Deception and Love
We must be careful not to be deceived by anyone, for many will come in my name claiming to be the Christ and will deceive many.
Paul cries out, warning us to beware of those who are evil workers of the faith in the Lord Jesus, referring to them as 'dogs'.
God is light, and there is no darkness in him; in fact, God exists as light in essence.
Those who walk in virtues in him will truly become light, while darkness represents evil, a concept that is also illustrated through the Jews.
The Lord himself taught us about love, saying that 'no one has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends' (John 15:13).
This commandment of love is not new, but rather an old one that we have had from the beginning, and it is the word that we heard from the beginning.
The Lord promised this commandment through the prophets, saying that it is not an elder or an angel, but the Lord himself who saves us because he loves us and cares for them.
I am writing to you, fathers, and to you, young men, and to you, children.
When considering age, it is the inner man that matters, for the evangelist did not write to infants, but rather to those who have come to spiritual maturity.
In this context, young men are those who have come to spiritual manhood, and elders are those who have attained wisdom, while infants are those who have just believed in Christ.
We are instructed not to love the world, nor the things in the world, for if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Greek
πάλιν· Βλέπετε μή τις 74.1021 ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου λέγοντες· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσι. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος βοᾷ· Βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας, βλέπετε τοῦς κακοὺς ἐργάτας τῆς πίστεως τῆς εἰς τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν. AD EPISTOLAM I DIVI JOANNIS. Ὁ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστι, καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία. Κυρίλλου. Ἢ ὅτι κατ' οὐσίαν φῶς ὑπάρχει ὁ Θεὸς, ἐν τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν περιπατοῦσιν, ἀληθῶς φῶς γενόμενος· ἣ σκοτίαν τὴν κακίαν λέγει διὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. Ἀγαπητοὶ, οὐκ ἐντολὴν καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' ἐντολὴν παλαιὰν, ἣν εἴχετε ἀπ' ἀρχῆς· ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ παλαιά ἐστιν ὁ λόγος, ὃν ἠκούσατε ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. Κυρίλλου. Περὶ ἀγάπης ὑμῖν διαλεγόμενος· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ καθὼς ἐκεῖνος περιεπάτησεν ἐν ἀγάπῃ· ὡς γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἔλεγε· Μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει ἐνδείξασθαι, ἢ ἵνα τις θῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ. Ταύτην οὖν τὴν περὶ ἀγάπης ἐντολὴν οὐ καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν· ἀλλ' ἐντολὴν παλαιὰν, ἣν εἴχετε ἀπ' ἀρχῆς· ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ παλαιά ἐστιν ὁ λόγος, ὃν ἠκούσατε ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. Κυρίλλου. Περὶ ἀγάπης ὑμῖν διαλεγόμενος· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ καθὼς ἐκεῖνος περιεπάτησεν ἐν ἀγάπῃ· ὡς γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἔλεγε· Μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει ἐνδείξασθαι, ἢ ἵνα τις θῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ. Ταύτην οὖν τὴν περὶ ἀγάπης ἐντολὴν οὐ καινὴν γράφω ὑμῖν· πάλαι γὰρ αὐτὴν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἐπηγγείλατο· Οὐ γὰρ πρέσβυς, φησὶν, οὐκ ἄγγελος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἔσωσεν αὐτοὺς, διὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾷν αὐτοὺς καὶ κήδεσθαι αὐτῶν. Γράφω ὑμῖν, πατέρες· γράφω ὑμῖν, νεανίσκοι· γράφω ὑμῖν, παιδία. Κυρίλλου. Ἡλικίας ἐνταῦθά μοι νόει κατὰ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον· οὐ γὰρ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς πρὸς βρέφη ἔγραφε. Καὶ νεανίαι μὲν, οἱ εἰς ἀνδρίαν ἐλθόντες πνευματικήν· πρεσβῦται δὲ, οἱ εἰς φρόνησιν ἐλάσαντες· νήπιοι δὲ, οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ ἄρτι πιστεύσαντες. Μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσμον, μηδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. Ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ.
About this text
Cyril of Alexandria, Fragmenta in Acta et epistulas catholicas (Greek).
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 74 (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.