Nathanael; Cana; the temple cleansing (John 1:47–2:16)
Great glory and boast it is to have from the truth itself—that is Christ—witness of a pure heart, which sees God with the mind and is led toward saving faith to run to Christ without guile, not as a Jew or as Herod.
Nathanael was wholly ready. Therefore persuaded from this bare saying alone he confessed him to be the Christ, who is Son of God by nature and truth and king of the truly faithful; for still incomplete he did not call him king of creation, but only of Israel according to what was said: “And the Lord’s portion became his people Jacob, the measured inheritance of his inheritance Israel” (Deuteronomy 32:9).
Sometimes simply, sometimes doubled, the Savior uses “Amen,” presenting the firmness of what is said. The word is Hebrew, declaring “so be it” that you be found faithful so as to see heaven opened and what follows. Not sensibly, he says, is it possible to see heaven opened, but only by mind that watches the angels approaching to serve Jesus. “Amen” is also said for “truly and really,” which is better here.
Since Nathanael named Christ king of Israel alone, he teaches him through this that Christ was not a bare man, since somehow angels serve him.
He shows through this that not by appearance but in truth he became man. Incarnate from Mary as alone sinless he preserved for himself the “according to the image” which the first man had who came to be “according to the image and according to likeness” of God (Genesis 1:26).
The Lord came to the wedding that he might sanctify not only those living but also those about to be born, showing that he from the beginning ordained marriage, having given Eve to Adam, and that he might put to shame certain heretics who slander marriage.
He rebukes the mother for untimely reminding a God who needs no reminder—as if to say, do not think me to be only man, but also God. The time of my manifestation has not yet come; it is not yet known who I am.
He rebukes the mother for urging him toward wonder-working out of season.
The metretes makes one hundred fifty xestai.
He who by water waters the vine and makes it bear wine is himself the one who also now changes the water into wine.
Some say this the first sign in Cana, but not first of all. Some indeed say the wedding in Cana the first sign, but first of all.
He opened them a door of faith through the divine signs, revealing himself—that is, his glory and power.
He cast out the things sacrificed according to law, that he might bring in spiritual worship in their place.
Christ calls God his own Father as himself alone existing from him according to nature.
The house of God is a house of merchandise, but not of these fleshly things that go “into the belly,” but of spiritual goods.
Greek
εὐηγγελίσω μοι, φησίν, πῶς δυνατὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστὸν ἐκ Ναζαρέθ, ὃν εἶπεν ἡ γραφὴ ἐκ Βηθλέεμ ἔρχεσθαι; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν ἐν Βηθλέεμ ἐτέχθη, τὴν δὲ Ναζαρὲθ ἐπεγράφετο πατρίδα ὡς ἐκεῖ τραφεὶς καὶ διάγων μέχρι τελείας ἡλικίας. 51 {3Jο 1, 47}3Μεγάλη δόξα καὶ καύχημα τὸ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας, ὅ ἐστι Χριστός, μαρτυρίαν ἔχειν καθαρᾶς καρδίας, ἥτις ὁρᾷ θεὸν τῷ νῷ καὶ ποδηγεῖται πρὸς τὴν σωτήριον πίστιν ἀδόλως προστρέχειν τῷ Χριστῷ οὐχ ὡς Ἰουδαῖος ἢ ὡς Ἡρώδης. 52 {3Jο 1, 49}3Ὅλος ἕτοιμος ἦν ὁ Ναθαναήλ. διὸ ἐκ μόνου τούτου τοῦ ψιλοῦ ῥήματος πεισθεὶς ὡμολόγησεν αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστόν, ὅς ἐστιν υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ φύσει καὶ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ βασιλεὺς τῶν ὄντως πιστῶν· ὡς ἔτι γὰρ ἀτελὴς οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτὸν βασιλέα τῆς κτίσεως, ἀλλὰ μόνον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· «καὶ ἐγενήθη μερὶς κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ». 53 {3Jο 1, 51}3Ὁτὲ μὲν ἁπλῶς, ὁτὲ δὲ διπλασιαζομένως κέχρηται ὁ σωτὴρ τὸ βέβαιον τῶν λεγομένων παριστάς. ἔστι δὲ ἡ λέξις ἑβραϊκὴ δηλοῦσα τὸ γένοιτο οὕτως ὑμᾶς πιστοὺς εὑρεθῆναι ὡς ἰδεῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγότα καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. οὐκ αἰσθητῶς δέ, φησίν, τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεῳγότα δυνατὸν ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ μόνον νοήσει σκοπούσῃ τοὺς προσερχομένους ἀγγέλους ἐπὶ τῷ διακονεῖν τῷ Ἰησοῦ. ἔστι δὲ τὸ ἀμὴν καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ ὄντως καὶ ἀληθῶς λεγόμενον, ὃ καὶ κρεῖττον ἐνταῦθα. 54 {3Jο 1, 51}3Ἐπειδὴ μόνου τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὠνόμασεν ὁ Ναθαναὴλ τὸν Χριστὸν βασιλέα, παιδεύει αὐτὸν διὰ τούτου, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ὁ Χριστός, ἐπεί πως αὐτῷ ὑπηρετοῦσιν ἄγγελοι. 55 {3Jο 1, 51}3∆είκνυσι διὰ τούτου, ὅτι οὐ δοκήσει, ἀλλ' ἀληθείᾳ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος. ἐκΜαρίας σαρκωθεὶς ὡς μόνος ἀναμάρτητος ὢν ἔσῳζεν αὐτῷ τὸ «κατ' εἰκόνα» ὅπερ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος εἶχεν ὁ «κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν» θεοῦ γεγονώς. 56 {3Jο 2, 2}3 56Ἦλθεν ὁ κύριος εἰς τὸν γάμον, ἵν' ἁγιάσῃ οὐ μόνον τοὺς ζῶντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας τεχθῆναι, δεικνύς, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὸν γάμον ἐθέσπισεν δεδωκὼς τῷ Ἀδὰμ τὴν Εὔαν, καί τινας τῶν αἱρετικῶν καταισχύνῃ τῶν δια βαλλόντων τὸν γάμον. 57 {3Jο 2, 4}3Τῇ δὲ μητρὶ ἐπιμέμφεται ὡς ἀκαίρως ὑπομνησάσῃ θεὸν ὑπομνήσεως μὴ δεόμενον, ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰπεῖν μὴ νόμιζέ με μόνον ἄνθρωπον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεόν. οὔπω δὲ ἦλθεν ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἐμῆς φανερώσεως, οὐδέπω ἐγνωρίσθη τίς εἰμι. 58 {3Jο 2, 4}3Μέμφεται τὴν μητέρα πρὸς θαυματουργίαν αὐτὸν παρορμῶσαν παράκαιρον. 59 {3Jο 2, 6}3Ὁ μετρητὴς ποιεῖ ξέστας ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα. 60 {3Jο 2, 9}3Ὁ δι' ὕδατος ποτίζων τὴν ἄμπελον καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν γεννᾶν οἶνον, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ νῦν μεταβάλλων εἰς οἶνον τὸ ὕδωρ. 61 col 1 {3Jο 2, 11}3Τινὲς πρῶτον ἐν Κανὰ λέγουσι τοῦτο τὸ σημεῖον, ἀλλὰ οὐ πρῶτον πάντων.Τινὲς μέντοι πρῶτον σημεῖον τὸν ἐν Κανὰ λέγουσι γάμον, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον πάντων. 62 {3Jο 2, 11}3Παρήνοιγεν αὐτοῖς θύραν πίστεως διὰ τῶν θεοσημείων ἑαυτὸν ἀποκα λύπτων ἤτοι τὴν αὐτοῦ δόξαν καὶ δύναμιν. 64 {3Jο 2, 15}3Ἐξέβαλε τὰ κατὰ νόμον σφαγιαζόμενα, ἵνα τὰς πνευματικὰς ἀντεισα γάγῃ λατρείας. 65 {3Jο 2, 16}3Πατέρα δὲ ἴδιον καλεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν θεὸν ὡς αὐτὸς μόνος ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ὑπάρχων. 66 {3Jο 2, 16}3Οἶκος μέν ἐστιν ἐμπορίου ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ οἶκος, ἀλλ' οὐ τῶν σαρκικῶν τούτων καὶ «εἰς κοιλίαν» χωρούντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν τιμίων καὶ καλῶν μαργαριτῶν, οἵτινες κοσμοῦσι τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς πρόσωπον. οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν ἡ καθαρὰ πίστις καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ ἀρεταί. 67 {3Jο 2, 18}3Ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰ ὡς υἱὸς ὢν τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ σαρκικὰ ἐκβάλλεις καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ εἰσάγεις, πεῖσον ἡμᾶς διὰ σημείου, ὅτι ἐκ θεοῦ ἐπέμφθης. 68 {3Jο 2, }3Ὁ Ἔσδρας ἱστορεῖ τοὺς χρόνους, ὅτι ἀφ' οὗπερ ἤρχθη ὁ ναὸς θεμελιοῦσθαι ἕως τῆς τελειώσεως αὐτοῦ διέδραμον τετταράκοντα ἓξ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς τῶν ὁμορούντων αὐτοῖς ἐθνῶν κωλυομένων τῆς οἰκο δομῆς. ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπός φησιν, ὅτι ἤρξατο ἡ οἰκοδομὴ τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει Κύρου, ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη τριάκοντα, μετ' αὐτὸν Καμβύσης ἔτη ἕξ, οἱ Μάγοι τέτταρα καὶ ∆αρεῖος δύο. καὶ τῷ ἐνάτῳ ἔτει ∆αρείου ἐτελειώθη ὁ ναός. 69 {3Jο 2, ®
About this text
Ammonius of Alexandria, Fragmenta in Joannem (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 85 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.