約翰福音講道集 第 5 章

All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

Moses, indeed, beginning the history and the writing of the Old Testament, discourses to us concerning the things perceptible by sense, and enumerates them at length.

For 'In the beginning,' he says, 'God made the heaven and the earth';

then he adds that light also came into being, and a second heaven, and the nature of the stars, and all kinds of living creatures, and all the rest—that we may not weary you by going through each in detail.

But this evangelist, cutting all short, embraces in a single word both those things and the things above them;

and reasonably so, inasmuch as these were already familiar to his hearers, while he was hastening on to a greater theme, and had set before himself his whole undertaking—to speak, not of the works, but of the Maker and Him who brought all things into being.

For this reason the one, although he took up the lesser portion of the creation (for he discoursed to us nothing concerning the invisible powers), dwells upon these things;

but this one, since he was hastening to ascend to the very Maker, reasonably runs past all things, both these and the things passed over in silence by that other, comprising them in one brief word: 'All things were made through Him.'

And that you may not suppose he is speaking only of all those things which were spoken by Moses also, he adds: 'And without Him was not anything made that was made';

that is, of things created, whether anything be visible or intelligible, none was brought into being apart from the power of the Son.

For we shall not place the full stop at 'not anything,' as the heretics do.

For they, wishing to call the Spirit a created thing, say:

'That which was made, in Him was life.'

But in this way what is said becomes inconceivable.

For, in the first place, this was no time here to make mention of the Spirit;

and even if he had wished to, why did he set it down so obscurely? For whence is it clear that this was said concerning the Spirit? And besides, we shall find, according to this reading, not the Spirit, but the Son Himself as having come into being through Himself.

But rouse yourselves, that what is said may not escape you;

and come, let us for the present read according to their manner;

for thus the absurdity will become more evident to us.

'That which was made, in Him was life.'

They say that the Spirit is here called the life.

But this life is found to be also light;

for he adds, 'And the life was the light of men.'

Therefore, according to them, he here calls the Spirit the light of men.

What then? When he goes on and says that 'There was a man sent from God, that he might bear witness concerning the light,' they must of necessity say that this too was spoken concerning the Spirit.

For Him whom above he called the Word, this same One, as he proceeds, he names both God, and life, and light.

For 'the Word,' he says, 'was life,' this Word, and this life was light.

If, then, the Word is the life, and this Word and the life became flesh, then the life became flesh, that is, the Word;

and we beheld its glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father.

If, then, they say that the Spirit is here called the life, see how many absurdities will follow.

For it will be the Spirit that was made flesh, and not the Son;

the Spirit will be the only-begotten Son.

And if not this, then, fleeing from it, they will fall into another most absurd conclusion by reading in this way.

For if indeed they should confess that it was said concerning the Son, and should not punctuate nor read as we do, they will say that the Son came into being from Himself, by Himself.

For if the life is the Word, and 'that which was made, in Him was life,'

then He came into being in Himself and through Himself, according to this reading.

Then, having said certain things in between, he adds:

'And we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father.'

Behold, according to the reading of those who say these things, the Holy Spirit is also found to be the only-begotten Son.

For all this narrative was spoken by him concerning Him.

Do you see, when the word of truth is once dislodged, whither it is turned aside, and how many absurdities it breeds? What then? Is not the Spirit light, one says? It is indeed light;

but here it is not spoken concerning Him;

since God also is called Spirit, that is, incorporeal;

but it does not by all means follow that, wherever Spirit is mentioned, God is signified.

And why do you marvel if we say this concerning the Father? For neither would we say this of the Paraclete:

that wherever Spirit is mentioned, the Paraclete is by all means signified;

and yet this is His most distinctive name;

but it does not by all means follow that, wherever Spirit is mentioned, it is the Paraclete.

For indeed Christ also is called the power of God and the wisdom of God; yet it does not by all means follow that, wherever the power and wisdom of God are mentioned, it is Christ.

So, then, here also, even if the Spirit gives light, nevertheless the evangelist is not now speaking concerning Him.

But when we have shut them out from these absurdities, they again, everywhere zealous to stand against the truth, say, still clinging to the same reading:

'That which was made, in Him was life.'

That is, 'that which was made was life.'

What then? Also the sufferings of the Sodomites, and the flood, and hell, and ten thousand such things? But our discourse is concerning the creation, one says.

Nay rather, those things too belong to the creation.

But that we may refute their argument out of superabundance, let us ask them:

Is wood, tell me, life? And is stone life—these lifeless and motionless things? But is man wholly life? And who would say this? For man is not life-in-itself, but is capable of receiving life.

But see again here too the absurdity;

for according to the same sequence we shall here also advance the argument, so that from this also we may learn their folly.

For thus they say nothing at all that is fitting to the Spirit.

For when they have fallen away from that ground, they attach to men those things which they had thought were worthily spoken of the Spirit.

Nevertheless, let us examine even this reading of theirs.

'Life' is here said to mean the created order;

and it was concerning this that John came to bear witness.

Why then is not he himself also light? 'For that man was not the Light,' it says.

And yet he too was part of the created order.

How then is this one not light? And how is it that 'He was in the world, and the world was made by Him'? Was the creation in the creation, and the creation made through the creation? And how is it that 'the world knew Him not'? Did the creation not know the creation? 'But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become children of God.'

For the rest, I forbear to pursue the absurdity of these arguments, lest we ourselves should seem to have chosen this very thing—merely to raise a laugh—and should waste our time to no purpose.

For if these things were spoken neither concerning the Spirit (as indeed they were not, as has been demonstrated) nor concerning the creation, yet they still cling to that same reading;

then that most absurd conclusion of all will follow, which we mentioned before—namely, that the Son was made through Himself.

For if the Son is the true Light, and this Light was Life, and the Life came to be in Him;

then by all necessity this must follow according to their reading.

Wherefore, letting this go, let us come to the accepted reading and interpretation.

And what is this? It is to let the sentence rest at 'that was made';

then to begin from the ensuing clause which says, 'In Him was life.'

For what he says is of this sort:

'Without Him was not any one thing made that was made.'

If anything among created things came to be, he says, it did not come to be without Him.

Do you see how by this brief addition he has corrected all the absurdities lurking beneath? For by subjoining that 'Without Him was made not one thing,' and adding 'that was made,' he both comprehended the things perceptible only to the mind, and excepted the Spirit.

For since he had said, 'All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any one thing made';

then, if all things were made through Him, and the Spirit too was made, this addition was needed.

For I mean, he says, that if anything is created, I have said that it came to be through Him—even if it be invisible, even if incorporeal, even if in the heavens.

For this reason I did not simply say 'all things,' but 'whatsoever was made,' that is, the created things.

Do you see teaching made precise? He called to mind the creation of things perceptible;

for Moses had already taught concerning them beforehand;

then, having led those who had advanced from that point on to higher things—I mean the incorporeal and the invisible—he excepted from the whole creation the Holy Spirit.

So too Paul, inspired by this same grace, said:

'For in Him were all things created.'

And observe again here also the same precision.

For it was the same Spirit that moved this soul.

For lest anyone should except any of the created things from the workmanship of God on the ground that they are invisible;

and lest anyone should mingle the Paraclete among these—he too, passing over the things perceptible and known to all, enumerates the things in the heavens, saying:

'Whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.'

For the 'whether,' placed before each, shows us nothing else than this: that 'All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any one thing made that was made.'

But if you think that the word 'through' implies inferiority, hear Him saying:

'Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands';

saying of the Son that which was spoken of the Father as Creator;

for he would not have said it, unless he held the glory to be that of a Creator, and not of one merely rendering service to another.

And if here the phrase 'through Him' is used, it is set down for no other reason than that no one should suspect the Son to be unbegotten.

For that in the dignity of creation He is in no way inferior to the Father, hear Him saying:

'As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them,'

'even so the Son also quickeneth whom He will.'

If then it is concerning the Son that even in the Old Testament the words are spoken, 'In the beginning Thou, Lord, hast laid the foundation of the earth,' the dignity of Creator is made plain;

but if you say that the Prophet spoke this concerning the Father, and that Paul ascribed to the Son what was said of the Father, even so the same thing follows again.

For Paul would never have laid it down as fitting for the Son also, had he not been fully confident that in dignity they were of equal honor.

For it would have been the utmost audacity to bring the things befitting the incomparable Nature down to that which is inferior to and falls short of it.

But the Son is neither inferior to, nor falls short of, the essence of the Father.

Wherefore Paul boldly said not these things only concerning Him, but also other things of a like kind.

For the expression 'of whom,' which you assign as a portion worthy of the Father alone, he uses of the Son also, speaking thus:

'Of whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and ligaments, increaseth with the increase of God.'

And he is not content with this alone, but proves it from another source as well.

He stops your mouths by ascribing to the Father that very 'through whom' which you say implies inferiority.

'For God is faithful,' he says, 'through whom ye were called into the fellowship of His Son';

and again, 'Through His will';

and elsewhere, 'For of Him, and through Him, and unto Him are all things.'

So that the phrase 'of whom' is ascribed not to the Son alone, but also to the Spirit.

For indeed the angel said to Joseph:

'Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife;

for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.'

So then, just as the phrase 'in whom,' which belongs to the Spirit, the Prophet does not disdain to ascribe to God also, saying thus:

'In God shall we do valiantly.'

he says, 'If by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.'

And again in the case of Christ he sets down this same phrase, saying:

And in general we should find these expressions frequently and quite continually interchanged;

and this could not have happened, unless everywhere the same essence underlay them.

But that you may not suspect the words 'All things were made by Him' to be spoken here concerning the miracles (for concerning these the other Evangelists have discoursed), he adds after these things, saying:

'He was in the world, and the world was made by Him';

for this belongs not to the created things, but to Him who is above all creation.

But for the present let us hold to what follows.

For having spoken concerning the creation, John—as, for instance, that 'All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any one thing made that was made'—

adds also the discourse concerning providence, saying, 'In Him was life.'

For indeed, that no one might disbelieve how such great and so many things came to be through Him, he added, 'In Him was life.'

Just as, then, in the case of a spring that gives birth to unfathomable deeps, however much you draw off, you have diminished the spring by nothing;

so also in the case of the working of the Only-begotten, however many things you believe to have been brought forth and made through it, this working has become in no way the less;

or rather, that I may use a more fitting example, I will speak of light, which he too immediately brought in, saying:

Just as, then, the light, however many myriads it may illuminate, is in no way diminished in its own brightness;

so also God, both before He wrought and after He made, remains alike undiminished, in no way lessened, nor grown weary from His abundant creating;

but even if there needed to come into being ten thousand such worlds, even infinite ones, He remains the same, sufficient for all, not only to bring them into being, but also to hold them together after their creation.

For the name of life here belongs not to the creation only, but also to the providence that concerns their continuance.

And he lays down beforehand for us also the discourse concerning the resurrection, and begins these wondrous good tidings.

For when Life came to us, the dominion of death was dissolved; and when the Light shone upon us, there is no longer darkness, but life abides in us continually, and death is unable to prevail against it.

So that what was said concerning the Father may properly be said also concerning Him, that 'In Him we live, and move, and have our being.'

This also Paul made plain, saying, 'For in Him were all things created, and in Him all things consist.'

Wherefore He is called also root and foundation.

But when you hear that 'In Him was life,' do not suppose Him to be composite;

for further on he says also concerning the Father:

'As the Father has life in Himself, so has He given also to the Son to have life.'

But just as you would not on this account say that the Father is composite, so neither should you say it of the Son.

For indeed elsewhere too he says that 'God is Light';

and again, that He 'dwells in light unapproachable.'

But all these things have been said, not that we should suppose composition, but that little by little we might be led up to the height of the doctrines.

For since not easily could one of the multitude have understood how His life is subsistent, he first spoke that humbler thing, and then, when they had been instructed, he leads them up to the loftier.

For He who said that 'He gave to Him to have life,' this same One again says, 'I am the life';

and again, 'I am the light.'

And of what kind, tell me, is this light? Not such a one perceptible to sense, but spiritual, illuminating the soul itself.

For since Christ was about to say, that 'No one is able

to come to Me, unless the Father draw him,' for this reason the evangelist, anticipating here, declared that He is the one who illuminates, so that even if you should hear something of this kind concerning the Father, you might not say that it belongs to the Father alone, but also to the Son.

'For all things,' He says, 'that My Father has are Mine.'

First, then, he taught us concerning the creation;

then he speaks also of the good things pertaining to the soul, which He bestowed on us at His coming, and the evangelist hinted at them by a single word, saying:

'And the life was the light of men.'

And he did not say, 'It was the light of the Jews,' but universally, 'of men.'

For not the Jews only, but also the Greeks came to this knowledge, and this light was set forth in common for all.

But for what reason did he not add also the angels, but said, 'of men'? Because his discourse is now concerning this nature, and it was to these that He came bringing the good tidings.

'And the light shines in the darkness.'

By 'darkness' he means both death and error.

For this perceptible light does not shine in the darkness, but apart from it;

but the preaching shone in the midst of prevailing error, and made it vanish.

And having Himself come to be in death, He so prevailed over it as even to bring up again those who were already held fast by it.

Since, then, neither did death prevail over it, nor error, but it is everywhere resplendent, and shines with its own strength;

'And the darkness comprehended it not.'

For indeed it is unconquerable, not lingering in souls that are unwilling to be enlightened.

But if it did not take hold of all, let not this trouble you;

for God draws us to Himself not by necessity and force, but by willing and by purpose.

Do not, then, shut the doors against this light, and you shall enjoy much delight.

And this light comes through faith, and when it has come, it thenceforth shines with great abundance upon him who has received it;

and if you afford it a pure life, it remains continually dwelling within;

'For he that loves Me,' He says, 'will keep My commandments, and I and the Father will come to him, and will make our abode with him.'

Just as, then, it is not possible to enjoy the sun's ray as one ought without opening the eyes;

so neither is it possible to partake abundantly of this brightness, without having flung wide open the eye of the soul, and having rendered it keen-sighted on every side.

But how does this come about? When we cleanse the soul of all its passions.

For sin is darkness, and deep darkness;

and this is plain from the fact that men practice it unconsciously and by stealth.

'For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light';

and, 'The things done in secret it is a shame even to speak of.'

Just as, then, in darkness one knows neither friend nor foe, but is ignorant of all the natures of things;

for indeed he who wishes to overreach does not distinguish friend from enemy;

and the envious man looks even upon one closely bound to him as upon an enemy;

and the schemer is likewise at war with all; and in a word, everyone who commits sin differs in no way from the drunken and the mad, as regards not recognizing the nature of things.

And just as at night we see wood, and lead, and iron, and silver, and gold, and precious stone all alike, when the light that distinguishes them is not present;

so also he who has an impure life knows neither the virtue of self-control, nor the beauty of true wisdom.

For in darkness, as I said before, even if precious stones lie there, they do not display their beauty, not by reason of their own nature, but by reason of the ignorance of those who behold.

But this is not the only dreadful thing that befalls us who are in sins, but also that we live together with continual fear;

and just as those who walk through a moonless night tremble, even though no one is present to frighten them;

so also those who work sin cannot be confident, even though there be none to convict them, but they dread all things, and are suspicious, being pricked by their conscience, and everything is for them full of dread and anguish, they peer about at everything, they fear everything.

Let us, therefore, flee a life so full of pain.

Upon this pain will follow death—an immortal death;

for there is no end to the punishment there;

and here too those who dream of things that have no real existence differ in no way from those who are deranged.

For indeed they seem to be rich while not being rich, and they think they live in luxury while not living in luxury, and they do not perceive this deception as they ought, until they are freed from their madness, until they shake off their sleep.

Wherefore Paul exhorts all to be sober and to watch;

And Christ says the same things again.

He who is sober and watchful, even if he be caught by sin, quickly beats it back;

but he who is asleep and beside himself does not perceive how he is held fast by it.

For it is not the season of night, but of day.

Let us therefore, as in the day, walk becomingly.

For nothing is more unseemly than sin.

It is a lesser evil, as far as unseemliness goes, to go about naked than to go about sinning and transgressing.

For the former is not so great a charge;

for often it might arise even from poverty;

but than the one who sins there is nothing more shameful and more dishonorable.

Let us consider, then, those who go off to the law court for the sake of rapine and covetousness, how shameful and ridiculous they appear, shameless in everything, lying and acting with brazen effrontery.

But we are so pitiable and wretched that, while we would not endure to put on a garment carelessly and awry — nay, even if we saw another suffering this, we would set it right —

yet, when both we ourselves and our neighbors are walking upside down [head over heels], we do not even perceive it.

For what, tell me, is more shameful than a man who goes in to a harlot? And what could be more ridiculous than an insolent man, or a reviler, or an envious one? Whence, then, do these things not seem to be as shameful as going about naked? From custom alone.

For the one thing no one ever suffered willingly;

but the other is always dared by all with impunity.

For if anyone were to come into a multitude of angels, among whom nothing of the kind ever happened, he would then see clearly the great absurdity [that provokes laughter].

And why do I speak of a multitude of angels? For even in our own royal palaces, if anyone were to bring in a harlot and consort with her, or be overcome by drunkenness with wine, or commit any other such indecency, he pays the uttermost penalty.

But if in royal palaces it is intolerable to dare such things, how much more, when the King who is everywhere present is at hand and beholding what is done, if we dare such things, shall we undergo the uttermost punishment.

Wherefore, I beseech you, let us show forth much tranquility in our life, much purity; for indeed we have a King who continually beholds all our doings.

In order, then, that this light may ever richly illumine us, let us draw to ourselves this beam.

For thus shall we enjoy both the good things here and those to come, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.