返回Volume 19 of the Commentaries on the Gospel of John (Origen), Translated by ChatGPT from Migne's Patrologia Graeca
Volume 19 of the Commentaries on the Gospel of John (Origen), Translated by ChatGPT from Migne's Patrologia Graeca
Volume 19 of the Commentaries on the Gospel of John (Origen), Translated by ChatGPT from Migne's Patrologia Graeca
[John 8:19] Jesus answered, “You neither know me nor my Father. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.”
If the words were addressed to the same, saying, "You know me and where I am from," [John 7:28] and then saying, "You neither know me nor my Father," it would seem directly contradictory. But now the phrase "You know me" is directed to some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who said, "Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? But we know where this man is from, and when the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from." However, the statement "You neither know me" and what follows it is to the Pharisees who said to him, "You bear witness of yourself; your witness is not true." Nevertheless, he says to both the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the earlier words, and to the Pharisees through the words now under examination, that they do not know the Father. To the inhabitants of Jerusalem, through these words: "I have not come of myself, but He who sent me is true, whom you do not know. I know Him because I am from Him, and He sent me." And to the Pharisees, through the words: "You neither know me nor my Father. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also." And one may reasonably inquire how, if it is true that "If you had known me, you would have known my Father also," the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to whom he says, "You know me," do not know the Father. And John adds to the perplexity regarding this point by what he says in his catholic epistle: "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also." For if "Whoever denies the Son denies the Father" and "He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also," it is evident that the inhabitants of Jerusalem, insofar as they do not know the Father, by denying the Father, also deny the Son. And if they deny the Son, how is the statement "You know me" true? Again, if they know the Son because of "You know me," since "He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also," they acknowledge the Father. But if they acknowledge the Father, how is it true that "He who sent me is true, whom you do not know"?It must be said that the Savior sometimes speaks about himself as a man and sometimes as having a divine nature united with the unbegotten nature of the Father. For when he says, "Now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth," he speaks knowing that what is being sought to be killed is not God but a man. But when he says, "I and the Father are one" and "I am the truth and the life" and "I am the resurrection" and similar things, he is not teaching about the man who is sought to be killed. Thus, we must understand from the context whether each of the matters before us refers to his human nature or his divinity. The phrase "You know me and where I am from" refers to his human nature, but "You neither know me nor my Father" refers to his divinity. For before saying, "You know me and where I am from," the following had been stated: "Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, 'Is this not the man whom they seek to kill? And look, he speaks openly and they say nothing to him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from.'" And regarding the phrase "You neither know me nor my Father," the following was said by the Pharisees to him: "You bear witness of yourself; your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. * * * You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me.” It is clear from these that it was said by those in Jerusalem, “We know where this man is from,” referring to his being born in Bethlehem, and knowing that his mother was called Mary, and his brothers James and John and Simon and Judas. Therefore, it testifies to those who said, “We know where he is from” by saying, “You know me and you know where I am from.” To the Pharisees, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going;” speaking according to his divine nature, he said these things, and, as one might say, as the firstborn of all creation he was. Therefore, to those who asked these things of him and said, “Where is your father?” he answers (as one might say, being different from the one who said, “You know me”) and says, “You neither know me nor my Father.” But regarding the ignorance of the Pharisees, either not understanding that he was speaking about the God of all, with “He who sent me testifies about me, the Father,” or if they accepted that he was speaking about God, thinking that God is in a location, and therefore responding, “Where is your Father?”
It is necessary, though, to know that heretics consider clearly from this that the God whom the Jews worship does not be the Father of Christ; for if to the Pharisees worshipping the creator, they say, the Savior said, “You neither know me nor my Father,” it is clear that the Father of Jesus, being different from the creator, the Pharisees did not know, nor did those in Jerusalem, to whom he had previously said, “But he who sent me is true, whom you do not know.” They say these things not having read the divine scriptures, nor having kept to the customary language in them. For even if one can understand thoroughly from the scriptures of the fathers concerning God that one must worship only Him, if he does not live well, they say this one does not have the knowledge of God. If, indeed, another knew about the creator and his priestly service, it would be clear that even the sons of Eli the priest, being raised in the worship, but even so, having sinned, it is written about them in the first book of Samuel: “And the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord.” For we will inquire of the heretics whether it is written about the creator, “They did not know the Lord,” and if they answer that these things are about the creator, we will seek to understand why it was said about the sons of Eli, “They did not know the Lord;” whether it was due to the things concerning the creator or due to their wickedness; it is clearly said because of their wickedness that they are said not to have known the Lord. And this can be found not only about the sons of Eli but also about other kings who ruled in Israel and Judah who were sinners. Thus then, the Pharisees did not know the Father; for they did not live according to the will of the creator.
There is also another meaning of knowing God, with there being a difference between knowing God and merely believing in God, as is evident from: "Whatever the law speaks, it speaks to those who are under the law," indicating clearly that it also includes the prophets whose words are called law, as we have demonstrated elsewhere. It is said in the Psalms: “Be still and know that I am God.” Who would not agree [believe] that these words were written to people who believe in the Creator? Whom to know is impossible without being still and purifying the mind of those who contemplate, and seeing God with more divine eyes because they have made their hearts pure, and are deemed worthy of this grace, as the Savior testifies, saying: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Similarly, regarding “No one knows the Father except the Son,” we shall say that knowing the Father is not the same thing as believing in Him. Therefore, the statement “No one knows the Father except the Son” does not contradict “And Abraham believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” If someone thinks we are forcing the issue by saying that believing is not the same as knowing, and that it is possible to believe without having knowledge of the one they believe in, let them hear what Jesus says to those Jews who had believed in Him: “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Notice that before it says “If you continue in my word, you will know the truth,” it is written: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him,” and what He said was: “If you continue in my word, you will know the truth.” It is vastly different to have knowledge alongside believing, compared to merely believing. For one is given by the Spirit, a message of wisdom; to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit.
These things, then, show that knowing God is different from believing in Him. Regarding the exactness, we will assign this meaning to the words said to the Pharisees: “Neither know me, nor my Father,” meaning reasonably: you do not even believe in my Father, for they did not believe in the one sent by the Father, and he who denies the Son does not have the Father either; and in no way do I say that they neither believe nor know. See whether the scripture also teaches that those who have been united to something and are joined with it are said to know that to which they have been united and shared in; but before such union and shared participation, even if they comprehend the words about something, they do not know it. Therefore Adam, speaking about Eve, said, "This now is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh," but did not yet know the woman; for when he was united with her, it is said, "And Adam knew Eve his wife." And if anyone should stumble because we have received this as an example concerning the knowledge of God from "And Adam knew Eve his wife," let him first reflect on "This mystery is great." Secondly, let him compare what is said about male and female by the apostle; he uses the same expression concerning man and the Lord: "He who is joined to a prostitute is one body with her, but he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." Therefore, the one joined to the prostitute has known the prostitute, and the one joined to the wife has known the wife; moreover, he who is joined to the Lord surely and holy knows the Lord. If this is the case, the Pharisees did not know the Father nor the Son, and true was the one who said, "Neither know me nor my Father." If we do not understand it in this final acceptation—I mean, taking knowledge as the same as being united and mixed—someone might explain, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God," and, "The Lord knows those who are his." For according to us, the Lord knew those who were his by uniting with them and sharing with them his divinity and taking them up, as the gospel word says, into his hand, those who have believed in the Savior being in the hand of the Father; therefore, if they do not fall away by distancing themselves from the hand of God, they will not be seized. For no one seizes from the hand of the Father.
After this, you will inquire into the same point, I mean the statement, "Neither have you known me, nor my Father," whether it is possible for someone to know God without knowing the Father; for if there is a different conception of Him as Father, and a different one as God, then perhaps it is possible to know God without knowing the Father as long as one knows Him as God, but does not know the Father. The Savior, therefore, says after the resurrection to Mary, "Go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" It is suitable for heterodox to say, granting them that Moses and the prophets did not know the Father, which perhaps is not true, because anyone who has not known the Father has not known the Son; for the Son knows the Father, but the servant knows the Lord; and just as we would not be impious by saying that the Son did not know the Lord (for being a Son, He has not experienced the Father's dominion), so keeping the same God, we would not admit anything absurd by saying that the Son should know the Father and the servant the Lord, and neither the servant knows the Father nor the Son the Lord. Though there are many prayers written in the Psalms and the prophets and in the law itself, we do not find anyone praying and saying to God, "Father," perhaps because they did not know the Father; but they pray to Him as God and Lord, expecting the Spirit of adoption that He pours out not less upon them than upon those believing in God through Him after His appearing; unless indeed the spiritual advent of Christ has already happened to them and they have once received the Spirit of adoption when perfected; in a veiled manner and not openly known to all they called or wrote about God as Father, lest they anticipate the grace being bestowed upon the whole world through Jesus, calling everyone to adoption, to declare the name of God to His brothers and praise the Father in the midst of the congregation according to what is written: "I will declare Your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will praise You."
For it is evident that the same God is the God of the prophets and the creator of the world; it is sufficient for the present to consider the speech of Stephen in Acts where he says to the people, "Men, brothers, and fathers, listen." The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, "Depart from your land and from your kin," and the rest. From the entire speech, it is incontestably clear to learn that the God of the prophets is the Father of Christ Jesus. And from the epistle to the Romans of the apostle in these words: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake, among whom you also are called of Jesus Christ; to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Clearly, from these words we have learned that the Creator and God of the prophets and the Father of Christ is both the God and Father of us. Therefore, the Pharisees not only did not have knowledge of Him either as Father or as God, who gave the law as the Father of Christ; but neither did they believe in Him confessing as Father of Jesus and His God, nor perhaps even as the God who created all things.
They did not know Christ, and the Savior rightly reproves them saying, "You neither know Me nor My Father." These I inquire: whether "If you knew Me, you would know My Father also" is equal to "If you knew My Father, you would know Me also," or not? And I think that these do not equally correspond to one another, that from the knowledge of the Son ascending to the knowledge of the Father, the one who knows the Father knows Him not otherwise than by seeing the Son. "For he who has seen Me," He says, "has seen the One who sent Me." He would not have said, "He who has seen the Father has seen Me," since he who has perceived the Word of God has perceived God, ascending from the Word to God. It is impossible to perceive God apart from the Word. And the one who contemplates the wisdom that God created before the ages for his works rises from knowing wisdom to knowing her Father. And it is impossible to conceive the God of wisdom without progressing through wisdom. You will say the same about truth; for no one can conceive or behold God without first knowing the truth, so that thus he might come to see in the essence or the power and nature of God beyond essence. And perhaps, just as there were some steps in the temple through which one would enter the Holy of Holies, in the same way, for all of us, the Only-Begotten of God is the steps. And just as of the steps one is first towards the lower parts, another higher than it, and so on in succession up to the highest, in the same way the Savior is all the steps. The first lower one is his human nature, upon which ascending, we proceed through the rest of his steps along the whole path in the steps, so that through him, who is both angel and the other powers, we might ascend. And according to the concepts about him, if there is another way and door, one must first meet the way, so that afterwards he may reach the door, and use him as a leader inasmuch as he is also a shepherd, so that he may later enjoy him also as a king, gain advantage of him first as a lamb, in order to first take away our sin, and then, being purified, eat his flesh, the true food; and someone will more diligently examine and acquire these things which are adjacent, and he will hear: "If you knew me, you would know my Father also," and "Since you have known me, you have known my Father."
[John 8:20] These words he spoke in the treasury, teaching in the temple; and no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
If it were not useful to learn from what was previously mentioned that the Savior spoke in the treasury, the evangelist would not have added to the words of Jesus, "These words he spoke in the treasury, teaching in the temple;" and everywhere that it is mentioned, "These words he spoke" in this place, you will find the reason for the addition. Therefore, so that it may be understood why these words were spoken by Jesus in the treasury, we will present what we have learned from Luke and Mark, who named the treasury. From Luke: "Looking up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and he saw a certain poor widow putting in two small coins. And he said, 'Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had.'" And from Mark: "And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums; but a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny." And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." But what does the mention of these sayings mean to me, considering that the treasury was in the temple? To understand the presented word of John let us already say: if we regard the sacred place of God and the matters concerning the temple in a spiritual sense, correspondingly let us also understand the treasury in the temple, which is a place for money in honor of God and for the maintenance of the offered poor. What might this money be other than the divine words bearing the image of the great king imprinted, observed by experienced bankers, who know how to separate the genuine from the counterfeit that pretends to be genuine while it is not, and who keep the command of Jesus saying, "Be competent bankers," as well as the teaching of Paul saying, "Test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil"? Let each person contribute to the edification of the church, bringing to the spiritual treasury whatever they can in honor of God and for the benefit of the community.Since the community can be benefited in two ways, both by words and by deeds, which the righteous performs, these also are fittingly brought to the spiritual treasury. But as not all have equal or similar strength in this life, since the householder gave to one five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to their ability, the living word accepts them, observing the ability of those contributing to the treasury we described, and does not only observe the quantity of their contributions. Therefore, if someone is capable of more, but contributes less relative to their inherent ability, even though it is more compared to those less able, he accepts those who contribute less with all their might over those who contribute more from an ability to give manifold, as it is written in what we have set forth from both Luke and Mark. At the same time, these spoken words teach the one who has understood them spiritually to never think of exalting themselves above those who are considered inferior by human judgment. For, let no one be convinced who thinks themselves to do greater and better things, comparing themselves with those who, as far as human judgment is concerned, do the least, just because they have done everything they could, or because the other person did not deliver everything they could according to the word's requirement. Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and noticing the poor widow putting in two small coins, perhaps in a way according to her discernment or her practice, thinking more simply about divine matters and living accordingly, he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all.” And he said this observing how those who were powerful and rich, able to contribute many times more, put into the offerings for God only a small fraction of what they were capable of contributing. But he reflected on the widow’s want and how, by straining herself, she had offered everything she had for survival into the treasury in the temple, giving all her strength to God. So Jesus, according to Luke, looking up at the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, also saw the poor widow putting in two small coins; and according to Mark, standing opposite the treasury he watched how the people gave, each according to their ability, into the treasury, like meaningful copper, and being able to see the rich he also saw if a poorly endowed soul gave with all their might and was thus justified more than the many rich. He does not say these things to the general public but, as Mark says, to his disciples; and he now, calling his disciples, teaches them to see not as man sees but as God sees (“For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”), the “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury," and the following words.
What do all these things mean to me as the narrative presents “These words that he spoke in the treasury, teaching in the temple,” or show that when everyone contributing to the treasury of the temple gave the things to nourish those in need, Jesus should have given the things to benefit them more than all, which were words of eternal life and teaching about God and himself? And indeed, more precious than any currency was the saying “I am the light of the world,” spoken in the treasury, and “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also,” and all the further sayings in that place. And compared to the words of Jesus, all the gold brought by the others into the treasury was like a little sand; for all his words were wisdom. “For all gold in comparison to wisdom is a little bit of sand, and silver will be counted as clay before it.” [Wisdom 7:9] And these things will be clearly understood by those who have learned to hearken to the wisdom spoken among the perfect, hidden in a mystery, "which God foreordained before the ages to the glory" of His righteous ones, and who are able to perceive the supremacy of God's wisdom beyond the "wisdom of this age" or "the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing," as if using their own prophets, opposing any words that are contrary to truth; for all other wisdoms are considered little sand compared to gold in the presence of the wisdom [Wisdom 7:9], which God created as the beginning of His ways for His works, and the shining and persuasive argument of many regarded as silver will be counted as clay [Wisdom 7:9],
And from the book called Wisdom, we have otherwise recorded to understand the power of "These words which He spoke in the treasury, teaching in the temple." For let the narrative about the rich and the poor widow be kept as it has been rendered, and if anyone is an imitator of Christ, let him not walk by the mind alone to the spiritual temple of God, but be led by the Spirit able to guide him there, and bring accepted offerings, words of eternal life, to the treasury, and works corresponding to such words. But may none of us be poor or widowed, able to bring nothing more than two mites, nor rich bringing only out of abundance, but consecrating all wealth to God.
Jesus did not speak all the words He had in the treasury teaching, but only as many as the treasury could hold; for I think not even the whole world could contain the word of God. Yet, still speaking and teaching so many words in the treasury, Jesus was not yet seized by anyone; for His words were stronger than those wishing to seize Him. And as long as He speaks, none of His adversaries could seize Him; but if He is silent, then He is seized. Thus, when He desired to suffer for the world, being examined by Pilate and scourged, He was silent; for if He had spoken, it would no longer have happened to Him to be crucified through weakness, since there is no weakness in what the Word speaks. And while He was in the treasury, the time for Him to be seized had not yet come, nor even when He was in the temple; but He needed to be in a place like a torrent when He wished and could be seized. And it was necessary that the time for His capture should not be by day; "For Judas, having taken the cohort and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches and weapons." We have discussed more about "His hour had not yet come" above, and it will be useful for the present as well.
[John 8:21] Then He said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."
And these things He spoke in the treasury, in the temple, adding to the previous words not only these but more until, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." After this statement, when they took up stones to throw at Him, Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. Passing by, He saw a man who was blind from birth, about whom we will inquire, God willing, when we meet at the place. He says these things so that they may happen, "While He was speaking these things, many believed in Him," like the poor coming to the treasury to take whatever they can and whatever is distributed to them. Many indeed believed in Him, but not many knew Him, since among those who believed in Him, those who remain in His word, truly becoming His disciples, will know the truth. Not many of those who believed in Him remain in His word, nor do many truly become His disciples. Therefore, not many will know the truth, and if the truth sets free, they will not be free; for very few perceive freedom. Who then are those who will know or exalt Him? As He Himself teaches, saying, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He." No one exalts Him while being fed with milk, preparing himself for receiving solid food; therefore, He says to such a one, "I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified," to whom even the minister of the word becomes weak, as Paul says to such, "I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling." Thus speaks the word of God, beginning the second teachings in the treasury in the temple, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin." I seek through the "While He was speaking these things, many believed in Him," lest perhaps He says this not to all those present, but to those who He knew would not believe, and therefore they will die in their sin and will not be able to follow Him; unable because they do not want to; for if willing, they could not, it would not reasonably be said to them, "You will die in your sin."Someone might say to this, "If He said this to those persisting in unbelief, how can He say to such, 'You will seek me'?" For often seeking Jesus is good, somehow the same as seeking the Word and truth and wisdom. But you will say that it is also said concerning those who plot, just as in, "They sought to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him because His hour had not yet come," and in "I know that you are Abraham’s seed, but you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you," and in "Now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God." Therefore, it is said to those not seeking rightly, "You will seek me," not contradicting "Everyone who seeks finds." And there are always differences among those seeking Jesus, not all seeking Him genuinely and for their own salvation and to benefit from Him. For there are also countless fallen dispositions seeking Jesus; therefore, only those who have rightly sought Him found peace, who rightly could be said to seek the Word from the beginning, the Word with God, and to be brought near to the Father. But when the Word is present and appearing, if it is not accepted, it threatens to depart and says, "I am going away;" and if we seek Him after He has departed, we shall not find Him, but we shall die in our sins. He knows from whom He is going away and to whom He remains inaccessible until He is sought in due time. And it is said to those who have Him like this and have not yet observed Him: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down; or, 'Who will descend into the abyss? That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.' But what does the scripture say? 'The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart.'" To these, the Savior kindly shows also concerning the kingdom of God, so that they do not seek it outside themselves nor say, "Here it is," or "There it is;" for He says to them, "The kingdom of God is within you." And as long as we preserve within our soul the seeds of truth and its beginnings that were sown in us, the Word has not yet departed from us; but if we are corrupted by the outpouring of wickedness, then He will say to us, "I am going," so that if we seek Him we shall not find Him, but we shall die in our sins, caught in them and taken by those appointed to seize the soul, according to what was said: "Fool, this very night your soul will be demanded from you."
We should not pass over unexamined also the phrase, "You will die in your sins." If it is taken more commonly, it is clear that sinners will die in their sin, and the righteous will die in their righteousness; but if "You will die" is understood according to the death of the enemy of Christ, as one sinning unto death, it is clear that those to whom it was said had not yet died. And you inquire how those who did not believe while they were living will ever die. Someone will answer even to this, saying that at that time not yet believing was not yet a sin unto death, and those to whom the word came had not yet sinned unto death. But they were living in the weakness of their soul, and that weakness was unto death. Therefore, the physician, seeing them gravely ill, said in despair of their healing, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins." We said then that "since that infirmity was 'unto death' for them, since they learned from Jesus the difference of infirmities. Lazarus also was sick, but the physician knew that his sickness was not unto death; therefore he says: 'This sickness is not unto death.' Therefore, even when we take hold of our own sicknesses, let us be careful lest we fall sick unto death, the disease changing from one that can still have a cure to one that is incurable. At the same time, it becomes somewhat clearer also what is meant by 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' in relation to 'You will die in your sin.' For when someone dies in their own sin, where Jesus is going they cannot go; for no dead person can follow Jesus. 'The dead do not praise you, Lord, nor any of those who go down into Hades. But we, who are alive, shall bless the Lord.' You may also add to 'You will die in your sin' what is written in Ezekiel: 'The soul who sins shall die'; for the death of the soul is sin, though not every sin, but the one that John speaks of as unto death. He also distinguishes that some sins are the death of the soul, some its sickness, and perhaps even thirdly, some a loss to the soul, the sin namely from 'What shall a man profit if he gains the whole world but loses or suffers loss of his soul?' and from 'If someone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss.' To those, therefore, who die in their sin, he says: 'I go away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin; where I go, you cannot come,' but to Peter: 'Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward'; for it is possible that one who is a disciple of Jesus can now not be prepared to follow Him as He goes to the Father, but later diligently walking in His steps, they may follow their teacher and follow the Word of God. It is reasonable that someone, considering what pertains to the end, will dwell on 'Where I am going you cannot come,' and regarding it will say that one may be unable to do so now, but later may be able; and if there is a present age and another to come, to whom it is said, 'You cannot come,' in the present age (and much time remains until its completion) they cannot come where Jesus is, which is, where truth and wisdom and the Word are, for that is 'where Jesus is.' I know some who are not only in this age but also in the future held by their own sin, as those regarding whom the Word says: 'He who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness either in this age or in the age to come,' nor indeed even in the future age nor in the ages to come.
But Heracleon, setting forth the word about the treasury, said nothing about it. But to 'Where I am going you cannot come,' he says: 'How can those in ignorance, unbelief, and sins attain incorruption?' and not even in this does he listen to himself; for if those in ignorance, unbelief, and sins cannot attain incorruption, how have the apostles who were once in ignorance and unbelief, and in sins, attained incorruption? Therefore, those who were in ignorance, unbelief, and sins can become incorrupt if they change, and it is possible for them to change."
[John 8:22] Therefore the Jews were saying, “Surely, he will not kill himself, will he, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
It is worth asking what moved the Jews to say, "Surely, he will not kill himself, will he, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?" so that it may also be given more simply that they said “Surely, he will not kill himself?" How can those who are able to kill themselves, even if they do not take their own lives and do not go where one who takes his own life goes, not be able to go where the one who takes his own life goes? It must therefore be said, concerning these inquiries, to those who more carefully and deeply hear the words spoken by the Jews in the Gospels, that it is clear that they were saying many things according to certain secret and obscure traditions, as having known things other than the common and publicized ones. But when we see from the context of the said things, then we will seek if they also say this about the Savior, seeing something deeper. But that they said so according to retired and obscure words, not publicized ones, is evident from the fact that they said that the unclear one cast out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of demons. For they surely had learned something about demons and their ruler, whose name is Beelzebul; these things are not very much laid out in the extant books; and the Savior's testimony does not lie when he says of Beelzebul, “If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?” For having admitted that there is one Beelzebul and that in him one casting out demons, he speaks as if a division of Satan against himself is in effect. They were mistaken indeed, saying that the demons were cast out by the Savior in Beelzebul, but they had a grasp that there was a Beelzebul, ruler of demons. But even if they say about Jesus that he is John risen from the dead, or one of the prophets, surely having a belief about the soul, as we have examined in the case of John, they conjecture such things about the Savior. It is likely that they also knew myriad other things, either from tradition or from apocryphal sources, beyond the common knowledge. Let us therefore see about "Surely, he will not kill himself?" if they might have thought something not more common and simpler, such as when one takes his own life either by hanging or by sword or by any other means, and especially since they think that by taking his own life he would go to a place they could not reach. And if not indeed superstitiously concerning names, but observing the matters not found using other names according to the matters, maybe, so to speak, in a more divine manner Jesus took away his own life, which we thus set forth: that the souls of all departing from the body, being demanded back by certain appointed over this, are taken up; it is likely that those appointed over this service are superior to the souls themselves; for the saying “Fool, this night your soul is demanded back from you” signifies something of the sort.If someone says that this can be said only about the lesser ones and not about the greater and virtuous ones, let him understand whether our Lord uniquely declares concerning himself: "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord; I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again." For let us consider someone who leaves the body when he wishes and departs without the way that leads to death, whether through violent means or through diseases, and then returns whenever he wishes, and uses the body as an instrument, which he had left behind; for we would say of such a person that his life is not taken away from him. And it is fitting indeed to say this about Jesus' life, and that he, wanting to present to his disciples the uniqueness of his departure, said, "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord"; for neither Moses, nor any of the Patriarchs or prophets, nor any of the apostles, would say this except Jesus, since all the souls of men are taken away from them. With this being understood, it can be clear what was said in the seventy-seventh Psalm in this manner from the perspective of the Savior: "Among the dead, free." By examining what is written in the Gospels about his departure, you will find the account of his exodus not discordant with the records; for if he had died as the bandits crucified with him, with the soldiers breaking the legs of those suffering, we would not say that he laid down his life of his own accord, but in some way like dying ones. But now "Jesus cried out with a loud voice and gave up his spirit," and like a king leaving the body and acting with power and authority, doing what he thought reasonable to do, immediately "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and after his resurrection, they came out of the tombs and went into the holy city and appeared to many"; seeing this, the centurion and those with him, who were keeping guard over Jesus, were greatly afraid, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God." Perhaps then, among the traditions about Christ, just as it was said that he was born in Bethlehem and arose from the tribe of Judah in accordance with the sound interpretations of the prophetic words, so also regarding his death, as he himself separated from life in the manner we have said; and it is likely that they knew this about the one who would depart in this way to a place where those understanding these things could not be, so they did not speak in a simple sense but according to some tradition about Christ, saying, "Will he kill himself because he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" And if the Jews say these things, they say them hesitantly; for "Will he kill himself?" is of this nature. And it is not surprising that they were confused about Christ, considering even earlier the people, having heard the words of Jesus, were saying: "This man is truly the prophet;" others were saying: "This man is the Christ;" still others were saying: "No, the Christ does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there became a division among the people because of him. Shortly after, it is written that "The officers answered, 'Never has a man spoken like this man.'” As even the Pharisees told those marveling at his word: "Surely you have not been led astray too, have you? Has anyone of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." When Nicodemus, who had come to him earlier, said, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and knowing what he is doing?" They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."
How could those hearing him saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life," consider him as simply removing himself? To this, the Pharisees said to him, "You testify on your own behalf; your testimony is not true." Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf." What is believable in killing oneself after speaking these intelligent words: "You do not know me or my Father; if you knew me, you would know my Father also"? It is likely that they expected the same for his saying, "I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."
To this, the Jews responded, “Will he kill himself, since he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?” It is indeed evident that the authority to die willingly, leaving the body behind, lies in "I am going away." Perhaps because of "I am going away," he adds "And you will search for me." It is likely that those present with him, when he departed from life, would seek him. And because they die in their sins, even after all this, they were not convinced enough to say about him unmistakably, "Will he kill himself?" since they cannot go where he is going. I think that with more ill intent, naming it according to what was said about the death of Christ, it has come to them. "And not glorifying the one thus departing from life, they have said the phrase, 'Will he kill himself?' For it was said hesitantly, with an emphasis on his glory in death, and as if to say in this manner: Will his soul leave, whenever he wishes, leaving behind the body, and this is why he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' At the same time, observe what was said to us about how he departed from life: 'And going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve aside by themselves, and on the way, he told them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will rise again.' If someone objects by quoting, 'From then on, he began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed,' and 'The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again,' you will say that they killed him, all who shouted, 'Crucify, crucify him,' and those who are guilty of his death, even though he cried out with a loud voice and gave up his spirit before the soldiers coming to break his legs. Refer also to this: 'Whoever finds me will kill me,' and 'Anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.' For how could 'Whoever finds Cain will kill him' be true if one had already killed him? Or how could 'Anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over' not imply that many would kill him? For the word 'anyone' has been said about a multitude. Perhaps Peter, taking the words of the Savior in a more human sense, says, 'God forbid, Lord; this shall never happen to you.' But the Savior, rebuking him for not understanding correctly, says, 'Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's.' Likewise, see how Paul's statement, 'He gave himself for us as a sacrifice to God,' fits into this context. Thus alone can you interpret the eternal high priest according to the order of Melchizedek and the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, offering a sacrifice to God, not by the hands of the ungodly but by a pious high priest. So we have wrestled with the intent of those who said, 'Will he kill himself because he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?' having heard the many words previously spoken by Jesus. It is likely that some stumble at what they think is a forced interpretation, believing the Jews simply said, 'Will he kill himself?' as if Jesus were taking his own life and going to a place of punishment where they could not go, not being guilty of the same sin against themselves. But even they must admit if the Jews could have conceived that Jesus said this, condemning himself to a place of punishment where they could not go, considering themselves better than him, or they will have to admit that if Jesus perceived this and decided to kill himself, he preferred taking his own life to not doing so. Also, Heracleon claims that the Jews, thinking meanly of Jesus, said this and considered themselves greater than the Savior, believing they were destined for eternal rest with God, while the Savior, by managing his death, was heading towards destruction and death, where they did not think they would go. In their very words, he says that the Jews believed the Savior was saying, 'I, managing my own death, am going to destruction, where you cannot come.' But how can this be, according to the one who said, 'I am the light of the world,' and what follows, that he was heading toward destruction? If someone argues that the Savior did not say this, but the Jews thought it, it becomes clear that the Jews had despised him, believing that those who destroy themselves would perish and be punished, which was utterly foolish in every way."
[John 8:23] And he said to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world."
And in the foregoing, he said, "He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth; he who comes from heaven is above all; what he has seen and heard, this he testifies." Therefore, if "he who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth," and "he who comes from heaven testifies to what he has seen and heard," you may inquire whether "being of the earth" is the same as "being from below" or something different. And at the same time, notice that he did not say, "He who is from heaven belongs to heaven and speaks of heaven"; for perhaps the Savior was not from heaven, most especially as he was the firstborn of all creation. For "the second man" was from heaven, as Paul also somewhere says, "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." Here too, consider whether "You are from below" and "You are of this world" mean the same thing or if "being from the earth" is different from "being of this world." Similarly, examine "I am from above" and "I am not of this world." It is worthwhile to see what it means to be "from above" and what it means to be "not of this world."Indeed, consider whether he who has taken on generation and bodies from matter, by abandoning the better part, is from the earth; whoever belongs to the earth speaks of the earth, not being able to see or speak of anything higher. Such a one is also from below. However, there is a different conception of being from below and being of the earth. Below is understood not only in terms of place but also in beliefs and mind. And anyone who uses such beliefs and mind, which are from below, is from below. But also, the visible world, having become material, due to those who desire material life, has places that differ; all such places are considered below in comparison to the immaterial, the invisible, and the incorporeal, not so much in place as in comparison to the invisible. As for examining the places of the world with the places of the world, some places might indeed be below and others above; the earthly things are below, and the heavenly things are above, thus someone who is from below is certainly of this world, but someone who is of this world is not necessarily from below. For consider if someone who is a citizen of the heavenly things is somehow of this world, but not locally from below. Nevertheless, even he is from below in comparison to the intelligible things. For every citizen of the visible and transient and temporary is from below, even if he happens to be in the highest place. Yet it is possible for the one from below and from this world and from the earth to change and become from above and no longer from this world, and another who is from this world, but from heaven. For he says to his disciples: "You were of the world, and I chose you out of the world, and you are no longer of the world." For if the Savior came to seek and save what was lost, he came to transfer those below and registered among the below to the above. For he who descended to the lower parts of the earth did so for those in the lowest parts of the earth; but he also ascended above all the heavens, making a path for those willing and truly apprenticed to him, the path leading above all the heavens, that is, above the realm of bodies. And if you desire to learn from writing who is from below and who is from above, listen: since wherever each one’s treasure is, there also is his heart; if someone treasures on the earth, he becomes from below by treasuring on the earth, but if someone treasures in the heavens, he is born from above and assumes the image of the heavenly; but even otherwise, having gone through all the heavens, he is found in the highest blessedness. It would be as each one’s works, as I said, so that one may say that the works of the flesh make one from below, but the fruit of the Spirit makes one from above; and again, love for this world makes one from this world. Since, according to John, the one who has the love of God * * he is not from this world, who does not love the world nor the things in the world, but says, "May it never be that I boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world," and proceeds to love the Lord his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his mind, such love not being distressed by love for the world or the things in the world; for it is impossible for love for the world to coexist with love for God, just as it is impossible for light and darkness, or Christ and Belial, or the temple of God and the temple of idols to coexist. As there is a difference among the lower things themselves, it is said superlatively, "They placed me in the lowest pit" and "He who descended into the lower parts of the earth, this one also ascended." Therefore, all those descending into the lower regions of the earth, into Hades, will fall down before Christ, since it is true: "In death, there is no one remembering you, and in Hades, who will confess you?" And if someone argues about Him descending into the lower parts of the earth, you will notice that it is said about those descending into the earth: "They will fall down," for all things submit to Christ and every knee bends at the name of Jesus; some fall down to Him sooner and others later. Perhaps those on the earth will fall down and be subjected before others, for it is worse to be subjected later, which is why "the last enemy to be destroyed is death." After this, inquire if there is also a difference among the higher things, just as there is among the lower, as something is spoken of as the lowest, so also among the higher, especially since the inheritance of the kingdom of heavens is the same, with all heirs of heavens being above, but not all equally having the state of being above. But even with the intellectual descent of the soul due to wickedness and malicious doctrines, and its intellectual ascent, you will find no simple difference; indeed, you will consider the spiritual descents to be more profound. At the same time, consider whether you do not hear, more mystically and not spatially, concerning the soul of Jesus: "Ascending above all the heavens," for the intellectual ascent of that soul has surpassed all the heavens and, as it can be said, has already reached toward God Himself.
However, there exists another world besides the visible one composed of heaven and earth, or heavens and earth, where unseen things exist; and all this is an invisible world, an unobservable world, and an intellectual world, the vision and beauty of which will be perceived by the pure in heart, preparing through seeing it to proceed to see God, such that they see God as He is naturally seen, as He is by nature, God. Inquire also if in any sense the firstborn of all creation can be the cosmos, particularly since "wisdom" is manifold; for by being the reasons of everything whatsoever, by which all things made by God are made in wisdom (as the prophet says, "You made all things in wisdom"), in Him, He might also be the cosmos, differing as much from the material cosmos as the reason devoid of matter differs from the material world, not coming from matter, but from the participation of reason and wisdom, decorating matter. And observe if the saying, "I am not from this world," means the soul of Jesus is conducting itself within the whole cosmos, encompassing it all and guiding those being taught to it. That world does not have anything below, just as this one does not have anything above when examined precisely. For how could this world have anything above, whose creation is a foundation? Therefore, we must not heedlessly understand "before the foundation of the world," for the holy ones devised this name of foundation with such an intent; yet, they could have said "before the creation of the world" and not used the name "foundation." Thus, the entire world and everything in it are in a foundation; but those true disciples of Jesus become outside the foundation of every world, whom He chose out of the world, so that they are no longer of the world, lifting up their own cross and following Him.