John Chrysostom, On John

being made. But be attentive, so that what is being said does not escape you; and come, for now let us read it according to their manner; for thus the absurdity will be clearer to us: What was made, in him was life. They say that the Spirit is called life. But this life is also found to be light; for he adds, And the life was the light of men. Therefore, according to them, he here calls the Spirit the light of men. What then? When he adds and says, that There was a man sent from God, to bear witness of the light, it is necessary for them to say that this too was said concerning the Spirit. For He whom he called the Word above, as he proceeds He calls also 59.54 God, and life, and light. For this Word, he says, was life, and this life was light. If, then, the Word is life, and this Word and life became flesh, then life became flesh, that is, the Word; and we beheld his glory, as of the Only-begotten from the Father. If, then, they say that the Spirit is here called life, see how many absurdities will follow. For it will be He who was incarnate, not the Son; the Spirit will be the only-begotten Son. And if not this, fleeing this they will fall into another most absurd position by reading thus. For if they should confess that it is spoken of the Son, and should not punctuate or read as we do, they will say that the Son was made from himself. For if the Word is life, and what was made, in him was life, He was made in Himself and through Himself according to this reading. Then, after saying some things in between, he added: And we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father. Behold, according to the reading of those who say these things, the Holy Spirit is found to be the only-begotten Son. For this whole narrative has been spoken by him concerning Him. Do you see, when the word of truth is rolled out of its course, where it is diverted, and how many absurdities it brings forth? What then? Is not the Spirit light? he says. It is indeed light; but here it is not spoken of Him; since God is also called Spirit, that is, incorporeal; but it is not that everywhere, if Spirit is said, God is meant. And why do you wonder if we say this about the Father? For not even concerning the Paraclete would we say this, that wherever Spirit is mentioned, the Paraclete is certainly meant; and yet this is His most distinguishing name; but not everywhere that Spirit is mentioned, is it the Paraclete. For Christ is also called the power of God and the wisdom of God, but not everywhere that the power of God and the wisdom of God are mentioned, is it Christ. So also here, even if the Spirit gives light, yet now the Evangelist does not speak of Him. But when we shut them out from these absurdities, they, who are again everywhere zealous to stand against the truth, say, still holding to the same reading: What was made, in him was life. That is, what was made was life. What then? And the passions of the Sodomites, and the flood, and Gehenna, and countless such things? But our discourse is concerning creation, he says. Most certainly those things are also of creation. But that we may superabundantly refute their argument, let us ask them: Is a tree, tell me, life? and a stone, life, these inanimate and motionless things? 59.55 but is man wholly life? And who would say this? For man is not life itself, but receptive of life. 2. See again the absurdity here also; for according to the same sequence we will advance the argument here also, so that we may learn their folly from this as well. For thus they say nothing at all fitting to the Spirit. For when they fall from that position, they apply to men those things which they thought were worthily spoken of the Spirit. But nevertheless, let us also examine the reading in this way. The creation is now called life; therefore it is also light; and concerning it John came to bear witness. Why then is he not also light? For he was not that light, he says. And yet he himself was also of the creation. How then is he not light? and how was He in the world, and the world was made by Him? was creation in creation, and was creation made by creation? and how And the world knew him not? did creation not know creation? But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become children of God. But enough of the laughter. To you

γινόμενον. Ἀλλὰ διανάστητε, ὥστε μὴ διαφυγεῖν ὑμᾶς τὸ λεγόμενον· καὶ φέρε κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνων τέως ἀναγνῶμεν τρόπον· οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν φανερώτερον τὸ ἄτοπον ἔσται· Ὃ γέγονεν, ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν. Τὸ Πνεῦμά φασιν εἰρῆσθαι τὴν ζωήν. Ἀλλ' ἡ ζωὴ αὕτη καὶ φῶς εὑρίσκεται· ἐπάγει γὰρ, Καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Οὐκοῦν κατ' αὐτοὺς τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐνταῦθα τὸ Πνεῦμα λέγει. Τί οὖν; Ὅταν ἐπάγῃ καὶ λέγῃ, ὅτι Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπεσταλμένος, ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτὸς, ἀνάγκη περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοὺς λέγειν καὶ τοῦτο εἰρῆσθαι. Ὃν γὰρ ἄνω Λόγον εἶπε, τοῦτον προϊὼν καὶ 59.54 Θεὸν, καὶ ζωὴν, καὶ φῶς ὀνομάζει. Ζωὴ γὰρ ἦν, φησὶν, ὁ Λόγος οὗτος, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ αὕτη φῶς ἦν. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ Λόγος ἡ ζωὴ, ὁ δὲ Λόγος οὗτος καὶ ἡ ζωὴ σὰρξ ἐγένετο, ἡ ζωὴ ἐγένετο σὰρξ, τουτέστιν, ὁ Λόγος· καὶ αὐτῆς ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν, ὡς Μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρός. Ἂν τοίνυν τὸ Πνεῦμα λέγωσιν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ζωὴν εἰρῆσθαι, ὅρα πόσα ἕψεται τὰ ἄτοπα. Ἔσται γὰρ αὐτὸ σαρκωθὲν, οὐχ ὁ Υἱός· ἔσται μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο, εἰς ἕτερον πάλιν ἀτοπώτατον τοῦτο φεύγοντες ἐμπεσοῦνται οὕτως ἀναγινώσκοντες. Εἰ γὰρ δὴ ὁμολογήσαιεν, ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ εἴρηται, καὶ μὴ στίξαιεν μηδὲ ἀναγνοῖεν ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς, αὐτὸν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Υἱὸν γεγενῆσθαι ἐροῦσιν. Εἰ δὲ ἡ ζωὴ ὁ Λόγος, ὃ δὲ γέγονεν, ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν· αὐτὸς ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ γέγονε κατὰ τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν ταύτην. Εἶτά τινα εἰπὼν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς Μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρός. Ἰδοὺ καὶ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς εὑρίσκεται κατὰ τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Περὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ πᾶσα αὐτῷ αὕτη ἡ διήγησις εἴρηται. Ὁρᾶτε ὅταν ἐκκυλισθῇ ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀληθείας, ποῦ παρατρέπεται, καὶ πόσα τίκτει τὰ ἄτοπα; Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἔστι τὸ Πνεῦμα φῶς, φησί; Ἔστι μὲν φῶς· ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα οὐ περὶ τούτου εἴρηται· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς λέγεται Πνεῦμα, τουτέστιν, ἀσώματος· ἀλλ' οὐ πάντως, εἴ που Πνεῦμα εἴρηται, ὁ Θεὸς δηλοῦται. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦτό φαμεν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παρακλήτου τοῦτο εἴποιμεν ἄν· ὅτι εἴ που Πνεῦμα, πάντως ὁ Παράκλητος δηλοῦται· καίτοι γε τοῦτο αὐτοῦ μάλιστα γνωριστικόν ἐστιν ὄνομα· ἀλλ' οὐ πάντως, εἴ που Πνεῦμα, ὁ Παράκλητος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία λέγεται, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντως, εἴ που Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ σοφία, ὁ Χριστός. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, εἰ καὶ φωτίζει τὸ Πνεῦμα, ὅμως νῦν οὐ περὶ αὐτοῦ φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Ἀλλ' ὅταν αὐτοὺς τούτων ἀποκλείσωμεν τῶν ἀτόπων, οἱ δὲ πάλιν πανταχοῦ σπουδάζοντες κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἑστάναι, λέγουσιν, ἔτι τῆς αὐτῆς ἀναγνώσεως ἐχόμενοι· Ὃ γέγονεν, ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν. Τουτέστιν, ὃ γέγονε ζωὴ ἦν. Τί οὖν; Καὶ τὰ Σοδομηνῶν πάθη, καὶ ὁ κατακλυσμὸς καὶ ἡ γέεννα, καὶ μυρία ὅσα τοιαῦτα; Ἀλλὰ περὶ δημιουργίας ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν, φησί. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν κἀκεῖνα δημιουργίας ἐστίν. Ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐκ περιουσίας τὸν λόγον αὐτῶν ἐλέγξωμεν, ἐρώμεθα αὐτούς· Τὸ ξύλον, εἰπέ μοι, ζωή; καὶ ὁ λίθος, ζωὴ, τὰ ἄψυχα ταῦτα καὶ ἀκίνητα; 59.55 ἀλλ' ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅλον ζωή; Καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι; Οὐ γὰρ αὐτοζωὴ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ ζωῆς δεκτικός. βʹ. Ὅρα δὲ πάλιν κἀνταῦθα τὸ ἄτοπον· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀκολουθίαν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸν λόγον προάξομεν, ὥστε μαθεῖν τὴν ἄνοιαν αὐτῶν κἀντεῦθεν. Οὕτω γὰρ οὐδαμῶς οὐδὲν ἁρμόττοντα λέγουσι τῷ Πνεύματι. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐκπέσωσιν ἐκεῖθεν, ἀνθρώποις αὐτὰ περιάπτουσιν, ἃ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνόμισαν ἀξίως εἰρῆσθαι. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως αὐτὴν ἐξετάσωμεν τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν. Ζωὴ ἡ κτίσις λέγεται νῦν· οὐκοῦν καὶ φῶς ἡ αὐτή· καὶ περὶ αὐτῆς ἦλθε μαρτυρήσων ὁ Ἰωάννης. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν μὴ καὶ αὐτός ἐστι φῶς; Οὐκ ἦν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, φησί. Καίτοι καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς κτίσεως ἦν. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος φῶς; πῶς δὲ Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο; ἡ κτίσις ἐν τῇ κτίσει ἦν, καὶ ἡ κτίσις διὰ τῆς κτίσεως γέγονε; πῶς δὲ Καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω; τὴν κτίσιν ἡ κτίσις οὐκ ἔγνω; Ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτὸν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἅλις τοῦ γέλωτος. Ὑμῖν