Augustinus, In Joannis Evangelium tractatus LI-LXIV

gave; but, as I said, in the Wisdom of the Father, which is the Word of the Father, all the commandments of the Father are. Now the commandment is said to be given because He to whom it is said to be given is not from Himself: and this is to give to the Son that without which the Son never was, which is to beget the Son, Who never was not.

8. Now there follows: And I know that His commandment is eternal life. If, then, the Son Himself is eternal life, and the commandment of the Father is eternal life, what else has been said than, I am the commandment of the Father? Accordingly, that also which He adds, saying, The things that I speak, as the Father has said to Me, so I speak, let us not take "has said to Me" as though the Father spoke words to the only Word, or as though the Word of God had need of the words of God. The Father, then, spoke to the Son just as He gave life to the Son: not because the Son did not know it or did not have it, but because the Son Himself was it. But what is "as He has said to Me, so I speak", if not, I speak what is true? He spoke as the truthful one, and so this speaks as the truth. Now the truthful one begot the truth. What, then, would He now say to the truth? For the truth was not imperfect, that anything true should be added to it. He spoke, then, to the truth, because He begot the truth. Further, the truth itself speaks as it was spoken to: but to those who understand, whom it teaches as it was born. But so that men might believe what they are not yet able to understand, words sounded from a mouth of flesh, and passed away; the sounds rang out as they flew past, when the brief moments of their times were completed: but the things themselves of which the sounds are signs, carried over as it were into the memory of those who heard them, have come even to us through letters, which are visible signs. Not so does the truth speak: it speaks inwardly to understanding minds, it instructs without sound, it floods them with intelligible light. Whoever, then, is able to see in it the eternity of its birth, he hears it speaking just as the Father said to it what it should speak. He has stirred us to a great longing for His inner sweetness: but by growing we take it in, by walking we grow, by advancing we walk, so that we may be able to arrive.

Tractate 55.

From the passage, Before the festal day of the Pasch, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come, up to this, And He began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. (John 13:1–5.)

1. The Supper of the Lord according to John, with His help, is to be unfolded in the tractates it is owed, and, so far as He has granted us to be able, explained. Now before the festal day of the Pasch, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the end. Pasch, brothers, is not, as some suppose, a Greek name, but a Hebrew one: yet most opportunely there occurs in this name a certain agreement of both languages. For because to suffer is in Greek paschein, Pascha has therefore been thought to mean passion, as if this name had been given from suffering: in

its own language, that is, in Hebrew, Pascha is called a passing over: for this reason the people of God then first celebrated the Pasch, when, fleeing out of Egypt, they passed over the Red Sea (Exod. 14:29). Now therefore that prophetic figure has been fulfilled in truth, when Christ is led as a sheep to be sacrificed (Isa. 53:7), with Whose blood our doorposts are smeared, that is, with the sign of Whose cross our foreheads are signed, and we are set free from the perdition of this world as from the captivity or slaughter of Egypt (Exod. 12:23); and we make a most salutary passing over, when we pass over from the devil to Christ, and from this unstable world to His most firmly founded kingdom. For this reason indeed we pass over to the abiding God, so that we may not pass away with the passing world. Praising God for this grace bestowed on us, the Apostle says: Who has rescued us from the power of darkness, and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13). This name, therefore, that is, Pascha, which in Latin, as I have said, is called transitus, the blessed Evangelist, as though interpreting it for us, says: Before the day of the feast of the Pasch, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He should pass over out of this world to the Father. Behold the Pasch, behold the passing over. From where, and to where? From this world, namely, to the Father. Hope has been given to the members in the head, that they would without doubt follow when He passed over. What then of unbelievers, and those who are estranged from this head and from His body? Do not they too pass over, since they do not abide? Plainly they too pass over: but it is one thing to pass over from the world, another to pass away with the world; one thing to pass to the Father, another to pass to the enemy. For the Egyptians too passed over; yet they did not pass over through the sea to the kingdom, but in the sea to destruction.

2. Jesus therefore, knowing that His hour had come that He should pass over out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them unto the end. Surely so that they too, out of this world where they were, might pass over by His love to their head, which had passed over from here. For what is unto the end, if not unto Christ? For Christ is the end of the Law, says the Apostle, unto righteousness for everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4). An end that perfects, not one that destroys: an end as far as which we are to go, not where we are to perish. Just so is it to be understood: Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed (1 Cor. 5:7). He is our end, into Him is our passing over. For I see that these words of the Gospel can also, in a certain human way, be taken thus: as though Christ loved His own as far as death, so that this would seem to be the meaning of He loved them unto the end. This is a human opinion, not a divine one: for He did not love us only thus far, Who loves us always and without end. Far be it that He should have ended His love by death, Who was not ended by death. Even after death that proud and impious rich man loved his five brothers (Luke 16:27–28), and is Christ to be thought to have loved us only as far as death? Far be it, dearly beloved. He would by no means have come as far as death in loving us, if He were to end His love for us by death. Unless perhaps He loved them unto the end is to be understood thus: that He loved them so much that He died for them. For He bore witness to this, saying: Greater love than this no one has, that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Indeed we do not forbid it to be understood thus, He loved

unto the end, that is, love itself brought Him all the way to death.

3. «And when supper was done,» he says, «when the devil had already put it into the heart that Judas the son of Simon Iscariot should betray Him: knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God and goes to God, He rises from supper and lays aside His garments; and when He had taken a towel, He girded Himself. Then He puts water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.» We ought not to understand the supper being done as though it were already completed and finished: for they were still at supper when the Lord rose and washed the feet of His disciples. For afterwards He reclined again, and afterwards gave the morsel to His betrayer, the supper certainly not yet ended, that is, while there was still bread on the table. Supper being done, then, is said meaning already prepared and brought to the table and use of those dining together.

4. As for his saying, When the devil had already put it into the heart that Judas the son of Simon Iscariot should betray Him: if you ask what was put into the heart of Judas, it was surely this, that he should betray Him. This putting is a spiritual suggestion: it comes not through the ear but through the thought, and therefore not bodily but spiritually. For what is called spiritual is not always to be taken as praise. The Apostle knows of certain spiritual things of wickedness in the heavenly places, against which he testifies that we have a wrestling (Eph. 6:12): and there would not be malign spiritual things too, if there were not malign spirits too. For spiritual things are named from spirit. But how these things come about, that devilish suggestions are sent in and mingled with human thoughts, so that a man reckons them as his own, how does a man know? Nor is it to be doubted that good suggestions too come about thus hiddenly and spiritually from a good spirit: but it matters to which of them the human mind consents, whether forsaken by divine help through its desert, or aided by it through grace. It had therefore already come about in the heart of Judas through the devil's sending-in, that the disciple should betray the master, but one whom he had not learned to be God. Such a man had already come to the banquet, spy upon the Shepherd, plotter against the Saviour, seller of the Redeemer; such a man had already come, and was seen, and was tolerated, and thought himself unknown: for in Him whom he wished to deceive he was himself deceived. But He, having looked within into that very heart, knowingly made use of one who did not know.

5. Knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands. Therefore the betrayer himself too: for if He did not have him in His hands, He would certainly not make use of him as He willed. Accordingly the betrayer had already been delivered up to Him whom he longed to deliver up, and so he was doing evil by delivering Him up in such a way that from Him so delivered there came about a good of which he knew nothing. For the Lord knew what He was doing for His friends, He who patiently made use of His enemies: and thus the Father had given all things into His hands, the evil things for use and the good things for effect. Knowing also that He came forth from God and goes to God: neither forsaking God when He came forth from Him, nor forsaking us when He returned.

6. Knowing these things, then, He rises from supper and lays aside His garments; and when He had taken a towel, He girded Himself.

Then He puts water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. We ought, dearly beloved, to attend carefully to the meaning of the Evangelist. For, being about to speak of so great a humility of the Lord, he wished first to commend His loftiness. To this belongs what he says, Knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God, and goes to God. So, though the Father had given all things into His hands, He washed not the hands but the feet of the disciples; and though He knew that He had come forth from God and was going to God, He fulfilled the office not of God the Lord, but of a man, a servant. To this also belongs what he wished to say beforehand about His betrayer too, who had already come as such a one, and who was not unknown to Him: so that this also might be added to the utmost heap of humility, that He did not disdain to wash the feet even of him whose hands He already foresaw in the crime.

7. But what wonder if He rose from supper and laid aside His garments, Who, though He was in the form of God, emptied Himself? And what wonder if He girded Himself with a towel, Who, taking the form of a servant, was found in fashion as a man (Phil. 2:6–7)? What wonder if He put water into a basin with which to wash the feet of the disciples, Who poured out His blood upon the earth, with which to wash away the uncleanness of sins? What wonder if with the towel with which He was girded He wiped the feet He had washed, Who with the flesh with which He was clothed made firm the footsteps of the Evangelists? And indeed, in order to gird Himself with a towel, He laid aside the garments He had; but in order to take the form of a servant when He emptied Himself, He did not lay aside what He had, but took what He had not. When He was to be crucified, He was indeed stripped of His garments, and when dead He was wrapped in linen cloths; and that whole passion of His is our cleansing. Being about, therefore, to suffer death, He first rendered services; not only to those for whom He was to undergo death, but also to him who was to betray Him to death. For so great is the usefulness of human humility that even the divine sublimity commended it by its own example: for proud man would perish for ever, unless the humble God found him. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what had perished (Luke 19:10). Now he had perished by following the pride of the deceiver; let him, then, being found, follow the humility of the Redeemer.

Tractate 56. From what is written, So He came to Simon Peter, etc., as far as, He who has been washed needs only to wash his feet, but is wholly clean. Chapter 13, verses 6-10.

1. When the Lord was washing the feet of the disciples, He came to Simon Peter; and Peter says to Him: Lord, dost Thou wash my feet? For who would not be terrified at having his feet washed by the Son of God? So, although it would have been a matter of great boldness for a servant to contradict the Lord, a man God, yet Peter preferred to do this rather than endure that his feet should be washed by the Lord and God. Nor ought we to think that Peter, among the others, dreaded and refused this, when the others before him had willingly or calmly allowed it to be done to them. For more easily

these words of the Gospel are taken in this way: because, when it had been said, He began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded, there was then added, He came therefore to Simon Peter, as though He had already washed some, and after them had come to the first. For who does not know that the most blessed Peter is the first of the Apostles? But it is not to be understood thus, that He came to him after some others, but that He began with him. When, therefore, He began to wash the feet of the disciples, He came to him with whom He began, that is, to Peter; and then Peter was terrified, as any one of them would also have been terrified, and said, Lord, dost Thou wash my feet? What is "Thou"? What is "my"? These things are to be pondered rather than spoken, lest perhaps the tongue should fail to express what the soul conceives from these words in any way worthy of them.

2. But Jesus answered and said to him: What I do, you do not know now, but you will know afterwards. Yet he, terrified by the loftiness of the Lord's deed, does not even so permit to be done what he did not know why it was being done; but he still will not see Christ humbled even to his feet, he cannot bear it. You shall not wash my feet, he says, for ever. What is "for ever"? I will never bear this, never suffer it, never allow it: for that is not done for ever which is never done. Then the Saviour, terrifying the reluctant sick man with the peril to his very salvation, says: If I do not wash you, you will have no part with Me. It was said thus, If I do not wash you, though it was a matter of the feet alone; just as it is customarily said, You are treading on me, when only the sole of the foot is trodden on. But he, thrown into confusion by love and fear, and more terrified that Christ should be denied him than that He should be humbled even to his feet, says: Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. Since Thou threatenest thus, I not only do not withdraw from Thee my lowest members to be washed, but even lay my foremost ones beneath Thee. Lest Thou deny me a part to be taken with Thee, I deny Thee no part of my body to be washed.

3. Jesus says to him: He who is washed has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. Here someone may perhaps be disturbed and say: Nay, if he is clean wholly, what need has he even to wash his feet? But the Lord knew what He was saying, even if our weakness does not penetrate His secrets. Nevertheless, so far as He deigns to instruct us and to teach us out of His law, I too, according to my capacity, according to my small measure, may with His help give some answer concerning the depth of this question; and first I shall very easily show that the expression itself is not contradictory. For who could not quite correctly speak thus: He is clean wholly, except his feet? But he speaks more elegantly if he says: He is clean wholly, save his feet; which amounts to the same. This, then, is what the Lord says: He has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. Wholly, that is, except his feet, or, save his feet, which he has need to wash.

4. But what is this? What does it mean? Why is it necessary that we should inquire into this? The Lord says, the Truth speaks, that even he who is washed has need to wash his feet. What, my brothers, what do you think, if not