Tractates on the Gospel of John — Source paragraphs and footnotes

Date uncertain | Augustine of Hippo

2. “Many therefore,” not of His enemies, but “of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?” If His disciples accounted this saying hard, what must His enemies have thought? And yet so it behoved that to be said which should not be understood by all. The secret of God ought to make men eagerly attentive, not hostile. But these men quickly departed from Him, while the Lord said such things: they did not believe Him to be saying something great, and covering some grace by these words; they understood just according to their wishes, and in the manner of men, that Jesus was able, or was determined upon this, namely, to distribute the flesh with which the Word was clothed, piecemeal, as it were, to those that believe on Him. “This,” say they, “is a hard saying; who can hear it?”

Complete source paragraph · Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 27, source paragraph 4 · Original source

Date uncertain | Augustine of Hippo

3. “But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples murmured at it,”—for they so said these things with themselves that they might not be heard by Him: but He who knew them in themselves, hearing within Himself,—answered and said, “This offends you;” because I said, I give you my flesh to eat, and my blood to drink, this forsooth offends you. “Then what if ye shall see the Son of man ascending where He was before?” What is this? Did He hereby solve the question that perplexed them? Did He hereby uncover the source of their offense? He did clearly, if only they understood. For they supposed that He was going to deal out His body to them; but He said that He was to ascend into heaven, of course, whole: “When ye shall see the Son of man ascending where He was before;” certainly then, at least, you will see that not in the manner you suppose does He dispense His body; certainly then, at least, you will understand that His grace is not consumed by tooth-biting.

Complete source paragraph · Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 27, source paragraph 5 · Original source

Date uncertain | Augustine of Hippo

9. And now addressing the few that remained: “Then said Jesus to the twelve” (namely, those twelve who remained), “Will ye also,” said He, “go away?” Not even Judas departed. But it was already manifest to the Lord why he remained: to us he was made manifest afterwards. Peter answered in behalf of all, one for many, unity for the

Complete source paragraph · Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 27, source paragraph 12 · Original source

Date uncertain | Augustine of Hippo

collective whole: “Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go?” Thou drivest us from Thee; give us Thy other self. “To whom shall we go?” If we abandon Thee, to whom shall we go? “Thou hast the words of eternal life.” See how Peter, by the gift of God and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, understood Him. How other than because he believed? “Thou hast the words of eternal life.” For Thou hast eternal life in the ministration of Thy body and blood. “And we have believed and have known.” Not have known and believed, but “believed and known.” For we believed in order to know; for if we wanted to know first, and then to believe, we should not be able either to know or to believe. What have we believed and known? “That Thou art Christ, the Son of God;” that is, that Thou art that very eternal life, and that Thou givest in Thy flesh and blood only that which Thou art.

Complete source paragraph · Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 27, source paragraph 13 · Original source

Date uncertain | Augustine of Hippo

11. All this that the Lord spoke concerning His flesh and blood;—and in the grace of that distribution He promised us eternal life, and that He meant those that eat His flesh and drink His blood to be understood, from the fact of their abiding in Him and He in them; and that they understood not who believed not; and that they were offended through their understanding spiritual things

Complete source paragraph · Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 27, source paragraph 15 · Original source