John Chrysostom, On John

of the one who subjected all things to him; much more ought John, if the Son of God were a creature, to have been afraid, lest someone might think him uncreated, and to have taught this before all things. But now, since he was begotten, reasonably neither he, nor anyone else, not an apostle, not a prophet, said that he was a creature. And the Only-Begotten himself would not have overlooked this, if this were so. For he who utters such humble things out of condescension, much more would not have been silent about this. For I think it not unreasonable that one who possesses what is exalted would rather be silent, than that one who does not possess it would omit this very thing and not teach that he does not have it. For in the one case, there was a reasonable pretext for silence, the desire to teach men to be humble-minded, and for this reason to be silent about the great things belonging to him; but in this case, you could not state any just pretext for the silence. For on what account, if he were a creature, would he who disclaimed many of the things he did possess be silent about his having been made? So that he who, for the sake of teaching humility, often said humble things which did not even belong to him, much more, if he were a creature, would not have omitted this. Or do you not see him, lest anyone should suppose him to be unbegotten, doing and saying everything for this purpose, and uttering things unworthy of his dignity and his essence, and descending to the humility of a prophet? For the saying, “As I hear, I judge”; and, “He told me what I should say and what I should speak,” and all such things, belong only to prophets. If, then, wishing to remove this suspicion, he did not disdain to utter such humble words; much more, if he were a creature, lest someone should suspect him of being uncreated, would he have said many such things; such as, “Do not think that I have been begotten by the Father; I have been made, not begotten, nor am I of his essence.” But now he does the very opposite; for he utters those words which compel even the unwilling and reluctant to accept the contrary suspicion, such as, that “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me”; and, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has 59.43 seen the Father”; and, “That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.” “As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” “As the Father knows me, I also know the Father.” “I and the Father are one.” And everywhere by putting “as” and “so,” and “to be one” with the Father, he declares his exact likeness to him; and he demonstrates his authority, both through these and through many other things; for example, when he says: “Silence, be muzzled”; “I will, be clean”; “I say to you, you deaf and dumb demon, come out of him.” And, “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not murder’; but I say to you, that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger.” And all other such things that he legislates and works as miracles are sufficient to show his authority; or rather, the smallest part of them is sufficient to draw in and persuade those who are not excessively insensible. 5. But vainglory is a terrible thing, able to blind the mind of those captured by it even to things that are very clear, and to persuade them to contend with what is acknowledged; and it anoints others, who know the truth very well and are persuaded of it, for hypocrisy and opposition. These things also happened in the case of the Jews. For they did not deny the Son of God out of ignorance, but so that they might receive honor from the many. For, it says, “they believed in him, but they were afraid, lest they should be put out of the synagogue,” and they surrendered their own salvation to others. For it is not possible, it is not possible for one who so vehemently is a slave to present glory, to obtain the glory that is from God. For this reason he also rebuked them, saying: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from men, and do not seek the glory that is from God?” For it is a kind of deep drunkenness; and for this reason this passion makes him who is overcome by it difficult to bring back. This passion, having torn the soul of those who are captured from the heavens, nails it to the earth, and does not allow it to look up to the true light, but persuades it to wallow continually in the mire, setting up masters for them in this way

τοῦ ὑποτάξαντος αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα· πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν Ἰωάννην, εἰ κτιστὸς ἦν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, φοβηθῆναι ἔδει, μή τις αὐτὸν ἄκτιστον νομίσῃ, καὶ τοῦτο πρὸ πάντων διδάξαι. Νῦν δὲ, ἐπειδὴ γεννητὸς ἦν, εἰκότως οὔτε αὐτὸς, οὔτε ἄλλος οὐδεὶς, οὐκ ἀπόστολος, οὐ προφήτης, κτιστὸν αὐτὸν ἔφησαν εἶναι. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Μονογενὴς οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸ παρῆκεν, εἰ τοῦτο ἦν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ οὕτω ταπεινὰ φθεγγόμενος διὰ συγκατάβασιν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν ἐσιώπησεν. Οἶμαι γὰρ οὐκ ἀπεικὸς, μᾶλλον ἔχοντα τὸ ὑψηλὸν σιγῆσαι, ἢ μὴ ἔχοντα παραλιπεῖν τοῦτο αὐτὸν, καὶ μὴ διδάξαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ εὔλογος πρόφασις τῆς σιγῆς ἦν, τὸ βούλεσθαι διδάσκειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ταπεινοφρονεῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σιγᾷν τὰ μεγάλα τῶν προσόντων αὐτῷ· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδεμίαν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν δικαίαν πρόφασιν τῆς σιωπῆς. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἐσίγα, εἰ κτιστὸς ἦν, τὸ γεγενῆσθαι, ὁ καὶ τῶν προσόντων πολλὰ παραιτούμενος; Ὥστε ὁ διὰ τὴν τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης διδασκαλίαν καὶ τὰ μὴ προσόντα αὐτῷ πολλάκις εἰπὼν ταπεινὰ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον, εἰ κτιστὸς ἦν, τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν παρέλιπεν. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν, ἵνα μηδεὶς αὐτὸν ἀγέννητον ὑπολάβῃ, πάντα ὑπὲρ τούτου καὶ ποιοῦντα καὶ λέγοντα, καὶ ἀνάξια αὐτοῦ φθεγγόμενον τῆς ἀξίας καὶ τῆς οὐσίας, καὶ εἰς προφήτου ταπεινότητα καταβαίνοντα; Τὸ γὰρ, Καθὼς ἀκούω κρίνω· καὶ τὸ, Ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπε τί εἴπω καὶ τί λαλήσω, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, προφητῶν μόνον ἐστίν. Εἰ τοίνυν ταύτην θέλων τὴν ὑποψίαν ἀνελεῖν, οὕτω ταπεινὰ φθέγξασθαι οὐκ ἀπηξίωσε ῥήματα· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἂν, εἰ κτιστὸς ἦν, ἵνα μὴ ἄκτιστόν τις αὐτὸν ὑποπτεύσῃ, πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἂν εἶπεν· οἷον, Μὴ νομίζετέ με γεγεννῆσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός· πεποίημαι ἐγὼ, οὐ γεγέννημαι, οὐδέ εἰμι τῆς οὐσίας ἐκείνου. Νῦν δὲ πᾶν τοὐναντίον ποιεῖ· ἐκεῖνα γὰρ φθέγγεται τὰ ῥήματα, ἃ καὶ τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἀναγκάζει καὶ ἄκοντας τὴν ἐναντίαν δέξασθαι ὑπόνοιαν, οἷον, ὅτι Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί· καὶ, Τοσοῦτον χρόνον μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκάς με, Φίλιππε; Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, 59.43 ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα· καὶ, Ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν Υἱὸν, καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν Πατέρα. Ὥσπερ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς, οὓς θέλει, ζωοποιεῖ. Ὁ Πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι. Καθὼς γινώσκει με ὁ Πατὴρ, κἀγὼ γινώσκω τὸν Πατέρα. Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. Καὶ πανταχοῦ τὸ ὥσπερ Καὶ τὸ οὕτω τιθεὶς, καὶ τὸ ἓν εἶναι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπαραλλαξίαν δηλοῖ· τὴν δὲ αὐθεντίαν, καὶ διὰ τούτων μὲν, καὶ δι' ἑτέρων δὲ πλειόνων ἐνδείκνυται· οἷον ὅταν λέγῃ· Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο· Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· Σοὶ λέγω, τὸ δαιμόνιον τὸ κωφὸν καὶ ἄλαλον, ἔξελθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὸ, Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐ φονεύσεις· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῆ, ἔνοχος ἔσται. Καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα νομοθετεῖ καὶ θαυματουργεῖ, ἱκανὰ δεῖξαι αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν· μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν αὐτῶν μέρος ἱκανὸν τοὺς μὴ λίαν ἀναισθητοῦντας προσαγαγέσθαι καὶ πεῖσαι. εʹ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ δεινὸν ἡ κενοδοξία καὶ πρὸς τὰ λίαν φανερὰ ἀποτυφλῶσαι τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἁλισκομένων, καὶ τοῖς ὡμολογημένοις πεῖσαι φιλονεικεῖν· ἑτέρους δὲ καὶ σφόδρα εἰδότας τἀληθὲς καὶ πεπεισμένους, εἰς ὑπόκρισιν καὶ ἀντίστασιν ἀλείφει. Ταῦτα καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐγίνετο. Οὐ γὰρ δι' ἄγνοιαν ἠρνοῦντο τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν τύχωσι τιμῆς. Καὶ γὰρ, Ἐπίστευον εἰς αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐφοβοῦντο ἵνα μὴ ἀποσυνάγωγοι γένωνται, καὶ τὴν αὑτῶν προέτειναν σωτηρίαν ἑτέροις. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι τὸν οὕτω σφοδρῶς τῇ παρούσῃ δουλεύοντα δόξῃ, τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τυχεῖν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπετίμησεν αὐτοῖς, εἰπών· Πῶς δύνασθε πιστεύειν, δόξαν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ ζητοῦντες; Μέθη γάρ τίς ἐστι βαθεῖα· καὶ διὸ δυσανάγωγον τὸν χειρωθέντα ποιεῖ τοῦτο τὸ πάθος. Αὕτη τῶν ἁλόντων τὴν ψυχὴν ἀποσχίσασα τῶν οὐρανῶν, τῇ γῇ προσηλοῖ, καὶ πρὸς τὸ φῶς ἀναβλέψαι τὸ ἀληθινὸν οὐκ ἀφίησιν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ διαπαντὸς καλινδεῖσθαι πείθει, κατασκευάζουσα δεσπότας αὐτοῖς οὕτω