Homilies on the Gospel of John — Source paragraphs and footnotes

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Yet if He “came not to judge the world,” how is “he that believeth not judged already,” if the time of “judgment” has not yet arrived? He either means this, that the very fact of disbelieving without repentance is a punishment, (for to be without the light, contains in itself a very severe punishment,) or he announces beforehand what shall be. For as the murderer, though he be not as yet condemned by the decision of the judge, is still condemned by the nature of the thing, so is it with the unbeliever. Since Adam also died on the day that he ate of the tree; for so ran the decree, “In the day that ye eat of the tree, ye shall die” ( Gen. ii. 17 , LXX.); yet he lived. How then “died” he? By the decree; by the very nature of the thing; for he who has rendered himself liable to punishment, is under its penalty, and if for a while not actually so, yet he is by the sentence.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 8 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Lest any one on hearing, “I came not to judge the world,” should imagine that he might sin unpunished, and should so become more careless, Christ stops such disregard by saying, “is judged already”; and because the “judgment” was future and not yet at hand, He brings near the dread of vengeance, and describes the punishment as already come. And this is itself a mark of great lovingkindness, that He not only gives His Son, but even delays the time of judgment, that they who have sinned, and they who believe not, may have power to wash away their transgressions.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 9 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

[2.] Seest thou how having commenced His discourse with fearful things, He has concluded it again with the very same? for at first He saith, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God”: and here again, “He that believeth not on the Son, is judged already.” “Think not,” He saith, “that the delay advantageth at all the guilty, except he repent, for he that hath not believed, shall be in no better state than those who are already condemned and under punishment.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 11 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 19, 20. “Because,” He saith, “their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 14 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Yet he came not to judge or to enquire, but to pardon and remit transgressions, and to grant salvation through faith. How then fled they? Had He come and sat in His Judgment seat, what He said might have seemed reasonable; for he that is conscious to himself of evil deeds, is wont to fly his judge. But, on the contrary, they who have transgressed even run to one who is pardoning. If therefore He came to pardon, those would naturally most hasten to Him who were conscious to themselves of many transgressions; and indeed this was the case with many, for even publicans and sinners sat at meat with Jesus. What then is this which He saith? He saith this of those who choose always to remain in wickedness. He indeed came, that He might forgive men’s former sins, and secure them against those to come; but since there are some so relaxed, so powerless for the toils of virtue, that they desire to abide by wickedness till their latest breath, and never cease from it, He speaks in this place reflecting upon these. “For since,” He saith, “the profession of Christianity requires besides right doctrine a sound conversation also, they fear to come over to us, because they like not to show forth a righteous life. Him that lives in heathenism none would blame, because with gods such as he has, and with rites as foul and ridiculous as his gods, he shows forth actions that suit his doctrines; but those who belong to the True God, if they live a careless life, have all men to call them to account, and to accuse them. So greatly do even its enemies admire the truth.” Observe, then, how exactly He layeth down what He saith. His expression is, not “He that hath done evil cometh not to the light,” but “he that doeth it always, he that desireth always to roll himself in the mire of sin, he will not subject himself to My laws, but chooses to stay without, and to commit fornication without fear, and to do all other forbidden things. For if he comes to Me, he becomes manifest as a thief in the light, and therefore he avoids My dominion.” For instance, even now one may hear many heathen say, “that they cannot come to our faith, because they cannot leave off drunkenness and fornication, and the like disorders.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 15 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

“Well,” says some one, “but are there no Christians that do evil, and heathens that live discreetly?” That there are Christians who do evil, I know; but whether there are heathens who live a righteous life, I do not yet know assuredly. For do not speak to me of those who by nature are good and orderly, (this is not virtue,) but tell me of the man who can endure the exceeding violence of his passions and (yet) be temperate. You cannot. For if the promise of a Kingdom, and the threat of hell, and so much other provision, can scarcely keep men in virtue, they will hardly go after virtue who believe in none of these things. Or, if any pretend to do so, they do it for show; and he who doth so for show, will not, when he may escape observation, refrain from indulging his evil desires. However, that we may not seem to any to be contentious, let us grant that there are right livers among the heathen; for neither doth this go against my argument, since I spoke of that which occurs in general, not of what happens rarely.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 16 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

And observe how in another way He deprives them of all excuse, when He saith that, “the light came into the world.” “Did they seek it themselves,” He saith, “did they toil, did they labor to find it? The light itself came to them, and not even so would they hasten to it.” And if there be some Christians who live wickedly, I would argue that He doth not say this of those who have been Christians from the beginning, and who have inherited true religion from their forefathers, (although even these for the most part have been shaken from right doctrine by their evil life,) yet still I think that He doth not now speak concerning these, but concerning the heathen and the Jews who ought to have come to the right faith. For He showeth that no man living in error would choose to come to the truth unless he before had planned for himself a righteous life, and that none would remain in unbelief unless he had previously chosen always to be wicked.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 17 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Do not tell me that a man is temperate, and does not rob; these things by themselves are not virtue. For what advantageth it, if a man has these things, and yet is the slave of vainglory, and remains in his error, from fear of the company of his friends? This is not right living. The slave of a reputation is no less a sinner than the fornicator; nay, he worketh more and more grievous deeds than he. But tell me of any one that is free from all passions and from all iniquity, and who remains among the heathen. Thou canst not do so; for even those among them who have boasted great things, and who have, as they say, mastered avarice or gluttony, have been, most of all men, the slaves of reputation, and this is the cause of all evils. Thus it is that the Jews also have continued Jews; for which cause Christ rebuked them and said, “How can ye believe, which receive honor from men?” ( c. v. 44.)

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 18 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

“And why, pray, did He not speak on these matters with Nathanael, to whom He testified of the truth, nor extend His discourse to any length?” Because even he came not with such zeal as did Nicodemus. For Nicodemus made this his work, and the season which others used for rest he made a season for hearing; but Nathanael came at the instance of another. Yet not even him did Jesus entirely pass by, for to him He saith, “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” ( c. i. 51.) But to Nicodemus He spake not so, but conversed with him on the Dispensation and on eternal life, addressing each differently and suitably to the condition of his will. It was sufficient for Nathanael, because he knew the writings of the prophets, and was not so timid either, to hear only thus far; but because Nicodemus was as yet possessed by fear, Christ did not indeed clearly reveal to him the whole, but shook his mind so as to cast out fear by fear, declaring that he who did not believe was being judged, and that unbelief proceeded from an evil conscience. For since he made great account of honor from men, more than he did of the punishment; (“Many,” saith the Evangelist, “of the rulers believed on Him, but because of the Jews they did not confess”— c. xii. 42 ;) on this point Christ toucheth him, saying, “It cannot be that he who believeth not on Me disbelieveth for any other cause save that he liveth an unclean life.” Farther on He saith, “I am the Light” ( c. viii. 12 ), but here, “the Light came into the world”; for at the beginning He spoke somewhat darkly, but afterwards more clearly. Yet even so the man was kept back by regard for the opinion of the many, and therefore could not endure to speak boldly as he ought.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 19 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Fly we then vainglory, for this is a passion more tyrannical than any. Hence spring covetousness and love of wealth, hence hatred and wars and strifes; for he that desires more than he has, will never be able to stop, and he desires from no other cause, but only from his love of vainglory. For tell me, why do so many encircle themselves with multitudes of eunuchs, and herds of slaves, and much show? Not because they need it, but that they may make those who meet them witnesses of this unseasonable display. If then we cut this off, we shall slay together with the head the other members also of wickedness, and there will be nothing to hinder us from dwelling on earth as though it were heaven. Nor doth this vice merely thrust its captives into wickedness, but is even co-existent with their virtues, and when it is unable entirely to cast us out of these, it still causeth us much damage in the very exercise of them, forcing us to undergo the toil, and depriving us of the fruit. For he that with an eye to this, fasts, and prays, and shows mercy, has his reward. What can be more pitiable than a loss like this, that it should befall man to bewail himself uselessly and in vain, and to become an object of ridicule, and to lose the glory from above? Since he that aims at both cannot obtain both. It is indeed possible to obtain both, when we desire not both, but one only, that from heaven; but he cannot obtain both, who longs for both. Wherefore if we wish to attain to glory, let us flee from human glory, and desire that only which cometh from God; so shall we obtain both the one and the other; which may we all enjoy, through the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom and with whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 20 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 18. “He that believeth on the Son, is not judged; but he that believeth not, is judged already.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 7 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 19. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, source paragraph 12 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

Morel. “he then will be more severely punished who has sinned after grace.”

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-7 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

Morel. “therefore they fled to their own hurt.”

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-13 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

προθεσμίαν ἀπολογίας

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-8 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

τῇ δοξῇ αὐτοῦ. G. T.

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-9 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

or, “condemned,” E.V.

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-11 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

al. “shifted themselves.”

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-20 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

ὑ πογράψας. al. ἐ πιγράψας

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-21 · Original source

1889 (historical edition copyright; physical printing year uncertain) | Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)

i.e. his one great object.

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 28, editorial note cite_note-25 · Original source