John Chrysostom, On John

rash? John, the son of thunder, who echoes from the spiritual trumpet, having heard from the Spirit, "was," sought nothing more; but you, who are devoid of his grace, and who speak from cowardly reasonings, do you strive to surpass the measure of his knowledge? For this very reason, you will not even be able to arrive at the measure of his knowledge. For such is the method of the devil; he leads those who obey him out from the bounds given to us by God, as if to much greater things; but when, having enticed them with these hopes, he casts them out of the grace of God, then not only does he give nothing more (for how could he, being the devil?), but he does not even permit them to return to their former state, where we dwelt securely and firmly, but leads them about everywhere wandering, and having nowhere to stand. Thus he also caused the first-formed man to fall from the life of paradise. For having puffed him up with the expectation of greater knowledge and honor, he cast him out from what he then possessed with security. For not only did he not become equal to God, as he promised him, but he also fell into the tyranny of death, not only gaining nothing more from the eating of the tree, but also losing no small part of the knowledge which he had, in the hope of more knowledge. For then it came to him to be ashamed and to hide himself for his nakedness, he who before the deceit was above this shame. For the very fact of seeing himself to be naked, and thenceforth needing the covering of garments, and other more numerous passions sprung up in him from this then. That we may not suffer the same thing, let us obey God, and remain in what He has commanded us, and not be meddlesome about anything further, lest we also fall away from the good things already given to us, just as these men have suffered. For seeking to find a beginning of the beginningless life, they lost also what they were able to have. For they neither found what they sought (for it is not possible), and they fell away from the sound faith concerning the Only-Begotten. But let us not remove the eternal landmarks which our fathers have set, but let us yield everywhere to the laws of the Spirit, and hearing that, "He was the true light," let us seek to find nothing more; for it is not possible to go beyond this saying. For if He begot as a man, there must be something between the begetter and the begotten; but since it is ineffable and as befits God, withdraw from the "before" and the "after"; for these are names of times; but the Son is the maker of all ages. 2. Therefore not a father, he says, but a brother. What necessity, tell me? For if we said that the Father and the Son are from another root, you would have spoken well then. But if we flee this impiety, 59.64 and say that the Father is without beginning, and not begotten; but that the Son is without beginning, yet begotten of the Father; what necessity is there from this conception for that impious argument to enter? None. For He is the brightness; and the brightness is co-conceived with the nature of which it is the brightness. For it was for this reason that Paul also called Him thus, that you might suspect no interval between Father and Son. This then is indicative of this; but what follows in the example corrects the absurdity that arises for the foolish. For, he says, because you heard "brightness," do not think that he is deprived of his own hypostasis. For this is impious, and part of the madness of the Sabellians and those from Marcellus. But we do not say so, but we say that he is also in his own hypostasis. For this reason, having called him "brightness," he added, that He is also "the express image of his person," in order to show his proper hypostasis and that he is of the same substance of which he is also the express image. For one word is not sufficient, as I said before, to present the doctrines concerning God to men; but it is acceptable if, bringing many things together, we select from each what is fitting. For thus we will be able to attain to a worthy doxology; and I say worthy, according to our ability. For if anyone should think himself able to speak to the truly worthy, and should contend, saying that he knows God as God knows Himself,

προπετής; Ὁ τῆς βροντῆς υἱὸς Ἰωάννης, ὁ ἀπὸ τῆς σάλπιγγος ἠχῶν τῆς πνευματικῆς, τὸ, Ἦν, ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, οὐδὲν ἐπεζήτησε πλέον· σὺ δὲ ὁ τῆς χάριτος ἀμοιρῶν τῆς ἐκείνου, καὶ ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν δειλῶν φθεγγόμενος λογισμῶν, ὑπερβῆναι τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐκείνου γνώσεως φιλονεικεῖς; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐκείνου γνώσεως ἀφικέσθαι δυνήσῃ. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου μεθοδεία· ἐξάγει μὲν τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθέντων ὅρων ἡμῖν τοὺς πειθομένους αὐτῷ, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῷ μείζοσιν· ὅταν δὲ ταῖς ἐλπίσι ταύταις δελεάσας ἐκβάλῃ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος, τότε λοιπὸν οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν πλέον προσδίδωσι, (πῶς γὰρ διάβολος ὤν;), ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἰς τὰ πρότερα, ἔνθα ἀσφαλῶς καὶ βεβαίως διετρίβομεν, ἀφίησιν ἐπανελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ περιάγει πλανωμένους, καὶ οὐκ ἔχοντας οὐδαμοῦ στῆναι. Οὕτω καὶ τὸν πρωτόπλαστον ἐκ τῆς τοῦ παραδείσου διαγωγῆς ἐποίησεν ἐκπεσεῖν. Προσδοκίᾳ γὰρ μείζονος γνώσεως καὶ τιμῆς φυσήσας αὐτὸν, καὶ τῶν τότε ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ μετὰ ἀδείας ἐξέβαλεν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἰσόθεος οὐ γέγονε, καθὼς ὑπισχνεῖτο αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ θανάτου τυραννίδα ἐξέπεσεν, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ξύλου βρώσεως προσλαβὼν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς γνώσεως ἧς εἶχεν οὐ μικρὸν ἀπολέσας, ἐλπίδι πλείονος γνώσεως. Τότε γὰρ αἰσχύνεσθαι καὶ καταδύεσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ γυμνότητι, τότε αὐτῷ προσεγένετο, πρὸ τῆς ἀπάτης ἀνωτέρω ταύτης ὄντι τῆς αἰσχύνης. Αὐτό τε γὰρ τὸ ὁρᾷν ἑαυτὸν γυμνὸν ὄντα, καὶ δεῖσθαι λοιπὸν τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἱματίων περιβολῆς, καὶ ἕτερα αὐτῷ πλείονα ἐντεῦθεν ἐφύη πάθη τότε. Ὅπερ ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς πάθωμεν, πειθώμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ μένωμεν ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς ἡμῖν προσέταξε, καὶ μηδὲν περαιτέρω πολυπραγμονῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ τῶν ἤδη δοθέντων ἡμῖν ἐκπέσωμεν ἀγαθῶν, καθάπερ καὶ οὗτοι πεπόνθασι. Τῆς γὰρ ἀνάρχου ζωῆς ἀρχὴν ἐπιζητοῦντες εὑρεῖν, καὶ ἅπερ ἠδύναντο ἔχειν ἀπώλεσαν. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸ ζητούμενον εὗρον (οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι δυνατόν), καὶ τῆς ὑγιοῦς περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἐξέπεσον πίστεως. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς μὴ μεταίρωμεν ὅρια αἰώνια, ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' εἴκωμεν πανταχοῦ τοῖς τοῦ Πνεύματος νόμοις, καὶ ἀκούοντες ὅτι, Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν, μηδὲν πλέον ἐπιζητῶμεν εὑρεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔνι ταύτην ὑπερβῆναι τὴν ῥῆσιν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐγέννα, ἀνάγκη μέσον εἶναί τι τοῦ γεννῶντος καὶ τοῦ γεννωμένου· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀῤῥήτως καὶ ὡς Θεῷ πρέπον ἐστὶ, τοῦ πρὸ καὶ τοῦ μετὰ ἀναχώρει· τῶν χρόνων γὰρ ταῦτα ὀνόματα· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς καὶ τῶν αἰώνων πάντων ἐστὶ ποιητής. βʹ. Οὐκοῦν οὐ πατὴρ, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἀδελφός. Ποία ἀνάγκη, εἰπέ μοι; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἐξ ἑτέρας ἐλέγομεν εἶναι ῥίζης, καλῶς ἂν ταῦτα ἔφης τότε. Εἰ δὲ ταύτην μὲν φεύγομεν τὴν ἀσέβειαν, 59.64 λέγομεν δὲ τὸν μὲν Πατέρα πρὸς τὸ ἄναρχον εἶναι, μηδὲ γεγεννῆσθαι· τὸν δὲ Υἱὸν ἄναρχον εἶναι, γεγεννημένον δὲ ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός· ποία ἀνάγκη ἐκ τῆς ἐννοίας ταύτης τὸν ἀσεβῆ λόγον ἐκεῖνον ἐπεισελθεῖν; Οὐδεμία. Ἀπαύγασμα γάρ ἐστι· τὸ δὲ ἀπαύγασμα συνεπινοεῖται τῇ φύσει, ἧς ἐστιν ἀπαύγασμα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τοῦτον οὕτως ἐκάλεσεν, ἵνα μηδὲν μέσον ὑποπτεύσῃς Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν τούτου δηλωτικόν· τὸ δὲ ἐφεξῆς τοῦ ὑποδείγματος, τὴν ὑφορμῶσαν τοῖς ἀνοήτοις ἀτοπίαν διορθοῦται. Μὴ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ ἀπαύγασμα, φησὶν, ἤκουσας, τῆς ἰδίας αὐτὸν ἀπεστερῆσθαι νομίσῃς ὑποστάσεως. Ἀσεβὲς γὰρ τοῦτο, καὶ τῆς τῶν Σαβελλιανῶν καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Μαρκέλλου μανίας. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἰδίᾳ αὐτὸν ὑποστάσει εἶναί φαμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπὼν αὐτὸν ἀπαύγασμα, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Καὶ χαρακτήρ ἐστι τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, ἵνα τὴν ἰδίαν ὑπόστασιν δηλώσῃ καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὄντα αὐτὸν οὐσίας, ἧς ἐστι καὶ χαρακτήρ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ μιᾷ λέξει, καθάπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ παραστῆσαι δόγματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ἀλλὰ ἀγαπητὸν, ἂν πολλὰ συμφορήσαντες, ἐξ ἑκάστου τὸ πρέπον ἐπιλεξώμεθα. Οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα τῆς ἀξίας ἐφικέσθαι δοξολογίας· ἀξίας δὲ λέγω, κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν δύναμιν. Εἰ γάρ τις πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν ὄντως ἀξίαν εἰπεῖν δύνασθαι νομίζοι, καὶ φιλονεικοίη, λέγων οὕτως εἰδέναι τὸν Θεὸν ὡς αὐτὸς οἶδεν ἑαυτὸν,