1

Fragments on John

1 {3Jο 1, 1}3The Word knows one principle, not two, as the Manichees say, nor a first cause and a second cause and a third cause, as Plato, Basilides,Marcion, Arius, Eunomius say; for the Father is called principle and the Son principle and the Spirit principle because of the co-eternity of the Trinity, not because there are three principles, since we also call the Father God and the Son God and the Spirit God, not as worshiping three gods, but because of the consubstantiality of the one Godhead of the three hypostases. 2 {3Jο 1, 1}3For this reason he refutes the heresy of Sabellius, signifying the hypostases of the Father and of the Son; for the church does not profess a Son-Fathership as the Libyan fabulously said.Sabellius, Noetus, Navatus, Paul of Samosata, Marcellus say there is one hypostasis of the Trinity.He was not uttered, but subsistent, and not only subsistent, but also God.Photinus says that the Word from the Father, being non-subsistent like our own, was changed into flesh.Since some of the heretics, hearing that the Father begot the Son, are scandalized, thinking that an emission or passion occurred in the Father, such as sometimes happens in the case of dense bodies. The evangelist, forestalling their foolishness from the beginning, called the Son "Word" once and a second and a third time, in order to show the impassibility of the generation; for as our word is begotten from the mind without flux, without diminution, and without passion (likewise also our spirit), so also is the generation of the Son; wherefore it was also said: "My heart has uttered a good word," that is God, who alone "is good." 3 {3Jο 1, 2}3Instead of "He was co-eternal with the Father," existing in the Father's nature, having as his most ancient place the nature of the one who begot him; for the principle transcends the ages; for the Father is called the principle of the Son only according to "from whom"; for by cause the Father will be conceived of before the Son, but certainly not be contemplated before him in existence. and everywhere he puts "was," referring the Son to that which is without beginning; for he did not say "he had a beginning," but "in the beginning he was." 4 {3Jο 1, 3}3He refutes another heresy, teaching that through the Son all created things were made, not however through good or evil angels as some have wrongly supposed, among whom are Plato, Simon, Basilides, Nicolaus, Menander, Borborian, Saturnilus, Cerinthus. wherefore some forbid marriage and begetting children, such as Saturnilus and the Apostolici. 5 {3Jο 1, 3}3The saying has emphasis, that not only the Son created all things, but also the Father and the Spirit; for whatever the Father does, he works through the Son in the Holy Spirit, and where one of the three hypostases is said to act, the other hypostases of the one substance are also conceived of together. 6 {3Jο 1, 4}3All things that the Father made through the Son were made alive by him. 7 {3Jο 1, 4}3The Word was not in a man, but in a certain way, he himself, strengthening the virgin through the Spirit and dwelling in her womb, became the foundation. and in him he built the ensouled, rational flesh from Mary, united to him, which is life. For as he is life, so also is the flesh united to him, those who partake of which are made alive, being delivered from death and corruption and sent into the enjoyment of the unending good things of the age to come, which is truly life. 8 {3Jο 1, 4}3The incarnation of the only-begotten enlightens human beings to the true knowledge of God and to every form of virtue, through which the making-alive happens, which is the enjoyment of good things. 10 col 1 {3Jο 1, 5}3Darkness is the whole world in comparison to the inexpressible and unapproachable light. nevertheless, the Son also illuminates the mind towards what must be done, and the truth always prevails; falsehood does not overcome the truth. wherefore he himself said: "I have overcome the world," instead of: I have refuted every misguided heresy and have overcome all passions, as many as are adventitious, not however those that are natural and necessary. which he willingly underwent, in order to show the truth of the

1

Fragmenta in Joannem

1 {3Jο 1, 1}3Ὁ λόγος μίαν οἶδεν ἀρχήν, οὐ δύο, ὡς λέγουσιν οἱ Μανιχαῖοι, οὐδὲ πρώτου αἴτιον καὶ δεύτερον αἴτιον καὶ τρίτον αἴτιον, ὡς λέγουσι Πλάτων, Βασιλίδης,Μαρκίων, Ἄρειος, Εὐνόμιος· λέγεται μὲν γὰρ ἀρχὴ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἀρχὴ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ἀρχὴ τὸ πνεῦμα διὰ τὸ συναΐδιον τῆς τριάδος, οὐ διὰ τὸ τρεῖς εἶναι ἀρχάς, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν πατέρα λέγομεν θεὸν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν θεὸν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα θεόν, οὐχ ὡς τρίθεον σέβοντες, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ὁμοούσιον τῆς μιᾶς θεότητος τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων. 2 {3Jο 1, 1}3Τὴν Σαβελλίου αἵρεσιν διὰ τοῦτο καταβάλλει τὰς ὑποστάσεις σημαίνων πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ υἱοπατορίαν ἡ ἐκκλησία δοξάζει καθὰ μυθεύων ὁΛίβυς εἶπεν.Μίαν ὑπόστασιν λέγουσι τῆς τριάδος Σαβέλλιος, Νοητός, Ναυάτος, ΠαῦλοςΣαμοσατεύς, Μάρκελλος.Οὐκ ἦν προφορικός, ἀλλ' ἐνυπόστατος καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐνυπόστατος, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεός.Φωτεινὸς λέγει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς Λόγος ἀνυπόστατος ὢν ὡς ὁ ἡμέτερος εἰς σάρκα μετεβλήθη.Ἐπειδὴ ἀκούοντές τινες τῶν αἱρετικῶν, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ ἐγέννησε τὸν υἱόν, σκανδαλίζονται ἐννοοῦντες ῥεῦσιν ἢ πάθος γίνεσθαι περὶ τὸν πατέρα, ἅπερ πέφυκεν ἐπὶ τῶν παχείων σωμάτων ἔσθ' ὅτε συμβαίνειν. προαναστέλλων αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐκ προοιμιῶν τὸν υἱὸν ἅπαξ καὶ δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον ἐκάλεσε Λόγον, ἵνα τὸ ἀπαθὲς παραστήσῃ τῆς γεννήσεως· ὡς γὰρ ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος ἀρρεύστως καὶ ἀμειώτως καὶ ἀπαθῶς γεννᾶται ἐκ τοῦ νοῦ (ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον πνεῦμα), οὕτω καὶ ἡ γέννησις τοῦ υἱοῦ· διὸ καὶ ἐλέχθη· «Ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν», ὅ ἐστι θεόν, ὃς μόνος «ἐστὶν ἀγαθός». 3 {3Jο 1, 2}3Ἀντὶ τοῦ συναΐδιος ἦν τῷ πατρὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπάρχων φύσει, ἔχων τόπον ἀρχαιότατον τὴν τοῦ γεννήσαντος φύσιν· ἡ γὰρ ἀρχὴ ὑπεραναβαίνει τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀρχὴ γὰρ λέγεται ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ υἱοῦ κατὰ μόνον τὸ ἐξ οὗ· τῇ γὰρ αἰτίᾳ ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ υἱοῦ προεπινοηθήσεται, οὐ μὴν τῇ ὑπάρξει προθεωρηθήσεται. πανταχοῦ δὲ ἐντίθησι τὸ ἦν παραπέμπων τὸν υἱὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄναρχον· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν. 4 {3Jο 1, 3}3Ἄλλην ἐκβάλλει αἵρεσιν διδάσκων, ὅτι διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐκτίσθη πάντα τὰ γενητά, οὐ μὴν δι' ἀγγέλων καλῶν ἢ κακῶν ὡς κακῶς τινες ὑπέλαβον, ὧν εἰσιΠλάτων, Σίμων, Βασιλίδης, Νικόλαος, Μένανδρος, Βορβοριανός, Σατορνῖλος,Κήρινθος. διὸ καὶ τὸν γάμον τινὲς ἀπαγορεύουσι καὶ τὸ γεννᾶν, Σατορνῖλος καὶ οἱ Ἀποστολικοί. 5 {3Jο 1, 3}3Ἔμφασιν ἔχει ὁ λόγος, ὅτι οὐ μόνος ὁ υἱὸς ἔκτισε τὰ πάντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα· ὅσα γὰρ ποιεῖ ὁ πατὴρ διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἐργάζεται, καὶ ὅπου μία τῶν τριῶν ὑποστάσεων λέγεται ποιεῖν, συνεπινοοῦνται καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ τῆς μιᾶς οὐσίας ὑποστάσεις. 6 {3Jο 1, 4}3Πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ πατὴρ δι' υἱοῦ, ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐζωοποιήθη. 7 {3Jο 1, 4}3Οὐκ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ γέγονεν ὁ Λόγος, ἀλλὰ τρόπον τινὰ αὐτὸς διὰ τοῦ πνεύ ματος ἐνισχύσας τὴν παρθένον καὶ ἐνοικήσας ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ αὐτῆς θεμέλιος ἐγένετο. καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ᾠκοδόμησεν τὴν ἐκ Μαρίας ἑνωθεῖσαν αὐτῷ σάρκα ἔμψυχον λογικήν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ ζωή. ὡς γὰρ αὐτός ἐστι ζωή, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἑνωθεῖσα αὐτῷ σάρξ, ἧς οἱ μετέχοντες ζωοποιοῦνται τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῆς φθορᾶς ἀπαλλασσόμενοι καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἀκαταπαύστων πεμπόμενοι, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀληθῶς ζωή. 8 {3Jο 1, 4}3Ἡ σάρκωσις τοῦ μονογενοῦς φωταγωγεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πρὸς τὴν ἀληθῆ θεογνωσίαν καὶ πρὸς πᾶν εἶδος ἀρετῆς, δι' ὧν ἡ ζωοποίησις γίνεται, ὅ ἐστι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ ἀπόλαυσις. 10 col 1 {3Jο 1, 5}3Σκοτία ἐστὶ πᾶς ὁ κόσμος πρὸς σύγκρισιν τοῦ ἀνεκφράστου καὶ ἀπρο σίτου φωτός. πλὴν καὶ ὁ υἱὸς φωτίζει τὸν νοῦν πρὸς τὰ πρακτέα καὶ ἀεὶ περικρατεῖ ἡ ἀλήθεια, οὐ μὴν τὸ ψεῦδος περιγίνεται τῆς ἀληθείας. διὸ καὶ αὐτὸς εἶπεν· «ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κό σμον», ἀντὶ τοῦ πᾶσαν πεπλανημένην αἵρεσιν ἤλεγξα καὶ πάντων περιγέγονα τῶν παθῶν, ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐπείσακτα, οὐ μὴν φυσικὰ καὶ ἀναγκαῖα. ἅπερ ἑκὼν ὑπέστη, ἵνα δείξῃ τὸ ἀληθὲς τῆς