Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom“He that cometh from above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of theearth.”[1.] A dreadful thing is the love of glory, dreadful and full of many evils; it is a thorn hard tobe extracted, a wild beast untamable and many headed, arming itself against those that feed it; foras the worm eats through the wood from which it is born, as rust wastes the iron whence it comesforth, and moths the fleeces, so vainglory destroys the soul which nourishes it; and therefore weneed great diligence to remove the passion. Observe here how long a charm John uses over 756 thedisciples affected by it, and can scarcely pacify them. For he softens 757 them with other wordsbesides those already mentioned. And what are these others? “He that cometh from above,” hesaith, “is above all; he that is of the earth, is earthly, and speaketh of the earth.” Since you makemuch ado with my testimony, 758 and in this way say that I am more worthy of credit than He, youneeds must know this, that it is impossible for One who cometh from heaven to have His creditstrengthened by one that inhabiteth earth.And what means “above all,” what is the expression intended to show to us? That Christ hathneed of nothing, but is Himself sufficient for Himself, and incomparably greater than all; of himselfJohn speaks as being “of the earth, and speaking of the earth.” Not that he spake of his own mind,but as Christ said, “If I have told you of earthly things and ye believe not,” so calling Baptism, notbecause it was an “earthly thing,” but because He compared it when He spake with His own IneffableGeneration, so here John said that he spake “of earth,” comparing his own with Christ’s teaching.For the “speaking of earth” means nothing else than this, “My things are little and low and poorcompared with His, and such as it was probable that an earthly nature would receive. In Him ‘arehid all the treasures of wisdom.’” ( Col. ii. 5 .) That he speaks not of human reasonings is plainfrom this. “He that is of the earth,” saith he, “is earthly.” Yet not all in him was earthly, but thehigher parts were heavenly, for he had a soul, and was partaker of a Spirit which was not of earth.How then saith he that he is “earthly”? Seest thou not that he means only, “I am small and of noesteem, going on the ground and born in the earth; but Christ came to us from above.” Having byall these means quenched their passion, he afterwards speaks more openly of Christ; for before thisit was useless to utter words which could never have gained a place in the understanding of hishearers: but when he hath pulled up the thorns, he then boldly casts in the seed, saying,Ver. 31, 32 . “He that cometh from above is above all. And what He hath heard He speaketh,and what He hath seen He testifieth; 759 and no man receiveth His testimony.”Having uttered something great and sublime concerning Him, he again brings down his discourseto a humbler strain. For the expression, “what He hath heard and seen,” is suited rather to a mereman. What He knew He knew not from having learned it by sight, or from having heard it, but Heincluded the whole in His Nature, having come forth perfect from the Bosom of His Father, andneeding none to teach Him. For, “As the Father,” He saith, “knoweth Me, even so know I theFather.” ( c. x. 15 .) What then means, “He speaketh that He hath heard, and testifieth that He hath756ὅ σα ἐπᾴδει757ἐ παντλεῖ , lit. “ foments. ”758ἄ νω καὶ κάτω στρέφετε759ὃ ἑώρ καὶ ἤκ τοῦτο μ . G. T.158