John Chrysostom, On John

For I forbear from now on to go through the monstrous character of these words, lest we ourselves seem to have chosen this, simply to make jokes, and waste our time in vain. For if these things were said neither concerning the Spirit (as indeed they were not said, as has been shown), nor concerning the creation, and yet they still hold to the same reading; that most absurd consequence of all will follow, which we have mentioned before, that the Son was made through Himself. For if the Son is the true light, and this light was life, and the life was made in Him; this must of necessity be the consequence according to their reading. Therefore, leaving this, let us come to the customary reading and interpretation. And what is this? It is to pause the discourse at "What was made," and then to begin from the next phrase which says, "In Him was life." For what he says is this: "Without Him was not anything made that was made." If anything was made of things that are made, he says, it was not made without Him. Do you see how by this short addition he has corrected all the underlying absurdities? For by adding that "Without Him was made not one thing," and adding, "that was made," He included things intelligible, and excluded the Spirit. For since he said that "All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made," lest someone should say, "If then all things were made through Him, was the Spirit also made?", this addition was needed. For, he says, if anything is created, this I said was made through Him, whether it be invisible, or incorporeal, or in the heavens. For this reason I did not say simply "all things," but "what was made," that is, created things. But the Spirit is not a created thing. Have you seen a teaching made precise? He called to mind the creation of sensible things; for Moses had taught these things beforehand; then leading on those who advanced from there to higher things, I mean the incorporeal and invisible things, he excluded the Holy Spirit from all creation. Thus also Paul, inspired by this grace, said: "For in Him were all things created." And see again here the same precision. For the 59.56 same Spirit moved this soul. For lest anyone should exclude anything of created things from God's creation, because they are invisible, or should mix the Comforter in with these, he too, passing over the sensible things which are known to all, enumerates the things in the heavens, saying: "Whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers." For the "Whether," placed before each, signifies to us nothing other than this: "All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." But if you think that "through" implies a lessening, hear him saying: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands"; saying this concerning the Son, which was said concerning the Father as creator; which he would not have said, unless He had the glory of being a creator, and not of ministering to someone. And if here "through Him" is said, it is set down for no other reason than that no one might suspect the Son to be unbegotten. Since, as to the dignity of creation, He has nothing less than the Father, hear Him saying: "As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will." If then, "In the beginning You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth" was said concerning the Son also in the Old Testament, the dignity of His creatorship is clear; but if you say that the Prophet said this concerning the Father, and that Paul has assigned to the Son what was said concerning Him, even so the same thing results again. For Paul would not have ordained that it was fitting for the Son also, unless he was very confident that their dignities were of equal honor. For it would have been the utmost audacity to apply what is fitting to the incomparable nature, to a nature lesser and falling short of that one. 3. But the Son is neither lesser, nor does He fall short of the Father's substance. Wherefore Paul was bold to say not only these things concerning Him, but also other such things. For the expression "from whom," which you assign as a certain worthy inheritance of the Father alone, he also says of the Son, speaking thus: "from whom the whole body, supplied and held together by joints and ligaments, grows with the growth of God." And he is not content with this alone, but also from another place

γὰρἀφίημι λοιπὸν ἐπεξελθεῖν τῇ τῶν λόγων τούτων τερατείᾳ, ἵνα μὴ αὐτοὶ τοῦτο δόξωμεν προῃρῆσθαι, τὸ γελωτοποιεῖν ἁπλῶς, καὶ τὸν χρόνον εἰκῆ παραναλώσωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ μήτε περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ταῦτα εἴρηται (ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ εἴρηται, καθὼς ἀποδέδεικται), μήτε περὶ τῆς κτίσεως, ἔχοιντο δὲ ἔτι τῆς αὐτῆς ἀναγνώσεως· τὸ πάντων ἀτοπώτερον ἐκεῖνο ἕψεται, ὅπερ ἔμπροσθεν εἰρήκαμεν, τὸ τὸν Υἱὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὁ Υἱός ἐστι, τὸ δὲ φῶς τοῦτο ζωὴ ἦν, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ γέγονεν ἐν αὐτῷ· ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τοῦτο συνενεχθῆναι κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀνάγνωσιν. ∆ιὸ ταύτην ἀφέντες, ἐπὶ τὴν νενομισμένην ἔλθωμεν ἀνάγνωσίν τε καὶ ἐξήγησιν. Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Τὸ μέχρι τοῦ, Ὃ γέγονεν, ἀναπαῦσαι τὸν λόγον· εἶτα ἀπὸ τῆς ἑξῆς λέξεως ἄρξασθαι τῆς λεγούσης, Ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν. Ὃ γὰρ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Χωρὶς αὐτοῦ γέγονεν οὐδὲ ἓν ὃ γέγονεν. Εἴ τι γέγονε τῶν γενητῶν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐγένετο χωρὶς αὐτοῦ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τῇ βραχεία ταύτῃ προσθήκῃ πάντα διωρθώσατο τὰ ὑφορμοῦντα ἄτοπα; Τῷ γὰρ ἐπαγαγεῖν, ὅτι Χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν, καὶ προσθεῖναι, Ὃ γέγονε, τά τε νοητὰ περιέλαβε, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ὑπεξεῖλεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν· ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ· Οὐκοῦν εἰ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα γέγονε, τῆς προσθήκης ἐδεήθη ταύτης. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἴ τι γενητόν ἐστι, τοῦτο εἶπον δι' αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι, κἂν ἀόρατον ᾖ, κἂν ἀσώματον, κἂν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπον πάντα, ἀλλ' εἴ τι γέγονε, τουτέστι, τὰ γενητά. Τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα οὐ γενητόν. Εἶδες διδασκαλίαν ἠκριβωμένην; Ἀνέμνησε τῆς δημιουργίας τῶν αἰσθητῶν· προλαβὼν γὰρ αὐτὰ Μωϋσῆς ἐδίδαξεν· εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν προκόψαντας, ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλότερα ἀγαγὼν, τὰ ἀσώματα λέγω καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, ὑπεξεῖλε τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος ταύτης ἐμπνεόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα. Καὶ ὅρα πάλιν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν αὐτὴν ἀκρίβειαν. Τὸ γὰρ 59.56 αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα ταύτην ἐκίνει τὴν ψυχήν. Ἵνα γὰρ μήτε ὑπεξέλῃ τις τῶν γενητῶν τι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δημιουργίας, διὰ τὸ ἀόρατα αὐτὰ εἶναι· μήτε τούτοις ἐγκαταμίξῃ τὸν Παράκλητον, παραδραμὼν καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ καὶ πᾶσι γνώριμα, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀπαριθμεῖται λέγων· Εἴτε θρόνοι, εἴτε κυριότητες, εἴτε ἀρχαὶ, εἴτε ἐξουσίαι. Τὸ γὰρ, Εἴτε, ἐφ' ἑκάστου κείμενον, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἡμῖν ἐμφαίνει, ἢ τοῦτο, τὸ, Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν, ὃ γέγονεν. Εἰ δὲ τὸ, ∆ιὰ, νομίζεις ἐλαττώσεως εἶναι, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Σὺ καταρχὰς, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου εἰσὶν οἱ οὐρανοί· ὃ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὡς δημιουργοῦ εἴρηται, τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λέγων· οὐκ ἂν εἰπὼν, εἰ μὴ ὡς περὶ δημιουργοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπουργοῦντός τινι τὴν δόξαν εἶχε. Εἰ δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸ, ∆ι' αὐτοῦ, εἴρηται, δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον τέθειται, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἀγέννητον ὑποπτεύσῃ τις τὸν Υἱόν. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι κατὰ τὸ τῆς δημιουργίας ἀξίωμα οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἔχει τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ὥσπερ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τὸ, Καταρχὰς σὺ, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, εἴρηται, σαφὲς τὸ τῆς δημιουργίας ἀξίωμα· εἰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦτο τὸν Προφήτην εἰρηκέναι λέγεις, τὸν δὲ Παῦλον τῷ Υἱῷ προσνενεμηκέναι τὸ περὶ ἐκείνου λεχθὲν, καὶ οὕτω τὸ αὐτὸ γίνεται πάλιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ πρέπειν αὐτὸ ὁ Παῦλος ἐνομοθέτησεν, εἰ μὴ σφόδρα ἐθάῤῥει, ὅτι τὰ τῆς ἀξίας ὁμότιμα ἦν. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν τόλμης ἐσχάτης, τὰ τῇ ἀσυγκρίτῳ πρέποντα φύσει, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλάττω καὶ ἀποδέουσαν ἐκείνης ἀγαγεῖν. γʹ. Ἀλλ' οὔτε ἐλάττων ἐστὶν, οὔτε ἀποδέει τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας ὁ Υἱός. ∆ιόπερ οὐ ταῦτα μόνον ἐθάῤῥησεν εἰπεῖν ὁ Παῦλος περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἐξ οὗ, ῥῆμα, ὅπερ ὡς ἄξιόν τινα μόνου τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀπονέμεις κλῆρον, καὶ περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ φησιν, οὕτω λέγων· Ἐξ οὗ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα διὰ τῶν ἀφῶν καὶ συνδέσμων ἐπιχορηγούμενον καὶ συμβιβαζόμενον αὔξει εἰς τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ ἀρκεῖται τούτῳ μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν