to the sheep following, which it was fitting for him to say inasmuch as he is the source of life. 83
receiving them, they die in their passions. 42 Jo 8:22-23 And yet if he was going to kill himself according to their impious suspicion, they, being mortals themselves, could at any time have gone to him; for the departure is one for all, even if the manner seems to be different, and the place that receives all is one before the resurrection of the Lord, even if after these things the order of the saints is transferred to paradise. What then does the Lord do? Immediately he shows the reason, saying it and refuting their suspicion: you are of the
world.43 Jo 8:22-23 The saying has some such meaning as this, that he will pass over to his own and heavenly things; wherefore this is not even death in truth, as it would be for a man who is from the earth and is drawn under the earth at his departure from the body. 44 Jo 8:26 Sufficient, he says, are the things that God has also spoken through the prophets, convicting your hard-heartedness and disobedience. And I also, whatever I say concerning you, I do not say from another source, but from the Father. He said "to hear" in a more human way, speaking more clearly to those who were hearing. 45 Jo 8:27 For if they had understood that the Lord was speaking about God, they would not have asked, "Where is your Father?" wherefore he also rightly said to them, "you do not know my Father." 46 Jo 8:38 By saying that he had seen with the Father, he did not indicate any sight of the eyes, but a natural knowledge, since when he says that they had seen with their father, he does not mean, of course, that they had seen with sight, but that by their indwelling wickedness they are akin to the counsels of the evil one
to be made. 47 Jo 8:51-53 Having said before that, "he who is of God hears the words of God," now he speaks, showing himself to be God by nature. He keeps the divine commandment, who in no way sins and transgresses the divine deeds; this one also hears the divine words. But here he speaks not of the carnal death, which all undergo, but he names as death that which is to come, to be punished for eternity, which is Gehenna and "the worm"; for life is also unceasing enjoyment into the age; for he means the age to come. Then, "Tell us," they say, "are you greater than Abraham and the prophets, you who promise to make others greater than them? Who do you make yourself to be, you who also promise to give better things than the honor from God?" 48 Jo 8:56 It must be investigated what day he means; since the Savior is the true light and "the sun of righteousness," he makes a day, if he rises through virtue and divine knowledge. Since, therefore, he also appeared to Abraham, illuminating him with faith that was reckoned as righteousness, he rejoiced with gladness, seeing the intelligible day of the Lord. From this, those who speak of two gods, the creator of the world and the Father of Christ, are convicted of thinking impiously; for if Abraham, who they say belongs to another god, saw the Savior and through him the Father, then the God who appeared to him is the creator of the world, the same as the Father of Christ.
49 Jo 9:2-3 There was a certain ancient saying that evils come from sin, because of the belief about God that he is the cause of no evil, but the idea of suffering for training and for the perception of God's power working afterwards was not very well known, because at that time there were more likely good recompenses for the righteous from God, and the struggles were not prolonged as they are now because of the life set forth for the age to come. But since the man was blind from birth, it occurs to the disciples to inquire; and since it was impossible for him to have sinned before he was born, they propose the case of his parents. For they knew that sufferings concerning children were to the grief of parents. But the Lord not
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δεξάμενοι τοῖς πάθεσιν ἐναποθνῄσκουσιν. 42 Jο 8,22-23 Καίτοι εἰ ἔμελλεν ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρεῖν κατὰ τὴν δυσσεβῆ αὐτῶν ὑπόνοιαν, ἐδύναντο ὁτεδήποτε καὶ αὐτοὶ θνητοὶ ὄντες ἀπελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν· μία γὰρ πάντων ἔξοδος, κἂν ὁ τρόπος διάφορος εἶναι δοκῇ καὶ ἓν τὸ ὑποδεχόμενον πάντας χωρίον πρὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ κυρίου, κἂν μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ τάγμα τῶν ἁγίων εἰς παράδεισον μετατεθῇ. τί οὖν ὁ κύριος; παρὰ πόδας δείκνυσι καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν φήσας ἀναιρῶν αὐτῶν τὴν ὑποψίαν· ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ
κόσμου ἐστέ.43 Jο 8,22-23 Τοιαύτην πως ἔχει δύναμιν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι πρὸς τὰ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὰ οὐράνια μεταστήσεται· διόπερ τοῦτο οὐδὲ θάνατός ἐστιν ὡς πρὸς ἀλήθειαν καθάπερ ἂν ἐπ' ἀνθρώπου τοῦ ἐκ γῆς ὄντος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος μετάστασιν ὑπὸ γῆν ἑλκομένου. 44 Jο 8,26 Ἱκανά, φησίν, ἔστιν, ἃ καὶ ὁ θεὸς διὰ προφητῶν εἴρηκεν ἐλέγχων τὸ σκληροκάρδιον ὑμῶν καὶ δυσπειθές. κἀγὼ δὲ ὅσα λέγω περὶ ὑμῶν, οὐχ ἑτέ ρωθεν, ἀλλ' ἢ παρὰ πατρὸς λέγω. ἀκούειν δὲ εἶπεν ἀνθρωπινώτερον, σαφέστερον τοῖς ἀκούουσι διαλεγόμενος. 45 Jο 8,27 Εἰ γὰρ συνίεσαν, ὅτι περὶ θεοῦ ἔλεγεν ὁ κύριος, οὐκ ἂν ἠρώτων " ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ σου" διόπερ καὶ δεόντως εἴρηκε πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸ οὐκ "οἴδατε τὸν πατέρα μου" . 46 Jο 8,38 Ἑωρακέναι καὶ παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ λέγων οὐκ ὀφθαλμῶν τινα ὅρασιν ἐδή λωσεν, ἀλλὰ γνῶσιν φυσικήν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐκείνους φάσκων ἑωρακέναι παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῶν οὐκ ὄψει δήπουθεν ἑωρακέναι λέγει, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐνοικούσῃ πονηρίᾳ ταῖς τοῦ πονηροῦ βουλαῖς οἰκείους
καθίστασθαι. 47 Jο 8,51-53 Προειρηκώς, ὅτι « ὁ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκούει « νῦν φησι δεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν κατὰ φύσιν ὄντα θεόν· οὗτος δὲ τηρεῖ τὴν θείαν ἐντολήν, ὁ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον ἁμαρτάνων καὶ παραβαίνων τὰς θείας πράξεις· οὗτος καὶ ἀκούει τῶν θείων λόγων. θάνατον δέ φησιν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸν σαρκικόν, ὃν ὑπομένουσι πάντες, ἀλλὰ θάνατον ὀνομάζει τὸν μέλλοντα, τὸ δι' αἰῶνος κο λάζεσθαι, ὅστις ἐστὶν ἡ γέεννα καὶ "ὁ σκώληξ" · καὶ γὰρ καὶ ζωή ἐστιν ἀκατά παυστος ἀπόλαυσις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· αἰῶνα γάρ φησι τὸν μέλλοντα. εἶτα εἰπὲ οὖν ἡμῖν, φασίν, μείζων εἶ αὐτὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ὁ μείζους ἐκείνων ἑτέρους ποιεῖν ὑπισχνούμενος; τίνα σεαυτὸν ποιεῖς ὁ καὶ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ φιλοτιμίας τὰ ἀμείνω δώσειν ἐπαγγελλόμενος; 48 Jο 8,56 Ζητητέον τίνα λέγει ἡμέραν· ἐπεὶ φῶς ἀληθινὸν καὶ "δικαιοσύνης ἥλιός" ἐστιν ὁ σωτήρ, ἡμέραν κατασκευάζει, ἐὰν ἀνατείλῃ δι' ἀρετῆς καὶ θείας γνώσεως. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν καὶ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὤφθη καταυγάσας αὐτὸν πίστει εἰς δικαιοσύνην λελογισμένῃ, μετὰ χαρᾶς ἠγαλλιάσατο ἰδὼν τὴν νοητὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμέραν. ἐντεῦθεν οἱ δύο θεοὺς λέγοντες τὸν κοσμοποιὸν καὶ τὸν πατέρα Χριστοῦ ἐλέγχονται ἀσεβῶς φρονοῦντες· εἰ γὰρ ὁ Ἀβραάμ, ὅν φασιν ἑτέρου θεοῦ εἶναι, τὸν σωτῆρα εἶδεν καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὸν πατέρα, ὁ ὀφθεὶς αὐτῷ θεὸς ὁ κοσμοποιός ἐστιν, ὁ αὐτὸς τῷ πατρὶ Χριστοῦ.
49 Jο 9,2-3 Ἦν τις ἐν τοῖς πάλαι λόγος ἐξ ἁμαρτίας εἶναι τὰ κακὰ διὰ τὸ πεπεῖσθαι περὶ θεοῦ ὡς οὐδενός ἐστιν αἴτιος κακοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ γυμνασίᾳ πάσχειν καὶ πρὸς αἴσθησιν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεως ἐνεργούσης ὕστερον τοῦτο οὐ πάνυ πως ἐγι νώσκετο διὰ τὸ μᾶλλον ἀνταποδόσεις εἶναι ἀγαθὰς τοῖς δικαίοις τότε παρὰ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ ὥσπερ νῦν παρατείνειν μακροτέρους τοὺς ἀγῶνας διὰ τὴν προκει μένην εἰς αἰῶνα ζωήν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκ γενετῆς ὁ τυφλός, ζητεῖν παρίσταται τοῖς μαθηταῖς· καὶ ὡς ἀδύνατον ὂν τὸ αὐτὸν ἁμαρτεῖν πρὶν γεννηθῆναι πα ρατιθέασι τὸ τῶν γονέων. καὶ γὰρ ᾔδεισαν ἐπὶ λύπῃ γονέων παθήματα περὶ τοὺς παῖδας εἶναι. ὁ δὲ κύριος οὐχ
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