, I part., Quest. xi, art. 3. Note: In the Hebrew is hinted the mystery of the Trinity and the Incarnation. For thus it has: "Hear, O Israel, God, our God God one is." The same is hinted by Isaiah, cap. vi, verse 3, where the Seraphim cry out: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts," which the ancient Rabbis, as R. Simeon son of Joai, thus expound: "Holy, he says, this is the Father, holy this is the Son, holy this is the Holy Ghost," as testified by Galatinus, lib. II, cap. i. And he adds that they ordained that at least twice a day, namely at sunrise and sunset, both those words of Isaiah and these of Moses should be recited by every Jew daily, namely that thus they might profess the three persons of the Trinity with the unity of the divine essence. For the name "God" repeated three times, equally as "holy" in Isaiah signifies three persons; but in the second place added "our" signifies that the Word assumed our flesh, and was given to us, and was born to us Emmanuel. For which reason also David said in Psalm lxvi: "Let God bless us, our God, let God bless us." From the Hebrews the Egyptians received this mystery, among whom this oracle of Serapis to King Thule exists in Suidas: "Proton Theos, metepeita logos, kai pneuma syn autois. Tauta de symphyta, kai eis hen ionta tetyktai."
6:5
Verse 5. THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD. — The Hebrew, Chaldean and Septuagint have, and thou shalt love. Jansenius and others place emphasis on the "and," as if to say: Because our God is one, as has preceded, therefore thou shalt place thy whole hope and love in one God, not in many. But the "and" among the Hebrews often is redundant; and thus our Translator here omitted it. This is the most eminent precept of the most eminent virtue, namely charity; for just as gold excels among metals, fire among elements, the empyrean heaven among the heavens, the sun among planets, the Seraphim among angels: so charity, or the love of God and neighbour, excels and surpasses among virtues. For it is the most radiant gold by which we purchase heavenly goods: it is a celestial fire which inflames all souls around it: it is the empyrean heaven in which God and the Blessed dwell: it is the sun which illuminates, makes fruitful and vivifies all things: it is the seraphic virtue which made St. Francis and others burning with charity into burning Seraphim. First, charity is as it were a queen, ruling and moderating the other virtues. Second, it is as it were a mother nourishing the other virtues, refreshing, strengthening, sustaining them, as Laurentius Justinianus says. Third, charity makes us friends and children of God, and his heirs and co-heirs with Christ; hence St. John says, epistle I, chapter iv: "Whosoever loveth, is born of God." Fourth, charity alone is that which divides the sheep from the goats: "Which divides between the children of the eternal kingdom and the children of eternal perdition," says St. Augustine, book XV On the Trinity, chapter xviii. Fifth, charity is as it were the form and soul of virtues, and gives them the power of meriting; hence St. Augustine says: "Charity alone leads to God." Sixth, charity is the bond of perfection, Colossians iii, 14, which binds us most tightly to Christ and to our neighbour. Seventh, charity is an inextinguishable fire which conquers and surpasses all things, even hard things like iron. For "love is strong as death, and emulation hard as hell." "What is more violent than love? love triumphs over God," says St. Bernard, sermon 64 on the Canticle. Eighth, charity like an eagle gazes upon the sun, namely God, with unwavering eyes; and flies to him on two fiery wings, namely the love of God and neighbour, as St. Augustine says in Psalm cxxi. Hence the same Augustine in I John iv, 7: "Once," he says, "a brief precept is given to thee: Love, and do what thou wilt."
From the Whole Heart, Soul and Strength FROM THY WHOLE HEART, AND FROM THY WHOLE SOUL, AND FROM THY WHOLE STRENGTH. — Note: For from thy whole strength, in Hebrew it is bechol modecha, that is, from thy whole might, which the Chaldean refers to external goods, and translates, from all thy substance; but our translation and the Septuagint translate it better, from all thy virtue, that is strength, thine; which St. Luke, cap. x, vers. 27, translates: from all thy strength, and from all thy mind. St. Matthew, however, cap. xxii, vers. 37, translates, with thy whole mind. You will ask, whether and how these three are distinguished. First, Rabanus here: To the rational soul, he says, which consists of memory, intellect and love, the faith of the Holy Trinity is commended in these words, as if to love from the whole heart were to love from the whole memory, which is ascribed to the Father; from the whole soul, were to love from the whole intellect, which is given to the Son; from the whole strength, were to love from the whole will, which is accommodated to the Holy Spirit. Again St. Augustine, lib. I De Doctr. Christ., cap. xxii, understands by heart thoughts, by soul life, by mind or virtue intellect, as if God here commands that we direct all these things toward Him, who has bestowed them upon us. Hear St. Augustine: "When He says: Thou shalt love from thy whole heart, from thy whole soul, from thy whole mind, He has left no part of our life which ought to be idle, and as it were to give place, so that thou shouldest wish to enjoy another thing, but whatever else comes to mind to be loved, let it be carried there, whither the whole impulse of love runs." Second, St. Bernard, sermon 20 in Cant.: "To me, he says, the love of the heart seems to pertain to the zeal of affection, but the love of the soul to the diligence or judgment of reason, and the love of virtue to be referred to the constancy or vigor of the soul, as if he were to say: Love the Lord thy God with the whole and full affection of thy heart; love with the whole vigilance of reason, and circumspection; love also with thy whole strength, so that thou shouldest not fear to die for love of Him. For strong as death is love, hard as hell is jealousy." Third, these three can be understood more simply according to the Hebrew phrase, so that they signify one and the same thing; for this threefold repetition is made only for greater force and emphasis. The sense therefore is: Thou shalt love God from thy whole will, and with thy whole affection and endeavor. From what has been said it is clear that this precept can be fulfilled literally in this life. For we can love God from our whole possibility, or as much as is possible for us according to the state and weakness of this life; and because otherwise it would be commanded to us in vain. That King Josias and similar ones fulfilled this precept is evident from IV Kings xxiii, 25. By this precept, therefore, the whole and supreme love of God is required from man, not extensively or intensively, but only comparatively, finally and appreciatively. First, comparatively, that is, so that thou givest thy whole heart and affection to God, so that thou givest no part of it to the devil or to sin. Second, finally, so that thou hast God in the manner of the end of all thy actions, and preferest Him as the supreme good and ultimate end to all things, so that thou wouldst rather lose all things, and even thy life, than God and His grace. Third, appreciatively, so that thou appliest thy whole heart, that is thy will, to obeying His law in all things, so that thou conformest thyself in all things to His holy will.
Why God Must Be Loved From the Whole Heart Why must God be loved from the whole heart? The cause a priori is first, because God is the creator, giver and preserver of the heart itself, and of all natural and supernatural goods; therefore it is fitting that all these things return to him, and flow back to him, as it were, through love. For the love of God is the highest worship and honor of God. Whence St. Augustine: "That," he says, "is worshipped by man which he loves. Since therefore God is found to be greater and better than all things, he must be loved more than all things." Whence St. Bernard, epistle 353, to someone asking "what God requires of us," replied: "Our heart can accomplish nothing more worthy than to restore itself to him from whom it was made, and this is what the Lord demands of us, saying: My son, give me thy heart." Second, because God created the heart, or mind, in his image and likeness: whence he gave it a certain infinite capacity, which can be filled and satisfied by no created thing, but by God alone: "The heart is small," says Hugh, book III On the Soul, "and desires great things; it could scarcely suffice for the refreshment of a single kite, and the whole world does not suffice for it." And this is what St. Augustine says: "Thou hast made us, O Lord, for thee, and our heart is restless, until it rests in thee." God therefore is the center of our heart and love. Third, because God, as he is the principle, so he is the end of man and of all creatures; all therefore ought to pursue and love him as such with the whole heart and affection. Fourth, because God is the highest, immense and uncreated good, which is the source of all good, and which contains in itself all goods, both created and possible, in the most eminent and perfect degree; therefore he is supremely lovable; therefore he must be loved from the whole heart: for other goods compared to God are vain and nothing, they are smoke and shadow. "Every abundance which is not my God is poverty," says St. Augustine. Deservedly therefore the Blessed Jacopone, drunk with the love of God, wept continually, and when asked the reason, gave this: "Because love (God) is not loved." Deservedly the Blessed Magdalen, like a doe wounded by the arrows of the love of Christ, said: "I sought him whom my soul loveth through the streets and broad ways; I found him, I held him, nor will I let him go." Tropologically St. Bernard: "Thou shalt love," he says, "God from the whole heart, that is sweetly, lest thou be deceived; from the whole soul, that is prudently, lest thou be deceived; from the whole strength, that is strongly, lest thou be overcome by the love of the Lord and turn away." Fix therefore this precept of love in thy mind, and thou shalt easily overcome all hardships, all temptations, all labors, and shalt live a life most sweet and equally most holy; for, as Peter of Ravenna says: "It is the warfare of the tender, by love alone to gain victory over all vices." "For who," says Paul, "shall separate us from the charity of God? tribulation, distress? I am sure that neither death, nor life," etc. God has given himself wholly to thee; do thou give, nay rather restore, thyself wholly to God. "Late have I loved thee, beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved thee; that I may know thee, my knower, that I may know thee," says St. Augustine, book X of the Confessions. Jesu, joy of hearts. Jesu, sweetness of hearts, Living fountain, light of minds, Honey, nectar, melody of ears, Exceeding all joy And all desire.
6:7
Verse 7. AND THOU SHALT TELL (Hebrew: and thou shalt sharpen, that is, as Vatablus and others say, thou shalt repeat, turn over, recite these precepts of mine) TO THY SONS. — Secondly, thou shalt sharpen, that is, sharply, that is precisely, distinctly, clearly and openly thou shalt set forth and explain them to thy sons: just as a matter or obscure question is sharpened by a teacher, when it is clearly treated by him in parts, expounded, sifted and discussed. It is a metaphor drawn from a sword, which when it is sharpened, is often driven against the whetstone. It signifies therefore that the precepts must be frequently and continually turned over, explained and impressed upon the sons of God, so that they themselves may be sharpened and incited to know and carry them out. The Hebrews relate that in Jerusalem there was once such study of the divine law, that they had more than four hundred public schools and synagogues, in which the law of God was taught. AND THOU SHALT MEDITATE. — In Hebrew, thou shalt speak with them, just as a servant speaks familiarly with his master, so that he may inquire his mind. SLEEPING. — In Hebrew, lying in bed, when thou goest to rest: for indeed no one can meditate while sleeping. This is a holy and useful practice of pious Christians: that, when they go to bed, they pray and think upon something pious, and fall asleep in that thought, and thus besides other things they ward off the devil's temptations and foul phantasms. St. Bernard, in the book On the Life of Solitude: "When about to go to sleep, always carry something with you in memory or thought, in which you may sleep peacefully, which sometimes you may even dream about, which also upon waking may restore you to the state of yesterday's intention. Thus the night shall be as day illuminated for you." Hence St. Jerome in Psalm c says: "For the holy, sleep itself is prayer." AND RISING UP. — Whence this practice has become established among good Christians, says Abulensis, that, as soon as they rise from bed, they immediately begin with the praises of God, or meditate upon something pious and holy; for it is incredible how much morning meditation profits the soul. Daily experience clearly teaches us that it is the support and foundation of our entire Society, and that all zeal, efficacy and fruit of all our actions throughout the day flow and proceed from it. Whoever therefore reads these things, I beseech you by your salvation and that of others, that you yourself experience and practice the same, especially if you are a Theologian or Ecclesiastic; and learn and accustom yourself daily to meditate upon something concerning the brevity of life, your death, judgment, eternity, the life and passion of Christ or the Saints, and from this conceive effective resolutions. The first fruits therefore of thoughts and actions, equally as of the day, are to be given to God; and this first, because those are owed to God, as the first cause, author of nature and grace, and giver of all goods. Secondly, because it is fitting that all daily actions take their beginning from God (hence that saying of Aratus and Theocritus: ek Dios archomestha, which Virgil translated, from Jove the beginning). Hence St. Bernard, On the Life of Solitude, commands the same thing: "That when we rise, he says, to the praises of God, the whole course of our work from that point be formed and vivified in his praises." And St. Ephrem: "If you put prayer before work, and rising from bed, you draw the beginning of your first movements from prayer, the way of sin into the soul will not be open." And Solomon, Proverbs viii, 17: "They that in the morning early watch for me, shall find me: with me are riches and glory." Thirdly, because the same is done by angels, the sun, birds, and other creatures. Hear St. Basil, epistle I to Gregory of Nazianzus: "What is more blessed than for a man on earth to imitate the concert of angels? to go into prayers at the very beginning of day? to venerate the Creator in hymns and canticles?" And St. Ambrose in Psalm cxviii: "It is a grave matter, if the ray of the rising sun finds you idle in bed, and clear light strikes eyes still depressed by drowsy torpor. Go forth therefore to the rising of the sun." Fourthly, because the same was done by the wise and the saints. The Therapeutae with Philo, in the book On the Contemplative Life, "are accustomed to pray twice daily, morning and evening: at the rising of the sun seeking a truly happy day, and that their minds may be filled with heavenly light." The Essenes, says Josephus, "speak nothing profane before the rising of the sun; but they celebrate certain vows as it were of their country to it." Thus once Christians held early morning assemblies, to sing to Christ and God, as Pliny testifies to Trajan. The sense of all these things is, as it were Moses saying: Frequently, according to your convenience, O Israelite, concerning the precepts of God, and especially concerning that first and greatest one, which immediately preceded, namely: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart," thou shalt think, speak and meditate, both at home and abroad, both morning and evening. Hence in Hebrew thora, that is law, some derive from thur, that is to explore, or to search about, because the whole law must be explored assiduously and diligently, and guarded about, lest anyone offend in one thing. For since all the precepts of the law are connected, and meet in this precept of the love of God, as in a center, hence "he that offendeth in one point, is become guilty of all," James ii, 10.
6:8
Verse 8. AND THOU SHALT BIND THEM AS A SIGN ON THY HAND, AND THEY SHALL BE AND SHALL BE MOVED BETWEEN THY EYES. — For "shall be moved" in Hebrew it is totaphot, which Pagninus and Vatablus translate as frontlets; others as spectacles (for through the precepts of God we see what is good, what God wills); others as memorials or remembrances. Moreover, some derive totaphot from taphaph, that is, to strike, to clap, because totaphot or frontlets, striking the forehead, with each blow as it were like sounding bells, would admonish the Hebrews to keep the law and precepts of God. Whence they were called phylacteries, that is to say, Preservers of the law. The Jews of old received all these things literally, as they sound, as is evident from Matthew chapter xxiii, 5; whence even now they inscribe the Hebrew sentences of their law on the walls of their homes, and when they pray, they hang before themselves a small parchment containing these words: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." But it is better that you understand them metaphorically or parabolically, that is to say, Thus you will have a continuous remembrance of the precepts and love of God, as if they themselves inscribed on frontlets, arm-bands and doorposts, were perpetually set before your eyes and observed. Thus Abulensis. By a similar metaphor God says to Sion, Isaiah chapter xlix, 16: "In my hands I have written thee;" which he explains when he adds: "Thy walls are always before my eyes." Piously and truly St. Augustine in the Soliloquies, chapter xviii: "At every moment, O Lord," he says, "thou bindest me to thee, while at every moment thou bestowest upon me thy great benefits. As therefore there is no hour or point in all my life in which I do not use thy benefit: so there should be no moment in which I do not have thee before my eyes in my memory, and do not love thee with all my strength."
6:14
Verse 14. THOU SHALT NOT GO AFTER STRANGE GODS — thou shalt not follow the worship of strange gods.
6:16
Verse 16. AS THOU DIDST TEMPT IN THE PLACE OF TEMPTATION — which from that place is called in Hebrew, Massah and Meribah, Exodus chapter xvii, verse 7. Verse 17. TESTIMONIES — that is, laws, which testify what God wills to be done by us. Verse 20. TO-MORROW — in future time.
6:25
Verse 25. AND IT SHALL BE MERCIFUL TO US. — In Hebrew, and justice shall be to us. But justice here and elsewhere is taken for mercy, for which matter I have given the reasons II Corinthians chapter ix, verse 9.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
6:4
… A devotional practice among the Jews was that of the "phylacteries" (v.) with certain passages of the Bible (Ex. 13:1-16; Deut. 6:4-9), applied during prayer on the forehead and on the left arm (cf. Deut. 6:8); other similar parchments were buried under the thresholds of Jewish houses (māzūcōth).
… Furthermore, monotheism is already found in the patriarchal times in a very clear manner (Gen. 18:25; 24:3; Deut. 4:35; 39; 6:4). Today less insistence is placed on the various local designations (such as "God of Bethel" in Gen. 31:13 etc.), exploited as signs of a supposed polytheism; they are only the memory …
MĒ ZŪ ZĀH («doorpost»). - A parchment scroll in a glass or metal capsule that is affixed to the doorpost; it contains in Hebrew the passages Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21; the first treats of infinite love for the Lord, the second of the reward for obedience to His will. …
… It contains the Decalogue (lines 1-21), the Shema (= Deut. 6:4-5; lines 23-24) and a brief introduction to it (lines 22-23) that is not found in the Hebrew Bible, but rather in the Septuagint (Deut. 6:4).
Phylacteries (Greek: ΦΙΛΑΚΤΗΡΙΑ « Smultei »)
As a result of a servile exegesis, the obligation was introduced (perhaps as early as the time of Ezra, or shortly thereafter) of a prayer arm-piece, formed from the "divine words" (Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Num. 15:37-41), transcribed onto pieces of parchment, enclosed in two leather capsules, which, at the time of prayer, were tied to the left arm and to the head, in such …
It draws its origins from Is. 6:3, and in its fuller form it also contains Ez. 3:12b; Ps. 146:10; Deut. 6:4; Num. 15:41c. In its distant and unclear origins the Q. was recited only on feast days, in time also on weekdays and after the public sacred readings. …
1. The Old Testament. - Traces of the solution are already contained in it. To escape from sin, first of all observance of the Law is necessary, recommended by God himself or by Moses and the Prophets in God's name (cf. Deut. 4:1 ff.; 6:4 ff.; 12:28 ff.; Lev. 18:5; Ezek. 18:5 ff.; cf. Tob. 12:9). At the same time, trust in the God who saves is required, as the Psalms especially inculcate, and above all faith in God and …
6:5
… The pseudo-Clementine literature is not cited, but Jewish traditions came to the author (p. 100, 15 ff., Jewish interpretation of Deut. 6:5: see H. L. Strack-P. …
This truth was confirmed by the preaching of Christ and of the Apostles (cf. Mt. 19, 16-17; Mk. 10, 17-18; Lk. 18, 18-19; and again: Mt. 4, 10; Mk. 12, 30; Lk. 4, 8; 10, 27: the common source of these last texts is Deut. 6, 5; cf. also I Cor. 8, 4-6). And subsequently, as A. Harnack rightly observes, the contrast between monotheism and polytheism was truly, down into the
6:8
… A devotional practice among the Jews was that of the "phylacteries" (v.) with certain passages of the Bible (Ex. 13:1-16; Deut. 6:4-9), applied during prayer on the forehead and on the left arm (cf. Deut. 6:8); other similar parchments were buried under the thresholds of Jewish houses (māzūcōth).
Phylacteries (Greek: ΦΙΛΑΚΤΗΡΙΑ « Smultei »)
… Jud., IV, 21-23) and by ancient Christian writers, is connected to a false interpretation of the warm recommendation in Ex. 13:9, 16 and Deut. 6:8; 11:18, to remember and constantly observe the law of God.
6:13
… formula (cf. Num. 33:10; Deut. 1:34; II Kings 19:8; Jer. 22:3); all this without ever indicating or suggesting that it is a morally illicit act. Indeed more than once Scripture advises or commands swearing (cf., for example, Num. 5:19; 30:3-16; Deut. 6:13). As for the passage cited above from St. Matthew and that of St. James which repeats it, there Jesus intends to exclude the abuse and the frequency of the oath and suggests that perfection …
… without necessity, to await or provoke a miracle of God. The tempter reaches the height of audacity, asking Jesus for adoration with the promise, in exchange, of dominion over the world; but Christ commands him to withdraw, since one must serve only God (Deut. 6:13). Satan departs, but to return at the opportune time (Lk. 4:13), that is, when, in the Passion, he will launch the final attack.
6:16
… With a citation (Deut. 6:16) Christ corrects Satan's scriptural nonsense: it is not lawful rashly, without necessity, to await or provoke a miracle of God. The tempter reaches the height of audacity, asking Jesus …
6:49
"Šēma' Jīšrā'ēl" ("Hear, Israel")
«ŠĒMA' JĪŠRĀ'ĒL» ("Hear, Israel"). - Hebrew words of Deut. 6:49, which together with Deut. 11:13-21 and Num. 15:37-41 constitute a profession of faith in the unity of God, which stands at the center of the Hebrew liturgy.
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.