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He says that His Father gives it. But they who heard, say again, Give us this bread to eat. For they still thought it was something tangible, they still expected to enjoy their belly; wherefore they also ran to Him quickly. What then does Christ do? Leading them up little by little, He adds. The bread of God is He that comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world; not to the Jews only, He says, but also to the whole inhabited world. Wherefore He did not simply say food, but a certain other and different life, so as to declare it, since all were dead. But they still look downwards and say; Give us this bread. But rebuking them, because as long as they suspected the table to be a tangible one, they ran to Him; but when they learned that it is a spiritual one, they no longer did, He says again; I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger; and he that believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you, that you have both seen Me, and you do not believe Me. 2. So also John speaks from above, anticipating: What He knows, He speaks, and what He has seen, He testifies, and no one receives His testimony. And again Christ: What We know, We speak, and what We have seen, We testify, and you do not receive Our testimony. And He does this, anticipating them, and 59.253 showing that the matter does not trouble Him, nor does He desire glory, nor is He ignorant of the secrets of their mind, neither the present, nor the future things. I am the bread of life. He is about, then, to enter into the tradition of the mysteries. And first He discourses concerning His divinity, saying. I am the bread of life. For neither is this said concerning the body (for concerning that He says towards the end; And the bread which I will give, is My flesh); but for the present concerning His divinity. For that too is bread through God the Word; just as therefore this bread also through the Spirit that comes upon it becomes heavenly bread. But here He does not use witnesses, as in the former discourse; for He had the work of the loaves itself bearing witness, and those who for the time pretended to obey Him. But there they contradicted and accused; for this reason here He also declares Himself. But since they expected to enjoy a carnal feast, they remain, and are not troubled, until after this they despaired of their hope. Nevertheless, not even so was Christ silent, but He also says many things to shame them. But they, when they were eating, calling Him a prophet, are here offended, and call Him the carpenter’s son; but not when they ate the loaves, but, This is the prophet, they said, and they wanted to make Him king. They seemed, then, to be indignant, at His saying He had come down from heaven; but the truth is, this was not what caused their indignation, but their not expecting to enjoy a physical table. Since if they were truly indignant, they ought to have asked and inquired, how He is the bread of life, how He has come down from heaven; but now they do not do this, but murmur. And that this was not what offended them, is clear from what follows. For when He said that My Father gives you the bread, they did not say, Beseech Him that He may give it; but what? Give us the bread. And yet He had not said, I give it, but, My Father gives it. But they, out of desire for the food, considered Him also trustworthy for the provision. Those, therefore, who considered Him trustworthy to give, how were they afterwards to be offended, and this after hearing that the Father gives it? What then is the reason? Because they heard that there was nothing to eat, they disbelieved again, and put forward as a pretext for their unbelief the loftiness of the saying. For this reason He says, And you have seen Me, and you do not believe; by this hinting at the signs, and by that, the testimony from the Scriptures. For they are they, He says, which testify of Me; and, Because I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; and, How can you believe, who receive glory one of another? All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out. See how He does all things for the sake of those who are being saved. For this very reason He also added, lest He should seem to be meddling, and to say these things in vain. But what

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αὐτοῦ τὸν Πατέρα φησὶ διδόναι. Οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες, λέγουσι πάλιν, ∆ὸς ἡμῖν τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον φαγεῖν. Ἔτι γὰρ αἰσθητόν τι πρᾶγμα ἐνόμιζον εἶναι, ἔτι γαστρὸς ἀπολαύειν προσεδόκων· διὸ καὶ ταχέως προσέδραμον. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ἀνάγων αὐτοὺς κατὰ μικρὸν, ἐπάγει. Ὁ ἄρτος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ· οὐκ Ἰουδαίοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, φησί. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς τροφὴν, ἀλλὰ ζωὴν ἑτέραν τινὰ καὶ ἐνηλλαγμένην, ὥστε δηλῶσαι, ἐπειδὴ ἅπαντες ἦσαν νενεκρωμένοι. Οἱ δὲ ἔτι κάτω νεύουσι καὶ λέγουσι· ∆ὸς ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον. Ἐλέγχων δὲ αὐτοὺς, ὅτι ἕως μὲν αἰσθητὴν ὑπώπτευον εἶναι τὴν τράπεζαν, ἐπέτρεχον· ὅταν δὲ ἔμαθον, ὅτι πνευματική τίς ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔτι, λέγει πάλιν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς· ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρός με, οὐ μὴ πεινάσει· καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει πώποτε. Ἀλλ' εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὅτι καὶ ἑωράκατέ με, καὶ οὐ πιστεύετέ μοι. βʹ. Οὕτω καὶ Ἰωάννης φθέγγεται ἄνωθεν προλαβών· Ὃ οἶδε λαλεῖ, καὶ ὃ ἑώρακε μαρτυρεῖ, καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτοῦ οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χριστός· Ὃ οἴδαμεν λαλοῦμεν, καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἡμῶν οὐ λαμβάνετε. Τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ, προλαμβάνων αὐτοὺς, καὶ 59.253 δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ ταράττει τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ δόξης ἐφίεται, οὐδὲ ἀγνοεῖ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν, οὔτε τὰ παρόντα, οὔτε τὰ μέλλοντα. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς. Μέλλει λοιπὸν εἰς τὴν τῶν μυστηρίων ἐμβαλεῖν παράδοσιν. Καὶ πρῶτον περὶ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ διαλέγεται λέγων. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦτο εἴρηται (περὶ γὰρ ἐκείνου πρὸς τῷ τέλει λέγει· Καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ, ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω, ἡ σάρξ μου ἐστίν)· ἀλλὰ τέως περὶ τῆς θεότητος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνη διὰ τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον ἄρτος ἐστίν· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ οὗτος ὁ ἄρτος διὰ τὸ ἐπιφοιτῶν αὐτῷ Πνεῦμα ἄρτος οὐράνιος γίνεται. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐ κέχρηται μάρτυσι, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας δημηγορίας· εἶχε γὰρ αὐτὸ μαρτυροῦν τὸ ἔργον τῶν ἄρτων, καὶ τέως ὑποκρινομένους αὐτῷ πείθεσθαι. Ἐκεῖ δὲ ἀντέλεγον καὶ ἐνεκάλουν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἀποφαίνεται. Οἱ δὲ ἐπειδὴ προσεδόκων ἑστιάσεως ἀπολαύσεσθαι σαρκικῆς, μένουσι, καὶ οὐ ταράττονται, ἕως ὅτε μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπέγνωσαν τῆς ἐλπίδος. Πλὴν οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐσίγησεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὰ ἐντρεπτικὰ λέγει. Οἱ δὲ, ἡνίκα ἤσθιον, προφήτην αὐτὸν λέγοντες, ἐνταῦθα σκανδαλίζονται, καὶ τοῦ τέκτονος καλοῦσι υἱόν· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὅτε τοὺς ἄρτους ἤσθιον, ἀλλ', Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης, ἔλεγον, καὶ ἤθελον αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι βασιλέα. Ἐδόκουν μὲν οὖν ἀγανακτεῖν, ἐπὶ τῷ λέγειν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκέναι· τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς, οὐ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ ποιοῦν τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ προσδοκᾷν ἀπολαύσεσθαι τραπέζης σωματικῆς. Ἐπεὶ εἰ ὄντως ἠγανάκτουν, ἐχρῆν ἐρωτᾷν καὶ πυνθάνεσθαι, πῶς ἄρτος ζωῆς ἐστι, πῶς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκε· νῦν δὲ τοῦτο μὲν οὐ ποιοῦσι, γογγύζουσι δέ. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἐσκανδάλιζε, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν. Εἰπόντος γὰρ ὅτι Ὁ Πατήρ μου δίδωσιν ὑμῖν τὸν ἄρτον, οὐκ εἶπον, Παρακάλεσον ἵνα δῷ· ἀλλὰ τί; ∆ὸς ἡμῖν τὸν ἄρτον. Καίτοι οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ δίδωμι, ἀλλ', ὅτι Ὁ Πατήρ μου δίδωσιν. Οἱ δὲ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ αὐτὸν ἀξιόπιστον εἶναι ἐνόμισαν πρὸς τὴν χορηγίαν. Οἱ τοίνυν ἀξιόπιστον εἶναι νομίσαντες πρὸς τὸ δοῦναι, πῶς ἔμελλον μετὰ ταῦτα σκανδαλίζεσθαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες ὅτι Ὁ Πατὴρ δίδωσι; Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ αἴτιον; Ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσαν ὅτι φαγεῖν οὐκ ἔνι, πάλιν ἠπίστησαν, καὶ προβάλλονται δῆθεν τῆς ἀπιστίας προκάλυμμα τὸ ὑψηλὸν εἶναι τὸν λόγον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι, Καὶ ἑωράκατέ με, καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε· τούτῳ μὲν τὰ σημεῖα αἰνιττόμενος, τούτῳ δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν μαρτυρίαν. Ἐκεῖναι γάρ εἰσι, φησὶν, αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ· καὶ, Ὅτι ἦλθον ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατρός μου, καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετέ με· καὶ, Πῶς δύνασθε πιστεύειν, δόξαν παρὰ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες; Πᾶν ὃ δίδωσί μοι ὁ Πατὴρ, πρὸς ἐμὲ ἥξει, καὶ τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρός με, οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω. Ὅρα πῶς πάντα ποιεῖ διὰ τοὺς σωζομένους. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπήγαγεν, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ περιεργάζεσθαι, καὶ εἰκῆ ταῦτα λέγειν. Τί δέ