John Chrysostom, On John

See to what great boldness the word led them, once the truth had been set in motion? For why did not the evangelist say that he came into being from non-existence, just as Paul declares concerning all things, saying thus, Who calls the things that are not as though 59.49 they were, but rather, "In the beginning was," he says? For this is contrary to that, and very reasonably so. For God neither comes into being, nor has anything older than himself; but these are sayings of the Greeks. Tell me this too: would you not say that the creator is incomparably superior to his works? When, therefore, the "from non-existence" is similar for them, where is the incomparable superiority? And what at all is this, "I am the first," and "I am after these things," and, "Before me there was no other God"? For if the Son is not of the same substance, he is another God; and if he is not co-eternal, he exists after him; and if he did not proceed from the substance, it is quite clear that he was made. But if they should say that these things were said in contradistinction to idols, how do they not concede that "the only true God" is said in contradistinction to idols? But if this too was said in contradistinction to idols, how will you interpret the whole saying? For "after me," he says, "there is no other God." He does not say this casting out the Son, but that there is no God of idols after me; not that there is no Son. "Yes," he says. What then? Will you also take this, "Before me there was no other God," to mean that an idol-god was not made, but nevertheless a Son was made before him? And what demon would say this? For I do not think even the devil himself would say this. Furthermore, if he is not co-eternal with the Father, how will you say his life is infinite? For if he has a beginning from above, even if he is without end, he is nevertheless not infinite; for the infinite must be infinite in both directions. Which is what Paul, making this clear, also said: "Having neither beginning of days nor end of life," thereby showing what is without beginning and without end. For just as this has no limit, so neither does that; for there is neither an end here, nor a beginning there. 3. But how, being Life, was there a time when he was not? For all would confess that Life both always is, and is without beginning and without end, if it were truly life, as indeed it is. But if there is a time when it is not, how could it be the life of others, itself at one time not existing? How then, he says, did John set a beginning by saying, "In the beginning was"? You paid attention to "In the beginning," but tell me, did you not consider "was," and "the Word was"? And what of when the Prophet says of the Father, "From everlasting, and to everlasting you are"; does he say this setting limits for him? By no means, but declaring what is eternal. Understand it this way here as well. For he did not say this setting limits. For he did not say, "he had a beginning," but, "In the beginning was," by the word "was" directing you to conceive of the Son as without beginning. But behold, he says, the Father is spoken of with the addition of the article, but the Son without it. What then, when the Apostle says, "Of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ"; and again, "Who is over all, God"? For behold, here he mentioned the Son without the article. And he does this also in the case of the Father. For writing to the Philippians, he says thus: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal to God"; and again to the Romans: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." Besides, it would have been superfluous to add it here, having been continuously added to the Word above. For just as when speaking of the Father, he says, "God is Spirit"; and not because the article is not added to Spirit, 59.50 do we on this account deny the incorporeal nature of God; so also here, even if the article is not added to the Son, the Son is not on this account a lesser God. Why indeed? For in saying God and God, he does not show us anything intermediate in this divinity, but even the contrary. For having said before, "and the Word was God," lest anyone should think the divinity of the Son to be inferior, he immediately sets forth the characteristics of his true divinity, taking up his eternity. For "this one," he says, "was in the beginning with God"; and adding his creative power: "For all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made"; which especially his Father also, through the prophets, everywhere says is characteristic of his own substance. And this continuously of the

Ὁρᾶτε εἰς ὅσην τόλμαν αὐτοὺς ἅπαξ παρακινηθείσης τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ λόγος ἐξήγαγε; ∆ιατί γὰρ οὐκ εἶπεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ὅτι ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐγένετο, καθάπερ περὶ πάντων ὁ Παῦλος ἀποφαίνεται, λέγων οὕτως, Ὁ καλέσας τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς 59.49 ὄντα, ἀλλ', Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν, φησί; τοῦτο γὰρ ἐναντίον ἐκείνῳ· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Θεὸς γὰρ οὔτε γίνεται, οὔτε ἔχει τι πρεσβύτερον· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα Ἑλλήνων ῥήματα. Εἰπὲ δή μοι κἀκεῖνο· τὸν κτίστην τῶν ἔργων οὐχὶ ἀσυγκρίτως ὑπερέχειν εἴποις ἄν; Ὅταν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὅμοιον ᾖ τὸ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων, ποῦ ἡ ἀσύγκριτος ὑπεροχή; Τί δέ ἐστιν ὅλως τὸ, Ἐγὼ πρῶτος, καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ, Ἔμπροσθέν μου οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄλλος Θεός; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Υἱὸς μὴ εἴη τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας, ἕτερός ἐστι Θεός· καὶ εἰ μὴ συναΐδιος, ἔστι μετ' αὐτόν· καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας προῆλθεν, εὔδηλον ὅτι ἐγένετο. Εἰ δὲ λέγοιεν, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι, πῶς οὐ συγχωροῦσι πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λέγειν τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεόν; Εἰ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν εἰδώλων εἴρηται τοῦτο, πῶς ἑρμηνεύσεις τὴν ῥῆσιν ἅπασαν; Μετ' ἐμὲ γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος Θεός. Οὐκ ἐκβάλλων τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι Θεὸς εἰδωλικὸς μετ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστιν· οὐχ ὅτι Υἱὸς οὐκ ἔστι. Ναὶ, φησί. Τί οὖν; καὶ τὸ, Ἔμπροσθέν μου οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄλλος Θεὸς, οὕτως ἐκλήψῃ, ὅτι εἰδωλικὸς μὲν οὐκ ἐγένετο, ἐγένετο δ' οὖν ὅμως Υἱὸς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ; Καὶ ποῖος ἂν τοῦτο δαίμων εἴποι; Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸν οἶμαι τὸν διάβολον τοῦτο ἐρεῖν. Ἄλλως δὲ, εἰ οὐκ ἔστι συναΐδιος τῷ Πατρὶ, πῶς ἄπειρον αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωὴν ἐρεῖς; Εἰ γὰρ ἀρχὴν ἄνωθεν ἔχει, κἂν ἀτελεύτητος ᾖ, ἄπειρος ὅμως οὐκ ἔστι· τὸ γὰρ ἄπειρον ἑκατέρωθεν ἄπειρον εἶναι χρή. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλῶν ἔλεγε· Μήτε ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν, μήτε ζωῆς τέλος ἔχων, τό τε ἄναρχον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον δεικνὺς ταύτῃ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχει πέρας, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο· οὔτε γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τέλος, οὔτε ἐκεῖ ἀρχή. γʹ. Πῶς δὲ καὶ ζωὴ ὢν, ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν; Τὴν γὰρ ζωὴν ἀεί τε εἶναι, καὶ ἀνάρχως εἶναι καὶ ἀτελευτήτως πάντες ἂν ὁμολογήσαιεν, εἴπερ ὄντως εἴη ζωὴ, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστιν. Εἰ δὲ ἔστιν ὅτε οὐκ ἔστι, πῶς ἂν εἴη ζωὴ τῶν ἄλλων, αὐτή ποτε οὐκ οὖσα; Πῶς οὖν, φησὶν, ἀρχὴν ἔθηκεν ὁ Ἰωάννης εἰπὼν, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν; Τῷ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ, προσέσχες, καὶ τῷ, Ἦν, εἰπέ μοι·καὶ τὸ, Ὁ Λόγος ἦν, οὐκ ἐννοεῖς; Τί δὲ, ὅταν περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Προφήτης λέγῃ· Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος σὺ εἶ· ἆρα ὅρους αὐτῷ τιθεὶς οὕτω φησίν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀΐδιον δηλῶν. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ ἐνταῦθα νόει. Οὐ γὰρ ὅρους τιθεὶς, τοῦτο εἴρηκεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν, ἀλλ', Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν, διὰ τοῦ, Ἦν, παραπέμπων σε ἐπὶ τὸ ἄναρχον ἐννοεῖν τὸν Υἱόν. Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ, φησὶν, ὁ Πατὴρ μετὰ τῆς τοῦ ἄρθρου προσθήκης εἴρηται, ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς χωρὶς ταύτης. Τί οὖν, ὅταν ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγῃ. Τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεός; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα χωρὶς τοῦ ἄρθρου τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐμνημόνευσε. Ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρός. Τοῖς γοῦν Φιλιππησίοις ἐπιστέλλων, οὕτω φησίν· Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐκ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ· καὶ Ῥωμαίοις δὲ πάλιν· Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἄλλως τε καὶ περιττὸν ἦν ἐνταῦθα αὐτὸ προστεθῆναι, ἄνω συνεχῶς προστεθὲν τῷ λόγῳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγων φησὶ, Πνεῦμα ὁ Θεός· καὶ οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τῷ Πνεύματι τὸ ἄρθρον οὐ πρόσκειται, οὐκ 59.50 ἀθετοῦμεν διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἀσώματον τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, κἂν μὴ πρόσκειται τῷ Υἱῷ τὸ ἄρθρον, οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἥττων Θεὸς ὁ Υἱός. Τί δήποτε; Θεὸν γὰρ καὶ Θεὸν εἰπὼν, οὐκ ἐμφαίνει τι μέσον ἡμῖν τῆς θεότητος ταύτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον. Προειπὼν γὰρ, Καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃ τις ἐλάττονα εἶναι τὴν θεότητα τοῦ Υἱοῦ, εὐθέως αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ γνωριστικὰ τῆς γνησίας τίθησι θεότητος, τό τε ἀΐδιον ἀναλαβών. Οὗτος γὰρ ἦν, φησὶν, ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· καὶ τὸ δημιουργικὸν προστιθείς· Πάντα γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν, ὃ γέγονεν· ὃ μάλιστα καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἁπανταχοῦ τῆς οὐσίας τῆς αὐτοῦ γνωριστικὸν εἶναί φησι. Καὶ συνεχῶς τοῦτο τῆς