Great Commandment
Jesus’ teaching that the greatest commandments are to love God wholeheartedly and to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
Shema: A Jewish declaration of faith in one God, beginning with Deuteronomy’s call to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and might. The command to love God echoes the Shema’s wording in Deuteronomy 6:4–5.
Matthew 22:34–40: A Gospel passage in which Jesus names love of God and love of neighbor as the greatest commandments. Matthew’s account explicitly says all the Law and Prophets depend on these two commands.
Love of God: A religious and ethical commitment to God expressed through devotion, loyalty, and action. It names the first command and its demand for wholehearted devotion.
Ten Commandments: A set of biblical religious and ethical commands given to Israel in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. The Great Commandment summarizes and orders obligations rather than replacing the Decalogue’s specific rules.
Christian ethics: The study and practice of moral life informed by Christian beliefs, scriptures, and traditions. Many Christian ethical systems treat love of God and neighbor as central standards.
Leviticus 19:18: A biblical command to love one’s neighbor as oneself, found in the Holiness Code of Leviticus. This verse supplies the Great Commandment’s second command.
Mark 12:28–34: A Gospel exchange in which Jesus joins the command to love God with the command to love one’s neighbor. Mark includes a scribe’s agreement that these commands outweigh burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Love of Neighbor: An ethical commitment to seek another person’s good, expressed through care and just action. It names the second command and extends religious obligation into social conduct.
Ritual purity: A state of religious fitness for participation in specified rites, governed by rules in Jewish tradition. The teaching prioritizes love without denying the place of ritual obligations.
Augustine of Hippo: A theologian and bishop whose writings profoundly shaped Western Christianity. Augustine used love as a central principle for interpreting Christian moral life and scripture.