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6 <p align=center><B>LECTURE I</B> 11 <p style="text-align: center"><span style=
7 <P><BLOCKQUOTE>1 Jesus however proceeded to the Mount of Olives, 2 and early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and sitting down, he taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery and placed her in their midst. 4 They said to him, "Master, this woman has just now been caught in adultery. 5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. But what do you say?" 6 (They said this to test him so that they could accuse him.) But Jesus bending down wrote on the ground with his finger. 7 As they persisted in the question, he stood up and said to them: "Whoever among you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her." 8 And again bending down, he wrote on the ground. 9 On hearing this, one after the other departed, beginning with the oldest, and there remained only Jesus and the woman standing there in the center. 10 Rising up, Jesus asked the woman: "Woman, where are those who accuse you? Has no one condemned you?" 11 To which she replied, "No one, Lord." Then Jesus said: "Nor will I condemn you. Go and do not sin again." </BLOCKQUOTE> 12 "font-size: 60pt">8</span></p>
8 <p><P>1118 After having treated of the origin of the doctrine of Christ, the Evangelist here considers its power. Now the doctrine of Christ has the power both to enlighten and to give life, because his words are spirit and life. So first, he treats of the power of Christ's doctrine to enlighten; secondly, of its power to give life (10:1). He shows the power of Christ's doctrine to enlighten, first by words; and secondly, by a miracle (9:1). As to the first, he does two things: first, he presents the teaching of Christ; secondly, he shows the power of his teaching (8:12). 13 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE I</b></p>
9 <P>There are two things that pertain to the office of a teacher: to instruct the devout or sincere, and to repel opponents. So first, Christ instructs those who are sincere; and secondly, he repels his opponents (v 3). The Evangelist does three things with respect to the first: first, he mentions the place where this teaching takes place; secondly, he mentions those who listened to it; and thirdly, the teacher. This teaching took place in the temple; so he first mentions that Jesus left the temple, and then that he returned. 14 <blockquote>1 Jesus however proceeded to the Mount of Olives, 2 and
10 <p><P>1119 He mentions that Jesus left the temple when he says, <B>Jesus however proceeded to the Mount of Olives</B>. For our Lord made it his practice, when he was at Jerusalem on the festival days, to preach in the temple and to work miracles and signs during the day, and when evening came, he would return to Bethany (which was on the Mount of Olives) as the guest of Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary. With this in mind, the Evangelist says that since Jesus had remained in the temple and preached on the last day of the great feast, in the evening, Jesus proceeded to the Mount of Olives, where Bethany was located. 15 early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people
11 <P>And this is appropriate to a mystery: for as Augustine says, where was it appropriate for Christ to teach and show his mercy, if not on the Mount of Olives, the mount of anointing and of grace. The olive (<I>oliva</I>) signifies mercy; so also in Greek, <I>oleos</I> is the same as mercy. And Luke (10:24) tells us that the Samaritan applied oil and wine, which correspond to mercy and the stringency of judgment. Again, oil is healing: "Wounds and bruises and swelling sores are not bandaged or dressed, or soothed with oil" (Is 1:6). It also signifies the medicine of spiritual grace which has been transmitted to us by Christ: "God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows" (Ps 44:8); and again, "like the precious ointment on the head which ran down upon the beard (Ps 132:2); and in Job we read that "The rock poured out rivers of oil" (Jb 29:6). 16 came to him, and sitting down, he taught them. 3 Then the scribes
12 <p><P>1120 Christ's return to the temple is described as being early; thus he says, <B>and early in the morning he came again to the temple</B>. This signifies that he was about to impart knowledge and manifest his grace in his temple, that is, in his believers: "We have received your mercy, O God, in the middle of your temple" (Ps 47:10). The fact that he returned early in the morning signifies the rising light of new grace: "His going forth is as sure as the dawn" (Hos 6:3). 17 and Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery and placed her
13 <p><P>1121 Those who listened to his teaching were the sincere among the people; thus he says, <B>all the people came to him</B>: "The assembly of the people will surround you" (Ps 7:8). 18 in their midst. 4 They said to him, "Master, this woman has just
14 <p><P>1122 Their teacher is presented as seated, and sitting down, that is, going down to their level, so that his teaching would be more easily understood. His sitting down signifies the humility of his incarnation: "You knew when I sat down, and when I rose" (Ps 138:1). Because it was through the human nature that our Lord assumed that he became visible, we began to be instructed in the divine matters more easily. So he says, sitting down, he taught them, that is, the simple, and those who respected his teaching: "He will teach his ways to the gentle, and will guide the mild in judgment" (Ps 24:9); "He will teach us his ways (Is 2:3). 19 now been caught in adultery. 5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to
15 <p><P>1123 Then (v 3), our Lord wards off his opponents. First, we see him tested, so that he can then be accused; and secondly, he checks his accusers (v 6b). As to the first, the Evangelist does three things: first, he mentions the occasion for the test; secondly, he describes the test itself (v 4); and thirdly, the purpose of those who were testing our Lord. 20 stone such a woman. But what do you say?" 6 (They said this to test
16 <p><P>1124 The occasion for the test is a woman's adultery. And so first, her accusers detail the crime; and also exhibit the sinner. 21 him so that they could accuse him.) But Jesus bending down wrote on
17 As to the first, the Evangelist says, <B>Then the scribes and Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.</B> As Augustine says, three things were noteworthy about Christ: his truth, his gentleness, and his justice. Indeed, it was predicted about him: "Go forth and reign, because of truth, gentleness, and justice" (Ps 44:5). For he set forth the truth as a teacher; and the Pharisees and scribes noticed this while he was teaching: "If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?" (8:46). Since they could find nothing false in his words or his teachings, they had ceased their accusations on that score. He showed his gentleness as a liberator or savior; and they saw this when he could not be provoked against his enemies and persecutors: "When he was reviled, he did not revile" (1 Pet 2:23). Thus Matthew has: "Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart" (11:29). Thus they did not accuse him on this point. And he exercised justice as its advocate; he did this because it was not yet known among the Jews, especially in legal proceedings. It was on this point that they wanted to test him, to see if he would abandon justice for the sake of mercy. So they present him with a known crime, deserving denunciation, adultery: "Every woman who is a harlot will be walked on like dung on the road" (Sir 9:10). Then they present the sinner in person to further influence him: and placed her in their midst. "This woman will be brought into the assembly, and among the sons of God" (Sir 23:24). 22 the ground with his finger. 7 As they persisted in the question, he
18 <p><P>1125 The Evangelist shows them proceeding with their test. First, they point out the woman's fault; secondly, they state the justice of the case according to the Law; thirdly, they ask him for his verdict. 23 stood up and said to them: "Whoever among you is without sin, let
19 <p><P>1126 They point out the woman's fault when they say this woman has just now been caught in adultery. They detail her fault in three ways, calculated to deflect Christ from his gentle manner. First, they mention the freshness of her fault, saying <B>just now</B>; for an old fault does not affect us so much, because the person might have made amends. Secondly, they note its certainty, saying, caught, so that she could not excuse herself. This is characteristic of women, as we see from Proverbs (33:20): "She wipes her mouth and says: 'I have done no evil." "Thirdly, they point out that her fault is great, in adultery, which is a serious crime and the cause of many evils. "Every woman who is an adulterous will sin" (Sir 9), and first of all against the law of her God. 24 him be the first to cast a stone at her." 8 And again bending down,
20 <p><P>1127 They appeal to the justice contained in the Law when they remark, <B>in the Law</B>, that is, in Leviticus (20:10) and in Deuteronomy (22:21), Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. 25 he wrote on the ground. 9 On hearing this, one after the other
21 <p><P>1128 They ask Jesus for his verdict when they say, <B>But what do you say?</B> Their question is a trap, for they are saying in effect: If he decides that she should be let go, he will not be acting according to justice, yet he cannot condemn her because he came to seek and to save those who are lost: "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (3:17). Now the Law could not command anything unjust. Thus, Jesus does not say, "Let her go," lest he seem to be acting in violation of the Law. 26 departed, beginning with the oldest, and there remained only Jesus
22 <p><P>1129 The Evangelist reveals the malicious intention behind those who were questioning Jesus when he says, <B>They said this to test him so that they could accuse him.</B> For they thought that Christ would say that she should be let go, so as not to be acting contrary to his gentle manner; and then they would accuse him of acting in violation of the Law: "Let us not test Christ as they did" as we read in 1 Corinthians (10:9). 27 and the woman standing there in the center. 10 Rising up, Jesus
23 <p><P>1130 Then, Jesus checks his enemies by his wisdom. The Pharisees were testing him on two points: his justice and his mercy. But Jesus preserved both in his answer. First, the Evangelist shows how Jesus kept to what was just; and secondly, that he did not abandon mercy (v 7). As to the first, he does two things: first, he mentions the sentence in accordance with justice; secondly the effect of this sentence (v 9). About the first he does three things: first, we see Jesus writing his sentence; then pronouncing it; and thirdly, continuing again to write it down. 28 asked the woman: "Woman, where are those who accuse you? Has no one
24 <p><P>1131 Jesus wrote his sentence on the earth with his finger: <B>But Jesus bending down wrote on the ground with his finger.</B> Some say that he wrote the words Jeremiah: "O earth, earth, listen…write down this man as sterile" (Jer 22:29). According to others, and this is the better opinion, Jesus wrote down the very words he spoke, that is, Whoever among you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her. However, neither of these opinions is certain. 29 condemned you?" 11 To which she replied, "No one, Lord." Then Jesus
25 <P>Jesus wrote on the earth for three reasons. First, according to Augustine, to show that those who were testing him would be written on the earth: "O Lord, all who leave you will be written on the earth" (Jer 17:13). But those who are just and the disciples who follow him are written in heaven: "Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Lk 10:20). Secondly, he wrote on earth to show that he would perform signs on earth, for he who writes make signs. Thus, to write on the earth is to make signs. And so he says that Jesus was bending down, by the mystery of the Incarnation, by means of which he performed miracles in the flesh he had assumed. Thirdly, he wrote on the earth because the Old Law was written on tablets of stone (Ex 31; 2 Cor 3), which signify its harshness: "A man who violates the law of Moses dies without mercy" (Heb 10:28). But the earth is soft. And so Jesus wrote on the earth to show the sweetness and the softness of the New Law that he gave to us. 30 said: "Nor will I condemn you. Go and do not sin
26 <P>We can see from this that there are three things to be considered in giving sentences. First, there should be kindness in condescending to those to be punished; and so he says, Jesus was bending down: "There is judgment without mercy to him who does not have mercy" (Jas 2:13); "If a man is overtaken in any fault, you who are spiritual instruct him in a spirit of mildness" (Gal 6:1). Secondly, there should be discretion in determining the judgment and so he says that Jesus wrote with his finger, which because of its flexibility signifies discretion: "The fingers of a man's hand appeared, writing" (Dan 5:5). Thirdly, there should be certitude about the sentence given; and so he says, Jesus wrote. 31 again."</blockquote>
27 <p><P>1132 It was at their insistence that Jesus gave his sentence; and so the Evangelist says, As they persisted in the question, he stood up and said to them: <B>Whoever among you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her.</B> The Pharisees were violators of the Law; and yet they tried to accuse Christ of violating the Law and were attempting to make him condemn the woman. So Christ proposes a sentence in accord with justice, saying, Whoever among you is without sin. He is saying in effect: Let the sinner be punished, but not by sinners; let the Law be accomplished, but not by those who break it, because "When you judge another you condemn yourself" (Rom 2:1). Therefore, either let this woman go, or suffer the penalty of the Law with her. 32 <p>1118 After having treated of the origin of the doctrine of
28 <p><P>1133 Here the question arises as to whether a sinful judge sins by passing sentence against another person who has committed the same sin. It is obvious that if the judge who passes sentence is a public sinner, he sins by giving scandal. Yet, this seems to be true also if his sin is hidden, for we read in Romans (2:1): "When you judge another you condemn yourself." However, it is clear that no one condemns himself except by sinning. And thus it seems that he sins by judging another. 33 Christ, the Evangelist here considers its power. Now the doctrine
29 <P>My answer to this is that two distinctions have to be made. For the judge is either continuing in his determination to sin, or he has repented of his sins; and again, he is either punishing as a minister of the law or on his own initiative. Now if he has repented of his sin, he is no longer a sinner, and so he can pass sentence without sinning. But if he continues in his determination to sin, he does not sin in passing sentence if he does this as a minister of the law; although he would be sinning by doing the very things for which he deserves a similar sentence. But if he passes sentence on his own authority, then I say that he sins in justice, but from some evil root; otherwise he would first punish in himself what he notices in someone else, because "A just person is the first to accuse himself" (Prv 18:17). 34 of Christ has the power both to enlighten and to give life, because
30 <p><P>1134 Jesus continued to write, <B>and again bending down, he wrote.</B> He did this, first, to show the firmness of his sentence, "God is not like a man, who may lie, or like a son of man, so that he may change" (Num 23:19). Secondly, he did it to show that they were not worthy to look at him. Because he had disturbed them with his zeal for justice, he did not think it fit to look at them, but turned from their sight. Thirdly, he did this out of consideration for their embarrassment, to give them complete freedom to leave. 35 his words are spirit and life. So first, he treats of the power of
31 <p><P>1135 The effect of his justice is their embarrassment, <B>for on hearing this, one after the other departed</B>, both because they had been involved in more serious sins and their conscience gnawed them more: "Iniquity came out from the elder judges who were seen to rule the people" (Dn 13:5), and because they better realized the fairness of the sentence he gave: "I will go therefore to the great men and speak to them: for they have known the way of the Lord and the judgment of their God" (Jer 5:5). 36 Christ's doctrine to enlighten; secondly, of its power to give life
32 <P><B>And there remained only Jesus and the woman standing there</B>, that is, mercy and misery. Jesus alone remained because he alone was without sin; as the Psalm says (Ps 13:1): "There is no one who does what is good not even one," except Christ. So perhaps this woman was afraid, and thought she would be punished by him. 37 (10:1). He shows the power of Christ's doctrine to enlighten, first
33 <P>If only Jesus remained, why does it say that the woman was standing there <B>in the center</B>? I answer that the woman was standing in the center of the disciples, and so the word only excludes outsiders, not the disciples. Or, we could say, in the center, that is, in doubt whether she would be forgiven or condemned. And so it is clear that our Lord's answer preserved justice. 38 by words; and secondly, by a miracle (9:1). As to the first, he
34 <p><P>1136 Then (v 10), he shows that Jesus did not abandon mercy, but gave a merciful sentence. First, Jesus questions the woman; then forgives her; and finally, cautions her. 39 does two things: first, he presents the teaching of Christ;
35 <p><P>1137 Jesus questioned her about her accusers; thus he says that Jesus rising up, that is, turning from the ground on which he was writing and looking at the woman, asked her, <B>Woman, where are those who accuse you?</B> He asks about her condemnation saying, <B>Has no one condemned you?</B> And she answers, <B>No one, Lord.</B> 40 secondly, he shows the power of his teaching (8:12).</p>
36 <p>1138 Jesus forgives her; and so it says, <B>Then Jesus said: Nor will I condemn you</B>, I who perhaps you feared would condemn you, because you saw that I was without sin. This should not surprise us for "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (3:17); "I do not desire the death of the sinner" (Ez 18:23). And he forgave her sin without imposing any penance on her because since he made her inwardly just by outwardly forgiving her, he was well able to change her so much within by sufficient sorrow for her sins that she would be made free from any penance. This should not be taken as a precedent for anyone to forgive another without confession and the assigning of a penance on the ground of Christ's example, for Christ has power over the sacraments, and could confer the effect without the sacrament. No mere man can do this. 41 <p>There are two things that pertain to the office of a teacher: to
37 <p>1139 Finally, Jesus cautions her when he says, <B>Go, and do not sin again.</B> There were two things in that woman: her nature and her sin. Our Lord could have condemned both. For example, he could have condemned her nature if he had ordered them to stone her, and he could have condemned her sin if he had not forgiven her. He was also able to absolve each. For example, if he had given her license to sin, saying: "Go, live as you wish, and put your hope in my freeing you. No matter how much you sin, I will free you even from Gehenna and from the tortures of hell." But our Lord does not love sin, and does not favor wrongdoing, and so he condemned her sin but not her nature, saying, Go, and do not sin again. We see here how kind our Lord is because of his gentleness, and how just he is because of his truth. 42 instruct the devout or sincere, and to repel opponents. So first,
38 <BR><BR><BR> 43 Christ instructs those who are sincere; and secondly, he repels his
39 <p align=center><b>LECTURE 2</B> 44 opponents (v 3). The Evangelist does three things with respect to
40 <BLOCKQUOTE><p>12 Again Jesus spoke to them saying: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life." 13 The Pharisees then said to him, "You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true. 14 Jesus replied: "Even though I bear witness concerning myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I come from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from, or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh. I do not judge anyone. 16 And if I do judge, my judgment is true because I am not alone; but there is me and the Father who sent me. 17 And it is written in your Law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 It is I who bear witness to myself, and the Father who sent me who bears witness concerning me." 19 They therefore said to him, "Where is your Father?" Jesus replied, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you did know me, you might also know my Father." 20 Jesus spoke these words in the treasury where he was teaching in the temple; and no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come.</BLOCKQUOTE> 45 the first: first, he mentions the place where this teaching takes
41 <p>1140 The Evangelist has presented Christ as teaching; now he shows, first, the power which this teaching has to give light, and secondly, what Christ himself said about it (v 13). With respect to the first he does three things: first, he states Christ's prerogative concerning spiritual light; secondly, the effect of this prerogative, Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness; and thirdly, its fruit, but he will have the light of life. 46 place; secondly, he mentions those who listened to it; and thirdly,
42 <p>1141 He says, concerning the prerogative of Christ, who is the light, to the spiritual light, <B>Again Jesus spoke to them saying: I am the light of the world.</B> We can relate this statement with what went before in this way. Christ had said, when forgiving the woman's sin, "Nor will I condemn you." And so they would have no doubt that he could forgive and pardon sins, he saw fit to show the power of his divinity more openly by saying that he is the light which drives away the darkness of sin. Or, we could connect this statement with what the Pharisees said before (7:52): "Look at the Scriptures and see that the Prophet will not come from Galilee." For they thought of him as a Galilean and linked to a definite place, and so they rejected his teaching. So our Lord shows them that he is in the universal light of the entire world, saying, I am the light of the world, not just of Galilee, or of Palestine, or of Judea. 47 the teacher. This teaching took place in the temple; so he first
43 <p>1142 The Manicheans, as Augustine relates, misunderstood this: for since they judged by their imagination, which does not rise to intellectual and spiritual realities, they believed that nothing but bodies existed. Thus they said that God was a body; and a certain infinite light. Further, they thought that the sun that we see with our physical eyes was Christ the Lord. And that is why, according to them, Christ said, I am the light of the world. But this cannot hold up, and the Catholic Church rejects such a fiction. For this physical sun is a light which can be perceived by sense. Consequently, it is not the highest light, which intellect alone grasps, and which is the intelligible light characteristic of the rational creature. Christ says about this light here: I am the light of the world. And above we read: "He was the true light, which enlightens every man coming into this world" (1:9). Sense perceptible light, however, is a certain image of spiritual light, for every sensible thing is something particular, whereas intellectual things are a kind of whole. Just as particular light has an effect on the thing seen, inasmuch as it makes colors actually visible, as well as on the one seeing, because through it the eye is conditioned for seeing, so intellectual light makes the intellect to know because whatever light is in the rational creature is all derived from that supreme light "which enlightens every man coming into the world." Furthermore, it makes all things to be actually intelligible inasmuch as all forms are derived from it, forms which give things the capability of being known, just as all the forms of artifacts are derived from the art and reason on the artisan: "How magnificent are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom" (Ps 103:24). Thus Christ truly says here: I am the light of the world; not the sun which was made, but the one who made the sun. Yet as Augustine says, the Light which made the sun was himself made under the sun and covered with a cloud of flesh, not in order to hide but to be moderated [to our weakness]. 48 mentions that Jesus left the temple, and then that he returned.</p>
44 <p>1143 This also eliminates the heresy of Nestorius, who said that the Son of God was united to human nature by a mere indwelling. For it is obvious that the one who said, I am the light of the world, was a human being. Therefore, unless the one who spoke and appeared as a human being was also the person of the Son of God, he could not have said, I am the light of the world, but "The light of the world dwells in me." 49 <p>1119 He mentions that Jesus left the temple when he says,
45 <p>1144 The effect of this light is to expel darkness; and so he says, <B>Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.</B> Because this light is universal, it universally expels all darkness. Now there are three kinds of darkness. There is the darkness of ignorance: "The have neither known nor understood; they walk in darkness" (Ps 81:5); and this is the darkness reason has of itself, insofar as it is darkened of itself. There is the darkness of sin: "You were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord" (Eph 5:8). This darkness belongs to human reason not of itself, but from the affections which, by being badly disposed by passion or habit, seek something as good that is not really good. Further, there is the darkness of eternal damnation: "Cast the unprofitable servant into the exterior darkness" (Mt 25:30). The first two kinds of darkness are found in this life; but the third is at the end of life. Thus, Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness: the darkness of ignorance, because I am the truth; nor the darkness of sin, because I am the way; nor the darkness of eternal damnation, because I am the life. 50 <b>Jesus however proceeded to the Mount of Olives</b>. For our Lord
46 <p>1145 He next adds the fruit of his teaching, <B>but he will have the light of life</B>, for one who has the light is outside the darkness of damnation. He says, Whoever follows me, because just as one who does not want to stumble in the dark has to follow the one who is carrying the light, so one who wants to be saved must, by believing and loving, follow Christ, who is the light. This is the way the apostles followed him (Mt 4). Because physical light can fail because it sets, it happens that one who follows it meets with darkness. But the light we are talking about here does not set and never fails; consequently, one who follows it has an unfailing light, that is, an unfailing light of life. For the light that is visible does not give life, but gives us an external aid because we live insofar as we have understanding, and this is a certain participation in this light. And when this light completely shines upon us we will then have perfect life: "With you is the fountain of life, and in your light we will see the light" (Ps 35:10). This is the same as saying: We will have perfectly or completely when we see this light as it is. Thus we read further on: "This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (17:3). 51 made it his practice, when he was at Jerusalem on the festival
47 <P>Note that the phrase, <B>whoever follows me</B>, pertains to our merits; while the statement, <B>he will have the light of life</B>, pertains to our reward. 52 days, to preach in the temple and to work miracles and signs during
48 <p>1146 The Evangelist mentions three things that Jesus says about himself. First, I am the light of the world; secondly, I am going away (v 21); and thirdly, if any one keeps my word, he will not see death forever (v 51). 53 the day, and when evening came, he would return to Bethany (which
49 <P>The first thing he said was, <B>I am the light of the world</B>; and this troubled the Jews. So first, he shows their opposition; secondly, how Jesus proved that they were wrong by showing what he said was true (v 14). 54 was on the Mount of Olives) as the guest of Lazarus' sisters,
50 <p>1147 With respect to the first, it is obvious that what Jesus said in the temple, he said in the presence of the people. But now he is speaking before the Pharisees, and so they said to him: <B>You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true.</B> They were saying in effect: Because you are bearing witness to yourself, your testimony is not true. 55 Martha and Mary. With this in mind, the Evangelist says that since
51 <P>Now in human affairs it is neither acceptable nor fitting that a person praise himself: "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth" (Prv 27:2), because self-praise does not make a person commendable, but being commended by God does: "It is not he who commends himself who is approved, but he whom God commends" (2 Cor 10:18), because only God perfectly knows a person. But no one can really sufficiently commend God except God himself; and so it is fitting that he bear witness to himself, and also to men: "My witness is in heaven" (Jb 16:20). Thus the opinion of the Jews was mistaken. 56 Jesus had remained in the temple and preached on the last day of
52 <p>1148 Next (v 14), our Lord rejects their opposition: first, by the authority of his Father; secondly, by answering their rejection, which arose concerning his Father (v 19). The opposition of the Jews arose from a certain conclusion which they drew: and so the first he shows that their conclusion is not true; secondly, he proves that his own testimony is true (v 1b). He does two things concerning the first: first, he shows that their conclusion is false; secondly, he adds the reason for their error (v 14b). 57 the great feast, in the evening, Jesus proceeded to the Mount of
53 <p>1149 Their conclusion was that the testimony of Christ was not true, because he bore witness to himself. But our Lord says the opposite, namely, that because of this it is true. Jesus replied: <B>Even though I bear witness concerning myself, my testimony is true; and it is true because I know where I come from and where I am going.</B> It is like saying, according to Chrysostom, my testimony is true because I am from God, and because I am God, and because I am the Son of God: "God is truthful" (Rom 3:4). 58 Olives, where Bethany was located.</p>
54 <P>He says, <B>I know where I come from</B>, that is, my origin, <B>and where I am going</B>, that is to the Father, whom no one but the Son can know perfectly: "No one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom Son wishes to reveal him" (Mt 11:27). This does not imply that anyone who knows, by love and understanding, where he comes from and where he is going can speak only the truth, for we all come from God and are going to God. But God is truth: how much more, then, does the Son of God speak the truth, he who knows perfectly where he comes from and where he is going! 59 <p>And this is appropriate to a mystery: for as Augustine says,
55 <p>1150 Then when he says, <B>But you do not know where I come from or where I am going</B>, he shows the reason for their error, which was their ignorance of the divinity of Christ. For it was because they did not know this that they judged him according to his human nature. Thus, there were two reasons for their error. One, because they did not know his divinity; the other, because they judged him only by his human nature. And so he says, with respect to the first, you do no know where I come from, that is, my eternal procession from the Father, or where I am going, "The one who sent me is truthful. Whatever I have heard from him, this I declare to the world" (8:26); "From where, then, does wisdom come?" (Jb 28:20); "Who will state his origin?" (Is 53:8). 60 where was it appropriate for Christ to teach and show his mercy, if
56 <P>As for the second reason for their error, he says, <B>you judge according to the flesh</B>, that is, you judge me thinking that I am merely flesh and not God. Or, we could say, according to the flesh, that is, wickedly and unjustly. For just as to live according to the flesh is to live wickedly, so to judge according to the flesh is to judge unjustly. 61 not on the Mount of Olives, the mount of anointing and of grace.
57 <p>1151 Then (v 15b), he shows that his testimony is true, and that it is false to say that he alone is bearing witness to himself. Because mention was now made about judging, he shows, first, that he is not alone in judging; and secondly, that he is not alone in bearing witness (v 17). He does three things about the first: first, he says that his judgment is deferred; secondly, that his judgment is true; and thirdly, he gives the reason why his judgment is true. 62 The olive (<i>oliva</i>) signifies mercy; so also in Greek,
58 <p>1152 He mentions that his judgment is deferred when he says, <B>I do not judge anyone.</B> He is saying in effect: You judge wickedly, but I do not judge anyone: "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (3:17). Or, we could say, I do not judge anyone, according to the flesh, as you judge: "He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, or reprove by what his ears hear" (Is 11:3). 63 <i>oleos</i> is the same as mercy. And Luke (10:24) tells us that
59 <p>1153 Yet, I will judge at some time, because "The Father has given all judgment to the Son" (5:22). And then, my judgment is true, that is, just: "He will judge the people with justice" (Ps 95:10); "We know that the judgment of God is according to the truth" (Rom 2:2). This shows that his judgment is true. 64 the Samaritan applied oil and wine, which correspond to mercy and
60 <p>1154 He gives the reason for its truth when he says, <B>because I am not alone</B>. What Christ said before, "The Father himself judges no one" (5:22), should be understood to refer to the Father in isolation from the Son. Or, again, he said this because the Father will not appear visibly to all at the judgment. Thus he says, I am not alone, because he is not left alone by the Father, but is with him: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me" (14:10). 65 the stringency of judgment. Again, oil is healing: "Wounds and
61 <P>This statement rejects the error of Sabellius, who said that the Father and the Son were the same person, the only difference between them being in their names. But if this were true, Christ would not have said: I am not alone; but there is me and the Father who sent me. He would rather have said: "I am the Father, and I am the Son." We should, therefore, distinguish between the persons, and realize that the Son is not the Father. 66 bruises and swelling sores are not bandaged or dressed, or soothed
62 <p>1155 Then (v 17), He shows that he is not alone in bearing witness. He does not defer bearing witness, as he does his judging. Thus he does not say, "I do not bear witness." First, he mentions the Law; secondly, he gives his conclusion (v 18). 67 with oil" (Is 1:6). It also signifies the medicine of spiritual
63 <p>1156 He says, <B>And it is written in your Law</B>, the Law which was given to you - "Moses imposed a law"- (Sir 24:33), <B>that the testimony of two men is true</B>; for it is written in Deuteronomy (19:15): "By the mouth of the two or three witnesses the issue will be settled." 68 grace which has been transmitted to us by Christ: "God, your God,
64 <P>According to Augustine the statement that the testimony of two men is true, involves a great difficulty. For it could happen that both of them would be lying. Indeed, the chaste Susanna was harassed by two false witnesses (Dn 13), and all the people lied about Christ. I answer that statement, the testimony of two men is true, means that such testimony should be regarded as true when giving a verdict. The reason for this is that true certitude cannot be obtained when human acts are in question, and so in its place one takes what can be considered the more certain, that is, what is said by a number of witnesses: for it is more probable that one person might lie than many: "A threefold cord is not easily broken" (Eccl 4:12). 69 has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows" (Ps
65 <P>When we read, "By the mouth of two or three witnesses the issue will be settled" (Dt 19:15), we are lead, as Augustine says, to a consideration of the Trinity, in which truth is permanently established, from which all truths are derived. It says, "of two or three," because in Sacred Scripture sometimes three Persons are enumerated and at other times two persons, in which is implied the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of the other two. 70 44:8); and again, "like the precious ointment on the head which ran
66 <p>1157 If, therefore, the testimony of two or three is true, my testimony is true, because It is I who bear witness to myself and the Father who sent me who bears witness concerning me: "I have testimony that is greater than that of John" (5:36). 71 down upon the beard (Ps 132:2); and in Job we read that "The rock
67 <P>But this does not seem to be to the point. First, because the Father of the Son of God is not a man, while Christ says, the testimony of two men is true. Secondly, because there are two witnesses to someone when they are testifying about a third person; but if one testifies to one of the two, there are not two witnesses. Thus, since Christ is testifying about himself, and the Father is also testifying about Christ, it does not seem that there are two witnesses. To answer this we must say that Christ is here arguing from the lesser to the greater. For it is clear that the truth of God is greater than the truth of a man. So, therefore, if they believe in the testimony of men, then they should believe the testimony of God much more. "If you receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater" (1 Jn 5:9). In addition, he says this to show that he is consubstantial with the Father, and does not need outside testimony, as Chrysostom says. 72 poured out rivers of oil" (Jb 29:6).</p>
68 <p>1158 Next (v 19), we see the question arising about Christ's Father. First, the Evangelist mentions the question asked by the Jews; then Christ's answer; and thirdly, he intimates the security of Christ. 73 <p>1120 Christ's return to the temple is described as being early;
69 <p>1159 The question which the Jews had for Christ was about his Father, where his Father was. <B>They said to him: Where is your Father?</B> for they thought that the Father of Christ was a man, just like their own fathers. Because they heard him say, "I am not alone; but there is me and the Father who sent me," and since they saw that he was now alone, they asked him, Where is your Father? 74 thus he says, <b>and early in the morning he came again to the
70 <P>Or, we could say that they were here speaking with a certain irony and contempt, saying in effect: "Why do you speak to us so often about your Father? Is he so great that his testimony should be believed?" For they were thinking of Joseph, who was an unknown, and a person of low status; and they were ignorant of the Father: "So the Gentiles will not say: 'Where is their God'" (Ps 113:2). 75 temple</b>. This signifies that he was about to impart knowledge
71 <p>1160 Christ's answer is mysterious: <B>You know neither me nor my Father.</B> Christ does not reveal the truth to them because they were questioning him not because they desired to learn, but in order to belittle him. Rather, he first shows them knowledge of the truth. He shows them their ignorance when he says, you know neither me. He is saying: You should not be asking about my Father, because you do not know me. For since you regard me as a man, you are asking about my Father as though he were a man. But because you do not know me, neither can you know my Father. 76 and manifest his grace in his temple, that is, in his believers:
72 <p>1161 This seems to conflict with what he said above: "You do indeed know me, and you know where I come from" (7:27). The answer to this is that they did know him according to his humanity, but not according to his divinity. 77 "We have received your mercy, O God, in the middle of your temple"
73 <P>We should note, according to Origen, that some have misunderstood this, and they said that the Father of Christ was not the God of the Old Testament: for the Jews knew the God of the Old Testament, according to "God is known in Judea" (Ps 75:1). There are four answers to this. First, our Lord says that the Jews did not know his Father because insofar as they do not keep his commandments they are acting like those who do not know him. This answer refers to their conduct. Secondly, they are said not to know God because they did not cling to him spiritually by love: for one who knows something adheres to it. Thirdly, because although they did know him through faith, they did not have a full knowledge of him: "No one has ever seen God; it is the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, who has made him known" (1:18). Fourthly, because in the Old Testament the Father was known under the aspect of God Almighty: "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but my name, Lord, I did not show them" (Ex 6:3), that is, under the aspect of Father. Thus, although they knew him as God Almighty, they did not know him as the Father of a consubstantial Son. 78 (Ps 47:10). The fact that he returned early in the morning
74 <p>1162 Christ says that he is the way to arrive at a knowledge of the Father, <B>If you did know me</B>. He is saying in effect: Because I speak of my Father, who is hidden, it is first necessary that you know me, <B>and then you might also know my Father.</B> For the Son is the way to the knowledge of the Father: "If you had known me, you would have also known my Father" (14:7). As Augustine says, what does If you did know me mean, except, "I and the Father are one" (10:30). It is customary when you see someone who is like someone else to say: "If you have seen one, you have seen the other"; not that the Son is the Father, but he is like the Father. 79 signifies the rising light of new grace: "His going forth is as
75 <P>He says, <B>you might</B>, not to indicate a doubt, but as a rebuke. It would be like being irritated with your servant and saying to him: "Have you no respect for me? Just remember that I might be your master." 80 sure as the dawn" (Hos 6:3).</p>
76 <p>1163 The Evangelist shows the security with which Christ answered when he says, <B>Jesus spoke these words in the treasury.</B> We see the first from the place where he taught, that is, in the treasury (<I>gazophylacium</I>) and in the temple. For <I>gaza</I> is the Persian word for "riches," and <I>philaxe</I> for "keep." Thus gazophylacium is the word used in Sacred Scripture for the chest in which riches are kept. It is used in this sense in 2 Kings (12:9): "And Jehoiada the priest took a chest (<I>gazophylacium</I>) and bored a hole in its top, and put it by the altar, to the right of those coming into the house of the Lord. And the priests who kept the doors put into it all the money that was brought to the temple of the Lord." Sometimes, however, it was used to indicate the building where riches were kept; and this is the way it was used here. 81 <p>1121 Those who listened to his teaching were the sincere among
77 <P>We can also see Christ's security from the fact that those who had been sent to arrest him could not do so, because he was not willing. Thus the Evangelist says, and no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come, that is, the time for him to suffer, an hour not fixed by fate, but predetermined from all eternity by his own will. Thus Augustine says: "His hour had not yet come, not in which he would be forced to die, but in which he would not refuse being killed." 82 the people; thus he says, <b>all the people came to him</b>: "The
78 <p>1164 We may note, according to Origen, that whenever the place where our Lord did something is mentioned, this is done because of some mystery. Thus Christ taught in the treasury, the place where riches were kept, to signify that the coins, that is, the words of his teaching, are impressed with the image of the great King. 83 assembly of the people will surround you" (Ps 7:8).</p>
79 <P>Note also that when Christ was teaching, no one arrested him, because his words were stronger than those who wanted to seize him; but when he willed to be crucified, then he became silent. 84 <p>1122 Their teacher is presented as seated, and sitting down,
80 <BR><BR><BR> 85 that is, going down to their level, so that his teaching would be
81 <p align=center><b>LECTURE 3</B> 86 more easily understood. His sitting down signifies the humility of
82 <BLOCKQUOTE><p>21 Again he said to them: "I am going away; and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come." 22 (So the Jews wondered, "Will he kill himself, since he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" 23 To them he said: "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sin." 25 Then they ask him, "Who are you?" Jesus replied: "The source (beginning) who is also speaking to you. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the one who sent me is truthful. Whatever I have heard from him, this I declare to the world." 27 (And they did not realize that he was calling God his Father.) 28 So Jesus said to them: "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will understand that I AM, and that I do nothing of myself; but as the Father taught me, so I speak. 29 He who sent me is with me; he has not deserted me, because I always do what is pleasing to him." 30 Because he spoke in this way, many came to believe in him.</BLOCKQUOTE> 87 his incarnation: "You knew when I sat down, and when I rose" (Ps
83 <p>1165 After our Lord showed his special position with respect to light, he here reveals the effect of this light, that is, that it frees us from darkness. First, he shows that the Jews are imprisoned in darkness; secondly he teaches the remedy which can free them (v 22). He does three things concerning the first: first, our Lord tells them he is going to leave; secondly, he reveals the perverse plans of the Jews, and thirdly, he mentions what they will be deprived of. 88 138:1). Because it was through the human nature that our Lord
84 <p>1166 Our Lord says that he is going to leave them by his death, <B>I am going away.</B> We can see two things from this. First, that he is going to die voluntarily, that is, as going, and not as one led by someone else: "I am going to him who sent me" (16:5); "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself" (10:18). And so this appropriately follows what went before: for he had said, "and no one arrested him" (8:20). Why? Because he is going willingly, on his own. 89 assumed that he became visible, we began to be instructed in the
85 <P>Secondly, we can see that the death of Christ was a journey to that place from which he had come, and which he had not left, for just as one who walks heads toward what is ahead, so Christ, by his death, reached the glory of exaltation: "He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Because of this God exalted him" (Phil 2:8); "Jesus…knowing that he came from God, and is going to God" (13:3). 90 divine matters more easily. So he says, sitting down, he taught
86 <p>1167 We see their sinful plans by their deceitful search for Christ; he says, <B>you will seek me</B>. Some look for Christ in a devout way through charity, and such a search results in life: "Seek the Lord, and your soul will live" (Ps 68:7). But they wickedly searched for him out of hatred, to persecute him: "The who sought my soul used violence" (Ps 37:13). He says, you will seek me, by attacking me after my death with your accusations: "We remembered that while still living the seducer said: 'After three days I will rise'" (Mt. 27:63). And they will also seek out my members: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me" (Acts 9:4). 91 them, that is, the simple, and those who respected his teaching:
87 <p>1168 This will be followed by their death, and so he adds what they will be deprived of, foretelling to them, <B>and you will die in your sin.</B> First, he foretells that deprivation which consists in the condemnation of death; secondly, that deprivation which consists in their exclusion from glory, Where I am going, you cannot come. 92 "He will teach his ways to the gentle, and will guide the mild in
88 <p>1169 He is saying: Because you will wickedly search for me, you will die while continuing in your sin. We can understand this in one way as applying to physical death: and then one dies in his sins who keeps on sinning up to the time of his death. And so in saying, you will die in your sin, he emphasizes their obstinacy: "There is no one who does penance for his sin, saying: 'What have I done?'" (Jer 8:6); "They went down to the lower regions with their weapons" as we read in Ezekiel (32:2). 93 judgment" (Ps 24:9); "He will teach us his ways (Is 2:3).</p>
89 <P>In another way, we can understand this as applying to the death of sin, about which the Psalm says, "The death of sinners is the worst" (Ps 33:22). And just as a physical weakness precedes physical death, so a certain weakness precedes this kind of death. For as long as sin can be remedied, it is a kind of weakness which precedes death: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak" (Ps 6:3). But when sin can no longer be remedied, either absolutely, as after this life, or because of the very nature of the sin, as a sin against the Holy Spirit, it then causes death: "There is a sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that" (1 Jn 5:16). And according to this, our Lord is foretelling them that the weakness of their sins results in death. 94 <p>1123 Then (v 3), our Lord wards off his opponents. First, we see
90 <p>1170 He shows the deprivation which consists in their exclusion from glory when he says, <B>Where I am going, you cannot come.</B> Our Lord goes by death, and so also do they. But our Lord goes without sin, while they go with their sins, because they are dying in their sin, and so do not come to the glory of the vision of the Father. So he says, Where I am going, willingly, by my passion, to the Father and to his glory, you cannot come, because you do not want to. For if they had wanted to and had not been able to do so, it could not have reasonably been said to them, "You will die in your sin." 95 him tested, so that he can then be accused; and secondly, he checks
91 <p>1171 Note that one can be hindered from going where Christ goes in two ways. One way is by reason of some contrary factor, and this is the way that sinners are hindered. This is what he is speaking of here; and so to those who are absolutely continuing in their sin he says, Where I am going, you cannot come. "He who is proud will not live in my house" (Ps 100:7); "It will be called a holy way, and the unclean will not pass over it" (Is 35:8); "Who will dwell in your tent?… He who walks without blame" (Ps 14:1). 96 his accusers (v 6b). As to the first, the Evangelist does three
92 <P>One is hindered another way by reason of some imperfection or indisposition. This is the way the just are hindered as long as they live in the body: "While we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord" (2 Cor 5:6). To persons such as these our Lord does not say absolutely, Where I am going, you cannot come, but he adds a qualification as to the time: "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now" (13:36). 97 things: first, he mentions the occasion for the test; secondly, he
93 <p>1172 Then (v 22), he treats of the remedy which can set them free from the darkness. First, he gives the remedy for escaping the darkness; secondly, he shows the efficacy of the remedy (v 31). Concerning the first, he does three things: first, he indicates what is the unique remedy for escaping the darkness; secondly, he states the reasons why they should ask for this remedy (v 25); and thirdly, we see Christ foretelling the means of obtaining it (v 28). As for the first, he does two things: first, he gives the circumstances for Christ's words; and secondly, the reason why Christ can propose the remedy (v 23). 98 describes the test itself (v 4); and thirdly, the purpose of those
94 <p>1173 The circumstances surrounding Christ's words was the perverse understanding of the Jews. For since they were carnal, they understood what Christ said, "Where I am going, you cannot come," in a carnal way: "The sensual man does not perceive those things that pertain to the Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:14). Thus the Jews said, Will he kill himself? As Augustine says, this is indeed a foolish notion. For if Christ was going to kill himself, couldn't they go where he was going? For they could kill themselves also. Thus, death was not the term of Christ's going: it was the way he was going to the Father. Accordingly, he did not say that they could not go to death but that they could not go through death to the place where Christ, through his death, would be exalted, that is, at the right hand of God. 99 who were testing our Lord.</p>
95 According to Origen, however, perhaps the Jews did have a reason why they said this. For they had learned from their traditions that Christ would die willingly, as he himself said: "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself'" (10:18). They seem to have especially gathered this from Isaiah (53:12): "I will give him many things, and he will divide the spoils of the strong, because he delivered himself to death." And so because they suspected that Jesus was the Christ, when he said, "Where I am going you cannot come," they understood it according to this opinion that he would willingly deliver himself to death. But they interpreted this in an insulting way, saying, Will he kill himself? Otherwise [if they were not speaking contemptuously] they would have said: "Is his soul going to depart, leaving his body when he wishes? We are unable to do this, and this is the reason for his saying, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'." 100 <p>1124 The occasion for the test is a woman's adultery. And so
96 <p>1174 Then (v 23), he proposes the remedy for escaping from the darkness. First, he mentions his own origin, and then theirs; secondly, he concludes to his point (v 24). 101 first, her accusers detail the crime; and also exhibit the sinner.
97 <p>1175 With respect to the first, he distinguishes his own origin from theirs in two ways. First, because he is from above, and they are from below. Secondly, because they are of this world, and Christ is not. As Origen says, to be from below is not the same as to be of this world, for "above" and "below" refer to differences in place. Thus, so that they do not understand the statement that he is from above as meaning that he is from a part of the world which is above, he excludes this by saying that he is not of this world. He is saying in effect: I am from above, but in such a way that I am entirely above the entire world. 102 As to the first, the Evangelist says, <b>Then the scribes and
98 <p>1176 It is clear that they are of this world and from below. But we have to understand correctly how Christ is from above and not of this world. For some who thought that all visible created realities were from the devil, as the Manicheans taught, said that Christ was not of this world even with respect to his body, but from some other created world, an invisible world. Valentine also incorrectly interpreted this statement, and said that Christ assumed a heavenly body. But it is obvious that this is not the true interpretation, since our Lord said to his apostles: "You are not of this world" (15:19). 103 Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.</b> As Augustine
99 <P>We must say, therefore, that this passage can be understood of Christ as the Son of God, and of Christ as human. Christ, as Son of God, is from above: "I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world" (16:28). Likewise, he is not of this sensible world, that is, this world which is made up of sense perceptible things, but he is of the intelligible world, because he is the very Word of God, being the supreme Wisdom. For all things were made in wisdom. Thus we read of him: "Through him the world was made" (1:10). 104 says, three things were noteworthy about Christ: his truth, his
100 <P>Christ, as human, is from above, because he did not have any affection for worldly and weak things, but rather for higher realities, in which the soul of Christ was at home, as in "Our home is in heaven" (Phil 3:20); "Where your treasure is, there is your heart also" (Mt 6:21). On the other hand, those who are from below have their origin from below, and are of this world because their affections are turned to earthy things: "The first man was of the earth, earthly" (1 Cor 15:47). 105 gentleness, and his justice. Indeed, it was predicted about him:
101 <p>1177 Then (v 24), he concludes his point. First, he explains what he said about their deprivation; secondly, he points out its remedy (v 24b). 106 "Go forth and reign, because of truth, gentleness, and justice" (Ps
102 <p>1178 We should note with respect to the first, that everything in its development follows the condition of its origin. Thus, a thing whose origin is from below naturally tends below if left to itself. And nothing tends above unless its origin is from above: "No one has gone up to heaven except the One who has come down from heaven" (3:13). Thus our Lord is saying: This is the reason why you cannot come where I am going, because since you are from below, then so far as you yourself are concerned, you can only go down. And so what I said is true, that you will die in your sins, unless you adhere to me. 107 44:5). For he set forth the truth as a teacher; and the Pharisees
103 <p>1179 Then, in order not to entirely exclude all hope for their salvation, he proposes the remedy, saying, <B>For if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sin.</B> He is saying in effect: You were born in original sin, from which you cannot be absolved except by my faith: because, if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sin. 108 and scribes noticed this while he was teaching: "If I speak the
104 <P>He says, <B>I am</B>, and not "what I am," to recall to them what was said to Moses: "I am who am" (Ex 3:14), for existence itself (ipsum esse) is proper to God. For in any other nature but the divine nature, existence (esse) and what exists are not the same: because any created nature participates its existence (<I>esse</I>) from that which is being by its essence (<I>ens per essentiam</I>), that is, from God, who is his own existence (<I>ipsum suum esse</I>), so that his existence (<I>suum esse</I>) is his essence (<I>qua essentia</I>). Thus, this designates only God. And so he says, For if you do not believe that I am, that is, that I am truly God, who has existence by his essence, you will die in your sin. 109 truth, why do you not believe me?" (8:46). Since they could find
105 <P>He says, <I>that I am</I>, to show his eternity. For in all things that begin, there is a certain mutability, and a potency to nonexistence; thus we can discern in them a past and a future, and so they do not have true existence of themselves. But in God there is no potency to non-existence, nor has he begun to be. And thus he is existence itself (<I>ipsum esse</I>), which is appropriately indicated by the present tense. 110 nothing false in his words or his teachings, they had ceased their
106 <p>1180 Next we are given the reasons that can lead them to believe. First, we see the question asked by the Jews; secondly, the answer of Christ (v 25b); and thirdly, the blindness of their understanding (v 27). 111 accusations on that score. He showed his gentleness as a liberator
107 <p>1181 Since our Lord had said, "If you do not believe that I am" it was left to them to ask who he was. And so they said to him, Who are you? So that we may believe: "The poor man spoke" (Sir 13:29). 112 or savior; and they saw this when he could not be provoked against
108 <p>1182 When he says, <I>the source, who is also speaking to you</I>, he gives an answer which can lead them to believe: first, because of the sublimity of his nature; secondly, because of the power he has to judge (v 26); and thirdly, because of the truthfulness of his Father (v 26b). 113 his enemies and persecutors: "When he was reviled, he did not
109 <p>1183 Indeed, the sublimity of Christ's nature can lead them to believe in him, because he is the source (<I>principium</I>: source, beginning, origin). In Latin the word for source, <I>principium</I>, is neuter in gender, and so there is a question whether it is used here in the nominative or accusative case. (In Greek, it is feminine in gender and is used here in the accusative case.) Thus, according to Augustine, we should not read this as "I am the source," but rather as "Believe that I am the source," lest you die in your sins. 114 revile" (1 Pet 2:23). Thus Matthew has: "Learn from me, for I am
110 <P>The Father is also called the source or beginning. In one sense the word "source" is common to the Father and the Son, insofar as they are the one source of the Holy Spirit through a common spiration. Again, the three Persons together are the source of creatures through creation. In another way, the word "source" is proper to the Father, insofar as the Father is the source of the Son through an eternal generation. Yet, we do not speak of many sources, just as we do not speak of many gods: "The source is with you in the day of your power" (Ps 109:3). Here, however, our Lord is saying that he is the source or beginning with regard to all creatures: for whatever is such by essence is the source and the cause of those things which are by participation. But, as was said, his existence is an existence by his very essence. 115 gentle and humble of heart" (11:29). Thus they did not accuse him
111 <P>Yet because Christ possesses not only the divine nature but a human nature as well, he adds, <B>who is also speaking to you</B>. Man cannot hear the voice of God directly, because as Augustine says: "Weak hearts cannot hear the intelligible word without a sensible voice." "What is man that he may hear the voice of the Lord his God" (Ex c 20). So, in order for us to hear the divine Word directly, the Word assumed flesh, and spoke to us with a mouth of flesh. Thus he says, who is also speaking to you, that is, I, who was humbled for your sakes, have come down to speak these words: "In many and various ways God spoke to our fathers through the prophets; in these days he has spoken to us in his Son" (Heb 1:1); "It is the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, who has made him known" (1:18). 116 on this point. And he exercised justice as its advocate; he did
112 <p>1184 Chrysostom explains this a little differently, so that in saying, the beginning, who is also speaking to you, our Lord is reproving the Jews for their slowness to understand. For in spite of the many signs which they had seen our Lord perform, they were still impenetrable, and asked our Lord, "Who are you?" Our Lord then answers: I am the beginning, that is, the one who has spoken to you from the beginning. It is the same as saying: You should not have to ask who I am, because it should be clear to you by now: "For although you should be masters by this time, you have to be taught again the first rudiments of the world of God" (Heb 5:12). 117 this because it was not yet known among the Jews, especially in
113 <p>1185 Secondly, they can be led to believe in Christ by his judicial authority; and so he says, <B>I have much to say about you and much to judge</B>, which means in effect: I have authority to judge you. Let us note that it is one thing to speak to us, and another to speak about us. Christ speaks to us for our benefit, that is, to draw us to himself; and he speaks to us this way while we are living, by means of preaching, by inspiring us, and by things like that. But Christ speaks about us, not for our benefit, but for showing his justice, and he will speak about us this way at the future judgment. And this is what is meant by, I have much to say about you. 118 legal proceedings. It was on this point that they wanted to test
114 <p>1186 This seems to conflict with what was said above: "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (3:17). I answer by saying that it is one thing to judge, and another to have judgment. For to judge implies the act of judging, and this does not belong to the first coming of our Lord, as he said above: "I do not judge anyone" (8:15), that is, at present. But to have judgment implies the power to judge; and Christ does have this: "The Father has given all judgment to the Son" (5:22); "It is he who was appointed by God to be the judge of the living and of the dead" (Acts 10:42). And so he says, explicitly, I have much to say about you and much to judge, but at a future judgment. 119 him, to see if he would abandon justice for the sake of mercy. So
115 <p>1187 The truthfulness of the Father can also lead them to believe in Christ, and as to this he says, <B>but the one who sent me is truthful.</B> He is saying in effect: The Father is truthful; but what I say is in agreement with him; therefore, you should believe me. Thus he says, the one who sent me, that is, the Father, is truthful, not by participation, but he is the very essence of truth; otherwise, since the Son is truth itself, he would be greater than the Father: "God is truthful" (Rom 3:4). Whatever I have heard from him, what I have received, not by my human sense of hearing, but by my eternal generation, this I declare: "What I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have announced to you" (Is 21:10); "The Son cannot do anything of himself" (5:19). 120 they present him with a known crime, deserving denunciation,
116 <p>1188 The statement, <B>the one who sent me is truthful</B>, can be connected in two ways with what went before. One way is this: I say that I have much to judge about you; but my judgment will be true, because the one who sent me is truthful: "The judgment of God is according to the truth" (Rom 2:2). The other way of relating this to what went before is from Chrysostom, and is this: I say that I have much to judge about you; but I am not doing so now, not because I lack the power, but out of obedience to the will of the Father. For the one who sent me is truthful: thus, since he promised a Savior and a Defender, he sent me this time as Savior. And since I only say what I have heard from him, I speak to you about life-giving things. 121 adultery: "Every woman who is a harlot will be walked on like dung
117 <p>1189 When he says, <B>And they did not realize that he was calling God his Father</B>, he reproves their slowness to understand: for they had not yet opened the eyes of their hearts by which they could understand the equality of the Father and the Son. The reason for this was because they were carnal: "The sensual man does not perceive those things that pertain to the Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:14). 122 on the road" (Sir 9:10). Then they present the sinner in person to
118 <p>1190 Here, for the first time, Christ foretells how they are to come to the faith, which is the remedy for death. He does two things: first: he shows what will lead them to the faith; and secondly, he teaches what must be believed about himself (v 28). 123 further influence him: and placed her in their midst. "This woman
119 <p>1191 He says, first, that they ought to come to the faith by means of his passion: <B>So Jesus said to them: When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will understand</B>. He is saying in effect: You do not know now that God is my Father, but when you have lifted up the Son of Man, that is, when you have nailed me to the wood of the cross, then you will understand, that is, some of you will understand by faith. "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself" (12:32). And so, as Augustine says, he recalls the sufferings of his cross to give hope to sinners, so that no one will despair, no matter what his crime, or think that he is too evil, since the very people who crucified Christ are freed from their sins by Christ's blood. For there is no sinner so great that he cannot be freed by the blood of Christ. 124 will be brought into the assembly, and among the sons of God" (Sir
120 <P>Chrysostom's explanation is this: When you have lifted up the Son of Man, on the cross, then you will understand, that is, you will be able to understand what I am, not only by the glory of my resurrection, but also by the punishment of your captivity and destruction. 125 23:24).</p>
121 <p>1192 With respect to the second, he teaches three things that must be believed about himself: first, the greatness or grandeur of his divinity; secondly, his origin from the Father; thirdly, his inseparability from the Father. 126 <p>1125 The Evangelist shows them proceeding with their test.
122 <P>He mentions the greatness of his divinity when he says, <B>that I am</B>, that is, that I have in me the nature of God, and that it is I who spoke to Moses, saying: "I am who am" (Ex 3:14). But because the entire Trinity pertains to existence itself, and so that we do not overlook the distinction between the Persons, he teaches that his origin from the Father must be believed, saying, <B>I do nothing of myself; but as the Father taught me, so I speak</B>. Because Jesus began both to do and to teach, he indicates his origin from the Father in these two respects. As regards those things he does, he says, I do nothing of myself: "The Son cannot do anything of himself" (5:19). And as regards what he teaches, he says, as the Father taught me, that is to say, he gave me knowledge by generating me as one who knows. Since he is the simple nature of truth, for the Son to exist is for him to know. And so, just as the Father, by generating, gave existence to the Son, so he also, by generating, gave him knowledge: "My doctrine is not mine" (7:16). 127 First, they point out the woman's fault; secondly, they state the
123 <P>So that we do not think that the Son was sent by the Father in such a way as to be separated from the Father, he teaches, thirdly, that they must believe that he is inseparable from the Father when he says, <B>he who sent me, the Father, is with me</B>, by a unity of essence: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me" (14:10). And the Father is also with me by a union of love, "The Father loves the Son, and shows him everything that he does" (5:20). And so the Father sent the Son in such a way that the Father did not separate himself from the Son; and so the text continues, <B>he has not deserted me</B>, because I am the object of his love. For although both are together, one sends and the other is sent: for the sending is the incarnation, and this pertains only to the Son, and not to the Father. That he has not deserted me is clear from this sign: because I always do what is pleasing to him. We should not understand this to indicate a meritorious cause, but a sign; it is the same as saying: The fact that I always do, without beginning and without end, what is pleasing to him, is a sign that he is always with me and has not deserted me, "I was with him forming all things" (Prv 8:30). 128 justice of the case according to the Law; thirdly, they ask him for
124 <P>Another interpretation would be this: he has not deserted me, that is, as man, protecting me, because I always do what is pleasing to him. In this interpretation it does indicate a meritorious cause. 129 his verdict.</p>
125 <p>1193 Then when he says, <B>Because he spoke in this way, many came to believe in him</B>, he shows the effect of his teaching, which is the conversion of many of them to the faith because they had heard Christ's teaching: "Faith comes by hearing, and what is heard by the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17). 130 <p>1126 They point out the woman's fault when they say this woman
126 <BR><BR><BR> 131 has just now been caught in adultery. They detail her fault in
127 <p align=center><b>LECTURE 4</B> 132 three ways, calculated to deflect Christ from his gentle manner.
128 <BLOCKQUOTE><p>31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believe in him: "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They replied, "We are of the seed of Abraham, and we have never been the slaves of anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will be free'?" 34 Jesus replied: "Amen, amen, I say to you: everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever; but the Son remains forever. 36 If therefore the Son frees you, you will be truly free. 37 I know that you are sons of Abraham. Yet you want to kill me, because my message is not grasped by you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father. And what you have seen with your father, that you do."</BLOCKQUOTE> 133 First, they mention the freshness of her fault, saying <b>just
129 <p>1194 After he had shown the remedy for escaping from the darkness, he now shows the effectiveness of this remedy. First, he shows the effectiveness of this remedy; then their need for remedy (v 33). He does two things about the first. First, he shows what is required from those to whom the remedy is granted, and this concerns merit; secondly, he shows what is given for this, and this concerns their reward (v 31). 134 now</b>; for an old fault does not affect us so much, because the
130 <p>1195 He says first: It was said that many believe in him, and so he told them, <B>the Jews who believed in him</B>, what they had to do, which was to remain in his word. So he says, If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples. He is saying in effect: You will not be my disciples if you just believe superficially, but you must remain in my word. 135 person might have made amends. Secondly, they note its certainty,
131 <P>We need three things with respect to the word of God. A concern to hear it: "Let every man be quick to hear" (Jas 1:19). Then we need faith to believe it: "Faith comes by hearing" (Rom 10:17). And also perseverance in continuing with it: "How exceedingly bitter is wisdom to the unlearned. The foolish will not continue with her" (Sir 6:21). And so he says, If you remain, that is, by a firm faith, through continual meditation: "He will meditate on his law day and night" (Ps 1:2); and by your ardent love: "His will is the law of the Lord" (Ps 1:2). Thus Augustine says that those who remain in the word of our Lord are those who do not give in to temptations. 136 saying, caught, so that she could not excuse herself. This is
132 <p>1196 He mentions what will be given to those who do remain when he says, <B>you will truly be my disciples</B>, and with three characteristics. First, they will have the excellence of being disciples of Christ; secondly, they will have a knowledge of the truth; and then, they will be free. 137 characteristic of women, as we see from Proverbs (33:20): "She
133 <p>1197 Indeed, it is a great privilege to be a disciple of Christ: "Children of Sion, rejoice and delight in the Lord your God, because he has given you a teacher of justice" (Jl 2:23). Concerning this he says, <B>you will truly be my disciples</B>; for the greater the master, the more honorable or excellent it is to be his disciple. But Christ is the greatest and most excellent of teachers; therefore, his disciples will be of the highest dignity. 138 wipes her mouth and says: 'I have done no evil." "Thirdly, they
134 <P>Three things are required to be a disciple. The first is understanding, to grasp the words of the teacher: "Are you also still without understanding?" (Mt 15:16). But it is only Christ who can open the ears of the understanding: Then he opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures" (Lk 24:45); "The Lord opened my ears" (Is 50:5). 139 point out that her fault is great, in adultery, which is a serious
135 <P>Secondly, a disciple needs to assent, so as to believe the doctrine of his teacher, for "The disciple is not above his teacher" (Lk 6:40), and thus he should not contradict him: "Do not speak against the truth in any way" (Sir 4:30). And Isaiah continues in the same verse, "I do not resist." 140 crime and the cause of many evils. "Every woman who is an
136 <P>Thirdly, a disciple needs to be stable, in order to persevere. As we read above: "From this time on, many of his disciples turned back, and no longer walked with him" (6:67); and Isaiah adds: "I did not turn back" (Is 50:5). 141 adulterous will sin" (Sir 9), and first of all against the law of
137 <p>1198 But it is a greater thing to know the truth, since this is the end of a disciple. And our Lord also gives this to those who believe; thus he says, <B>you will know the truth</B>, the truth, that is of the doctrine that I am teaching: "I was born for this, and I came for this, to give testimony to the truth" (18:37); and they will know the truth of the grace that I produce: "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (1:17) - in contrast to the figures of the Old Law - and they will know the truth of the eternity in which I remain: "O Lord, your word remains forever, your truth endures from generation to generation" (Ps 118:89). 142 her God.</p>
138 <p>1199 Yet the greatest things is the acquisition of freedom, which the knowledge of the truth produces in those who believe. Thus he says, <B>and the truth will make you free.</B> In this context, to free does not mean a release from some confinement, as the Latin language suggests, but rather a being made free; and this is from three things. The truth of this doctrine will free us from the error of falsity: "My mouth will speak the truth; my lips will hate wickedness" (Prv 8:7). The truth of grace will free us from the slavery to sin: "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and of death" (Rom 8:2). And the truth of eternity, in Christ Jesus, will free us from corruption: "The creature will be freed from its slavery to corruption" (Rom 8:21). 143 <p>1127 They appeal to the justice contained in the Law when they
139 <p>1200 Next (v 33), he shows that the Jews need this remedy. First, he amplifies on their presumption in denying that they need any such remedy; secondly, he shows in what respect they need this remedy (v 34). 144 remark, <b>in the Law</b>, that is, in Leviticus (20:10) and in
140 <p>1201 The presumption of the Jews is shown by their disdainful question: <B>They replied: We are of the seed of Abraham, and we have never been the slaves of anyone. How is it that you say, You will be free?</B> First, they affirm one thing; then deny another; and thirdly, pose their question. 145 Deuteronomy (22:21), Moses commanded us to stone such a woman.</p>
141 <P>They assert that they are the descendants of Abraham: <B>We are of the seed of Abraham.</B> This shows their vainglory, because they glory only in the origin of their flesh: "Do not think of saying: 'We have Abraham as our Father'" (Mt 2:9). Those who seek to be praised for their noble birth act in the same way: "Their glory is from their birth, from the womb and from their conception" (Hos 9:11). 146 <p>1128 They ask Jesus for his verdict when they say, <b>But what
142 <P>Further, they deny their slavery; thus they say, <B>and we have never been the slaves of anyone.</B> This reveals them as dull in mind and as liars. It shows them as dull because while our Lord is speaking of spiritual freedom, they are thinking of physical freedom: "The sensual person does not perceive what pertains to the Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:14). It shows them as liars because if they mean their statement as, we have never been the slaves of anyone, to apply to physical slavery, then they are either speaking generally of the entire Jewish people, or in particular of themselves. If they are speaking generally, they are obviously lying: for Joseph was sold into slavery and their ancestors were slaves in Egypt, as is clear from Genesis (c 40) and from Exodus (c 3). Thus Augustine says: "Ungrateful! Why does the Lord so often remind you that he freed you from the house of bondage, if you have never been slaves to anyone?" For we read in Deuteronomy (13:10): "I have called you out of Egypt, from the house of your slavery." But even if they are speaking of themselves, they are still guilty of lying, because they were at that time paying taxes to the Romans. Thus they asked: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Mt 22:17). 147 do you say?</b> Their question is a trap, for they are saying in
143 <P>They ask him about the kind of freedom he is talking about when they say, <B>How is it that you say, You will be free?</B> Our Lord had promised them two things: freedom and knowledge of the truth, when he said, "you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." The Jews took this to mean that our Lord regarded them as ignorant slaves. And although it is more harmful to lack knowledge than freedom, yet because they were carnal they pass over the truth part and ask about the kind of freedom: "They have set their eyes, lowering themselves to the earth" (Ps 16:11). 148 effect: If he decides that she should be let go, he will not be
144 <p>1202 Our Lord ignores their presumption and shows them that they do need the remedy he mentioned. First, he mentions their slavery; secondly, he treats of their freedom (v 35); and thirdly, of their origin (v 37). 149 acting according to justice, yet he cannot condemn her because he
145 <p>1203 He shows that they are slaves, not in the physical sense they thought he meant, but spiritually, that is, slaves of sin. And in order to make this clear he starts with two things. The first is a solemn affirmation that he repeats, saying, <B>Amen, amen, I say to you.</B> <I>Amen</I> is a Hebrew word which means "truly," or "May it be this way." According to Augustine, neither the Greeks nor the Latins translated it so that it might be honored and veiled as something sacred. This was not done to hide it, but to prevent it from becoming commonplace if its meaning were stated. It was done especially out of reverence from our Lord who frequently used it. Our Lord makes use of it here as a kind of oath, and he repeats it to reinforce his statement: "He interposed an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have the strongest comfort" (Heb 6:17). 150 came to seek and to save those who are lost: "God did not send his
146 <P>Secondly, he makes a general statement when he says, <B>everyone</B>, whether Jew or Greek, rich or poor, emperor or beggar: "There is no difference between Jews and Greeks: all have sinned" (Rom 3:22). He mentions slavery when he says, who commits sin is a slave to sin. 151 Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be
147 <p>1204 But one might argue against this in the following way: A slave does not act by his own judgment, but by that of his master; but one who commits sin is acting by his own judgment; therefore, he is not a slave. I answer by saying that a thing is whatever is appropriate to it according to its nature, it acts of itself; but when it is moved by something exterior, it does not act of itself, but by the influence of that other: and this is a kind of slavery. Now according to his nature, man is rational. And thus when he acts according to reason, he is acting by his own proper motion and is acting of himself; and this is a characteristic of freedom. But when he sins, he is acting outside reason; and then he is moved by another, being held back by the limitations imposed by that other. Therefore, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin: "Whatever overcomes a person, is that to which he is a slave" (2 Pet 2:19). And to the extent that someone is moved by something exterior, to that extent he is brought into slavery; and the more one is overcome by sin, the less he acts by his own proper motion, that is, by reason, and the more he is made a slave. Thus, the more freely one does the perverse things he wills, and the less the difficulty he has in doing them, the more he is subjected to the slavery of sin, as Gregory says. 152 saved through him" (3:17). Now the Law could not command anything
148 <P>This kind of slavery is the worst, because it cannot be escaped from: for wherever a person goes, he carries his sin with him, even though its act and pleasure may pass: "God will give you rest from your harsh slavery (that is, to sin) to which you were subjected before" (Is 14:3). Physical slavery, on the other hand, can be escaped, at least by running away. Thus Augustine says: "What a wretched slavery (that is, slavery to sin)! A slave of man, when worn out by the harsh commands of his master, can find relief in flight; but a slave of sin drags his sin with him, wherever he flees: for the sin he did is within him. The pleasure passes, the sin (the act of sin) passes; what gave pleasure has gone, what wounds has remained." 153 unjust. Thus, Jesus does not say, "Let her go," lest he seem to be
149 <p>1205 Then (v 35) he considers their liberation from slavery; for since all have sinned, all were slaves to sin. Now the hope of liberation is held out by the one who is free of sin, and this is the Son. Thus he does three things with respect to this. First, he mentions the status of a slave as distinguished from that one who is free; secondly, he shows that the status of the Son is different from that of a slave; and thirdly, he concludes that the Son has the power to set us free. 154 acting in violation of the Law.</p>
150 <p>1206 The status of a slave is transient and unstable; so he says, <B>A slave does not remain in the household forever.</B> This house is the Church: "So you may know how to act in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God" (1 Tim 3:15). In this house some who are spiritually slaves remain only for a time, just as in a household those who are physically slaves remain only for a while. But the former will not remain forever, for although those who are evil are not now separated from the faithful in a separate group, but only by merit, in the future they will be separated in both ways: "Cast out the slave and her son: for the son of the slave woman will not inherit with the son of the free woman" (Gal 4:30). 155 <p>1129 The Evangelist reveals the malicious intention behind those
151 <p>1207 On the other hand, the status of the Son is everlasting and stable; so he says, <B>but the Son</B>, that is, Christ, <B>remains forever</B>, namely, in the Church, as in his own house. In Hebrews (3:6) Christ is described as a son in his own house. And indeed, it is of himself that Christ remains in his house forever, because he is immune from sin. As for us, just as we are freed from sin through him, so it is through him that we remain in his house. 156 who were questioning Jesus when he says, <b>They said this to test
152 <p>1208 The Son has the power to free us; so he adds, <B>If therefore the Son frees you, you will be truly free</B>: "We are not the children of the slave woman, but of the free, by whose freedom Christ has freed us" (Gal 4:31). For as the Apostle says, he paid a price not in gold, but of his own blood, for he came in the likeness of sinful flesh although he had no sin; and so he became a true sacrifice for sin. Thus, through him, we are freed, not from barbarians, but from the devil. 157 him so that they could accuse him.</b> For they thought that Christ
153 <p>1209 Note that there are several kinds of freedom. There is a perverted freedom, when one abuses his freedom in order to sin; there is a freedom from justice, a freedom that no one is compelled to keep: "Be free, and do not make your freedom a cloak for evil," as we read in 1 Peter (2:16). Then there is a vain freedom, which is temporal or bodily: "A slave, free from his master" (Job 3:19). Then we have true and spiritual freedom, which is the freedom of grace, and consists in the absence of sin. This freedom is imperfect because the flesh lusts against the spirit, and we do what we do not want to do (Gal 5:17). Then there is the freedom of glory; this is a perfect and full freedom, which we will have in our homeland: "The creature will be delivered from its slavery" (Rom 8:21), and this will be so because there will be nothing there to incline us to evil, nothing to oppress us, for then there will be freedom from sin and punishment. 158 would say that she should be let go, so as not to be acting
154 <p>1210 Chrysostom explains this in another way: since he had said, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, then lest the Jews anticipate him and say, "Even though we are slaves to sin, we can be freed by the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Law," our Lord shows that they cannot be freed by these, but only by the Son. Hence he says, a slave, i.e., Moses and the priests of the Old Testament, does not remain in the household forever: "Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant" (Heb 3:5). Furthermore, the ceremonies are not eternal; therefore they cannot confer a freedom which will continue forever. 159 contrary to his gentle manner; and then they would accuse him of
155 <p>1211 Then he considers their origin (v 37). First, he gives their origin according to the flesh; secondly, he inquires into their origin according to the spirit (v 37b). 160 acting in violation of the Law: "Let us not test Christ as they
156 <p>1212 He traces their origin in the flesh to Abraham. <B>I know that you are sons of Abraham</B>, by carnal origin only, and not by resembling him in faith: "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you" (Is 51:2). 161 did" as we read in 1 Corinthians (10:9).</p>
157 <p>1213 He inquires into their spiritual origin when he says, <B>yet you want to kill me.</B> First he shows that they have a spiritual origin; secondly, he rejects what they presume to be their origin (v 34); thirdly, he shows them their true origin (v 44). As to the first he does two things: first, he points out their guilt; secondly, he infers their spiritual origin (v 38). As to the first he does three things: first, he lays on them the guilt of murder; secondly, the sin of unbelief; and thirdly, he anticipates an excuse they might give. 162 <p>1130 Then, Jesus checks his enemies by his wisdom. The Pharisees
158 <p>1214 Our Lord shows that they have their spiritual origins from an evil root. Hence he expressly accuses them of sin and passing over all the other crimes in which the Jews were implicated, he mentions only the one which they continued to nurture in their minds, the sin of murder, because, as was said, they wished to kill him. This is why he says, <B>you want to kill me</B>, which is against your Law: "You shall not kill" (Ex 20:13); "So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death" (11:53). 163 were testing him on two points: his justice and his mercy. But
159 <p>1215 Because they might say that to kill someone for his crime is not a sin, our Lord says that the cause of this murder is not any crime committed by Christ or their own righteousness, but rather their unbelief. As if to say: you seek to kill me not because of your own righteousness but because of your unbelief: because my message is no grasped by you: "Not all men can receive this message, but only those to whom it is given" (Mt 19:11). Our Lord uses this way of speaking, first of all, to show the excellence of his message. As if to say: my message transcends your ability, for it is concerned with spiritual things, whereas you have a sensual understanding, that is why you do not grasp it: "The sensual man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:14). He speaks this way also to recall a certain similarity: for as Augustine says, the Lord's message to unbelievers is what a hook is to a fish, it does not grasp unless it is grasped. And so he says his message does not grasp them in their hearts, because it is not grasped by them, as Peter was grasped: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (6:68). Yet it does not harm those who are grasped, for they are grasped to salvation, and left uninjured. 164 Jesus preserved both in his answer. First, the Evangelist shows how
160 <p>1216 In Deuteronomy (c 18) we read that a prophet who speaks, as coming from the mouth of the Lord, things that the Lord did not say, should be killed. So, lest the Jews say that he should be killed for speaking from himself, and not from the mouth of the Lord, he adds, I speak of what I have seen with my Father. As if to say: I cannot be accused of speaking things that I have not heard, for I speak not only what I have heard, but what is more, I speak of what I have seen. Other prophets spoke the things they heard, whereas I speak the things I have seen: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (1:18); "That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you" (1 Jn 1:3). This must be understood of a vision which gives the most certain knowledge, because the Son knows the Father as he knows himself: "No one knows the Father except the Son" (Mt 11:27). 165 Jesus kept to what was just; and secondly, that he did not abandon
161 <p>1217 He then infers their spiritual origin when he says, <B>and what you have seen with your father, that you do.</B> As if to say: I speak things that are in accord with my origin; but you do the things that are done by your father, namely, the devil, whose children they were, according to Augustine, not insofar as they were men, but insofar as they were evil. You do those things, I say, which you see, at the devil's suggestion: "Through the devil's envy death entered the world" (Wis 2:24). 166 mercy (v 7). As to the first, he does two things: first, he
162 <P>Chrysostom uses another text: What you see with your father, do it. As if to say: just as I reveal my Father in truth by my words, so you, reveal the father of our origin, namely, Abraham, by your deeds. Thus he says: Do what you see your father doing, you who are taught by the law and the prophets. 167 mentions the sentence in accordance with justice; secondly the
163 <BR><BR><BR> 168 effect of this sentence (v 9). About the first he does three
164 <p align=center><b>LECTURE 5</B> 169 things: first, we see Jesus writing his sentence; then pronouncing
165 <BLOCKQUOTE><p>39 They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did [If you are Abraham's children, do what Abraham did], 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. 41 You do what your father did. "They said to him, "We were not born of fornication, we have one Father, even God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word."</BLOCKQUOTE> 170 it; and thirdly, continuing again to write it down.</p>
166 <p>1218 After showing that the Jews had a certain spiritual origin, our Lord here rejects certain origins which they had presumptuously attributed to themselves. First, he rejects the origin they claimed to have from Abraham; secondly, the origin they thought they had from God (v 41). As to the first he does two things: first, he gives the opinion of the Jews about their origin; secondly, he rejects it (v 39b). 171 <p>1131 Jesus wrote his sentence on the earth with his finger:
167 <p>1219 It should be noted with respect to the first, that our Lord had said to them, what you have seen with your father, that you do, and so, glorying in their carnal descent, they aligned themselves with Abraham. Thus they said, <B>Abraham is our father.</B> This is like saying: If we have a spiritual origin we are good, because our father Abraham is good: "O offspring of Abraham his servant" (Ps 105:6). And as Augustine says, they tried to provoke him to say something against Abraham and so give them an excuse for doing what they had planned, namely, to kill Christ. 172 <b>But Jesus bending down wrote on the ground with his finger.</b>
168 <p>1220 Our Lord rejects this opinion of theirs as false (v 39). First, he gives the true sign of being a child of Abraham; secondly, he shows that this sign is not verified in the Jews (v 40); thirdly, he draws his conclusion, you do what your father did. 173 Some say that he wrote the words Jeremiah: "O earth, earth,
169 <p>1221 The sign of anyone being a child is that he is like the one whose child he is; for just as children according to the flesh resemble their parents according to the flesh, so spiritual children (if they are truly children) should imitate their spiritual parents: "Be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Eph 5:1). And as to this he says, <B>If you are Abraham's children, do what Abraham did.</B> This is like saying: if you imitated Abraham, that would be a sign that you are his children: "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you" (Is 51:2). 174 listen&hellip;write down this man as sterile" (Jer 22:29).
170 <p>1222 Here a question arises, for when he says, if you are Abraham's children, he seems to be denying that they are the children of Abraham, whereas just previously he had said, "I know that you are children of Abraham" (v 37). There are two ways of answering this. The first, according to Augustine, is that before he said that they were children of Abraham according to the flesh, but here he is denying that they are children in the sense of imitating his works, especially his faith. Therefore, they took their flesh from him, but not their life: "It is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham" (Gal 3:7). 175 According to others, and this is the better opinion, Jesus wrote
171 <P>For Origin, who has another explanation, both statements refer to their spiritual origin. Where our text reads, "I know that you are children of Abraham," the Greek has, "I know that you are the seed of Abraham." But Christ says here, if you are Abraham's children, do what Abraham did, because the Jews, spiritually speaking, were the seed of Abraham, but were not his children. There is a difference between a seed and a child: for a seed is unformed, although it has in it the characteristics of that of which it is a seed. A child, however, has a likeness to the parent after the seen has been modified by the informing power infused by the agent acting upon the matter which has been furnished by the female. In the same way, the Jews were indeed the seed of Abraham, insofar as they had some of the characteristics which God had infused into Abraham; but because they had not reached the perfection of Abraham, they were not his children. This is why he said to them, if you are Abraham's children, do what Abraham did, i.e., strive for a perfect imitation of his works. 176 down the very words he spoke, that is, Whoever among you is without
172 <p>1223 Again, because he said, <B>do what Abraham did</B>, it would seem that whatever he did, we should do. Consequently, we should have a number of wives and approach a maidservant, as Abraham did. I answer that the chief work of Abraham was faith, by which he was justified before God: "He believed the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6). Thus, the meaning is, do what Abraham did, i.e., believe according to the example of Abraham. 177 sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her. However, neither
173 <p>1224 One might say against this interpretation that faith should not be called a work, since it is distinguished from works: "Faith apart from works is dead" (Jas 2:26) ["Do what Abraham did" if translated literally gives "Do the works of Abraham."] I answer that faith can be called a work according to what was said above: "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (6:29). An interior work is not obvious to man, but only to God, according to, "The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). This is the reason we are more accustomed to call exterior action works. Thus, faith is not distinguished from all works, but only from external works. 178 of these opinions is certain.</p>
174 <p>1225 But should we do all the works of Abraham? I answer that works can be considered in two ways. Either according to the kind of works they are, in which sense we should not imitate all his works; or, according to their root, and in this sense we should imitate the works of Abraham, because whatever he did, he did out of charity. Thus Augustine says that the celibacy of John was not esteemed above the marriage of Abraham, since the root of each was the same. Or, it might be said that all of Abraham's works should be imitated as to their symbolism, because "all these things happen to them in figure" [1 Cor 10:11]. 179 <p>Jesus wrote on the earth for three reasons. First, according to
175 <p>1226 Then (v 40) he shows that they do not have the above mentioned sign of being children. First, the conduct of the Jews is given; secondly, he shows that it does not resemble the conduct of Abraham (v 40b). 180 Augustine, to show that those who were testing him would be written
176 <p>1227 The conduct of the Jews is shown to be wicked and perverse, because they were murderers; so he says, <B>now you seek to kill me</B>: "How the faithful city has become a harlot, she that was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers" (Is 1:21). This murder was an unfathomable sin against the person of the Son of God. But because it is said, "If they had understood, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor 2:8), our Lord does not say that they sought to kill the Son of God, but a man. For although the Son of God is said to have suffered and died by reason of the oneness of his person, this suffering and death was not insofar as he was the Son of God, but because of his human weakness, as it says: "For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God" (2 Cor 13:4). 181 on the earth: "O Lord, all who leave you will be written on the
177 <p>1228 In order to further elucidate this murder, he shows that they have no reason to put him to death; thus he adds, <B>a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God</B>. This truth is that he said that he is equal to God: "This is why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God" (5:18). He heard this truth from God inasmuch as from eternity he received from the Father, through an eternal generation, the same nature that the Father has: "For as the Father has life in himself, so has he granted the Son also to have life in himself" (5:26). 182 earth" (Jer 17:13). But those who are just and the disciples who
178 <P>Furthermore, he excludes the two reasons for which the Law commanded that prophets were to be killed. First of all, for lying, for Deuteronomy (c 13) commands that a prophet should be killed for speaking a lie or feigning dreams. Our Lord excludes this from himself, saying, <B>a man who has told you the truth</B>: "My mouth will utter truth" (Prov 8:7). Secondly, a prophet ought to be killed if he speaks in the name of false gods, or says in the name of God things that God did not command (Deut 13). Our Lord excludes this from himself when he says, which I heard from God. 183 follow him are written in heaven: "Rejoice, because your names are
179 <p>1229 Then when he says, <B>this is not what Abraham did</B>, he shows that their works are not like those of Abraham. He is saying in effect: Because you act contrary to Abraham, you show that you are not his children, for it is written about him: "He kept the law of the Most High, and was taken into covenant with him" (Si 44:20). 184 written in heaven" (Lk 10:20). Secondly, he wrote on earth to show
180 <P>Some frivolously object that Christ did not exist before Abraham and therefore that Abraham did not do this [kill Christ], since one who did not exist could not be killed. I answer that Abraham is not commended for something he did not do to Christ, but for what he did not do to anyone in like circumstances, i.e., to those who spoke the truth in his day. Or, it might be answered that although Christ had not come in the flesh during the time of Abraham, he nevertheless had come into his mind, according to Wisdom (7:27): "in every generation she [Wisdom] passes into souls." And Abraham did not kill Wisdom by sinning mortally. Concerning this we read: "They crucify the Son of God" (Heb 6:6). 185 that he would perform signs on earth, for he who writes make signs.
181 <p>1230 Then when he says, <B>you do what your father did</B>, he draws his conclusion. It was like saying: from the fact that you do not do the works of Abraham, it follows that you have some other father whose works you are doing. A similar statement is made in Matthew (23:32): "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers." 186 Thus, to write on the earth is to make signs. And so he says that
182 <p>1231 Then when he says, <B>they said to him, we were not born of fornication</B>, he shows that they do not take their origin from God, for since they knew from our Lord's words that he was not speaking of carnal descent, they turn to spiritual descent, saying, we were not born of fornication. First, they give their own opinion; secondly, our Lord rejects it (v 42). 187 Jesus was bending down, by the mystery of the Incarnation, by means
183 <p>1232 According to some, the Jews are denying one thing and affirming another. They are denying that they were born of fornication. According to Origin, they said this tauntingly to Christ, with the unspoken suggestion that he was the product of adultery. It was like saying: we were not born of fornication as you were. 188 of which he performed miracles in the flesh he had assumed.
184 <P>But it is better to say that the spiritual spouse of the soul is God: "I will betroth you to me forever" (Hos 2:19), and just as a bride is guilty of fornication when she admits a man other than her husband, so in Scripture Judea was said to be fornicating when she abandoned the true God and turned to idols: "For the land commits great harlotry by forsaking the Lord" (Hos 1:2). And so the Jews said: we were not born of fornication. It was like saying: although our mother, the synagogue, may now and then have departed from God and fornicated with idols, yet we have not departed or fornicated with idols: "We have not forgotten thee, or been false to thy covenant. Our heart has not turned back" (Ps 44:17); "But you, draw near hither, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the harlot" (Is 57:3). 189 Thirdly, he wrote on the earth because the Old Law was written on
185 Further, they affirm that they are children of God; and this seems to follow from the fact that they did not believe that they were born of fornication. Thus they say, we have one Father, even God: "Have we not all on father?" (Mal 2:10); "And I thought you would call me, My Father" (Jer 3:19). 190 tablets of stone (Ex 31; 2 Cor 3), which signify its harshness: "A
186 <p>1233 Next (v 42), our Lord refutes their opinion: first we see the sign of being a child of God; secondly, the reason for this sign is given (v 42); and thirdly, we see that the Jews lack this sign (v 43). 191 man who violates the law of Moses dies without mercy" (Heb 10:28).
187 <p>1234 With respect to the first it should be noted that above he had said that the sign of being a child according to the flesh was in the exterior actions that a person performs; but here he places the sign of being a child of God in one's interior affections. For we become children of God by sharing in the Holy Spirit: "you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship" (8:15). Now the Holy Spirit is the cause of our loving God, because "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rom 5:5). Therefore, the special sign of being a child of God is love: "Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love" (Eph 5:1). Therefore he says, <B>If God were your Father, you would love me</B>: "The innocent and the right in heart," who are the children of God, "have clung to me" [Ps 21:4]. 192 But the earth is soft. And so Jesus wrote on the earth to show the
188 <p>1235 Then (v 42) he gives the reason for this sign. First, he states the truth; secondly, he rejects an error (v 42b). 193 sweetness and the softness of the New Law that he gave to us.</p>
189 <p>1236 The truth he asserts is that he proceeded and came forth from God. It should be noted that all friendship is based on union, and so brothers love one another inasmuch as they take their origin from the same parents. Thus our Lord says: <B>you say that you are the children of God; but if this were so, you would love me</B>, for I proceeded and came forth from God. Therefore, any one who does not love me is not a child of God. 194 <p>We can see from this that there are three things to be
190 <P>I say I proceeded from God from eternity as the Only Begotten, of the substance of the Father: "From the womb before the daystar I begot you" (Ps 109:4); "In the beginning was the Word" (1:1). And I came forth as the Word made flesh, sent by God [into the world] through incarnation. "I came [proceeded] from the Father," from eternity, as the Word, "and have come into the world" when I was made flesh in time (16:28). 195 considered in giving sentences. First, there should be kindness in
191 <p>1237 He rejects an error when he says, <B>I came not of my own accord</B> [<I>a meipso</I>]. And first, he rejects the error of Sabellius, who said that Christ did not have his origin from another, for he said that the Father and the Son were the same in person. In regard to this he says, I came not of my own accord, i.e., according to Hilary, I came, not existing of myself, but in a way as sent by another, that is, the Father. Thus he adds, <B>but he sent me</B>: "God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law" (Gal 4:4). 196 condescending to those to be punished; and so he says, Jesus was
192 Secondly, he rejects an error of the Jews who said that Christ was not sent by God, but was a false prophet, of whom we read in Jeremiah (23:21): "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran." And in regard to this he says, according to Origen, I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Indeed, this is what Moses prayed for: "O, my Lord, send, I pray, whom you will send" [Ex 4:13]. 197 bending down: "There is judgment without mercy to him who does not
193 <p>1238 He shows that they lack this sign when he says, <B>Why do you not understand what I say?</B> For as was stated above, to love Christ is the sign of being a child of God; but they did not love Christ; therefore it is obvious that they did not have this sign. That they do not love Christ is shown by the effect of love: for the effect of loving someone is that the lover joyfully hears the words of the beloved; thus we read: "Let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet" (Song 2:14). And again, "My companions are listening for your voice; let me hear it" (8:13). Therefore, because they did not love Christ, it seemed tedious to them even to hear his voice: "This is a hard saying, who can listen to it?" (6:60); "The very sight of him is a burden to us" (Wis 2:15). 198 have mercy" (Jas 2:13); "If a man is overtaken in any fault, you
194 <P>It sometimes happens that a person is not glad to hear the words of another because he cannot weigh them and for that reason does not understand them, and so he contradicts them: "Answer, I beseech you, without contention…and you shall not find iniquity on my tongue" [Job 6:29]. Therefore he says, <B>Why do you not understand what I say?</B> You question what I mean, as "Where I am going, you cannot come" (8:21). I say that you do not understand because you cannot bear to hear my word, i.e., your heart is so hardened against me that you do not even want to hear me. 199 who are spiritual instruct him in a spirit of mildness" (Gal 6:1).
195 <BR><BR><BR> 200 Secondly, there should be discretion in determining the judgment
196 <p align=center><b>LECTURE 6</B> 201 and so he says that Jesus wrote with his finger, which because of
197 <BLOCKQUOTE><p>44 "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth [and did not stand in the truth] because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."</BLOCKQUOTE> 202 its flexibility signifies discretion: "The fingers of a man's hand
198 <p>1239 After showing that the Jews had a certain spiritual origin, and after rejecting the origin they presumed they had, our Lord here gives their true origin, ascribing their fatherhood to the devil. First, he makes his statement; secondly, he gives its reason; and thirdly, he explains this reason. 203 appeared, writing" (Dan 5:5). Thirdly, there should be certitude
199 <p>1240 He says: <B>You do the works of the devil; therefore, you are of your father the devil</B>, that is, by imitating him: "Your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite" (Ez 16:3). 204 about the sentence given; and so he says, Jesus wrote.</p>
200 <P>Here one must guard against the heresy of the Manicheans who claim that there is a definite nature called "evil," and a certain race of darkness with its own princes, from which all corruptible things derive their origin. According to this opinion, all men, as to their flesh, have come from the devil. Further, they say that certain souls belong to that creation which is good, and others to that which is evil. Thus they said that our Lord said, you are of your father, the devil, because they came from the devil according to the flesh, and their souls were part of that creation which was evil. But as Origen says, to suppose that there are two natures because of the difference between good and evil seems to be like saying that the substance of an eye which sees is different from that of an eye that is clouded or crossed. For just as a healthy and bleary eye do not differ in substance, but the bleariness is from some deficient cause, so the substance and nature of a thing is the same whether it is good or has a defect in itself, which is a sin of the will. And so the Jews, as evil, are not called the children of the devil by nature, but by reason of their imitating him. 205 <p>1132 It was at their insistence that Jesus gave his sentence;
201 <p>1241 Then when he says, <B>and your will is to do your father's desires</B>, he gives the reason for this, for their being of the devil. It is like saying: you are not the children of the devil as though created and brought into existence by him, but because by imitating him your will is to do your father's desires. And these desires are evil, for as he envied and killed man - "through the devil's envy death entered the world" (Wis 2:24) - so you too envy me and "you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth" (8:40). 206 and so the Evangelist says, As they persisted in the question, he
202 <p>1242 Then when he says, <B>he was a murderer from the beginning</B>, he explains the reason he gave. First, he mentions the characteristic of the devil that they imitate; secondly, he shows that they are truly imitators of that (8:45). 207 stood up and said to them: <b>Whoever among you is without sin, let
203 <P>With respect to the first it should be noted that two sins stand out in the devil: the sin of pride towards God, and of envy towards man, whom he destroys. And from the sin of envy towards man, because of which he injures him, we can know his sin of pride. And so first, he mentions the devil's sin against man; secondly, his sin against God, he did not stand in the truth. 208 him be the first to cast a stone at her.</b> The Pharisees were
204 <p>1243 His sin of envy against man lies in the fact that he kills him. So he says, <B>he</B>, that is, the devil, <B>was a murderer from the beginning.</B> Here it should be noted that the devil kills man not with the sword, but by persuading him to do evil. "Through the devil's envy death entered the world" (Wis 2:24). First, the death of sin entered: "The death of the wicked is very evil" [Ps 33:22]; then came bodily death: "Sin came into the world through one man and death through sin" (Rom 5:12). As Augustine says: "Do not think that you are not a murderer when you lead your brother into evil." However, it should be noted with Origen, that the devil is not called a murderer with respect to only some particular person, but with respect to the whole race, which he destroyed in Adam, in whom all die, as we read in 1 Corinthians (c 15). Thus he is called a murderer because that is a chief characteristic, and he is so indeed from the beginning, that is, from the time that a man existed who could be killed, who could be murdered; for one cannot be murdered unless he first exists. 209 violators of the Law; and yet they tried to accuse Christ of
205 <p>1244 Then when he says, <B>he did not stand in the truth</B>, he mentions the devil's sin against God, which consists in the fact that he turned away from the truth, which is God. First, he shows that he is turned from the truth; secondly, he shows that he is contrary to the truth: when he lies, he speaks according to his own nature. As to the first he does two things: first, he shows that the devil is turned from the truth; secondly, he explains what he has said, because there is no truth in him. 210 violating the Law and were attempting to make him condemn the
206 <p>1245 He says, <B>he did not stand in the truth</B>. Here it should be noted that truth is of two kinds, namely, the truth of word and the truth of deed. The truth of word consists in a person saying what he feels in his heart and what is in reality: "Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor" (Eph 4:25); "He who speaks truth from his heart, who does not slander with his tongue" (Ps 15:3). The truth of deed, on the other hand, is the truth of righteousness, i.e., when a person does what befits him according to the order of his nature. Concerning this it says above: "He who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God" (3:21). Speaking of this truth our Lord says, in the truth, namely, the truth of righteousness, he did not stand, because he abandoned the order of his nature, which was that he be subject to God, and through him acquire his happiness and the fulfillment of his natural desire. And so, because he wanted to obtain this through himself, he fell from the truth. 211 woman. So Christ proposes a sentence in accord with justice,
207 <p>1246 The statement, <B>he did not stand in the truth</B>, can be understood in two ways. Either he never had anything to do with the truth, or that he once did, but did not continue in it. Now never to have anything to do with the truth of righteousness has two meanings. One is according to the Manicheans, who say that the devil is evil by nature. From this it follows that he was always evil, because whatever is present by nature is always present. But this is heretical, for we read: "God made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Ps 146:6). Therefore, every being is from God; but everything which is from God, insofar as it is, is good. 212 saying, Whoever among you is without sin. He is saying in effect:
208 <P>Consequently, others have said that the devil was created good in his nature by God, but became evil in the first instant by his own free choice. And this opinion differs from that of the Manicheans who say that the devils were always and by nature evil, whereas this opinion claims that they were always evil by free choice. 213 Let the sinner be punished, but not by sinners; let the Law be
209 <P>Someone might suppose that since an angel is not evil by nature but by a sin of his own will - and sin is an act - it is possible that at the beginning of the act the angel was good, and at the end of the evil act he became evil. For it is plain that the act of sin in the devil is subsequent to his creation, and that the terminus of creation is the existence of an angel; but the terminus of the act of sin is that he is evil. Consequently, according to this explanation, they conclude that it is impossible that an angel be evil in the first instant in which the angel came to exist. 214 accomplished, but not by those who break it, because "When you
210 <P>But this explanation does not seem to be sufficient, because it is true only in motions that occur in time and that are accomplished in a successive manner, not in instantaneous motions. For in every successive motion the instant in which an act begins is not the one in which the action is terminated; thus, if a local motion follows upon an alteration, the local motion cannot be terminated in the same instant as the alteration. But in changes that are instantaneous, the terminus of a first and of a second change can occur together and in the same instant. Thus, in the same instant that the moon is illumined by the sun, the air is illumined by the moon. Now it is clear that creation is instantaneous, and likewise the act of free choice in the angels, since they do not go through the weighings and discoursings of reason. Thus, in the case of an angel there is nothing to prevent the same instant from being the terminus of creation (in which he was good), and the terminus of a free decision (in which he was evil). Some admit this, although they do not say that it so happened, but that it could have so happened. And they base themselves on the authority of Scripture, for under the figure of the king of Babylon it is said of the devil: "How have you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who did rise in the morning?" [Is 14:12]; and under the person of the king of Tyre it says: "You were in the pleasures of the paradise of God" [Ez 28:13]. Accordingly, they say that he was not evil at the first instant of his creation, but that he was once good, and fell through his free choice. 215 judge another you condemn yourself" (Rom 2:1). Therefore, either
211 <P>But it must be said that he could not be evil at the first instant of his creation. The reason for this is that no act is sinful except insofar as it is outside the nature of the voluntary agent. But in order of acts, the natural act is first: thus in understanding, first principles are understood first, and through them other things are understood; and in willing, we likewise first will the ultimate perfection and ultimate end, the desire for which is naturally in us, and on account of this we seek other things. Now that which is done according to nature is not sin. Therefore, it is impossible that the first act of the devil was evil; consequently, at some instant the devil was good. But he did not stand in the truth, i.e., he did not remain in it. Concerning the statement from 1 John (3:8): "The devil has sinned from the beginning," one may say that he did indeed sin from the beginning in the sense that once he began to sin he never stopped. 216 let this woman go, or suffer the penalty of the Law with her.</p>
212 <p>1247 Then when he says, <B>because there is no truth in him</B>, he explains what he has said. And this explanation can be understood in two ways. In one way, according to Origen, so that it is an explanation of the general by the particular, as when I explain that Socrates is an animal by the fact that he is a man. It is then like saying: he did not stand in the truth, but fell from it, and this because there is not truth in him. Now there are two classes of those that do not stand in the truth: some do not stand in the truth because they are not convinced, but waiver: "My feet had almost stumbled, my steps had well nigh slipped" (Ps 73:2); others, on the other hand, because they have entirely recoiled from the truth. And this was the way the devil did not stand in the truth, but turned away from it in aversion. 217 <p>1133 Here the question arises as to whether a sinful judge sins
213 <P>But is there no truth at all in him? For if there is no truth in him, we would not understand himself or anything else, since understanding is concerned only with things that are true. I answer that there is some truth in the evil spirits, just as there is something true [a nature]. For no evil utterly destroys a good thing, since at least the subject in which evil is found is good. Thus Dionysius says that the natural goods remain intact in evil spirits. Thus there is some truth in them, but not the fulfilling truth from which they have turned, namely, God, who is fulfilling truth and wisdom. 218 by passing sentence against another person who has committed the
214 <p>1248 In a second way, this explanation is understood as a sign, as Augustine says. For it seems that he should rather have said the converse, namely, "there is not truth in him, because he did not stand in the truth." But just as a cause is sometimes shown by its effect, so our Lord wished to show that the truth was not in him because he did not stand in the truth; for truth would have been in him had he stood in the truth. A similar pattern of speech is found in "I cried because you heard" [Ps 16:6]: as if to say that it is evident that I cried because you heard me. 219 same sin. It is obvious that if the judge who passes sentence is a
215 <p>1249 Then he shows that the devil is contrary to the truth, when he lies, he speaks according to his own nature (on his own). First, he makes this point; secondly, he explains it. 220 public sinner, he sins by giving scandal. Yet, this seems to be
216 <p>1250 The contrary of truth is falsity and a lie. The devil is contrary to the truth because he speaks a lie. Thus he says, <B>he lies</B>. Here we should note that, God excepted, whoever speaks on his own speaks a lie; although not everyone who speaks a lie speaks on his own. God alone, when speaking on his own, speaks the truth, for truth is an enlightenment of the intellect, and God is light itself and all are enlightened by him: "the true light that enlightens every man" (1:9). Thus he is truth itself, and no one speaks the truth except insofar as he is enlightened by him. So Ambrose says: "Every truth, by whomsoever spoken, is from the Holy Spirit." Thus the devil, when he speaks on his own, speaks a lie; man, too, when he speaks on his own, speaks a lie; but when he speaks from God, he speaks the truth: "Let God be true though every man be false" (Rom 3:4). But not every man who tells a lie speaks on his own, for sometimes he gets this from someone else, not indeed from God, who is truthful, but from him who did not stand in the truth and who first invented lying. So in a unique way when the devil tells a lie, he is speaking on his own: "I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all prophets" (1 Kgs 22:22); "The Lord mingled" (that is, allowed to mingle) "a spirit of error in their midst" [Is 19:14]. 221 true also if his sin is hidden, for we read in Romans (2:1): "When
217 <p>1251 He explains this statement when he says, <B>for he is a liar and the father of lies</B>. The Manicheans did not understand this, and placed some kind of procreation in the evil spirits, with the devil as their father. They said that the devil "is a liar and his father." It should not be understood this way, as our Lord said that the devil is a liar and its father, the father of lies. Not everyone who lies is the father of his lie. As Augustine says, "If you have learned a lie from someone else and you repeat it, you have indeed lied, but you are not the father of that lie." But the devil, because he did not learn from someone else the lie by which he destroyed humankind as with poison, is the father of the lie, just as God is the father of truth. The devil was the first to invent the lie, namely, when he lied to the woman: "You will not die" (Gen 3:4). Just how true this statement was, was proved by the outcome. 222 you judge another you condemn yourself." However, it is clear that
218 <p>1252 Here we should note that the book Questions of the New and Old Testament takes the words you are of your father the devil, and applies them to Cain, in the sense that one is called a devil who performs the works of the devil, and you are imitating him; hence you are of your father the devil, that is, of Cain, who did the work of the devil, and you are imitating him. Cain "Was a murderer from the beginning," because he killed his brother Abel. And he "did not stand in the truth, because there is not truth in him." This is obvious because when the Lord asked him, "Where is Abel your brother?" he said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9). Thus he is a liar. But the first explanation is better. 223 no one condemns himself except by sinning. And thus it seems that
219 <BR><BR><BR> 224 he sins by judging another.</p>
220 <p align=center><b>LECTURE 7</B> 225 <p>My answer to this is that two distinctions have to be made. For
221 <BLOCKQUOTE><p>45 "But because [If] I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." 48 The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" 49 Jesus answered, "I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and he will be the judge."</BLOCKQUOTE> 226 the judge is either continuing in his determination to sin, or he
222 <p>1253 After mentioning some characteristics of the devil, he then shows that the Jews are imitating these. Our Lord ascribed two kinds of evil to the devil, murder and lying. He reproved them before for their imitation of one of these, namely, murder: "Now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth" (8:40). Then passing from this, he reproves them for turning away from the truth: first, he shows that they are turned away from the truth; secondly, he rejects a certain reason they might give for this (v 46); thirdly, he concludes to the true reason for their being turned away from the truth (v 46b). 227 has repented of his sins; and again, he is either punishing as a
223 <p>1254 He says first: It was said that the devil is a liar and the father of lies, and you are imitating him because you do not wish to adhere to the truth. Thus he says, <B>If I tell the truth to you you do not believe me</B>; "If I tell you, you will not believe" (Lk 22:67); "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe me, etc…." (3:12). And Isaiah complains: "Who has believed what we have heard?" (Is 53:1). 228 minister of the law or on his own initiative. Now if he has
224 <p>1255 The reason which the Jews might allege for their unbelief is that Christ is a sinner, for it is not easy to believe a sinner even when he is telling the truth. Thus we read: "But to the wicked God says: 'What right have you to recite my statutes?'" (Ps 50:16). So they might have said: We do not believe you since you are a sinner. 229 repented of his sin, he is no longer a sinner, and so he can pass
225 <P>Accordingly, he excludes this reason when he says, <B>Which of you convicts me of sin?</B> As if to say: You have no good reason for not believing me when I speak the truth, since you can find no sin in me: "He committed not sin; no guile was found on his lips" (1 Pt 2:22). <P>According to Gregory, we are invited to consider the mildness of God, who did not consider it beneath himself to show by rational grounds that he who can justify sinners by the power of his divinity is not a sinner: "If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me; what then shall I do when God rises up?" (Jb 31:13). We should also honor the unique greatness of Christ's purity, for as Chrysostom says, no mere man could have confidently said, Which of you convicts me of sin? Only God, who had no sin, could say this: "Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin?'" (Prv 20:9) - this is like saying: No one but God alone. "They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one," except Christ (Ps 14:3). 230 sentence without sinning. But if he continues in his determination
226 <p>1256 Next, he concludes to the real reason they have turned away from the truth. First, he mentions the reason; secondly, he rejects their rejoinder (v 48). As to the first he does three things: first, he asks a question; secondly, he begins with a reasonable starting point; thirdly, he draws from his conclusion. 231 to sin, he does not sin in passing sentence if he does this as a
227 <p>1257 First, he says: Since you cannot say that you do not believe me because I am a sinner, one can ask why if I tell the truth, you do not believe me, since I am not a sinner? This is like saying: If you cannot convict me, whom you hate, of sin, it is obvious that you hate me because of the truth, that is, because I say that I am the Son of God: "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion" (Prv 18:2). 232 minister of the law; although he would be sinning by doing the very
228 <p>1258 He then begins with a reasonable and true starting point, saying, <B>he who is of God hears the words of God</B>. For we read in Sirach (13:15): "Every creature loves its like." Therefore, whoever is of God, to that extent possesses a likeness to the things of God and clings to them. Thus, he who is of God gladly hears the words of God: "Every one who is of the truth hears my voice" (18:37). The word of God ought to be heard gladly by those, above all, who are of God, since it is the seed by which we are made the children of God: "He called them gods to whom the word of God came" (10:35). 233 things for which he deserves a similar sentence. But if he passes
229 <p>1259 He draws his conclusion from this saying, <B>the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God</B>. This is like saying: The reason for your unbelief is not my sin, but your own wickedness; as Sirach (6:20) says: "She [Wisdom] seems very harsh to the uninstructed." 234 sentence on his own authority, then I say that he sins in justice,
230 <P>Augustine says about them that as to their nature, they are of God, indeed; but by reason of their vice and evil affection they are not of God. For this statement was made to those who were not just sinful, for this was common to all; it was made to those of whom it was foreknown that they would not believe with that faith by which they could have been set free from the chains of their sins. 235 but from some evil root; otherwise he would first punish in himself
231 <p>1260 It should be noted, as Gregory says, that there are three degrees of being badly disposed in one's affections. Some refuse to physically hear God's precepts. Of these we read: "Like the deaf adder that stops its ear" (Ps 58:4). Others hear them physically, but they do not embrace them with the desire of their heart, since they do not have he will to obey them: "They hear what you say, but they will not do it" (Ez 33:32). Finally, there are those who joyfully receive the words of God and even weep with tears of sorrow; but after the time of crying is past and they are oppressed with troubles or allured by pleasures, they return to their sins. An example of this is given in Matthew (c 13) and Luke (c 8), where we read of the word being choked by cares and anxieties. "But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they are not willing to listen to me" (Ez 3:7). Consequently, a sign that a person is of God is that he is glad to hear the words of God, while those who refuse to hear, either in affection or physically, are not of God. 236 what he notices in someone else, because "A just person is the
232 <p>1261 Next he rejects the rejoinder made by the Jews. First, the Evangelist mentions this rejoinder; and secondly, our Lord's rejection of it (v 49). 237 first to accuse himself" (Prv 18:17).</p>
233 <p>1262 In their response the Jews charge Christ with two things: first, that he is a Samaritan, when they say, <B>Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan?</B> Secondly, that he has a demon, when they add, <B>and have a demon?</B> 238 <p>1134 Jesus continued to write, <b>and again bending down, he
234 <P>In saying, <B>Are we not right?</B> we can infer that they often reproached Christ this way. In fact, concerning the second, that he has a demon, we read in Matthew, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that he casts out demons" (12:24). But this is the only place where it is recorded that they called him a Samaritan, although they probably said it often: for many of the things that were said and done about Christ and by Christ were not written in the Gospels, as it says below (21:25). 239 wrote.</b> He did this, first, to show the firmness of his
235 <P>Two reasons can be given why the Jews said this about Christ. First, because the Samaritans were hateful to the people of Israel, for when the ten tribes were led into captivity, they took their land: "For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (4:9). Thus, because Christ reproved the Jews, they believed that he did it out of hatred, so that they regarded him as a Samaritan, an adversary, as it were. Another reason was that the Samaritans observed the Jewish rites in some things and not in others. Therefore, the Jews, seeing that Christ observed the law in some matters and broke it in others, for example, the law of the Sabbath, called him a Samaritan. 240 sentence, "God is not like a man, who may lie, or like a son of
236 <P>Again, there are two reasons why they said he had a demon. First, because they did not attribute the miracles he worked, and the thoughts he revealed, to a divine power in Christ; rather, they suspected that he did these things by some demonic art. Thus they said: "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that he casts out demons" (Mt 12:24). The other reason was based on the fact that his words exceeded human understanding, such as his statements that God was his Father, and that he had come down from heaven. And when uneducated people hear such things they usually regard them as diabolical. Accordingly, they believed that Christ spoke as one possessed by a demon: "Many of them said, 'he has a demon, and he is mad; why listen to him?'" (10:20). Furthermore, they said these things in an attempt to accuse him of sin, to dispute what he had said: "Which of you convicts me of sin?" 241 man, so that he may change" (Num 23:19). Secondly, he did it to
237 <p>1263 Then when he says, Jesus answered: <B>I have not a demon</B>, our Lord rejects the response of the Jews. Now they had taxed Christ with two things, that he was a Samaritan and that he had a demon. Concerning the first, our Lord makes no apology, and this for two reasons. First, according to Origen, because the Jews always wanted to keep themselves apart from the Gentiles. But the time had now come when the distinction between Jews and Gentiles was to be removed, and everyone was to be called to the way of salvation. Accordingly, our Lord, in order to show that he had come for the salvation of all, made himself all things to all men, more so than Paul, so that he might win all (cf. 1 Cor 9:22); and so he did not deny that he was a Samaritan. The other reason was that "Samaritan" means "keeper," and because he especially is our keeper, as we read, "He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps 121:4), so he did not deny that he was a Samaritan. 242 show that they were not worthy to look at him. Because he had
238 <P>But he did deny that he had a demon, saying, <B>I have not a demon</B>. First, he rejects the insult; secondly, he reproves the insulters for the obstinacy (v 49b). As to the first he does two things: first, he rejects the insult; secondly, he shows that the opposite is true, I honor my Father. 243 disturbed them with his zeal for justice, he did not think it fit
239 <p>1264 It should be noted with respect to the first that when correcting the Jews our Lord often spoke harshly to them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees" (Mt 23:14), and many other instances are recorded in Matthew. But there is no record that our Lord spoke harsh or injurious words in answer to their harsh words or deeds against himself. Rather, as Gregory said, God accepted their insults, and did not answer with insulting words, but simply said, I have not a demon. And what does this suggests to us if not that when we are falsely attacked by our neighbor with railing words, we should keep silence, even about his abusive words, so as not to pervert our ministry of correcting in a just manner into a weapon of our anger. However, while we should not value our own goods, we should vindicate the things that are of God. As Origen says, Christ alone is capable of claiming, I have not a demon, for he has nothing, either slight or serious, of the devil in him; thus he says: "The ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me" (14:30). "What accord has Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor 6:15). 244 to look at them, but turned from their sight. Thirdly, he did this
240 <p>1265 He supports his stand by saying the opposite: <B>but I honor my Father.</B> Now the devil hinders honor being given to God; therefore, any person who seeks God's honor is a stranger to the devil. Thus, Christ, who honors his Father, that is, God, has not a demon. Furthermore, it is a proper and singular mark of Christ that he honor his Father, as we read: "A son honors his father" (Mal 1:6). And Christ is most singularly the Son of God. 245 out of consideration for their embarrassment, to give them complete
241 <p>1266 Next he reproves the impudence of those insulting him. First, he reproves them; secondly, he rejects the supposed reason for their reproof; and thirdly, he foretells their deserved condemnation. 246 freedom to leave.</p>
242 <p>1267 He says first, <B>I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.</B> This is like saying: I do what I ought, but you do not do what you ought. Indeed, by dishonoring me you dishonor my Father: "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (5:23). 247 <p>1135 The effect of his justice is their embarrassment, <b>for on
243 <p>1268 But they could say: You are too severe, you are too concerned for your own glory, and so you reprove us. He rejects this, and speaking as man, says, <B>I do not seek my own glory</B>. For it is God alone who can seek his own glory without fault; others must seek it in God: "Let him who glories, glory in the Lord" [2 Cor 10:17]; "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing." 248 hearing this, one after the other departed</b>, both because they
244 <P>But does not Christ as man have glory? He does indeed, and it is great in every respect, because, although he does not seek it, nevertheless, there is One who seeks it, that is, the Father; for we read: "Thou dost crown him with glory and honor" (Ps 8:5), referring to Christ in his human nature. 249 had been involved in more serious sins and their conscience gnawed
245 <p>1269 Not only will he seek my glory in those who accomplish works of great virtue, but he will punish and condemn those who speak against my glory thus he adds: and he will be the judge. This, however, seems to conflict with the statement above (5:22): "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son." I answer that the Father does not judge anyone apart from the Son, because even that judgment which he will make concerning the fact that you insult me, he will make through the Son. Or, one might say that judgment is sometimes taken for condemnation, and this judgment the Father has given to the Son, who alone will appear in visible form in judgment, as has been said. Sometimes, however, it is understood as meaning to distinguish one from another; and this is the way it is used here. Thus we read: "Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause" [Ps 42:1]. It is like saying: It is the Father who will distinguish my glory from yours, for he discerns that you glory in the world; and he sees the glory of his Son, whom he has anointed above his fellows and who is without sin. But you are men with sin. 250 them more: "Iniquity came out from the elder judges who were seen
246 <BR><BR><BR> 251 to rule the people" (Dn 13:5), and because they better realized the
247 <p align=center><b>LECTURE 8</B> 252 fairness of the sentence he gave: "I will go therefore to the great
248 <BLOCKQUOTE><p>51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death." 52 The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, 'If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.' 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. 55 But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 The Jews then said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was [came to be], I am." 59 So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.</BLOCKQUOTE> 253 men and speak to them: for they have known the way of the Lord and
249 <p>1270 Above, our Lord had promised two things to his followers: liberation from darkness and the attainment of life, saying, "He who follows me does not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (8:12). The first of these has been treated above; so we are now concerned with the second, the obtaining of life through Christ. First, he states the truth; secondly he counters its denial by the Jews (v 52). 254 the judgment of their God" (Jer 5:5).</p>
250 <p>1271 It should be noted that although Christ had been loaded down with insults and criticisms, he did not stop his teaching; indeed, after being accused of having a demon, he offers the benefits of his teachings more generously, saying: <B>Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death.</B> He is here giving us an example that when the malice of wicked men increases, and those that are converted are abused with insults, preaching, so far from being curtailed, should be increased: "And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words" (Ez 2:6); "…the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered" (2 Tim 2:9). 255 <p><b>And there remained only Jesus and the woman standing
251 <P>In this statement our Lord does two things: he requires something, and he promises something. What he requires is that his words be kept, if any one keeps my word - for the word of Christ is the truth. Therefore, we should keep it, first of all, by faith and continual meditation: "Do not forsake her, and she will keep you" (Prv 4:6); secondly, by fulfilling it in action: "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me" (14:21). 256 there</b>, that is, mercy and misery. Jesus alone remained because
252 <P>What he promises is freedom from death; thus he says, <B>he will never see death</B>, that is, experience it: "They who act by me (i.e., by divine wisdom) shall not sin; they who explain me shall have life everlasting" [Sir 24:30]. Such a reward suits such merit, for life everlasting consists especially in the divine vision: "This is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent" (17:3). Now the seedbed and source of this vision comes into us by the word of Christ; "The seed is the word of God" (Lk 8:11). Therefore, just as a person who keeps the seed of some plant or tree from being destroyed succeeds in obtaining its fruit, so the person who keeps the word of God attains to life everlasting: "Keep my statutes and my ordinances by doing which a man shall live" (Lev 18:5). 257 he alone was without sin; as the Psalm says (Ps 13:1): "There is no
253 <p>1272 Next we see the opposition of the Jews being repelled. They oppose Christ in three ways: first, by accusing him of making a false statement; secondly, by their derision (v 57); and thirdly by assaulting him (v 59). As to the first, there are two things: first, they try to accuse him of presumption; secondly, Christ answers some of their retorts (v 54). As to the first they do three things: first, they insult Christ; secondly, they state a certain fact (v 52); and thirdly, they ask a question (v 53). 258 one who does what is good not even one," except Christ. So perhaps
254 <p>1273 They reproached him for lying when they said, <B>now we know that you have a demon.</B> They said this because the Jews knew that the inventor of sin, and especially of lying, was the devil: "I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets" (1 Kg 22:22). It seemed to them that our Lord's statement, "If any one keeps my word, he will never see death," was an obvious lie - for since they were carnal minded, they understood of physical death what he said about spiritual and eternal death; and especially also because it was contrary to the authority of Sacred Scripture, which says, "What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?" (Ps 89:48). For these reasons they said to him: you have a demon. It was like saying: You are lying because prompted by the devil. 259 this woman was afraid, and thought she would be punished by
255 <p>1274 Further, they do two things to convict him of lying: first, they mention the death of the ancients; secondly, they quote Christ's own words (v 52b). So they say: What you say, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death, is obviously false, for Abraham died, as is clear from Genesis (c 25); and the prophets died: "We must all die, we are like water split on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again" (2 Sam 14:14). But although they are dead in the bodily sense, they are not dead spiritually, for in Matthew (22:32) our Lord says: "I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob," and then he adds, "He is not God of the dead, but of the living." Thus, they were dead as to the body, but they were living in the spirit, because the Lord was speaking of, and not bodily death. Then, when they continue they wrote Christ's own words: And you say, If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death. But they were careless and evil listeners and so garbled our Lord's words and did not repeat them exactly. For our Lord had said, "he will never see death," but they quote it as "he will never taste death." However, as far as their understanding was concerned, it was all the same, because in both cases they understood that they would never experience a bodily death. But as Origen tells us, there is a real difference between seeing death and tasting death: for to see death is to experience it completely; while to taste it is to have some taste or share in death. 260 him.</p>
256 <P>Now, just as it is a greater punishment to see death than to taste it, so not to taste death is more of a glory than not to see death. For the ones who do not taste death are those who are on high with Christ, i.e., who remain in an intellectual order: "There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Mt 16:28). And there are others who, if they do not see death by sinning mortally, nevertheless taste it, because they have a slight affection for earthly things. Consequently, our Lord, as it is written in the Greek, and as Origen explains it, said, he will never see death, because the person who has accepted and kept the words of Christ will not see death, even though he might taste something of it. 261 <p>If only Jesus remained, why does it say that the woman was
257 <p>1275 Then they ask their question, saying, <B>Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?</B> They are asking, first of all, about a comparison between him and their fathers of old. But as Chrysostom says, in their carnal understanding they could have asked something higher, that is, "Are you greater than God?" For Abraham and the prophets kept God's commands, yet they died in the bodily sense. Therefore, if any one who keeps your word will never die, it seems that you are greater than God. Yet they were satisfied with their retort, because they considered him less than Abraham, in spite of the fact that we read: "There is none like thee among the gods, O Lord" (Ps 86:8); and "Who is like thee, O Lord, among the gods?" (Ex 15:11); as if to say: No one. 262 standing there <b>in the center</b>? I answer that the woman was
258 <P>Secondly, they ask about his estimate of himself, i.e., who does he take himself to be? As if to say: If you are greater than them, namely, Abraham and the prophets, it seems to imply that you are of a higher nature, say an angel or God. But we do not think you are. So they do not ask, "Who are you?" but Who do you claim to be? For whatever you say in this matter, we who know will regard it as a fiction. They spoke in a similar fashion below (10:33): "We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because you being a man, make yourself God." 263 standing in the center of the disciples, and so the word only
259 <p>1276 Then (v 54), our Lord's answer is given. First, he answers the second question; secondly, the first question (v 56). As to the first, he Lord does three things: first, he rejects their error; secondly, he teaches them a truth which they did not know (v 54); and thirdly, he clarifies both of these things (v 55). 264 excludes outsiders, not the disciples. Or, we could say, in the
260 <p>1277 He says: <B>You ask me, Who do you claim to be?</B> As if I am usurping a glory that I do not have. But this is a false assumption on your part, because I do not make myself what I am, but I have received it from the Father: for if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. Now this could be understood of Christ according as he is the Son of God, as though saying in precise language; if I, namely, myself, glorify myself, that is, ascribe to myself a glory which the Father does not give me, my glory is nothing. For the glory of Christ according as he is God is the glory of the Word and the Son of God. But the Son has nothing except being begotten, i.e., what he has received from another [the Father] by being begotten. Therefore, assuming the impossible, if his glory were not from another, it would not be the glory of the Son. 265 center, that is, in doubt whether she would be forgiven or
261 <P>However, it seems better to suppose that this is said of Christ according as he is man, because anyone who ascribes to himself a glory he does not have from God, has a false glory. For whatever is true is from God, and whatever is contrary to the truth is false, and consequently, nothing. Therefore, a glory which is not from God is nothing. We read of Christ: "Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest" (Heb 5:5); and "It is not the man who commends himself that is accepted, but the man whom the Lord commends" (2 Cor 10:18). Thus the error of the Jews is obvious. 266 condemned. And so it is clear that our Lord's answer preserved
262 <p>1278 He sets down the truth he intends to teach and says: <B>it is my Father who glorifies me</B>. It is like saying: I do not glorify myself, as you think; but it is another who glorifies me, namely, my Father, whom he describes by his proper characteristic and by his nature. He describes him by his proper characteristic of fatherhood; thus he says that it is my Father and not I. As Augustine says, the Arians use this statement to injure our faith, and they claim the Father is greater than the Son, for one who glorifies is greater than the one glorified by him. If, therefore, the Father glorifies the Son, the Father is greater than the Son. Now this argument would be valid unless it were found that, conversely, the Son glorifies the Father. But the Son says: "Father, the hour has come: glorify thy Son that thy Son may glorify thee" (17:1); and "I glorified thee on earth" (17:4). 267 justice.</p>
263 <P><B>It is my Father who glorifies me</B>, can be applied to Christ both according as he is the Son of God, and also as the Son of man. As the Son of God, the Father glorifies him with the glory of the divinity, generating him from eternity as equal to himself: as we read, "He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature … he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb 1:3); "And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:11). But as man, he had glory through an overflowing into him of the divinity, and overflowing of unique grace and glory: "We have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" [1:14]. 268 <p>1136 Then (v 10), he shows that Jesus did not abandon mercy, but
264 <p>1279 He describes the Father by his nature, that is, by his divinity, when he says, <B>of whom you say that he is your God.</B> But lest anyone suppose that his Father is other than God, he says that he is glorified by God: "Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself" (13:31). According to Augustine, these words are against the Manicheans, who say that the Father of Christ was not proclaimed in the Old Testament, but rather it was one of the princes of the evil angels. However, it is plain that the Jews do not say that their God is any other than the God of the Old Testament. Therefore, the God of the Old Testament is the Father of Christ and the One who glorifies him. 269 gave a merciful sentence. First, Jesus questions the woman; then
265 <p>1280 Then he shows both these things, that is, the error of the Jews, and his own truth, when he says, but you have not known him. He shows these in two ways: first, by pointing out the ignorance of the Jews; secondly, his own knowledge (v 55). 270 forgives her; and finally, cautions her.</p>
266 <p>1281 With respect to the first it should be noted that the Jews could say: You say that you are glorified by God; but his judgments are known by us, according to "He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances" (Ps 147:20). Therefore, if what you say is true, we would certainly know it; but since we do not know of it, it is obviously not true. Christ concludes saying, but you have not known him. This is like saying: It is not strange if you do not know about the glory with which my Father, who you say is your God, glorifies me, for you do not know God. 271 <p>1137 Jesus questioned her about her accusers; thus he says that
267 <p>1282 This seems to conflict with the Psalm (76:1): "In Judah God is known." I answer that he was known by them as God, but not as the Father; thus he said above: "It is my Father who glorifies me" (v 54). Or, one might answer that you have not known him with affection, because you adore him in a bodily way, whereas he should be adored spiritually: "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (4:24). And there is no affection because you are reluctant to keep his commandments: "They profess to know God; but they deny him by their deeds" (Tit 1:16). 272 Jesus rising up, that is, turning from the ground on which he was
268 <p>1283 But they might say: "Granted that we do not know about your glory, how do you know that you have glory from God the Father?" For this reason Christ speaks of his own knowledge, saying, I know him. First, he mentions his own knowledge; secondly, he shows the need for mentioning it; and thirdly, he explains what he said (v 55b). 273 writing and looking at the woman, asked her, <b>Woman, where are
269 <p>1284 He says: <B>I know that I have glory from God the Father, because I know him</B>, namely, with that knowledge with which he knows himself; and no one else except the Son knows him: "No one knows the Father except the Son" (Mt 11:27), i.e., with a perfect and comprehensive knowledge. And because every imperfect thing derives from the perfect, all our knowledge is derived from the Word; thus Christ continues, "and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 274 those who accuse you?</b> He asks about her condemnation saying,
270 <p>1285 Now because some who judge in a carnal manner might attribute arrogance to Christ for saying that he knows God, he mentions why his statement is necessary. For, according to Augustine, arrogance should not be so guarded against that the truth is neglected and a lie committed. Thus Christ says: <B>If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you.</B> This is like saying: Just as you are lying when you say that you know him, so if I said I do not know him, whereas I do, I should be a liar like you. There is a similarity here in the fact of lying: as they lie in saying that they know him whom they do not know, so Christ would be a liar were he to say that he does not know him whom he knows. But there is a lack of similarity because they do not know him, whereas Christ does. 275 <b>Has no one condemned you?</b> And she answers, <b>No one,
271 <P>But could Christ say these things ["I do not know him" and "I should be a liar"]? He could, indeed, have spoken the words materially, but not so as to intend expressing a falsehood, because this could be done only by Christ's will inclining to falsehood, which was impossible, just as it was impossible for him to sin. 276 Lord.</b></p>
272 <P>However, the conditional statement is true, although both antecedent and consequent are impossible. 277 <p>1138 Jesus forgives her; and so it says, <b>Then Jesus said: Nor
273 <p>1286 When he continues he shows that he knows the Father, <B>But I do know him</B>, i.e., I know the Father intellectually, with speculative knowledge. And I also know him with affective knowledge, by consenting to him with my will: thus he says, <B>and I keep his word</B>: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me" (6:3). 278 will I condemn you</b>, I who perhaps you feared would condemn you,
274 <p>1287 Then when he says, <B>your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day</B>, he gives his answer to the first question asked by the Jews: "Are you greater than our father Abraham?" He shows that he is greater for the following reason: Whoever awaits for someone as for his good and perfection is less than the one he waits for; but Abraham placed the entire hope of his perfection and good in me; therefore, he is less than I. In regard to this he says, your father Abraham, in whom you glory, rejoiced that the was to see my day; he saw it and was glad. He is stating two visions and two joys, but the second vision and its joy is mentioned first. In the first part of the statement, he first mentions the joy of exultation when he says, Abraham rejoiced, and then adds the vision, saying that he was to see my day. Then in the second part he first mentions the vision, saying, he saw, my day, and adds the joy, and was glad. Thus [taking the statement in reverse order] a joy lies between two visions, proceeding from the one and tending to the other. He is saying in effect: "He saw my day, and rejoiced that he was to see my day." 279 because you saw that I was without sin. This should not surprise us
275 <P>First of all, let us examine what that day is which he saw, and also what that day is which he rejoiced that he was to see. Now the day of Christ is twofold: the day of eternity, "Today I have begotten you" (Ps 2:7); and the day of his incarnation and humanity, "I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day" (9:4). We say that Abraham saw, by faith, each day of Christ: the day of eternity and the day of the incarnation: "He believed the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6). It is clear that he saw the day of eternity, for otherwise he would not have been justified by God, because as it says in Hebrews (11:6): "Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who see him." That he saw the day of the incarnation is clear from three things. First, from the oath he exacted from his servant. For he said to his servant: "Put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord" (Gen 24:2). This signified, as Augustine says, that the God of heaven was to come out of his thigh. Secondly, as Gregory says, when he showed hospitality to the three angels, a symbol of the Most High Trinity. Thirdly, when he knew the passion of Christ as prefigured in the offering of the ram and of Isaac (Gen c 22). So he was glad over this vision [of faith], but he did not rest in it. Indeed, from it he rejoiced in another vision, namely, the direct face-to-face vision [of God], as though placing all his joy in this. Thus he says, Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day, - the day of my divinity and of my human nature - that is, that he was to see it by direct face-to-face vision. 280 for "God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world,
276 <p>1288 Then (v 57), he shows how the Jews ridiculed Christ's words: first, we have their ridicule, in an attempt to belittle what Christ said; secondly, Christ clarifies what he said in order to counteract this ridicule (v 58). 281 but that the world might be saved through him" (3:17); "I do not
277 <p>1289 Because Christ had said that Abraham rejoiced that he was to see his day, the Jews, having a carnal mind and considering only his physical age, ridiculed him and said, <B>you are not yet fifty years old</B>. Indeed, he was not yet fifty years old, or even forty, but closer to thirty: "And Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age" (Lk 3:23). The Jews said, you are not yet fifty years old, probably because they held the year of Jubilee in the greatest reverence and computed everything in terms of it - it was a time for freeing captives and giving up certain possessions. They were saying in effect: You have not yet lived beyond the span of a Jubilee, and have you seen Abraham? However, our Lord did not say that he saw Abraham, but that Abraham saw his day. 282 desire the death of the sinner" (Ez 18:23). And he forgave her sin
278 <p>1290 To counteract their ridicule, our Lord answers the Jews by explaining his words, saying, <B>Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am.</B> These words of our Lord mention two things about himself that are noteworthy and efficacious against the Arians. One is that, as Gregory says, he combines words of present and past time, because before signifies the past, and am signifies the present. Therefore, in order to show that he is eternal, and to indicate that his existence is an eternal existence, he does not say, "before Abraham, I was," but before Abraham, I am. For eternal existence knows neither past nor future time, but embraces all time in one indivisible [instant]. Thus it could be said: "He who is, sent me to you," and "I am who am" [Ex 3:14]. Jesus had being both before Abraham and after him, and he could approach him by showing himself in the present and be after him in the course of time. 283 without imposing any penance on her because since he made her
279 <P>The other point, according to Augustine, is that when speaking of Abraham, a creature, he did not say, "before Abraham was," but before Abraham came to be. Yet when speaking of himself, in order to show that he was not made as a creature is, but was eternally begotten from the essence of the Father, he does not say, "I came to be," but I am he who "in the beginning was the Word" (1:1); "Before the hills, I was brought forth" (Prv 8:25). 284 inwardly just by outwardly forgiving her, he was well able to
280 <p>1291 Then (v 59), we see the attitude of the Jews towards Christ: first, their harassment of him; secondly, Christ's escape. The harassment of the Jews came from their unbelief: for the minds of unbelievers, being unable to tolerate words of eternity, or understand them, regard them as blasphemy. <B>Therefore,</B> according to the command of the Law, they decided to stone Christ as a blasphemer: <B>they took up stones to throw at him.</B> As Augustine remarks: What hardness of heart! To what could it resort except the hardness of stones? And they act in the same way who from the hardness of their own hearts, failing to understand the clearly stated truth, blaspheme the one who speaks it; for we read: "These men revile whatever they do not understand" (Jude 10). 285 change her so much within by sufficient sorrow for her sins that
281 <p>1292 Jesus escapes from them by his own power; he continues, <B>but Jesus hid himself</B> - he, who, if he had wished to exercise his divine power, could have bound and delivered them to the punishment of a sudden death. Jesus hid himself for two main reasons. First, as an example to his followers to avoid those who persecute them: "When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next" (Mt 10:23). Secondly, because he had not chosen this form of death, but rather wanted to be sacrificed on the altar of the cross. He also fled because his time had not yet come. Thus, as man, he avoids their stoning. But he did not conceal himself under a rock or in a corner, but made himself invisible by his divine power and left the temple. He acted in a similar way when they wanted to throw him from the top of a hill (Lk 4:29). As Gregory says, this leads us to understand that the truth is hidden from those who disdain to follow his words. Indeed, the truth shuns a mind that it does not find to be humble: "The Lord is hiding his face from the house of Jacob" (Is 8:17). Finally, he hid himself because it was fitting that he leave them because they refused to accept correction and the truth, and that he go to the Gentiles: "Behold your house is forsaken and desolate" (Mt 23:38). 286 she would be made free from any penance. This should not be taken
282 </body></html> 287 as a precedent for anyone to forgive another without confession and
288 the assigning of a penance on the ground of Christ's example, for
289 Christ has power over the sacraments, and could confer the effect
290 without the sacrament. No mere man can do this.</p>
291 <p>1139 Finally, Jesus cautions her when he says, <b>Go, and do not
292 sin again.</b> There were two things in that woman: her nature and
293 her sin. Our Lord could have condemned both. For example, he could
294 have condemned her nature if he had ordered them to stone her, and
295 he could have condemned her sin if he had not forgiven her. He was
296 also able to absolve each. For example, if he had given her license
297 to sin, saying: "Go, live as you wish, and put your hope in my
298 freeing you. No matter how much you sin, I will free you even from
299 Gehenna and from the tortures of hell." But our Lord does not love
300 sin, and does not favor wrongdoing, and so he condemned her sin but
301 not her nature, saying, Go, and do not sin again. We see here how
302 kind our Lord is because of his gentleness, and how just he is
303 because of his truth.<br />
304 <br />
305 <br /></p>
306 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 2</b></p>
307 <blockquote>
308 <p>12 Again Jesus spoke to them saying: "I am the light of the
309 world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but he will
310 have the light of life." 13 The Pharisees then said to him, "You
311 are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not true. 14
312 Jesus replied: "Even though I bear witness concerning myself, my
313 testimony is true, because I know where I come from and where I am
314 going. But you do not know where I come from, or where I am going.
315 15 You judge according to the flesh. I do not judge anyone. 16 And
316 if I do judge, my judgment is true because I am not alone; but
317 there is me and the Father who sent me. 17 And it is written in
318 your Law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 It is I who bear
319 witness to myself, and the Father who sent me who bears witness
320 concerning me." 19 They therefore said to him, "Where is your
321 Father?" Jesus replied, "You know neither me nor my Father. If you
322 did know me, you might also know my Father." 20 Jesus spoke these
323 words in the treasury where he was teaching in the temple; and no
324 one arrested him because his hour had not yet come.</p>
325 </blockquote>
326 <p>1140 The Evangelist has presented Christ as teaching; now he
327 shows, first, the power which this teaching has to give light, and
328 secondly, what Christ himself said about it (v 13). With respect to
329 the first he does three things: first, he states Christ's
330 prerogative concerning spiritual light; secondly, the effect of
331 this prerogative, Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness; and
332 thirdly, its fruit, but he will have the light of life.</p>
333 <p>1141 He says, concerning the prerogative of Christ, who is the
334 light, to the spiritual light, <b>Again Jesus spoke to them saying:
335 I am the light of the world.</b> We can relate this statement with
336 what went before in this way. Christ had said, when forgiving the
337 woman's sin, "Nor will I condemn you." And so they would have no
338 doubt that he could forgive and pardon sins, he saw fit to show the
339 power of his divinity more openly by saying that he is the light
340 which drives away the darkness of sin. Or, we could connect this
341 statement with what the Pharisees said before (7:52): "Look at the
342 Scriptures and see that the Prophet will not come from Galilee."
343 For they thought of him as a Galilean and linked to a definite
344 place, and so they rejected his teaching. So our Lord shows them
345 that he is in the universal light of the entire world, saying, I am
346 the light of the world, not just of Galilee, or of Palestine, or of
347 Judea.</p>
348 <p>1142 The Manicheans, as Augustine relates, misunderstood this:
349 for since they judged by their imagination, which does not rise to
350 intellectual and spiritual realities, they believed that nothing
351 but bodies existed. Thus they said that God was a body; and a
352 certain infinite light. Further, they thought that the sun that we
353 see with our physical eyes was Christ the Lord. And that is why,
354 according to them, Christ said, I am the light of the world. But
355 this cannot hold up, and the Catholic Church rejects such a
356 fiction. For this physical sun is a light which can be perceived by
357 sense. Consequently, it is not the highest light, which intellect
358 alone grasps, and which is the intelligible light characteristic of
359 the rational creature. Christ says about this light here: I am the
360 light of the world. And above we read: "He was the true light,
361 which enlightens every man coming into this world" (1:9). Sense
362 perceptible light, however, is a certain image of spiritual light,
363 for every sensible thing is something particular, whereas
364 intellectual things are a kind of whole. Just as particular light
365 has an effect on the thing seen, inasmuch as it makes colors
366 actually visible, as well as on the one seeing, because through it
367 the eye is conditioned for seeing, so intellectual light makes the
368 intellect to know because whatever light is in the rational
369 creature is all derived from that supreme light "which enlightens
370 every man coming into the world." Furthermore, it makes all things
371 to be actually intelligible inasmuch as all forms are derived from
372 it, forms which give things the capability of being known, just as
373 all the forms of artifacts are derived from the art and reason on
374 the artisan: "How magnificent are your works, O Lord! You have made
375 all things in wisdom" (Ps 103:24). Thus Christ truly says here: I
376 am the light of the world; not the sun which was made, but the one
377 who made the sun. Yet as Augustine says, the Light which made the
378 sun was himself made under the sun and covered with a cloud of
379 flesh, not in order to hide but to be moderated [to our
380 weakness].</p>
381 <p>1143 This also eliminates the heresy of Nestorius, who said that
382 the Son of God was united to human nature by a mere indwelling. For
383 it is obvious that the one who said, I am the light of the world,
384 was a human being. Therefore, unless the one who spoke and appeared
385 as a human being was also the person of the Son of God, he could
386 not have said, I am the light of the world, but "The light of the
387 world dwells in me."</p>
388 <p>1144 The effect of this light is to expel darkness; and so he
389 says, <b>Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.</b> Because
390 this light is universal, it universally expels all darkness. Now
391 there are three kinds of darkness. There is the darkness of
392 ignorance: "The have neither known nor understood; they walk in
393 darkness" (Ps 81:5); and this is the darkness reason has of itself,
394 insofar as it is darkened of itself. There is the darkness of sin:
395 "You were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord"
396 (Eph 5:8). This darkness belongs to human reason not of itself, but
397 from the affections which, by being badly disposed by passion or
398 habit, seek something as good that is not really good. Further,
399 there is the darkness of eternal damnation: "Cast the unprofitable
400 servant into the exterior darkness" (Mt 25:30). The first two kinds
401 of darkness are found in this life; but the third is at the end of
402 life. Thus, Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness: the
403 darkness of ignorance, because I am the truth; nor the darkness of
404 sin, because I am the way; nor the darkness of eternal damnation,
405 because I am the life.</p>
406 <p>1145 He next adds the fruit of his teaching, <b>but he will have
407 the light of life</b>, for one who has the light is outside the
408 darkness of damnation. He says, Whoever follows me, because just as
409 one who does not want to stumble in the dark has to follow the one
410 who is carrying the light, so one who wants to be saved must, by
411 believing and loving, follow Christ, who is the light. This is the
412 way the apostles followed him (Mt 4). Because physical light can
413 fail because it sets, it happens that one who follows it meets with
414 darkness. But the light we are talking about here does not set and
415 never fails; consequently, one who follows it has an unfailing
416 light, that is, an unfailing light of life. For the light that is
417 visible does not give life, but gives us an external aid because we
418 live insofar as we have understanding, and this is a certain
419 participation in this light. And when this light completely shines
420 upon us we will then have perfect life: "With you is the fountain
421 of life, and in your light we will see the light" (Ps 35:10). This
422 is the same as saying: We will have perfectly or completely when we
423 see this light as it is. Thus we read further on: "This is eternal
424 life: that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom
425 you have sent" (17:3).</p>
426 <p>Note that the phrase, <b>whoever follows me</b>, pertains to our
427 merits; while the statement, <b>he will have the light of life</b>,
428 pertains to our reward.</p>
429 <p>1146 The Evangelist mentions three things that Jesus says about
430 himself. First, I am the light of the world; secondly, I am going
431 away (v 21); and thirdly, if any one keeps my word, he will not see
432 death forever (v 51).</p>
433 <p>The first thing he said was, <b>I am the light of the world</b>;
434 and this troubled the Jews. So first, he shows their opposition;
435 secondly, how Jesus proved that they were wrong by showing what he
436 said was true (v 14).</p>
437 <p>1147 With respect to the first, it is obvious that what Jesus
438 said in the temple, he said in the presence of the people. But now
439 he is speaking before the Pharisees, and so they said to him:
440 <b>You are bearing witness to yourself; your testimony is not
441 true.</b> They were saying in effect: Because you are bearing
442 witness to yourself, your testimony is not true.</p>
443 <p>Now in human affairs it is neither acceptable nor fitting that a
444 person praise himself: "Let another praise you, and not your own
445 mouth" (Prv 27:2), because self-praise does not make a person
446 commendable, but being commended by God does: "It is not he who
447 commends himself who is approved, but he whom God commends" (2 Cor
448 10:18), because only God perfectly knows a person. But no one can
449 really sufficiently commend God except God himself; and so it is
450 fitting that he bear witness to himself, and also to men: "My
451 witness is in heaven" (Jb 16:20). Thus the opinion of the Jews was
452 mistaken.</p>
453 <p>1148 Next (v 14), our Lord rejects their opposition: first, by
454 the authority of his Father; secondly, by answering their
455 rejection, which arose concerning his Father (v 19). The opposition
456 of the Jews arose from a certain conclusion which they drew: and so
457 the first he shows that their conclusion is not true; secondly, he
458 proves that his own testimony is true (v 1b). He does two things
459 concerning the first: first, he shows that their conclusion is
460 false; secondly, he adds the reason for their error (v 14b).</p>
461 <p>1149 Their conclusion was that the testimony of Christ was not
462 true, because he bore witness to himself. But our Lord says the
463 opposite, namely, that because of this it is true. Jesus replied:
464 <b>Even though I bear witness concerning myself, my testimony is
465 true; and it is true because I know where I come from and where I
466 am going.</b> It is like saying, according to Chrysostom, my
467 testimony is true because I am from God, and because I am God, and
468 because I am the Son of God: "God is truthful" (Rom 3:4).</p>
469 <p>He says, <b>I know where I come from</b>, that is, my origin,
470 <b>and where I am going</b>, that is to the Father, whom no one but
471 the Son can know perfectly: "No one knows the Father except the
472 Son, and he to whom Son wishes to reveal him" (Mt 11:27). This does
473 not imply that anyone who knows, by love and understanding, where
474 he comes from and where he is going can speak only the truth, for
475 we all come from God and are going to God. But God is truth: how
476 much more, then, does the Son of God speak the truth, he who knows
477 perfectly where he comes from and where he is going!</p>
478 <p>1150 Then when he says, <b>But you do not know where I come from
479 or where I am going</b>, he shows the reason for their error, which
480 was their ignorance of the divinity of Christ. For it was because
481 they did not know this that they judged him according to his human
482 nature. Thus, there were two reasons for their error. One, because
483 they did not know his divinity; the other, because they judged him
484 only by his human nature. And so he says, with respect to the
485 first, you do no know where I come from, that is, my eternal
486 procession from the Father, or where I am going, "The one who sent
487 me is truthful. Whatever I have heard from him, this I declare to
488 the world" (8:26); "From where, then, does wisdom come?" (Jb
489 28:20); "Who will state his origin?" (Is 53:8).</p>
490 <p>As for the second reason for their error, he says, <b>you judge
491 according to the flesh</b>, that is, you judge me thinking that I
492 am merely flesh and not God. Or, we could say, according to the
493 flesh, that is, wickedly and unjustly. For just as to live
494 according to the flesh is to live wickedly, so to judge according
495 to the flesh is to judge unjustly.</p>
496 <p>1151 Then (v 15b), he shows that his testimony is true, and that
497 it is false to say that he alone is bearing witness to himself.
498 Because mention was now made about judging, he shows, first, that
499 he is not alone in judging; and secondly, that he is not alone in
500 bearing witness (v 17). He does three things about the first:
501 first, he says that his judgment is deferred; secondly, that his
502 judgment is true; and thirdly, he gives the reason why his judgment
503 is true.</p>
504 <p>1152 He mentions that his judgment is deferred when he says,
505 <b>I do not judge anyone.</b> He is saying in effect: You judge
506 wickedly, but I do not judge anyone: "God did not send his Son into
507 the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved
508 through him" (3:17). Or, we could say, I do not judge anyone,
509 according to the flesh, as you judge: "He will not judge by the
510 sight of his eyes, or reprove by what his ears hear" (Is 11:3).</p>
511 <p>1153 Yet, I will judge at some time, because "The Father has
512 given all judgment to the Son" (5:22). And then, my judgment is
513 true, that is, just: "He will judge the people with justice" (Ps
514 95:10); "We know that the judgment of God is according to the
515 truth" (Rom 2:2). This shows that his judgment is true.</p>
516 <p>1154 He gives the reason for its truth when he says, <b>because
517 I am not alone</b>. What Christ said before, "The Father himself
518 judges no one" (5:22), should be understood to refer to the Father
519 in isolation from the Son. Or, again, he said this because the
520 Father will not appear visibly to all at the judgment. Thus he
521 says, I am not alone, because he is not left alone by the Father,
522 but is with him: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me"
523 (14:10).</p>
524 <p>This statement rejects the error of Sabellius, who said that the
525 Father and the Son were the same person, the only difference
526 between them being in their names. But if this were true, Christ
527 would not have said: I am not alone; but there is me and the Father
528 who sent me. He would rather have said: "I am the Father, and I am
529 the Son." We should, therefore, distinguish between the persons,
530 and realize that the Son is not the Father.</p>
531 <p>1155 Then (v 17), He shows that he is not alone in bearing
532 witness. He does not defer bearing witness, as he does his judging.
533 Thus he does not say, "I do not bear witness." First, he mentions
534 the Law; secondly, he gives his conclusion (v 18).</p>
535 <p>1156 He says, <b>And it is written in your Law</b>, the Law
536 which was given to you - "Moses imposed a law"- (Sir 24:33),
537 <b>that the testimony of two men is true</b>; for it is written in
538 Deuteronomy (19:15): "By the mouth of the two or three witnesses
539 the issue will be settled."</p>
540 <p>According to Augustine the statement that the testimony of two
541 men is true, involves a great difficulty. For it could happen that
542 both of them would be lying. Indeed, the chaste Susanna was
543 harassed by two false witnesses (Dn 13), and all the people lied
544 about Christ. I answer that statement, the testimony of two men is
545 true, means that such testimony should be regarded as true when
546 giving a verdict. The reason for this is that true certitude cannot
547 be obtained when human acts are in question, and so in its place
548 one takes what can be considered the more certain, that is, what is
549 said by a number of witnesses: for it is more probable that one
550 person might lie than many: "A threefold cord is not easily broken"
551 (Eccl 4:12).</p>
552 <p>When we read, "By the mouth of two or three witnesses the issue
553 will be settled" (Dt 19:15), we are lead, as Augustine says, to a
554 consideration of the Trinity, in which truth is permanently
555 established, from which all truths are derived. It says, "of two or
556 three," because in Sacred Scripture sometimes three Persons are
557 enumerated and at other times two persons, in which is implied the
558 Holy Spirit, who is the bond of the other two.</p>
559 <p>1157 If, therefore, the testimony of two or three is true, my
560 testimony is true, because It is I who bear witness to myself and
561 the Father who sent me who bears witness concerning me: "I have
562 testimony that is greater than that of John" (5:36).</p>
563 <p>But this does not seem to be to the point. First, because the
564 Father of the Son of God is not a man, while Christ says, the
565 testimony of two men is true. Secondly, because there are two
566 witnesses to someone when they are testifying about a third person;
567 but if one testifies to one of the two, there are not two
568 witnesses. Thus, since Christ is testifying about himself, and the
569 Father is also testifying about Christ, it does not seem that there
570 are two witnesses. To answer this we must say that Christ is here
571 arguing from the lesser to the greater. For it is clear that the
572 truth of God is greater than the truth of a man. So, therefore, if
573 they believe in the testimony of men, then they should believe the
574 testimony of God much more. "If you receive the testimony of men,
575 the testimony of God is greater" (1 Jn 5:9). In addition, he says
576 this to show that he is consubstantial with the Father, and does
577 not need outside testimony, as Chrysostom says.</p>
578 <p>1158 Next (v 19), we see the question arising about Christ's
579 Father. First, the Evangelist mentions the question asked by the
580 Jews; then Christ's answer; and thirdly, he intimates the security
581 of Christ.</p>
582 <p>1159 The question which the Jews had for Christ was about his
583 Father, where his Father was. <b>They said to him: Where is your
584 Father?</b> for they thought that the Father of Christ was a man,
585 just like their own fathers. Because they heard him say, "I am not
586 alone; but there is me and the Father who sent me," and since they
587 saw that he was now alone, they asked him, Where is your
588 Father?</p>
589 <p>Or, we could say that they were here speaking with a certain
590 irony and contempt, saying in effect: "Why do you speak to us so
591 often about your Father? Is he so great that his testimony should
592 be believed?" For they were thinking of Joseph, who was an unknown,
593 and a person of low status; and they were ignorant of the Father:
594 "So the Gentiles will not say: 'Where is their God'" (Ps
595 113:2).</p>
596 <p>1160 Christ's answer is mysterious: <b>You know neither me nor
597 my Father.</b> Christ does not reveal the truth to them because
598 they were questioning him not because they desired to learn, but in
599 order to belittle him. Rather, he first shows them knowledge of the
600 truth. He shows them their ignorance when he says, you know neither
601 me. He is saying: You should not be asking about my Father, because
602 you do not know me. For since you regard me as a man, you are
603 asking about my Father as though he were a man. But because you do
604 not know me, neither can you know my Father.</p>
605 <p>1161 This seems to conflict with what he said above: "You do
606 indeed know me, and you know where I come from" (7:27). The answer
607 to this is that they did know him according to his humanity, but
608 not according to his divinity.</p>
609 <p>We should note, according to Origen, that some have
610 misunderstood this, and they said that the Father of Christ was not
611 the God of the Old Testament: for the Jews knew the God of the Old
612 Testament, according to "God is known in Judea" (Ps 75:1). There
613 are four answers to this. First, our Lord says that the Jews did
614 not know his Father because insofar as they do not keep his
615 commandments they are acting like those who do not know him. This
616 answer refers to their conduct. Secondly, they are said not to know
617 God because they did not cling to him spiritually by love: for one
618 who knows something adheres to it. Thirdly, because although they
619 did know him through faith, they did not have a full knowledge of
620 him: "No one has ever seen God; it is the Only Begotten Son, who is
621 in the bosom of the Father, who has made him known" (1:18).
622 Fourthly, because in the Old Testament the Father was known under
623 the aspect of God Almighty: "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to
624 Jacob as God Almighty, but my name, Lord, I did not show them" (Ex
625 6:3), that is, under the aspect of Father. Thus, although they knew
626 him as God Almighty, they did not know him as the Father of a
627 consubstantial Son.</p>
628 <p>1162 Christ says that he is the way to arrive at a knowledge of
629 the Father, <b>If you did know me</b>. He is saying in effect:
630 Because I speak of my Father, who is hidden, it is first necessary
631 that you know me, <b>and then you might also know my Father.</b>
632 For the Son is the way to the knowledge of the Father: "If you had
633 known me, you would have also known my Father" (14:7). As Augustine
634 says, what does If you did know me mean, except, "I and the Father
635 are one" (10:30). It is customary when you see someone who is like
636 someone else to say: "If you have seen one, you have seen the
637 other"; not that the Son is the Father, but he is like the
638 Father.</p>
639 <p>He says, <b>you might</b>, not to indicate a doubt, but as a
640 rebuke. It would be like being irritated with your servant and
641 saying to him: "Have you no respect for me? Just remember that I
642 might be your master."</p>
643 <p>1163 The Evangelist shows the security with which Christ
644 answered when he says, <b>Jesus spoke these words in the
645 treasury.</b> We see the first from the place where he taught, that
646 is, in the treasury (<i>gazophylacium</i>) and in the temple. For
647 <i>gaza</i> is the Persian word for "riches," and <i>philaxe</i>
648 for "keep." Thus gazophylacium is the word used in Sacred Scripture
649 for the chest in which riches are kept. It is used in this sense in
650 2 Kings (12:9): "And Jehoiada the priest took a chest
651 (<i>gazophylacium</i>) and bored a hole in its top, and put it by
652 the altar, to the right of those coming into the house of the Lord.
653 And the priests who kept the doors put into it all the money that
654 was brought to the temple of the Lord." Sometimes, however, it was
655 used to indicate the building where riches were kept; and this is
656 the way it was used here.</p>
657 <p>We can also see Christ's security from the fact that those who
658 had been sent to arrest him could not do so, because he was not
659 willing. Thus the Evangelist says, and no one arrested him because
660 his hour had not yet come, that is, the time for him to suffer, an
661 hour not fixed by fate, but predetermined from all eternity by his
662 own will. Thus Augustine says: "His hour had not yet come, not in
663 which he would be forced to die, but in which he would not refuse
664 being killed."</p>
665 <p>1164 We may note, according to Origen, that whenever the place
666 where our Lord did something is mentioned, this is done because of
667 some mystery. Thus Christ taught in the treasury, the place where
668 riches were kept, to signify that the coins, that is, the words of
669 his teaching, are impressed with the image of the great King.</p>
670 <p>Note also that when Christ was teaching, no one arrested him,
671 because his words were stronger than those who wanted to seize him;
672 but when he willed to be crucified, then he became silent.<br />
673 <br />
674 <br /></p>
675 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 3</b></p>
676 <blockquote>
677 <p>21 Again he said to them: "I am going away; and you will seek
678 me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot
679 come." 22 (So the Jews wondered, "Will he kill himself, since he
680 says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" 23 To them he said:
681 "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am
682 not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in
683 your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in
684 your sin." 25 Then they ask him, "Who are you?" Jesus replied: "The
685 source (beginning) who is also speaking to you. 26 I have much to
686 say about you and much to judge. But the one who sent me is
687 truthful. Whatever I have heard from him, this I declare to the
688 world." 27 (And they did not realize that he was calling God his
689 Father.) 28 So Jesus said to them: "When you have lifted up the Son
690 of Man, then you will understand that I AM, and that I do nothing
691 of myself; but as the Father taught me, so I speak. 29 He who sent
692 me is with me; he has not deserted me, because I always do what is
693 pleasing to him." 30 Because he spoke in this way, many came to
694 believe in him.</p>
695 </blockquote>
696 <p>1165 After our Lord showed his special position with respect to
697 light, he here reveals the effect of this light, that is, that it
698 frees us from darkness. First, he shows that the Jews are
699 imprisoned in darkness; secondly he teaches the remedy which can
700 free them (v 22). He does three things concerning the first: first,
701 our Lord tells them he is going to leave; secondly, he reveals the
702 perverse plans of the Jews, and thirdly, he mentions what they will
703 be deprived of.</p>
704 <p>1166 Our Lord says that he is going to leave them by his death,
705 <b>I am going away.</b> We can see two things from this. First,
706 that he is going to die voluntarily, that is, as going, and not as
707 one led by someone else: "I am going to him who sent me" (16:5);
708 "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself"
709 (10:18). And so this appropriately follows what went before: for he
710 had said, "and no one arrested him" (8:20). Why? Because he is
711 going willingly, on his own.</p>
712 <p>Secondly, we can see that the death of Christ was a journey to
713 that place from which he had come, and which he had not left, for
714 just as one who walks heads toward what is ahead, so Christ, by his
715 death, reached the glory of exaltation: "He became obedient unto
716 death, even the death of the cross. Because of this God exalted
717 him" (Phil 2:8); "Jesus&hellip;knowing that he came from God, and
718 is going to God" (13:3).</p>
719 <p>1167 We see their sinful plans by their deceitful search for
720 Christ; he says, <b>you will seek me</b>. Some look for Christ in a
721 devout way through charity, and such a search results in life:
722 "Seek the Lord, and your soul will live" (Ps 68:7). But they
723 wickedly searched for him out of hatred, to persecute him: "The who
724 sought my soul used violence" (Ps 37:13). He says, you will seek
725 me, by attacking me after my death with your accusations: "We
726 remembered that while still living the seducer said: 'After three
727 days I will rise'" (Mt. 27:63). And they will also seek out my
728 members: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me" (Acts 9:4).</p>
729 <p>1168 This will be followed by their death, and so he adds what
730 they will be deprived of, foretelling to them, <b>and you will die
731 in your sin.</b> First, he foretells that deprivation which
732 consists in the condemnation of death; secondly, that deprivation
733 which consists in their exclusion from glory, Where I am going, you
734 cannot come.</p>
735 <p>1169 He is saying: Because you will wickedly search for me, you
736 will die while continuing in your sin. We can understand this in
737 one way as applying to physical death: and then one dies in his
738 sins who keeps on sinning up to the time of his death. And so in
739 saying, you will die in your sin, he emphasizes their obstinacy:
740 "There is no one who does penance for his sin, saying: 'What have I
741 done?'" (Jer 8:6); "They went down to the lower regions with their
742 weapons" as we read in Ezekiel (32:2).</p>
743 <p>In another way, we can understand this as applying to the death
744 of sin, about which the Psalm says, "The death of sinners is the
745 worst" (Ps 33:22). And just as a physical weakness precedes
746 physical death, so a certain weakness precedes this kind of death.
747 For as long as sin can be remedied, it is a kind of weakness which
748 precedes death: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak" (Ps 6:3).
749 But when sin can no longer be remedied, either absolutely, as after
750 this life, or because of the very nature of the sin, as a sin
751 against the Holy Spirit, it then causes death: "There is a sin that
752 leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that" (1 Jn
753 5:16). And according to this, our Lord is foretelling them that the
754 weakness of their sins results in death.</p>
755 <p>1170 He shows the deprivation which consists in their exclusion
756 from glory when he says, <b>Where I am going, you cannot come.</b>
757 Our Lord goes by death, and so also do they. But our Lord goes
758 without sin, while they go with their sins, because they are dying
759 in their sin, and so do not come to the glory of the vision of the
760 Father. So he says, Where I am going, willingly, by my passion, to
761 the Father and to his glory, you cannot come, because you do not
762 want to. For if they had wanted to and had not been able to do so,
763 it could not have reasonably been said to them, "You will die in
764 your sin."</p>
765 <p>1171 Note that one can be hindered from going where Christ goes
766 in two ways. One way is by reason of some contrary factor, and this
767 is the way that sinners are hindered. This is what he is speaking
768 of here; and so to those who are absolutely continuing in their sin
769 he says, Where I am going, you cannot come. "He who is proud will
770 not live in my house" (Ps 100:7); "It will be called a holy way,
771 and the unclean will not pass over it" (Is 35:8); "Who will dwell
772 in your tent?&hellip; He who walks without blame" (Ps 14:1).</p>
773 <p>One is hindered another way by reason of some imperfection or
774 indisposition. This is the way the just are hindered as long as
775 they live in the body: "While we are in the body, we are absent
776 from the Lord" (2 Cor 5:6). To persons such as these our Lord does
777 not say absolutely, Where I am going, you cannot come, but he adds
778 a qualification as to the time: "Where I am going, you cannot
779 follow me now" (13:36).</p>
780 <p>1172 Then (v 22), he treats of the remedy which can set them
781 free from the darkness. First, he gives the remedy for escaping the
782 darkness; secondly, he shows the efficacy of the remedy (v 31).
783 Concerning the first, he does three things: first, he indicates
784 what is the unique remedy for escaping the darkness; secondly, he
785 states the reasons why they should ask for this remedy (v 25); and
786 thirdly, we see Christ foretelling the means of obtaining it (v
787 28). As for the first, he does two things: first, he gives the
788 circumstances for Christ's words; and secondly, the reason why
789 Christ can propose the remedy (v 23).</p>
790 <p>1173 The circumstances surrounding Christ's words was the
791 perverse understanding of the Jews. For since they were carnal,
792 they understood what Christ said, "Where I am going, you cannot
793 come," in a carnal way: "The sensual man does not perceive those
794 things that pertain to the Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:14). Thus the
795 Jews said, Will he kill himself? As Augustine says, this is indeed
796 a foolish notion. For if Christ was going to kill himself, couldn't
797 they go where he was going? For they could kill themselves also.
798 Thus, death was not the term of Christ's going: it was the way he
799 was going to the Father. Accordingly, he did not say that they
800 could not go to death but that they could not go through death to
801 the place where Christ, through his death, would be exalted, that
802 is, at the right hand of God. According to Origen, however, perhaps
803 the Jews did have a reason why they said this. For they had learned
804 from their traditions that Christ would die willingly, as he
805 himself said: "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of
806 myself'" (10:18). They seem to have especially gathered this from
807 Isaiah (53:12): "I will give him many things, and he will divide
808 the spoils of the strong, because he delivered himself to death."
809 And so because they suspected that Jesus was the Christ, when he
810 said, "Where I am going you cannot come," they understood it
811 according to this opinion that he would willingly deliver himself
812 to death. But they interpreted this in an insulting way, saying,
813 Will he kill himself? Otherwise [if they were not speaking
814 contemptuously] they would have said: "Is his soul going to depart,
815 leaving his body when he wishes? We are unable to do this, and this
816 is the reason for his saying, 'Where I am going, you cannot
817 come'."</p>
818 <p>1174 Then (v 23), he proposes the remedy for escaping from the
819 darkness. First, he mentions his own origin, and then theirs;
820 secondly, he concludes to his point (v 24).</p>
821 <p>1175 With respect to the first, he distinguishes his own origin
822 from theirs in two ways. First, because he is from above, and they
823 are from below. Secondly, because they are of this world, and
824 Christ is not. As Origen says, to be from below is not the same as
825 to be of this world, for "above" and "below" refer to differences
826 in place. Thus, so that they do not understand the statement that
827 he is from above as meaning that he is from a part of the world
828 which is above, he excludes this by saying that he is not of this
829 world. He is saying in effect: I am from above, but in such a way
830 that I am entirely above the entire world.</p>
831 <p>1176 It is clear that they are of this world and from below. But
832 we have to understand correctly how Christ is from above and not of
833 this world. For some who thought that all visible created realities
834 were from the devil, as the Manicheans taught, said that Christ was
835 not of this world even with respect to his body, but from some
836 other created world, an invisible world. Valentine also incorrectly
837 interpreted this statement, and said that Christ assumed a heavenly
838 body. But it is obvious that this is not the true interpretation,
839 since our Lord said to his apostles: "You are not of this world"
840 (15:19).</p>
841 <p>We must say, therefore, that this passage can be understood of
842 Christ as the Son of God, and of Christ as human. Christ, as Son of
843 God, is from above: "I came forth from the Father, and have come
844 into the world" (16:28). Likewise, he is not of this sensible
845 world, that is, this world which is made up of sense perceptible
846 things, but he is of the intelligible world, because he is the very
847 Word of God, being the supreme Wisdom. For all things were made in
848 wisdom. Thus we read of him: "Through him the world was made"
849 (1:10).</p>
850 <p>Christ, as human, is from above, because he did not have any
851 affection for worldly and weak things, but rather for higher
852 realities, in which the soul of Christ was at home, as in "Our home
853 is in heaven" (Phil 3:20); "Where your treasure is, there is your
854 heart also" (Mt 6:21). On the other hand, those who are from below
855 have their origin from below, and are of this world because their
856 affections are turned to earthy things: "The first man was of the
857 earth, earthly" (1 Cor 15:47).</p>
858 <p>1177 Then (v 24), he concludes his point. First, he explains
859 what he said about their deprivation; secondly, he points out its
860 remedy (v 24b).</p>
861 <p>1178 We should note with respect to the first, that everything
862 in its development follows the condition of its origin. Thus, a
863 thing whose origin is from below naturally tends below if left to
864 itself. And nothing tends above unless its origin is from above:
865 "No one has gone up to heaven except the One who has come down from
866 heaven" (3:13). Thus our Lord is saying: This is the reason why you
867 cannot come where I am going, because since you are from below,
868 then so far as you yourself are concerned, you can only go down.
869 And so what I said is true, that you will die in your sins, unless
870 you adhere to me.</p>
871 <p>1179 Then, in order not to entirely exclude all hope for their
872 salvation, he proposes the remedy, saying, <b>For if you do not
873 believe that I am, you will die in your sin.</b> He is saying in
874 effect: You were born in original sin, from which you cannot be
875 absolved except by my faith: because, if you do not believe that I
876 am, you will die in your sin.</p>
877 <p>He says, <b>I am</b>, and not "what I am," to recall to them
878 what was said to Moses: "I am who am" (Ex 3:14), for existence
879 itself (ipsum esse) is proper to God. For in any other nature but
880 the divine nature, existence (esse) and what exists are not the
881 same: because any created nature participates its existence
882 (<i>esse</i>) from that which is being by its essence (<i>ens per
883 essentiam</i>), that is, from God, who is his own existence
884 (<i>ipsum suum esse</i>), so that his existence (<i>suum esse</i>)
885 is his essence (<i>qua essentia</i>). Thus, this designates only
886 God. And so he says, For if you do not believe that I am, that is,
887 that I am truly God, who has existence by his essence, you will die
888 in your sin.</p>
889 <p>He says, <i>that I am</i>, to show his eternity. For in all
890 things that begin, there is a certain mutability, and a potency to
891 nonexistence; thus we can discern in them a past and a future, and
892 so they do not have true existence of themselves. But in God there
893 is no potency to non-existence, nor has he begun to be. And thus he
894 is existence itself (<i>ipsum esse</i>), which is appropriately
895 indicated by the present tense.</p>
896 <p>1180 Next we are given the reasons that can lead them to
897 believe. First, we see the question asked by the Jews; secondly,
898 the answer of Christ (v 25b); and thirdly, the blindness of their
899 understanding (v 27).</p>
900 <p>1181 Since our Lord had said, "If you do not believe that I am"
901 it was left to them to ask who he was. And so they said to him, Who
902 are you? So that we may believe: "The poor man spoke" (Sir
903 13:29).</p>
904 <p>1182 When he says, <i>the source, who is also speaking to
905 you</i>, he gives an answer which can lead them to believe: first,
906 because of the sublimity of his nature; secondly, because of the
907 power he has to judge (v 26); and thirdly, because of the
908 truthfulness of his Father (v 26b).</p>
909 <p>1183 Indeed, the sublimity of Christ's nature can lead them to
910 believe in him, because he is the source (<i>principium</i>:
911 source, beginning, origin). In Latin the word for source,
912 <i>principium</i>, is neuter in gender, and so there is a question
913 whether it is used here in the nominative or accusative case. (In
914 Greek, it is feminine in gender and is used here in the accusative
915 case.) Thus, according to Augustine, we should not read this as "I
916 am the source," but rather as "Believe that I am the source," lest
917 you die in your sins.</p>
918 <p>The Father is also called the source or beginning. In one sense
919 the word "source" is common to the Father and the Son, insofar as
920 they are the one source of the Holy Spirit through a common
921 spiration. Again, the three Persons together are the source of
922 creatures through creation. In another way, the word "source" is
923 proper to the Father, insofar as the Father is the source of the
924 Son through an eternal generation. Yet, we do not speak of many
925 sources, just as we do not speak of many gods: "The source is with
926 you in the day of your power" (Ps 109:3). Here, however, our Lord
927 is saying that he is the source or beginning with regard to all
928 creatures: for whatever is such by essence is the source and the
929 cause of those things which are by participation. But, as was said,
930 his existence is an existence by his very essence.</p>
931 <p>Yet because Christ possesses not only the divine nature but a
932 human nature as well, he adds, <b>who is also speaking to you</b>.
933 Man cannot hear the voice of God directly, because as Augustine
934 says: "Weak hearts cannot hear the intelligible word without a
935 sensible voice." "What is man that he may hear the voice of the
936 Lord his God" (Ex c 20). So, in order for us to hear the divine
937 Word directly, the Word assumed flesh, and spoke to us with a mouth
938 of flesh. Thus he says, who is also speaking to you, that is, I,
939 who was humbled for your sakes, have come down to speak these
940 words: "In many and various ways God spoke to our fathers through
941 the prophets; in these days he has spoken to us in his Son" (Heb
942 1:1); "It is the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the
943 Father, who has made him known" (1:18).</p>
944 <p>1184 Chrysostom explains this a little differently, so that in
945 saying, the beginning, who is also speaking to you, our Lord is
946 reproving the Jews for their slowness to understand. For in spite
947 of the many signs which they had seen our Lord perform, they were
948 still impenetrable, and asked our Lord, "Who are you?" Our Lord
949 then answers: I am the beginning, that is, the one who has spoken
950 to you from the beginning. It is the same as saying: You should not
951 have to ask who I am, because it should be clear to you by now:
952 "For although you should be masters by this time, you have to be
953 taught again the first rudiments of the world of God" (Heb
954 5:12).</p>
955 <p>1185 Secondly, they can be led to believe in Christ by his
956 judicial authority; and so he says, <b>I have much to say about you
957 and much to judge</b>, which means in effect: I have authority to
958 judge you. Let us note that it is one thing to speak to us, and
959 another to speak about us. Christ speaks to us for our benefit,
960 that is, to draw us to himself; and he speaks to us this way while
961 we are living, by means of preaching, by inspiring us, and by
962 things like that. But Christ speaks about us, not for our benefit,
963 but for showing his justice, and he will speak about us this way at
964 the future judgment. And this is what is meant by, I have much to
965 say about you.</p>
966 <p>1186 This seems to conflict with what was said above: "God did
967 not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the
968 world might be saved through him" (3:17). I answer by saying that
969 it is one thing to judge, and another to have judgment. For to
970 judge implies the act of judging, and this does not belong to the
971 first coming of our Lord, as he said above: "I do not judge anyone"
972 (8:15), that is, at present. But to have judgment implies the power
973 to judge; and Christ does have this: "The Father has given all
974 judgment to the Son" (5:22); "It is he who was appointed by God to
975 be the judge of the living and of the dead" (Acts 10:42). And so he
976 says, explicitly, I have much to say about you and much to judge,
977 but at a future judgment.</p>
978 <p>1187 The truthfulness of the Father can also lead them to
979 believe in Christ, and as to this he says, <b>but the one who sent
980 me is truthful.</b> He is saying in effect: The Father is truthful;
981 but what I say is in agreement with him; therefore, you should
982 believe me. Thus he says, the one who sent me, that is, the Father,
983 is truthful, not by participation, but he is the very essence of
984 truth; otherwise, since the Son is truth itself, he would be
985 greater than the Father: "God is truthful" (Rom 3:4). Whatever I
986 have heard from him, what I have received, not by my human sense of
987 hearing, but by my eternal generation, this I declare: "What I have
988 heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have announced
989 to you" (Is 21:10); "The Son cannot do anything of himself"
990 (5:19).</p>
991 <p>1188 The statement, <b>the one who sent me is truthful</b>, can
992 be connected in two ways with what went before. One way is this: I
993 say that I have much to judge about you; but my judgment will be
994 true, because the one who sent me is truthful: "The judgment of God
995 is according to the truth" (Rom 2:2). The other way of relating
996 this to what went before is from Chrysostom, and is this: I say
997 that I have much to judge about you; but I am not doing so now, not
998 because I lack the power, but out of obedience to the will of the
999 Father. For the one who sent me is truthful: thus, since he
1000 promised a Savior and a Defender, he sent me this time as Savior.
1001 And since I only say what I have heard from him, I speak to you
1002 about life-giving things.</p>
1003 <p>1189 When he says, <b>And they did not realize that he was
1004 calling God his Father</b>, he reproves their slowness to
1005 understand: for they had not yet opened the eyes of their hearts by
1006 which they could understand the equality of the Father and the Son.
1007 The reason for this was because they were carnal: "The sensual man
1008 does not perceive those things that pertain to the Spirit of God"
1009 (1 Cor 2:14).</p>
1010 <p>1190 Here, for the first time, Christ foretells how they are to
1011 come to the faith, which is the remedy for death. He does two
1012 things: first: he shows what will lead them to the faith; and
1013 secondly, he teaches what must be believed about himself (v
1014 28).</p>
1015 <p>1191 He says, first, that they ought to come to the faith by
1016 means of his passion: <b>So Jesus said to them: When you have
1017 lifted up the Son of Man, then you will understand</b>. He is
1018 saying in effect: You do not know now that God is my Father, but
1019 when you have lifted up the Son of Man, that is, when you have
1020 nailed me to the wood of the cross, then you will understand, that
1021 is, some of you will understand by faith. "And I, if I am lifted up
1022 from the earth, will draw all things to myself" (12:32). And so, as
1023 Augustine says, he recalls the sufferings of his cross to give hope
1024 to sinners, so that no one will despair, no matter what his crime,
1025 or think that he is too evil, since the very people who crucified
1026 Christ are freed from their sins by Christ's blood. For there is no
1027 sinner so great that he cannot be freed by the blood of Christ.</p>
1028 <p>Chrysostom's explanation is this: When you have lifted up the
1029 Son of Man, on the cross, then you will understand, that is, you
1030 will be able to understand what I am, not only by the glory of my
1031 resurrection, but also by the punishment of your captivity and
1032 destruction.</p>
1033 <p>1192 With respect to the second, he teaches three things that
1034 must be believed about himself: first, the greatness or grandeur of
1035 his divinity; secondly, his origin from the Father; thirdly, his
1036 inseparability from the Father.</p>
1037 <p>He mentions the greatness of his divinity when he says, <b>that
1038 I am</b>, that is, that I have in me the nature of God, and that it
1039 is I who spoke to Moses, saying: "I am who am" (Ex 3:14). But
1040 because the entire Trinity pertains to existence itself, and so
1041 that we do not overlook the distinction between the Persons, he
1042 teaches that his origin from the Father must be believed, saying,
1043 <b>I do nothing of myself; but as the Father taught me, so I
1044 speak</b>. Because Jesus began both to do and to teach, he
1045 indicates his origin from the Father in these two respects. As
1046 regards those things he does, he says, I do nothing of myself: "The
1047 Son cannot do anything of himself" (5:19). And as regards what he
1048 teaches, he says, as the Father taught me, that is to say, he gave
1049 me knowledge by generating me as one who knows. Since he is the
1050 simple nature of truth, for the Son to exist is for him to know.
1051 And so, just as the Father, by generating, gave existence to the
1052 Son, so he also, by generating, gave him knowledge: "My doctrine is
1053 not mine" (7:16).</p>
1054 <p>So that we do not think that the Son was sent by the Father in
1055 such a way as to be separated from the Father, he teaches, thirdly,
1056 that they must believe that he is inseparable from the Father when
1057 he says, <b>he who sent me, the Father, is with me</b>, by a unity
1058 of essence: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me" (14:10).
1059 And the Father is also with me by a union of love, "The Father
1060 loves the Son, and shows him everything that he does" (5:20). And
1061 so the Father sent the Son in such a way that the Father did not
1062 separate himself from the Son; and so the text continues, <b>he has
1063 not deserted me</b>, because I am the object of his love. For
1064 although both are together, one sends and the other is sent: for
1065 the sending is the incarnation, and this pertains only to the Son,
1066 and not to the Father. That he has not deserted me is clear from
1067 this sign: because I always do what is pleasing to him. We should
1068 not understand this to indicate a meritorious cause, but a sign; it
1069 is the same as saying: The fact that I always do, without beginning
1070 and without end, what is pleasing to him, is a sign that he is
1071 always with me and has not deserted me, "I was with him forming all
1072 things" (Prv 8:30).</p>
1073 <p>Another interpretation would be this: he has not deserted me,
1074 that is, as man, protecting me, because I always do what is
1075 pleasing to him. In this interpretation it does indicate a
1076 meritorious cause.</p>
1077 <p>1193 Then when he says, <b>Because he spoke in this way, many
1078 came to believe in him</b>, he shows the effect of his teaching,
1079 which is the conversion of many of them to the faith because they
1080 had heard Christ's teaching: "Faith comes by hearing, and what is
1081 heard by the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17).<br />
1082 <br />
1083 <br /></p>
1084 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 4</b></p>
1085 <blockquote>
1086 <p>31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believe in him: "If you
1087 remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples. 32 You will know
1088 the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They replied, "We
1089 are of the seed of Abraham, and we have never been the slaves of
1090 anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will be free'?" 34 Jesus
1091 replied: "Amen, amen, I say to you: everyone who commits sin is a
1092 slave to sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever;
1093 but the Son remains forever. 36 If therefore the Son frees you, you
1094 will be truly free. 37 I know that you are sons of Abraham. Yet you
1095 want to kill me, because my message is not grasped by you. 38 I
1096 speak of what I have seen with my Father. And what you have seen
1097 with your father, that you do."</p>
1098 </blockquote>
1099 <p>1194 After he had shown the remedy for escaping from the
1100 darkness, he now shows the effectiveness of this remedy. First, he
1101 shows the effectiveness of this remedy; then their need for remedy
1102 (v 33). He does two things about the first. First, he shows what is
1103 required from those to whom the remedy is granted, and this
1104 concerns merit; secondly, he shows what is given for this, and this
1105 concerns their reward (v 31).</p>
1106 <p>1195 He says first: It was said that many believe in him, and so
1107 he told them, <b>the Jews who believed in him</b>, what they had to
1108 do, which was to remain in his word. So he says, If you remain in
1109 my word, you will truly be my disciples. He is saying in effect:
1110 You will not be my disciples if you just believe superficially, but
1111 you must remain in my word.</p>
1112 <p>We need three things with respect to the word of God. A concern
1113 to hear it: "Let every man be quick to hear" (Jas 1:19). Then we
1114 need faith to believe it: "Faith comes by hearing" (Rom 10:17). And
1115 also perseverance in continuing with it: "How exceedingly bitter is
1116 wisdom to the unlearned. The foolish will not continue with her"
1117 (Sir 6:21). And so he says, If you remain, that is, by a firm
1118 faith, through continual meditation: "He will meditate on his law
1119 day and night" (Ps 1:2); and by your ardent love: "His will is the
1120 law of the Lord" (Ps 1:2). Thus Augustine says that those who
1121 remain in the word of our Lord are those who do not give in to
1122 temptations.</p>
1123 <p>1196 He mentions what will be given to those who do remain when
1124 he says, <b>you will truly be my disciples</b>, and with three
1125 characteristics. First, they will have the excellence of being
1126 disciples of Christ; secondly, they will have a knowledge of the
1127 truth; and then, they will be free.</p>
1128 <p>1197 Indeed, it is a great privilege to be a disciple of Christ:
1129 "Children of Sion, rejoice and delight in the Lord your God,
1130 because he has given you a teacher of justice" (Jl 2:23).
1131 Concerning this he says, <b>you will truly be my disciples</b>; for
1132 the greater the master, the more honorable or excellent it is to be
1133 his disciple. But Christ is the greatest and most excellent of
1134 teachers; therefore, his disciples will be of the highest
1135 dignity.</p>
1136 <p>Three things are required to be a disciple. The first is
1137 understanding, to grasp the words of the teacher: "Are you also
1138 still without understanding?" (Mt 15:16). But it is only Christ who
1139 can open the ears of the understanding: Then he opened their minds
1140 so that they could understand the Scriptures" (Lk 24:45); "The Lord
1141 opened my ears" (Is 50:5).</p>
1142 <p>Secondly, a disciple needs to assent, so as to believe the
1143 doctrine of his teacher, for "The disciple is not above his
1144 teacher" (Lk 6:40), and thus he should not contradict him: "Do not
1145 speak against the truth in any way" (Sir 4:30). And Isaiah
1146 continues in the same verse, "I do not resist."</p>
1147 <p>Thirdly, a disciple needs to be stable, in order to persevere.
1148 As we read above: "From this time on, many of his disciples turned
1149 back, and no longer walked with him" (6:67); and Isaiah adds: "I
1150 did not turn back" (Is 50:5).</p>
1151 <p>1198 But it is a greater thing to know the truth, since this is
1152 the end of a disciple. And our Lord also gives this to those who
1153 believe; thus he says, <b>you will know the truth</b>, the truth,
1154 that is of the doctrine that I am teaching: "I was born for this,
1155 and I came for this, to give testimony to the truth" (18:37); and
1156 they will know the truth of the grace that I produce: "Grace and
1157 truth came through Jesus Christ" (1:17) - in contrast to the
1158 figures of the Old Law - and they will know the truth of the
1159 eternity in which I remain: "O Lord, your word remains forever,
1160 your truth endures from generation to generation" (Ps 118:89).</p>
1161 <p>1199 Yet the greatest things is the acquisition of freedom,
1162 which the knowledge of the truth produces in those who believe.
1163 Thus he says, <b>and the truth will make you free.</b> In this
1164 context, to free does not mean a release from some confinement, as
1165 the Latin language suggests, but rather a being made free; and this
1166 is from three things. The truth of this doctrine will free us from
1167 the error of falsity: "My mouth will speak the truth; my lips will
1168 hate wickedness" (Prv 8:7). The truth of grace will free us from
1169 the slavery to sin: "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
1170 has freed me from the law of sin and of death" (Rom 8:2). And the
1171 truth of eternity, in Christ Jesus, will free us from corruption:
1172 "The creature will be freed from its slavery to corruption" (Rom
1173 8:21).</p>
1174 <p>1200 Next (v 33), he shows that the Jews need this remedy.
1175 First, he amplifies on their presumption in denying that they need
1176 any such remedy; secondly, he shows in what respect they need this
1177 remedy (v 34).</p>
1178 <p>1201 The presumption of the Jews is shown by their disdainful
1179 question: <b>They replied: We are of the seed of Abraham, and we
1180 have never been the slaves of anyone. How is it that you say, You
1181 will be free?</b> First, they affirm one thing; then deny another;
1182 and thirdly, pose their question.</p>
1183 <p>They assert that they are the descendants of Abraham: <b>We are
1184 of the seed of Abraham.</b> This shows their vainglory, because
1185 they glory only in the origin of their flesh: "Do not think of
1186 saying: 'We have Abraham as our Father'" (Mt 2:9). Those who seek
1187 to be praised for their noble birth act in the same way: "Their
1188 glory is from their birth, from the womb and from their conception"
1189 (Hos 9:11).</p>
1190 <p>Further, they deny their slavery; thus they say, <b>and we have
1191 never been the slaves of anyone.</b> This reveals them as dull in
1192 mind and as liars. It shows them as dull because while our Lord is
1193 speaking of spiritual freedom, they are thinking of physical
1194 freedom: "The sensual person does not perceive what pertains to the
1195 Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:14). It shows them as liars because if they
1196 mean their statement as, we have never been the slaves of anyone,
1197 to apply to physical slavery, then they are either speaking
1198 generally of the entire Jewish people, or in particular of
1199 themselves. If they are speaking generally, they are obviously
1200 lying: for Joseph was sold into slavery and their ancestors were
1201 slaves in Egypt, as is clear from Genesis (c 40) and from Exodus (c
1202 3). Thus Augustine says: "Ungrateful! Why does the Lord so often
1203 remind you that he freed you from the house of bondage, if you have
1204 never been slaves to anyone?" For we read in Deuteronomy (13:10):
1205 "I have called you out of Egypt, from the house of your slavery."
1206 But even if they are speaking of themselves, they are still guilty
1207 of lying, because they were at that time paying taxes to the
1208 Romans. Thus they asked: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or
1209 not?" (Mt 22:17).</p>
1210 <p>They ask him about the kind of freedom he is talking about when
1211 they say, <b>How is it that you say, You will be free?</b> Our Lord
1212 had promised them two things: freedom and knowledge of the truth,
1213 when he said, "you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
1214 free." The Jews took this to mean that our Lord regarded them as
1215 ignorant slaves. And although it is more harmful to lack knowledge
1216 than freedom, yet because they were carnal they pass over the truth
1217 part and ask about the kind of freedom: "They have set their eyes,
1218 lowering themselves to the earth" (Ps 16:11).</p>
1219 <p>1202 Our Lord ignores their presumption and shows them that they
1220 do need the remedy he mentioned. First, he mentions their slavery;
1221 secondly, he treats of their freedom (v 35); and thirdly, of their
1222 origin (v 37).</p>
1223 <p>1203 He shows that they are slaves, not in the physical sense
1224 they thought he meant, but spiritually, that is, slaves of sin. And
1225 in order to make this clear he starts with two things. The first is
1226 a solemn affirmation that he repeats, saying, <b>Amen, amen, I say
1227 to you.</b> <i>Amen</i> is a Hebrew word which means "truly," or
1228 "May it be this way." According to Augustine, neither the Greeks
1229 nor the Latins translated it so that it might be honored and veiled
1230 as something sacred. This was not done to hide it, but to prevent
1231 it from becoming commonplace if its meaning were stated. It was
1232 done especially out of reverence from our Lord who frequently used
1233 it. Our Lord makes use of it here as a kind of oath, and he repeats
1234 it to reinforce his statement: "He interposed an oath, so that by
1235 two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we
1236 might have the strongest comfort" (Heb 6:17).</p>
1237 <p>Secondly, he makes a general statement when he says,
1238 <b>everyone</b>, whether Jew or Greek, rich or poor, emperor or
1239 beggar: "There is no difference between Jews and Greeks: all have
1240 sinned" (Rom 3:22). He mentions slavery when he says, who commits
1241 sin is a slave to sin.</p>
1242 <p>1204 But one might argue against this in the following way: A
1243 slave does not act by his own judgment, but by that of his master;
1244 but one who commits sin is acting by his own judgment; therefore,
1245 he is not a slave. I answer by saying that a thing is whatever is
1246 appropriate to it according to its nature, it acts of itself; but
1247 when it is moved by something exterior, it does not act of itself,
1248 but by the influence of that other: and this is a kind of slavery.
1249 Now according to his nature, man is rational. And thus when he acts
1250 according to reason, he is acting by his own proper motion and is
1251 acting of himself; and this is a characteristic of freedom. But
1252 when he sins, he is acting outside reason; and then he is moved by
1253 another, being held back by the limitations imposed by that other.
1254 Therefore, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin: "Whatever
1255 overcomes a person, is that to which he is a slave" (2 Pet 2:19).
1256 And to the extent that someone is moved by something exterior, to
1257 that extent he is brought into slavery; and the more one is
1258 overcome by sin, the less he acts by his own proper motion, that
1259 is, by reason, and the more he is made a slave. Thus, the more
1260 freely one does the perverse things he wills, and the less the
1261 difficulty he has in doing them, the more he is subjected to the
1262 slavery of sin, as Gregory says.</p>
1263 <p>This kind of slavery is the worst, because it cannot be escaped
1264 from: for wherever a person goes, he carries his sin with him, even
1265 though its act and pleasure may pass: "God will give you rest from
1266 your harsh slavery (that is, to sin) to which you were subjected
1267 before" (Is 14:3). Physical slavery, on the other hand, can be
1268 escaped, at least by running away. Thus Augustine says: "What a
1269 wretched slavery (that is, slavery to sin)! A slave of man, when
1270 worn out by the harsh commands of his master, can find relief in
1271 flight; but a slave of sin drags his sin with him, wherever he
1272 flees: for the sin he did is within him. The pleasure passes, the
1273 sin (the act of sin) passes; what gave pleasure has gone, what
1274 wounds has remained."</p>
1275 <p>1205 Then (v 35) he considers their liberation from slavery; for
1276 since all have sinned, all were slaves to sin. Now the hope of
1277 liberation is held out by the one who is free of sin, and this is
1278 the Son. Thus he does three things with respect to this. First, he
1279 mentions the status of a slave as distinguished from that one who
1280 is free; secondly, he shows that the status of the Son is different
1281 from that of a slave; and thirdly, he concludes that the Son has
1282 the power to set us free.</p>
1283 <p>1206 The status of a slave is transient and unstable; so he
1284 says, <b>A slave does not remain in the household forever.</b> This
1285 house is the Church: "So you may know how to act in the house of
1286 God, which is the Church of the living God" (1 Tim 3:15). In this
1287 house some who are spiritually slaves remain only for a time, just
1288 as in a household those who are physically slaves remain only for a
1289 while. But the former will not remain forever, for although those
1290 who are evil are not now separated from the faithful in a separate
1291 group, but only by merit, in the future they will be separated in
1292 both ways: "Cast out the slave and her son: for the son of the
1293 slave woman will not inherit with the son of the free woman" (Gal
1294 4:30).</p>
1295 <p>1207 On the other hand, the status of the Son is everlasting and
1296 stable; so he says, <b>but the Son</b>, that is, Christ, <b>remains
1297 forever</b>, namely, in the Church, as in his own house. In Hebrews
1298 (3:6) Christ is described as a son in his own house. And indeed, it
1299 is of himself that Christ remains in his house forever, because he
1300 is immune from sin. As for us, just as we are freed from sin
1301 through him, so it is through him that we remain in his house.</p>
1302 <p>1208 The Son has the power to free us; so he adds, <b>If
1303 therefore the Son frees you, you will be truly free</b>: "We are
1304 not the children of the slave woman, but of the free, by whose
1305 freedom Christ has freed us" (Gal 4:31). For as the Apostle says,
1306 he paid a price not in gold, but of his own blood, for he came in
1307 the likeness of sinful flesh although he had no sin; and so he
1308 became a true sacrifice for sin. Thus, through him, we are freed,
1309 not from barbarians, but from the devil.</p>
1310 <p>1209 Note that there are several kinds of freedom. There is a
1311 perverted freedom, when one abuses his freedom in order to sin;
1312 there is a freedom from justice, a freedom that no one is compelled
1313 to keep: "Be free, and do not make your freedom a cloak for evil,"
1314 as we read in 1 Peter (2:16). Then there is a vain freedom, which
1315 is temporal or bodily: "A slave, free from his master" (Job 3:19).
1316 Then we have true and spiritual freedom, which is the freedom of
1317 grace, and consists in the absence of sin. This freedom is
1318 imperfect because the flesh lusts against the spirit, and we do
1319 what we do not want to do (Gal 5:17). Then there is the freedom of
1320 glory; this is a perfect and full freedom, which we will have in
1321 our homeland: "The creature will be delivered from its slavery"
1322 (Rom 8:21), and this will be so because there will be nothing there
1323 to incline us to evil, nothing to oppress us, for then there will
1324 be freedom from sin and punishment.</p>
1325 <p>1210 Chrysostom explains this in another way: since he had said,
1326 everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, then lest the Jews
1327 anticipate him and say, "Even though we are slaves to sin, we can
1328 be freed by the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Law," our Lord
1329 shows that they cannot be freed by these, but only by the Son.
1330 Hence he says, a slave, i.e., Moses and the priests of the Old
1331 Testament, does not remain in the household forever: "Moses was
1332 faithful in all God's house as a servant" (Heb 3:5). Furthermore,
1333 the ceremonies are not eternal; therefore they cannot confer a
1334 freedom which will continue forever.</p>
1335 <p>1211 Then he considers their origin (v 37). First, he gives
1336 their origin according to the flesh; secondly, he inquires into
1337 their origin according to the spirit (v 37b).</p>
1338 <p>1212 He traces their origin in the flesh to Abraham. <b>I know
1339 that you are sons of Abraham</b>, by carnal origin only, and not by
1340 resembling him in faith: "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah
1341 who bore you" (Is 51:2).</p>
1342 <p>1213 He inquires into their spiritual origin when he says,
1343 <b>yet you want to kill me.</b> First he shows that they have a
1344 spiritual origin; secondly, he rejects what they presume to be
1345 their origin (v 34); thirdly, he shows them their true origin (v
1346 44). As to the first he does two things: first, he points out their
1347 guilt; secondly, he infers their spiritual origin (v 38). As to the
1348 first he does three things: first, he lays on them the guilt of
1349 murder; secondly, the sin of unbelief; and thirdly, he anticipates
1350 an excuse they might give.</p>
1351 <p>1214 Our Lord shows that they have their spiritual origins from
1352 an evil root. Hence he expressly accuses them of sin and passing
1353 over all the other crimes in which the Jews were implicated, he
1354 mentions only the one which they continued to nurture in their
1355 minds, the sin of murder, because, as was said, they wished to kill
1356 him. This is why he says, <b>you want to kill me</b>, which is
1357 against your Law: "You shall not kill" (Ex 20:13); "So from that
1358 day on they took counsel how to put him to death" (11:53).</p>
1359 <p>1215 Because they might say that to kill someone for his crime
1360 is not a sin, our Lord says that the cause of this murder is not
1361 any crime committed by Christ or their own righteousness, but
1362 rather their unbelief. As if to say: you seek to kill me not
1363 because of your own righteousness but because of your unbelief:
1364 because my message is no grasped by you: "Not all men can receive
1365 this message, but only those to whom it is given" (Mt 19:11). Our
1366 Lord uses this way of speaking, first of all, to show the
1367 excellence of his message. As if to say: my message transcends your
1368 ability, for it is concerned with spiritual things, whereas you
1369 have a sensual understanding, that is why you do not grasp it: "The
1370 sensual man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of
1371 God" (1 Cor 2:14). He speaks this way also to recall a certain
1372 similarity: for as Augustine says, the Lord's message to
1373 unbelievers is what a hook is to a fish, it does not grasp unless
1374 it is grasped. And so he says his message does not grasp them in
1375 their hearts, because it is not grasped by them, as Peter was
1376 grasped: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
1377 life" (6:68). Yet it does not harm those who are grasped, for they
1378 are grasped to salvation, and left uninjured.</p>
1379 <p>1216 In Deuteronomy (c 18) we read that a prophet who speaks, as
1380 coming from the mouth of the Lord, things that the Lord did not
1381 say, should be killed. So, lest the Jews say that he should be
1382 killed for speaking from himself, and not from the mouth of the
1383 Lord, he adds, I speak of what I have seen with my Father. As if to
1384 say: I cannot be accused of speaking things that I have not heard,
1385 for I speak not only what I have heard, but what is more, I speak
1386 of what I have seen. Other prophets spoke the things they heard,
1387 whereas I speak the things I have seen: "No one has ever seen God;
1388 the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him
1389 known" (1:18); "That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also
1390 to you" (1 Jn 1:3). This must be understood of a vision which gives
1391 the most certain knowledge, because the Son knows the Father as he
1392 knows himself: "No one knows the Father except the Son" (Mt
1393 11:27).</p>
1394 <p>1217 He then infers their spiritual origin when he says, <b>and
1395 what you have seen with your father, that you do.</b> As if to say:
1396 I speak things that are in accord with my origin; but you do the
1397 things that are done by your father, namely, the devil, whose
1398 children they were, according to Augustine, not insofar as they
1399 were men, but insofar as they were evil. You do those things, I
1400 say, which you see, at the devil's suggestion: "Through the devil's
1401 envy death entered the world" (Wis 2:24).</p>
1402 <p>Chrysostom uses another text: What you see with your father, do
1403 it. As if to say: just as I reveal my Father in truth by my words,
1404 so you, reveal the father of our origin, namely, Abraham, by your
1405 deeds. Thus he says: Do what you see your father doing, you who are
1406 taught by the law and the prophets.<br />
1407 <br />
1408 <br /></p>
1409 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 5</b></p>
1410 <blockquote>
1411 <p>39 They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to
1412 them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham
1413 did [If you are Abraham's children, do what Abraham did], 40 but
1414 now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I
1415 heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. 41 You do what your
1416 father did. "They said to him, "We were not born of fornication, we
1417 have one Father, even God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were
1418 your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from
1419 God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not
1420 understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my
1421 word."</p>
1422 </blockquote>
1423 <p>1218 After showing that the Jews had a certain spiritual origin,
1424 our Lord here rejects certain origins which they had presumptuously
1425 attributed to themselves. First, he rejects the origin they claimed
1426 to have from Abraham; secondly, the origin they thought they had
1427 from God (v 41). As to the first he does two things: first, he
1428 gives the opinion of the Jews about their origin; secondly, he
1429 rejects it (v 39b).</p>
1430 <p>1219 It should be noted with respect to the first, that our Lord
1431 had said to them, what you have seen with your father, that you do,
1432 and so, glorying in their carnal descent, they aligned themselves
1433 with Abraham. Thus they said, <b>Abraham is our father.</b> This is
1434 like saying: If we have a spiritual origin we are good, because our
1435 father Abraham is good: "O offspring of Abraham his servant" (Ps
1436 105:6). And as Augustine says, they tried to provoke him to say
1437 something against Abraham and so give them an excuse for doing what
1438 they had planned, namely, to kill Christ.</p>
1439 <p>1220 Our Lord rejects this opinion of theirs as false (v 39).
1440 First, he gives the true sign of being a child of Abraham;
1441 secondly, he shows that this sign is not verified in the Jews (v
1442 40); thirdly, he draws his conclusion, you do what your father
1443 did.</p>
1444 <p>1221 The sign of anyone being a child is that he is like the one
1445 whose child he is; for just as children according to the flesh
1446 resemble their parents according to the flesh, so spiritual
1447 children (if they are truly children) should imitate their
1448 spiritual parents: "Be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Eph
1449 5:1). And as to this he says, <b>If you are Abraham's children, do
1450 what Abraham did.</b> This is like saying: if you imitated Abraham,
1451 that would be a sign that you are his children: "Look to Abraham
1452 your father and to Sarah who bore you" (Is 51:2).</p>
1453 <p>1222 Here a question arises, for when he says, if you are
1454 Abraham's children, he seems to be denying that they are the
1455 children of Abraham, whereas just previously he had said, "I know
1456 that you are children of Abraham" (v 37). There are two ways of
1457 answering this. The first, according to Augustine, is that before
1458 he said that they were children of Abraham according to the flesh,
1459 but here he is denying that they are children in the sense of
1460 imitating his works, especially his faith. Therefore, they took
1461 their flesh from him, but not their life: "It is men of faith who
1462 are the sons of Abraham" (Gal 3:7).</p>
1463 <p>For Origin, who has another explanation, both statements refer
1464 to their spiritual origin. Where our text reads, "I know that you
1465 are children of Abraham," the Greek has, "I know that you are the
1466 seed of Abraham." But Christ says here, if you are Abraham's
1467 children, do what Abraham did, because the Jews, spiritually
1468 speaking, were the seed of Abraham, but were not his children.
1469 There is a difference between a seed and a child: for a seed is
1470 unformed, although it has in it the characteristics of that of
1471 which it is a seed. A child, however, has a likeness to the parent
1472 after the seen has been modified by the informing power infused by
1473 the agent acting upon the matter which has been furnished by the
1474 female. In the same way, the Jews were indeed the seed of Abraham,
1475 insofar as they had some of the characteristics which God had
1476 infused into Abraham; but because they had not reached the
1477 perfection of Abraham, they were not his children. This is why he
1478 said to them, if you are Abraham's children, do what Abraham did,
1479 i.e., strive for a perfect imitation of his works.</p>
1480 <p>1223 Again, because he said, <b>do what Abraham did</b>, it
1481 would seem that whatever he did, we should do. Consequently, we
1482 should have a number of wives and approach a maidservant, as
1483 Abraham did. I answer that the chief work of Abraham was faith, by
1484 which he was justified before God: "He believed the Lord; and he
1485 reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6). Thus, the meaning
1486 is, do what Abraham did, i.e., believe according to the example of
1487 Abraham.</p>
1488 <p>1224 One might say against this interpretation that faith should
1489 not be called a work, since it is distinguished from works: "Faith
1490 apart from works is dead" (Jas 2:26) ["Do what Abraham did" if
1491 translated literally gives "Do the works of Abraham."] I answer
1492 that faith can be called a work according to what was said above:
1493 "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent"
1494 (6:29). An interior work is not obvious to man, but only to God,
1495 according to, "The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the
1496 outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Sam 16:7).
1497 This is the reason we are more accustomed to call exterior action
1498 works. Thus, faith is not distinguished from all works, but only
1499 from external works.</p>
1500 <p>1225 But should we do all the works of Abraham? I answer that
1501 works can be considered in two ways. Either according to the kind
1502 of works they are, in which sense we should not imitate all his
1503 works; or, according to their root, and in this sense we should
1504 imitate the works of Abraham, because whatever he did, he did out
1505 of charity. Thus Augustine says that the celibacy of John was not
1506 esteemed above the marriage of Abraham, since the root of each was
1507 the same. Or, it might be said that all of Abraham's works should
1508 be imitated as to their symbolism, because "all these things happen
1509 to them in figure" [1 Cor 10:11].</p>
1510 <p>1226 Then (v 40) he shows that they do not have the above
1511 mentioned sign of being children. First, the conduct of the Jews is
1512 given; secondly, he shows that it does not resemble the conduct of
1513 Abraham (v 40b).</p>
1514 <p>1227 The conduct of the Jews is shown to be wicked and perverse,
1515 because they were murderers; so he says, <b>now you seek to kill
1516 me</b>: "How the faithful city has become a harlot, she that was
1517 full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers"
1518 (Is 1:21). This murder was an unfathomable sin against the person
1519 of the Son of God. But because it is said, "If they had understood,
1520 they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor 2:8), our
1521 Lord does not say that they sought to kill the Son of God, but a
1522 man. For although the Son of God is said to have suffered and died
1523 by reason of the oneness of his person, this suffering and death
1524 was not insofar as he was the Son of God, but because of his human
1525 weakness, as it says: "For he was crucified in weakness, but lives
1526 by the power of God" (2 Cor 13:4).</p>
1527 <p>1228 In order to further elucidate this murder, he shows that
1528 they have no reason to put him to death; thus he adds, <b>a man who
1529 has told you the truth which I heard from God</b>. This truth is
1530 that he said that he is equal to God: "This is why the Jews sought
1531 all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath,
1532 but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God"
1533 (5:18). He heard this truth from God inasmuch as from eternity he
1534 received from the Father, through an eternal generation, the same
1535 nature that the Father has: "For as the Father has life in himself,
1536 so has he granted the Son also to have life in himself" (5:26).</p>
1537 <p>Furthermore, he excludes the two reasons for which the Law
1538 commanded that prophets were to be killed. First of all, for lying,
1539 for Deuteronomy (c 13) commands that a prophet should be killed for
1540 speaking a lie or feigning dreams. Our Lord excludes this from
1541 himself, saying, <b>a man who has told you the truth</b>: "My mouth
1542 will utter truth" (Prov 8:7). Secondly, a prophet ought to be
1543 killed if he speaks in the name of false gods, or says in the name
1544 of God things that God did not command (Deut 13). Our Lord excludes
1545 this from himself when he says, which I heard from God.</p>
1546 <p>1229 Then when he says, <b>this is not what Abraham did</b>, he
1547 shows that their works are not like those of Abraham. He is saying
1548 in effect: Because you act contrary to Abraham, you show that you
1549 are not his children, for it is written about him: "He kept the law
1550 of the Most High, and was taken into covenant with him" (Si
1551 44:20).</p>
1552 <p>Some frivolously object that Christ did not exist before Abraham
1553 and therefore that Abraham did not do this [kill Christ], since one
1554 who did not exist could not be killed. I answer that Abraham is not
1555 commended for something he did not do to Christ, but for what he
1556 did not do to anyone in like circumstances, i.e., to those who
1557 spoke the truth in his day. Or, it might be answered that although
1558 Christ had not come in the flesh during the time of Abraham, he
1559 nevertheless had come into his mind, according to Wisdom (7:27):
1560 "in every generation she [Wisdom] passes into souls." And Abraham
1561 did not kill Wisdom by sinning mortally. Concerning this we read:
1562 "They crucify the Son of God" (Heb 6:6).</p>
1563 <p>1230 Then when he says, <b>you do what your father did</b>, he
1564 draws his conclusion. It was like saying: from the fact that you do
1565 not do the works of Abraham, it follows that you have some other
1566 father whose works you are doing. A similar statement is made in
1567 Matthew (23:32): "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers."</p>
1568 <p>1231 Then when he says, <b>they said to him, we were not born of
1569 fornication</b>, he shows that they do not take their origin from
1570 God, for since they knew from our Lord's words that he was not
1571 speaking of carnal descent, they turn to spiritual descent, saying,
1572 we were not born of fornication. First, they give their own
1573 opinion; secondly, our Lord rejects it (v 42).</p>
1574 <p>1232 According to some, the Jews are denying one thing and
1575 affirming another. They are denying that they were born of
1576 fornication. According to Origin, they said this tauntingly to
1577 Christ, with the unspoken suggestion that he was the product of
1578 adultery. It was like saying: we were not born of fornication as
1579 you were.</p>
1580 <p>But it is better to say that the spiritual spouse of the soul is
1581 God: "I will betroth you to me forever" (Hos 2:19), and just as a
1582 bride is guilty of fornication when she admits a man other than her
1583 husband, so in Scripture Judea was said to be fornicating when she
1584 abandoned the true God and turned to idols: "For the land commits
1585 great harlotry by forsaking the Lord" (Hos 1:2). And so the Jews
1586 said: we were not born of fornication. It was like saying: although
1587 our mother, the synagogue, may now and then have departed from God
1588 and fornicated with idols, yet we have not departed or fornicated
1589 with idols: "We have not forgotten thee, or been false to thy
1590 covenant. Our heart has not turned back" (Ps 44:17); "But you, draw
1591 near hither, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and
1592 the harlot" (Is 57:3). Further, they affirm that they are children
1593 of God; and this seems to follow from the fact that they did not
1594 believe that they were born of fornication. Thus they say, we have
1595 one Father, even God: "Have we not all on father?" (Mal 2:10); "And
1596 I thought you would call me, My Father" (Jer 3:19).</p>
1597 <p>1233 Next (v 42), our Lord refutes their opinion: first we see
1598 the sign of being a child of God; secondly, the reason for this
1599 sign is given (v 42); and thirdly, we see that the Jews lack this
1600 sign (v 43).</p>
1601 <p>1234 With respect to the first it should be noted that above he
1602 had said that the sign of being a child according to the flesh was
1603 in the exterior actions that a person performs; but here he places
1604 the sign of being a child of God in one's interior affections. For
1605 we become children of God by sharing in the Holy Spirit: "you did
1606 not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you
1607 have received the spirit of sonship" (8:15). Now the Holy Spirit is
1608 the cause of our loving God, because "God's love has been poured
1609 into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us"
1610 (Rom 5:5). Therefore, the special sign of being a child of God is
1611 love: "Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love"
1612 (Eph 5:1). Therefore he says, <b>If God were your Father, you would
1613 love me</b>: "The innocent and the right in heart," who are the
1614 children of God, "have clung to me" [Ps 21:4].</p>
1615 <p>1235 Then (v 42) he gives the reason for this sign. First, he
1616 states the truth; secondly, he rejects an error (v 42b).</p>
1617 <p>1236 The truth he asserts is that he proceeded and came forth
1618 from God. It should be noted that all friendship is based on union,
1619 and so brothers love one another inasmuch as they take their origin
1620 from the same parents. Thus our Lord says: <b>you say that you are
1621 the children of God; but if this were so, you would love me</b>,
1622 for I proceeded and came forth from God. Therefore, any one who
1623 does not love me is not a child of God.</p>
1624 <p>I say I proceeded from God from eternity as the Only Begotten,
1625 of the substance of the Father: "From the womb before the daystar I
1626 begot you" (Ps 109:4); "In the beginning was the Word" (1:1). And I
1627 came forth as the Word made flesh, sent by God [into the world]
1628 through incarnation. "I came [proceeded] from the Father," from
1629 eternity, as the Word, "and have come into the world" when I was
1630 made flesh in time (16:28).</p>
1631 <p>1237 He rejects an error when he says, <b>I came not of my own
1632 accord</b> [<i>a meipso</i>]. And first, he rejects the error of
1633 Sabellius, who said that Christ did not have his origin from
1634 another, for he said that the Father and the Son were the same in
1635 person. In regard to this he says, I came not of my own accord,
1636 i.e., according to Hilary, I came, not existing of myself, but in a
1637 way as sent by another, that is, the Father. Thus he adds, <b>but
1638 he sent me</b>: "God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under
1639 the law" (Gal 4:4). Secondly, he rejects an error of the Jews who
1640 said that Christ was not sent by God, but was a false prophet, of
1641 whom we read in Jeremiah (23:21): "I did not send the prophets, yet
1642 they ran." And in regard to this he says, according to Origen, I
1643 came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Indeed, this is what
1644 Moses prayed for: "O, my Lord, send, I pray, whom you will send"
1645 [Ex 4:13].</p>
1646 <p>1238 He shows that they lack this sign when he says, <b>Why do
1647 you not understand what I say?</b> For as was stated above, to love
1648 Christ is the sign of being a child of God; but they did not love
1649 Christ; therefore it is obvious that they did not have this sign.
1650 That they do not love Christ is shown by the effect of love: for
1651 the effect of loving someone is that the lover joyfully hears the
1652 words of the beloved; thus we read: "Let me hear your voice, for
1653 your voice is sweet" (Song 2:14). And again, "My companions are
1654 listening for your voice; let me hear it" (8:13). Therefore,
1655 because they did not love Christ, it seemed tedious to them even to
1656 hear his voice: "This is a hard saying, who can listen to it?"
1657 (6:60); "The very sight of him is a burden to us" (Wis 2:15).</p>
1658 <p>It sometimes happens that a person is not glad to hear the words
1659 of another because he cannot weigh them and for that reason does
1660 not understand them, and so he contradicts them: "Answer, I beseech
1661 you, without contention&hellip;and you shall not find iniquity on
1662 my tongue" [Job 6:29]. Therefore he says, <b>Why do you not
1663 understand what I say?</b> You question what I mean, as "Where I am
1664 going, you cannot come" (8:21). I say that you do not understand
1665 because you cannot bear to hear my word, i.e., your heart is so
1666 hardened against me that you do not even want to hear me.<br />
1667 <br />
1668 <br /></p>
1669 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 6</b></p>
1670 <blockquote>
1671 <p>44 "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do
1672 your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
1673 has nothing to do with the truth [and did not stand in the truth]
1674 because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according
1675 to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."</p>
1676 </blockquote>
1677 <p>1239 After showing that the Jews had a certain spiritual origin,
1678 and after rejecting the origin they presumed they had, our Lord
1679 here gives their true origin, ascribing their fatherhood to the
1680 devil. First, he makes his statement; secondly, he gives its
1681 reason; and thirdly, he explains this reason.</p>
1682 <p>1240 He says: <b>You do the works of the devil; therefore, you
1683 are of your father the devil</b>, that is, by imitating him: "Your
1684 father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite" (Ez 16:3).</p>
1685 <p>Here one must guard against the heresy of the Manicheans who
1686 claim that there is a definite nature called "evil," and a certain
1687 race of darkness with its own princes, from which all corruptible
1688 things derive their origin. According to this opinion, all men, as
1689 to their flesh, have come from the devil. Further, they say that
1690 certain souls belong to that creation which is good, and others to
1691 that which is evil. Thus they said that our Lord said, you are of
1692 your father, the devil, because they came from the devil according
1693 to the flesh, and their souls were part of that creation which was
1694 evil. But as Origen says, to suppose that there are two natures
1695 because of the difference between good and evil seems to be like
1696 saying that the substance of an eye which sees is different from
1697 that of an eye that is clouded or crossed. For just as a healthy
1698 and bleary eye do not differ in substance, but the bleariness is
1699 from some deficient cause, so the substance and nature of a thing
1700 is the same whether it is good or has a defect in itself, which is
1701 a sin of the will. And so the Jews, as evil, are not called the
1702 children of the devil by nature, but by reason of their imitating
1703 him.</p>
1704 <p>1241 Then when he says, <b>and your will is to do your father's
1705 desires</b>, he gives the reason for this, for their being of the
1706 devil. It is like saying: you are not the children of the devil as
1707 though created and brought into existence by him, but because by
1708 imitating him your will is to do your father's desires. And these
1709 desires are evil, for as he envied and killed man - "through the
1710 devil's envy death entered the world" (Wis 2:24) - so you too envy
1711 me and "you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth"
1712 (8:40).</p>
1713 <p>1242 Then when he says, <b>he was a murderer from the
1714 beginning</b>, he explains the reason he gave. First, he mentions
1715 the characteristic of the devil that they imitate; secondly, he
1716 shows that they are truly imitators of that (8:45).</p>
1717 <p>With respect to the first it should be noted that two sins stand
1718 out in the devil: the sin of pride towards God, and of envy towards
1719 man, whom he destroys. And from the sin of envy towards man,
1720 because of which he injures him, we can know his sin of pride. And
1721 so first, he mentions the devil's sin against man; secondly, his
1722 sin against God, he did not stand in the truth.</p>
1723 <p>1243 His sin of envy against man lies in the fact that he kills
1724 him. So he says, <b>he</b>, that is, the devil, <b>was a murderer
1725 from the beginning.</b> Here it should be noted that the devil
1726 kills man not with the sword, but by persuading him to do evil.
1727 "Through the devil's envy death entered the world" (Wis 2:24).
1728 First, the death of sin entered: "The death of the wicked is very
1729 evil" [Ps 33:22]; then came bodily death: "Sin came into the world
1730 through one man and death through sin" (Rom 5:12). As Augustine
1731 says: "Do not think that you are not a murderer when you lead your
1732 brother into evil." However, it should be noted with Origen, that
1733 the devil is not called a murderer with respect to only some
1734 particular person, but with respect to the whole race, which he
1735 destroyed in Adam, in whom all die, as we read in 1 Corinthians (c
1736 15). Thus he is called a murderer because that is a chief
1737 characteristic, and he is so indeed from the beginning, that is,
1738 from the time that a man existed who could be killed, who could be
1739 murdered; for one cannot be murdered unless he first exists.</p>
1740 <p>1244 Then when he says, <b>he did not stand in the truth</b>, he
1741 mentions the devil's sin against God, which consists in the fact
1742 that he turned away from the truth, which is God. First, he shows
1743 that he is turned from the truth; secondly, he shows that he is
1744 contrary to the truth: when he lies, he speaks according to his own
1745 nature. As to the first he does two things: first, he shows that
1746 the devil is turned from the truth; secondly, he explains what he
1747 has said, because there is no truth in him.</p>
1748 <p>1245 He says, <b>he did not stand in the truth</b>. Here it
1749 should be noted that truth is of two kinds, namely, the truth of
1750 word and the truth of deed. The truth of word consists in a person
1751 saying what he feels in his heart and what is in reality:
1752 "Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth
1753 with his neighbor" (Eph 4:25); "He who speaks truth from his heart,
1754 who does not slander with his tongue" (Ps 15:3). The truth of deed,
1755 on the other hand, is the truth of righteousness, i.e., when a
1756 person does what befits him according to the order of his nature.
1757 Concerning this it says above: "He who does what is true comes to
1758 the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been
1759 wrought in God" (3:21). Speaking of this truth our Lord says, in
1760 the truth, namely, the truth of righteousness, he did not stand,
1761 because he abandoned the order of his nature, which was that he be
1762 subject to God, and through him acquire his happiness and the
1763 fulfillment of his natural desire. And so, because he wanted to
1764 obtain this through himself, he fell from the truth.</p>
1765 <p>1246 The statement, <b>he did not stand in the truth</b>, can be
1766 understood in two ways. Either he never had anything to do with the
1767 truth, or that he once did, but did not continue in it. Now never
1768 to have anything to do with the truth of righteousness has two
1769 meanings. One is according to the Manicheans, who say that the
1770 devil is evil by nature. From this it follows that he was always
1771 evil, because whatever is present by nature is always present. But
1772 this is heretical, for we read: "God made heaven and earth, the
1773 sea, and all that is in them" (Ps 146:6). Therefore, every being is
1774 from God; but everything which is from God, insofar as it is, is
1775 good.</p>
1776 <p>Consequently, others have said that the devil was created good
1777 in his nature by God, but became evil in the first instant by his
1778 own free choice. And this opinion differs from that of the
1779 Manicheans who say that the devils were always and by nature evil,
1780 whereas this opinion claims that they were always evil by free
1781 choice.</p>
1782 <p>Someone might suppose that since an angel is not evil by nature
1783 but by a sin of his own will - and sin is an act - it is possible
1784 that at the beginning of the act the angel was good, and at the end
1785 of the evil act he became evil. For it is plain that the act of sin
1786 in the devil is subsequent to his creation, and that the terminus
1787 of creation is the existence of an angel; but the terminus of the
1788 act of sin is that he is evil. Consequently, according to this
1789 explanation, they conclude that it is impossible that an angel be
1790 evil in the first instant in which the angel came to exist.</p>
1791 <p>But this explanation does not seem to be sufficient, because it
1792 is true only in motions that occur in time and that are
1793 accomplished in a successive manner, not in instantaneous motions.
1794 For in every successive motion the instant in which an act begins
1795 is not the one in which the action is terminated; thus, if a local
1796 motion follows upon an alteration, the local motion cannot be
1797 terminated in the same instant as the alteration. But in changes
1798 that are instantaneous, the terminus of a first and of a second
1799 change can occur together and in the same instant. Thus, in the
1800 same instant that the moon is illumined by the sun, the air is
1801 illumined by the moon. Now it is clear that creation is
1802 instantaneous, and likewise the act of free choice in the angels,
1803 since they do not go through the weighings and discoursings of
1804 reason. Thus, in the case of an angel there is nothing to prevent
1805 the same instant from being the terminus of creation (in which he
1806 was good), and the terminus of a free decision (in which he was
1807 evil). Some admit this, although they do not say that it so
1808 happened, but that it could have so happened. And they base
1809 themselves on the authority of Scripture, for under the figure of
1810 the king of Babylon it is said of the devil: "How have you fallen
1811 from heaven, O Lucifer, who did rise in the morning?" [Is 14:12];
1812 and under the person of the king of Tyre it says: "You were in the
1813 pleasures of the paradise of God" [Ez 28:13]. Accordingly, they say
1814 that he was not evil at the first instant of his creation, but that
1815 he was once good, and fell through his free choice.</p>
1816 <p>But it must be said that he could not be evil at the first
1817 instant of his creation. The reason for this is that no act is
1818 sinful except insofar as it is outside the nature of the voluntary
1819 agent. But in order of acts, the natural act is first: thus in
1820 understanding, first principles are understood first, and through
1821 them other things are understood; and in willing, we likewise first
1822 will the ultimate perfection and ultimate end, the desire for which
1823 is naturally in us, and on account of this we seek other things.
1824 Now that which is done according to nature is not sin. Therefore,
1825 it is impossible that the first act of the devil was evil;
1826 consequently, at some instant the devil was good. But he did not
1827 stand in the truth, i.e., he did not remain in it. Concerning the
1828 statement from 1 John (3:8): "The devil has sinned from the
1829 beginning," one may say that he did indeed sin from the beginning
1830 in the sense that once he began to sin he never stopped.</p>
1831 <p>1247 Then when he says, <b>because there is no truth in him</b>,
1832 he explains what he has said. And this explanation can be
1833 understood in two ways. In one way, according to Origen, so that it
1834 is an explanation of the general by the particular, as when I
1835 explain that Socrates is an animal by the fact that he is a man. It
1836 is then like saying: he did not stand in the truth, but fell from
1837 it, and this because there is not truth in him. Now there are two
1838 classes of those that do not stand in the truth: some do not stand
1839 in the truth because they are not convinced, but waiver: "My feet
1840 had almost stumbled, my steps had well nigh slipped" (Ps 73:2);
1841 others, on the other hand, because they have entirely recoiled from
1842 the truth. And this was the way the devil did not stand in the
1843 truth, but turned away from it in aversion.</p>
1844 <p>But is there no truth at all in him? For if there is no truth in
1845 him, we would not understand himself or anything else, since
1846 understanding is concerned only with things that are true. I answer
1847 that there is some truth in the evil spirits, just as there is
1848 something true [a nature]. For no evil utterly destroys a good
1849 thing, since at least the subject in which evil is found is good.
1850 Thus Dionysius says that the natural goods remain intact in evil
1851 spirits. Thus there is some truth in them, but not the fulfilling
1852 truth from which they have turned, namely, God, who is fulfilling
1853 truth and wisdom.</p>
1854 <p>1248 In a second way, this explanation is understood as a sign,
1855 as Augustine says. For it seems that he should rather have said the
1856 converse, namely, "there is not truth in him, because he did not
1857 stand in the truth." But just as a cause is sometimes shown by its
1858 effect, so our Lord wished to show that the truth was not in him
1859 because he did not stand in the truth; for truth would have been in
1860 him had he stood in the truth. A similar pattern of speech is found
1861 in "I cried because you heard" [Ps 16:6]: as if to say that it is
1862 evident that I cried because you heard me.</p>
1863 <p>1249 Then he shows that the devil is contrary to the truth, when
1864 he lies, he speaks according to his own nature (on his own). First,
1865 he makes this point; secondly, he explains it.</p>
1866 <p>1250 The contrary of truth is falsity and a lie. The devil is
1867 contrary to the truth because he speaks a lie. Thus he says, <b>he
1868 lies</b>. Here we should note that, God excepted, whoever speaks on
1869 his own speaks a lie; although not everyone who speaks a lie speaks
1870 on his own. God alone, when speaking on his own, speaks the truth,
1871 for truth is an enlightenment of the intellect, and God is light
1872 itself and all are enlightened by him: "the true light that
1873 enlightens every man" (1:9). Thus he is truth itself, and no one
1874 speaks the truth except insofar as he is enlightened by him. So
1875 Ambrose says: "Every truth, by whomsoever spoken, is from the Holy
1876 Spirit." Thus the devil, when he speaks on his own, speaks a lie;
1877 man, too, when he speaks on his own, speaks a lie; but when he
1878 speaks from God, he speaks the truth: "Let God be true though every
1879 man be false" (Rom 3:4). But not every man who tells a lie speaks
1880 on his own, for sometimes he gets this from someone else, not
1881 indeed from God, who is truthful, but from him who did not stand in
1882 the truth and who first invented lying. So in a unique way when the
1883 devil tells a lie, he is speaking on his own: "I will go forth and
1884 will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all prophets" (1 Kgs 22:22);
1885 "The Lord mingled" (that is, allowed to mingle) "a spirit of error
1886 in their midst" [Is 19:14].</p>
1887 <p>1251 He explains this statement when he says, <b>for he is a
1888 liar and the father of lies</b>. The Manicheans did not understand
1889 this, and placed some kind of procreation in the evil spirits, with
1890 the devil as their father. They said that the devil "is a liar and
1891 his father." It should not be understood this way, as our Lord said
1892 that the devil is a liar and its father, the father of lies. Not
1893 everyone who lies is the father of his lie. As Augustine says, "If
1894 you have learned a lie from someone else and you repeat it, you
1895 have indeed lied, but you are not the father of that lie." But the
1896 devil, because he did not learn from someone else the lie by which
1897 he destroyed humankind as with poison, is the father of the lie,
1898 just as God is the father of truth. The devil was the first to
1899 invent the lie, namely, when he lied to the woman: "You will not
1900 die" (Gen 3:4). Just how true this statement was, was proved by the
1901 outcome.</p>
1902 <p>1252 Here we should note that the book Questions of the New and
1903 Old Testament takes the words you are of your father the devil, and
1904 applies them to Cain, in the sense that one is called a devil who
1905 performs the works of the devil, and you are imitating him; hence
1906 you are of your father the devil, that is, of Cain, who did the
1907 work of the devil, and you are imitating him. Cain "Was a murderer
1908 from the beginning," because he killed his brother Abel. And he
1909 "did not stand in the truth, because there is not truth in him."
1910 This is obvious because when the Lord asked him, "Where is Abel
1911 your brother?" he said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"
1912 (Gen 4:9). Thus he is a liar. But the first explanation is
1913 better.<br />
1914 <br />
1915 <br /></p>
1916 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 7</b></p>
1917 <blockquote>
1918 <p>45 "But because [If] I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46
1919 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you
1920 not believe me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; the
1921 reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." 48 The
1922 Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a
1923 Samaritan and have a demon?" 49 Jesus answered, "I have not a
1924 demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not
1925 seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and he will be the
1926 judge."</p>
1927 </blockquote>
1928 <p>1253 After mentioning some characteristics of the devil, he then
1929 shows that the Jews are imitating these. Our Lord ascribed two
1930 kinds of evil to the devil, murder and lying. He reproved them
1931 before for their imitation of one of these, namely, murder: "Now
1932 you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth" (8:40). Then
1933 passing from this, he reproves them for turning away from the
1934 truth: first, he shows that they are turned away from the truth;
1935 secondly, he rejects a certain reason they might give for this (v
1936 46); thirdly, he concludes to the true reason for their being
1937 turned away from the truth (v 46b).</p>
1938 <p>1254 He says first: It was said that the devil is a liar and the
1939 father of lies, and you are imitating him because you do not wish
1940 to adhere to the truth. Thus he says, <b>If I tell the truth to you
1941 you do not believe me</b>; "If I tell you, you will not believe"
1942 (Lk 22:67); "If I have told you earthly things and you do not
1943 believe me, etc&hellip;." (3:12). And Isaiah complains: "Who has
1944 believed what we have heard?" (Is 53:1).</p>
1945 <p>1255 The reason which the Jews might allege for their unbelief
1946 is that Christ is a sinner, for it is not easy to believe a sinner
1947 even when he is telling the truth. Thus we read: "But to the wicked
1948 God says: 'What right have you to recite my statutes?'" (Ps 50:16).
1949 So they might have said: We do not believe you since you are a
1950 sinner.</p>
1951 <p>Accordingly, he excludes this reason when he says, <b>Which of
1952 you convicts me of sin?</b> As if to say: You have no good reason
1953 for not believing me when I speak the truth, since you can find no
1954 sin in me: "He committed not sin; no guile was found on his lips"
1955 (1 Pt 2:22).</p>
1956 <p>According to Gregory, we are invited to consider the mildness of
1957 God, who did not consider it beneath himself to show by rational
1958 grounds that he who can justify sinners by the power of his
1959 divinity is not a sinner: "If I have rejected the cause of my
1960 manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against
1961 me; what then shall I do when God rises up?" (Jb 31:13). We should
1962 also honor the unique greatness of Christ's purity, for as
1963 Chrysostom says, no mere man could have confidently said, Which of
1964 you convicts me of sin? Only God, who had no sin, could say this:
1965 "Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin?'"
1966 (Prv 20:9) - this is like saying: No one but God alone. "They have
1967 all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that
1968 does good, no, not one," except Christ (Ps 14:3).</p>
1969 <p>1256 Next, he concludes to the real reason they have turned away
1970 from the truth. First, he mentions the reason; secondly, he rejects
1971 their rejoinder (v 48). As to the first he does three things:
1972 first, he asks a question; secondly, he begins with a reasonable
1973 starting point; thirdly, he draws from his conclusion.</p>
1974 <p>1257 First, he says: Since you cannot say that you do not
1975 believe me because I am a sinner, one can ask why if I tell the
1976 truth, you do not believe me, since I am not a sinner? This is like
1977 saying: If you cannot convict me, whom you hate, of sin, it is
1978 obvious that you hate me because of the truth, that is, because I
1979 say that I am the Son of God: "A fool takes no pleasure in
1980 understanding, but only in expressing his opinion" (Prv 18:2).</p>
1981 <p>1258 He then begins with a reasonable and true starting point,
1982 saying, <b>he who is of God hears the words of God</b>. For we read
1983 in Sirach (13:15): "Every creature loves its like." Therefore,
1984 whoever is of God, to that extent possesses a likeness to the
1985 things of God and clings to them. Thus, he who is of God gladly
1986 hears the words of God: "Every one who is of the truth hears my
1987 voice" (18:37). The word of God ought to be heard gladly by those,
1988 above all, who are of God, since it is the seed by which we are
1989 made the children of God: "He called them gods to whom the word of
1990 God came" (10:35).</p>
1991 <p>1259 He draws his conclusion from this saying, <b>the reason why
1992 you do not hear them is that you are not of God</b>. This is like
1993 saying: The reason for your unbelief is not my sin, but your own
1994 wickedness; as Sirach (6:20) says: "She [Wisdom] seems very harsh
1995 to the uninstructed."</p>
1996 <p>Augustine says about them that as to their nature, they are of
1997 God, indeed; but by reason of their vice and evil affection they
1998 are not of God. For this statement was made to those who were not
1999 just sinful, for this was common to all; it was made to those of
2000 whom it was foreknown that they would not believe with that faith
2001 by which they could have been set free from the chains of their
2002 sins.</p>
2003 <p>1260 It should be noted, as Gregory says, that there are three
2004 degrees of being badly disposed in one's affections. Some refuse to
2005 physically hear God's precepts. Of these we read: "Like the deaf
2006 adder that stops its ear" (Ps 58:4). Others hear them physically,
2007 but they do not embrace them with the desire of their heart, since
2008 they do not have he will to obey them: "They hear what you say, but
2009 they will not do it" (Ez 33:32). Finally, there are those who
2010 joyfully receive the words of God and even weep with tears of
2011 sorrow; but after the time of crying is past and they are oppressed
2012 with troubles or allured by pleasures, they return to their sins.
2013 An example of this is given in Matthew (c 13) and Luke (c 8), where
2014 we read of the word being choked by cares and anxieties. "But the
2015 house of Israel will not listen to you; for they are not willing to
2016 listen to me" (Ez 3:7). Consequently, a sign that a person is of
2017 God is that he is glad to hear the words of God, while those who
2018 refuse to hear, either in affection or physically, are not of
2019 God.</p>
2020 <p>1261 Next he rejects the rejoinder made by the Jews. First, the
2021 Evangelist mentions this rejoinder; and secondly, our Lord's
2022 rejection of it (v 49).</p>
2023 <p>1262 In their response the Jews charge Christ with two things:
2024 first, that he is a Samaritan, when they say, <b>Are we not right
2025 in saying that you are a Samaritan?</b> Secondly, that he has a
2026 demon, when they add, <b>and have a demon?</b></p>
2027 <p>In saying, <b>Are we not right?</b> we can infer that they often
2028 reproached Christ this way. In fact, concerning the second, that he
2029 has a demon, we read in Matthew, "It is only by Beelzebul, the
2030 prince of demons, that he casts out demons" (12:24). But this is
2031 the only place where it is recorded that they called him a
2032 Samaritan, although they probably said it often: for many of the
2033 things that were said and done about Christ and by Christ were not
2034 written in the Gospels, as it says below (21:25).</p>
2035 <p>Two reasons can be given why the Jews said this about Christ.
2036 First, because the Samaritans were hateful to the people of Israel,
2037 for when the ten tribes were led into captivity, they took their
2038 land: "For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (4:9). Thus,
2039 because Christ reproved the Jews, they believed that he did it out
2040 of hatred, so that they regarded him as a Samaritan, an adversary,
2041 as it were. Another reason was that the Samaritans observed the
2042 Jewish rites in some things and not in others. Therefore, the Jews,
2043 seeing that Christ observed the law in some matters and broke it in
2044 others, for example, the law of the Sabbath, called him a
2045 Samaritan.</p>
2046 <p>Again, there are two reasons why they said he had a demon.
2047 First, because they did not attribute the miracles he worked, and
2048 the thoughts he revealed, to a divine power in Christ; rather, they
2049 suspected that he did these things by some demonic art. Thus they
2050 said: "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that he casts
2051 out demons" (Mt 12:24). The other reason was based on the fact that
2052 his words exceeded human understanding, such as his statements that
2053 God was his Father, and that he had come down from heaven. And when
2054 uneducated people hear such things they usually regard them as
2055 diabolical. Accordingly, they believed that Christ spoke as one
2056 possessed by a demon: "Many of them said, 'he has a demon, and he
2057 is mad; why listen to him?'" (10:20). Furthermore, they said these
2058 things in an attempt to accuse him of sin, to dispute what he had
2059 said: "Which of you convicts me of sin?"</p>
2060 <p>1263 Then when he says, Jesus answered: <b>I have not a
2061 demon</b>, our Lord rejects the response of the Jews. Now they had
2062 taxed Christ with two things, that he was a Samaritan and that he
2063 had a demon. Concerning the first, our Lord makes no apology, and
2064 this for two reasons. First, according to Origen, because the Jews
2065 always wanted to keep themselves apart from the Gentiles. But the
2066 time had now come when the distinction between Jews and Gentiles
2067 was to be removed, and everyone was to be called to the way of
2068 salvation. Accordingly, our Lord, in order to show that he had come
2069 for the salvation of all, made himself all things to all men, more
2070 so than Paul, so that he might win all (cf. 1 Cor 9:22); and so he
2071 did not deny that he was a Samaritan. The other reason was that
2072 "Samaritan" means "keeper," and because he especially is our
2073 keeper, as we read, "He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor
2074 sleep" (Ps 121:4), so he did not deny that he was a Samaritan.</p>
2075 <p>But he did deny that he had a demon, saying, <b>I have not a
2076 demon</b>. First, he rejects the insult; secondly, he reproves the
2077 insulters for the obstinacy (v 49b). As to the first he does two
2078 things: first, he rejects the insult; secondly, he shows that the
2079 opposite is true, I honor my Father.</p>
2080 <p>1264 It should be noted with respect to the first that when
2081 correcting the Jews our Lord often spoke harshly to them: "Woe to
2082 you, Scribes and Pharisees" (Mt 23:14), and many other instances
2083 are recorded in Matthew. But there is no record that our Lord spoke
2084 harsh or injurious words in answer to their harsh words or deeds
2085 against himself. Rather, as Gregory said, God accepted their
2086 insults, and did not answer with insulting words, but simply said,
2087 I have not a demon. And what does this suggests to us if not that
2088 when we are falsely attacked by our neighbor with railing words, we
2089 should keep silence, even about his abusive words, so as not to
2090 pervert our ministry of correcting in a just manner into a weapon
2091 of our anger. However, while we should not value our own goods, we
2092 should vindicate the things that are of God. As Origen says, Christ
2093 alone is capable of claiming, I have not a demon, for he has
2094 nothing, either slight or serious, of the devil in him; thus he
2095 says: "The ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me"
2096 (14:30). "What accord has Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor 6:15).</p>
2097 <p>1265 He supports his stand by saying the opposite: <b>but I
2098 honor my Father.</b> Now the devil hinders honor being given to
2099 God; therefore, any person who seeks God's honor is a stranger to
2100 the devil. Thus, Christ, who honors his Father, that is, God, has
2101 not a demon. Furthermore, it is a proper and singular mark of
2102 Christ that he honor his Father, as we read: "A son honors his
2103 father" (Mal 1:6). And Christ is most singularly the Son of
2104 God.</p>
2105 <p>1266 Next he reproves the impudence of those insulting him.
2106 First, he reproves them; secondly, he rejects the supposed reason
2107 for their reproof; and thirdly, he foretells their deserved
2108 condemnation.</p>
2109 <p>1267 He says first, <b>I honor my Father, and you dishonor
2110 me.</b> This is like saying: I do what I ought, but you do not do
2111 what you ought. Indeed, by dishonoring me you dishonor my Father:
2112 "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent
2113 him" (5:23).</p>
2114 <p>1268 But they could say: You are too severe, you are too
2115 concerned for your own glory, and so you reprove us. He rejects
2116 this, and speaking as man, says, <b>I do not seek my own glory</b>.
2117 For it is God alone who can seek his own glory without fault;
2118 others must seek it in God: "Let him who glories, glory in the
2119 Lord" [2 Cor 10:17]; "If I glorify myself, my glory is
2120 nothing."</p>
2121 <p>But does not Christ as man have glory? He does indeed, and it is
2122 great in every respect, because, although he does not seek it,
2123 nevertheless, there is One who seeks it, that is, the Father; for
2124 we read: "Thou dost crown him with glory and honor" (Ps 8:5),
2125 referring to Christ in his human nature.</p>
2126 <p>1269 Not only will he seek my glory in those who accomplish
2127 works of great virtue, but he will punish and condemn those who
2128 speak against my glory thus he adds: and he will be the judge.
2129 This, however, seems to conflict with the statement above (5:22):
2130 "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son."
2131 I answer that the Father does not judge anyone apart from the Son,
2132 because even that judgment which he will make concerning the fact
2133 that you insult me, he will make through the Son. Or, one might say
2134 that judgment is sometimes taken for condemnation, and this
2135 judgment the Father has given to the Son, who alone will appear in
2136 visible form in judgment, as has been said. Sometimes, however, it
2137 is understood as meaning to distinguish one from another; and this
2138 is the way it is used here. Thus we read: "Judge me, O God, and
2139 distinguish my cause" [Ps 42:1]. It is like saying: It is the
2140 Father who will distinguish my glory from yours, for he discerns
2141 that you glory in the world; and he sees the glory of his Son, whom
2142 he has anointed above his fellows and who is without sin. But you
2143 are men with sin.<br />
2144 <br />
2145 <br /></p>
2146 <p align="center"><b>LECTURE 8</b></p>
2147 <blockquote>
2148 <p>51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he
2149 will never see death." 52 The Jews said to him, "Now we know that
2150 you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say,
2151 'If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.' 53 Are you
2152 greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died!
2153 Who do you claim to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself,
2154 my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you
2155 say that he is your God. 55 But you have not known him; I know him.
2156 If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do
2157 know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that
2158 he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 The Jews then
2159 said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen
2160 Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
2161 before Abraham was [came to be], I am." 59 So they took up stones
2162 to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the
2163 temple.</p>
2164 </blockquote>
2165 <p>1270 Above, our Lord had promised two things to his followers:
2166 liberation from darkness and the attainment of life, saying, "He
2167 who follows me does not walk in darkness, but will have the light
2168 of life" (8:12). The first of these has been treated above; so we
2169 are now concerned with the second, the obtaining of life through
2170 Christ. First, he states the truth; secondly he counters its denial
2171 by the Jews (v 52).</p>
2172 <p>1271 It should be noted that although Christ had been loaded
2173 down with insults and criticisms, he did not stop his teaching;
2174 indeed, after being accused of having a demon, he offers the
2175 benefits of his teachings more generously, saying: <b>Truly, truly,
2176 I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see
2177 death.</b> He is here giving us an example that when the malice of
2178 wicked men increases, and those that are converted are abused with
2179 insults, preaching, so far from being curtailed, should be
2180 increased: "And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be
2181 afraid of their words" (Ez 2:6); "&hellip;the gospel for which I am
2182 suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God
2183 is not fettered" (2 Tim 2:9).</p>
2184 <p>In this statement our Lord does two things: he requires
2185 something, and he promises something. What he requires is that his
2186 words be kept, if any one keeps my word - for the word of Christ is
2187 the truth. Therefore, we should keep it, first of all, by faith and
2188 continual meditation: "Do not forsake her, and she will keep you"
2189 (Prv 4:6); secondly, by fulfilling it in action: "He who has my
2190 commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me" (14:21).</p>
2191 <p>What he promises is freedom from death; thus he says, <b>he will
2192 never see death</b>, that is, experience it: "They who act by me
2193 (i.e., by divine wisdom) shall not sin; they who explain me shall
2194 have life everlasting" [Sir 24:30]. Such a reward suits such merit,
2195 for life everlasting consists especially in the divine vision:
2196 "This is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and
2197 Jesus Christ whom thou has sent" (17:3). Now the seedbed and source
2198 of this vision comes into us by the word of Christ; "The seed is
2199 the word of God" (Lk 8:11). Therefore, just as a person who keeps
2200 the seed of some plant or tree from being destroyed succeeds in
2201 obtaining its fruit, so the person who keeps the word of God
2202 attains to life everlasting: "Keep my statutes and my ordinances by
2203 doing which a man shall live" (Lev 18:5).</p>
2204 <p>1272 Next we see the opposition of the Jews being repelled. They
2205 oppose Christ in three ways: first, by accusing him of making a
2206 false statement; secondly, by their derision (v 57); and thirdly by
2207 assaulting him (v 59). As to the first, there are two things:
2208 first, they try to accuse him of presumption; secondly, Christ
2209 answers some of their retorts (v 54). As to the first they do three
2210 things: first, they insult Christ; secondly, they state a certain
2211 fact (v 52); and thirdly, they ask a question (v 53).</p>
2212 <p>1273 They reproached him for lying when they said, <b>now we
2213 know that you have a demon.</b> They said this because the Jews
2214 knew that the inventor of sin, and especially of lying, was the
2215 devil: "I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of
2216 his prophets" (1 Kg 22:22). It seemed to them that our Lord's
2217 statement, "If any one keeps my word, he will never see death," was
2218 an obvious lie - for since they were carnal minded, they understood
2219 of physical death what he said about spiritual and eternal death;
2220 and especially also because it was contrary to the authority of
2221 Sacred Scripture, which says, "What man can live and never see
2222 death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?" (Ps
2223 89:48). For these reasons they said to him: you have a demon. It
2224 was like saying: You are lying because prompted by the devil.</p>
2225 <p>1274 Further, they do two things to convict him of lying: first,
2226 they mention the death of the ancients; secondly, they quote
2227 Christ's own words (v 52b). So they say: What you say, if any one
2228 keeps my word, he will never see death, is obviously false, for
2229 Abraham died, as is clear from Genesis (c 25); and the prophets
2230 died: "We must all die, we are like water split on the ground,
2231 which cannot be gathered up again" (2 Sam 14:14). But although they
2232 are dead in the bodily sense, they are not dead spiritually, for in
2233 Matthew (22:32) our Lord says: "I am the God of Abraham and the God
2234 of Isaac and the God of Jacob," and then he adds, "He is not God of
2235 the dead, but of the living." Thus, they were dead as to the body,
2236 but they were living in the spirit, because the Lord was speaking
2237 of, and not bodily death. Then, when they continue they wrote
2238 Christ's own words: And you say, If any one keeps my word, he will
2239 never taste death. But they were careless and evil listeners and so
2240 garbled our Lord's words and did not repeat them exactly. For our
2241 Lord had said, "he will never see death," but they quote it as "he
2242 will never taste death." However, as far as their understanding was
2243 concerned, it was all the same, because in both cases they
2244 understood that they would never experience a bodily death. But as
2245 Origen tells us, there is a real difference between seeing death
2246 and tasting death: for to see death is to experience it completely;
2247 while to taste it is to have some taste or share in death.</p>
2248 <p>Now, just as it is a greater punishment to see death than to
2249 taste it, so not to taste death is more of a glory than not to see
2250 death. For the ones who do not taste death are those who are on
2251 high with Christ, i.e., who remain in an intellectual order: "There
2252 are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the
2253 Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Mt 16:28). And there are others
2254 who, if they do not see death by sinning mortally, nevertheless
2255 taste it, because they have a slight affection for earthly things.
2256 Consequently, our Lord, as it is written in the Greek, and as
2257 Origen explains it, said, he will never see death, because the
2258 person who has accepted and kept the words of Christ will not see
2259 death, even though he might taste something of it.</p>
2260 <p>1275 Then they ask their question, saying, <b>Are you greater
2261 than our father Abraham, who died?</b> They are asking, first of
2262 all, about a comparison between him and their fathers of old. But
2263 as Chrysostom says, in their carnal understanding they could have
2264 asked something higher, that is, "Are you greater than God?" For
2265 Abraham and the prophets kept God's commands, yet they died in the
2266 bodily sense. Therefore, if any one who keeps your word will never
2267 die, it seems that you are greater than God. Yet they were
2268 satisfied with their retort, because they considered him less than
2269 Abraham, in spite of the fact that we read: "There is none like
2270 thee among the gods, O Lord" (Ps 86:8); and "Who is like thee, O
2271 Lord, among the gods?" (Ex 15:11); as if to say: No one.</p>
2272 <p>Secondly, they ask about his estimate of himself, i.e., who does
2273 he take himself to be? As if to say: If you are greater than them,
2274 namely, Abraham and the prophets, it seems to imply that you are of
2275 a higher nature, say an angel or God. But we do not think you are.
2276 So they do not ask, "Who are you?" but Who do you claim to be? For
2277 whatever you say in this matter, we who know will regard it as a
2278 fiction. They spoke in a similar fashion below (10:33): "We stone
2279 you for no good work but for blasphemy; because you being a man,
2280 make yourself God."</p>
2281 <p>1276 Then (v 54), our Lord's answer is given. First, he answers
2282 the second question; secondly, the first question (v 56). As to the
2283 first, he Lord does three things: first, he rejects their error;
2284 secondly, he teaches them a truth which they did not know (v 54);
2285 and thirdly, he clarifies both of these things (v 55).</p>
2286 <p>1277 He says: <b>You ask me, Who do you claim to be?</b> As if I
2287 am usurping a glory that I do not have. But this is a false
2288 assumption on your part, because I do not make myself what I am,
2289 but I have received it from the Father: for if I glorify myself, my
2290 glory is nothing. Now this could be understood of Christ according
2291 as he is the Son of God, as though saying in precise language; if
2292 I, namely, myself, glorify myself, that is, ascribe to myself a
2293 glory which the Father does not give me, my glory is nothing. For
2294 the glory of Christ according as he is God is the glory of the Word
2295 and the Son of God. But the Son has nothing except being begotten,
2296 i.e., what he has received from another [the Father] by being
2297 begotten. Therefore, assuming the impossible, if his glory were not
2298 from another, it would not be the glory of the Son.</p>
2299 <p>However, it seems better to suppose that this is said of Christ
2300 according as he is man, because anyone who ascribes to himself a
2301 glory he does not have from God, has a false glory. For whatever is
2302 true is from God, and whatever is contrary to the truth is false,
2303 and consequently, nothing. Therefore, a glory which is not from God
2304 is nothing. We read of Christ: "Christ did not exalt himself to be
2305 made a high priest" (Heb 5:5); and "It is not the man who commends
2306 himself that is accepted, but the man whom the Lord commends" (2
2307 Cor 10:18). Thus the error of the Jews is obvious.</p>
2308 <p>1278 He sets down the truth he intends to teach and says: <b>it
2309 is my Father who glorifies me</b>. It is like saying: I do not
2310 glorify myself, as you think; but it is another who glorifies me,
2311 namely, my Father, whom he describes by his proper characteristic
2312 and by his nature. He describes him by his proper characteristic of
2313 fatherhood; thus he says that it is my Father and not I. As
2314 Augustine says, the Arians use this statement to injure our faith,
2315 and they claim the Father is greater than the Son, for one who
2316 glorifies is greater than the one glorified by him. If, therefore,
2317 the Father glorifies the Son, the Father is greater than the Son.
2318 Now this argument would be valid unless it were found that,
2319 conversely, the Son glorifies the Father. But the Son says:
2320 "Father, the hour has come: glorify thy Son that thy Son may
2321 glorify thee" (17:1); and "I glorified thee on earth" (17:4).</p>
2322 <p><b>It is my Father who glorifies me</b>, can be applied to
2323 Christ both according as he is the Son of God, and also as the Son
2324 of man. As the Son of God, the Father glorifies him with the glory
2325 of the divinity, generating him from eternity as equal to himself:
2326 as we read, "He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp
2327 of his nature &hellip; he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
2328 on high" (Heb 1:3); "And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
2329 Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:11). But as man, he
2330 had glory through an overflowing into him of the divinity, and
2331 overflowing of unique grace and glory: "We have seen his glory, the
2332 glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and
2333 truth" [1:14].</p>
2334 <p>1279 He describes the Father by his nature, that is, by his
2335 divinity, when he says, <b>of whom you say that he is your God.</b>
2336 But lest anyone suppose that his Father is other than God, he says
2337 that he is glorified by God: "Now is the Son of man glorified, and
2338 in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will also
2339 glorify him in himself" (13:31). According to Augustine, these
2340 words are against the Manicheans, who say that the Father of Christ
2341 was not proclaimed in the Old Testament, but rather it was one of
2342 the princes of the evil angels. However, it is plain that the Jews
2343 do not say that their God is any other than the God of the Old
2344 Testament. Therefore, the God of the Old Testament is the Father of
2345 Christ and the One who glorifies him.</p>
2346 <p>1280 Then he shows both these things, that is, the error of the
2347 Jews, and his own truth, when he says, but you have not known him.
2348 He shows these in two ways: first, by pointing out the ignorance of
2349 the Jews; secondly, his own knowledge (v 55).</p>
2350 <p>1281 With respect to the first it should be noted that the Jews
2351 could say: You say that you are glorified by God; but his judgments
2352 are known by us, according to "He has not dealt thus with any other
2353 nation; they do not know his ordinances" (Ps 147:20). Therefore, if
2354 what you say is true, we would certainly know it; but since we do
2355 not know of it, it is obviously not true. Christ concludes saying,
2356 but you have not known him. This is like saying: It is not strange
2357 if you do not know about the glory with which my Father, who you
2358 say is your God, glorifies me, for you do not know God.</p>
2359 <p>1282 This seems to conflict with the Psalm (76:1): "In Judah God
2360 is known." I answer that he was known by them as God, but not as
2361 the Father; thus he said above: "It is my Father who glorifies me"
2362 (v 54). Or, one might answer that you have not known him with
2363 affection, because you adore him in a bodily way, whereas he should
2364 be adored spiritually: "God is spirit, and those who worship him
2365 must worship in spirit and truth" (4:24). And there is no affection
2366 because you are reluctant to keep his commandments: "They profess
2367 to know God; but they deny him by their deeds" (Tit 1:16).</p>
2368 <p>1283 But they might say: "Granted that we do not know about your
2369 glory, how do you know that you have glory from God the Father?"
2370 For this reason Christ speaks of his own knowledge, saying, I know
2371 him. First, he mentions his own knowledge; secondly, he shows the
2372 need for mentioning it; and thirdly, he explains what he said (v
2373 55b).</p>
2374 <p>1284 He says: <b>I know that I have glory from God the Father,
2375 because I know him</b>, namely, with that knowledge with which he
2376 knows himself; and no one else except the Son knows him: "No one
2377 knows the Father except the Son" (Mt 11:27), i.e., with a perfect
2378 and comprehensive knowledge. And because every imperfect thing
2379 derives from the perfect, all our knowledge is derived from the
2380 Word; thus Christ continues, "and any one to whom the Son chooses
2381 to reveal him."</p>
2382 <p>1285 Now because some who judge in a carnal manner might
2383 attribute arrogance to Christ for saying that he knows God, he
2384 mentions why his statement is necessary. For, according to
2385 Augustine, arrogance should not be so guarded against that the
2386 truth is neglected and a lie committed. Thus Christ says: <b>If I
2387 said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you.</b> This is
2388 like saying: Just as you are lying when you say that you know him,
2389 so if I said I do not know him, whereas I do, I should be a liar
2390 like you. There is a similarity here in the fact of lying: as they
2391 lie in saying that they know him whom they do not know, so Christ
2392 would be a liar were he to say that he does not know him whom he
2393 knows. But there is a lack of similarity because they do not know
2394 him, whereas Christ does.</p>
2395 <p>But could Christ say these things ["I do not know him" and "I
2396 should be a liar"]? He could, indeed, have spoken the words
2397 materially, but not so as to intend expressing a falsehood, because
2398 this could be done only by Christ's will inclining to falsehood,
2399 which was impossible, just as it was impossible for him to sin.</p>
2400 <p>However, the conditional statement is true, although both
2401 antecedent and consequent are impossible.</p>
2402 <p>1286 When he continues he shows that he knows the Father, <b>But
2403 I do know him</b>, i.e., I know the Father intellectually, with
2404 speculative knowledge. And I also know him with affective
2405 knowledge, by consenting to him with my will: thus he says, <b>and
2406 I keep his word</b>: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do
2407 my own will, but the will of him who sent me" (6:3).</p>
2408 <p>1287 Then when he says, <b>your father Abraham rejoiced that he
2409 was to see my day</b>, he gives his answer to the first question
2410 asked by the Jews: "Are you greater than our father Abraham?" He
2411 shows that he is greater for the following reason: Whoever awaits
2412 for someone as for his good and perfection is less than the one he
2413 waits for; but Abraham placed the entire hope of his perfection and
2414 good in me; therefore, he is less than I. In regard to this he
2415 says, your father Abraham, in whom you glory, rejoiced that the was
2416 to see my day; he saw it and was glad. He is stating two visions
2417 and two joys, but the second vision and its joy is mentioned first.
2418 In the first part of the statement, he first mentions the joy of
2419 exultation when he says, Abraham rejoiced, and then adds the
2420 vision, saying that he was to see my day. Then in the second part
2421 he first mentions the vision, saying, he saw, my day, and adds the
2422 joy, and was glad. Thus [taking the statement in reverse order] a
2423 joy lies between two visions, proceeding from the one and tending
2424 to the other. He is saying in effect: "He saw my day, and rejoiced
2425 that he was to see my day."</p>
2426 <p>First of all, let us examine what that day is which he saw, and
2427 also what that day is which he rejoiced that he was to see. Now the
2428 day of Christ is twofold: the day of eternity, "Today I have
2429 begotten you" (Ps 2:7); and the day of his incarnation and
2430 humanity, "I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is
2431 day" (9:4). We say that Abraham saw, by faith, each day of Christ:
2432 the day of eternity and the day of the incarnation: "He believed
2433 the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6).
2434 It is clear that he saw the day of eternity, for otherwise he would
2435 not have been justified by God, because as it says in Hebrews
2436 (11:6): "Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists
2437 and that he rewards those who see him." That he saw the day of the
2438 incarnation is clear from three things. First, from the oath he
2439 exacted from his servant. For he said to his servant: "Put your
2440 hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord" (Gen
2441 24:2). This signified, as Augustine says, that the God of heaven
2442 was to come out of his thigh. Secondly, as Gregory says, when he
2443 showed hospitality to the three angels, a symbol of the Most High
2444 Trinity. Thirdly, when he knew the passion of Christ as prefigured
2445 in the offering of the ram and of Isaac (Gen c 22). So he was glad
2446 over this vision [of faith], but he did not rest in it. Indeed,
2447 from it he rejoiced in another vision, namely, the direct
2448 face-to-face vision [of God], as though placing all his joy in
2449 this. Thus he says, Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day, -
2450 the day of my divinity and of my human nature - that is, that he
2451 was to see it by direct face-to-face vision.</p>
2452 <p>1288 Then (v 57), he shows how the Jews ridiculed Christ's
2453 words: first, we have their ridicule, in an attempt to belittle
2454 what Christ said; secondly, Christ clarifies what he said in order
2455 to counteract this ridicule (v 58).</p>
2456 <p>1289 Because Christ had said that Abraham rejoiced that he was
2457 to see his day, the Jews, having a carnal mind and considering only
2458 his physical age, ridiculed him and said, <b>you are not yet fifty
2459 years old</b>. Indeed, he was not yet fifty years old, or even
2460 forty, but closer to thirty: "And Jesus, when he began his
2461 ministry, was about thirty years of age" (Lk 3:23). The Jews said,
2462 you are not yet fifty years old, probably because they held the
2463 year of Jubilee in the greatest reverence and computed everything
2464 in terms of it - it was a time for freeing captives and giving up
2465 certain possessions. They were saying in effect: You have not yet
2466 lived beyond the span of a Jubilee, and have you seen Abraham?
2467 However, our Lord did not say that he saw Abraham, but that Abraham
2468 saw his day.</p>
2469 <p>1290 To counteract their ridicule, our Lord answers the Jews by
2470 explaining his words, saying, <b>Truly, truly, I say to you, before
2471 Abraham came to be, I am.</b> These words of our Lord mention two
2472 things about himself that are noteworthy and efficacious against
2473 the Arians. One is that, as Gregory says, he combines words of
2474 present and past time, because before signifies the past, and am
2475 signifies the present. Therefore, in order to show that he is
2476 eternal, and to indicate that his existence is an eternal
2477 existence, he does not say, "before Abraham, I was," but before
2478 Abraham, I am. For eternal existence knows neither past nor future
2479 time, but embraces all time in one indivisible [instant]. Thus it
2480 could be said: "He who is, sent me to you," and "I am who am" [Ex
2481 3:14]. Jesus had being both before Abraham and after him, and he
2482 could approach him by showing himself in the present and be after
2483 him in the course of time.</p>
2484 <p>The other point, according to Augustine, is that when speaking
2485 of Abraham, a creature, he did not say, "before Abraham was," but
2486 before Abraham came to be. Yet when speaking of himself, in order
2487 to show that he was not made as a creature is, but was eternally
2488 begotten from the essence of the Father, he does not say, "I came
2489 to be," but I am he who "in the beginning was the Word" (1:1);
2490 "Before the hills, I was brought forth" (Prv 8:25).</p>
2491 <p>1291 Then (v 59), we see the attitude of the Jews towards
2492 Christ: first, their harassment of him; secondly, Christ's escape.
2493 The harassment of the Jews came from their unbelief: for the minds
2494 of unbelievers, being unable to tolerate words of eternity, or
2495 understand them, regard them as blasphemy. <b>Therefore,</b>
2496 according to the command of the Law, they decided to stone Christ
2497 as a blasphemer: <b>they took up stones to throw at him.</b> As
2498 Augustine remarks: What hardness of heart! To what could it resort
2499 except the hardness of stones? And they act in the same way who
2500 from the hardness of their own hearts, failing to understand the
2501 clearly stated truth, blaspheme the one who speaks it; for we read:
2502 "These men revile whatever they do not understand" (Jude 10).</p>
2503 <p>1292 Jesus escapes from them by his own power; he continues,
2504 <b>but Jesus hid himself</b> - he, who, if he had wished to
2505 exercise his divine power, could have bound and delivered them to
2506 the punishment of a sudden death. Jesus hid himself for two main
2507 reasons. First, as an example to his followers to avoid those who
2508 persecute them: "When they persecute you in one town, flee to the
2509 next" (Mt 10:23). Secondly, because he had not chosen this form of
2510 death, but rather wanted to be sacrificed on the altar of the
2511 cross. He also fled because his time had not yet come. Thus, as
2512 man, he avoids their stoning. But he did not conceal himself under
2513 a rock or in a corner, but made himself invisible by his divine
2514 power and left the temple. He acted in a similar way when they
2515 wanted to throw him from the top of a hill (Lk 4:29). As Gregory
2516 says, this leads us to understand that the truth is hidden from
2517 those who disdain to follow his words. Indeed, the truth shuns a
2518 mind that it does not find to be humble: "The Lord is hiding his
2519 face from the house of Jacob" (Is 8:17). Finally, he hid himself
2520 because it was fitting that he leave them because they refused to
2521 accept correction and the truth, and that he go to the Gentiles:
2522 "Behold your house is forsaken and desolate" (Mt 23:38).</p>
2523 </blockquote>
2524 </body>
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