The concept of the Greatest Commandment comes from the Bible, specifically the New Testament. In the Gospels, Jesus is asked which commandment in the Law is the greatest. His response highlights the fundamental principles of love towards God and towards others.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the exchange is recorded as follows:
Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV):
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This passage is also echoed in the Gospel of Mark:
Mark 12:28-31 (NIV):
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
In both passages, Jesus summarizes the entirety of the Law (Torah) with these two commandments, emphasizing the importance of love as the foundation of religious and ethical life. Loving God with all one’s being and loving others as oneself encapsulate the essence of the teachings in the Hebrew Scriptures and are presented as the guiding principles for followers.
