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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom186this erroneous suspicion, and to show that He was not one of the prophets, but the Master of theworld, He said,Chap. viii. ver. 12 . 1452 “I am the light of the world.”Not “of Galilee,” not of Palestine, nor of Judæa. What then say the Jews?Ver. 13 . “Thou bearest record of thyself, thy record is not true.”Alas! for their folly, He continually referred them to the Scriptures, and now they say, “Thoubearest record of thyself.” What was the record He bare? “I am the light of the world.” A greatthing to say, great of a truth, but it did not greatly amaze them, because He did not now makeHimself equal to the Father, nor assert that He was His Son, nor that He was God, but for a whilecalleth Himself “a light.” They indeed desired to disprove this also, and yet this was a much greaterthing than to say,“He that followeth Me, shall not walk in darkness.”Using the words “light” and “darkness” in a spiritual sense, and meaning thereby “abideth notin error.” In this place He draweth on Nicodemus, and bringeth him in as having spoken veryboldly, and praiseth the servants who had also done so. For to “cry aloud,” 1453 is the act of onedesirous to cause that they also should hear. At the same time He hinteth at these 1454 who weresecretly contriving treacheries, being both in darkness and error, but that they should not prevailover the light. And He remindeth Nicodemus of the words which He had uttered before, “Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”( c. iii. 20 .) For since they had asserted that none of the rulers had believed on Him, therefore Hesaith, that “he that doeth evil cometh not to the light,” to show that their not having come proceedethnot from the weakness of the light, but from their own perverse will.“They answered and said unto Him, Dost thou bear witness to thyself?”What then saith He?Ver. 14 . “Though I bear record of Myself, My record is true; for I know whence I come, andwhither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come.”What He had before said, 1455 these men bring forward as if it had been specially 1456 asserted.What then doth Christ? To refute this, and to show that He used those expressions as suitable tothem and to their suspicions, who supposed Him to be a mere man, He saith, “Though I bear recordof Myself, My record is true, for I know whence I come.” What is this? “I am of God, am God, theSon of God, and God Himself is a faithful witness unto Himself, but ye know Him not; ye willinglyerr, 1457 knowing ye pretend not to know, but say all that ye say according to mere human imagination,choosing to understand nothing beyond what is seen.”Ver. 15 . “Ye judge after the flesh.”As to live after the flesh is to live badly, so to judge after the flesh is to judge unjustly. “But Ijudge no man.”Ver. 16 . “And yet if I judge, My judgment is true.” 14581452The history of the woman taken in adultery is omitted by St. Chrysostom, and all the Greek commentators.1453S. C. seems to refer to c. vii. 28 . “ Then cried Jesus in the Temple, ” &c.1454i.e. the Pharisees.1455῞ Οπερ φθάσας εἶπε , according to Savile’s conjecture and a Vatican ms. The common reading is εἶπον1456προηγουμένως1457ἐ θελοκακεῖτε1458Ben. “ just. ”284