Augustinus, In Joannis Evangelium tractatus XXXVI-XLV

You are sons of Abraham, He Himself denied that they were sons of Abraham: If you are sons of Abraham, do the deeds of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a man who tells you the truth which I heard from God: this Abraham did not do. You do the works of your father, that is, of the devil. How then were they both sons of Abraham and not sons of Abraham? He shows both in them: they were sons of Abraham by reason of the origin of the flesh; and they were not sons of Abraham by reason of the vice of the devil's persuasion. So consider also our Lord and God: they both were of Him and were not of Him. How were they of Him? Because He Himself created the man from whom they were born. How were they of Him? Because He Himself is the founder of nature, He Himself is the creator of flesh and soul. How then were they not of Him? Because they had been made vicious by themselves. They were not of Him, because by imitating the devil they had been made sons of the devil.

16. The Lord God therefore came to sinful man. You have heard two names, both "man" and "sinner". That he is a man is from God; that he is a sinner is not from God. Let the vice be separated from the nature: let the nature be acknowledged, for which the Creator may be praised; let the vice be acknowledged, on account of which the physician may be called upon. When, then, the Lord says, He who is of God hears the words of God: therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God, He did not distinguish between the merits of natures, nor did He find in men, besides His own soul and flesh, some nature which had not been vitiated by sin; but because He had foreknown who were going to believe, He said that they were of God, since they would be reborn of God by the adoption of regeneration. To these belongs: He who is of God hears the words of God. But what follows, Therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God, was said to those who were not only vicious through sin (for this evil was common to all), but were also foreknown as not going to believe with that faith by which alone they could be freed from the bond of sins. Therefore He foreknew that those to whom He was saying such things would remain in that by which they were of the devil, that is, would die in their sins and in impiety, in which they were like him; and would not come to the regeneration in which they would be sons of God, that is, born of God, by Whom they had been created men. According to this predestination the Lord spoke: not that He had found any man who was either already of God according to regeneration, or already not of God according to nature.

Tractate 43. From what is written, The Jews therefore answered and said to Him; as far as, The Jews therefore took up stones to throw at Him: but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. Chapter 8, verses 48-59 (John 8:48–59).

1. In this reading of the holy Gospel which has been recited today, we learn patience from power. For what are we, servants compared with the Lord, sinners compared with the Just One, a creature compared with the Creator? Yet just as, if we are anything evil, we are so from ourselves, so whatever good we are, we are from Him and through Him. And man seeks nothing so much as power: he has the Lord Christ as a great power; but let him first imitate His patience, so that he may attain to power. Which of us patiently

would hear it if it were said to someone, You have a demon? This was said to Him who not only saved men, but also gave commands to demons.

2. For when the Jews had said this, Do we not say well that You are a Samaritan, and have a demon? of these two things laid against Him He denied one, the other He did not deny. For He answered and said: I do not have a demon. He did not say, I am not a Samaritan: and yet two things had been laid against Him. Although He did not return curse for curse, although He did not rebut insult with insult, it nevertheless belonged to Him to deny the one thing and not to deny the other. Not without reason, brethren. For Samaritan is interpreted Guardian. He knew that He was our guardian. For He who guards Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers (Ps. 120:4): and, Unless the Lord guards the city, they who guard it will keep watch in vain (Ps. 126:1). He therefore is our guardian, who is our creator. For did it belong to Him that we should be redeemed, and not belong to Him that we should be preserved? Finally, so that you may know more fully the mystery of why He ought not to deny that He was a Samaritan, attend to that most well-known parable, where a certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who, wounding him grievously, left him half-dead on the road. A priest passed by, he neglected him: a Levite passed by, and he too went past: a certain Samaritan passed by, he is our guardian; he came up to the wounded man, he bestowed mercy, and showed himself a neighbour to him, whom he did not reckon a stranger (Luke 10:30–37). To this alone, then, that He did not have a demon, but not that He was not a Samaritan, did He make answer.

3. Then after such an insult, He said only this about His own glory: But I honour, He says, My Father, and you have dishonoured Me. That is, I do not honour Myself, lest I seem arrogant to you; I have One whom I honour; but if you acknowledged Me, just as I honour the Father, so you too would honour Me: I do what I ought, you do not do what you ought.

4. But I, He says, do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Whom does He wish to be understood, if not the Father? How then does He say in another place, The Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son (John 5:22); and here He says, I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges? If, then, the Father judges, how does He judge no one, but has given all judgement to the Son?

5. Attend, so that we may resolve this question; it can be resolved by a similar manner of speaking. You have it written, God tempts no one (Jas. 1:13); and again you have it written, The Lord your God tempts you, that He may know whether you love Him (Deut. 13:3). Surely there is a question, you see. For how does God tempt no one, and how does the Lord your God tempt you, that He may know whether you love Him? Likewise it is written, Fear is not in charity, but perfect charity casts out fear (1 John 4:18); and in another place it is written, The fear of the Lord is chaste, abiding for ever and ever (Ps. 18:10). And this too is a question. For how does perfect charity cast out fear, if the chaste fear of the Lord abides for ever and ever?

6. We understand, then, that there are two temptations: one which deceives, the other which proves. According to that which deceives, God tempts no one; according to that which proves, the Lord your God tempts you, that He may know whether you love Him. But here again another question arises: how does He tempt in order to know, He from Whom nothing can be hidden even before He tempts? God, then, is not ignorant; but it is said, that He may know, which is, that He may make you know. Such expressions are found both in our own speech and in the authors of eloquence. Let me say something about our own speech. A ditch is called blind, not because it has itself lost its eyes, but because by lying hidden it makes people not see. Let me say something too about those authors. A certain one speaks of sad lupines (Virgil, Georgics 1.75), that is, bitter ones: not because they are themselves sad, but because when tasted they sadden, that is, they make people sad. There are, then, expressions of this kind in the Scriptures too. Those who labour at recognizing such questions do not labour at solving such questions. So: the Lord your God tempts you, that He may know. What is "that He may know"? That He may make you know whether you love Him. Job was hidden from himself, but he was not hidden from God; he admitted the tempter, and made him the one who came to know him.

7. What of the two fears? There is a servile fear, and there is a chaste fear; there is the fear lest you suffer punishment, there is another fear lest you lose righteousness. That fear lest you suffer punishment is servile. What great thing is it to fear punishment? The most worthless slave does this, and the cruellest robber does this. It is no great thing to fear punishment, but it is a great thing to love righteousness. Does he, then, who loves righteousness fear nothing? He plainly does fear: not lest he fall into punishment, but lest he lose righteousness. My brothers, believe, and infer it from what you love. One of you loves money. Do you think I shall find anyone who does not love it? Yet from this very thing that he loves, let him understand what I am saying. He fears loss: why does he fear loss? Because he loves money. As much as he loves money, so much does he fear to lose money. So there is found someone who loves righteousness, who in his heart dreads the loss more, who fears more to be stripped of righteousness than you do of money. This is the chaste fear; this abides for ever and ever. Charity does not take it away, nor cast it out, but rather embraces it, and keeps it as a companion, and at the same time possesses it. For we have come to the Lord, that we may see face to face: there chaste fear preserves us; for that fear does not disturb, but strengthens. An adulterous woman fears lest her husband come; a chaste one also fears, lest her husband depart.

8. Therefore, just as according to one temptation God tempts no one, but according to the other the Lord your God tempts you; and according to one fear, there is no fear in charity, but perfect charity casts out fear, but according to the other fear, the chaste fear of the Lord abides for ever and ever: so too in this place, according to one judgement, the Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son; but according to the other judgement, I, He says, do not seek My own glory; there is One Who seeks and judges.

9. And let this question be resolved from the word itself. You have in the Gospel a penal judgement mentioned: He who does not believe has already been judged (John 3:18); and in another

place, The hour will come when those who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and those who have done good will come forth to the resurrection of life; those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement (John 5:28–29). See how He has put judgement for damnation and punishment. And yet, if judgement were always taken for damnation, would we hear in the Psalm, Judge me, O God? There judgement is set down in the sense of affliction, here judgement in the sense of distinguishing. How in the sense of distinguishing? As he himself who says, Judge me, O God, explains it. For read and see what follows. What is, Judge me, O God? and distinguish my cause, he says, from a nation that is not holy (Ps. 42:1). What, then, was said, Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from a nation that is not holy, in accordance with this the Lord Christ now says, I do not seek My own glory; there is One Who seeks and judges. How is there One Who seeks and judges? It is the Father Who distinguishes and separates My glory from your glory. For you glory according to this world: I do not glory according to this world, I Who say to the Father, Father, glorify Me with that glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:5). What is, with that glory? One distinguished from human puffing-up. In accordance with this the Father judges. What is, judges? He distinguishes. What does He distinguish? The glory of His Son from the glory of men; for that is why it was said, God, Thy God, has anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows (Ps. 44:8). For it is not that, because He was made man, He is now to be compared with us. We men are with sin, He is without sin: we men draw from Adam both death and transgression; He drew from the Virgin mortal flesh, no iniquity. Lastly, we are neither born because we will it, nor do we live as long as we will, nor do we die as we will: He, before He was born, chose of whom He would be born; once born, He brought it about that He was worshipped by the Magi; He grew as an infant, and by miracles He showed Himself God, and by weakness He displayed man. Finally He chose even the manner of His death, that is, that He should hang on a cross, and should fix that very cross on the foreheads of the faithful, so that the Christian may say, But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14). On the cross itself, when He willed, He let go His body and departed: in the tomb itself, as long as He willed, He lay; when He willed, He rose as from a bed. Therefore, brethren, according to the form of a servant itself (for who worthily speaks of that, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God?), according, I say, to the form of a servant itself there is a great difference between the glory of Christ and the glory of the rest of men. Of that very glory He spoke, when He heard that He had a demon, I do not seek My own glory; there is One Who seeks and judges.

10. But Thou, Lord, what dost Thou say of Thyself? Amen, amen I say to you: if anyone keeps My word, he will not see death for ever. You, He says, say, You have a demon; I call you to life: keep My word, and you will not die. They heard, He will not see death for ever, who keeps My word; and they grew angry, because they were already dead with that death which was to be avoided. So the Jews said: Now

we know that You have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets, and You say, If anyone keeps My word, he shall not taste death for ever. See the manner of speaking of the Scriptures: He shall not see death, that is, he shall taste. He shall see death, he shall taste death. Who sees? Who tastes? What eyes does a man have, that he should see when he dies? When death by its coming closes those very eyes so that they may not see anything, how is it said, he shall not see death? Likewise, with what palate, with what throat is death tasted, so that what it tastes of may be discerned? When it takes away all sense, what will remain in the palate? But "shall see" was said, and "shall taste", in place of what is meant, "shall experience".

11. These things the Lord, it is little if I say, spoke to men who would die; He spoke as one who would die: for also of the Lord are the issues of death (Ps. 67:21), as the Psalm says. Since, then, He was both speaking to men who would die and speaking as one who would die, what does it mean that He says, Whoever keeps My word shall not see death for ever, unless that the Lord saw another death, from which He had come to set us free: the second death, the eternal death, the death of the hells, the death of damnation with the devil and his angels? That is the true death: for this one is a passing over. What is this death? A leaving behind of the body, a laying down of a heavy burden: but only if another burden is not carried, by which a man is hurled headlong into the hells. Of that death, then, the Lord said, He shall not see death for ever, whoever keeps My word.

12. Let us not be terrified of this death, but let us fear that one. But what is graver, many, by perversely fearing this one, have fallen into that one. It was said to some, Worship idols; and if you do not do it, you will be killed: or, as that Nebuchadnezzar said, If you do not do it, you will be cast into the furnace of burning fire. Many feared and worshipped; unwilling to die, they died: by fearing the death that is not escaped, they fell into the death which they could happily have escaped, if they had not unhappily feared this one which is not escaped. You were born a man; you will die. Where will you go so as not to die? What will you do so as not to die? That your Lord might console one who would die by necessity, He deigned to die by His will. When you see Christ dead, do you disdain to die? So you will die: you have no way to escape this. Let it be today, let it be tomorrow; it is to come, the debt must be paid. What then does a man accomplish by fearing, fleeing, hiding himself so as not to be found by the enemy? Does he accomplish not dying? No, but dying a little later. He does not receive security from the debt, but asks for a delay. However long it is put off, what is put off will come. Let us fear that death which the three men feared, when they said to the king: God is able to free us even from this flame; but even if not (Dan. 3:15, 17, 18). There was the fear of that death with which the Lord now threatens, when they said, But even if He does not will to free openly, He can crown in secret. Whence also the Lord Himself, being about to make martyrs, and being about to be the head of the martyrs, says: Do not fear those who kill the body, and afterwards have nothing that they can do. How have they nothing

what they may do? What if, when they have killed, they throw the body to the beasts to be torn and to the birds to be pulled apart? Cruelty seems still to have something it may do. But to whom does it do it? To one who has departed. The body is there, but there is no sensation: the dwelling lies there, the dweller has gone away. Therefore afterwards they have nothing that they may do: for to one who does not feel they do nothing. "But fear Him Who has power to kill both body and soul in the gehenna of fire" (Matt. 10:28, and Luke 12:4–5). See of what death He was speaking when He said: "Whoever keeps My word will not see death for ever." Let us therefore keep His word in faith, brothers, we who are to arrive at sight when we have received the fullest freedom.

13. But these men, indignant, dead, and predestined to everlasting death, answered abusively and said: "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets." But by that death which the Lord wishes to be understood, neither Abraham is dead nor the Prophets. For they have died, and they live; these men were living, and they were dead. For in answering, in a certain place, the Sadducees who were raising a question about the resurrection, the Lord Himself says this: "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read how the Lord said to Moses from the bush, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matt. 22:31–32; Exod. 3:6). If therefore they live, let us labour so to live that we may be able to live with them when we have died. "Whom do you make yourself," they say, "that you say, He will not see death for ever, whoever keeps my word, when you know that both Abraham is dead and the prophets?"

14. Jesus answered: "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father Who glorifies Me." He says this on account of what they said, "Whom do you make yourself?" For He refers His glory to the Father, from Whom it is that He is God. Sometimes the Arians also bring false charges against our faith from this saying, and say: "See, the Father is greater, because indeed He glorifies the Son." Heretic, have you not read that the Son Himself also says that He glorifies His Father (John 17:4)? If both He glorifies the Son and the Son glorifies the Father, lay aside your obstinacy, acknowledge the equality, correct your perversity.

15. "It is therefore," He says, "My Father Who glorifies Me, of Whom you say that He is our God, and you have not known Him." See, my brothers, how He shows that the very God Who was proclaimed also to the Jews is the Father of Christ. I say this because, again, certain heretics say that the God proclaimed in the Old Testament is not the Father of Christ, but some prince or other of the evil angels. It is the Manichaeans who say these things, it is the Marcionites who say these things. There are perhaps other heretics too, whom either there is no need to mention, or all of whom cannot be recalled by me at present; yet there have not been lacking those who said this. Therefore pay attention, so that you may have something to say against them also. The Lord Christ calls Him His Father Whom they called their God, and they did not know Him; for if they had known Him, they would have received His Son. "I

but, He says, I know Him. To those who judge according to the flesh He could seem arrogant on this account too, because He said, I know Him. But see what follows: If I should say that I do not know Him, I shall be like you, a liar. So let arrogance not be guarded against in such a way that truth is abandoned. But I know Him, and I keep His word. He was speaking the word of the Father as the Son; and He Himself was the Word of the Father, which He was speaking to men.

16. Abraham your father exulted that he might see My day; and he saw it, and was glad. A great testimony does the seed of Abraham, the creator of Abraham, bear to Abraham: Abraham exulted, He says, that he might see My day. He did not fear, but exulted that he might see. For there was in him the charity which casts out fear (1 John 4:18). He does not say, He exulted because he saw; but, he exulted that he might see. Believing, he certainly exulted in hoping, that he might see by understanding. And he saw, And what more could He say, or what more ought the Lord Jesus Christ to have said? And he saw, He says, and was glad. Who can unfold this joy, my brothers? If those whose eyes of flesh the Lord opened were glad, what joy was there for one who saw with the eyes of the heart the ineffable light, the abiding Word, the splendour shining upon pious minds, the unfailing wisdom, God abiding with the Father, and at some time to come in the flesh, yet not to withdraw from the Father's bosom? All this Abraham saw. For as to His saying, My day, it may be uncertain in what sense He said it; whether the temporal day of the Lord, in which He was to come in the flesh, or the day of the Lord which knows no rising and knows no setting. But I do not doubt that father Abraham knew the whole. And where am I to find it? Ought the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ to suffice us? Let us suppose that we cannot find it, because perhaps it is difficult [to see] how it is manifest that Abraham exulted that he might see the day of Christ, and saw it, and was glad. And if we do not find it, could the Truth lie? Let us believe the Truth, and not doubt in the least concerning the merits of Abraham. Yet hear one passage which occurs to me meanwhile. Father Abraham, when he sent his servant to seek a wife for his son Isaac, bound him with an oath that he would faithfully fulfil what he was commanded, and that he himself too should know what he was doing. For a great matter was being transacted, when a marriage was being sought for the seed of Abraham. But so that the servant might know this which Abraham knew, that he did not desire grandchildren in a carnal way, nor had any carnal thought concerning his own race, he said to the servant whom he was sending: Put your hand under my thigh, and swear by the God of heaven (Gen. 24:2–4). What has the God of heaven to do with the thigh of Abraham? You already understand the mystery: by the thigh, the race. What, then, was that swearing, except that it was signified that the God of heaven was to come in the flesh from the race of Abraham? Fools find fault with Abraham because he said, Put your hand under my thigh. Those who find fault with the flesh of Christ find fault with the act of Abraham. But we, brothers, if we acknowledge the flesh of Christ as worthy of veneration, let us not despise that thigh, but accept it as spoken in prophecy. For Abraham was a prophet. Prophet of whom? Of his own seed and of his Lord