Fragmenta in Joannem

A certain superiority befitting God is indicated by the name "heaven" according to the phrase "the heaven of heaven belongs to the Lord." Looking down to earth later, the devil, while being in heaven when he was holy, said: "I will ascend into heaven," as though he were somewhere low relative to that heaven. No one has ascended into that so-called heaven except the Son of God alone, since he alone has descended from there, being called the Son of Man on account of the economy. Even if angels ascending into heaven and descending by a ladder were seen by Jacob, the vision is not said by Scripture to concern the aforementioned heaven. These things are said concerning rational beings. And since among all these there are also those that have become worse, consider how they will have a state when they come into the hand of the Son, evidently having cast off the vice they had and taken up virtue; for one must not heed the one who has set forth sophisms, that only those possessing holiness are called "all." It is not the same, however, to not have life as to not see it; this is made clear from "you will see life before your eyes and you will not believe." If someone were to inquire into these things, which is worse: not seeing life and not believing in it, or not having life but seeing it? And one person will say that the one lacking both is worse than the one possessing one. Another will say that it is a lesser evil not to see life and to disbelieve in it; for there will be forgiveness for the one having such a condition. But blame is rather due to the one who does not believe in life, even though capable of seeing it, since its beauty draws one to assent.

Since God is invisible, and the incorporeal immediately follows the invisible, God, being incorporeal, is therefore invisible. If this is so, when he is called spirit, he would not be air in motion; for it is not necessary that, because among humans "spirit" indicates a body, this is also signified in the case of God. Just as, then, when he is called light, since he illuminates not sight but intellection, he is not a bodily light but an intelligible light, and also when called love, he is not a disposition but a substance that loves what he creates and for which he provides, so when he is addressed as spirit, he presents not wind but an incorporeal and life-giving substance. And everyone who has learned that God is spirit, worshipping him spiritually by spirit and truth, no longer worships the God of all in a typological manner. For the sake of contrast with the letter, he says "in spirit," and with the type, "and truth"; for these were necessary until a time, but when the truth came, that is, the advent of Christ, all have ceased. If what is said by Jesus—for whatever he does (it is clear that this means the Father), the Son likewise does—refers to what was paradoxically done by him in the Gospels, one must consider how the Father did these things. To this it must be said: since the Son, being consubstantial with the Father, has an inseparable energy from the energy of the Father, being an unblemished mirror, everything that the Father does, the Son simultaneously and inseparably energizes, and what the Son works, the Father immediately brings into existence, since in this respect neither does the Son do anything without the Father nor the Father without the Son. This theory must also be applied to the creations; for it is not that the Father creates some things and the Son substantifies others.

For this would have entailed that there be two suns and that each of the beings be double, but the creatures are not seen to be so. Therefore, the identity of the activity of Father and Son is observed in the things that are created. If "to be raised" and "to be made alive" are said of a dead person, they differ only in word; for a dead person's being made alive and being raised are the same, and they certainly convert, a dead person being raised being made alive. But if ever "to be raised" were said not of a dead person but of a living one, it would not be the same as "to be made alive"; for someone raised from sitting or sleeping is not made alive. It signifies a reception of life, but the living person does not receive this; for he already has it, unless perhaps according to a different signification—for the name "life" is homonymous. Just as the one who transgresses the law dishonors God through the transgression, while the one who keeps it honors the giver, so the one who honors the Son by acting according to the law and right reason will honor the Father, and conversely. "All those in the tombs" means the same as "all the dead"; for if he had not said this, those whose bodies have been consumed by beasts or fire and are not placed in tombs would not rise. But since there will be a resurrection of all men, these too will therefore be counted among those in the tombs. And if the objectors should be contentious, one must consider that it is those who do good and evil deeds, not the bodies deposited in the tombs, that are in question. Hence the argument will not prevent them from accepting also the bodies that have been consumed by fire or otherwise.

Men being divided in opinion into impious, that is, unbelieving, or pious, that is, believing, the same all men being raised, the unbelieving and impious are raised, but not for judgment, since the one who does not believe is already judged. There are those who have believed in the Savior and in addition to this have done good works, who are raised to a resurrection of life, not to be judged, while those who have sinned after believing are raised for judgment. As for the state of infants, since they too are raised, God alone knows, and perhaps also those to whom the revelation of the truth concerning this has been given. One is drawn by the Father in this way, the man having been made "according to the image and likeness" of a rational God. The concepts concerning virtuous actions and the word concerning truth and knowledge are implanted in him. Therefore, the one who, according to the common notions, has heard and judged the good and learned from the Father comes to Christ through faith. Or also through revelation he draws to himself those who hear and learn. In the same way, to Peter who confessed, he says: "that flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my heavenly Father." "According to the image and likeness" and this very thing, the man having been made rational. The concepts concerning praiseworthy actions, but also of knowledge, of truth, are implanted in him by God. Therefore, the one who, according to the common notions, has heard and learned from the Father comes through faith to the Lord. And after a little: teaching through revelation the things concerning the Son, the Father leads to him those who hear and learn.

For thus also he led Peter through revelation to believe in the Son, having revealed him. He says that "heaven" signifies the so-called watchtower and state of God, which is none other than his intelligible substance. And the "bread of life" "that comes down" is the nourishing word of God, which the one who comes to him eats by practicing virtue. Since one must not only approach him through action, but also believe scientifically the things that are true according to contemplation, one drinks from him from a spring of "living water" and from a vine wine that gladdens "the heart of man." Hence, according to practical virtue, partaking we eat, and according to intellectual virtue, we drink, as being always filled and never thirsting, having drunk from him. And if the saying "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" seems contrary, there is no discord at all; for if one does not hunger nor thirst after eating this bread and drinking the immortal draught, yet because of the desirability and praiseworthiness of the food and drink, the one who is sated still hungers, and the one who drinks still thirsts, so as both always to be filled and to hunger. Which heaven he signifies here among the three heavens—the primordial, the firmament, the air—none of these must be understood, but the so-called watchtower and state of God, which is none other than his intelligible substance. And the "bread of life" "that comes down" is the nourishing word of God, which the one who comes to him eats by practicing virtue.

or also those who, by participation in his teaching, pursue practical virtue are said to eat, while according to the intellectual examination of the hidden meaning of scripture they are said to drink, just as Christ says: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness," who also pursue both the action and the understanding of it. 12. Since the Savior said that he who keeps his word would not see death, the Jews who were present, being mistaken, supposed that "to see death" was the same as "to taste it." For it seems to them, according to their own expressions, that he who has not experienced cosmic death does not taste death. But this seems to overturn the Lord's promise, since even those who kept his word have died. However, deception arose for them from the clever use of homonymy: for he who keeps Jesus' word will not see the death that follows sin, even if he tastes common and bodily death. And since the prophets said indefinitely "they died" without adding "all," the fact that Enoch and Elijah did not die does not conflict. It must be investigated what day he means—the intelligible day of the Lord.

He is illuminated, "the eyes of his heart" being enlightened by the light of the true one. The one who is contrary to this, having been blinded by the ignorance he possesses, seems not to have sin because he does not act voluntarily, having sinned grievously. But ignorance itself is in another way a sin; for it was possible for him, being a rational being, to have knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, he is accused of neglect concerning this very ignorance. For this you will take the saying, "The servant who does not know the will of the master will be beaten a few times." The Word of God is a door for those entering toward God, according to the saying, "Enter before him with rejoicing." Moreover, with the inner man being the mind, and the outer man being the more corporeal, the one who cares for the inner man enters through the Word, which is the door; likewise, the one who deadens "the members upon the earth" and carries about "the deadening of Jesus in the body" of his own goes out "through the door," striving to be pleasing to him not even while dwelling. The Father gives to the Son those who are formed according to the good, as to an unsurpassable quality; for "everything that the Father gives to me will come to me," and "Behold, I and the children whom God gave to me." For just as the Son leads to the Father and hands over to him those to whom he attaches himself, having provided for understanding according to the saying, "He who has seen me has seen the Father," so the Father gives to the Son those by whom he makes him known, just as Peter; for it is not "flesh and blood, but the Father revealed" the Son. All who thus know the Son from the Father attain the things given to the Son on account of the surpassing perfection of those who are thus. How is Judas?

He himself is one of those given by the Father to the Son, according to the "you gave to me," I preserved, and "none of them perished except the son of perdition," he fell from such great magnitude as to be called "son of perdition." For it no longer had place, from the beginning, that Judas was evil by nature, as the heterodox think, since such a change is found concerning him. How then has "greater" been understood here? Is it as in the magnitude of bodies? Or as greater in time? Or as adorned with greater virtue? But all these are within quantity and of things that are contingent and measured. Nothing contingent and measured is in God. Therefore, the greater and lesser are not said of the Word of God or of the Father; for God is not by nature measured or circumscribed. But if you say the Father is greater because he is unbegotten, while the Son is begotten, we will say that these are modes of the substances, not of the existences. And especially in the case of the qualityless and incorporeal, the lesser or greater does not diminish the dignity of the consubstantial by attributing the lesser or greater to this one or that one; for being, which is simple in substance and knowledge, is not by nature compared by measure or quantity of magnitude. Why then was it said? The Savior, in one word, extended a twofold mode of teaching; for the meaning of the said expression is double. For instance, through "the one who sent me" and "I go," he intimated the body contained in places, which is circumscribed, and not his uncircumscribed divinity that contains all things.

Through the comparative verb of saying "greater," he indicates the divinity compared to the Father, because he is consubstantial, but in the assumption of the body, the Father is conceived as inferior according to his becoming man. And do not be surprised if the Savior, having become man, says he is inferior to the Father, since he is also said to be lesser than the angels according to this: "we see Jesus diminished a little compared to the angels because of" the passion "of death, crowned with glory and honor." And he was also said to be inferior to his own disciples: "But I," he says, "am among you as the one who serves" and as the lesser one. Therefore, the things compared are consubstantial, but the simple things, both in knowledge and essence, do not admit of greater and lesser. But if you wish to interpret "the Father who sent me is greater than I" concerning the divinity of the Son without his having taken on flesh, you will place him as contained and confined in places, as sent where he was not, and as moving from where he is—which is absurd. The Father glorified his own Son by placing the realm under the sun under his scepter, and he himself was also glorified through this: for the Son was glorified by the Father, being trusted by all, because he is the offspring and fruit of the one who is all-powerful. And the Father was glorified in turn, as it were, by his own offspring: for since the offspring was known to accomplish everything easily, the grace of renown passed to the one who begot him. Therefore, just as, he says, you glorified and were glorified by giving him authority and lordship over all in the manner clearly stated, so I wish that none of the things given be lost.

For glory itself also passes to us; for it was necessary, it was necessary that the subordinate and wholly subjected being, preserved once for all by the all-powerful God Logos, should remain in unending goods, so that it might no longer be tyrannized by death, nor be held by corruption, nor be subject to sins and the ancient evils. This is what he means: "Reveal me to those who do not know, manifest my glory, which I have as the God Logos." For "no one," he says, "can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." In the same way, one may also hear the Son glorifying the Father by revealing him to those who do not know God. In this manner, the Holy Spirit is also said to glorify the Son by revealing him to those who do not know. But if also here—concerning him, let us imagine for now. This is the eternal—they will cast out the Son of God. And one must know this, that he uses the cause for the effect; for knowing the true procures for us eternal life. The pre-cosmic glory of the Son of God—what else could it be but the God Logos himself, the "true light"? For he is not, as another being apart from the glory, glorified by another glory through another, being himself, as I said before, the "Lord of glory" and king of glory. But since "he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant"—for "the Logos," it says, "became flesh" and we saw him "and he had no form nor beauty"—and many disbelieved in such a great condescension that had occurred, many disbelieved that God became man; for this reason, wishing to reveal his divinity to those who do not know, he says:

Father, glorify the Son,” that is, reveal me to those who are ignorant, manifest the glory which I have, being God Logos. Therefore Paul said, “When God was pleased to reveal his Son in me, that I might proclaim him among the nations.