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 concerning Christ? as the Savior said concerning their writings: «These are they which testify of «me». 50 For how would God, who hates all wickedness, not love, concerning whom it is written: «I am a God who loves righteousness and hates plunder «from iniquity»? But God hates the forms of wickedness, in which the sinner rejoices. Therefore he loves the Son as the provider of virtue, but the destroyer and consumer of wickedness; wherefore it is said: «The Father «loves the Son», being loved by the Son, this loving again being heard, but not indeed understood, in a more human sense. For if God, in loving righteousness, does not love it in the same way as a righteous man, in having it in himself and being formed according to it, so he desires the Son who is the Word and truth and wisdom and sanctification. But it is possible for the verb to be indicative of the Father's affinity for the Son. For it is a natural law for those who beget to love what is begotten. And just as among men there is a natural disposition towards children, but a different one towards other beloved things, so also God loves the world as God, but the Son as the Father. Wherefore it is not said «God», but «The Father loves the Son, «and gives all things into his hand». This must be understood faithfully and wisely. For if «all things were made through him», all things are under his hand according to the principle of creation and providence; but these things, through sin, departed to be outside the hand that shelters them. Therefore, for their salvation, the Father gives them into the hand of the Son, not granting an addition to the Son but an improvement to them. For he gives them as to a teacher and a physician, so that having made them free from ignorance and disease, that is, wickedness, he might have them sheltered and ruled by him, having them already under his active and provident hand. And what follows shows the truth of this meaning: «He who believes † in the «Son has eternal life». For if he who believes in the Son has eternal life, being given into his hand, he is given for his own salvation and improvement, but not so that the Son might have something more. And when is it fulfilled that all things have been given into the hand of the Son, if not when every knee shall bow to him
of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth? 51 〚In many places in the scriptures〛 the punishments against the wicked are called the wrath of God; as that which was said about the Egyptians by Moses: «You sent forth your wrath, and it consumed them as stubble».
〚And Paul writes concerning the Jews: «But wrath has come upon them to the «uttermost», calling the God-sent punishments that came upon them wrath. But also to him who despises goodness and longsuffering he says: «But in accordance with your hardness
and im«penitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath».〛 For one must not think that his so-called wrath is a passion of God. For how is it possible for there to be passion in the impassible one? But since God does not suffer, being unchangeable, his so-called wrath must be interpreted according to what has been said. 52 Since he had a body in truth, composed of the same things as all human bodies, his body was also necessarily subject to the common passions; I speak not only of wounds and similar things,
but also of the fatigues that result from most strenuous 〚and continuous〛 movement. For at noonday, when the sun is scorching, having completed a journey he undertook a greater fatigue, the moisture of his body having been consumed by the flame of the burning heat. For it was the sixth hour of the day. Wishing to rest from this fatigue, he sat down at the well that was in the aforementioned place of Joseph; at the same time providing for the benefit that was about to come from drawing water from the well
Ἰωάννης. οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ «περὶ τοῦ φωτός».〛 εἰ γὰρ καὶ οἱ πρὸ τοῦ Ἰωάννου προφῆται ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐλάλουν, πῶς περὶ Χριστοῦ μαρτυροῦσιν; ὡς περὶ τῶν γραφῶν αὐτῶν ὁ σωτὴρ εἶπεν· «Αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ «ἐμοῦ». 50 Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔμελλεν ἀγαπᾶν ὁ πᾶσαν κακίαν μισῶν θεός, περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· «Ἐγὼ θεὸς ἀγαπῶν δικαιοσύνην καὶ μισῶν ἁρπάγματα «ἐξ ἀδικίας»; μισεῖ δὲ ὁ θεὸς τὰ εἴδη τῆς κακίας, ἐφ' οἷς ὁ ἁμαρ τωλὸς χαίρει. ἀγαπᾷ τοίνυν τὸν υἱὸν ὡς τῆς ἀρετῆς παρεκτικόν, ἀφανιστικὸν δὲ τῆς κακίας καὶ φθαρτικόν· διὸ εἴρηται· «Ὁ πατὴρ «ἀγαπᾷ τὸν υἱόν», ἀγαπώμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ, τοῦ ἀγαπᾶν πάλιν ἀνθρωπινώτερον ἀκουομένου, οὐ μὴν νοουμένου. εἰ γὰρ δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπῶν ὁ θεὸς οὐχ οὕτως αὐτὴν ἀγαπᾷ ὡς ὁ δίκαιος ἄνθρωπος, ἐπὶ τῷ ἔχειν αὐτὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ καὶ πεποιῶσθαι κατ' αὐτήν, οὕτω τὸν υἱὸν λόγον ὄντα ἀλήθειάν τε καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ἁγιασμὸν ποθεῖ. δυνατὸν δὲ παραστατικὸν οἰκειότητος τοῦ πατρὸς πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἶναι τὸ ῥῆμα. νόμος γὰρ φυσικὸς τοῖς γεννῶσιν ἀγαπᾶν τὰ γεννώ μενα. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φυσικὴ μὲν διάθεσις ἡ πρὸς τὰ τέκνα, ἄλλως δέ πως γινομένη πρὸς τὰ ἑτέρως ἀγαπώμενα, οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἀγαπῶν μὲν τὸν κόσμον ᾗ ὁ θεός, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν ᾗ ὁ πατήρ. διὸ οὐκ εἴρηται «Ὁ θεός», ἀλλ' «Ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν υἱόν, «καὶ τὰ πάντα δίδωσιν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ». τοῦτο δὲ πιστῶς καὶ φρονίμως ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ. εἰ γὰρ «πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο», ὑπὸ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα τυγχάνει κατὰ τὸν τῆς δημιουργίας καὶ προ νοίας λόγον· ἀλλ' ἀπεφοίτησε ταῦτα δι' ἁμαρτίας ἔξω τῆς σκε πούσης αὐτὰ χειρὸς γενέσθαι. ὑπὲρ οὖν τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας δίδωσιν αὐτὰ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ, οὐ τῷ υἱῷ προσθήκην χαριζό μενος ἀλλ' αὐτοῖς βελτίωσιν. ὡς διδασκάλῳ γὰρ καὶ ἰατρῷ δίδωσιν, ἵν' ἀγνοίας καὶ νόσου, τουτέστι κακίας, ἐκτὸς αὐτὰ ποιήσας ἔχῃ αὐτὰ σκεπαζόμενα καὶ βασιλευόμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ἤδη αὐτὰ ἔχων ὑπὸ τὴν δραστήριον καὶ προνοητικὴν αὐτοῦ χεῖρα. δείκνυσι δὲ τὴν ἀλή θειαν τούτου τοῦ νοήματος τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον· «Ὁ πιστεύων † τῷ «υἱῷ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον». εἰ γὰρ ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχει ὁ πιστεύων τῷ υἱῷ, δοθεὶς ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἰδίας σωτηρίας καὶ βελ τιώσεως δίδοται, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ πλέον τι ἔχειν τὸν υἱόν. πότε δὲ πληροῦται τὸ δεδόσθαι πάντα ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἢ ὅτε αὐτῷ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψει
ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων; 51 〚Πολλαχοῦ τῶν γραφῶν〛 αἱ κατὰ τῶν φαύλων τιμωρίαι ὀργὴ λέγονται θεοῦ· ὡς τὸ λεχθὲν περὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως· «Ἐξαπέστειλας τὴν ὀργήν σου, καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτὸς ὡσεὶ καλάμην».
〚καὶ Παῦλος περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων γράφει· «Ἔφθασεν δὲ αὐτοὺς ἡ «ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος», ὀργὴν λέγων τὰς ἐπελθούσας ἐπ' αὐτοὺς θεηλά τους τιμωρίας. ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν καταφρονοῦντα τῆς χρηστότητος καὶ μακροθυμίας φησί· «Κατὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητά
σου καὶ ἀμετα «νόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς».〛 οὐ γὰρ νομιστέον πάθος εἶναι θεοῦ τὴν ὀνομαζομένην αὐτοῦ ὀργήν. πῶς γὰρ δυνατὸν πάθος εἶναι περὶ τὸν ἀπαθῆ; ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ πάσχει θεὸς ἀναλλοίωτος ὤν, ἑρμηνευτέον τὴν λεγομένην αὐτοῦ ὀργὴν καθ' ἃ εἴρηται. 52 Ἐπεὶ σῶμα κατ' ἀλήθειαν ἔσχεν συμπληρούμενον ἐξ ὧν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα σώματα, ἀναγκαίως ὑπόκειται καὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ σῶμα τοῖς κοινοῖς πάθεσιν· οὐ τρώσεσι μόνον καὶ τοῖς παραπλησίοις λέγω,
ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγενομένοις ἐκ σφοδροτάτης 〚καὶ συνεχοῦς〛 κινήσεως καμάτοις. τῷ γὰρ μεσημβρινῷ καιρῷ, ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἥλιος καθά πτεται, ὁδὸν ἀνύσας πλείονα κάματον ἀνεδέξατο, ἀναλωθείσης τῆς ὑγρότητος τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ φλογμοῦ τοῦ καύσωνος. ἕκτη γὰρ ὥρα τῆς ἡμέρας ἦν. τοῦτον τὸν κάματον διαναπαῦσαι θελήσας ἐπὶ τῇ οὔσῃ πηγῇ ἐν τῷ προειρημένῳ χωρίῳ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἐκαθέσθη· ἅμα προνοούμενος ὠφελείας τῆς μελλούσης ἐπὶ τῷ ἀν τλῆσαι ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς