Homilies on the Gospel of John — Source paragraphs and footnotes

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

[1.] Nothing is placed in the Holy Scriptures without a reason, for they were uttered by the Holy Ghost, therefore let us enquire exactly into every point. For it is possible from one expression to find out the entire meaning (of a passage), as in the case before us. “Many of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him.” Now why is added, “them of Jerusalem”? The Evangelist by this shows, that they who had most enjoyed His mighty miracles were more pitiable than any; they who had beheld the greatest proof of His Godhead, and yet committed all to the judgment of their corrupt rulers. For was it not a great proof of it, that men furious and bent on murder, who went about and sought to kill Him, should be quiet of a sudden, when they had Him in their hands? Who could have effected this? who thus quenched their absolute fury? Still after such proofs, observe the folly and the madness of the men. “Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?” See how they accuse themselves; “whom,” It saith, “they seek to kill, and yet they say nothing to him.” And not only do they say nothing to Him, but nothing even when He “speaketh boldly.” For one who spoke boldly and with all freedom would naturally have the more angered them; but they did nothing. “Do they know indeed that this is the very Christ?” “What think ye? What opinion give ye?” The contrary, It saith. On which account they said, “We know this man whence he is.” What malice, what contradiction! They do not even follow the opinion of their rulers, but bring forward another, perverse, and worthy of their own folly; “We know him whence he is.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 4 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

“Yet your rulers when asked replied, that He should be born in Bethlehem.” And others again said, “God spake unto Moses, but as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.” ( c. ix. 29.) “We know whence he is,” and “we know not whence He is”; observe the words of drunken men. And again, “Doth Christ come out of Galilee?” ( Ver. 41.) Is He not of “the town of Bethlehem”? Seest thou that theirs is the decision of madmen? “We know,” and, “we know not”; “Christ cometh from Bethlehem”; “When Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is.” What can be plainer than this contradiction? For they only looked to one thing, which was, not to believe. What then is Christ’s reply?

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 6 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 28. “Ye both know Me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 7 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Seest thou that they are invisibly restrained, and their anger bridled? But wherefore saith It not, that He had restrained them invisibly, but, “Because His hour was not yet come”? The Evangelist was minded to speak more humanly and in a lowlier strain, so that Christ might be deemed to be also Man. For because Christ everywhere speaketh of sublime matters, he therefore intersperseth expressions of this kind. And when Christ saith, “I am from Him,” He speaketh not as a Prophet who learneth, but as seeing Him, and being with Him.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 10 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Seest thou how He continually seeketh to prove the, “I am not come of Myself,” and, “He that sent Me is true,” striving not to be thought an enemy of God? And observe how great is the profit of the humility of His words; for, it saith, after this many said,

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 12 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

How many were the miracles? In truth, there were three, that of the wine, that of the paralytic, and that of the nobleman’s son; and the Evangelist hath related no more. From which circumstance it is plain, as I have often said, that the writers pass by most of them, and discourse to us of those alone on account of which the rulers ill-treated Him. “Then they sought to take Him,” and kill Him. Who “sought”? Not the multitude, who had no desire of rule, nor could be made captives by malice; but the priests. For they of the multitude said, “When Christ cometh, will He do more miracles?” Yet neither was this sound faith, but, as it were, the idea of a promiscuous crowd; for to say, “When He cometh,” was not the expression of men firmly persuaded that He was the Christ. We may either understand the words thus, or that they were uttered by the multitudes when they came together. “Since,” they may have said, “our rulers are taking every pains to prove that this man is not the Christ, let us suppose that he is not the Christ; will the Christ be better than he?” For, as I ever repeat, men of the grosser sort are led in not by doctrine, nor by preaching, but by miracles.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 14 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Seest thou that the violation of the Sabbath was a mere pretense? and that what most stung them was this murmuring? For here, though they had no fault to find with Him for anything said or done, they desired to take Him because of the multitude. They dared not do it themselves, suspecting danger, but sent their hired servants. Alas! for their tyranny and their madness, or rather, I should say, for their folly. After having often attempted themselves, and not prevailed, they committed the matter to servants, simply satisfying their anger. Yet He had spoken much at the pool ( c. v.), and they had done nothing of the kind; they sought indeed occasion, but they attempted not, while here they can endure it no longer, when the multitude is about to run to Him. What then saith Christ?

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 16 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 33. “Yet a little while am I with you.” Having power to bow and terrify His hearers, He uttereth words full of humility. As though He had said, “Why are ye eager to persecute and kill Me? Wait a little while, and even though you should be eager to keep Me back, I shall not endure it.” That no one should (as they did) suppose that the, “Yet a little while am I with you,” denoted a common death, that no one might suppose this, or that He wrought nothing after death, He added,

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 17 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Now had He been about to continue in death, they might have gone to Him, for to that place we all depart. His words therefore bent the simpler portion of the multitude, terrified the bolder, made the more intelligent anxious to hear Him, since but little time was now left, and since it was not in their power always to enjoy this teaching. Nor did He merely say, “I am here,” but, “I am with you,” that is, “Though ye persecute, though ye drive Me away, yet for a little while I shall not cease dispensing what is for your good, saying and recommending the things that relate to your salvation.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 19 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 33. “And I go unto Him that sent Me.” This was enough to terrify and throw them into an agony. For that they should stand in need of Him, He declareth also.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 20 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 34. “Ye shall seek Me,” He saith, (not only “ye shall not forget Me,” but ye shall even “seek Me,”) “and shall not find Me.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 21 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Yet they who had wished to be rid of Him, who did all in their power not to see Him, ought not to have asked this question, but to have said, “we are glad of it, when will the departure take place?” but they were somewhat affected at His words, and with foolish suspicion question one another, “whither will he go?”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 24 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

What is, “the dispersion of the Gentiles”? The Jews gave this name to other nations, because they were everywhere scattered and mingled fearlessly with one another. And this reproach they themselves afterwards endured, for they too were a “dispersion.” For of old all their nation was collected into one place, and you could not anywhere find a Jew, except in Palestine only; wherefore they called the Gentiles a “dispersion,” reproaching them, and boasting concerning themselves. What then meaneth, “Whither I go ye cannot come”? For all nations at that time had intercourse with them, and there were Jews everywhere. He would not therefore, if He had meant the Gentiles, have said, “Where ye cannot come.” After saying, “Will he go to the dispersion of the Gentiles?” they did not add, “and ruin,” but, “and teach them.” To such a degree had they abated their anger, and believed His words; for they would not, had they not believed, have enquired among themselves what the saying was.

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 26 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 30. “Then they sought to take Him, and no man laid his hand upon Him, because His hour was not yet come.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 9 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 31. “When Christ cometh, will He do more miracles than these which this man hath done?”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 13 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 32. “The Pharisees heard the people murmuring, and sent servants to take Him.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 15 · Original source

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

“murmuring such things concerning Him,” N.T.

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, editorial note cite_note-5 · Original source

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

“the Pharisees and Chief Priests sent,” N.T.

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, editorial note cite_note-6 · Original source

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

or, “sent their s. to be exposed” (ἐ κδότους).

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, editorial note cite_note-7 · Original source

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

τὶ ὑστερῶ ἐγὼ, LXX., thus rendered in margin of E.V.

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, editorial note cite_note-9 · Original source

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

i.e. one prediction.

Editorial footnote · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, editorial note cite_note-10 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 29. “I know Him,” He saith, “for I am from Him, and He hath sent Me.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 11 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 34. “And where I am, thither ye cannot come.”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 18 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

Ver. 35. “Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go?”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 23 · Original source

Date uncertain | John Chrysostom

“Will he go unto the dispersion of the Gentiles?”

Complete source paragraph · Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 50, source paragraph 25 · Original source