Tractates on the Gospel of John 55–111

Tractate 68

TRACTATE 68 On The Same Reading John 14.1–4 e know that what we had put off, dearest brothers, is owed you and must now be paid: how it is possible to understand that these two texts are not contradictory to one another: that, when the Lord had said, “In my Father ’s house there are many dwelling-places; if it were not so, I would have told you, because I go to prepare a place for you,”—where he showed well enough that he had said this to them precisely because there are already many dwelling-places there and there is no need to prepare any. On the other hand, he says, “And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again, and I shall take you to myself, that where I am you also may be.” How is he going and preparing a place if there are already many dwellingplaces ? If it were not so, he would have said: “I go to prepare .” Or if it still must be prepared, why would he not rightly have said, “I go to prepare”? Can it be that these dwelling-places both exist and must be prepared? For if they were not, he would have said, “I go to prepare.” And yet, because they are in such a way that they must be prepared, he does not go to prepare them in the same way as they are; but if he will go and prepare them as they will be, coming again, he will take his own to himself so that where he is, they also may be. (2) How, then, are there not other dwelling-places in the Father’s house, but these themselves without doubt both are already, in so far as they are not to be prepared, and are not yet, in so far as they are to be prepared? How, do we 62 think, except as in the way that the Prophet also foretells of God, that he has done the things that are going to be? For he does not say, “Who will do the things that are going to be,” but “who did the things that are going to be.”1 Therefore he both did them and is going to do them. For neither have they been done if he did not do them, nor are they going to be done if he will not do them. Therefore, he did them by predestining them; he is going to do them by working . As when he chose the disciples, the Gospel well makes clear,2 —then, of course, when he called them. And yet the Apostle says, “God chose us before the foundation of the world,”3 by predestination surely, not by calling. “And those he predestined he also called.”4 He chose by predestining before the foundation of the world; he chose by calling before the consummation of the world. So also he has prepared and prepares dwelling-places. He who made things that are going to be does not prepare other dwellingplaces , but those which he has prepared; those which he has prepared by predestining he prepares by working. Therefore they already are, with respect to predestination; if they were not, he would have said, “I shall go and shall prepare ,” that is, I shall predestine. But because they are not yet, with respect to working, “And if I shall go,” he says, “and prepare a place for you, I am coming again, and I shall take you to myself.” 2. But he prepares dwelling-places in a way by preparing dwellers for the dwelling-places. For when he said, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places,” what do we think the house of God is except the temple of God? But as to what that is, let the Apostle be asked and answer, “For the temple of God is holy, and you are that [temple].”5 This is also the kingdom of God, which the Son will hand over to the Father; and for this reason the Apostle says, “Christ the TRACTATE 68 63 1. Is 45.11 (LXX). 2. Cf. Lk 6.13. 3. Eph 1.4. 4. Rom 8.30. 5. 1 Cor 3.17. beginning, and then they who are Christ’s in his presence;6 then the end when he will hand over the kingdom to God, even...