LEV689 The Essenes, according to Philo, taught a threefold doctrine: love of God, love of virtue and the love of mankind. Philo Judaeus, ed. Yonge, III, On the Virtuous Being also Free, ch. 12. See Secrets of Enoch, 50:3-4. A Hasidic work of the first pre-Christian century contains the monition: "Love the Lord through all thy life, and one another with a true heart." The entire work is filled with the spirit. Love of God and the neighbor, compassion for the poor and the weak and even for the beasts are urged as the duty of man. Man must be compassionate, "because even as men doeth to his neighbor, even so also will the Lord do unto him." Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, Dan. 5:3; Issachar 5:1; also 7:6; Test. Zeb. 5:1-3; also 7:2, 8:1; Test Benj. 3:3; 10:3. Jesus, therefore, followed well-established Jewish teaching when he combined the commands to love God and to love one's neighbor. Matt. 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:27. In Luke the combination is made by a Pharisee. So, too, R. Akiba regarded the command "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" [this verse] as the leading principle of the Torah. Sifra to Lev. 19:18; Rashi, ad loc. (Numerous additional citations omitted-AJL). This view is probably related to his emphasis on man as created in the Divine image. By loving one's fellow man, love is shown to his Creator.