John Chrysostom, On John

to learn of them, it would be necessary to dwell on them longer; but if it is only to observe their indecency and ridicule, even this has been said by us more than is necessary. For these reasons, let us leave their myths, and take up our own doctrines, brought down to us from above through the tongue of this fisherman, which have nothing human in them. Come then, let us bring the very sayings into our midst, and having reminded you now of what we exhorted you in the beginning, to attend with accuracy to what is said. What then does this evangelist say at the very beginning? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. Do you see the great boldness and authority of his words? how he utters everything not doubting, nor conjecturing, but declaring? For this is the mark of a teacher, not to be uncertain in what he says. For if he who is to guide others will need another who is able to support him with safety, he would be rightly holding not the rank of teachers, but that of disciples. But if someone should say, And why, leaving aside the first cause, has he spoken to us immediately about the second? We will decline to speak of "first" and "second"; for the Godhead is superior to number and the sequence of times. Therefore, we have declined these terms; but we confess a Father who is from none, and a Son begotten of the Father. 4. Yes, he says; why then, leaving aside the Father, does he discourse about the Son? Because He was known to all, if not as Father, yet as God; but the Only-Begotten was unknown. Therefore he rightly hastened to implant the knowledge of Him from the very preface into those who did not know Him; besides, he has not been silent about the Father in his words concerning these things. And observe for me the spiritual wisdom. He knows that men especially honor what is most ancient and before all things, and consider this to be God. For this reason he 59.34 first makes his beginning from this, and going on says that he is also God; and not as Plato, who says that one is mind, and the other soul; for these things are far from the divine and incorruptible nature. For He has nothing in common with us, but is separate from communion with creation, I mean in respect to substance, but not in respect to relation. For this very reason he also called Him "Word". For since he is about to teach that this Word is the only-begotten Son of God, so that no one might suppose the generation to be with passion, he anticipates by the title "Word," and removes all wicked suspicion, showing both that the Son is from Him, and impassibly so. Do you see that, as I said, he was not silent about the Father in his words concerning the Son? But if these examples are not sufficient to represent the whole, do not be surprised. For our discourse is about God, whom it is not possible either to speak of or to conceive worthily. Therefore this evangelist nowhere sets down the name of "substance"; for it is not possible to say what God is in His substance; but everywhere he reveals Him to us by His operations. One might see this Word a little later also called "light," and this light again named "life." But not for this reason only did he so name Him; but first for this; and secondly, because He was to declare to us the things of the Father; For "All things," He says, "that I have heard from the Father, I have made known to you." He calls Him also "life" and "light"; for He has bestowed on us the light that comes from knowledge, and the life which results from it. And in general there is not one name sufficient, nor two, nor three, nor more, to teach the things concerning God; but it is a thing to be desired that through many we may be able at least faintly to grasp His attributes. And he has not simply called Him "Word," but with the addition of the article, separating Him by this also from the rest. Do you see that it was not in vain I said that this evangelist speaks to us from the heavens? See, then, from the very preface where he has winged the soul and led up the mind of his hearers. For having placed it above all things sensible, before earth, before sea, before heaven, he leads it by the hand even beyond the angels, and above the Cherubim and the Seraphim, and above the thrones, and above the principalities, and above the powers, and simply beyond all

αὐτῶν ἦν μαθεῖν, ἔδει καὶ πλέον ἐνδιατρίβειν· εἰ δὲ ὅσον τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν γέλωτα κατοπτεῦσαι, καὶ ταῦτα πλέον τοῦ δέοντος εἴρηται παρ' ἡμῶν. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ἀφέντες τοὺς ἐκείνων μύθους, τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁψώμεθα δογμάτων, τῶν ἄνωθεν ἡμῖν κατενηνεγμένων διὰ τῆς γλώττης τούτου τοῦ ἁλιέως, τῶν μηδὲν ἐχόντων ἀνθρώπινον. Φέρε οὖν, αὐτὰς εἰς μέσον τὰς ῥήσεις ἀγάγωμεν, καὶ ὃ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρεκαλέσαμεν ὥστε μετὰ ἀκριβείας προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ὑπομνήσαντες. Τί οὖν ἀρχόμενος ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς οὗτος εὐθέως φησίν; Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Εἶδες παῤῥησίαν καὶ ἐξουσίαν ῥημάτων πολλήν; πῶς οὐδὲν ἀμφιβάλλων, οὐδὲ εἰκάζων, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀποφαινόμενος φθέγγεται; Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι διδασκάλου, τὸ μὴ περιφέρεσθαι ἐν οἷς ἂν λέγῃ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοῖς ἄλλοις καθηγησόμενος ἑτέρου δεηθήσεται τοῦ στηρίξαι δυνησομένου μετὰ ἀσφαλείας αὐτὸν, οὐ τὴν τῶν διδασκάλων, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν μαθητῶν τάξιν ἐπέχειν ἂν εἴη δίκαιος. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις, Καὶ τί δήποτε τὸ πρῶτον αἴτιον ἀφεὶς, εὐθέως ἡμῖν περὶ τοῦ δευτέρου διείλεκται; τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καὶ τὸ δεύτερον παραιτησόμεθα λέγειν· ἀριθμοῦ γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον ἀνώτερον καὶ χρόνων ἀκολουθίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ ταῦτα μὲν παρῃτησάμεθα· Πατέρα δὲ ὁμολογοῦμεν ἐξ οὐδενὸς ὄντα, καὶ Υἱὸν ἐκ Πατρὸς γεγεννημένον. δʹ. Ναὶ, φησί· τί δήποτ' οὖν τὸν Πατέρα ἀφεὶς περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ διαλέγεται; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνος μὲν δῆλος ἅπασιν ἦν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ὡς Πατὴρ, ἀλλ' ὡς Θεός· ὁ δὲ Μονογενὴς ἠγνοεῖτο. ∆ιὸ εἰκότως τὴν περὶ τούτου γνῶσιν εὐθέως ἐκ προοιμίων ἔσπευσεν ἐνθεῖναι τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσιν αὐτόν· ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα ἐν τοῖς περὶ τούτων λόγοις ἀπεσιώπησε. Καὶ θέα μοι τὴν σύνεσιν τὴν πνευματικήν. Οἶδε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὸ πρεσβύτερον καὶ τὸ πρὸ πάντων μάλιστα τιμῶντας καὶ τιθεμένους Θεόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐντεῦ 59.34 θεν πρῶτον ποιεῖται τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ προϊὼν καὶ Θεόν φησιν εἶναι· καὶ οὐχ ὡς Πλάτων, τὸν μὲν νοῦν, τὸν δὲ ψυχὴν λέγων εἶναι· ταῦτα γὰρ πόῤῥω τῆς θείας καὶ ἀκηράτου φύσεως. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχει τι κοινὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ ἀνακεχώρηκε τῆς πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν κοινωνίας, τῆς κατ' οὐσίαν λέγω, οὐ μὴν τῆς κατὰ τὴν σχέσιν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ Λόγον αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέλλει διδάσκειν, ὅτι οὗτος ὁ Λόγος μονογενής ἐστιν Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ παθητὴν ὑπολάβοι τις τὴν γέννησιν, προλαβὼν τῇ τοῦ Λόγου προσηγορίᾳ, πᾶσαν ἀναιρεῖ τὴν πονηρὰν ὑποψίαν, τό τε ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸν Υἱὸν εἶναι δηλῶν, καὶ τὸ ἀπαθῶς. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι, ὅπερ εἶπον, οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα ἐν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λόγοις ἀπεσιώπησεν; Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα τὰ ὑποδείγματα παραστῆσαι τὸ πᾶν, μὴ θαυμάσῃς. Περὶ Θεοῦ γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, ὃν οὔτε εἰπεῖν, οὔτε νοῆσαι κατ' ἀξίαν δυνατόν. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὗτος οὐσίας μὲν οὐδαμοῦ τίθησιν ὄνομα· οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν αὐτὸ ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστι τὴν οὐσίαν ὁ Θεός· πανταχοῦ δὲ ἡμῖν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν δηλοῖ. Τὸν δὲ Λόγον τοῦτον ἴδοι τις ἂν μικρὸν ὕστερον καὶ φῶς λεγόμενον, καὶ τὸ φῶς πάλιν ὀνομαζόμενον ζωήν. Οὐ ταύτης δὲ μόνον ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας οὕτως ὠνόμασε αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ πρώτης μὲν ταύτης· δευτέρας δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῖν ἔμελλεν ἀπαγγέλλειν· Πάντα γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅσα ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀνήγγειλα ὑμῖν. Καλεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ζωὴν καὶ φῶς· τὸ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως φῶς ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ζωήν. Καὶ ὅλως οὐκ ἔστιν ὄνομα ἓν ἀρκοῦν, οὐδὲ δύο καὶ τρία, οὐδὲ πλείω διδάξαι τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ· ἀλλ' ἀγαπητὸν διὰ πολλῶν γοῦν δυνηθῆναι κἂν ἀμυδρῶς περιδράξασθαι τῶν προσόντων αὐτῷ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ αὐτὸν Λόγον εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῆς τοῦ ἄρθρου προσθήκης, τῶν λοιπῶν αὐτὸν καὶ ταύτῃ χωρίζων. Ὁρᾷς ὡς οὐ μάτην ἔλεγον, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν φθέγγεται ἡμῖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς οὗτος; Ὅρα γοῦν εὐθὺς ἐκ προοιμίων ποῦ τὴν ψυχὴν πτερώσας καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἀνήγαγε τῶν ἀκουόντων. Πάντων γὰρ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἀνωτέρω στήσας αὐτὴν, πρὸ γῆς, πρὸ θαλάσσης, πρὸ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἀγγέλους χειραγωγεῖ, καὶ ὑπεράνω τῶν Χερουβὶμ καὶ τῶν Σεραφὶμ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς θρόνους, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰς ἀρχὰς, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰς ἐξουσίας, καὶ πάσης ἁπλῶς ἐπέκεινα