True freedom; devil's lie; keep the word (John 8:35–51)
age and always stays the same is a slave by nature and can free neither himself nor another; for all things are slaves of the Creator; but the Son remains into the age always the same as God by nature.
Here he hints at the cleansing of sin, which God alone gives, which is true freedom and no other; those others have freedom only as far as the name.
If you loved me, that was a sign that you were from God; for if love leads into adoption, how can you be numbered among God's sons when you do not love me who remake into my own form the one who believes in him, or because he is God by nature and Son of God. Yet those who live piously call God Father without blame.
"I came forth" signifies the unspoken and beginningless begetting from the Father; "I have come" the passage into this world with flesh.
By the Father's good pleasure, he says, I was incarnate and came into the world to speak to you the things from the Father.
"You cannot" stands for "you will not" imagine anything great.
He said this not because the devil caused them to be, but to become wicked, which happens from ways; as in brief the mind of the saying means this. Even if it is unclear, more fittingly the devil would be named your father, the man-killer who has a liar as father.
He calls Cain father of the Jews, who first among humans became leader of envy and murder and lie and deceit after Satan, whose son he would justly also be called; like him are the Jews and everyone who imitates them. Therefore it is no wonder that I too am Son of the true God who speaks true things, and you must believe me who speak true things. This one through disobedience killed Adam and through him the rest of humans.
He first begot the lie, saying other things instead of other things to Eve.
He said this that he might shame them even from the purity of his life: you have nothing to charge against what was done or said by me. He did not say this expecting to be convicted, but declaring that God, being unchangeable, cannot fall into sin; for every sin passes by turning from the better to the base.
He calls the faithful from God not according to essence, but according to receiving from him the pattern of piety and being made akin to him from virtue and lawful life. And "hears" is not with sense ears but with the soul's assents.
He shows that they did not believe him for this reason: not because they attended to him as opposed to God, but because they were alien to God.
They call demon-possessed the one who commands demons, from boundless madness. Likely they also called him a Samaritan, even if the evangelist did not mention it later.
They called the Lord a Samaritan as indifferent about the legal commands and loosing the Sabbath; for the Samaritans do not Judaize exactly.
Here he is insulted and bears it gently, teaching us to overlook insults against ourselves. But where they said God was their "Father," he strikes them hard, training us to avenge what concerns God.
Even if I through humility overlook my own honor, yet the Father seeks my glory and honor.
If I sought glory, I would not, "being in the form of God," have taken "a slave's form" (Philippians 2:6–7) and humbled myself for your salvation, nor would I have overlooked insults against me, but would have exacted penalties at once. Now you sin against God and Father, the sin ascending to him; for nothing at all stands between Father and Son, as far as identity of essence, even while each exists as contemplated on his own.
Here he hints not only at faith but also seeks the pure life which the one who keeps this word makes.
He does not mean fleshly death, which we all undergo, but that as God he did not reckon the death which as God he could easily overturn; for here he names death the being punished through the age; and life is also the unceasing enjoyment.
By age he means the coming one, which is properly called age as having no end, where no one dies any longer after the resurrection given through Christ
Greek
αἰῶνα καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχων ἀεὶ δοῦλός ἐστι τῇ φύσει καὶ οὔτε ἑαυτὸν οὔτε ἄλλον ἐλευθερῶσαι δύναται· πάντα γὰρ δοῦλα τοῦ κτίσαντος· μένει δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ὡσαύτως ἔχων ὁ υἱὸς ὡς φύσει θεός. 286 {3Jο 8, 36}3Ὧδε τὴν κάθαρσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἰνίττεται, ἣν μόνος ὁ θεὸς δίδωσιν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀληθὴς ἐλευθερία καὶ οὐδεμία ἄλλη, αἵτινες μέχρι μόνης τῆς προσ ηγορίας ἔχουσιν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. 289 {3Jο 8, 42}3Εἰ ἠγαπᾶτέ με, τοῦτο σημεῖον ἦν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἦτε· εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀγάπη εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ἄγει, πῶς ὑμεῖς ἐν υἱοῖς θεοῦ δύνασθε ἀριθμεῖσθαι οὐκ ἀγαπῶντες ἐμὲ τὸν μεταπλάττοντα εἰς ἰδίαν μορφὴν τὸν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντα ἢ ὅτι θεός ἐστι φύσει καὶ υἱὸς θεοῦ. πλὴν ἐκεῖνοι ἀνεγκλήτως καλοῦσι πατέρα τὸν θεὸν οἱ εὐσεβῶς πολιτευόμενοι. 290 {3Jο 8, 42}3Τὸ ἐξῆλθον τὴν ἐκ πατρὸς ἄρρητον καὶ ἄναρχον σημαίνει γέννησιν, τὸ δὲ ἥκω τὴν ἐν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ πάροδον μετὰ σαρκός. 291 {3Jο 8, 42}3Εὐδοκίᾳ, φησίν, τοῦ πατρὸς ἐσαρκώθην καὶ ἦλθον ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ διαλεχθη σόμενος ὑμῖν τὰ παρὰ τοῦ πατρός. 292 {3Jο 8, 43}3Τὸ οὐ δύνασθε ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐ βούλεσθε οὐδὲν μέγα φαντάζεσθαι. 293 {3Jο 8, 44}3Τοῦτο εἶπεν, οὐχ ὅτι τοῦ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ὁ διάβολος αἴτιος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πονηροὺς γεγονέναι, ὅπερ ἐκ τρόπων γίνεται ὡς ἐν συντόμῳ ὁ νοῦς τοῦ λόγου τοῦτο σημαίνει. εἰ καὶ ἀσαφές ἐστιν, πρεπωδέστερον ὁ διάβολος ὀνομάζοιτο ὑμῶν ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἀνθρωποκτόνος καὶ ψεύστην ἔχων πατέρα. 294 {3ςο 8, 44}3 294Πατέρα τῶν Ἰουδαίων καλεῖ τὸν Κάϊν, ὃς πρῶτος ἀνθρώπων φθόνου καὶ φόνου καὶ ψεύδους καὶ ἀπάτης ἀρχηγὸς γέγονε μετὰ τὸν σατανᾶν, οὗπερ ἂν δικαίως ὀνομάζοιτο καὶ υἱός, οἷς ὅμοιοι οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ πᾶς ὁ τούτους μιμού μενος. οὐκοῦν οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς κἀμὲ υἱὸν εἶναι τοῦ ἀληθοῦς θεοῦ τὸν τὰ ἀληθῆ λαλοῦντα καὶ ὑμᾶς δεῖ πιστεύειν ἐμοὶ τῷ τὰ ἀληθῆ λαλοῦντι. οὗτος διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς ἀπέκτεινε τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀνθρώπους. 295 {3Jο 8, 44}3Αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἔτεκε τὸ ψεῦδος ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων εἰπὼν πρὸς τὴν Εὔαν. 296 {3Jο 8, 46}3Τοῦτο εἶπεν, ἵνα κἂν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ βίου καθαρότητος δυσωπήσῃ αὐτούς, οὔτε τοῖς γεγονόσιν οὔτε τοῖς λαληθεῖσι παρ' ἐμοῦ ἔχετε ἐγκαλεῖν. οὐ προσ δοκῶν ἐλεγχθῆναι τοῦτο εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ἀποφαινόμενος, ὅτι οὐ δύναται θεὸς ὢν ἄτρεπτος περιπεσεῖν ἁμαρτίᾳ· πᾶσα γὰρ ἁμαρτία ἐκ παρατροπῆς τοῦ βελτίονος ἐπὶ τὸ φαῦλον μεταβαίνει. 297 {3Jο 8, 47}3Τοὺς πιστοὺς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγει οὐ κατ' οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸν τύπον τῆς εὐσεβείας λαβεῖν <καὶ> κατοικειωθῆναι αὐτῷ ἐξ ἀρετῆς καὶ ἐννόμου πολιτείας. τὸ δὲ ἀκούει, οὐ τοῖς αἰσθητικοῖς ὠσίν, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τῆς ψυχῆς συγκαταθέσεσιν. 298 {3Jο 8, 47}3∆είκνυσιν, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπίστευον αὐτῷ οὐχ ὅτι ὡς ἀντιθέῳ προσεῖχον, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀλλότριοι ἦσαν τοῦ θεοῦ. 299 {3Jο 8, 48}3∆αιμονῶντα καλοῦσι τὸν δαίμοσιν ἐπιτάττοντα ἐκ μανίας ἀμέτρου. εἰκός, ὅτι καὶ Σαμαρείτην αὐτὸν ἔλεγον, εἰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὀπίσω οὐκ ἐμνήσθη ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. 300 {3Jο 8, 48}3Σαμαρείτην ἐκάλουν τὸν κύριον ὡς ἀδιαφοροῦντα περὶ τὰς νομικὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ λύοντα τὸ σάββατον· οἱ γὰρ Σαμαρεῖται οὐκ ἀκριβῶς ἰουδαΐζουσιν. 301 {3Jο 8, 49}3Ἐνταῦθα ὑβρίζεται καὶ πρᾴως φέρει, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς τὰς εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ὕβρεις παρορᾶν. ἔνθα δ' ἔλεγον ἑαυτῶν «πατέρα τὸν θεόν», σφοδρῶς αὐτῶν καθάπτεται παιδεύων ἡμᾶς τὰ εἰς θεὸν ἐκδικεῖν. 302 {3Jο 8, 50}3Εἰ καὶ ἐγὼ διὰ ταπεινοφροσύνην παρορῶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ τιμήν, ἀλλ' ὁ πατὴρ ζητεῖ τὴν ἐμὴν δόξαν καὶ τιμήν. 303 {3Jο 8, 50}3Εἰ δόξης ἐφιέμην, οὐκ ἂν «ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων» ἐλάμβανον «δούλου μορφὴν» καὶ ἐταπείνουν ἐμαυτὸν διὰ τὴν ὑμῶν σωτηρίαν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἂν παρεῖδον τὰς εἰς ἐμὲ ὕβρεις, ἀλλὰ δίκας παραυτίκα εἰσεπραττόμην. νυνὶ δὲ τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ <ἁμαρτάνετε> τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναβαινούσης· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὅλως τὸ μεσολαβοῦν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱόν, ὅσον εἰς οὐσίας ταὐτότητα καὶ ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστος ὑπάρχων νοοῖτο. 304 {3Jο 8, 51}3Οὐ μόνον τὴν πίστιν ὧδε αἰνίττεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν βίον ζητεῖ τὸν καθαρόν, ὃν ποιεῖ ὁ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον τηρῶν. 305 {3Jο 8, 51}3Θάνατον οὐ τὸν σαρκικὸν λέγει, ὃν ὑπομένομεν ἅπαντες, ἀλλ' ὅτι ὡς θεὸς οὐκ ἐλογίζετο τὸν θάνατον, ὃν ὡς θεὸς εὐκόλως ἠδύνατο ἀνατρέψαι· θάνατον γὰρ ὧδε ὀνομάζει τὸ δι' αἰῶνος κολάζεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ζωή ἐστιν ἡ ἀκατάπαυστος ἀπόλαυσις. 306 {3Jο 8, 51}3Αἰῶνα λέγει τὸν μέλλοντα, ὃς κυρίως καλεῖται αἰὼν ὡς μὴ ἔχων πέρας, ὅπου οὐκέτι οὐδεὶς ἀποθνῄσκει μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὴν διὰ Χριστοῦ
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.