1 Corinthians 13:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He adds what Christ acknowledged as greatest: "so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." See how here again he humbles the gift of tongues. From prophecy he shows a great benefit, namely the knowledge of mysteries and all understanding. From faith he likewise shows no small work, namely the removal of mountains. But of the gift of tongues he merely made mention, and said nothing more. Notice also how in few words he embraces all the gifts, that is, in prophecy and faith. This is because miracles are contained either in words or in deeds. But how does Christ say that the removal of mountains is the least work of faith? He mentions it as something very small when He says, "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, and say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' it will move" (Mt 17:20). Yet Paul places all faith in this. What shall we say to this? To remove a mountain is truly a great deed. For this reason he mentions it. Yet he does not mean that all faith can accomplish only this. Rather, because of the heaviness of mountains, this seemed great to coarse-minded men. Thus he magnifies the matter. The meaning of his words is this: if I have all faith, even so that I can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

But if I prove to you that another gift is far greater than this one, a gift which you can acquire, and that by not acquiring it you rightly lose the others also, what will you say? Moreover, this gift can be acquired not by one or two only, but by all. I know that you marvel and are amazed when you hear that you can have a gift far greater than raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, and doing what was done among the apostles. Perhaps you even think this incredible. What gift is this? Love. Believe me, these are not my words, but the words of Christ speaking through Paul. What does he say? "Earnestly desire the greater gifts, and I will show you a still more excellent way" (1 Cor 12:31). What does "still more excellent" mean? His words mean this. The Corinthians at that time were exalted by gifts, and having the gift of tongues, which is the least of the gifts, they were proud before the others. Therefore he says: Do you desire gifts? I will show you the way to gifts, not only better, but far more excellent. And then he says, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and have all faith, so that I can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor 13:1-2). Do you see what gift this is? Strive, then, to acquire it. It means more than raising the dead. It is far higher than all the other gifts. That this is truly so, hear what Christ says in His discourse with the disciples: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:35). Explaining how they will know, He did not say, by miracles. But by what? "If you have love for one another." Likewise, in His prayer to the Father, He says, "That they may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me" (Jn 17:21). And He said to the disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another" (Jn 13:34). Thus the loving man is more excellent and more glorious than those who raise the dead, and rightly so. The latter is wholly from the grace of God, while the former also comes from your zeal. The former belongs to the true Christian, and proves that he is a disciple of Christ, crucified to the world and having nothing in common with the earth. Without this, martyrdom itself can bring no benefit. To be convinced of this, consider the following. Blessed Paul attained the height of virtues in two respects, or rather in three: in signs, in wisdom, and in life. Yet without love, he says, all this is nothing. How this is nothing I shall explain. "And if I give away," he says, "all my possessions, and give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing" (1 Cor 13:3). For one who distributes his possessions and lavishes money may have no love. I have said enough about this in the place where I spoke of love, and I refer there those who wish to know more. Let us then, as I said, strive to acquire this gift. Let us love one another, and we shall need nothing else for progress in virtue. Everything will be easy for us without strain, and everything will be accomplished by us with great success. But, you say, we already love one another. One has two friends, another three, and another four. Yet this is not to love for God's sake, but in order to be loved oneself. He who loves for God's sake does not have such a motive for love. He is disposed toward all as toward his own brothers. He loves those of one faith as his own natural brothers. He pities heretics, pagans, and Jews as his brothers by nature, though wicked and useless. He grieves and weeps over them. We can become like God by loving all, even enemies, not by performing signs. We marvel at God, it is true, when He works wonders. Yet we marvel far more when He shows love for mankind and mercy. If this is especially worthy of wonder in God, much more is it so in men. Therefore it is clear that this especially brings us honor. Let us then care for this. Then we shall have no less than Paul, Peter, and the others who raised many dead, even if we cannot heal a fever. But without love, even if we performed signs greater than the apostles themselves, and even if we exposed ourselves to countless dangers for the faith, it would profit us nothing. I do not say this. The very nursling of love knows it, and we must believe him. Thus we shall be able to receive the promised good things. May we all be counted worthy of them by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

For the Lord attributes the removal of mountains to a small portion of faith when He says, "If you have faith as a mustard seed" (Mt 17:20).

See, then, how by prophecy and faith he embraced all the gifts. For miracles consist either in words or in deeds.

He did not say, "If I have not love, I am small and poor," but, "I am nothing."

The prophet Ezekiel also indicated knowledge of heavenly mysteries to the faithless when it was revealed to him by a thundering voice from Eden, the garden of God (Ezek 28:12-19).

The Apostle Paul mentions precious stones, by which he signified the mysteries of divine teaching (1 Cor 3:12). Yet nothing turned to the faithless one's good, for, forgetting love, he fell into pride.

"And have all knowledge and all faith, but have not love, I am nothing." Nothing turned to the good of the scribes and Pharisees, as the Savior said.

"Woe to you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and those who were entering you hindered" (Lk 11:52).

Through hatred they destroyed love and reduced knowledge to nothing. Novatian and Tertullian also had no small knowledge. Yet through zeal without love they lost the bond, fell into schism, and produced heresies to their own destruction.

Whoever gradually approaches the perfect measure of love, but has not yet reached the point of becoming love's prisoner, is still under fear. Warfare and falling threaten him.

If he does not guard himself, Satan overthrows him.

Question: In what sense does the Apostle say, "If I have all knowledge and all prophecy," and "speak with the tongues of Angels, I am nothing"?

Answer: We must not understand this as though the Apostle were nothing. Rather, in comparison with that love which is perfect, these gifts are still small. Whoever stands on this degree falls, but whoever has love cannot fall.

I tell you that I have seen people who had all the gifts and became partakers of the Spirit, yet because they did not attain perfect love, they fell.

A certain nobleman renounced the world, sold his property, and freed his slaves. Being prudent and intelligent, he had already become renowned for an honorable life. Meanwhile, giving himself over to self-conceit and arrogance, he finally fell into dissipation and countless evils.

Another, during persecution, delivered his body and became a confessor. Later, when peace came, he was released and held in honor. His eyelids had been damaged because he was tormented in dense smoke.

When this celebrated man was called to prayer, he took bread and gave it to his servant. His mind came into such a state as though he had never heard the word of God.

Another delivered his body to torment during persecution. He was suspended and scraped, then cast into prison. A certain nun served him in faith, and, drawing close to her while he was in prison, he fell into fornication.

See, then, why they fell: this rich man who sold his possessions, and this man who delivered his body to torment.

There was also another prudent ascetic who lived with me in one house and prayed with me. He was so rich in grace that, praying beside me, he was moved to compunction, because grace was boiling within him.

The gift of healings had been given to him. He not only cast out demons, but also healed by the laying on of hands those bound hand and foot and suffering severe illnesses.

Then, becoming negligent, praised by the world, and taking pleasure in himself, he became proud and fell into the very depth of sin.

See how even one who had the gift of healing fell. Do you see how those who have not come to the measure of love fall?

But whoever has attained love, being bound and intoxicated by it, is plunged and carried captive into another world, as though not sensing his own nature.

For example, concerning those who have the gift of prophecy without love, Jesus Christ Himself said: "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name?

And in Your name did we not cast out demons, and in Your name do many mighty works? Then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness" (Mt 7:22-23).

How one can have martyrial courage and be a stranger to love was shown by Sapricius, who did not forgive his friend Nicephorus before his very martyrdom.

He then denied Christ at the moment when he had bowed his head to be beheaded.

Likewise, works of mercy and nonpossessiveness, and in general even a life that outwardly seems correct, may be of no significance for eternal life if love is absent from them.

"One must know," says blessed Theodoret, "that the righteous Judge looks not only at the righteous deed, but also at the purpose of that deed. Many do very many things for the sake of human glory."

Miracle-working faith, which moves mountains, presupposes great boldness before God. Yet the works accomplished by it are external. Strictly speaking, they are not its own, but God's.

Since God may act through imperfect instruments for the purposes of providence, having in view not them but others, this gift also may be manifested in an entirely external way. It may not be a decisive assurance of the innermost union with God and with the brethren in God.

In the usual order of spiritual life, neither such prophecy nor such faith can be possessed without perfect purity and most intimate communion with God. Yet God, for His own purposes, when need presses, can communicate both to persons who, by their inward disposition, could not possess them.

From this it follows that deeds of this kind are not guarantees of true spiritual perfection, which is wholly contained in love. One may possess them and yet be without love, and therefore be nothing.

The Lord Himself confirmed the possibility of such phenomena when He said: "Many will say to Me in that day: Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Thy name, and cast out demons in Thy name, and do many mighty works in Thy name? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; depart from Me, you who work lawlessness" (Mt 7:22-23).

"I never knew you," He will say, since "the Lord knows those who are His." By this the Lord expressed that, despite such signs, those who performed them were not His own.

They were not His own because they did not do His will, or, what is the same, because they did not have love. Thus the Apostle's word agrees with the Lord's word.

The Apostle's thought is not that such gifts never indicate a most intimate nearness to God in those who manifest them. Rather, his thought is that even with them such nearness may be absent, and without it everything is nothing.

Chrysostom expressed such thoughts on this passage: "The Apostle does not stop at the gift of tongues. He points also to the other gifts. After showing their nothingness without love, he then sketches her image.

Since he wished gradually to intensify his discourse, he ascends from the lesser to the greater. What he placed last when enumerating the gifts, namely the gift of tongues, he now places first, ascending, as I said, from the lesser to the greater.

Having spoken of tongues, he immediately passes to prophecy, and this also he presents in the highest degree. For there he pointed not only to tongues, but to the tongues of all men and even to the tongues of Angels, and only then said that this gift without love is nothing.

So here also he speaks not merely of prophecy, but of prophecy in the very highest degree. Having said, 'If I have prophecy,' he adds, 'and know all mysteries and all knowledge,' presenting this gift also in the highest degree."

"Then the Apostle passes to the other gifts. So that he might not seem burdensome by listing them separately, he points to the mother and source of them all, again in the highest degree: 'And if,' he says, 'I have all faith.'

Not content with this, he adds what Christ acknowledged to be great: 'so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.' See how here too he again humbles the gift of tongues.

From prophecy he shows great benefit, namely knowledge of mysteries and all understanding. From faith he likewise shows no small work, namely the removing of mountains. But he merely mentioned the gift of tongues and said nothing more about it.

Notice also how in brief words he embraces all the gifts, that is, in prophecy and faith. This is because miracles consist either in words or in deeds.

He attributes the moving of mountains to faith, not because all faith can produce only this, but because to coarse people this seemed great, owing to the weight of mountains.

The Apostle thus exalts the subject, and the meaning of his words is this: if I have all faith, and if I can even move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing."