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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostomintroduced into our life. And therefore He especially desired that the Dispensation should bebelieved, as having been the root and fountain of innumerable goods to us.Yet while acting thus in regard of His Humanity, 781 He did not allow His Divinity to be overcast.And so, after His departure He again employed the same language as before. For He went not awayinto Galilee simply, 782 but in order to effect certain important matters, those among the Samaritans;nor did He dispense these matters simply, but with the wisdom that belonged to 783 Him, and so asnot to leave to the Jews any pretense even of a shameless excuse for themselves. And to this theEvangelist points when he says,Ver. 4 . “And He must needs go through Samaria.”Showing that He made this the by-work of the journey. Which also the Apostles did; for justas they, when persecuted by the Jews, came to the Gentiles; so also Christ, when the Jews droveHim out, then took the Samaritans in hand, as He did also in the case of the Syrophenician woman.And this was done that all defense might be cut away from the Jews, and that they might not beable to say, “He left us, and went to the uncircumcised.” And therefore the disciples excusingthemselves said, “It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken unto you;but seeing ye judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.” ( Actsxiii. 46 .) And He saith again Himself, “I am not come 784 but unto the lost sheep of the house ofIsrael” ( Matt. xv. 24 ); and again, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to give 785 it todogs.” But when they drove Him away, they opened a door to the Gentiles. Yet not so did He cometo the Gentiles expressly, but in passing. 786 In passing then,Ver. 5, 6 . “He cometh to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of groundthat Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there.”Why is the Evangelist exact about the place? It is, that when thou hearest the woman say, “Jacobour father gave us this well,” thou mayest not think it strange. For this was the place where Leviand Simeon, being angry because of Dinah, wrought that cruel slaughter. And it may be worthwhile to relate from what sources the Samaritans were made up; since all this country is calledSamaria. Whence then did they receive their name? The mountain was called “Somor” from itsowner ( 1 Kings xvi. 24 ): as also Esaias saith, “and the head of Ephraim is Somoron” ( Isa. vii.9 , LXX.), but the inhabitants were termed not “Samaritans” but “Israelites.” But as time went on,they offended God, and in the reign of Pekah, Tiglath-Pileser came up, and took many cities, andset upon Elah, and having slain him, gave the kingdom to Hoshea. 787 ( 2 Kings xv. 29 .) Againsthim Shalmaneser came and took other cities, and made them subject and tributary. ( 2 Kings xvii.3 .) At first he yielded, but afterwards he revolted from the Assyrian rule, and betook himself tothe alliance of the Ethiopians. 788 The Assyrian learnt this, and having made war upon them anddestroyed their cities, he no longer allowed the nation to remain there, because he had such suspicionsthat they would revolt. ( 2 Kings xvii. 4 .) But he carried them to Babylon and to the Medes, and781οἰκονομῶν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα782i.e. without an object, ἁ πλῶς783or, “ became. ”784[ οὐκ ἀπεστάλην ] G. T.785[ βάλλειν ] G. T.786Morel. “ having thus hinted that which he wished, he again begins, saying, Jesus therefore cometh, ” &c.787This account does not agree with the history, ( 2 Kings xv. 29, 30 ,) but there is no other reading.788i.e. the Egyptians.164