The Great Commandment (or Greatest Commandment) is a term used in the New Testament to describe the first of two commandments cited by Jesus in Matthew 22:35–40. The two commandments are also found in Mark 12:28–34 and Luke 10:25–28. These two commandments, taken from the Law of Moses in the Old Testament, are commonly seen as important to Christian ethics.
In Matthew, when asked "which is the great commandment in the law?", the Bible reports that Jesus answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind", before also referring to a second commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself". This double reference has given rise to differing views with regard to the relationship that exists between the two commandments, although typically "love thy God" is referred to as "the first and greatest commandment", with "love thy neighbour" being referred to outside the Bible as "the second great commandment".
Read more about Great Commandment: Love The Lord Thy God, Love Thy Neighbour As Thyself
Famous quotes containing the word commandment:
“Remember thee?
Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee?
Yea, from the table of my memory
I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past
That youth and observation copied there,
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)