Tractates on the Gospel of John 55–111

Tractate 77

TRACTATE 77 On John 14.25–27 n the preceding reading of the Holy Gospel, which the one that has just been read aloud follows, the Lord Jesus had said that he and the Father would come to those who love them and would make a dwelling place with them.1 And furthermore he had earlier said concerning the Holy Spirit: “But you shall know him because he will abide with you and will be in you.”2 And from this we understood that God the Trinity abides together in unity in the saints as though in his temple. (2) But now he says, “These things I have spoken to you, while abiding with you.” Therefore that dwelling place is one that he promised as future; but this [is] another that he attests to be in the present. The former is a spiritual one and is imparted inwardly to minds;3 the latter, a corporeal one, is displayed externally to the eyes and ears. The former makes blessed forever those who have been set free; the latter visits in time those who need to be set free. In accordance with the former, he does not withdraw from those loving him. In accordance with the latter, he goes and withdraws.4 “These things,” he says, “have I spoken to you, while abiding with you,” by corporeal presence, of course, wherein he was visible [and] speaking with them. 2. “But the Paraclete,” he says, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and 1. Cf. Jn 14.23. 2. Jn 14.17. 3. mentibus. Perhaps one might use a Christian connotation here, to souls or to spirits; see Tractate 19.14, note 8. 4. One is tempted to translate this, “He comes and goes,” as Innes does. This can be supported from both colloquial and literary usage, but the context clearly requires the translation above. 101 102 remind you of all things whatsoever I have said to you.” Can it be that the Son speaks and the Holy Spirit teaches, so that, as the Son speaks, we take in the words, but as the Holy Spirit teaches, we understand these same words? As if the Son would speak without the Holy Spirit or the Holy Spirit would teach without the Son, or, indeed, it were not that the Son also teaches and the Spirit speaks, and when God speaks and teaches anything, the Trinity itself speaks and teaches! But because the Trinity does exist, it was necessary for its individual Persons to be made known, and for us to listen [to them] so as to distinguish one from the other, to understand [them] without separation. (2) Hear the Father speaking when you read, “The Lord has said to me, ‘You are my son.’”5 Hear him also teaching when you read, “Everyone who has heard from the Father and has learned comes to me.”6 You have, to be sure, just heard the Son speaking; for he said about himself, “whatever I have said to you.” And if you wish to know him also teaching, recollect the Teacher: “One,” he says, “is your Teacher, Christ.”7 Moreover, the Holy Spirit, whom you have just heard teaching where it was said, “He will teach you all things,” hear [him] also speaking where you read in the Acts of the Apostles that the Holy Spirit said to the blessed Peter, “Go with them, for I have sent them.”8 Therefore, all the Trinity speaks and teaches; but unless it were also made known in its separate Persons,9 in no way could human weakness grasp it at all. (3) Although, therefore, it is altogether without separation , the Trinity would never be known to exist if it were always spoken of as to its non-separation. For indeed when we speak of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we do not at all speak of them together in unity, although they cannot exist except together in unity. But as regards what he added, “He will remind you,” we ought also to understand what we are directed not to forget, that [these] most saluST . AUGUSTINE 5. Ps 2.7. 6. Jn 6.45. 7. Mt 23.10. 8. Acts 10.20. 9. singillatim. Literally, one by one. TRACTATE 77 103 tary admonitions10 are attributable to the grace of which the Holy Spirit...