John Chrysostom, On John

of a prophet, he says, nor of an angel, nor of an archangel, nor of the higher powers, nor of any other created nature, if there is indeed another, but of the Master 59.82 himself, of the King himself, of his genuine Only-begotten Child himself, of the Lord of us all himself, we beheld the glory. But the "As," here, is not of likeness, nor of comparison, but of confirmation and of indisputable definition; as if he said: We beheld a glory, such as it was fitting and likely for an only-begotten and genuine Son of God, the king of all, to have. And it is a custom among the many; for I will not refuse to confirm the argument from common usage. For our present purpose is not to speak for beauty of words, nor for harmony of composition, but only for your benefit; whence nothing prevents us from confirming it from the custom of the many. And what is the custom of the many? Some people, often seeing a king splendidly adorned, and glittering on all sides with precious stones, when they describe to others that beauty, that adornment, that glory, they say as much as they are able, describing the brilliance of the purple, the size of the stones, the whiteness of the mules, the gold around the chariot, the shining coverlet. But when, after enumerating these things and others besides, they are unable to represent the entire splendor in words, they immediately add this: What need is there to say many things? in a word, as a king; by the "as," not wishing to show that this one of whom they speak is like a king, but that he is a genuine king. So therefore the evangelist also used "As," wishing to represent the incomparable and surpassingly excellent nature of the glory. For all the others, both angels and archangels and prophets, did everything as they were commanded; but he did so with the authority befitting a king and master; which indeed the crowds marveled at, that he taught them as one having authority. 2. For indeed, as I said, angels also appeared with great glory on the earth; for example, in the time of Daniel, of David, of Moses; but they did all things as servants who have a master; but he, as a master and ruler of all, and this although he appeared in a humble and lowly form; but nevertheless, even so creation recognized its Master. How? For a star from heaven was calling the Magi to worship him; and a great host of angels, poured out everywhere, were attending and hymning the Master; and other heralds suddenly appeared, and all meeting one another, evangelized this ineffable mystery, the angels the shepherds, and the shepherds those of the city; and Gabriel to Mary and Elizabeth, and Anna with Simeon to those coming to the temple. And not only men and women were winged by pleasure, but also the infant not yet come into the light, the citizen of the desert, I say, and the namesake of this evangelist, leaped while still in his mother's womb, and all were raised up with hopes for the things to come. And these things were immediately at his birth; but when he revealed himself more fully, again other miracles, greater than the former, appeared. For no longer a star and heaven, nor angels and archangels, nor Gabriel and Michael, but the Father 59.83 himself from above, from the heavens, proclaimed him, and with the Father the Paraclete, descending upon him with the voice, and remaining on him. Truly for these reasons he said: We beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father. But not only for these reasons, but also for those after these he says this. For no longer do only shepherds, nor widowed women, nor old men evangelize us, but the very nature of the deeds, crying out more clearly than any trumpet, and so loudly, that its sound was immediately heard even here. For, it says, his fame went into Syria, and revealed him to all; and everything from every direction cried out that the king of the heavens had come. For the demons from every direction were fleeing and leaping away,

προφήτου, φησὶν, οὐδὲ ἀγγέλου, οὐδὲ ἀρχαγγέλου, οὐδὲ τῶν ἀνωτέρω δυνάμεων, οὐκ ἄλλης τινὸς κτιστῆς φύσεως, εἴ γέ τίς ἐστι καὶ ἑτέρα, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆ε 59.82 σπότου, αὐτοῦ τοῦ Βασιλέως, αὐτοῦ γνησίου Μονογενοῦς Παιδὸς, αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάντων ἡμῶν Κυρίου τὴν δόξαν ἐθεασάμεθα. Τὸ δὲ Ὡς, ἐνταῦθα, οὐχ ὁμοιώσεώς ἐστιν, οὐδὲ παραβολῆς, ἀλλὰ βεβαιώσεως καὶ ἀναμφισβητήτου διορισμοῦ· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἐθεασάμεθα δόξαν, οἵαν ἔπρεπε καὶ εἰκὸς ἔχειν μονογενῆ καὶ γνήσιον Υἱὸν ὄντα τοῦ πάντων βασιλέως Θεοῦ. Καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς δὲ ἔθος· οὐ γὰρ παραιτήσομαι καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς κοινῆς συνηθείας τὸν λόγον πιστώσασθαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς κάλλος ἡμῖν ὀνομάτων, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἁρμονίαν συνθήκης πρόκειται νῦν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ὠφέλειαν μόνον· ὅθεν οὐδὲν κωλύει καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν συνηθείας αὐτὸ βεβαιῶσαι. Τίς δέ ἐστιν ἡ συνήθεια τῶν πολλῶν; Βασιλέα πολλάκις σφόδρα κεκοσμημένον ὁρῶντές τινες, καὶ τιμίοις ἀπαστράπτοντα λίθοις πάντοθεν, ἐπειδὰν πρός τινας διηγῶνται τὸ κάλλος ἐκεῖνο, τὸν κόσμον, τὴν δόξαν, λέγουσι μὲν ὅσαπερ ἂν δυνηθῶσι, τῆς ἁλουργίδος τὸ ἄνθος, τῶν λίθων τὸ μέγεθος, τὴν λευκότητα τῶν ἡμιόνων, τὸν περὶ τὸ ζεῦγος χρυσὸν, τὴν στρωμνὴν παριστῶντες τὴν στίλβουσαν. Ἐπειδὰν δὲ καὶ ταῦτα καὶ ἕτερα πρὸς τούτοις καταλέξαντες, μὴ δυνηθῶσιν ἅπασαν τῷ λόγῳ παραστῆσαι τὴν λαμπρότητα, εὐθέως τοῦτο ἐπάγουσι· Τί δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; ἅπαξ ὡς βασιλεύς· διὰ τοῦ, ὡς, οὐ τὸ βασιλέως ὅμοιον εἶναι δεῖξαι βουλόμενοι τοῦτον περὶ οὗ πάντα λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸν βασιλέα γνήσιον εἶναι. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς τὸ, Ὡς, τέθεικε, τὸ παρηλλαγμένον τῆς δόξης καὶ ὑπερέχον ἀσυγκρίτως παραστῆσαι θέλων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι πάντες, καὶ ἄγγελοι, καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι, καὶ προφῆται, προσταττόμενοι πάντα ἐποίουν· αὐτὸς δὲ μετ' ἐξουσίας βασιλεῖ καὶ δεσπότῃ πρεπούσης· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ οἱ ὄχλοι ἐθαύμαζον, ὅτι ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων. βʹ. Ἐφάνησαν μὲν οὖν, ὅπερ εἶπον, καὶ ἄγγελοι μετὰ δόξης πολλῆς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἐπὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως· ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλοι καὶ δεσπότην ἔχοντες, οὕτω πάντα ἔπραττον· αὐτὸς δὲ ὡς δεσπότης καὶ πάντων κρατῶν, καὶ ταῦτα μετ' εὐτελοῦς σχήματος καὶ ταπεινοῦ φανείς· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτως ἡ κτίσις τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐπέγνω τὸν ἑαυτῆς. Πῶς; Ἀστὴρ μὲν γὰρ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ μάγους καλῶν προσκυνήσοντας αὐτόν· ἀγγέλων δὲ ὄχλος πολὺς πανταχοῦ κεχυμένος τὸν ∆εσπότην περιεπόντων, καὶ ἀνυμνούντων αὐτόν· καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ ἐξαπίνης ἀνεφύοντο κήρυκες, καὶ πάντες ἀλλήλοις ἀπαντῶντες, εὐηγγελίζοντο τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον τοῦτο μυστήριον, τοὺς μὲν ποιμένας οἱ ἄγγελοι, τοὺς δὲ τῆς πόλεως οἱ ποιμένες· καὶ τὴν μὲν Μαρίαν καὶ τὴν Ἐλισάβετ, ὁ Γαβριὴλ, τοὺς δὲ εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν παραγινομένους ἡ Ἄννα μετὰ τοῦ Συμεών. Οὐκ ἄνδρες δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες μόνον ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐπτερώθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μηδέπω βρέφος εἰς φῶς ἐξελθὸν, ὁ τῆς ἐρήμου πολίτης, λέγω, καὶ τούτου ὁμώνυμος τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ, ἐσκίρτησεν, ἐν τῇ νηδύϊ τῆς μητρὸς ὢν ἔτι, καὶ πάντες μετέωροι ταῖς ἐλπίσι πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἦσαν. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν παρὰ τὸν τόκον εὐθέως· ὅτε δὲ ἐπὶ πλέον ἑαυτὸν ἐξέφηνε, πάλιν ἕτερα θαύματα τῶν προτέρων ἐφαίνετο μείζονα. Οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ ἀστὴρ καὶ οὐρανὸς, οὐδὲ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι, οὐδὲ Γαβριὴλ καὶ Μιχαὴλ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς 59.83 αὐτὸν ἄνωθεν ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐκήρυττεν ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Παράκλητος, ἐφιπτάμενος αὐτῷ μετὰ τῆς φωνῆς, καὶ μένων ἐπ' αὐτόν. Ὄντως διὰ ταῦτα ἔλεγεν· Ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς Μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρός. Οὐ διὰ ταῦτα δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα τοῦτό φησιν. Οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ ποιμένες μόνον, οὐδὲ χῆραι γυναῖκες, οὐδὲ ἄνδρες πρεσβῦται ἡμᾶς εὐαγγελίζονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ φύσις, πάσης σάλπιγγος λαμπρότερον βοῶσα, καὶ οὕτω γεγωνὸς, ὡς καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὐτῆς εὐθέως ἀκουσθῆναι τὸν ἦχον. Ἀπῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν Συρίαν ἡ ἀκοὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτὸν ἀπεκάλυπτε· καὶ πάντα πάντοθεν ἐβόα, ὅτι βασιλεὺς τῶν οὐρανῶν παραγέγονεν. Οἵ τε γὰρ δαίμονες πάντοθεν ἔφευγον καὶ ἀπεπήδων, ὅ