John xii. 27. The Valentinians seem, for their own purposes, to have added οὐκ οἶδα to this text.
Editorial footnote · Against Heresies, Book 1, Preface or unspecified section · Original source
Testimonia — Early Christian Bible Commentary
John 12
1Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
2So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him.
3Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
4Then Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said,
5“Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
6Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it.
7But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial.
8For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me.”
9A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.
10But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also,
11because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
12On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”
14Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written,
15“Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
16His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him.
17The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead was testifying about it.
18For this cause also the multitude went and met him, because they heard that he had done this sign.
19The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”
20Now there were certain Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.
21Therefore, these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
22Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus.
23Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
25He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.
26If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
27“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? But I came to this time for this cause.
28Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
29Therefore the multitude who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
30Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes.
31Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.
32And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
33But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die.
34The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
35Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going.
36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.
37But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,
38that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39For this cause they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again:
40“He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.”
41Isaiah said these things when he saw his glory, and spoke of him.
42Nevertheless, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t confess it, so that they wouldn’t be put out of the synagogue,
43for they loved men’s praise more than God’s praise.
44Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me.
45He who sees me sees him who sent me.
46I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.
47If anyone listens to my sayings and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
48He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke will judge him in the last day.
49For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak.
50I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”
Early Christian texts and source notes
John xii. 32, iii. 14.
Editorial footnote · Against Heresies, Book 4, Preface or unspecified section · Original source
John xii. 27.
Editorial footnote · On First Principles, The Writings of Origen, Vol. 1 of 2 / ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. / BOOK II. / CHAPTER VIII. ON THE SOUL (ANIMA). · Original source
John xii. 40; 2 Cor. iii. 14.
Editorial footnote · The Shepherd of Hermas, The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers / THE PASTOR OF HERMAS. / BOOK SECOND.—COMMANDMENTS. / COMMANDMENT TWELFTH. On the twofold desire. The commandments of God can be kept, and believers ought not to fear the devil. · Original source
John xii. 43.
Editorial footnote · On Baptism, Against the Donatists, WRITINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DONATIST CONTROVERSY. / BOOK SECOND. / Chapter xi · Original source
John xii. 6.
Editorial footnote · Answer to the Letters of Petilianus, WRITINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DONATIST CONTROVERSY. / BOOK THIRD. / Chapter lv · Original source
John xii. 24.
Editorial footnote · Against Celsus, The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2 / BOOK VIII. / Chapter XLIII. · Original source
Chap. lxxxix.—196. Petilianus said: "Therefore I say, He ordained that we should undergo death for the faith, which each man should do for the communion of the Church. For Christianity makes progress by the deaths of its followers. For if death were feared by the faithful, no man would be found to live with perfect faith. For the Lord Christ says, 'Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.'"
Source passage · edition’s verse reference · Answer to the Letters of Petilianus, WRITINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DONATIST CONTROVERSY. / BOOK SECOND. / Chapter lxxxix · Original source
4. Now, if this be the case, it seems to me that this very decay and falling away of the understanding is not the same in all, but that this conversion into a soul is carried to a greater or less degree in different instances, and that certain understandings retain something even of their former vigour, and others again either nothing or a very small amount. Whence some are found from the very commencement of their lives to be of more active intellect, others again of a slower habit of mind, and some are born wholly obtuse, and altogether incapable of instruction. Our statement, however, that the understanding is converted into a soul, or whatever else seems to have such a meaning, the reader must carefully consider and settle for himself, as these views are not to be regarded as advanced by us in a dogmatic manner, but simply as opinions, treated in the style of investigation and discussion. Let the reader take this also into consideration, that it is observed with regard to the soul of the Saviour, that of those things which are written in the Gospel, some are ascribed to it under the name of soul, and others under that of spirit. For when it wishes to indicate any suffering or perturbation affecting Him, it indicates it under the name of soul; as when it says, “Now is my soul troubled;” and, “My soul is sorrowful, even unto death;” and, “No man taketh my soul from me, but I lay it down of myself.” Into the hands of His Father He commends not His soul, but His spirit; and when He says that the flesh is weak, He does not say that the soul is willing, but the spirit: whence it appears that the soul is something intermediate between the weak flesh and the willing spirit.
Source passage · edition’s verse reference · On First Principles, The Writings of Origen, Vol. 1 of 2 / ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS. / BOOK II. / CHAPTER VIII. ON THE SOUL (ANIMA). · Original source
Some new thing, then, has come to pass since the time that Jesus suffered,—that, I mean, which has happened to the city, to the whole nation, and in the sudden and general rise of a Christian community. And that, too, is a new thing, that those who were strangers to the covenants of God, with no part in His promises, and far from the truth, have by a divine power been enabled to embrace the truth. These things were not the work of an impostor, but were the work of God, who sent His Word, Jesus Christ, to make known His purposes. The sufferings and death which Jesus endured with such fortitude and meekness, show the cruelty and injustice of those who inflicted them, but they did not destroy the announcement of the purposes of God; indeed, if we may so say, they served rather to make them known. For Jesus Himself taught us this when He said, “Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth by itself alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Jesus, then, who is this grain of wheat, died, and brought forth much fruit. And the Father is ever looking forward for the results of the death of the grain of wheat, both those which are arising now, and those which shall arise hereafter. The Father of Jesus is therefore a tender and loving Father, though “He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up” as His lamb “for us all,” that so “the Lamb of God,” by dying for all men, might “take away the sin of the world.” It was not by compulsion, therefore, but willingly, that He bore the reproaches of those who reviled Him. Then Celsus, returning to those who apply abusive language to images, says: “Of those whom you load with insults, you may in like manner say that they voluntarily submit to such treatment, and therefore they bear insults with patience; for it is best to deal equally with both sides. Yet these severely punish the scorner, so that he must either flee and hide himself, or be taken and perish.” It is not, then, because Christians cast insults upon demons that they incur their revenge, but because they drive them away out of the images, and from the bodies and souls of men. And here, although Celsus perceives it not, he has on this subject spoken something like the truth; for it is true that the souls of those who condemn Christians, and betray them, and rejoice in persecuting them, are filled with wicked demons.
Source passage · edition’s verse reference · Against Celsus, The writings of Origen, Vol. 2 of 2 / BOOK VIII. / Chapter XLIII. · Original source