John Chrysostom, On John

when said of our nature, it signifies for us past time, and this itself as having had an end; but when concerning God, it indicates that which is eternal. It would have been enough, then, having heard "earth," and having heard "man," to suspect nothing more concerning them than what it was fitting to think of a created nature. For that which has come into being, whatever it may be, has come into being in time or in an age; but the Son of God is above not only times, but also all ages. For He is their Creator and Maker; For, he says, "by whom also He made the ages." And the maker is altogether before the things made. But since some are so insensible as even after this to suppose something about them greater than their worth, with the word, "He made," and with, "There was a man," he anticipates the thought of the hearer, and cuts off all shamelessness. For everything 59.40 made, both heaven and earth, has been made in time, and has a beginning in time, and none of these is without beginning, since it has come into being. So that when you hear that "He made the earth," and that "There was a man," you are henceforth babbling superfluously, spinning some unprofitable nonsense. For my part I would even use another exaggeration. What then is this? That if it had been said of the earth, "In the beginning was the earth," and of man, that "In the beginning was the man," not even so would we have needed to suspect anything greater concerning them than what is now known. For the prior appellation of "earth" and "man," whatever might be said about them, does not allow the mind to imagine anything greater about them than what we now know; just as neither does the Word, even if some little thing is said of Him, allow one to think anything lowly and of no account; since also, proceeding, he says of the earth: "But the earth was invisible and unformed." For having said that He made it, and having set its proper limit, he henceforth fearlessly utters what follows, knowing that no one is so foolish as to suspect it to be without beginning and uncreated. For the name "earth" and the word "He made" are sufficient to persuade even the extremely foolish that it is not eternal nor uncreated, but is among the things that have come into being in time. 3. But besides these things, the word "was," in the case of the earth and of man, is not indicative of simply being; but in the case of the man, of being from this place; and in the case of the earth, of how it was. For he did not say, "But the earth was," simply, and then fall silent; but he taught how it was even after it came to be, for instance, that it was "invisible and unformed," still being hidden by the waters and mixed with them. And in the case of Elkanah, he did not say only that "There was a man," but also added, showing from where he was, "from Armathaim-Sipha." But in the case of the Word, it is not so. And I am indeed ashamed to compare these things with those. For if we rebuke those who do this in the case of men, when the difference in virtue of those being compared is great, although their substance is one; when the difference both in nature and in all other things is so infinite, how is it not extreme madness to bring up such things? But may He Himself who is blasphemed by them be merciful to us. For the necessity for such arguments we have not invented, but they who war against their own salvation have furnished it to us. What then do I say? That this word "was," in the case of the Word, is indicative only of being eternally; "For in the beginning," he says, "was the Word"; and the second "was," of being in relation to someone. For since this is especially proper to God, being eternal and without beginning, he has put this first. Then, lest anyone hearing "was in the beginning," should say He was unbegotten, he immediately corrected this, before saying what He was, by saying that "He was with God." And lest anyone should think Him to be simply an uttered or an indwelling word, by the addition of the article, as I said before, and through this second saying he did away with this. For he did not say, "He was in God," but, "He was with God," indicating to us His eternity according to substance. Then, proceeding, he also revealed it more clearly, by adding, that this Word was also God. But a made one, he says. What then hindered him from saying this, that "in the beginning God made the Word"? At least when speaking of the earth, Moses did not 59.41 say, "In the beginning was the earth," but that He made it, and then it was. What, then, hindered John also from saying thus, that "In the beginning God made the Word"? If

ἡμετέρας λεγόμενον φύσεως, τὸν παρελθόντα σημαίνει χρόνον ἡμῖν, καὶ αὐτὸν τοῦτον πεπερατωμένον· ὅταν δὲ περὶ Θεοῦ, τὸ ἀΐδιον ἐμφαίνει. Ἤρκει μὲν οὖν ἀκούσαντα γῆν, καὶ ἀκούσαντα ἄνθρωπον, μηδὲν πλέον ὑποπτεῦσαι περὶ αὐτῶν, ὧν τῇ φύσει τῇ γεννητῇ προσῆκε νοεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ γενόμενον, ὅτι ἂν ᾖ, χρόνῳ ἢ αἰῶνι γέγονεν· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ χρόνων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἰώνων πάντων ἀνώτερος. ∆ημιουργὸς γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστι καὶ ποιητής· ∆ι' οὗ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν. Ὁ δὲ ποιητὴς πρὸ τῶν ποιημάτων πάντως ἐστίν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὕτως ἀναίσθητοί τινές εἰσιν, ὡς καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μεῖζόν τι περὶ αὐτῶν τῆς ἀξίας ὑπονοεῖν, τῷ, Ἐποίησε, ῥήματι, καὶ τῷ, Ἄνθρωπος ἦν, προκαταλαμβάνει τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ ἀκροατοῦ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀναισχυντίαν ἐκκόπτει. Πᾶν 59.40 γὰρ τὸ ποιηθὲν, καὶ οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ, χρόνῳ πεποίηται, καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχει χρονικὴν, καὶ ἄναρχον τούτων οὐδὲν, ἐπειδὴ γέγονεν. Ὥστε ὅταν ἀκούσῃς. ὅτι Ἐποίησε τὴν γῆν, καὶ ὅτι Ἄνθρωπος ἦν, περιττὰ λοιπὸν φλυαρεῖς, ἀνόνητόν τινα ἐλίττων λῆρον. Ἐγὼ γὰρ καὶ ἑτέραν ὑπερβολὴν εἴποιμι ἄν. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Ὅτι εἰ καὶ περὶ τῆς γῆς εἴρητο τὸ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ἡ γῆ, καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὐδὲ οὕτως ὑποπτεῦσαί τι μεῖζον περὶ αὐτῶν τῶν νῦν ἐγνωσμένων ἐχρῆν ἡμῖν. Ἡ γὰρ τῆς γῆς καὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου προσηγορία προλαβοῦσα, ὅσα ἂν περὶ αὐτῶν λέγηται, οὐκ ἀφίησι τὴν διάνοιαν μεῖζόν τι φαντασθῆναι περὶ αὐτῶν, ὧν νῦν ἴσμεν· ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ὁ Λόγος, κἂν μικρόν τι περὶ αὐτοῦ λεχθῇ, οὐκ ἀφίησι ταπεινὸν ἐννοῆσαί τι καὶ εὐτελές· ἐπεὶ καὶ προϊών φησι περὶ τῆς γῆς· Ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι ἐποίησεν αὐτὴν, καὶ θεὶς αὐτῇ τὸν οἰκεῖον ὅρον, ἀδεῶς λοιπὸν τὰ ἑξῆς φθέγγεται, εἰδὼς ὅτι οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἀνόητός ἐστιν, ὡς ἄναρχον αὐτὴν καὶ ἀγένητον ὑποπτεῦσαι. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς γῆς ὄνομα καὶ τὸ, Ἐποίησεν, ἱκανὰ καὶ τὸν σφόδρα ἠλίθιον πεῖσαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἀΐδιος οὐδὲ ἀγένητος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐν χρόνῳ γενομένων ἐστί. γʹ. Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων τὸ, Ἦν, ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς γῆς καὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, οὐ τοῦ εἶναι ἁπλῶς ἐστι σημαντικόν· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ χωρίου εἶναι· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς γῆς, τοῦ πῶς εἶναι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν, ἁπλῶς, καὶ ἐσίγησεν· ἀλλὰ πῶς ἦν καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι ἐδίδαξεν, οἷον, ὅτι Ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, ἔτι τοῖς ὕδασι κρυπτομένη καὶ φυρομένη. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἑλκανᾶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἦν ἄνθρωπος, μόνον, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκε καὶ πόθεν ἦν δηλῶν, τὸ ἐξ Ἀρμαθαὶμ Σιφᾶ. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Λόγου οὐχ οὕτω. Καὶ αἰσχύνομαι μὲν ταῦτα τούτοις ἀντεξετάζων. Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν ἐπιτιμῶμεν, ὅταν πολὺ τὸ μέσον τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν ἐξεταζομένων ᾖ, καίτοι γε τῆς οὐσίας μιᾶς οὔσης· ὅταν καὶ τῆς φύσεως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων οὕτως ἄπειρον ᾖ τὸ μέσον, πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης μανίας τὸ τὰ τοιαῦτα κινεῖν; Ἀλλ' ἵλεως ἡμῖν αὐτὸς ὁ βλασφημούμενος παρ' ἐκείνων εἴη. Τὴν γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων λόγων ἀνάγκην οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἐφευρήκαμεν, ἀλλ' οἱ τῇ ἑαυτῶν πολεμοῦντες σωτηρίᾳ ἡμῖν παρέσχον. Τί οὖν φημι; Ὅτι τοῦτο τὸ, Ἦν, ἐπὶ τοῦ Λόγου, τοῦ εἶναι ἀϊδίως μόνον ἐστὶ δηλωτικόν· Ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ ἦν, φησὶν, ὁ Λόγος· τὸ δεύτερον δὲ ἦν, τοῦ πρός τινα εἶναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μάλιστα τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἴδιον, τὸ ἀΐδιον καὶ ἄναρχον, τοῦτο πρῶτον τέθεικεν. Εἶτα, ἵνα μή τις ἀκούων τὸ, ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ, καὶ ἀγέννητον αὐτὸν εἴπῃ, εὐθέως αὐτὸ παρεμυθήσατο, πρὸ τοῦ εἰπεῖν τί ἦν, εἰπὼν ὅτι Πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἦν. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ Λόγον αὐτὸν ἁπλῶς νομίσῃ τις εἶναι προφορικὸν ἢ ἐνδιάθετον, τῇ τοῦ ἄρθρου προσθήκῃ, καθάπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καὶ διὰ τῆς δευτέρας ταύτης τοῦτο ἀνεῖλε ῥήσεως. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐν Θεῷ ἦν, ἀλλὰ, Πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἦν, τὴν καθ' ὑπόστασιν αὐτοῦ ἀϊδιότητα ἐμφαίνων ἡμῖν. Εἶτα καὶ σαφέστερον αὐτὸ προϊὼν ἀπεκάλυψεν, ἐπαγαγὼν, ὅτι ὁ Λόγος οὗτος καὶ Θεὸς ἦν. Ἀλλὰ πεποιημένος, φησί. Τί οὖν ἐκώλυε τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Λόγον; Περὶ γοῦν τῆς γῆς διαλεγόμενος ὁ Μωϋσῆς, οὐκ 59.41 εἶπεν, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ἡ γῆ, ἀλλ' ὅτι Ἐποίησεν αὐτὴν, καὶ τότε ἦν. Τί τοίνυν ἐκώλυε καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Λόγον; Εἰ