John Chrysostom, On John

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greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. He showed them becoming imitators especially in this. For as long as Christ was in the flesh, they had their war against Him; but when He departed, the battle came again to them. Then, since being few they were troubled at the thought of having to undertake a war with so great a people, He raises their spirits, saying, That to be hated by them is a matter for great joy; for thus you will be partakers in my sufferings. Therefore, you should not be troubled; for you are not greater than I; just as I said before, A servant is not greater than his lord. Then a third consolation, that the Father also is insulted with them. For all these things they will do, He says, for my name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent me; that is, they insult Him also. In addition to these things, depriving them of excuse, and setting forth another consolation, He says: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin, showing that unjustly they will work both against Him and against them. Why then did you lead us into so many evils? Did you not foresee the wars, and the hatred? For this reason He says again: He who hates me, hates my Father also, proclaiming to them from this no small punishment. For since they were constantly making the excuse that they persecuted Him on account of the Father, He spoke these things, taking away their defense. For they have no excuse; I have given the teaching from words, I have added that from works according to the law of Moses, who commanded all to obey him who does and says such things, whenever he both leads to piety and provides the greatest wonders. He did not simply say signs, but which no one else has done. And of these things they themselves are witnesses, saying thus: Never has a man so appeared in Israel; and, It was never heard since the world began, that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind; and the case of Lazarus was such, and all the other things were such, and the manner of the wonder-working; all new and extraordinary. For what reason, then, he says, do they persecute both you and 59.417 us? Because you are not of the world. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. He reminds them of the words which He had also spoken to His own brothers; but there more morally, that He might not strike them; but here, on the contrary, He revealed the whole. And whence is it clear that we are hated for this reason? From what is happening to me. For what, tell me, of the things said or done could they take hold of, that they did not receive me? Then, since the matter was astonishing to us, He also stated the cause; that is, their wickedness. And He does not stop there, but also brings forward the Prophet, showing him proclaiming from of old and saying, They hated me without a cause; which Paul also does. For as many were wondering how the Jews did not believe, he brings prophets who foretold from of old, and declared the reason, that their wickedness and arrogance are the cause of their unbelief. What then? if they have not kept your word, for this reason they will not keep ours either; if they persecuted you, for this reason they will also persecute us; if they saw signs such as no one else has done; if they heard words such as no one has, and they gained nothing; if they hate your Father, and you with Him; for what reason, he says, did you involve us? how shall we be credible hereafter? and who of our own people will pay attention to us? 3. Therefore, so that they might not be troubled by considering these things, see what a consolation he brings forward. When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about me. And you also bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. He will be credible; for He is the Spirit of truth. For this reason He did not call it the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit of truth. But the phrase, Who proceeds from the Father, shows that He knows all things accurately, just as He Himself says about Himself, that I know where I come from and where I am going; and there speaking about truth. Whom I will send. Behold, it is no longer the Father alone, but the Son also who sends. And you also are credible, you who have been with me, who have not heard from others. And the apostles

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μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ. Εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν. Ἔδειξε ζηλωτὰς αὐτοὺς κατὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα γινομένους. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἐν σαρκὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὸν πόλεμον εἶχον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ μετέστη, πρὸς αὐτοὺς πάλιν ἦλθεν ἡ μάχη. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ὀλίγοι ὄντες ἐθορυβοῦντο δήμου τοσούτου μέλλοντες πόλεμον καταδέχεσθαι, ἀνίστησιν αὐτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν λέγων, ὅτι Τοῦτο μάλιστα χαρᾶς ἔργον ἐστὶ τὸ μισεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν· οὕτω γάρ μοι κοινωνήσετε τῶν παθῶν. Οὐ τοίνυν ὑμᾶς θορυβεῖσθαι χρή· οὐ γὰρ ὑμεῖς ἐμοῦ κρείττους· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ προλαβὼν εἶπον, Οὐκ ἔστι δοῦλος μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα καὶ τρίτη παραμυθία, ὅτι καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑβρίζεται μετ' αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα ποιήσουσι, φησὶ, διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδασι τὸν πέμψαντά με· τουτέστι, κἀκεῖνον ὑβρίζουσιν. Πρὸς τούτοις συγγνώμης αὐτοὺς ἀποστερῶν, καὶ τιθεὶς καὶ ἑτέραν παραμυθίαν, φησίν· Εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἶχον, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἀδίκως καὶ τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ εἰς ἐκείνους ἐργάσονται. Τί οὖν ἐπὶ τοσαῦτα ἡμᾶς ἤγαγες κακά; οὐχὶ προῄδεις τοὺς πολέμους, καὶ τὸ μῖσος; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλιν φησίν· Ὁ ἐμὲ μισῶν, καὶ τὸν Πατέρα μου μισεῖ, οὐ μικρὰν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοῖς προαναφωνῶν κόλασιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω προεφασίζοντο, ὅτι διὰ τὸν Πατέρα αὐτὸν ἐδίωκον, ἀναιρῶν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπολογίαν ταῦτα εἴρηκεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσι πρόφασιν· τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων διδασκαλίαν παρεσχόμην, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων προσέθηκα κατὰ τὸν Μωϋσέως νόμον· ὃς τῷ τὰ τοιαῦτα ποιοῦντι καὶ λέγοντι πείθεσθαι ἅπαντας ἐκέλευσεν, ὅταν καὶ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ἄγῃ, καὶ θαύματα παρέχῃ μέγιστα. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ εἶπε σημεῖα, ἀλλὰ ἃ μηδεὶς ἄλλος ἐποίησε. Καὶ τούτων αὐτοὶ μάρτυρες οὕτω λέγοντες· Οὐδέποτε οὕτως ἐφάνη ἄνθρωπος ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ, Οὐκ ἠκούσθη ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος, ὅτι ἤνοιξέ τις ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλοῦ γεγεννημένου· καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Λάζαρον τοιοῦτον, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τοιαῦτα, καὶ ὁ τῆς θαυματουργίας τρόπος· καινὰ καὶ παράδοξα ἅπαντα. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, καὶ σὲ καὶ 59.417 ἡμᾶς διώκουσιν; Ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου οὐκ ἐστέ. Εἰ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἦτε, ὁ κόσμος ἂν τὸ ἴδιον ἐφίλει. Προαναμιμνήσκει τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτοὺς, ὧν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἶπε τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν ἠθικώτερον, ἵνα μὴ πλήξῃ· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοὐναντίον, τὸ πᾶν ἀπεκάλυψε. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο μισούμεθα; Ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς ἐμὲ γινομένων. Τίνος γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν λεχθέντων ἢ τῶν πραχθέντων ἐπιλαβέσθαι ἔχοντες οὐκ ἐδέξαντό με; Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔκπληκτον ἦν ἡμῖν, εἶπε καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν· τουτέστι, τὴν πονηρίαν τὴν αὐτῶν. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἵσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Προφήτην ἐπάγεται, δεικνὺς αὐτὸν ἄνωθεν προαναφωνοῦντα καὶ λέγοντα, ὅτι Ἐμίσησάν με δωρεάν· ὃ καὶ Παῦλος ποιεῖ. Πολλῶν γὰρ θαυμαζόντων πῶς Ἰουδαῖοι οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν, προφήτας ἄγει προλέγοντας ἄνωθεν, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δηλοῦντας, ὅτι ἡ πονηρία αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ ἀπόνοια τῆς ἀπιστίας αἰτία. Τί οὖν; εἰ τὸν λόγον σου οὐκ ἐτήρησαν, διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ τὸν ἡμέτερον τηρήσουσιν· εἰ σὲ ἐδίωξαν, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμᾶς διώξουσιν· εἰ σημεῖα εἶδον, οἷα οὐδεὶς ἄλλος πεποίηκεν· εἰ ῥημάτων ἤκουσαν οἵων οὐδεὶς, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπώναντο· εἰ τὸν Πατέρα σου μισοῦσι, καὶ σὲ μετ' ἐκείνου· τίνος, φησὶν, ἕνεκεν ἡμᾶς ἐνέβαλες; πῶς ἡμεῖς ἀξιόπιστοι λοιπὸν ἐσόμεθα; τίς δὲ προσέξει τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἡμῖν; γʹ. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ταῦτα ἐννοοῦντες θορυβῶνται, ὅρα οἵαν ἐπάγει παράκλησιν. Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ Παράκλητος, ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω, τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ. Καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ μαρτυρεῖτε, ὅτι ἀπ' ἀρχῆς μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐστε. Ἐκεῖνος ἀξιόπιστος ἔσται· Πνεῦμα γὰρ ἀληθείας ἐστί. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, ἀλλ' ἀληθείας αὐτὸ ἐκάλεσε. Τὸ δὲ, Ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, δηλοῖ ὅτι πάντα οἶδεν ἀκριβῶς, καθάπερ καὶ αὐτός φησι περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, ὅτι Οἶδα πόθεν ἔρχομαι, καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγω· καὶ ἐκεῖ περὶ ἀληθείας διαλεγόμενος. Ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω. Ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔτι ὁ Πατὴρ μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Υἱός ἐστιν ὁ πέμπων. Καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔχετε τὸ ἀξιόπιστον, οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ γενόμενοι, οἱ μὴ παρ' ἑτέρων ἀκηκοότες. Καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι