Tractates on the Gospel of John 55–111

Tractate 71

TRACTATE 71 On John 14.10–14 ear with your ears, receive with your minds, most beloved people, as we indeed speak, but as he who does not withdraw from us teaches. The Lord says what you have just heard when it was read, “The words that I speak to you I do not speak of myself; but the Father who abides in me, he does the works.” Are the words too, therefore , works? Clearly it is so. For surely he who edifies his neighbor by speaking works a good work. But what is “I do not speak of myself,” except “I who am speaking am not of myself”? For he attributes what he does to him of whom he, who does, is. For the Father is God not of someone else, but the Son is indeed God, equal to the Father, but of God the Father. Therefore that one [the Father] is God, but not of God, and the Light, but not of the Light; but this one [the Son] is God of God, Light of Light. 2. For in these two sentences, the one in which was said, “I do not speak of myself,” and the other in which was said, “but the Father who abides in me, he does the works,” there stand against us different heretics, taking each [sentence] individually, who, not as one party, but striving in opposite directions, turn aside from the path of truth. For the Arians1 say, “Look, the Son is not equal to the Father; he does not speak of himself.” On the other hand the Sabellians, that is, the Patripassianists,2 say, “Look, he who is the Father is also himself the Son. For what is ‘The Father who abides in me, he does the works’ except ‘I who do abide in myself’?” (2) You say contraries, not in the way false is contrary to 1. See Tractate 1.11, note 27. 2. See Tractates 29.7, note 17; 36.8, note 22; 70.2. 76 true, but as there are two false things contrary to one another . By erring you have gone in different directions, but the road you left is in the middle. You have been separated from each other by a greater gap than from the road itself whose deserters you are. You from this side, and you from that side, come here; do not cross over, the ones to the other, but by coming to us from this side and from that, find each other. Sabellians, acknowledge him whom you pass by. Arians , make equal him whom you subordinate. And you will walk with us on the true road. For there is something which from one another, each of you, the one from the other, ought to be advised. Hear, Sabellian: The Son is not the Father himself, but another to such an extent that the Arian may declare him unequal to the Father. Hear, Arian: The Son is equal to the Father to such an extent that the Sabellian can say that he is the same as the Father. You, add whom you take away. You, fill in whom you lessen. And [then] you both stand firm with us; for neither do you take away nor do you lessen him who is both another from the Father, so that you may convict the Sabellian, and equal to the Father, so that you may convict the Arian. For he shouts out to both: “The Father and I, we are one thing.”3 Let the Arians hear what he says, “one thing.” Let the Sabellians hear what he says, We are.” And let neither those be fruitless by denying equality, nor these, by denying otherness. (3) If, therefore, because he said, “The words I speak to you I do not speak to myself,” for that reason it is thought that he is of such unequal power that he does not do what he himself wishes, let it be heard what he said, “As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to whom he will.”4 Likewise if because he said, “The Father who abides in me, he does the works,” for that reason it is thought that the Father is not one [Person] and the Son another , let it be heard what he said, “Whatever things the Father does, these the Son does in like manner.”5 And let not one [Person] be understood twice, but two [who are] one TRACTATE...