Chapter 59.—The Context of Their Chief Text.

“Now there was,” we read, “a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,210    Num. xxi. 9. even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”211    John iii. 1–21. Thus far the Lord’s discourse wholly relates to the subject of our present inquiry; from this point the sacred historian digresses to another matter.

59. Erat autem homo, inquit, ex Pharisaeis Nicodemus nomine, princeps Judaeorum. Hic venit ad Jesum nocte, et dixit ei: Rabbi, scimus quia a Deo venisti magister: nemo enim potest haec signa facere quae tu facis, nisi fuerit Deus cum eo. Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis natus fuerit denuo, non potest videre regnum Dei. Dicit ad eum Nicodemus: Quomodo potest homo nasci, cum sit senex? Numquid potest in uterum matris suae iterum introire et nasci? Respondit Jesus: Amen, amen dico tibi, nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu , non potest introire in regnum Dei. Quod natum est de carne, caro est; et quod natum est de spiritu, spiritus est. Non mireris, quia dixi tibi, Oportet vos nasci denuo. Spiritus ubi vult spirat, et vocem ejus audis; sed non scis unde veniat, aut quo vadat. Sic est omnis qui natus est ex spiritu. Respondit Nicodemus, et dixit ei: Quomodo possunt haec fieri? Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Tu es magister in Israel, et haec ignoras? Amen, amen dico tibi, quia quod scimus loquimur, et quod vidimus testamur, et testimonium nostrum non accipitis. Si terrena dixi vobis, et non credidistis ; quomodo, si dixero vobis coelestia, credetis? Et nemo ascendit in coelum, nisi qui de coelo descendit, Filius hominis, qui in coelo est. Et sicut Moyses exaltavit serpentem in deserto, ita exaltari oportet Filium hominis; ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam. Sic enim dilexit Deus mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret, ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam. Non enim misit Deus Filium suum in mundum, ut judicet mundum; sed ut salvetur mundus per ipsum. Qui credit in eum, non judicatur: qui autem non credit, jam judicatus est, quia non credit in nomine unigeniti Filii Dei. Hoc est autem judicium, quia lux venit in mundum, et dilexerunt homines magis tenebras, quam lucem: erant enim eorum mala opera. Omnis enim qui male agit, odit lucem, et non venit ad lucem, ut non arguantur opera ejus: qui autem facit veritatem, venit ad lucem, ut manifestentur ejus opera, quia in Deo sunt facta. Huc usque est ad rem, de qua quaerimus, pertinens totus sermo ille contextus: deinceps in aliud narrator abscedit (Joan. III, 1-21).