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and no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. See how in forbidding them he exhorts them to follow. You do not hear me, he says, for you are not sheep; but those who follow, these are of the flock. And he said these things, so that they might be zealous to become sheep. Then, saying what they will obtain, he irritates them, so as to stir them up and cast them into desire. What then? if because of the Father’s power no one snatches them, are you not strong, but weak to guard them? By no means. And that you may learn that the words, “The Father, who has given them to me,” were said for their sakes, lest they should again call him an adversary of God; having said, “No one snatches them out of my hand,” he went on to show that his hand and the Father’s are one. For if this were not so, it would have been logical to say, “The Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of my hand.” But he did not say so, but, “Out of my Father’s hand.” Then, lest you should think that he is weak, and that the sheep are in safety because of the Father’s power, he added: I and the Father are one; as if he were saying, I did not say this, that no one snatches them because of the Father, as if I were too weak to keep the sheep. For I and the Father are one; speaking here of power, for his entire discourse was about this. And if the power is the same, it is clear that the substance is also. For since the Jews did countless things, plotting, making them outcasts from the synagogue, he says that all their contrivances are random and in vain. For the sheep are in my Father’s hand, as the prophet says, “I have engraved your walls on my hand.” Then showing the hand to be one, he says it is sometimes his own, and sometimes the Father’s. And when you hear “hand,” do not think of anything sensible, but of power, authority. But if no one snatched them because he empowered him, it would have been superfluous to say next, “I and the Father are one.” For if he were lesser, this saying would be of great audacity. For he shows nothing other than the equality of power; which the Jews, therefore, understanding, threw stones 59.339 at him. But not even so did he take down this opinion and suspicion. And yet if they suspected wrongly, he should have corrected them and said, “Why are you doing these things? I did not say these things to testify to a power for myself equal to the Father.” But now he does the very opposite, and he establishes the suspicion, and strengthens it; and this when they were becoming savage. For he does not apologize for what was said as if it were badly spoken, but he also rebukes them, as not having the proper opinion about him. For when they said, “We are not stoning you for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God,” hear what he says: If the Scripture called them gods, to whom the word of God came, how do you say that I blaspheme, because I said, I am the Son of God? What he says is this: If those who received this by grace are not accused for calling themselves gods, how could he who has this by nature rightly be rebuked? But he did not speak in this way, but established it later, first relaxing and lowering his speech, and saying, “Whom the Father sanctified and sent;” and having soothed their anger, he then brings on the clear declaration. For for a time, so that his word might be received, he spoke more humbly; but later he led it up to what is greater, saying thus: If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I do, even if you do not believe me, believe my works. Do you see how he establishes what I said, that he is in nothing less than him, but everywhere equal? For since it was impossible to see his substance, from the equality and identity of the works he provides the proof of the unchangeableness in power. c. And what shall we believe, you say? That I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. For I am nothing else than what the Father is, while remaining Son; he is nothing else than what I am, while remaining Father. And if anyone knows me, he has known the Father, and has learned the Son. But if the things of power were less, the things of knowledge would also have been proven false. For it is not possible for one substance through another, nor

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καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάζειν αὐτὰ ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ Πατρός μου. Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. Σκόπει πῶς ἐν τῷ ἀπαγορεύειν προτρέπει εἰς τὴν ἀκολούθησιν αὐτούς. Ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἀκούετέ μου, φησίν· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστε πρόβατα· οἱ δὲ ἀκολουθοῦντες, οὗτοι τῆς ποίμνης εἰσί. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, ἵνα φιλονεικήσωσι γενέσθαι πρόβατα. Εἶτα εἰπὼν ὧν τεύξονται, παρακνίζει τούτους, ὥστε αὐτοὺς διεγεῖραι καὶ εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμβαλεῖν. Τί οὖν; εἰ διὰ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐδεὶς ἁρπάζει, σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἰσχύεις, ἀλλ' ἀσθενὴς εἶ πρὸς τὴν φυλακήν; Οὐδαμῶς. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τὸ, Ὁ Πατὴρ, ὃς ἔδωκέ μοι, δι' ἐκείνους εἴρηται, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν αὐτὸν ἀντίθεον εἴπωσιν· εἰπὼν, ὅτι Οὐδεὶς ἁρπάζει αὐτὰ ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου, προϊὼν ἔδειξε τὴν αὐτοῦ χεῖρα καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς μίαν οὖσαν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦτο, ἀκόλουθον ἦν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ὁ Πατὴρ, ὃς ἔδωκέ μοι, μείζων πάντων ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάζειν αὐτὰ ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶπεν οὕτως, ἀλλ' Ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ Πατρός μου. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι αὐτὸς μέν ἐστιν ἀσθενὴς, διὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς δύναμιν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ τὰ πρόβατά ἐστιν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν, Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο εἶπον, ὅτι διὰ τὸν Πατέρα οὐδεὶς αὐτὰ ἁρπάζει, ὡς αὐτὸς ἀσθενῶν τηρῆσαι τὰ πρόβατα. Ἐγὼ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν· κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν ἐνταῦθα λέγων· καὶ γὰρ περὶ ταύτης ἦν ὁ λόγος ἅπας αὐτῷ. Εἰ δὲ ἡ δύναμις ἡ αὐτὴ, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ἡ οὐσία. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μυρία ἐποίουν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἐπιβουλεύοντες, ἀποσυναγώγους ποιοῦντες, λέγει, ὅτι πάντα αὐτοῖς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην μεμηχάνηται. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ Πατρός μού ἐστι τὰ πρόβατα, ὥσπερ ὁ προφήτης λέγει· Ἐν τῇ χειρί μου ἐζωγράφησά σου τὰ τείχη. Εἶτα δεικνὺς μίαν οὖσαν τὴν χεῖρα, ποτὲ μὲν αὐτοῦ, ποτὲ δὲ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἶναί φησιν αὐτήν. Χεῖρα δὲ ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, μηδὲν αἰσθητὸν νομίσῃς, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν, τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Εἰ δὲ διὰ τοῦτο οὐδεὶς ἥρπαζεν, ὅτι αὐτὸν ἐνεδυνάμου, περιττὸν ἦν τὸ ἑξῆς εἰπεῖν, Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐλάττων ἦν, πολλῆς τοῦτο τόλμης τὸ ῥῆμα. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερον ἢ τὸ τῆς δυνάμεως ἰσοστάσιον δείκνυσιν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι συνειδότες, λίθοις 59.339 αὐτὸν ἔβαλ[λ]ον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτω καθεῖλε τὴν δόξαν ταύτην καὶ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν. Καὶ μὴν εἰ κακῶς ὑπώπτευσαν ἐκεῖνοι, ἔδει διορθῶσαι καὶ εἰπεῖν· Τίνος ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ποιεῖτε; οὐκ ἴσην μαρτυρῶν ἐμοὶ καὶ τῷ Πατρὶ δύναμιν ταῦτα εἶπον ἐγώ. Νῦν δὲ πᾶν τοὐναντίον ποιεῖ, καὶ ἵστησι τὴν ὑπόνοιαν, καὶ συγκροτεῖ· καὶ ταῦτα ἀγριουμένων ἐκείνων. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπολογεῖται ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰρημένων ὡς κακῶς λεχθέντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνοις ἐπιτιμᾷ, ὡς μὴ τὴν προσήκουσαν δόξαν ἔχουσι περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγον, ὅτι Περὶ καλοῦ ἔργου οὐ λιθάζομέν σε, ἀλλὰ περὶ βλασφημίας, καὶ ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ὢν ποιεῖς σεαυτὸν Θεὸν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν· Εἰ ἐκείνους εἶπεν ἡ Γραφὴ θεοὺς, πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγένετο, πῶς ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι βλασφημῶ, ὅτι εἶπον, Υἱὸς Θεοῦ εἰμι; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἰ οἱ χάριτι τοῦτο λαβόντες, οὐκ ἐγκαλοῦνται θεοὺς ἑαυτοὺς καλοῦντες· ὁ τῇ φύσει τοῦτο ἔχων, πῶς ἂν εἴη δίκαιος ἐπιτιμᾶσθαι; Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν οὐκ εἶπεν, ὕστερον δὲ αὐτὸ κατεσκεύασε, πρότερον χαλάσας καὶ καθυφεὶς τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ εἰπών· Ὃν ὁ Πατὴρ ἡγίασε καὶ ἀπέστειλε· καὶ παραμυθησάμενος αὐτῶν τὸν θυμὸν, τότε ἐπάγει σαφῆ τὴν ἀπόφασιν. Τέως μὲν γὰρ ὥστε δεχθῆναι τὸν λόγον, ταπεινότερον διελέχθη· ὕστερον δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον αὐτὸν ἀνήγαγεν, οὕτως εἰπών· Εἰ μὴ ποιῶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Πατρός μου, μὴ πιστεύετέ μοι· εἰ δὲ ποιῶ, κἂν ἐμοὶ οὐ πιστεύητε, τοῖς ἔργοις μου πιστεύσατε. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τοῦτο ὅπερ εἶπον κατασκευάζει, ὅτι εἰς οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐλάττων αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ ἴσος; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ ἰδεῖν ἀμήχανον ἦν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἔργων ἰσότητός τε καὶ ταυτότητος τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν ἀπαραλλαξίας παρέχεται. γʹ. Καὶ τί πιστεύσομεν, εἰπέ; Ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο ἐγὼ, ἢ ὅπερ ὁ Πατὴρ, μένων Υἱός· οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐκεῖνος, ἢ ὅπερ ἐγὼ, μένων Πατήρ. Κἂν ἐμὲ γνῷ τις, τὸν Πατέρα ἔγνω, καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἔμαθεν. Εἰ δὲ ἐλάττονα ἦν τὰ τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ τὰ τῆς γνώσεως διέψευστο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλην δι' ἄλλης οὔτε οὐσίαν οὔτε