Tractates on the Gospel of John 55–111

Tractate 63

TRACTATE 63 On John 13.31–32 et us direct the mind’s gaze and, with the Lord’s help, let us search out God. The word of the divine canticle is: “Seek God and your soul will live.”1 Let us seek him who is to be found, let us seek him who has been found. He has been hidden so that he may be sought for and found; he is immeasurable so that, even though he has been found, he may be sought for. For this reason it is said elsewhere : “Seek his face always.”2 For he fills the seeker as far as he has capacity, and he makes the finder more capacious, that he may seek again to be filled when he has begun to increase his capacity. (2) Therefore it was not thus said, “Seek his face always,” as about certain men: “always learning and never attaining to a knowledge of the truth,”3 but rather as that one says, “When a man ends, then he is beginning,”4 until we come to that life where we are so filled that we may not be made capacious because we shall be so perfect that we no longer effect progress. For then there will be shown to us what is sufficient for us. But here let us always seek and let the fruit of detection not be the finish of inspection. For not because [we seek] here only [do we] not [seek] always, but we say that there must always be seeking here for the reason that we may not think that sometimes there ought to be a ceasing from searching here. For concerning those about whom it was said, “always learning, and never reaching a knowledge of the truth,” here of course are those always learning; but, 1. Ps 68 (69).33 (LXX). 2. Ps 104 (105).4. 3. 2 Tm 3.7. 4. Ecclus (Sir) 18.6 (NAB 18.5, LXX 18.7). 42 when they depart from this life, they will no longer be learning but receiving the reward of their error. For so was it said, “always learning, and never reaching a knowledge of the truth,” as if it were said, “always walking, and never reaching the road.” But let us always walk on the road until we come to where the road leads; let us nowhere stay still in it until it leads where we may stay. And so, we both proceed by seeking , and we reach something by finding; and, by seeking and finding, we pass over to that which still remains [to be sought and found], where finally an end of seeking occurs where the purpose for effecting progress does not remain for what is then perfect. (3) Let this preamble, beloved people, make you attentive to this sermon of the Lord, which he delivered to his disciples before the Passion; for it is profound; and assuredly where the discourser will labor much, the hearer ought not to be negligent. 2. What, then, did the Lord say after Judas went out, so as to do quickly what he was going to do, that is, betray the Lord? What did the Day say when the night had gone out? What did the Redeemer say when the seller had gone out? “Now,” he said, “the Son of Man is glorified.” Why “now”? Is it because he who is to betray has gone out, because they who are to seize and kill are near? “Is he now glorified” thus because a greater humiliation is at hand, and it is now threatening him that he be bound, that he be judged, that he be condemned, that he be laughed at, that he be crucified , that he be destroyed? Is this glorification, or rather humiliation ? When he was performing miracles, did not this John yet say about him, “The Spirit had not yet been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified”?5 Had he therefore not yet then been glorified when he raised the dead, and now was glorified when he was approaching the dead? Had he not yet been glorified doing divine deeds and was glorified as he was about to undergo human sufferings? It is astonishing if God, the Teacher, signified and taught this by TRACTATE 63 43 5. Jn 7.39. these words. More deeply must the saying of the Most High be searched out who manifests himself...