Tractates on the Gospel of John 55–111

Tractate 99

TRACTATE 99 On John 16.13 hat is the meaning of what the Lord said about the Holy Spirit, when he promised that he would come and would teach his disciples all truth or would lead them in all truth: “For he will not speak of himself, but what things soever he will hear, he will speak”? For this is similar to that which he himself said about himself: “I cannot of myself do anything; as I hear, I judge.”1 (2) But when we explained that,2 we said that it could be taken according to his humanity, so that the Son seemed to have announced that his obedience, by which he became obedient even to the death of the cross,3 could also be found in the judgment4 with which he will judge the living and the dead,5 because he will do this for the very reason that he is the Son of Man. And he said, “The Father does not judge anyone but has given all judgment to the Son,”6 for this reason , that in the judgment there will appear not the form of God, in which he is equal with the Father7 and cannot be seen by the ungodly, but in the form of man, in which he was made less, even a little lesser than the angels.8 Although then he will come in glory, not in his former lowliness, yet he will be conspicuous to both the good and the evil. Hence he also said this: “And he has given him power to do judg218 1. Jn 5.30. 2. See Tractates 19–22. 3. Cf. Phil 2.8. 4. There is an alternative reading: “so that the Son seemed to have announced his obedience by which he became obedient even to the death of the cross and his future judgment with which . . .” 5. Cf. Acts 10.42, 2 Tm 4.1, and 1 Pt 4.5. 6. Jn 5.22. 7. Cf. Phil 2.6. 8. Cf. Heb 2.7 and 9 and Ps 8.6. TRACTATE 99 219 ment because he is the Son of Man.”9 And in these words of his it is made clear that the form to be presented at the judgment is not that in which, when he was in it, he thought it not robbery to be equal to God, but that one which, when he emptied himself, he took.10 For he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, in which, for doing judgment, he also seems to have pointed out his obedience when he said, “I cannot do anything of myself; as I hear, I judge.”11 Adam—“for by the disobedience of this one man many were made sinners”12 —did not judge as he heard; for he violated what he heard and of himself did the evil that he did because he did, not God’s will, but his own. But he—“for by the obedience of this one man many are made just”13 —was not only obedient even to the death of the cross, in which he, the living, was judged by the dead; but promising that he will be obedient in this judgment also by which he will judge concerning the living and the dead, he says, “I cannot do anything of myself; as I hear, I judge.” (3) But in regard to what was said about the Holy Spirit, “For he will not speak of himself, but what things so ever he will hear, he will speak,” will we dare to imagine that this was said according to the humanity or according to the assumption of any created substance? For indeed, in the Trinity the Son alone took the form of a servant, a form that was fitted to that one so as to produce unity of person, that is, that the one Jesus Christ be the Son of God and the Son of Man, lest, not the Trinity, but quaternity, be preached by us—and far be this from us! And because of this one Person, consisting of two substances, divine and human, he speaks sometimes in accord with what is God, as in these words, “I and the father, we are one thing,”14 sometimes in accord with what is man, as is this, “For the Father is greater than I.”15 And it is in accord with the latter that we have taken it that this too about which I am now...