diff john/english/SSJohn.html @ 35:178aed5d2c3c

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--- a/john/english/SSJohn.html	Mon Nov 30 21:59:53 2009 +0000
+++ b/john/english/SSJohn.html	Mon Nov 30 22:05:42 2009 +0000
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
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+<meta name="generator" content=
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 <title>Thomas Aquinas: Commentary on the Gospel of John</title>
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@@ -9,73 +15,73 @@
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 var WPFootnote1 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>&#160;For a fuller documentation of these facts, see James A. Weisheipl, <i>Friar Thomas d&#8217;Aquino: His Life, Thought and\
-Works </i>(Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1974), pp. 246-47, 372, and so forth. See also J. A. Weisheipl. &#8220;The\
-Johannine Commentary of Friar Thomas,&#8221; <i>Church History, </i>45 (1976), 185-195.</p>\
-</span>'
+Works <\/i>(Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1974), pp. 246-47, 372, and so forth. See also J. A. Weisheipl. &#8220;The\
+Johannine Commentary of Friar Thomas,&#8221; <i>Church History, <\/i>45 (1976), 185-195.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote2 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>Ibid., </i>pp. 145-46.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote2 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>Ibid., <\/i>pp. 145-46.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote3 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>The full text of this allocution is given in <i>AAS</i> 50 (1958), 150-53.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote3 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>The full text of this allocution is given in <i>AAS<\/i> 50 (1958), 150-53.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote4 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Summa theologiae</i>, I, q.1, a.8, ad 2.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote4 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Summa theologiae<\/i>, I, q.1, a.8, ad 2.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote5 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>AAS</i> 35 (1943), 297-325; trans. in <i>The Catholic Mind </i>42<i> </i>(1944), 257-83.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote5 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>AAS<\/i> 35 (1943), 297-325; trans. in <i>The Catholic Mind <\/i>42<i> <\/i>(1944), 257-83.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote6 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Super epistolam ad Hebraeos lectura</i>, cap.1, lect. 4, n. 64. <i>Super Epistolas S. Pauli Lectura</i>, ed. R.\
-Cai (Turin: Marietti, 1953), I, 350a.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote6 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Super epistolam ad Hebraeos lectura<\/i>, cap.1, lect. 4, n. 64. <i>Super Epistolas S. Pauli Lectura<\/i>, ed. R.\
+Cai (Turin: Marietti, 1953), I, 350a.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote7 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>Divino afflante Spiritu, </i>n.63; trans. loc. <i>cit., </i>p. 280.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote7 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>Divino afflante Spiritu, <\/i>n.63; trans. loc. <i>cit., <\/i>p. 280.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote8 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Sum. theol., </i>I, q. 1, a. 10.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote8 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Sum. theol., <\/i>I, q. 1, a. 10.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote9 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>Ibid.</i></p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote9 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p><i>Ibid.<\/i><\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote10 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See J. A. Weisheipl, &#8220;The Meaning of <i>Sacra Doctrina </i>in <i>Summa theologiae </i>I, q. 1,&#8221; <i>The Thomist, </i>38 (1974), 49-80.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote10 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See J. A. Weisheipl, &#8220;The Meaning of <i>Sacra Doctrina <\/i>in <i>Summa theologiae <\/i>I, q. 1,&#8221; <i>The Thomist, <\/i>38 (1974), 49-80.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote11 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>Aristotle, <i>Metaphysics </i>I, 2, 982a, l8-19.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote11 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>Aristotle, <i>Metaphysics <\/i>I, 2, 982a, l8-19.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote12 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See <i>Friar Thomas dAquino</i>, pp, 392-93.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote12 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See <i>Friar Thomas dAquino<\/i>, pp, 392-93.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
 var WPFootnote13 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>Only the second part of this work has been translated into English&#8212;J. B. Collins, <i>Catechetical Instructions of St.\
-Thomas </i>(New York: Wagner 1939; repr. 1953).</p>\
-</span>'
+Thomas <\/i>(New York: Wagner 1939; repr. 1953).<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote14 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Catena Aurea,</i>Epistola dedicatoria (Turin:<i> </i>Marietti, 1925) I, 468.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote14 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Catena Aurea,<\/i>Epistola dedicatoria (Turin:<i> <\/i>Marietti, 1925) I, 468.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote15 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Sum. theol., </i>I, q.1, a.3; see note 10 above.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote15 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Sum. theol., <\/i>I, q.1, a.3; see note 10 above.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote16 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See Leo XIII, <i>Providentissimu</i> <i>s Deus </i>(18 Nov 1893) in <i>Acta Leonis XIII</i>, vol. 13, p. 345-46.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote16 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See Leo XIII, <i>Providentissimu<\/i> <i>s Deus <\/i>(18 Nov 1893) in <i>Acta Leonis XIII<\/i>, vol. 13, p. 345-46.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote17 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See <i>Friar Thomas d&#8217;Aquino</i>, pp. 164-68.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote17 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>See <i>Friar Thomas d&#8217;Aquino<\/i>, pp. 164-68.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote18 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Super Evangelium S. Joannis Lectura</i>,<i> </i>cap.21, lect.6, n.2656, ed. R. Cai (Turin: Marietti 1952), p. 488.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote18 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>St. Thomas, <i>Super Evangelium S. Joannis Lectura<\/i>,<i> <\/i>cap.21, lect.6, n.2656, ed. R. Cai (Turin: Marietti 1952), p. 488.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote19 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>Trent. sess. 4, in Denziger-Schbnmetzer, <i>Enchiridion</i> <i>Symbolorum </i>(1967), n.1501. See the important study of this\
-question in J. R. Geiselmann, <i>Die Heilige Schrift und die Tradition </i>(Freiburg i. Br.: Herder 1962), pp. 108-160.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote19 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>Trent. sess. 4, in Denziger-Schbnmetzer, <i>Enchiridion<\/i> <i>Symbolorum <\/i>(1967), n.1501. See the important study of this\
+question in J. R. Geiselmann, <i>Die Heilige Schrift und die Tradition <\/i>(Freiburg i. Br.: Herder 1962), pp. 108-160.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote20 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>Sess. VIII, <i>Constitutio Dogmatica de divina Revelatione, Dei verbum </i>(18 Nov . 1965), in <i>Constitutiones, Decreta,\
-Declarationes </i>(Vatican 1966), p. 429; see whole of cap. 2.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote20 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>Sess. VIII, <i>Constitutio Dogmatica de divina Revelatione, Dei verbum <\/i>(18 Nov . 1965), in <i>Constitutiones, Decreta,\
+Declarationes <\/i>(Vatican 1966), p. 429; see whole of cap. 2.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
-var WPFootnote21 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>This was the invocation, for example, in the old Dominican rite of the Mass.</p>\
-</span>'
+var WPFootnote21 = '<span class="WPNormal"><p>This was the invocation, for example, in the old Dominican rite of the Mass.<\/p>\
+<\/span>'
 
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-<body><blockquote>
-<CENTER><h2>COMMENTARY ON<BR>THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN</span></h2>
+<body>
+<blockquote>
+<center>
+<h2>COMMENTARY ON<br />
+THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN</h2>
 <p>St. Thomas Aquinas</p>
-<p><span style="font-weight: bold">Part I: Chapters 1-7</span>
-<br>translated by<BR>James A. Weisheipl, O.P.
-<br>Magi Books, Inc., Albany, N.Y.
-<table cellpadding=10 border=4><tr><td><A HREF="#01">INTRODUCTION</A>
-<td align=center><A HREF="#02"><b>PROLOGUE</A><td><a href="JohnApp.htm">APPENDICES</A></table>Chapters:
-<table cellpadding=10 border=4><tr><td><A HREF="John1.htm">*1*</A><td><A HREF="John2.htm">*2*</A><td><A HREF="John3.htm">*3*</A><td><A HREF="John4.htm">*4*</A><td><A HREF="John5.htm">*5*</A><td><A HREF="John6.htm">*6*</A><td><A HREF="John7.htm">*7*</A>
+<p><span style="font-weight: bold">Part I: Chapters
+1-7</span><br />
+translated by<br />
+James A. Weisheipl, O.P.<br />
+Magi Books, Inc., Albany, N.Y.</p>
+<table cellpadding="10" border="4">
+<tr>
+<td><a href="#01">INTRODUCTION</a></td>
+<td align="center"><a href="#02"><b>PROLOGUE</b></a></td>
+<td><a href="JohnApp.htm">APPENDICES</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+Chapters:
+<table cellpadding="10" border="4">
+<tr>
+<td><a href="John1.htm">*1*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John2.htm">*2*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John3.htm">*3*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John4.htm">*4*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John5.htm">*5*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John6.htm">*6*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John7.htm">*7*</a></td>
+</tr>
 </table>
-<p><b>Part II: Chapters 8-21</b>
-<br>translated by<BR>Fabian R. Larcher, O.P.
-<br>Magi Books, Inc., Albany, N.Y., 1998
-<br>(notes to these chapters provisional)
-<table cellpadding=10 border=4><tr><td><A HREF="John8.htm">*8*</A><td><A HREF="John9.htm">*9*</A><td><A HREF="John10.htm">*10*</A><td><A HREF="John11.htm">*11*</A><td><A HREF="John12.htm">*12*</A><td><A HREF="John13.htm">*13*</A><td><A HREF="John14.htm">*14*</A>
-<tr><td><A HREF="John15.htm">*15*</A><td><A HREF="John16.htm">*16*</A><td><A HREF="John17.htm">*17*</A><td><A HREF="John18.htm">*18*</A><td><A HREF="John19.htm">*19*</A><td><A HREF="John20.htm">*20*</A><td><A HREF="John21.htm">*21*</A>
+<p><b>Part II: Chapters 8-21</b><br />
+translated by<br />
+Fabian R. Larcher, O.P.<br />
+Magi Books, Inc., Albany, N.Y., 1998<br />
+(notes to these chapters provisional)</p>
+<table cellpadding="10" border="4">
+<tr>
+<td><a href="John8.htm">*8*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John9.htm">*9*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John10.htm">*10*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John11.htm">*11*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John12.htm">*12*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John13.htm">*13*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John14.htm">*14*</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td><a href="John15.htm">*15*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John16.htm">*16*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John17.htm">*17*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John18.htm">*18*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John19.htm">*19*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John20.htm">*20*</a></td>
+<td><a href="John21.htm">*21*</a></td>
+</tr>
 </table>
-<BR>
-<hr width=50%>
-<A NAME="01"><p><b>INTRODUCTION</b></CENTER>
-<br>
-<div style=text-align:justify>
-<p>St. Thomas&#8217; commentary on the Gospel of St. John is unique among his many writings on Sacred
-Scripture. It is the work of a master theologian, delivered at the University of Paris, then the
-intellectual center in Christendom, when Thomas was at the height of his fame and apostolic zeal
-for souls. A fourteenth-century list of Thomas&#8217; writings notes that this commentary is a
-<i>reportatio</i> by Reginald of Piperno and adds &#8220;better than which none can be found.&#8221;
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote1', WPFootnote1 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+<br />
+<hr width="50%" />
+<a name="01"></a>
+<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b></p>
+</center>
+<br />
+<div style="text-align:justify">
+<p>St. Thomas&rsquo; commentary on the Gospel of St. John is unique
+among his many writings on Sacred Scripture. It is the work of a
+master theologian, delivered at the University of Paris, then the
+intellectual center in Christendom, when Thomas was at the height
+of his fame and apostolic zeal for souls. A fourteenth-century list
+of Thomas&rsquo; writings notes that this commentary is a
+<i>reportatio</i> by Reginald of Piperno and adds &ldquo;better
+than which none can be found.&rdquo; <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote1',%20WPFootnote1%20)"><img src=
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- A <i>reportatio</i>
-is a verbal report of an actual lecture taken down by a scribe or student in the course of actual
-delivery. In this case the scribe was the faithful Friar Reginald of Piperno, who had been the
-&#8220;constant companion,&#8221; or socius, for the last fifteen years of Thomas&#8217; short but busy life. The
-Italian Province of Dominicans wisely provided Thomas with this kind of personal secretary and
-general factotum after he returned from Paris as a Master in Sacred Theology in 1260.
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+//]]>
+</script> A <i>reportatio</i> is a verbal report of an actual
+lecture taken down by a scribe or student in the course of actual
+delivery. In this case the scribe was the faithful Friar Reginald
+of Piperno, who had been the &ldquo;constant companion,&rdquo; or
+socius, for the last fifteen years of Thomas&rsquo; short but busy
+life. The Italian Province of Dominicans wisely provided Thomas
+with this kind of personal secretary and general factotum after he
+returned from Paris as a Master in Sacred Theology in 1260.
+<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote2',%20WPFootnote2%20)"><img src="footnoteicon.gif"
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-</p>
-<p>A <i>reportatio</i> is not exactly a dictation in our sense of the term; it is more like a student&#8217;s
-notebook in shorthand containing basically the gist of what is being said, but usually with varying
-numbers of verbal omissions and inaccuracies. But this commentary is more than a mere scribal
-report. It was in fact &#8220;corrected&#8221; by Thomas himself&#8212;if we are to believe Tolomeo of Lucca, one
-of Thomas&#8217; early biographers and confreres&#8212;before the commentary went into circulation
-through copies made by hand, the customary mode of publication before the era of the printing
-press. More than that: according to Bernard Gui, another confrere and early biographer, Thomas
-himself wrote out in full the commentary on the first five chapters of John (and hence this section
-ought to be considered an authentic <i>expositio</i>, or authoritative version), while the rest of it
+//]]>
+</script></p>
+<p>A <i>reportatio</i> is not exactly a dictation in our sense of
+the term; it is more like a student&rsquo;s notebook in shorthand
+containing basically the gist of what is being said, but usually
+with varying numbers of verbal omissions and inaccuracies. But this
+commentary is more than a mere scribal report. It was in fact
+&ldquo;corrected&rdquo; by Thomas himself&mdash;if we are to
+believe Tolomeo of Lucca, one of Thomas&rsquo; early biographers
+and confreres&mdash;before the commentary went into circulation
+through copies made by hand, the customary mode of publication
+before the era of the printing press. More than that: according to
+Bernard Gui, another confrere and early biographer, Thomas himself
+wrote out in full the commentary on the first five chapters of John
+(and hence this section ought to be considered an authentic
+<i>expositio</i>, or authoritative version), while the rest of it
 survived in the hand of Reginald, corrected by Thomas.</p>
-<p>This commentary was very popular in the Middle Ages, and it ranks among the best of Thomas&#8217;
-work as a master theologian and saintly man of faith. It was read not only by theologians
-searching for the truth, but also by preachers and pious men and women desiring solid food for
-meditation and fervent prayer. Scattered throughout the world there still exist thirty-three
-complete and thirteen incomplete manuscript copies of this work, attesting to its considerable
-popularity before the age of printing.  Innumerable copies of this work have no doubt been lost
-or destroyed in the tumult of centuries following the Middle Ages.</p>
-<p>This detailed commentary is St. Thomas&#8217; personal response to the Word of God Incarnate as
-described in the sublime words of John &#8220;the Divine.&#8221; For St. Thomas, the God of Abraham,
-Isaac, and Jacob spoke to his chosen people through the mouth of prophets in the long course of
-salvation history, &#8220;But when the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born
-a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons&#8221;
-(Gal 4:4-5). This Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, is the total manifestation of the Father, the Eternal
-Word made flesh. There is nothing left unsaid in the Word; the Father&#8217;s love is complete in the
-love the Son bears for the Father and for us. Christ&#8217;s whole life, his passion, death, and
-resurrection, are the praise and glory of the Father &#8220;through the working of the Holy Spirit.&#8221;
-&#8220;You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me&#8221; (Jn 14:11).
-&#8220;Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son&#8221; (Jn
-14:13). Christ&#8217;s &#8220;food&#8221; was to do the will of his Father in all things, thus glorifying the Father
-in Jesus.</p>
-<p>One of St. Thomas&#8217; basic theological principles is that everything Jesus Christ did and said was
-for our instruction and imitation. Thus the sanctity of our lives is the on-going praise and glory
-of the Father, through the Son, by the working of the Holy Spirit. The very being of the Father
-is the unqualified affirmation of love for the Son and <i>for </i>us, in the Son. &#8220;God is love&#8221; (1 Jn 4:8).
-This love elicits from us an unreserved affirmation of love for God and neighbor, by which God
-is glorified and resplendent in us. The whole of our happiness is this eternal &#8220;glory&#8221; in tasting
-and seeing that the Lord is good (see Ps 34:8). This commentary is St. Thomas&#8217; tasting and
-seeing the goodness of Jesus, the Word Incarnate, embodied in the tender words of St. John, the
-&#8220;beloved disciple,&#8221; who leaned on the breast of the Savior at the Last Supper.</p>
-<p>Thomas brought to his writing of this commentary on John all the resources at his
-disposal&#8212;which were considerable&#8212;especially the riches of the whole Patristic teaching of the
-&#8220;Saints&#8221; (the <i>sancti Doctores</i>), the wealth of a living tradition in the Roman Church contained
-in its teaching, laws, liturgy, and the living Spirit, as well as fidelity to the infallible norms of the
-Holy See.</p>
-<p>In an address to students and professors of the &#8220;Angelicum&#8221; (now the Pontifical University of
-St. Thomas in Rome) given on January 14, 1958, Pope Pius XII extolled the virtues of its patron,
-the Angelic Doctor, who serves as a divinely inspired guide in both philosophy and theology.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote3', WPFootnote3 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+<p>This commentary was very popular in the Middle Ages, and it
+ranks among the best of Thomas&rsquo; work as a master theologian
+and saintly man of faith. It was read not only by theologians
+searching for the truth, but also by preachers and pious men and
+women desiring solid food for meditation and fervent prayer.
+Scattered throughout the world there still exist thirty-three
+complete and thirteen incomplete manuscript copies of this work,
+attesting to its considerable popularity before the age of
+printing. Innumerable copies of this work have no doubt been lost
+or destroyed in the tumult of centuries following the Middle
+Ages.</p>
+<p>This detailed commentary is St. Thomas&rsquo; personal response
+to the Word of God Incarnate as described in the sublime words of
+John &ldquo;the Divine.&rdquo; For St. Thomas, the God of Abraham,
+Isaac, and Jacob spoke to his chosen people through the mouth of
+prophets in the long course of salvation history, &ldquo;But when
+the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a
+subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable
+us to be adopted as sons&rdquo; (Gal 4:4-5). This Incarnate Son,
+Jesus Christ, is the total manifestation of the Father, the Eternal
+Word made flesh. There is nothing left unsaid in the Word; the
+Father&rsquo;s love is complete in the love the Son bears for the
+Father and for us. Christ&rsquo;s whole life, his passion, death,
+and resurrection, are the praise and glory of the Father
+&ldquo;through the working of the Holy Spirit.&rdquo; &ldquo;You
+must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father
+is in me&rdquo; (Jn 14:11). &ldquo;Whatever you ask for in my name
+I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son&rdquo;
+(Jn 14:13). Christ&rsquo;s &ldquo;food&rdquo; was to do the will of
+his Father in all things, thus glorifying the Father in Jesus.</p>
+<p>One of St. Thomas&rsquo; basic theological principles is that
+everything Jesus Christ did and said was for our instruction and
+imitation. Thus the sanctity of our lives is the on-going praise
+and glory of the Father, through the Son, by the working of the
+Holy Spirit. The very being of the Father is the unqualified
+affirmation of love for the Son and <i>for</i> us, in the Son.
+&ldquo;God is love&rdquo; (1 Jn 4:8). This love elicits from us an
+unreserved affirmation of love for God and neighbor, by which God
+is glorified and resplendent in us. The whole of our happiness is
+this eternal &ldquo;glory&rdquo; in tasting and seeing that the
+Lord is good (see Ps 34:8). This commentary is St. Thomas&rsquo;
+tasting and seeing the goodness of Jesus, the Word Incarnate,
+embodied in the tender words of St. John, the &ldquo;beloved
+disciple,&rdquo; who leaned on the breast of the Savior at the Last
+Supper.</p>
+<p>Thomas brought to his writing of this commentary on John all the
+resources at his disposal&mdash;which were
+considerable&mdash;especially the riches of the whole Patristic
+teaching of the &ldquo;Saints&rdquo; (the <i>sancti Doctores</i>),
+the wealth of a living tradition in the Roman Church contained in
+its teaching, laws, liturgy, and the living Spirit, as well as
+fidelity to the infallible norms of the Holy See.</p>
+<p>In an address to students and professors of the
+&ldquo;Angelicum&rdquo; (now the Pontifical University of St.
+Thomas in Rome) given on January 14, 1958, Pope Pius XII extolled
+the virtues of its patron, the Angelic Doctor, who serves as a
+divinely inspired guide in both philosophy and theology. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote3',%20WPFootnote3%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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-
-Pope Pius spoke especially of St. Thomas&#8217; own studies as a norm for every student of the
-religious disciplines. Just as St. Thomas diligently explored and studied the Bible as the font and
-life-spring of all theological studies, so too should the modern student find in biblical studies the
-source of his theological development. As St. Thomas himself assures us, &#8220;[sacred doctrine] uses
-the authority of the canonical Scriptures properly and of necessity in its investigations ... for our
-faith is founded on the Revelation made to the Apostles and Prophets, who wrote the canonical
-books, but not on revelation (if such there be) made to other teachers.&#8221;
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote4', WPFootnote4 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> Pope Pius spoke especially of St. Thomas&rsquo; own
+studies as a norm for every student of the religious disciplines.
+Just as St. Thomas diligently explored and studied the Bible as the
+font and life-spring of all theological studies, so too should the
+modern student find in biblical studies the source of his
+theological development. As St. Thomas himself assures us,
+&ldquo;[sacred doctrine] uses the authority of the canonical
+Scriptures properly and of necessity in its investigations ... for
+our faith is founded on the Revelation made to the Apostles and
+Prophets, who wrote the canonical books, but not on revelation (if
+such there be) made to other teachers.&rdquo; <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote4',%20WPFootnote4%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote4\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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- In this conviction
-Thomas developed all his own theology. That is to say, the &#8220;complement&#8221; to Thomas&#8217;
-speculations and synthesis are to be found in his commentaries on the books of the Old and New
-Testaments, especially those on the Epistles of St. Paul.</p>
-<p>In the opinion of those most expert to judge, Thomas&#8217; commentaries on Scripture &#8220;shine with
-such solidity, subtlety, and precision that they can be numbered among his greatest theological
-works,&#8221; and are to be esteemed as such. &#8220;Wherefore, if anyone should neglect them, he is
-scarcely to be said to clearly and fully enjoy a familiarity and knowledge of the holy Angelic
-Doctor.&#8221; The significant fact is not that Pius XII emphasized the importance of studying Thomas&#8217;
-biblical commentaries to Dominicans, who had made their special prerogative the teaching of
-&#8220;speculative Thomistic theology&#8221; and the pursuit of contemplative prayer. The significant fact
-is that Pius XII expressed these sentiments shortly before his death and fifteen years after one of
-his most important encyclicals, <i>Divino afflante spiritu </i>(30 Sept. 1943), the basic charter of all
-Catholic biblical studies in our day, leading to the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation,
-<i>Dei verbum, </i>of the Second Vatican Council (18 Nov. 1965). In other words, the enormous
-advances of modern biblical studies do not automatically nullify the importance of St. Thomas&#8217;
+//]]>
+</script> In this conviction Thomas developed all his own theology.
+That is to say, the &ldquo;complement&rdquo; to Thomas&rsquo;
+speculations and synthesis are to be found in his commentaries on
+the books of the Old and New Testaments, especially those on the
+Epistles of St. Paul.</p>
+<p>In the opinion of those most expert to judge, Thomas&rsquo;
+commentaries on Scripture &ldquo;shine with such solidity,
+subtlety, and precision that they can be numbered among his
+greatest theological works,&rdquo; and are to be esteemed as such.
+&ldquo;Wherefore, if anyone should neglect them, he is scarcely to
+be said to clearly and fully enjoy a familiarity and knowledge of
+the holy Angelic Doctor.&rdquo; The significant fact is not that
+Pius XII emphasized the importance of studying Thomas&rsquo;
+biblical commentaries to Dominicans, who had made their special
+prerogative the teaching of &ldquo;speculative Thomistic
+theology&rdquo; and the pursuit of contemplative prayer. The
+significant fact is that Pius XII expressed these sentiments
+shortly before his death and fifteen years after one of his most
+important encyclicals, <i>Divino afflante spiritu</i> (30 Sept.
+1943), the basic charter of all Catholic biblical studies in our
+day, leading to the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation,
+<i>Dei verbum,</i> of the Second Vatican Council (18 Nov. 1965). In
+other words, the enormous advances of modern biblical studies do
+not automatically nullify the importance of St. Thomas&rsquo;
 commentaries on the Sacred Text.</p>
-<p>St. Thomas&#8217; commentaries on the Sacred Text are typically <i>medieval, </i>that is, they lack the
-unction, colloquialism, and engaging informality of Patristic commentaries (which were largely
-homilies), and the technical and sometimes journalistic resources of modern commentaries,
-explanations, and paraphrases. In other words, it is easier to read St. Augustine&#8217;s commentary
-on John than it is to read St. Thomas&#8217; or that of any other medieval writer addressing students
-in the &#8220;schools&#8221; of Paris and elsewhere. The big difference is between Patristic and Monastic
-commentaries, which were largely homiletic, pastoral, personal, and mystical, on the one hand,
-and Scholastic commentaries aimed at teaching students in the university or <i>studium </i>the literal
-meaning of the text. The style of medieval Scholastic commentaries is rather formal, literal,
-student-orientated and bookish. This style often makes such commentaries difficult for a modem
-reader to follow, and to some extent hinders him from deriving the greatest benefit for his mind
-and heart. At first glance such a &#8220;commentary&#8221;&#8212;with its definitions, divisions, arguments
-footnotes and concern for the orthodox meaning of the sacred message&#8212;may seem like searching
-for a needle in a haystack. But in the case of Thomas&#8217; commentaries the reader may be confident
-that his efforts at discovering that needle will prove to be both intellectually and spiritually
-rewarding; once discovered, it will be valued as &#8220;the pearl of great price&#8221; (Mt 13:46).</p>
-<p>In this introduction I hope to show the historical context of this particular commentary and to
-indicate some aids to a fruitful study of it.</p>
-<p>First of all, this work is a biblical commentary by a master in a medieval university. In the Middle
-Ages, the Bible and the Bible alone was the official basis for the teaching of theology by fully
-qualified masters in the major universities of Europe. In fact, one could say with some
-justification that the ultimate goal of all medieval education was an understanding of the Bible
-for those who pursued the full course in the Faculty of Theology. Such an understanding was the
-nature of sacred theology <i>(fides quaerens intellectum, </i>&#8220;faith seeking understanding&#8221;). It was the
-source of all preaching of the Word of God, and it was the inexhaustible font of living water for
-the spiritual life. In order to reach such a lofty goal, much preparation was required. First, tools
-had to be acquired as a means of such study. This was the role of a good liberal arts education
-and the acquisition of philosophy, &#8220;the handmaid of theology.&#8221; The study of the liberal arts and
-the acquisition of philosophy were functions of the Arts Faculty in the university or <i>studium.
-</i>Approximately eight years were devoted by medieval students to acquiring these tools&#8212;roughly
-equivalent to our four years of high school and four years of college. After the full course had
-been completed in &#8220;the humanities,&#8221; the young man, generally in his mid-twenties, would begin
-his study of the Sacred Text, having already heard many sermons in Church and having received
-much instruction at home. His study of the Sacred Text began with <i>listening </i>and <i>reading.</i></p>
-<p>In the Middle Ages, a personal copy of the Bible was relatively rare, certainly outside university
-circles. Every copy of the Bible was written out by hand on parchment, a writing surface made
-from carefully treated skins of sheep. Such a copy was extremely expensive and hard to come by.
-Although every student of theology tried desperately to obtain a personal copy, most people had
-to rely on hearing the Word read to them and recollecting from memory the actual words of the
-Bible. For that reason the beginner in theology would <i>listen </i>to older students and the master
-(professor). One of the older students, the bachelor of theology, read aloud and paraphrased a
-particular book of the Bible. This bachelor was called a &#8220;Cursor Biblicus,&#8221; a &#8220;runner through&#8221;
-the actual words of the Bible, who did this to acquaint himself and his hearers with the inspired
+<p>St. Thomas&rsquo; commentaries on the Sacred Text are typically
+<i>medieval,</i> that is, they lack the unction, colloquialism, and
+engaging informality of Patristic commentaries (which were largely
+homilies), and the technical and sometimes journalistic resources
+of modern commentaries, explanations, and paraphrases. In other
+words, it is easier to read St. Augustine&rsquo;s commentary on
+John than it is to read St. Thomas&rsquo; or that of any other
+medieval writer addressing students in the &ldquo;schools&rdquo; of
+Paris and elsewhere. The big difference is between Patristic and
+Monastic commentaries, which were largely homiletic, pastoral,
+personal, and mystical, on the one hand, and Scholastic
+commentaries aimed at teaching students in the university or
+<i>studium</i> the literal meaning of the text. The style of
+medieval Scholastic commentaries is rather formal, literal,
+student-orientated and bookish. This style often makes such
+commentaries difficult for a modem reader to follow, and to some
+extent hinders him from deriving the greatest benefit for his mind
+and heart. At first glance such a
+&ldquo;commentary&rdquo;&mdash;with its definitions, divisions,
+arguments footnotes and concern for the orthodox meaning of the
+sacred message&mdash;may seem like searching for a needle in a
+haystack. But in the case of Thomas&rsquo; commentaries the reader
+may be confident that his efforts at discovering that needle will
+prove to be both intellectually and spiritually rewarding; once
+discovered, it will be valued as &ldquo;the pearl of great
+price&rdquo; (Mt 13:46).</p>
+<p>In this introduction I hope to show the historical context of
+this particular commentary and to indicate some aids to a fruitful
+study of it.</p>
+<p>First of all, this work is a biblical commentary by a master in
+a medieval university. In the Middle Ages, the Bible and the Bible
+alone was the official basis for the teaching of theology by fully
+qualified masters in the major universities of Europe. In fact, one
+could say with some justification that the ultimate goal of all
+medieval education was an understanding of the Bible for those who
+pursued the full course in the Faculty of Theology. Such an
+understanding was the nature of sacred theology <i>(fides quaerens
+intellectum,</i> &ldquo;faith seeking understanding&rdquo;). It was
+the source of all preaching of the Word of God, and it was the
+inexhaustible font of living water for the spiritual life. In order
+to reach such a lofty goal, much preparation was required. First,
+tools had to be acquired as a means of such study. This was the
+role of a good liberal arts education and the acquisition of
+philosophy, &ldquo;the handmaid of theology.&rdquo; The study of
+the liberal arts and the acquisition of philosophy were functions
+of the Arts Faculty in the university or <i>studium.</i>
+Approximately eight years were devoted by medieval students to
+acquiring these tools&mdash;roughly equivalent to our four years of
+high school and four years of college. After the full course had
+been completed in &ldquo;the humanities,&rdquo; the young man,
+generally in his mid-twenties, would begin his study of the Sacred
+Text, having already heard many sermons in Church and having
+received much instruction at home. His study of the Sacred Text
+began with <i>listening</i> and <i>reading.</i></p>
+<p>In the Middle Ages, a personal copy of the Bible was relatively
+rare, certainly outside university circles. Every copy of the Bible
+was written out by hand on parchment, a writing surface made from
+carefully treated skins of sheep. Such a copy was extremely
+expensive and hard to come by. Although every student of theology
+tried desperately to obtain a personal copy, most people had to
+rely on hearing the Word read to them and recollecting from memory
+the actual words of the Bible. For that reason the beginner in
+theology would <i>listen</i> to older students and the master
+(professor). One of the older students, the bachelor of theology,
+read aloud and paraphrased a particular book of the Bible. This
+bachelor was called a &ldquo;Cursor Biblicus,&rdquo; a
+&ldquo;runner through&rdquo; the actual words of the Bible, who did
+this to acquaint himself and his hearers with the inspired
 words.</p>
-<p>A splendid example of the work of such a &#8220;runner&#8221; is St. Thomas&#8217; commentary on Isaiah; it is
-the work of a <i>cursor </i>and not that of a master. Only a master could expound the text with
-authority and confidence; the bachelor merely skimmed through it as a runner would skim over
-the course in a race. A higher ranking bachelor devoted his energies mainly to explaining the
-official theological handbook, the <i>Sentences </i>of Peter Lombard (d. 1160). These <i>Sentences </i>were
-a systematic collection of Patristic teachings, arranged in four books following the order of the
-Apostles&#8217; Creed. This bachelor was called the <i>bachalarius Sententiarum, </i>a &#8220;Bachelor of the
-<i>Sentences. </i>&#8220;After listening to others for about four years, the young student of theology would
-himself become a bachelor and perform certain duties under a particular master, his main
-professor of theology.</p>
-<p>Every university in the Middle Ages had a limited number of chairs, or professorships, for the
-masters to occupy. At the time of St. Thomas, there were twelve chairs of theology at the
-University of Paris, the Dominicans having two of them. Before occupying one of these chairs,
-the student had to have devoted many long years to study and actual discussions, or
-&#8220;disputations,&#8221; in the university, He had to be at least thirty-five years old before meriting the
-title of &#8220;Master of the Sacred Page&#8221; and the right to expound the Bible in an authoritative manner
-as a true theologian, professionally qualified.</p>
-<p>St. Thomas was twice professor of theology at Paris&#8212;a fact most unusual in itself. There were
-very few such cases where a fully fledged master would return to his old chair, thus preventing
-a new master from occupying it. But the intellectual, social, and religious climate in Paris at that
-time demanded the return of Thomas to the center of all theological learning in Europe. The new
-mendicant Orders (mainly Dominicans and Franciscans) were again being attacked by secular
-(i.e., diocesan) masters of theology, and their right to teach, preach, and beg was challenged by
-some of the most powerful voices in Europe. The center of this controversy Was the University
-of Paris, where the very existence of Dominicans and Franciscans was under fire. At the climax
-of this renewed attack, the second in the history of the Dominican Order, St. Thomas was
-recalled to Paris by the Master General of the Dominican Order, Blessed John of Vercelli.
-Thomas arrived in Paris with his companion Reginald in the cold winter of 1269 after the
-academic term had begun. Immediately Thomas took upon himself the duties of a master in
-theology, namely, lecturing on a carefully chosen book of the Bible, presiding at academic
-&#8220;disputations&#8221; and resolving the question under discussion, and preaching to the university
-crowd. At the same time, he was composing the Second Part of his <i>Summa theologiae, </i>which he
-had begun in Rome two years earlier, and dictating a number of literal commentaries on various
-works of Aristotle for young masters in arts, that is, teachers in the Faculty of Arts, whose duty
-it was to expound the text of Aristotle. During the two and a half years Thomas spent at Paris the
-second time, he successfully defended the rights of mendicants to teach, preach, and flourish.
-During this same Parisian regency he lectured on the Gospel of St. John.</p>
-<p>These lectures on John would have been lost to posterity had not the faithful Reginald taken
-notes, which were later &#8220;corrected&#8221; by Thomas himself. The reason Thomas &#8220;corrected&#8221;
-Reginald&#8217;s transcription was that a wealthy secular (i.e., diocesan) student wanted a copy for
-himself. This student was Adenulf of Anagni, an Italian cleric, provost of Saint-Omer (since
-1264), later master in theology (1282-85), and canon of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Adenulf,
-a student of Thomas during the years 1269-72, offered a considerable amount of money to have
-a professional scribe make a copy of this remarkable commentary for himself. Without Adenulf&#8217;s
-enthusiasm and money, the &#8220;lectures&#8221; (<i>lecturae</i>)<i> </i>on John would have remained a simple report,
-or <i>reportatio. </i>If it had not been for Reginald, apparently, these lectures would have gone
-completely from history. But the fact is that we do have at hand the acute mind of Thomas
-Aquinas, a master theologian and saint, on the Gospel of St. John. This commentary reflects the
-mind of Thomas at its peak, but before he composed the Third Part of the <i>Summa </i>dealing with
-Christ, the Sacraments, and the Church. It is a scholastic analysis of St. John&#8217;s remarkable
-testimony of the Good News of Salvation, namely, that the Word became flesh, died for our
-salvation, and is now risen from the dead to come again as our merciful judge.</p>
-<p>Earlier, at the request of his intimate friend Pope Urban IV, Thomas had compiled a continuous
-gloss on all four Gospels, which he had collated from the Latin and Greek Fathers of the Church.
-Frequently he even instigated new translations of Greek sources, as he himself confessed in the
-prologue. This continuous gloss, popularly called the <i>Catena Aurea, </i>or &#8220;Golden Chain,&#8221; was not
-finished when Urban died in 1264. But Thomas continued his labors on the gloss, which he
-completed in 1267 and dedicated to Cardinal Annibaldo d&#8217;Annibaldi, Thomas&#8217; close friend and
-former pupil at Paris. The intense labor on the Gospel of John for the <i>Catena </i>molded the mind
-of Thomas in his personal understanding of the Sacred Text of John. St. John&#8217;s Gospel is very
-difficult to understand. Unlike the Synoptic writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, St. John&#8217;s Gospel
-is a carefully devised presentation of his personal understanding of the sacred doctrine taught by
-Jesus, on whose breast he reclined at the Last Supper. John was always known as &#8220;the disciple
-whom Jesus loved.&#8221; For St. Thomas, John, the Son of Zebedee, the author of this Gospel, was
-a virgin, whose appropriate symbol is the eagle soaring in the heights of contemplation. Thomas&#8217;
-detailed study of the Latin and Greek Fathers, needed to complete his Gloss on John, prepared
-him to shed his own light on the text when the opportune moment arrived. That moment arrived
-when Thomas returned to Paris for the second time (1269-72) at the age of about forty-four, full
-of strength and vigor.</p>
-<p>But his is a typical medieval commentary because, unlike Patristic, monastic, and modern
-commentaries on John, it utilizes certain techniques familiar to all in the Middle Ages, but
-strange to us today. First of all, it is a theological commentary concerned with penetrating the
-literal sense of the words recorded, and seeing through the literal sense to the spiritual. The
-medieval university theologian was primarily concerned with the literal sense of scripture, that
-is, with the sacred message intended by the human and divine author. It is therefore primarily
-concerned with &#8220;the theological teaching&#8221; of the Bible. St. Thomas did not have at his disposal
-the infinitely varied techniques of modern biblical scholarship. He knew almost nothing about
-biblical and near-eastern languages, archeology, philology, comparative religion, and the
-historical method. If he had, he would most certainly have used them. In the Encyclical <i>Divino
-afflante Spiritu </i>(30 Sept. 1943), Pope Pius XII urged the importance of textual criticism, biblical
-and oriental languages, archeology, profane and sacred history, as well as form criticism and the
-demands of a sound historical method.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote5', WPFootnote5 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+<p>A splendid example of the work of such a &ldquo;runner&rdquo; is
+St. Thomas&rsquo; commentary on Isaiah; it is the work of a
+<i>cursor</i> and not that of a master. Only a master could expound
+the text with authority and confidence; the bachelor merely skimmed
+through it as a runner would skim over the course in a race. A
+higher ranking bachelor devoted his energies mainly to explaining
+the official theological handbook, the <i>Sentences</i> of Peter
+Lombard (d. 1160). These <i>Sentences</i> were a systematic
+collection of Patristic teachings, arranged in four books following
+the order of the Apostles&rsquo; Creed. This bachelor was called
+the <i>bachalarius Sententiarum,</i> a &ldquo;Bachelor of the
+<i>Sentences.</i> &ldquo;After listening to others for about four
+years, the young student of theology would himself become a
+bachelor and perform certain duties under a particular master, his
+main professor of theology.</p>
+<p>Every university in the Middle Ages had a limited number of
+chairs, or professorships, for the masters to occupy. At the time
+of St. Thomas, there were twelve chairs of theology at the
+University of Paris, the Dominicans having two of them. Before
+occupying one of these chairs, the student had to have devoted many
+long years to study and actual discussions, or
+&ldquo;disputations,&rdquo; in the university, He had to be at
+least thirty-five years old before meriting the title of
+&ldquo;Master of the Sacred Page&rdquo; and the right to expound
+the Bible in an authoritative manner as a true theologian,
+professionally qualified.</p>
+<p>St. Thomas was twice professor of theology at Paris&mdash;a fact
+most unusual in itself. There were very few such cases where a
+fully fledged master would return to his old chair, thus preventing
+a new master from occupying it. But the intellectual, social, and
+religious climate in Paris at that time demanded the return of
+Thomas to the center of all theological learning in Europe. The new
+mendicant Orders (mainly Dominicans and Franciscans) were again
+being attacked by secular (i.e., diocesan) masters of theology, and
+their right to teach, preach, and beg was challenged by some of the
+most powerful voices in Europe. The center of this controversy Was
+the University of Paris, where the very existence of Dominicans and
+Franciscans was under fire. At the climax of this renewed attack,
+the second in the history of the Dominican Order, St. Thomas was
+recalled to Paris by the Master General of the Dominican Order,
+Blessed John of Vercelli. Thomas arrived in Paris with his
+companion Reginald in the cold winter of 1269 after the academic
+term had begun. Immediately Thomas took upon himself the duties of
+a master in theology, namely, lecturing on a carefully chosen book
+of the Bible, presiding at academic &ldquo;disputations&rdquo; and
+resolving the question under discussion, and preaching to the
+university crowd. At the same time, he was composing the Second
+Part of his <i>Summa theologiae,</i> which he had begun in Rome two
+years earlier, and dictating a number of literal commentaries on
+various works of Aristotle for young masters in arts, that is,
+teachers in the Faculty of Arts, whose duty it was to expound the
+text of Aristotle. During the two and a half years Thomas spent at
+Paris the second time, he successfully defended the rights of
+mendicants to teach, preach, and flourish. During this same
+Parisian regency he lectured on the Gospel of St. John.</p>
+<p>These lectures on John would have been lost to posterity had not
+the faithful Reginald taken notes, which were later
+&ldquo;corrected&rdquo; by Thomas himself. The reason Thomas
+&ldquo;corrected&rdquo; Reginald&rsquo;s transcription was that a
+wealthy secular (i.e., diocesan) student wanted a copy for himself.
+This student was Adenulf of Anagni, an Italian cleric, provost of
+Saint-Omer (since 1264), later master in theology (1282-85), and
+canon of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Adenulf, a student of
+Thomas during the years 1269-72, offered a considerable amount of
+money to have a professional scribe make a copy of this remarkable
+commentary for himself. Without Adenulf&rsquo;s enthusiasm and
+money, the &ldquo;lectures&rdquo; (<i>lecturae</i>) on John would
+have remained a simple report, or <i>reportatio.</i> If it had not
+been for Reginald, apparently, these lectures would have gone
+completely from history. But the fact is that we do have at hand
+the acute mind of Thomas Aquinas, a master theologian and saint, on
+the Gospel of St. John. This commentary reflects the mind of Thomas
+at its peak, but before he composed the Third Part of the
+<i>Summa</i> dealing with Christ, the Sacraments, and the Church.
+It is a scholastic analysis of St. John&rsquo;s remarkable
+testimony of the Good News of Salvation, namely, that the Word
+became flesh, died for our salvation, and is now risen from the
+dead to come again as our merciful judge.</p>
+<p>Earlier, at the request of his intimate friend Pope Urban IV,
+Thomas had compiled a continuous gloss on all four Gospels, which
+he had collated from the Latin and Greek Fathers of the Church.
+Frequently he even instigated new translations of Greek sources, as
+he himself confessed in the prologue. This continuous gloss,
+popularly called the <i>Catena Aurea,</i> or &ldquo;Golden
+Chain,&rdquo; was not finished when Urban died in 1264. But Thomas
+continued his labors on the gloss, which he completed in 1267 and
+dedicated to Cardinal Annibaldo d&rsquo;Annibaldi, Thomas&rsquo;
+close friend and former pupil at Paris. The intense labor on the
+Gospel of John for the <i>Catena</i> molded the mind of Thomas in
+his personal understanding of the Sacred Text of John. St.
+John&rsquo;s Gospel is very difficult to understand. Unlike the
+Synoptic writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, St. John&rsquo;s Gospel
+is a carefully devised presentation of his personal understanding
+of the sacred doctrine taught by Jesus, on whose breast he reclined
+at the Last Supper. John was always known as &ldquo;the disciple
+whom Jesus loved.&rdquo; For St. Thomas, John, the Son of Zebedee,
+the author of this Gospel, was a virgin, whose appropriate symbol
+is the eagle soaring in the heights of contemplation. Thomas&rsquo;
+detailed study of the Latin and Greek Fathers, needed to complete
+his Gloss on John, prepared him to shed his own light on the text
+when the opportune moment arrived. That moment arrived when Thomas
+returned to Paris for the second time (1269-72) at the age of about
+forty-four, full of strength and vigor.</p>
+<p>But his is a typical medieval commentary because, unlike
+Patristic, monastic, and modern commentaries on John, it utilizes
+certain techniques familiar to all in the Middle Ages, but strange
+to us today. First of all, it is a theological commentary concerned
+with penetrating the literal sense of the words recorded, and
+seeing through the literal sense to the spiritual. The medieval
+university theologian was primarily concerned with the literal
+sense of scripture, that is, with the sacred message intended by
+the human and divine author. It is therefore primarily concerned
+with &ldquo;the theological teaching&rdquo; of the Bible. St.
+Thomas did not have at his disposal the infinitely varied
+techniques of modern biblical scholarship. He knew almost nothing
+about biblical and near-eastern languages, archeology, philology,
+comparative religion, and the historical method. If he had, he
+would most certainly have used them. In the Encyclical <i>Divino
+afflante Spiritu</i> (30 Sept. 1943), Pope Pius XII urged the
+importance of textual criticism, biblical and oriental languages,
+archeology, profane and sacred history, as well as form criticism
+and the demands of a sound historical method. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote5',%20WPFootnote5%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote5\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
- He noted with the Angelic Doctor that &#8220;in Scripture
-divine things are presented to us in the manner which is in common use amongst men.&#8221;
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote6', WPFootnote6 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> He noted with the Angelic Doctor that &ldquo;in Scripture
+divine things are presented to us in the manner which is in common
+use amongst men.&rdquo; <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote6',%20WPFootnote6%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote6\')">Close<\/a>' );
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-</script>
- The
-Bible is the Word of God in the words of men, and this manner of speaking in various ages to
-various people must be carefully studied with all the auxiliary sciences. But even after all this has
-been tended to, there is still &#8220;the theological doctrine&#8221; contained in the Sacred Books. The
-modem exegete should use every means available to discover and explain &#8220;the literal sense and
-especially the theological. &#8220;
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote7', WPFootnote7 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> The Bible is the Word of God in the words of men, and
+this manner of speaking in various ages to various people must be
+carefully studied with all the auxiliary sciences. But even after
+all this has been tended to, there is still &ldquo;the theological
+doctrine&rdquo; contained in the Sacred Books. The modem exegete
+should use every means available to discover and explain &ldquo;the
+literal sense and especially the theological. &ldquo; <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote7',%20WPFootnote7%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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-    document.write( '</span>' );
+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote7\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
- It is this &#8220;theological sense&#8221; <i>(sensus theologicus), </i>expounded by St.
-Thomas in his commentary, that is most fruitful for our meditation, prayer, and preaching the
-Word of God today.</p>
-<p>The literal sense, as St. Thomas teaches, is the objective, formal, and direct meaning intended
-by the words in the sacred and inspired text.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote8', WPFootnote8 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> It is this &ldquo;theological sense&rdquo; <i>(sensus
+theologicus),</i> expounded by St. Thomas in his commentary, that
+is most fruitful for our meditation, prayer, and preaching the Word
+of God today.</p>
+<p>The literal sense, as St. Thomas teaches, is the objective,
+formal, and direct meaning intended by the words in the sacred and
+inspired text. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote8',%20WPFootnote8%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote8\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
- The author of these words is both God and man,
-since the Bible is &#8220;the inspired Word of God.&#8221; Modem biblical techniques, of course, were
-unknown to Thomas. All he had was his personal copy of the Latin Vulgate (which was not a
-critical edition), the familiar teaching of all the Latin and Greek Fathers known to him, his own
-prayerful reflection on the text, and his native genius attentive to the Spirit of God and to the text.
-Among the human means Thomas had at his disposal were grammar, logic, and Aristotelian
-philosophy. The literal (or historical) sense was in principle the only basis of theological thought
-and discussion. The spiritual sense only enlarged, or extended, the basic literal sense. By
-&#8220;spiritual sense&#8221; we do not mean the pious, personal, private, and subjective sense a reader might
-derive from a prayerful reading of the text. Rather, the &#8220;spiritual sense&#8221; is the enlarged reality
-&#8220;intended&#8221; by person, place, or thing signified in the literal, as when the brazen serpent raised
-by Moses in the desert is taken to signify Christ&#8217;s crucifixion as the divine means of healing
-mankind, or when the paschal lamb is taken to signify Christ who was sacrificed for our sins. The
-&#8220;spiritual sense&#8221; is the enlarged sense &#8220;intended&#8221; by a given symbol in the plan of divine
-providence.</p>
-<p>Since only God as the author of all things can make one symbol significative of another reality,
-the Bible is the only book that can contain a &#8220;spiritual sense&#8221; as it was understood by medieval
-theologians. Consequently only the sacred author himself can inform us of the existence of such
-a sense. We could never know that one reality is to be taken as a symbol of another reality unless
-the Sacred Author so informs us in the literal sense. For example, the author of the Book of
-Numbers (21:19) explains how Moses was directed to make a brazen &#8220;serpent&#8221; and set it up as
-a sign; whoever was bitten by one of the fiery serpents and &#8220;looked at the sign&#8221; that Moses had
-set up was saved from death. But it is John (3:14 15) who explains that &#8220;as Moses lifted up the
-serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may not
-perish, but may have life everlasting.&#8221; The significance of Old Testament texts is declared by the
-sacred writer when he explains Christ&#8217;s actions as being &#8220;in fulfillment of the Scriptures.&#8221;
-Similarly St. Paul frequently reveals the &#8220;spiritual sense&#8221; of the Law and Prophets by declaring
+//]]>
+</script> The author of these words is both God and man, since the
+Bible is &ldquo;the inspired Word of God.&rdquo; Modem biblical
+techniques, of course, were unknown to Thomas. All he had was his
+personal copy of the Latin Vulgate (which was not a critical
+edition), the familiar teaching of all the Latin and Greek Fathers
+known to him, his own prayerful reflection on the text, and his
+native genius attentive to the Spirit of God and to the text. Among
+the human means Thomas had at his disposal were grammar, logic, and
+Aristotelian philosophy. The literal (or historical) sense was in
+principle the only basis of theological thought and discussion. The
+spiritual sense only enlarged, or extended, the basic literal
+sense. By &ldquo;spiritual sense&rdquo; we do not mean the pious,
+personal, private, and subjective sense a reader might derive from
+a prayerful reading of the text. Rather, the &ldquo;spiritual
+sense&rdquo; is the enlarged reality &ldquo;intended&rdquo; by
+person, place, or thing signified in the literal, as when the
+brazen serpent raised by Moses in the desert is taken to signify
+Christ&rsquo;s crucifixion as the divine means of healing mankind,
+or when the paschal lamb is taken to signify Christ who was
+sacrificed for our sins. The &ldquo;spiritual sense&rdquo; is the
+enlarged sense &ldquo;intended&rdquo; by a given symbol in the plan
+of divine providence.</p>
+<p>Since only God as the author of all things can make one symbol
+significative of another reality, the Bible is the only book that
+can contain a &ldquo;spiritual sense&rdquo; as it was understood by
+medieval theologians. Consequently only the sacred author himself
+can inform us of the existence of such a sense. We could never know
+that one reality is to be taken as a symbol of another reality
+unless the Sacred Author so informs us in the literal sense. For
+example, the author of the Book of Numbers (21:19) explains how
+Moses was directed to make a brazen &ldquo;serpent&rdquo; and set
+it up as a sign; whoever was bitten by one of the fiery serpents
+and &ldquo;looked at the sign&rdquo; that Moses had set up was
+saved from death. But it is John (3:14 15) who explains that
+&ldquo;as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the
+Son of man be lifted up that whoever believes in him may not
+perish, but may have life everlasting.&rdquo; The significance of
+Old Testament texts is declared by the sacred writer when he
+explains Christ&rsquo;s actions as being &ldquo;in fulfillment of
+the Scriptures.&rdquo; Similarly St. Paul frequently reveals the
+&ldquo;spiritual sense&rdquo; of the Law and Prophets by declaring
 the Christian fulfillment in Jesus.</p>
-<p>There were three kinds of spiritual sense recognized by medieval theologians: the allegorical, the
-moral, and the anagogical.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote9', WPFootnote9 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+<p>There were three kinds of spiritual sense recognized by medieval
+theologians: the allegorical, the moral, and the anagogical.
+<a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote9',%20WPFootnote9%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote9\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
- When anything in the Old Testament was taken to signify something
-in the New Testament, this sense was called allegorical. Under this sense would be included all
-those figures, persons, and events as symbolic of Jesus and his life and death on earth. When
-anything in the life of Jesus is taken as a model for our life, we call this the moral sense. Under
-this sense would be included all those virtues presented to us for our imitation of Christ. When
-anything in the Scriptures is taken to signify something in the eternal kingdom hereafter, for
-example, &#8220;the new Jerusalem,&#8221; we call this the anagogical sense. Thus the &#8220;spiritual sense&#8221; of
-a passage was taken to be an objective meaning intended by the sacred author, the Holy Spirit.
-This, of course, presupposes that the authors of the New Testament were inspired by the Holy
-Spirit.</p>
-<p>Whatever personal message one may derive from reading the Bible prayerfully and thoughtfully
-is purely personal and beyond the science of theology as the study of God&#8217;s message to mankind.
-The personal message is most significant for the reader, but this personal significance must be
-carefully controlled by objective theological norms such as the Christian faith, sacred doctrine,
-the constant teaching of the Church, and a prayerful listening to the Holy Spirit.</p>
-<p>The most difficult technique of medieval commentators for us to comprehend is the use of logic
-and the &#8220;scholastic method.&#8221; Aristotelian logic is the most significant technique contained in the
-scholastic method. The purpose of the scholastic method was to instill &#8220;scientific&#8221; knowledge
-through (1) definition, (2) division, and (3) demonstration, or demonstrative proof. These
-techniques (or <i>modi sciendi) </i>were taken for granted by every medieval theologian as the best
-means of learning the truth about anything. It was a method of teaching, the via <i>docendi, </i>which
-was an imitation of the &#8220;way of discovery&#8221; <i>(via inveniendi </i>or <i>inventionis). </i>The goal of all
-education is truth. The goal of theological education is an understanding of the doctrines of
-revelation, the <i>sacra doctrina</i>.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote10', WPFootnote10 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> When anything in the Old Testament was taken to signify
+something in the New Testament, this sense was called allegorical.
+Under this sense would be included all those figures, persons, and
+events as symbolic of Jesus and his life and death on earth. When
+anything in the life of Jesus is taken as a model for our life, we
+call this the moral sense. Under this sense would be included all
+those virtues presented to us for our imitation of Christ. When
+anything in the Scriptures is taken to signify something in the
+eternal kingdom hereafter, for example, &ldquo;the new
+Jerusalem,&rdquo; we call this the anagogical sense. Thus the
+&ldquo;spiritual sense&rdquo; of a passage was taken to be an
+objective meaning intended by the sacred author, the Holy Spirit.
+This, of course, presupposes that the authors of the New Testament
+were inspired by the Holy Spirit.</p>
+<p>Whatever personal message one may derive from reading the Bible
+prayerfully and thoughtfully is purely personal and beyond the
+science of theology as the study of God&rsquo;s message to mankind.
+The personal message is most significant for the reader, but this
+personal significance must be carefully controlled by objective
+theological norms such as the Christian faith, sacred doctrine, the
+constant teaching of the Church, and a prayerful listening to the
+Holy Spirit.</p>
+<p>The most difficult technique of medieval commentators for us to
+comprehend is the use of logic and the &ldquo;scholastic
+method.&rdquo; Aristotelian logic is the most significant technique
+contained in the scholastic method. The purpose of the scholastic
+method was to instill &ldquo;scientific&rdquo; knowledge through
+(1) definition, (2) division, and (3) demonstration, or
+demonstrative proof. These techniques (or <i>modi sciendi)</i> were
+taken for granted by every medieval theologian as the best means of
+learning the truth about anything. It was a method of teaching, the
+via <i>docendi,</i> which was an imitation of the &ldquo;way of
+discovery&rdquo; <i>(via inveniendi</i> or <i>inventionis).</i> The
+goal of all education is truth. The goal of theological education
+is an understanding of the doctrines of revelation, the <i>sacra
+doctrina</i>. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote10',%20WPFootnote10%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote10\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
- It is faith seeking understanding (<i>fides quaerens intellectum</i>),<i> </i>as
-St. Anselm puts it, The scholastic method, in a sense, is artificial and humanly contrived by
-ineans of logic. In the Middle Ages the scholastic method was thought to be the best way of
-learning everything from A to Z. An example of this method of learning is embedded in Thomas&#8217;
-commentary on John&#8217;s Gospel. It cannot be eliminated. Therefore it depends on us moderns to
-bend a little by trying to see through it, and not be put off by it. Always one will find definitions,
-divisions, and proofs in all medieval commentaries, whether they be on Aristotle, Boethius, or
+//]]>
+</script> It is faith seeking understanding (<i>fides quaerens
+intellectum</i>), as St. Anselm puts it, The scholastic method, in
+a sense, is artificial and humanly contrived by ineans of logic. In
+the Middle Ages the scholastic method was thought to be the best
+way of learning everything from A to Z. An example of this method
+of learning is embedded in Thomas&rsquo; commentary on John&rsquo;s
+Gospel. It cannot be eliminated. Therefore it depends on us moderns
+to bend a little by trying to see through it, and not be put off by
+it. Always one will find definitions, divisions, and proofs in all
+medieval commentaries, whether they be on Aristotle, Boethius, or
 the Bible.</p>
-<p>The Scholastics had a penchant for <i>order; </i>where none existed, one was imposed. Heeding the
-words of Aristotle that &#8220;it belongs to the wise man to order,&#8221; they thought the prerogative of a
-good teacher was to order all things well, setting out the message, or truth to be conveyed, in an
-orderly and fitting way.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote11', WPFootnote11 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+<p>The Scholastics had a penchant for <i>order;</i> where none
+existed, one was imposed. Heeding the words of Aristotle that
+&ldquo;it belongs to the wise man to order,&rdquo; they thought the
+prerogative of a good teacher was to order all things well, setting
+out the message, or truth to be conveyed, in an orderly and fitting
+way. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote11',%20WPFootnote11%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote11\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
- This is why the first thing one notices when reading a medieval
-commentary is the <i>division, </i>or the ordering of the whole into parts. The least one can perceive
-is a beginning, a middle, and an end. But more than not, one can usually perceive some orderly
-procedure in the middle.</p>
-<p>Modern biblical scholars usually see in, St. John&#8217;s Gospel a prologue (1:1-14), a middle (cc. 1-20), and an epilogue (c. 21). They then proceed to divide the middle into the Book of Signs (cc.
-1-12) and the Book of Glory (cc. 13-20). St. Thomas also divides the Gospel into roughly these
-two parts, but he considers chapter 12 as belonging to the Book of Glory, because the chapter
-opens &#8220;six days before Passover&#8221; with the anointing of the feet of Jesus for his burial (12:1 -11),
-continues on to the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (12:12-19), builds to the coming of the Greeks
-(12:20-22), and the long discourse of Jesus in which he cries out, &#8220;Father, glorify your name&#8221;
-(12:28). In any case, it is particularly in this second part that Thomas had to use his ingenuity to
-resolve the discrepancies between John and the Synoptics. The Synoptics compress the public
-life of Jesus into one year with the one tragic journey of Jesus up to Jerusalem, where he is
-crucified and dies, to be raised up on the third day. John extends the public life of Jesus into three
-years with the final year ending in his passion, death, and resurrection. St. Thomas is very much
-concerned with the literal, or historical, sense of the narrative, especially as concerns the passion,
-death, and resurrection of the Lord. Throughout the whole exposition of the narrative, Thomas
-relied heavily on the interpretation of the Fathers of the Church, both Latin and Greek. He quotes
-the authority of St. Augustine 373 times, St. John Chrysostom 217 times, and Origen 95 times.
-It is an exposition that relies heavily on the tradition of the Church and on his own prayerful
-theological reflections.</p>
-<p>In the commentary on St. John&#8217;s Gospel, Thomas is concerned not only with the literal sense,
-which for him is of Prime importance and concern, but also with the spiritual sense, as explained
-above. More than the other Evangelists, John reveals the &#8220;fulfillment of the Scriptures,&#8221; that is,
-concern with the prophecies and symbols of the Old Law. Christ&#8217;s own prophetic words and
-actions are seen by John to be a foreshadowing of the passion, death, and resurrection of the Lord
-by which we are all saved. Above all, for St. Thomas, John is the Evangelist of the divinity of
-Jesus, &#8220;the Word made flesh.&#8221; He says, &#8220;While the other Evangelists treat principally of the
-mysteries of the humanity of Christ, John, especially and above all, makes known the divinity
-of Christ in his Gospel&#8221; (Prologue). Thomas, following the lead of St. Jerome, thought that John
-wrote his Gospel after the other three Gospels had been written, in order to refute new heresies
-that had arisen concerning the divinity of Christ. Following Jerome, Thomas singled out the
-Ebionites (whose founder Thomas erroneously thought to have been &#8220;Ebion&#8221;)&#8212;and Cerinthus,
-a Gnostic heretic who flourished around 100 A.D., as among those who denied the divinity of
-Christ. Even St. Irenaeus <i>(Adv. haer.</i>, III,<i> </i>11) asserts that St. John wrote his Gospel to refute
-Cerinthus. Thus, St. Thomas observes in his Prologue, while John did not pass over the mysteries
-of Christ&#8217;s humanity, he especially conveys the divinity of Christ in his Gospel. In this
-commentary, therefore, Thomas repeatedly refutes the heresies of Apollinaris, Arius, the Arians,
-Ebionites, Eutyches, the Manichees, Nestorius, Pelagius, the Pelagians, and Sabellius - all of
-which plagued the Church in the first five centuries of its existence. For Thomas these heresies
-were not merely false doctrines irrelevant to the modem Christian, but vital guidelines to the
-purity of the Christian faith, the orthodox teaching of the living Church.</p>
-<p>Earlier in his career, Thomas had been asked by the archbishop of Palermo to write a short work
-that could be memorized, dealing with the articles of faith &#8220;from the Creed of the Fathers&#8221; (i.e.,
-the Apostles&#8217; Creed) and also the basic errors concerning them; the archbishop apparently asked
-also for the same presentation for all the sacraments of the Church.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote12', WPFootnote12 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
+//]]>
+</script> This is why the first thing one notices when reading a
+medieval commentary is the <i>division,</i> or the ordering of the
+whole into parts. The least one can perceive is a beginning, a
+middle, and an end. But more than not, one can usually perceive
+some orderly procedure in the middle.</p>
+<p>Modern biblical scholars usually see in, St. John&rsquo;s Gospel
+a prologue (1:1-14), a middle (cc. 1-20), and an epilogue (c. 21).
+They then proceed to divide the middle into the Book of Signs (cc.
+1-12) and the Book of Glory (cc. 13-20). St. Thomas also divides
+the Gospel into roughly these two parts, but he considers chapter
+12 as belonging to the Book of Glory, because the chapter opens
+&ldquo;six days before Passover&rdquo; with the anointing of the
+feet of Jesus for his burial (12:1 -11), continues on to the
+triumphal entry into Jerusalem (12:12-19), builds to the coming of
+the Greeks (12:20-22), and the long discourse of Jesus in which he
+cries out, &ldquo;Father, glorify your name&rdquo; (12:28). In any
+case, it is particularly in this second part that Thomas had to use
+his ingenuity to resolve the discrepancies between John and the
+Synoptics. The Synoptics compress the public life of Jesus into one
+year with the one tragic journey of Jesus up to Jerusalem, where he
+is crucified and dies, to be raised up on the third day. John
+extends the public life of Jesus into three years with the final
+year ending in his passion, death, and resurrection. St. Thomas is
+very much concerned with the literal, or historical, sense of the
+narrative, especially as concerns the passion, death, and
+resurrection of the Lord. Throughout the whole exposition of the
+narrative, Thomas relied heavily on the interpretation of the
+Fathers of the Church, both Latin and Greek. He quotes the
+authority of St. Augustine 373 times, St. John Chrysostom 217
+times, and Origen 95 times. It is an exposition that relies heavily
+on the tradition of the Church and on his own prayerful theological
+reflections.</p>
+<p>In the commentary on St. John&rsquo;s Gospel, Thomas is
+concerned not only with the literal sense, which for him is of
+Prime importance and concern, but also with the spiritual sense, as
+explained above. More than the other Evangelists, John reveals the
+&ldquo;fulfillment of the Scriptures,&rdquo; that is, concern with
+the prophecies and symbols of the Old Law. Christ&rsquo;s own
+prophetic words and actions are seen by John to be a foreshadowing
+of the passion, death, and resurrection of the Lord by which we are
+all saved. Above all, for St. Thomas, John is the Evangelist of the
+divinity of Jesus, &ldquo;the Word made flesh.&rdquo; He says,
+&ldquo;While the other Evangelists treat principally of the
+mysteries of the humanity of Christ, John, especially and above
+all, makes known the divinity of Christ in his Gospel&rdquo;
+(Prologue). Thomas, following the lead of St. Jerome, thought that
+John wrote his Gospel after the other three Gospels had been
+written, in order to refute new heresies that had arisen concerning
+the divinity of Christ. Following Jerome, Thomas singled out the
+Ebionites (whose founder Thomas erroneously thought to have been
+&ldquo;Ebion&rdquo;)&mdash;and Cerinthus, a Gnostic heretic who
+flourished around 100 A.D., as among those who denied the divinity
+of Christ. Even St. Irenaeus <i>(Adv. haer.</i>, III, 11) asserts
+that St. John wrote his Gospel to refute Cerinthus. Thus, St.
+Thomas observes in his Prologue, while John did not pass over the
+mysteries of Christ&rsquo;s humanity, he especially conveys the
+divinity of Christ in his Gospel. In this commentary, therefore,
+Thomas repeatedly refutes the heresies of Apollinaris, Arius, the
+Arians, Ebionites, Eutyches, the Manichees, Nestorius, Pelagius,
+the Pelagians, and Sabellius - all of which plagued the Church in
+the first five centuries of its existence. For Thomas these
+heresies were not merely false doctrines irrelevant to the modem
+Christian, but vital guidelines to the purity of the Christian
+faith, the orthodox teaching of the living Church.</p>
+<p>Earlier in his career, Thomas had been asked by the archbishop
+of Palermo to write a short work that could be memorized, dealing
+with the articles of faith &ldquo;from the Creed of the
+Fathers&rdquo; (i.e., the Apostles&rsquo; Creed) and also the basic
+errors concerning them; the archbishop apparently asked also for
+the same presentation for all the sacraments of the Church.
+<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote12',%20WPFootnote12%20)"><img src="footnoteicon.gif"
+alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0" /></a>
 <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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     document.write( WPFootnote12 );
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+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote12\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
- Thomas complied with this
-request in a most remarkable treatise in two parts: <i>De articulis fidei </i>and <i>De ecclesiae
-sacramentis</i>.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote13', WPFootnote13 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> Thomas complied with this request in a most remarkable
+treatise in two parts: <i>De articulis fidei</i> and <i>De
+ecclesiae sacramentis</i>. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote13',%20WPFootnote13%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
   if( bInlineFloats )
   {
     document.write( '<span id="WPFootnote13" class="WPFloatStyle">' );
     document.write( WPFootnote13 );
-    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote13\')">Close</a>' );
-    document.write( '</span>' );
+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote13\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
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-</script>
-<i> </i>The wide popularity of this treatise is attested to by the 277 extant manuscripts
-of this work. The six articles pertaining to the divinity of Christ and the six pertaining to his
-humanity are set forth, and all the errors concerning the twelve articles of the Creed are briefly
-named and refuted. Although the sacraments of the Church are implicit in the fourth article of
-the Creed, they are discussed separately in the second part of the treatise, because the archbishop
-explicitly asked for a special discussion of the sacraments and the heresies concerning them.
-Thomas&#8217; knowledge of the various heresies in the history of the Church is most remarkable. All
-of these same heresies are again discussed in his commentary on John&#8217;s Gospel. That is why St.
-Thomas says in the Prologue, &#8220;[This Gospel] refutes all heresies.&#8221; The numerous heresies of the
-past ought to be of great concern to the modern Christian so that he may avoid all taint of them
-in his own, personal belief. A conscious affirmation of belief in the truth of revealed teaching that
-developed in the living Church guided by the Spirit of Christ can bring us into a deeper and more
-meaningful awareness of being united with the Eternal Truth. In this commentary, Thomas is
-concerned above all with bolstering the faith of the hearer or reader, or, as he put it, &#8220;to confirm
-the Catholic Truth.&#8221;</p>
-<p style="text-align: justify">In other words, there are four goals Thomas aimed to achieve in his commentary on St. John:</p>
+//]]>
+</script> The wide popularity of this treatise is attested to by
+the 277 extant manuscripts of this work. The six articles
+pertaining to the divinity of Christ and the six pertaining to his
+humanity are set forth, and all the errors concerning the twelve
+articles of the Creed are briefly named and refuted. Although the
+sacraments of the Church are implicit in the fourth article of the
+Creed, they are discussed separately in the second part of the
+treatise, because the archbishop explicitly asked for a special
+discussion of the sacraments and the heresies concerning them.
+Thomas&rsquo; knowledge of the various heresies in the history of
+the Church is most remarkable. All of these same heresies are again
+discussed in his commentary on John&rsquo;s Gospel. That is why St.
+Thomas says in the Prologue, &ldquo;[This Gospel] refutes all
+heresies.&rdquo; The numerous heresies of the past ought to be of
+great concern to the modern Christian so that he may avoid all
+taint of them in his own, personal belief. A conscious affirmation
+of belief in the truth of revealed teaching that developed in the
+living Church guided by the Spirit of Christ can bring us into a
+deeper and more meaningful awareness of being united with the
+Eternal Truth. In this commentary, Thomas is concerned above all
+with bolstering the faith of the hearer or reader, or, as he put
+it, &ldquo;to confirm the Catholic Truth.&rdquo;</p>
+<p style="text-align: justify">In other words, there are four goals
+Thomas aimed to achieve in his commentary on St. John:</p>
 <ol>
-<li>determination of the literal, or historical, sense of the narrative;
-<li>explanation of the spiritual sense as found in the Old Testament (allegorical sense), the goals
-of our own life in imitating Jesus (moral sense), and life of the &#8220;kingdom&#8221; here and hereafter (anagogical sense);
-<li>refutation of all error through the testimony of the inspired Word of God;
-<li>confirmation of the true Catholic Faith given to us by God through his Church, the Body of Christ.
+<li>determination of the literal, or historical, sense of the
+narrative;</li>
+<li>explanation of the spiritual sense as found in the Old
+Testament (allegorical sense), the goals of our own life in
+imitating Jesus (moral sense), and life of the
+&ldquo;kingdom&rdquo; here and hereafter (anagogical sense);</li>
+<li>refutation of all error through the testimony of the inspired
+Word of God;</li>
+<li>confirmation of the true Catholic Faith given to us by God
+through his Church, the Body of Christ.</li>
 </ol>
-<p>These are the same goals Thomas had set for himself in composing the <i>Catena Aurea,
-</i>particularly in the <i>Catena </i>on John&#8217;s Gospel, which was composed only four or five years
-earlier.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote14', WPFootnote14 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+<p>These are the same goals Thomas had set for himself in composing
+the <i>Catena Aurea,</i> particularly in the <i>Catena</i> on
+John&rsquo;s Gospel, which was composed only four or five years
+earlier. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote14',%20WPFootnote14%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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     document.write( WPFootnote14 );
-    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote14\')">Close</a>' );
-    document.write( '</span>' );
+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote14\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
   }
-</script>
-</p>
-<p>There are four outstanding features that will be noticed as one studies the commentary of Thomas
-on the Gospel of John. First, Thomas had an extraordinary knowledge of the whole Bible. It has
-been said, not without likelihood, that Thomas memorized the entire Bible during the year he was
-confined to his family castle at Roccasecca, 1244-45. This is not at all difficult to believe. His
-memory was far superior to any man-made concordance of the Bible. Thomas always saw the
-<i>unity </i>of divine revelation. It was the unity of <i>sacra doctrina </i>as a single &#8220;science.&#8221;
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote15', WPFootnote15 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script></p>
+<p>There are four outstanding features that will be noticed as one
+studies the commentary of Thomas on the Gospel of John. First,
+Thomas had an extraordinary knowledge of the whole Bible. It has
+been said, not without likelihood, that Thomas memorized the entire
+Bible during the year he was confined to his family castle at
+Roccasecca, 1244-45. This is not at all difficult to believe. His
+memory was far superior to any man-made concordance of the Bible.
+Thomas always saw the <i>unity</i> of divine revelation. It was the
+unity of <i>sacra doctrina</i> as a single &ldquo;science.&rdquo;
+<a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote15',%20WPFootnote15%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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-    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote15\')">Close</a>' );
-    document.write( '</span>' );
+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote15\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
   }
-</script>
- The
-&#8220;orthodox&#8221; teaching of Christ, Son of the Living God, cannot be anything but <i>one. </i>Because of
-this unity, Thomas could use any one part of Sacred Scripture to explain and illumine any other
-part. Thus Thomas could use the teaching of St. Paul and the Psalms to explain the text of John.
-This use of one part of revelation to illumine another has been aptly called &#8220;the analogy of faith&#8221;
-(<i>secundum rationern fidei, </i>as St. Paul says in Romans 12:6).
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote16', WPFootnote16 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> The &ldquo;orthodox&rdquo; teaching of Christ, Son of the
+Living God, cannot be anything but <i>one.</i> Because of this
+unity, Thomas could use any one part of Sacred Scripture to explain
+and illumine any other part. Thus Thomas could use the teaching of
+St. Paul and the Psalms to explain the text of John. This use of
+one part of revelation to illumine another has been aptly called
+&ldquo;the analogy of faith&rdquo; (<i>secundum rationern
+fidei,</i> as St. Paul says in Romans 12:6). <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote16',%20WPFootnote16%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
   if( bInlineFloats )
   {
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     document.write( WPFootnote16 );
-    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote16\')">Close</a>' );
-    document.write( '</span>' );
+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote16\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
   }
-</script>
-</p>
-<p>Second, Thomas had an unusual knowledge of the Latin and Greek Fathers of the Church. This
-knowledge, no doubt aided by his work on the <i>Catena Aurea, is </i>brought to bear on every difficult
-question or obscure passage in John, even when it is a question of chronology, geography, Jewish
-customs, or language. The medieval mind associated words, quotations and parallels with
-uncanny facility, always trying to find the best pertinent quotation from the proper authorities
-(<i>auctoritates</i>)<i>. </i>Great weight, sometimes of probative value, was always given to the recognized
-<i>auctoritates, </i>which, in theology were always the Bible and the <i>sancti, </i>meaning recognized or
-canonized Doctors of the Church, who were the <i>regula fidei </i>(&#8220;the rule of faith&#8221;), the &#8220;norms&#8221; of
-Christian belief. Thomas&#8217; knowledge of these Doctors was prodigious. The contemporaries of
-Thomas relied heavily on all available works of the Latin Fathers, especially those of St.
-Augustine. But, as has been pointed out earlier, Thomas not only accepted the eminent authority
-of St. Augustine, but also had a wealth of Greek sources from which to draw, including the early
-Ecumenical Councils of the Church, whose <i>Acts </i>were largely neglected or forgotten in the Latin
-Middle Ages.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote17', WPFootnote17 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script></p>
+<p>Second, Thomas had an unusual knowledge of the Latin and Greek
+Fathers of the Church. This knowledge, no doubt aided by his work
+on the <i>Catena Aurea, is</i> brought to bear on every difficult
+question or obscure passage in John, even when it is a question of
+chronology, geography, Jewish customs, or language. The medieval
+mind associated words, quotations and parallels with uncanny
+facility, always trying to find the best pertinent quotation from
+the proper authorities (<i>auctoritates</i>)<i>.</i> Great weight,
+sometimes of probative value, was always given to the recognized
+<i>auctoritates,</i> which, in theology were always the Bible and
+the <i>sancti,</i> meaning recognized or canonized Doctors of the
+Church, who were the <i>regula fidei</i> (&ldquo;the rule of
+faith&rdquo;), the &ldquo;norms&rdquo; of Christian belief.
+Thomas&rsquo; knowledge of these Doctors was prodigious. The
+contemporaries of Thomas relied heavily on all available works of
+the Latin Fathers, especially those of St. Augustine. But, as has
+been pointed out earlier, Thomas not only accepted the eminent
+authority of St. Augustine, but also had a wealth of Greek sources
+from which to draw, including the early Ecumenical Councils of the
+Church, whose <i>Acts</i> were largely neglected or forgotten in
+the Latin Middle Ages. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote17',%20WPFootnote17%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
   if( bInlineFloats )
   {
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     document.write( WPFootnote17 );
-    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote17\')">Close</a>' );
-    document.write( '</span>' );
+    document.write( '<br><a href="javascript:WPHide(\'WPFootnote17\')">Close<\/a>' );
+    document.write( '<\/span>' );
   }
-</script>
-</p>
-<p>Third, Thomas was, after all, an outstanding theologian for any season. His theology was not only
-biblical and patristic, but also logical and philosophical. While he absorbed and refined the
-philosophy of Aristotle, newly translated from the Greek, he never put this philosophy ahead of
-his Catholic faith. Rather he used that philosophy <i>in obsequium fidei </i>(Phil 2:17), as a &#8220;handmaid
-of theology.&#8221; His comprehension of Aristotle and his use of the scholastic method are among the
-glories of the Middle Ages. In St. Thomas we find an exceptionally gifted mind carefully honed
-to human perfection by self-discipline, long study, and clear thinking. This was natural talent,
-ranked by many as a true genius, brought to the highest human perfection by the grace of God.</p>
-<p>Finally, Friar Thomas d&#8217;Aquino was a saint, one of the great saints in the Latin Church. A basic
-principle of Thomas&#8217; theology is that &#8220;grace perfects nature&#8221;; that is, the grace of God never
-destroys or replaces nature, but builds upon it. For St. Thomas, there is in divine providence a
-certain kind of proportion between God&#8217;s gifts of nature and his gifts of grace. Even when we
-accept this principle with all the necessary qualifications needed, we can readily see that in the
-mind and heart of St. Thomas, God&#8217;s grace abundantly perfected an already great man. Not only
-did Thomas meditate prayerfully on the Sacred Scriptures, but lie drew from them substantial
-nourishment for his soul. This process of enrichment can be seen conspicuously in the
-commentary on John, particularly the section dealing with the &#8220;Last Discourse&#8221; of Jesus to his
-disciples at the Last Supper, collected in &#8220;the sayings of Jesus&#8221; in chapters 14 to 17. Here
-Thomas&#8217; discussion of the Son&#8217;s procession from the Father while being consubstantially one
-with the Father, is precise, illuminating, and brilliant; the mission of the Holy Spirit from the
-Father <i>and </i>from the Son (<i>Filioque</i>) is clearly demonstrated against the Greek Orthodox who used
-this question as one of the many issues that separated them from Rome, initially in the ninth, and
-decisively in the eleventh century. But above all, the indwelling of the Holy Trinity in the hearts
-of the faithful is alive and vital; the extraordinary love Jesus had for his faithful disciples is
-movingly real and dynamic. In this commentary on John we have all the elements of a real
-masterpiece of its kind in medieval literature.</p>
-<p>St. Thomas was very much impressed by the force and absolute veracity of the Gospel
-proclaimed by John: &#8220;This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them
-down, and we know that his testimony is true&#8221; (Jn 21:24). St. Thomas comments that the
-Evangelist makes this statement &#8220;in the person of the whole Church (<i>in persona totius Ecclesiae</i>)<i>
-</i>from whom this Gospel is received [by us].&#8221; The Evangelist himself knows the veracity of his
-narrative, and even St. Paul condemns those who would preach a gospel other than the one he
-had received (see Gal 1:9). The firmness and stability of our Christian faith is the authority of
-God speaking through Evangelists, Apostles and other authors of the canonical Books of
-Scripture. Their testimony leaves us without any doubt as to our faith, because &#8220;the Canonical
-Scriptures alone are the rule of faith.&#8221;
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote18', WPFootnote18 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script></p>
+<p>Third, Thomas was, after all, an outstanding theologian for any
+season. His theology was not only biblical and patristic, but also
+logical and philosophical. While he absorbed and refined the
+philosophy of Aristotle, newly translated from the Greek, he never
+put this philosophy ahead of his Catholic faith. Rather he used
+that philosophy <i>in obsequium fidei</i> (Phil 2:17), as a
+&ldquo;handmaid of theology.&rdquo; His comprehension of Aristotle
+and his use of the scholastic method are among the glories of the
+Middle Ages. In St. Thomas we find an exceptionally gifted mind
+carefully honed to human perfection by self-discipline, long study,
+and clear thinking. This was natural talent, ranked by many as a
+true genius, brought to the highest human perfection by the grace
+of God.</p>
+<p>Finally, Friar Thomas d&rsquo;Aquino was a saint, one of the
+great saints in the Latin Church. A basic principle of
+Thomas&rsquo; theology is that &ldquo;grace perfects nature&rdquo;;
+that is, the grace of God never destroys or replaces nature, but
+builds upon it. For St. Thomas, there is in divine providence a
+certain kind of proportion between God&rsquo;s gifts of nature and
+his gifts of grace. Even when we accept this principle with all the
+necessary qualifications needed, we can readily see that in the
+mind and heart of St. Thomas, God&rsquo;s grace abundantly
+perfected an already great man. Not only did Thomas meditate
+prayerfully on the Sacred Scriptures, but lie drew from them
+substantial nourishment for his soul. This process of enrichment
+can be seen conspicuously in the commentary on John, particularly
+the section dealing with the &ldquo;Last Discourse&rdquo; of Jesus
+to his disciples at the Last Supper, collected in &ldquo;the
+sayings of Jesus&rdquo; in chapters 14 to 17. Here Thomas&rsquo;
+discussion of the Son&rsquo;s procession from the Father while
+being consubstantially one with the Father, is precise,
+illuminating, and brilliant; the mission of the Holy Spirit from
+the Father <i>and</i> from the Son (<i>Filioque</i>) is clearly
+demonstrated against the Greek Orthodox who used this question as
+one of the many issues that separated them from Rome, initially in
+the ninth, and decisively in the eleventh century. But above all,
+the indwelling of the Holy Trinity in the hearts of the faithful is
+alive and vital; the extraordinary love Jesus had for his faithful
+disciples is movingly real and dynamic. In this commentary on John
+we have all the elements of a real masterpiece of its kind in
+medieval literature.</p>
+<p>St. Thomas was very much impressed by the force and absolute
+veracity of the Gospel proclaimed by John: &ldquo;This disciple is
+the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and
+we know that his testimony is true&rdquo; (Jn 21:24). St. Thomas
+comments that the Evangelist makes this statement &ldquo;in the
+person of the whole Church (<i>in persona totius Ecclesiae</i>)from
+whom this Gospel is received [by us].&rdquo; The Evangelist himself
+knows the veracity of his narrative, and even St. Paul condemns
+those who would preach a gospel other than the one he had received
+(see Gal 1:9). The firmness and stability of our Christian faith is
+the authority of God speaking through Evangelists, Apostles and
+other authors of the canonical Books of Scripture. Their testimony
+leaves us without any doubt as to our faith, because &ldquo;the
+Canonical Scriptures alone are the rule of faith.&rdquo; <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote18',%20WPFootnote18%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
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- This <i>sola scriptura </i>of which St. Thomas speaks is far
-different from the <i>sola scriptura </i>(&#8220;only the Bible&#8221;) of the Reformers. This battle cry was made
-famous by Luther, who insisted that what is not contained in the Bible is not &#8220;of faith.&#8221; But
-Luther and Thomas (or any other medieval theologian) meant two different things by the word
-<i>Bible, </i>or <i>Sacred Scriptures. </i>For Luther and the Reformers the Bible was thought of as a finished,
-edited, and (by then) printed collection, while Thomas and the medieval theologians meant the
-Sacred Word <i>together with </i>the gloss of the Fathers, liturgy, and the living Church. The
-Reformers thought of &#8220;The Bible&#8221; completely devoid of a history and a historical context, devoid
-of transmission and development; in short, they thought of &#8220;The Bible&#8221; distinct from the Church.
-Thus in the face of this misunderstanding, the Council of Trent spoke as <i>though </i>there were two
-sources of our faith: &#8220;the written books and the unwritten traditions.&#8221;
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote19', WPFootnote19 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> This <i>sola scriptura</i> of which St. Thomas speaks is
+far different from the <i>sola scriptura</i> (&ldquo;only the
+Bible&rdquo;) of the Reformers. This battle cry was made famous by
+Luther, who insisted that what is not contained in the Bible is not
+&ldquo;of faith.&rdquo; But Luther and Thomas (or any other
+medieval theologian) meant two different things by the word
+<i>Bible,</i> or <i>Sacred Scriptures.</i> For Luther and the
+Reformers the Bible was thought of as a finished, edited, and (by
+then) printed collection, while Thomas and the medieval theologians
+meant the Sacred Word <i>together with</i> the gloss of the
+Fathers, liturgy, and the living Church. The Reformers thought of
+&ldquo;The Bible&rdquo; completely devoid of a history and a
+historical context, devoid of transmission and development; in
+short, they thought of &ldquo;The Bible&rdquo; distinct from the
+Church. Thus in the face of this misunderstanding, the Council of
+Trent spoke as <i>though</i> there were two sources of our faith:
+&ldquo;the written books and the unwritten traditions.&rdquo;
+<a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote19',%20WPFootnote19%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
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- But even this manner of
-speaking was a concession to a false dichotomy that was historically conditioned. The Second
-Vatican Council, however, described these two sources&#8221; more traditionally as a single mirror
-(<i>veluti speculum sunt</i>)<i> </i>reflecting both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote20', WPFootnote20 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script> But even this manner of speaking was a concession to a
+false dichotomy that was historically conditioned. The Second
+Vatican Council, however, described these two sources&rdquo; more
+traditionally as a single mirror (<i>veluti speculum sunt</i>)
+reflecting both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote20',%20WPFootnote20%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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-</script>
-</p>
-<p>Historically speaking, the revelation given by God and received by the chosen people was prior
-to any scriptural document. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were given the message of salvation long
-before there was any question of a written Torah. Christ&#8217;s message of salvation was accepted by
-the Apostles, disciples, and early Christians for a quarter of a century before the first fraction of
-the New Testament was written&#8212;and this by St. Paul (1 Thessalonians, probably at the beginning
-of 52 A.D.). We must always remember that the Canon of the New Testament was not
-established as an inspired unit until 382 A.D., at the earliest. That is, the living Church existed
-long before the New Testament was &#8220;written,&#8221; and it existed for 350 years before the present
-books were collected into an exclusive and canonical unity. For this reason, St. Thomas could
-speak of the &#8220;whole Church from whom this Gospel is received.&#8221;</p>
-<p>Finally, a word should be said in aid of a fruitful reading of St. Thomas&#8217; commentary on John.
-Although the pericope or section commented upon in every &#8220;Lecture&#8221; is printed in full at the
-head of the commentary, it would be best to procure a second copy of the whole text and read the
-particular chapter in full before proceeding to the comment. It is of utmost importance to follow
-the <i>divisions </i>of the text made by St. Thomas and always keep the context well in view. The
-lemmata, or phrases commented upon, are clearly set off from the comment by the printer. Unless
-the particular lemma is constantly related to the context as a whole, one can easily get lost in the
-forest of words, cross references, and quotations. Since <i>order </i>and <i>division </i>are such important
-elements in the scholastic method, these must be continuously related to the <i>whole, </i>whether it
-be a collection of chapters, an individual chapter, part of a chapter, a parable, narrative, pericope,
-or sentence. Those who wish to obtain the greatest understanding of the Sacred Text might well
-augment the study of St. Thomas&#8217; &#8220;theological sense&#8221; of John with a modern commentary, such
-as the outstanding commentary by Father Raymond Brown in the Anchor Bible (2 vols.).</p>
-<p>For the fruitful reading of St. Thomas&#8217; commentary on John, we should further note that
-throughout the long history of the Church, listeners and readers of tile Sacred Text have always
-been encouraged to prepare their minds and souls for a fruitful reception of the Word. The Word
-of God, like the seed in the parable (Lk 8:15), needs to be received in &#8220;good ground&#8221; in order to
-yield fruit a hundredfold. The reception of anything, according to the ancient philosophers,
-depends on the condition of the receiver. The Word of God is Spirit (Jn 6:63), and only the Holy
-Spirit cdn prepare the soul for fruitful reception of the Word. In the solemn proclamation of the
-Gospel in the Liturgy of the Word, the Church prays for the Deacon that the Lord be in his heart
-and on his lips in order to announce the Holy Gospel of Peace.
-<a href="javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote21', WPFootnote21 )"><img src="footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border="0"></a>
-<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//]]>
+</script></p>
+<p>Historically speaking, the revelation given by God and received
+by the chosen people was prior to any scriptural document. Abraham,
+Isaac, and Jacob were given the message of salvation long before
+there was any question of a written Torah. Christ&rsquo;s message
+of salvation was accepted by the Apostles, disciples, and early
+Christians for a quarter of a century before the first fraction of
+the New Testament was written&mdash;and this by St. Paul (1
+Thessalonians, probably at the beginning of 52 A.D.). We must
+always remember that the Canon of the New Testament was not
+established as an inspired unit until 382 A.D., at the earliest.
+That is, the living Church existed long before the New Testament
+was &ldquo;written,&rdquo; and it existed for 350 years before the
+present books were collected into an exclusive and canonical unity.
+For this reason, St. Thomas could speak of the &ldquo;whole Church
+from whom this Gospel is received.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Finally, a word should be said in aid of a fruitful reading of
+St. Thomas&rsquo; commentary on John. Although the pericope or
+section commented upon in every &ldquo;Lecture&rdquo; is printed in
+full at the head of the commentary, it would be best to procure a
+second copy of the whole text and read the particular chapter in
+full before proceeding to the comment. It is of utmost importance
+to follow the <i>divisions</i> of the text made by St. Thomas and
+always keep the context well in view. The lemmata, or phrases
+commented upon, are clearly set off from the comment by the
+printer. Unless the particular lemma is constantly related to the
+context as a whole, one can easily get lost in the forest of words,
+cross references, and quotations. Since <i>order</i> and
+<i>division</i> are such important elements in the scholastic
+method, these must be continuously related to the <i>whole,</i>
+whether it be a collection of chapters, an individual chapter, part
+of a chapter, a parable, narrative, pericope, or sentence. Those
+who wish to obtain the greatest understanding of the Sacred Text
+might well augment the study of St. Thomas&rsquo;
+&ldquo;theological sense&rdquo; of John with a modern commentary,
+such as the outstanding commentary by Father Raymond Brown in the
+Anchor Bible (2 vols.).</p>
+<p>For the fruitful reading of St. Thomas&rsquo; commentary on
+John, we should further note that throughout the long history of
+the Church, listeners and readers of tile Sacred Text have always
+been encouraged to prepare their minds and souls for a fruitful
+reception of the Word. The Word of God, like the seed in the
+parable (Lk 8:15), needs to be received in &ldquo;good
+ground&rdquo; in order to yield fruit a hundredfold. The reception
+of anything, according to the ancient philosophers, depends on the
+condition of the receiver. The Word of God is Spirit (Jn 6:63), and
+only the Holy Spirit cdn prepare the soul for fruitful reception of
+the Word. In the solemn proclamation of the Gospel in the Liturgy
+of the Word, the Church prays for the Deacon that the Lord be in
+his heart and on his lips in order to announce the Holy Gospel of
+Peace. <a href=
+"javascript:WPShow('WPFootnote21',%20WPFootnote21%20)"><img src=
+"footnoteicon.gif" alt="Footnote" width="16" height="14" border=
+"0" /></a> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">
+//<![CDATA[
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- Preparing one&#8217;s mind and heart
-by prayer and recollection is of greatest importance for the reception of God&#8217;s message for us.
-This message is directed primarily to us as God&#8217;s chosen people, the pilgrim Church on earth,
-and through the Church to us as individuals beloved by God and &#8220;purchased at a great price&#8221; (1
-Cor 6:20). The message of salvation is addressed to us individually and collectively, and we both
-individually and collectively must attune our minds and hearts to the Spirit. &#8220;The Advocate, the
-Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you
-of all I have said to you&#8221; (Jn 14:26). The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts through the Scriptures,
-inspired and animated by him. The Scriptures as a spiritual resource cannot be dissociated from
-personal prayer and cultivation of our sacramental life in the Church. Being receptive is the
-important thing as we begin our study.</p>
-<p>Finally, the power of reading or hearing the Sacred Scriptures is so great that it actually forgives
-sins. Apart from &#8220;the Sacraments of the faith&#8221; (<i>sacramenta fidei</i>),<i> </i>it is one of the many ways by
-which our many sins are forgiven. The Fathers of the Church have always listed&#8212;along with
-almsgiving, contrition, and good works&#8212;the special efficacy of reading the Scriptures for the
-forgiveness of sins. The new liturgy of the Mass prompted by the Second Vatican Council still
-retains the ancient prayer: &#8220;May the words of the Gospel wipe away our sins.&#8221; The humble and
-contrite reading of any part of the Scriptures wipes away sin because the power of the Word is
-the power of God, who alone can forgive sins. Thus we should always approach the Scriptures
-with a &#8220;humble and contrite heart.&#8221; The Psalmist declares, &#8220;A contrite and humbled heart, 0 God,
-you will not despise&#8221; (Ps 50:19). God always answers a humble and contrite heart in order to
-glorify himself in us, just as the Father is always glorified in the Son. &#8220;Whatever you ask for in
-my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son&#8221; Qn 14:13). This &#8220;glory&#8221; of the
-Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit is sometimes called the indwelling of the Trinity within
-our souls. It is the &#8220;conformity&#8221; of our whole being to the Father through the Word animated by
-the Spirit. In this conformity of our innermost being with the splendor of God lies the whole
-perfection of the Christian life. In this perfection consists the glory and splendor of God himself.
-This union of one&#8217;s deepest self and the innermost being of God is the answer to the prayer of
-Jesus to the Father: &#8220;That they may be one, as we also are one&#8221; (Jn 17:11).</p>
-<p>From this it follows that the study of St. Thomas&#8217; commentary on St. John&#8217;s Gospel is richly
-rewarding in healing our wounds and leading us to greater union with the Father of our Lord
-Jesus Christ, whose message of salvation is here proclaimed by &#8220;the disciple whom Jesus loved&#8221;
-(Jn 20:2). For our guide we can have none better than the Angelic Doctor, whom Jesus loved.</p>
-<p style="text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0.125in">James A. Weisheipl, O.P.
-<br>Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies
-<br>Toronto, Canada</p>
-<br>
-<hr>
-<A NAME="02"><p style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.125in"><span style="font-weight: bold">PROLOGUE</span></p>
-<p style="text-align: justify; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.125in"><i>I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the whole house was full
-of his majesty, and the things that were under him filled the temple.</i> (Is 6:1)</p>
-<p>1 These are the words of a contemplative, and if we regard them as spoken by John the
-Evangelist they apply quite well to showing the nature of this Gospel. For as Augustine says in
-his work, <i>On the Agreement of the Evangelists: </i>&#8220;The other Evangelists instruct us in their
-Gospels on the active life; but John in his Gospel instructs us also on the contemplative life.&#8221;</p>
-<p>The contemplation of John is described above in three ways, in keeping with the threefold
-manner in which he contemplated the Lord Jesus. It is described as high, full, and perfect. It is
-high: <span style="font-weight: bold">I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne; </span>it is full: <span style="font-weight: bold">and the whole house was
-full of his majesty; </span>and it was perfect: <span style="font-weight: bold">and the things that were under him filled the temple.</span></p>
-<p>2 As to the first, we must understand that the Height and sublimity of contemplation consists
-most of all in the contemplation and knowledge of God. &#8220;Lift up your eyes on high, and see who
-has created these things&#8221; (Is 40:26). A man lifts up his eyes on high when he sees and
-contemplates the Creator of all things. Now since John rose above whatever had been
-created&#8212;mountains, heavens, angels&#8212;and reached the Creator of all, as Augustine says, it is
-clear that his contemplation was most high. Thus, <span style="font-weight: bold">I saw the Lord. </span>And because, as John himself
-says below (12:41), &#8220;Isaiah said this because he had seen his glory,&#8221; that is, the glory of Christ,
-&#8220;and spoke of him,&#8221; the Lord <span style="font-weight: bold">seated on a high and lofty throne </span>is Christ.</p>
-<p>Now a fourfold height is indicated in this contemplation of John. A height of authority; hence
-he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">I saw the Lord. </span>A height of eternity; when he says, seated. One of dignity, or nobility
-of nature; so he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">on a high throne. </span>And a height of incomprehensible truth; when he says,
-lofty. It is in these four ways that the early philosophers arrived at the knowledge of God.</p>
-<p>3 Some attained to a knowledge of God through his authority, and this is the most efficacious
-way. For we see the things in nature acting for an end, and attaining to ends which are both useful
-and certain. And since they lack intelligence, they are unable to direct themselves, but must be
-directed and moved by one directing them, and who possesses an intellect. Thus it is that the
-movement of the things of nature toward a certain end indicates the existence of something
-higher by which the things of nature are directed to an end and governed. And so, since the whole
-course of nature advances to an end in an orderly way and is directed, we have to posit something
-higher w1iich directs and governs them as Lord; and this is God. This authority in governing is
-shown to be in the Word of God when he says, Lord. Thus the Psalm (88:10) says: &#8220;You rule the
-power of the sea, and you still the swelling of its waves,&#8221; as though saying: You are the Lord and
-govern all things. John shows that he knows this about the Word when he says below (1:11), &#8220;He
-came unto his own,&#8221; i.e., to the world, since the whole universe is his own.</p>
-<p>4 Others came to a knowledge of God from his eternity. They saw that whatever was in things
-was changeable, and that the more noble something is in the grades of being, so much the less
-it has of mutability. For example, the lower bodies are mutable both as to their substance and to
-place, while the heavenly bodies, which are more noble, are immutable in substance and change
-only with respect to place. We can clearly conclude from this that the first principle of all things,
-which is supreme and more noble, is changeless and eternal. The prophet suggests this eternity
-of the Word when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">seated, </span>i.e., presiding without any change and eternally. &#8220;Your throne,
-O God, is forever and ever&#8221; (Ps 44:7); &#8220;Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever&#8221;
-(Heb 13:8). John points to this eternity when he says below (1:1), &#8220;In the beginning was the
-Word.&#8221;</p>
-<p>5 Still others came to a knowledge of God from the dignity of God; and these were the Platonists.
-They noted that everything which is something by participation is reduced to what is the same
-thing by essence, as to the first and highest. Thus, all things which are fiery by participation are
-reduced to fire, which is such by its essence. And so since all things which exist participate in
-existence (<i>esse</i>)<i> </i>and are beings by participation, there must necessarily be at the summit of all
-things something which is existence (<i>esse</i>)<i> </i>by its essence, i.e., whose essence is its existence.
-And this is God, who is the most sufficient, the most eminent, and the most perfect cause of the
-whole of existence, from, whom all things that are participate existence (<i>esse</i>)<i>. </i>This dignity is
-shown in the words, <span style="font-weight: bold">on a high throne, </span>which, according to Denis, refer to the divine nature.
-&#8220;The Lord is high above all nations&#8221; (Ps 112:4). John shows us this dignity when he says below
-(1:1), &#8220;the Word was God,&#8221; with &#8220;Word&#8221; as subject and &#8220;God&#8221; as the predicate.</p>
-<p>6 Yet others arrived at a knowledge of God from the incomprehensibility of truth. All the truth
-which our intellect is able to grasp is finite, since according to Augustine, &#8220;everything that is
-known is bounded by the comprehension of the one knowing&#8221;; and if it is bounded, it is
-determined and particularized. Therefore, the first and supreme Truth, which surpasses every
-intellect, must necessarily be incomprehensible and infinite; and this is God. [fence the Psalm
-(8:2) says, &#8220;Your greatness is above the heavens,&#8221; i.e., above every created intellect, angelic and
-human. The Apostle says this in the words, &#8220;He dwells in unapproachable light&#8221; (1 Tim 6:16).
-This incomprehensibility of Truth is shown to us in the word, <span style="font-weight: bold">lofty, </span>that is, above all the
-knowledge of the created intellect. John implies this incomprehensibility to us when he says
-below (1:18), &#8220;No one has ever seen God.&#8221;</p>
-<p>Thus, the contemplation of John was high as regards authority, eternity, dignity, and the
-incomprehensibility of the Word. And John has passed on this contemplation to us in his Gospel.</p>
-<p>7 John&#8217;s contemplation was also full. Now contemplation is full when someone is able to
-consider all the effects of a cause in the cause itself, that is, when he knows not only the essence
-of the cause, but also its power, according as it can extend out to many things. Of this flowing
-outward we read, &#8220;It overflows with wisdom, like the Pishon, and like the Tigris in the days of
-the new fruits&#8221; (Sir 25:35); &#8220;The river of God is full with water,&#8221; since the divine wisdom has
-depth in relation to its knowledge of all things (Ps 65:9). &#8220;With you from the beginning is
-wisdom, who knows your works&#8221; (Wis 9:9).</p>
-<p>Since John the Evangelist was raised up to the contemplation of the nature of the divine Word
-and of his essence when he said, &#8220;In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God,&#8221;
-he immediately tells us of the power of the Word as it extends to all things, saying, &#8220;Through him
-all things came into being.&#8221; Thus his contemplation was full. And so after the prophet had <span style="font-weight: bold">said,
-I saw the Lord seated, </span>he added something about his power, <span style="font-weight: bold">and the whole house was full of
-his majesty, </span>that is, the whole fullness of things and of the universe is from the majesty and
-power of God, through whom all things were made, and by whose light all the men coming into
-this world are enlightened. &#8220;The earth and its fullness are the Lord&#8217;s&#8221; (Ps 23:1).</p>
-<p>8 The contemplation of John was also perfect. For contemplation is perfect when the one
-contemplating is led and raised to the height of the thing contemplated. Should he remain at a
-lower level, then no matter how high the things which he might contemplate, the contemplation
-would not be perfect. So in order that it be perfect it is necessary that it rise and attain the end of
-the thing contemplated, adhering and assenting by affection and understanding to the truth
-contemplated. Job (37:16) says, &#8220;Do you not know the path of the clouds,&#8221; that is, the
-contemplation of those preaching, &#8220;how perfect they are?&#8221; inasmuch as they adhere firmly by
-affection and understanding to contemplating the highest truth.</p>
-<p>Since John not only taught how Christ Jesus, the Word of God, is God, raised above all things,
-and how all things were made through him, but also that we are sanctified by him and adhere to
-him by the grace which he pours into us, he says below (1:16), &#8220;Of his fullness we have all
-received - indeed, grace in return for grace.&#8221; It is therefore apparent that his contemplation is
-perfect. This perfection is shown in the addition, <span style="font-weight: bold">and the things that were under him filled the
-temple. </span>For &#8220;the head of Christ is God&#8221; (1 Cor 11:3). The things that are under Christ are the
-sacraments of his humanity, through which the faithful are filled with the fullness of grace. In this
-way, then, <span style="font-weight: bold">the things that were under him filled the temple, </span>i.e., the faithful, who are the holy
-temple of God (1 Cor 3:17) insofar as through the sacraments of his humanity all the faithful of
-Christ receive from the fullness of his grace.</p>
+//]]>
+</script> Preparing one&rsquo;s mind and heart by prayer and
+recollection is of greatest importance for the reception of
+God&rsquo;s message for us. This message is directed primarily to
+us as God&rsquo;s chosen people, the pilgrim Church on earth, and
+through the Church to us as individuals beloved by God and
+&ldquo;purchased at a great price&rdquo; (1 Cor 6:20). The message
+of salvation is addressed to us individually and collectively, and
+we both individually and collectively must attune our minds and
+hearts to the Spirit. &ldquo;The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom
+the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and
+remind you of all I have said to you&rdquo; (Jn 14:26). The Holy
+Spirit speaks to our hearts through the Scriptures, inspired and
+animated by him. The Scriptures as a spiritual resource cannot be
+dissociated from personal prayer and cultivation of our sacramental
+life in the Church. Being receptive is the important thing as we
+begin our study.</p>
+<p>Finally, the power of reading or hearing the Sacred Scriptures
+is so great that it actually forgives sins. Apart from &ldquo;the
+Sacraments of the faith&rdquo; (<i>sacramenta fidei</i>), it is one
+of the many ways by which our many sins are forgiven. The Fathers
+of the Church have always listed&mdash;along with almsgiving,
+contrition, and good works&mdash;the special efficacy of reading
+the Scriptures for the forgiveness of sins. The new liturgy of the
+Mass prompted by the Second Vatican Council still retains the
+ancient prayer: &ldquo;May the words of the Gospel wipe away our
+sins.&rdquo; The humble and contrite reading of any part of the
+Scriptures wipes away sin because the power of the Word is the
+power of God, who alone can forgive sins. Thus we should always
+approach the Scriptures with a &ldquo;humble and contrite
+heart.&rdquo; The Psalmist declares, &ldquo;A contrite and humbled
+heart, 0 God, you will not despise&rdquo; (Ps 50:19). God always
+answers a humble and contrite heart in order to glorify himself in
+us, just as the Father is always glorified in the Son.
+&ldquo;Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the
+Father may be glorified in the Son&rdquo; Qn 14:13). This
+&ldquo;glory&rdquo; of the Father through the Son in the Holy
+Spirit is sometimes called the indwelling of the Trinity within our
+souls. It is the &ldquo;conformity&rdquo; of our whole being to the
+Father through the Word animated by the Spirit. In this conformity
+of our innermost being with the splendor of God lies the whole
+perfection of the Christian life. In this perfection consists the
+glory and splendor of God himself. This union of one&rsquo;s
+deepest self and the innermost being of God is the answer to the
+prayer of Jesus to the Father: &ldquo;That they may be one, as we
+also are one&rdquo; (Jn 17:11).</p>
+<p>From this it follows that the study of St. Thomas&rsquo;
+commentary on St. John&rsquo;s Gospel is richly rewarding in
+healing our wounds and leading us to greater union with the Father
+of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose message of salvation is here
+proclaimed by &ldquo;the disciple whom Jesus loved&rdquo; (Jn
+20:2). For our guide we can have none better than the Angelic
+Doctor, whom Jesus loved.</p>
+<p style="text-align: right; margin-bottom: 0.125in">James A.
+Weisheipl, O.P.<br />
+Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies<br />
+Toronto, Canada</p>
+<br />
+<hr />
+<a name="02"></a>
+<p style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.125in"><span style=
+"font-weight: bold">PROLOGUE</span></p>
+<p style=
+"text-align: justify; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.125in">
+<i>I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the whole
+house was full of his majesty, and the things that were under him
+filled the temple.</i> (Is 6:1)</p>
+<p>1 These are the words of a contemplative, and if we regard them
+as spoken by John the Evangelist they apply quite well to showing
+the nature of this Gospel. For as Augustine says in his work, <i>On
+the Agreement of the Evangelists:</i> &ldquo;The other Evangelists
+instruct us in their Gospels on the active life; but John in his
+Gospel instructs us also on the contemplative life.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>The contemplation of John is described above in three ways, in
+keeping with the threefold manner in which he contemplated the Lord
+Jesus. It is described as high, full, and perfect. It is high:
+<span style="font-weight: bold">I saw the Lord seated on a high and
+lofty throne;</span> it is full: <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">and the whole house was full of his
+majesty;</span> and it was perfect: <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">and the things that were under him filled the
+temple.</span></p>
+<p>2 As to the first, we must understand that the Height and
+sublimity of contemplation consists most of all in the
+contemplation and knowledge of God. &ldquo;Lift up your eyes on
+high, and see who has created these things&rdquo; (Is 40:26). A man
+lifts up his eyes on high when he sees and contemplates the Creator
+of all things. Now since John rose above whatever had been
+created&mdash;mountains, heavens, angels&mdash;and reached the
+Creator of all, as Augustine says, it is clear that his
+contemplation was most high. Thus, <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">I saw the Lord.</span> And because, as John
+himself says below (12:41), &ldquo;Isaiah said this because he had
+seen his glory,&rdquo; that is, the glory of Christ, &ldquo;and
+spoke of him,&rdquo; the Lord <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">seated on a high and lofty throne</span> is
+Christ.</p>
+<p>Now a fourfold height is indicated in this contemplation of
+John. A height of authority; hence he says, <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">I saw the Lord.</span> A height of eternity;
+when he says, seated. One of dignity, or nobility of nature; so he
+says, <span style="font-weight: bold">on a high throne.</span> And
+a height of incomprehensible truth; when he says, lofty. It is in
+these four ways that the early philosophers arrived at the
+knowledge of God.</p>
+<p>3 Some attained to a knowledge of God through his authority, and
+this is the most efficacious way. For we see the things in nature
+acting for an end, and attaining to ends which are both useful and
+certain. And since they lack intelligence, they are unable to
+direct themselves, but must be directed and moved by one directing
+them, and who possesses an intellect. Thus it is that the movement
+of the things of nature toward a certain end indicates the
+existence of something higher by which the things of nature are
+directed to an end and governed. And so, since the whole course of
+nature advances to an end in an orderly way and is directed, we
+have to posit something higher w1iich directs and governs them as
+Lord; and this is God. This authority in governing is shown to be
+in the Word of God when he says, Lord. Thus the Psalm (88:10) says:
+&ldquo;You rule the power of the sea, and you still the swelling of
+its waves,&rdquo; as though saying: You are the Lord and govern all
+things. John shows that he knows this about the Word when he says
+below (1:11), &ldquo;He came unto his own,&rdquo; i.e., to the
+world, since the whole universe is his own.</p>
+<p>4 Others came to a knowledge of God from his eternity. They saw
+that whatever was in things was changeable, and that the more noble
+something is in the grades of being, so much the less it has of
+mutability. For example, the lower bodies are mutable both as to
+their substance and to place, while the heavenly bodies, which are
+more noble, are immutable in substance and change only with respect
+to place. We can clearly conclude from this that the first
+principle of all things, which is supreme and more noble, is
+changeless and eternal. The prophet suggests this eternity of the
+Word when he says, <span style="font-weight: bold">seated,</span>
+i.e., presiding without any change and eternally. &ldquo;Your
+throne, O God, is forever and ever&rdquo; (Ps 44:7); &ldquo;Jesus
+Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever&rdquo; (Heb 13:8).
+John points to this eternity when he says below (1:1), &ldquo;In
+the beginning was the Word.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>5 Still others came to a knowledge of God from the dignity of
+God; and these were the Platonists. They noted that everything
+which is something by participation is reduced to what is the same
+thing by essence, as to the first and highest. Thus, all things
+which are fiery by participation are reduced to fire, which is such
+by its essence. And so since all things which exist participate in
+existence (<i>esse</i>) and are beings by participation, there must
+necessarily be at the summit of all things something which is
+existence (<i>esse</i>) by its essence, i.e., whose essence is its
+existence. And this is God, who is the most sufficient, the most
+eminent, and the most perfect cause of the whole of existence,
+from, whom all things that are participate existence
+(<i>esse</i>)<i>.</i> This dignity is shown in the words,
+<span style="font-weight: bold">on a high throne,</span> which,
+according to Denis, refer to the divine nature. &ldquo;The Lord is
+high above all nations&rdquo; (Ps 112:4). John shows us this
+dignity when he says below (1:1), &ldquo;the Word was God,&rdquo;
+with &ldquo;Word&rdquo; as subject and &ldquo;God&rdquo; as the
+predicate.</p>
+<p>6 Yet others arrived at a knowledge of God from the
+incomprehensibility of truth. All the truth which our intellect is
+able to grasp is finite, since according to Augustine,
+&ldquo;everything that is known is bounded by the comprehension of
+the one knowing&rdquo;; and if it is bounded, it is determined and
+particularized. Therefore, the first and supreme Truth, which
+surpasses every intellect, must necessarily be incomprehensible and
+infinite; and this is God. [fence the Psalm (8:2) says, &ldquo;Your
+greatness is above the heavens,&rdquo; i.e., above every created
+intellect, angelic and human. The Apostle says this in the words,
+&ldquo;He dwells in unapproachable light&rdquo; (1 Tim 6:16). This
+incomprehensibility of Truth is shown to us in the word,
+<span style="font-weight: bold">lofty,</span> that is, above all
+the knowledge of the created intellect. John implies this
+incomprehensibility to us when he says below (1:18), &ldquo;No one
+has ever seen God.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>Thus, the contemplation of John was high as regards authority,
+eternity, dignity, and the incomprehensibility of the Word. And
+John has passed on this contemplation to us in his Gospel.</p>
+<p>7 John&rsquo;s contemplation was also full. Now contemplation is
+full when someone is able to consider all the effects of a cause in
+the cause itself, that is, when he knows not only the essence of
+the cause, but also its power, according as it can extend out to
+many things. Of this flowing outward we read, &ldquo;It overflows
+with wisdom, like the Pishon, and like the Tigris in the days of
+the new fruits&rdquo; (Sir 25:35); &ldquo;The river of God is full
+with water,&rdquo; since the divine wisdom has depth in relation to
+its knowledge of all things (Ps 65:9). &ldquo;With you from the
+beginning is wisdom, who knows your works&rdquo; (Wis 9:9).</p>
+<p>Since John the Evangelist was raised up to the contemplation of
+the nature of the divine Word and of his essence when he said,
+&ldquo;In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with
+God,&rdquo; he immediately tells us of the power of the Word as it
+extends to all things, saying, &ldquo;Through him all things came
+into being.&rdquo; Thus his contemplation was full. And so after
+the prophet had <span style="font-weight: bold">said, I saw the
+Lord seated,</span> he added something about his power,
+<span style="font-weight: bold">and the whole house was full of his
+majesty,</span> that is, the whole fullness of things and of the
+universe is from the majesty and power of God, through whom all
+things were made, and by whose light all the men coming into this
+world are enlightened. &ldquo;The earth and its fullness are the
+Lord&rsquo;s&rdquo; (Ps 23:1).</p>
+<p>8 The contemplation of John was also perfect. For contemplation
+is perfect when the one contemplating is led and raised to the
+height of the thing contemplated. Should he remain at a lower
+level, then no matter how high the things which he might
+contemplate, the contemplation would not be perfect. So in order
+that it be perfect it is necessary that it rise and attain the end
+of the thing contemplated, adhering and assenting by affection and
+understanding to the truth contemplated. Job (37:16) says,
+&ldquo;Do you not know the path of the clouds,&rdquo; that is, the
+contemplation of those preaching, &ldquo;how perfect they
+are?&rdquo; inasmuch as they adhere firmly by affection and
+understanding to contemplating the highest truth.</p>
+<p>Since John not only taught how Christ Jesus, the Word of God, is
+God, raised above all things, and how all things were made through
+him, but also that we are sanctified by him and adhere to him by
+the grace which he pours into us, he says below (1:16), &ldquo;Of
+his fullness we have all received - indeed, grace in return for
+grace.&rdquo; It is therefore apparent that his contemplation is
+perfect. This perfection is shown in the addition, <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">and the things that were under him filled the
+temple.</span> For &ldquo;the head of Christ is God&rdquo; (1 Cor
+11:3). The things that are under Christ are the sacraments of his
+humanity, through which the faithful are filled with the fullness
+of grace. In this way, then, <span style="font-weight: bold">the
+things that were under him filled the temple,</span> i.e., the
+faithful, who are the holy temple of God (1 Cor 3:17) insofar as
+through the sacraments of his humanity all the faithful of Christ
+receive from the fullness of his grace.</p>
 <p>The contemplation of John was thus full, high, and perfect.</p>
-<p>9 We should note, however, that these three characteristics of contemplation belong to the
-different sciences in different ways. The perfection of contemplation is found in Moral Science,
-which is concerned with the ultimate end. The fullness of contemplation is possessed by Natural
-Science, which considers things as proceeding from God. Among the physical [natural] sciences,
-the height of contemplation is found in Metaphysics. But the Gospel of John contains all together
-what the above sciences have in a divided way, and so it is most perfect.</p>
-<p>10 In this way then, from what has been said, we can understand the matter of this Gospel. For
-while the other Evangelists treat principally of the mysteries of the humanity of Christ, John,
-especially and above all, makes known the divinity of Christ in his Gospel, as we saw above.
-Still, he does not ignore the mysteries of his humanity. He did this because, after the other
-Evangelists had written their Gospels, heresies had arisen concerning the divinity of Christ, to
-the effect that Christ was purely and simply a man, as Ebion and Cerinthus falsely thought. And
-so John the Evangelist, who had drawn the truth about the divinity of the Word from the very
-fountain-head of the divine breast, wrote this Gospel at the request of the faithful. And in it he
-gives us the doctrine of the divinity of Christ and refutes all heresies.</p>
-<p>The order of this Gospel is clear from the above. For John first shows us <span style="font-weight: bold">the Lord seated on a
-high and lofty throne, </span>when he says below (1:1), &#8220;In the beginning was the Word.&#8221; He shows
-secondly how <span style="font-weight: bold">the house was full of his majesty, </span>when he says, &#8220;through him all things came
-into being&#8221; (1:3). Thirdly, he shows how the <span style="font-weight: bold">things that were under him filled the temple,
-</span>when he says, &#8220;the Word was made flesh&#8221; (1:14). The end of this Gospel is also clear, and it is
-that the faithful become the temple of God, and become filled with the majesty of God; and so
-John says below (20:31), &#8220;These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the
-Christ, the Son of God.&#8221;</p>
-<p>The matter of this Gospel, the knowledge of the divinity of the Word, is clear, as well as its order
-and end.</p>
-<p>11 Then follows the condition of the author, who is described above in four ways: as to his name,
-his virtue, his symbol, and his privilege. He is described as to name as John, the author of this
-Gospel. &#8220;John&#8221; is interpreted as &#8220;in whom is grace,&#8221; since the secrets of the divinity cannot be
-seen except by those who have the grace of God within themselves. &#8220;No one knows the deep
-things of God but the Spirit of God&#8221; (1 Cor 2:11).</p>
-<p>As concerns his virtue, John <span style="font-weight: bold">saw the Lord seated, </span>because he was a virgin; for it is fitting that
-such persons see the Lord: &#8220;Blessed are the pure in heart&#8221; (Mt 5:8).</p>
-<p>He is described as to his symbol, for John is symbolized by an eagle. The other three Evangelists,
-concerned with those things which Christ did in his flesh, are symbolized by animals which walk
-on the earth, namely, by a man, a bull calf, and a lion. But John flies like an eagle above the
-cloud of human weakness and looks upon the light of unchanging truth with the most lofty and
-firm eyes of the heart. And gazing on the very deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which he is
-equal to the Father, he has striven in this Gospel to confide this above all, to the extent that he
-believed was sufficient for all. Concerning this flight of John it says in Job (39:27): &#8220;Will the
-eagle,&#8221; that is, John, &#8220;fly up at your command?&#8221; And further on it says, &#8220;His eyes look far away,&#8221;
-because the Word of God is seen in the bosom of the Father by the eye of the mind.</p>
-<p>John is described as to privilege since, among the other disciples of the Lord, John was more
-loved by Christ. Without mentioning his own name John refers to himself below (21:20) as &#8220;the
-disciple whom Jesus loved.&#8221; And because secrets are revealed to friends, &#8220;I have called you
-friends because everything I have heard from my father I have made known to you&#8221; (below
-15:15), Jesus confided his secrets in a special way to that disciple who was specially loved. Thus
-it says in Job (36:32): &#8220;From the savage,&#8221; that is, the proud, &#8220;he hides his light,&#8221; that is, Christ
-hides the truth of his divinity, &#8220;and shows his friend,&#8221; that is, John, &#8220;that it belongs to him,&#8221; since
-it is John who sees the light of the Incarnate Word more excellently and expresses it to us, saying
-&#8220;He was the true light&#8221; (below 1:19).</p>
-<p>Now the matter, order, end and author of this Gospel of the blessed John are clear.</p>
+<p>9 We should note, however, that these three characteristics of
+contemplation belong to the different sciences in different ways.
+The perfection of contemplation is found in Moral Science, which is
+concerned with the ultimate end. The fullness of contemplation is
+possessed by Natural Science, which considers things as proceeding
+from God. Among the physical [natural] sciences, the height of
+contemplation is found in Metaphysics. But the Gospel of John
+contains all together what the above sciences have in a divided
+way, and so it is most perfect.</p>
+<p>10 In this way then, from what has been said, we can understand
+the matter of this Gospel. For while the other Evangelists treat
+principally of the mysteries of the humanity of Christ, John,
+especially and above all, makes known the divinity of Christ in his
+Gospel, as we saw above. Still, he does not ignore the mysteries of
+his humanity. He did this because, after the other Evangelists had
+written their Gospels, heresies had arisen concerning the divinity
+of Christ, to the effect that Christ was purely and simply a man,
+as Ebion and Cerinthus falsely thought. And so John the Evangelist,
+who had drawn the truth about the divinity of the Word from the
+very fountain-head of the divine breast, wrote this Gospel at the
+request of the faithful. And in it he gives us the doctrine of the
+divinity of Christ and refutes all heresies.</p>
+<p>The order of this Gospel is clear from the above. For John first
+shows us <span style="font-weight: bold">the Lord seated on a high
+and lofty throne,</span> when he says below (1:1), &ldquo;In the
+beginning was the Word.&rdquo; He shows secondly how <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">the house was full of his majesty,</span> when
+he says, &ldquo;through him all things came into being&rdquo;
+(1:3). Thirdly, he shows how the <span style=
+"font-weight: bold">things that were under him filled the
+temple,</span> when he says, &ldquo;the Word was made flesh&rdquo;
+(1:14). The end of this Gospel is also clear, and it is that the
+faithful become the temple of God, and become filled with the
+majesty of God; and so John says below (20:31), &ldquo;These things
+are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
+Son of God.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>The matter of this Gospel, the knowledge of the divinity of the
+Word, is clear, as well as its order and end.</p>
+<p>11 Then follows the condition of the author, who is described
+above in four ways: as to his name, his virtue, his symbol, and his
+privilege. He is described as to name as John, the author of this
+Gospel. &ldquo;John&rdquo; is interpreted as &ldquo;in whom is
+grace,&rdquo; since the secrets of the divinity cannot be seen
+except by those who have the grace of God within themselves.
+&ldquo;No one knows the deep things of God but the Spirit of
+God&rdquo; (1 Cor 2:11).</p>
+<p>As concerns his virtue, John <span style="font-weight: bold">saw
+the Lord seated,</span> because he was a virgin; for it is fitting
+that such persons see the Lord: &ldquo;Blessed are the pure in
+heart&rdquo; (Mt 5:8).</p>
+<p>He is described as to his symbol, for John is symbolized by an
+eagle. The other three Evangelists, concerned with those things
+which Christ did in his flesh, are symbolized by animals which walk
+on the earth, namely, by a man, a bull calf, and a lion. But John
+flies like an eagle above the cloud of human weakness and looks
+upon the light of unchanging truth with the most lofty and firm
+eyes of the heart. And gazing on the very deity of our Lord Jesus
+Christ, by which he is equal to the Father, he has striven in this
+Gospel to confide this above all, to the extent that he believed
+was sufficient for all. Concerning this flight of John it says in
+Job (39:27): &ldquo;Will the eagle,&rdquo; that is, John,
+&ldquo;fly up at your command?&rdquo; And further on it says,
+&ldquo;His eyes look far away,&rdquo; because the Word of God is
+seen in the bosom of the Father by the eye of the mind.</p>
+<p>John is described as to privilege since, among the other
+disciples of the Lord, John was more loved by Christ. Without
+mentioning his own name John refers to himself below (21:20) as
+&ldquo;the disciple whom Jesus loved.&rdquo; And because secrets
+are revealed to friends, &ldquo;I have called you friends because
+everything I have heard from my father I have made known to
+you&rdquo; (below 15:15), Jesus confided his secrets in a special
+way to that disciple who was specially loved. Thus it says in Job
+(36:32): &ldquo;From the savage,&rdquo; that is, the proud,
+&ldquo;he hides his light,&rdquo; that is, Christ hides the truth
+of his divinity, &ldquo;and shows his friend,&rdquo; that is, John,
+&ldquo;that it belongs to him,&rdquo; since it is John who sees the
+light of the Incarnate Word more excellently and expresses it to
+us, saying &ldquo;He was the true light&rdquo; (below 1:19).</p>
+<p>Now the matter, order, end and author of this Gospel of the
+blessed John are clear.</p>
+</div>
+</blockquote>
 </body>
 </html>