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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom[1.] Nothing is placed in the Holy Scriptures without a reason, for they were uttered by the HolyGhost, therefore let us enquire exactly into every point. For it is possible from one expression tofind out the entire meaning (of a passage), as in the case before us. “Many of them of Jerusalemsaid, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing untohim.” Now why is added, “them of Jerusalem”? The Evangelist by this shows, that they who hadmost enjoyed His mighty miracles were more pitiable than any; they who had beheld the greatestproof of His Godhead, and yet committed all to the judgment of their corrupt rulers. For was it nota 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? whothus quenched their absolute fury? Still after such proofs, observe the folly and the madness of themen. “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, butnothing even when He “speaketh boldly.” For one who spoke boldly and with all freedom wouldnaturally have the more angered them; but they did nothing. “Do they know indeed that this is thevery Christ?” “What think ye? What opinion give ye?” The contrary, It saith. On which accountthey said, “We know this man whence he is.” What malice, 1416 what contradiction! They do noteven follow the opinion of their rulers, but bring forward another, perverse, and worthy of theirown folly; “We know him whence he is.”“But when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is.” ( Matt. ii. 4 .)“Yet your rulers when asked replied, that He should be born in Bethlehem.” And others againsaid, “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 comethfrom Bethlehem”; “When Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is.” What can be plainerthan this contradiction? For they only looked to one thing, which was, not to believe. What then isChrist’s reply?Ver. 28 . “Ye both know Me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of Myself, but Hethat sent Me is true, whom ye know not.”[2.] And again, “If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.” ( c. viii. 19 .)How then saith He, that they both “know Him,” and “whence He is,” and then, “that they neitherknow Him, nor the Father”? He doth not contradict, (away with the thought,) but is very consistentwith Himself. For He speaketh of a different kind of knowledge, when He saith, “ye know not”;as when He saith, “The sons of Eli were wicked sons, they knew not the Lord” ( 1 Sam. ii. 12 );and again, “Israel doth not know Me.” ( Isa. i. 3 .) So also Paul saith, “They profess that they knowGod, but in works they deny Him.” ( Tit. i. 16 .) It is therefore possible, “knowing,” “not to know.”This then is what He saith: “If ye know Me, ye know that I am the Son of God.” For the “whenceI am” doth not here denote place. As is clear from what followeth, “I am not come of Myself, butHe that sent Me is true, whom ye know not,” referring here to the ignorance shown by their works.[As Paul saith, “They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him.”] For their faultcame not merely of ignorance, but of wickedness, and an evil will; because even though they knew1416al. “ perplexity. ”273