Fragments on the Gospel of John (in the catenae) 1 Positing him as the Creator of all things, he predicates the name of the Word of him. For since, in

 but by the good pleasure of God, he willed that creation should exist. This wisdom, therefore, willed to assume a creative relation to the things that

 again overtakes the light. And that I might change the theorem to something clearer, the light is the truth but when falsehood and all deceit, that i

 but having come to him with scientific proof and articulated understanding, they believe in him and call upon him. Whence Jesus, after the great progr

 But First must be understood instead of Before. However, what he says is something like this: Jesus, being before me and prior to me, came behind

 it is accomplished by choice, then that which is from God comes to pass, and this is the giving of grace for grace from God. 12 But the law was given

 he sees by applying his own mind, just as we are said to see visible things by a glance of the eyes. But God is also seen by those to whom He judges t

 and hiding his power for proceeding toward the dispensation. Since, therefore, it is not possible for any human to show a demonstration of the manner

 a more solid body. But if this were so, the opening of the heavens would not <have> come under sight, for neither is the Holy Spirit which descended f

 he says confidently, from Nazareth is indeed the one who was found and truly he is good. To whom Philip said: “Come and see” the found Jesus, wishing

 having been cast upon it, it seemed to be thought that all things came from water〛. 30 They believed is said instead of They were confirmed. For h

 For to know certain people from their actions and words is possible even for a mere man. But Jesus, not being a mere man, but God become man, knows al

 is grieved at the loss of pleasant things, does not cling with steadfastness to the agreeable things that are present. He wants us, therefore, to be s

 saying we may signify it through the ones being ruled, declaring it either from the place † when of the earth [of him] or of the inhabited world we an

 of wild beasts, having disbelieved God, who promised them the land, thus will they be saved by gazing at the uplifted serpent because of God who comma

 that the one who has done evil should depart from evil † but look to the good and that the one who professes to rejoice in the truth should at some t

 of the only sower of good things. He is none other than Jesus, of whom you have said you baptize, who has been testified to by me, to whom you say all

 by the prophets, in the last «of the days has spoken to us, who live during the visitation

 John. He came for a witness, to bear witness «of the Light».〛 For if the prophets before John also spoke from the earth, how do they bear witness conc

 to come to a woman. 53 But perhaps someone might inquire into the reason why Jews do not associate with Samaritans, which it is possible to find in th

 it must be said, from which Jacob along with his sons was drinking spiritually, and from it were drinking also

 and being lovers of the word, they considered that it was then the time for food and supposed that perhaps just as to Daniel in Babylon by the command

 human nature is not able. But since such a discourse does not come to men bare of matter and bodily examples, for this reason Jesus spits on the groun

 For since there are differences of signs, so that, as the apostle says, both the one in the law and the lawless one, whom the lord consumes with the b

 God, being asked for things by sinners on the basis of works, does not listen. 71 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him, he sai

 of the sensible it is no longer possible to hear about the bodily... when “Jesus answered and said to her: If you knew the gift of God and who it is

 Aenon, near Salem. Aenon is interpreted as Eye of torment and Salem He who is ascending. Therefore, those who receive the second ransom are now mo

 Jesus to the one who had died. For your sakes, he says, I am glad, those of you believing from learning that he died when I was not with him, and so t

 waits at home to receive him, as one capable of his visit. And she would not have gone out of her own house, unless she had heard her sister saying: “

 outcome is uncertain. But for an allegorical interpretation, it must be said that 〚Jesus formerly walked openly among the Jews through the prophets, b

 to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance so from the one who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from

 able to believe 〚because their eyes had been blinded by the evil one〛 it was not impossible for them to believe by approaching Jesus 〚and saying: Son

 the sun, the light that does not set and is without evening, having come to the world and through wonders both befitting God and beyond reason having

 you see that I have.”〛 And concerning how it is said to him, “Do not be unbelieving, but believing,” and concerning the name of Thomas, such things mi

 emphatic. For one who proclaims great doctrines, according to the meaning, as is fitting, utters them with a great voice. 116 And has become should

 named it from the reigning God. For indeed among us in common usage, his kingdom is sometimes signified from the one who reigns, and sometimes from th

 and the mere sight of the one envied casts no small spark into the envious.] 130 [For this reason he would have mingled with us .... and becoming for

 risen from the dead. We acknowledge him as head according to the prefiguration of his resurrection, of whom we are members in part and a body through

But "First" must be understood instead of "Before." However, what he says is something like this: Jesus, being before me and prior to me, came behind me and after me, not to remain after me but to become before me. But his coming after John must be understood according to the time of his birth. For John was conceived six months before Jesus was conceived. In this way, Jesus, having come after him, has become before him, being revealed as God and being his creator. It might also be said this way: every learner will seem to follow the teacher and in this way is said to walk after him. Since, therefore, the Savior also approached John who was baptizing to be baptized, in being baptized by John he is said to come after the baptizer, but in having been sanctified and testified to by the Father, he has become before the baptizer, being revealed as more honorable and surpassing him. And it is well said: "He has become before me," as his existence is prior to his coming to be. And note with how much precision this is said. It is not written "He who is after me," but "He who is coming." For if he were after, he could not be before him. But it is not impossible for the one who is first to come after. It might also be said in another way. "For," it says, "from his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace"; for again, giving the reason for his having become before him, he being first, he added, "For from his fullness we have all received and grace for grace." For how is he who fills not before in preeminence, and first of those who are filled? For if he himself perfects and fills with virtue and wisdom those who come to holiness, how is he not first and preeminent among them? But attend to the precision of what has been written. It does not say "His fullness," but "From his fullness we have all received." For those in this life who partake of holiness and of the knowledge of the truth know in part and prophesy in part from his fullness, but they do not have his fullness. They might have it after this temporal life in the ages to come, according to the apostle: "When," he says, "that which is perfect has come, that which is in part will be done away." In harmony with this are also the things in the Catholic Epistle of John: "And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like † him, for we shall see him as he is," that is: as it is possible for created beings to know God; for it is not possible to comprehend how God himself is. For we shall have something more than our present state, if no longer in part but, stripped of all ignorance, we shall approach the purest truth, seeing him as far as is possible. Therefore, because he has received from the fullness of Jesus, John says about himself that "He has become before me" from whose fullness I have received. And the fact that not one but all the saints receive from the fullness of Jesus reveals the superiority of the one who fills and perfects. For if all the saints were filled not from the whole fullness but from some portion of it, those who receive from the fullness will be seen to be far inferior to him who provided it to them. 11 Of the virtues, we have one part from home and from ourselves, which we acquire by choice, and the other part from God, having believed, at any rate, in the Savior and his Father as was possible to happen from what is in our power. It remains for us also to ask for what is from God, just as the disciples of Jesus also say to him: "Increase our faith." For the word "Increase" signifies that they were asking for a God-given faith in addition to that which they had by choice. Indeed, Paul also, writing, says: that the gifts of the Spirit are given "according to the measure of faith" which is present from what is in our power; "To another is given faith," he says, "by the same Spirit." And if faith is given to someone according to the measure of the faith he has, it is clear that the God-sent faith comes in addition to that which is achieved by what is in our power. And what has been said about faith must be said also about the other virtues. Since, therefore, virtue is a grace that makes the one who has it graced, when to us

ἀκουστέον δὲ τοῦ «Πρῶτος» ἀντὶ τοῦ «Πρότερος». ὅμως ὃ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· πρὸ ἐμοῦ καὶ πρότερός μου τυγχάνων Ἰησοῦς ὀπίσω μου καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ ἦλθεν, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀπίσω μου μεῖναι ἀλλὰ τῷ πρὸ ἐμοῦ γενέσθαι. ἀκουστέον δὲ τοῦ ὀπίσω αὐτὸν ἔρχεσθαι τοῦ Ἰωάννου κατὰ χρόνον τῆς ἀποτέξεως. πρὸ γὰρ ἓξ μηνῶν Ἰωάννης συνελήφθη τοῦ συλλη φθῆναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν. τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἐλθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἀναδειχθεὶς θεὸς καὶ δημιουργὸς αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχων. λεχθείη δ' <ἂν> καὶ οὕτως· δόξει πᾶς ὁ μανθάνων ἕπε σθαι τῷ διδασκάλῳ καὶ ταύτῃ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ λέγεται βαδίζειν. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ βαπτίζοντι τῷ Ἰωάννῃ προσῆλθε βαπτισθῆναι, κατὰ τὸ βαπτίζεσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου ὀπίσω τοῦ βαπτίζοντος ἔρχεσθαι εἴρηται, κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἡγιακέναι καὶ μεμαρτυρῆσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βαπτίζοντος γέγονεν, τιμιώτερος καὶ ὑπερ έχων αὐτοῦ ἀναδειχθείς. εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ φάναι· «Ἔμπροσθέν μου γέ «γονεν», ὡς τὴν ὕπαρξιν προτέραν εἶναι τοῦ γεγονέναι αὐτόν. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἐπίστησον μεθ' ὅσης ἀκριβείας εἴρηται. οὐ γέγραπται «Ὁ ὀπίσω μου ὤν», ἀλλ' «Ὁ ἐρχόμενος». εἰ γὰρ ὀπίσω ἦν, οὐκ ἠδύνατο πρὸ αὐτοῦ εἶναι. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀδύνατον τὸν πρῶτον ὄντα ὀπίσω ἐλθεῖν. ῥηθείη δ' <ἂν> καὶ ἑτέρως. «Ὅτι, φησίν, ἐκ τοῦ «πληρώματος αὐτοῦ πάντες ἐλάβομεν καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος»· πάλιν γὰρ αἰτίαν ἀποδιδοὺς τοῦ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ γεγονέναι αὐτοῦ ὄντα πρῶτον ἐπήγαγεν τὸ «Ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες «ἐλάβομεν καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος». πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔμπροσθεν κατὰ τὸ προύχειν, καὶ πρῶτος τῶν πληρουμένων ὁ πληρῶν; εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς τελειοῖ καὶ πληροῖ ἀρετῆς καὶ σοφίας τοὺς ἐφ' ἁγιότητα ἐρχομένους, πῶς οὐ πρῶτος καὶ προύχων αὐτῶν ὑπάρχει; πρόσχες δὲ τῇ ἀκρι βείᾳ τῶν γεγραμμένων. οὐκ εἴρηται «Τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ», ἀλλ' «Ἐκ «τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν». οἱ γὰρ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ἁγιότητος μετέχοντες καὶ γνώσεως τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ ἐκ μέρους γινώσκειν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύειν ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἔχουσιν. σχοῖεν δ' <ἂν> αὐτὸ μετὰ τὴν ἐπίκαιρον ζωὴν ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσιν αἰῶσι κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον· «Ὅταν ἔλθῃ, φησί, τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται». τούτῳ συνῳδὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ καθολικῇ Ἰωάννου· «Καὶ οὔπω ἐφανε «ρώθη τί ἐσόμεθα· οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ ὅμοιοι † αὐτοῦ «ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθὼς ἔστι» τουτέστι· καθώς ἐστι δυνατὸν τοῖς γενητοῖς γνῶναι τὸν θεόν· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἐκλαμ βάνειν τὸ καθὼς ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς αὐτός. καὶ γὰρ ἕξομέν τι πλέον τῆς παρούσης καταστάσεως, <εἰ> μηκέτι ἐκ μέρους ἀλλὰ γυμνοὶ πάσης ἀγνοίας τῇ ἀκραιφνεστάτῃ ἀληθείᾳ προσβαλοῦμεν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν αὐτὸν ὀψόμενοι. διὰ τὸ τοίνυν ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος Ἰησοῦ εἰλη φέναι ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγει περὶ αὑτοῦ ὅτι «Ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν» οὗ ἔσχον ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος. καὶ τὸ μὴ ἕνα ἀλλὰ πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους ἐκλαμβάνειν ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ πληροῦντος καὶ τελειοῦντος φανεροῖ. εἰ γὰρ πάντες ἅγιοι ἐπληρώθησαν οὐκ ἐξ ὅλου τοῦ πληρώματος ἀλλ' ἐκ τινὸς μορίου αὐτοῦ, πολὺ ἀπολειπόμενοι ὀφθήσονται οἱ ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος λαμ βάνοντες τοῦ παρασχόντος αὐτοῖς. 11 Τῶν ἀρετῶν τὸ μὲν οἴκοθεν ἔχομεν καὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν, ὃ προαι ρετικῶς κτώμεθα, τὸ δὲ ἐκ θεοῦ, πιστεύσαντες γοῦν τῷ σωτῆρι καὶ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐνεδέχετο ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν γενέσθαι. λεί πεται ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ἐκ θεοῦ αἰτεῖν, καθὼς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰησοῦ φασὶν αὐτῷ· «Πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν». ἡ γὰρ λέξις ἡ «Πρόσθες» ση μαίνει ἀπαιτεῖν αὐτοὺς θεοδώρητον πίστιν πρὸς ᾗ εἶχον προαιρε τικῶς. ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφων φησί· «Κατ' ἀναλογίαν πί «στεως» τῆς ἐνούσης ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν τὰς δωρεὰς τοῦ πνεύματος δίδοσθαι· «Ἑτέρῳ δίδοται πίστις, φησίν, ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι». εἰ δὲ πίστις δίδοταί τινι κατὰ ἀναλογίαν ἧς ἔχει πίστεως, φανερὸν ὅτι τῇ ἐφ' ἡμῖν κατορθωθείσῃ ἡ θεόπεμπτος παραγίνεται πίστις. ἅπερ δὲ περὶ πίστεως εἴρηται, λεκτέον καὶ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ ἀρετὴ χάρις ἐστὶ κεχαριτωμένον ποιοῦσα τὸν ἔχοντα, ὅταν ἡμῖν