Augustinus, In Joannis Evangelium tractatus XXVII-XXXIV

if we believe in Him Who rose again; He will give us, not what men love here who do not love God, or love so much the more the less they love Him, whereas they love this so much the less the more they love Him. But let us see what He has promised us: not earthly and temporal riches, not honours and powers in this world; for you see all these things given even to evil men, lest they be highly prized by the good. Not, finally, the health of the body itself: not because He does not give it, but because, as you see, He gives it even to cattle. Not a long life. For what is long that at some time comes to an end? He did not promise us believers, as something great, longevity or a decrepit old age, which all desire before it comes, and about which all grumble when it has come. Not beauty of body, which either disease of the body or old age itself, which is desired, destroys. A man wants to be handsome, and wants to be old: these two desires cannot agree with one another: if you are old, you will not be handsome: when old age comes, beauty will flee; and the vigour of beauty and the groaning of old age cannot dwell in one person. All these things, therefore, He did not promise us, Who said, Let him who believes in Me come and drink; and rivers of living water will flow from his belly. He promised eternal life, where we may fear nothing, where we may not be troubled, whence we may not depart, where we may not die; where neither is a predecessor mourned nor a successor awaited. Because, then, such is what He has promised to us who love and who are aflame with the charity of the Holy Spirit, for that reason He would not give that Spirit except when He had been glorified, so that in His own body He might show the life which we do not now have, but hope for in the resurrection.

Tractate 33. From that place of the Gospel, Some of that crowd, therefore, when they had heard these words of His, etc., up to this, Neither will I condemn you; go, and sin no more. Chapter 7, verses 40-53, and chapter 8, verses 1-11 (John 7:40–53; 8:1–11).

1. Your Charity remembers that in the former sermon, on the occasion of the Gospel reading, we spoke to you about the Holy Spirit. When the Lord had invited those who believe in Him to drink of this, speaking among those who were thinking of seizing Him and desired to kill Him and were not able, because He was not willing: when, then, He had said these things, a dissension arose about Him in the crowd, some thinking that He was the Christ, others saying that the Christ will not arise from Galilee. But those who had been sent to seize Him returned free of the crime and full of admiration. For they even bore witness to His divine teaching, when those by whom they had been sent said, Why have you not brought Him? For they answered that they had never heard a man speak thus: For no man speaks thus. But He spoke thus because He was God and man. Yet the Pharisees, rejecting their testimony, said to them: Have you too been led astray? For we see that you have been delighted by His words. Has any of the rulers believed in Him, or of the Pharisees? But this crowd, which does not know the Law, are accursed. Those who did not know the Law,

they believed in Him Who had sent the Law; and Him Who had sent the Law those who taught the Law despised: so that what the Lord Himself had said might be fulfilled, I have come so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind (John 9:39). For the Pharisees, the teachers, became blind; the peoples who did not know the Law were enlightened, and believed in the author of the Law.

2. Nicodemus, however, one of the Pharisees, who had come to the Lord by night, and who was himself not indeed unbelieving but fearful (for he had come to the light by night for this reason, that he wished to be enlightened and was afraid to be known), answered the Jews, Does our Law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he does? For they perversely wished to be condemners before being examiners. For Nicodemus knew, or rather believed, that if only they were willing to hear Him patiently, they might perhaps become like those who were sent to seize Him and preferred to believe. They answered, out of the prejudgement of their heart, what they had also answered those others: Are you also a Galilean? That is, as it were, led astray by the Galilean. For the Lord was called a Galilean because His parents were from the town of Nazareth. I have said parents with respect to Mary, not with respect to the seed of a man: for He sought on earth only a mother, Who already had a Father above. For each of His births was wonderful: the divine without a mother, the human without a father. What then did those men, as teachers of the Law, say to Nicodemus? Search the Scriptures, and see that a prophet does not arise from Galilee. But the Lord of the Prophets arose from there. They went back, says the Evangelist, each to his own house.

3. From there Jesus went on to the mount: to the Mount of Olives, to the fruitful mount, to the mount of ointment, to the mount of chrism. For where was it fitting for Christ to teach, if not on the Mount of Olives? For the name of Christ is derived from chrism: chrisma in Greek is called unction in Latin. And He anointed us for this reason, that He made us wrestlers against the devil. And at daybreak He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him, and sitting down He taught them. And He was not seized, because He did not yet deign to suffer.

4. Now pay attention to where the Lord's gentleness was tested by His enemies. "And those scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery, and they set her in the midst; and they said to Him: Master, this woman has just been caught in adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a one: what then sayest Thou? And they said this testing Him, so that they might accuse Him." Accuse Him on what ground? Had they caught Him in some crime, or was that woman said to have been connected with Him in some way? What then does it mean, testing Him, so that they might accuse Him? We understand, brethren, that a wonderful gentleness stood out pre-eminently in the Lord. They noticed that He was exceedingly mild, exceedingly gentle: for it had been foretold of Him, Gird Thy sword about Thy thigh, O most mighty; in Thy comeliness and Thy beauty set forth, proceed prosperously, and reign: because of truth and gentleness and justice (Ps. 44:4–5). So He brought truth as a teacher, gentleness

as a deliverer, justice as a judge. On account of these things the prophet had foretold in the Holy Spirit that He would reign (Isa. 11). When He spoke, truth was recognized: when He was not provoked against His enemies, gentleness was praised. Since, therefore, His enemies were tormented with spite and envy over these two things, that is, over His truth and gentleness, in the third, that is, justice, they laid a stumbling-block. Why? Because the Law had commanded that adulterers be stoned; and certainly the Law could not command what was unjust: if anyone should say anything other than what the Law had commanded, he would be caught out as unjust. They said therefore among themselves: He is thought truthful, He seems gentle; a false charge must be sought against Him concerning justice. Let us bring to Him a woman caught in adultery, let us say what is prescribed concerning her in the Law: if He commands her to be stoned, He will not have gentleness; if He decides she should be let go, He will not hold to justice. But so as not to lose His gentleness, they say, in which He has already become lovable to the peoples, without doubt He will say that she ought to be let go. From this we find an occasion for accusing Him, and we make Him guilty as a transgressor of the Law, saying to Him: Thou art an enemy of the Law, Thou answerest against Moses, nay rather against Him Who gave the Law through Moses; Thou art guilty of death, Thou Thyself art to be stoned along with her. By these words and these opinions envy could be inflamed, accusation could seethe, condemnation could be demanded. But against whom was this? Perversity against uprightness, falsehood against truth, a corrupt heart against an upright heart, folly against wisdom. When would they prepare snares into which they did not first put their own heads? Behold, the Lord in answering will both preserve justice and not depart from gentleness. He was not caught for whom the snare was laid, but rather they were caught who laid it; because they did not believe in Him Who could pluck them out of the snares.

5. What then did the Lord Jesus answer? What did truth answer? What did wisdom answer? What did justice itself, against which a false charge was being prepared, answer? He did not say, Let her not be stoned, lest He should seem to speak against the Law. But far be it that He should say, Let her be stoned: for He came not to destroy what He had found, but to seek what had perished (Luke 19:10). What then did He answer? See how full it is of justice, how full of gentleness and truth! Whichever of you is without sin, He says, let him first cast a stone at her. O answer of wisdom! How He sent them back into themselves! For outwardly they were bringing false charges, inwardly they were not examining themselves: they saw the adulteress, they did not look at themselves. Transgressors of the Law desired the Law to be fulfilled, and that by false accusation; not truly, as those who condemn adulteries by chastity. You have heard, Jews; you have heard, Pharisees; you have heard, doctors of the Law, the guardian of the Law, but you have not yet understood the Lawgiver. What else does He signify to you when He writes with His finger on the ground? For the Law was written by the finger of God; but on account of the hard it was written on stone (Exod. 31:18). Now the Lord was writing on the ground, because He was seeking fruit. You have heard therefore, Let the Law be fulfilled, let the adulteress be stoned: but in punishing her, is the Law to be fulfilled by those who ought to be punished? Let each of you consider himself, let him enter into himself, let him ascend the tribunal of his mind, let him set himself before his conscience, let him compel himself to confess. He knows

who he is: because no one among men knows the things that are of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him (1 Cor. 2:11). Each one, attending to himself, finds himself a sinner. Just so. Therefore either let this woman go, or receive together with her the penalty of the Law. Had He said, Let the adulteress not be stoned, He would have been convicted as unjust; had He said, Let her be stoned, He would not have seemed gentle: let Him say what He ought to say, being both gentle and just, Whoever of you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her. This is the voice of justice: Let the sinful woman be punished, but not by sinners; let the Law be fulfilled, but not by transgressors of the Law. This is altogether the voice of justice: struck by this justice as by a weapon the size of a beam, looking into themselves and finding themselves guilty, one after another they all withdrew. Two were left, the wretched woman and Mercy. But the Lord, when He had struck them with that weapon of justice, did not even deign to watch them falling, but, with His gaze turned away from them, again He was writing with His finger on the ground.

6. But when that woman had been left alone, and all had gone away, He raised His eyes to the woman. We have heard the voice of justice; let us hear also that of gentleness. For that woman, I believe, had been the more terrified when she heard it said by the Lord, Whoever of you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her. They, then, attending to themselves, and by their very departure having made confession concerning themselves, had left the woman with her great sin to Him Who was without sin. And since she had heard this, Whoever is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her, she expected to be punished by Him in Whom no sin could be found. But He Who had driven back her adversaries with the tongue of justice, raising towards her the eyes of gentleness, asked her: Has no one condemned you? She answered: No one, Lord. And He: Neither will I condemn you; I, by Whom you perhaps feared to be condemned, because you did not find sin in Me. Neither will I condemn you. What is this, Lord? Are sins then favoured by Thee? Not so at all. Attend to what follows: Go, henceforth sin no more. So the Lord too condemned, but the sin, not the person. For if He were a favourer of sins, He would say, Neither will I condemn you; go, live as you please: be secure about My deliverance; however much you sin, I will deliver you from every penalty, even from the tormentors of Gehenna and of hell. He did not say this.

7. Let those, then, who love gentleness in the Lord attend, and let them fear truth. For sweet and upright is the Lord (Ps. 24:8). You love that He is sweet; fear that He is upright. As gentle, He said, I have kept silent: but as just, Shall I always keep silent? (Isa. 42:14, according to the Septuagint). Merciful and compassionate is the Lord. Just so. Add further, long-suffering; add further, and very merciful: but fear what comes last, and true (Ps. 85:15). For those whom He now bears with as they sin, He will judge as they show contempt. Or do you despise the riches of His long-suffering and gentleness, not knowing that the patience of God leads you to repentance? But you, according to the hardness of your heart and your impenitent heart, are storing up for yourself wrath on the day of wrath and of the revelation of the just judgement of God, Who will render to each according to his works (Rom. 2:4–6). Gentle is the Lord, long-suffering is the Lord,

merciful is the Lord: but also the just Lord, and the truthful Lord. He grants you space for correction: but you love delay more than amendment. Were you bad yesterday? Be good today. And have you spent today in wickedness? At least change tomorrow. You are always waiting, and you promise yourself a great deal from the mercy of God: as if He Who promised you forgiveness through repentance had also promised you a longer life. How do you know what tomorrow will bring forth? You say rightly in your heart: When I have corrected myself, God will forgive me all my sins. We cannot deny that God has promised forgiveness to those who are corrected and converted. For in the prophet in whom you read to me that He promised forgiveness to the one who is corrected, you do not read to me that God promised you a long life.

8. So men are endangered from both sides, both by hoping and by despairing, by contrary things, by contrary affections. Who is deceived by hoping? He who says: God is good, God is merciful, I will do what pleases me, whatever I like; I will slacken the reins to my desires, I will fulfil the longings of my soul. Why this? Because God is merciful, God is good, God is gentle. These are endangered by hope. By despair, on the other hand, are those who, when they have fallen into grave sins, thinking that they can no longer be forgiven even if they repent, and deciding that they are destined without doubt to damnation, say within themselves: We are already to be damned, why do we not do what we want? with the mind of gladiators destined for the sword. That is why the desperate are troublesome: for they no longer have anything to fear, and they are greatly to be feared. Despair kills these, hope those. The mind wavers between hope and despair. It is to be feared that hope may kill you, and that, while you hope much from mercy, you may fall into judgement: it is to be feared, on the other hand, that despair may kill you, and that, while you think that the grave things you have committed can no longer be forgiven you, you may not do penance, and may run into Wisdom as your judge, who says: And I will laugh over your destruction (Prov. 1:26). What then does the Lord do with those endangered by either disease? To those who are endangered by hope He says this: Do not be slow to turn to the Lord, and do not put it off from day to day; for suddenly His wrath will come, and in the time of vengeance He will destroy you (Sir. 5:8–9). To those who are endangered by despair, what does He say? On whatever day the wicked man has turned, I will forget all his iniquities (Ezek. 18:21–22, 27). So for the sake of those who are endangered by despair, He has set forth a harbour of forgiveness: for the sake of those who are endangered by hope and are deluded by delays, He has made the day of death uncertain. When the last day may come, you do not know. Are you ungrateful because you have today, in which you may be corrected? So, then, to this woman: Neither will I condemn you; but, having been made secure about the past, beware of the future. Neither will I condemn you: I have blotted out what you committed; observe what I have commanded, that you may find what I have promised.