Fragments on John
Fragmenta in Joannem
Didymus the Blind (c. 313–c. 398) was a Christian teacher in Alexandria. He lost his sight at the age of four and remained a layman. Athanasius made him head of the catechetical school.
The Nature of Spirit and the Unity of Action§1
1Fragments on John. Regarding a certain superiority fitting for God by the name of heaven, according to 'the heaven of the heaven belongs to the Lord' (Ps 103:19), becoming later a devil while being in heaven, when he was once a holy one, he said, 'I will ascend into heaven,' as if happening below toward that heaven. Into this so-called heaven no one has ascended except only the Son of God, since also alone from there He has descended, being called the Son of Man because of the economy. And even if the angels ascending into heaven and descending by a ladder were seen by Jacob, it is not about the heaven previously mentioned that the vision is said in the Scripture.
These things are said concerning the rational beings. And since in all these things there are also things becoming worse, one understands how these things can exist in the hand of the Son, having clearly cast off the malice which they had and having taken up virtue; for one must not pay attention to what is set down as sophisms, calling everything holy. But it is not the same to not have life as to not see it; this is made clear from 'you shall see life in front of your eyes' and 'you shall by no means believe' (Jn 3:36). If someone were to seek this, what is worse? Whether not seeing life and not believing in it, or not having life but seeing it? And one might say that the one lacking either is more inferior than the one having the one. Another might say it is a lesser evil not to see life and to disbelieve in it; for there will be forgiveness to such a one having this. But rather it is to be blamed when one is not believing in life, even if he is sufficient to see it, the beauty of it drawing him toward agreement.
Since God is invisible, and the incorporeal immediately follows the invisible, God being incorporeal is therefore invisible. If this is so, the one called spirit would not be air if it were not moving; for not because the spirit manifests a body among men, it is necessary that this also be signified regarding God.
Therefore, being called light because it enlightens not sight, but intellect, not the body, but is a spiritual light; and being called love, it is not a disposition, but a loving essence that creates and provides for things; so being called spirit, it presents not wind, but an incorporeal and life-giving essence.
Everyone who has learned that God is spirit worships him spiritually with spirit and truth, no longer in a ritualistic way, the God of all things. In contrast to the letter, it says 'in spirit', while regarding the type, it says 'and in truth'; for these things were necessary until a certain time, but when the truth has come, that is the presence of Christ, all things have ceased.
Regarding what is said by Jesus: whatever he does (and it is clear that it is the Father) [John 5:19], the Son likewise does, which refers to what has paradoxically happened through him in the Gospels, overseeing how the Father did these things. To what must be said: since the Son, being consubstantial with the Father, has an inseparable energy of the Father's energy, being an unquenchable mirror, whatever the Father does, the Son also acts inseparably at once, and whatever the Son works, the Father immediately leads to existence, so as not to make the Son without the Father or the Father without the Son do anything.
This view must also be applied to the created things; for it is not that the Son is of a different essence when the Father creates other things. For this would follow that there are two suns and each of the existing things is double, but the creatures do not appear to be so. Therefore, the first thing is seen as the same in the energy of the Father and the Son in the things being created.
If it is said of a dead person that they are raised and made alive, the words differ alone; for making a dead person alive and raising them is the same, and it is entirely contrary if a dead person being raised is being made alive. If ever it were said that raising is not upon a dead person but a living one, it would not be the same as making alive; for someone being raised from the...
Greek · §1
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The Process of Faith and Spiritual Nourishment§2
2To sit or to be laid down does not give life. It signifies the taking of life, but the living one does not take it; for he possesses it, unless it is signified by something else, for the name of life has multiple meanings (John 5:23).
Just as the one transgressing the law dishonors God through transgressing, but the one keeping it honors the giver, so the one honoring the Son by doing according to the law and the right word will honor the Father likewise (John 5:23).
'All those in the tombs' (John 5:28) signifies 'all those having died'; for if he did not say this—those whose bodies have been consumed by beasts or fire and are not placed in tombs, they do not rise. But since there will be a resurrection of all men, these also shall be numbered among those in the tombs. If the disputants were to contend, they must be stopped by noting that those doing good and bad things are being judged, not the bodies placed in the tombs. Therefore the word will not prevent them from receiving the truth even if the bodies were consumed by fire or otherwise.
Of men divided according to the opinion into the ungodly, that is, the unbelieving, or the godly, that is, the believing (John 5:28–29), of all the same rising men, the unbelieving and ungodly indeed rise, but not unto judgment, since he who does not believe has already been judged. But those who have believed in the Savior and have also done good works, those who rise for a resurrection of life, shall not be judged among those being raised unto judgment who sinned after believing. As for the state of infants, since they also rise, God alone knows, perhaps even those to whom the revelation of this truth has come.
Someone is drawn from the Father in this way (John 6:44–45), of a rational man becoming 'according to the image and according to the likeness' of God. The concepts concerning virtuous actions and the word concerning truth and knowledge are sown within him. Therefore, the one having heard according to common concepts and judging the good and having learned from the Father, comes to Christ through faith, or even through revelation.
He draws those hearing and learning to himself, in the same manner that he says Peter confessed: 'that flesh and blood did not reveal to you, but my heavenly Father' (Matt 16:17). 'Created according to image and likeness' (Gen 1:26), and this very thing becoming rational for the man. The concepts concerning praiseworthy deeds are sown in him by God, but also of knowledge, of truth. The one, therefore, having heard and learned according to common concepts from the father, comes through faith to the Lord.
And after a little: the Father, teaching through revelation the things concerning the Son, leads those hearing and learning to him; for so also he led Peter through revelation into believing in the Son, having revealed to him. Regarding 'Heaven,' he says it signifies the like appearance and state of God, which is not other than his intelligible essence. And 'life' and 'bread' and 'the one coming down' is the nourishing word of God, which the one coming to him eats by exercising virtue.
And since it is necessary not only to come to him through deed, but also to believe scientifically the things true according to theory, someone drinks from him 'living water' (John 4:14) from the spring and from the vine (John 15:1) wine gladdening the 'heart of man.' Therefore, receiving according to practical virtue we eat, but according to the intellectual we drink, as having been filled and never having thirsted from him. And if 'blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness' (Matt 5:6) seems contrary, it is by no means a disagreement; for if someone, having eaten of this bread and having drunk of the immortal drink, does not hunger nor thirst, but nonetheless, because of the lovely and worthy food and the drink, having been satisfied, still hungers and drinks, so as to be always filled and to hunger.
What heaven does it signify here out of the three heavens: the first, the firmament, the air? None of these should be understood, but the like appearance and state of God, which is not other than his intelligible essence. And 'life'...
Greek · §2
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The Gift of the Father and the Fall of Judas§3
3"Bread" and "the one coming down" is the nourishing word of God, which the one coming to Him eats by making virtue active. Or, those partaking in His teaching by practicing virtue are said to eat, but by the intellectual examination of the hidden meaning of Scripture, they are said to drink, just as Christ says: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt 5:6), those partaking in this by both practice and thought.
The Jews present, having misunderstood the Savior's saying that the one keeping the word will not see death (John 8:51), supposed that to taste it meant the same as seeing death; for it seemed to them that based on His words, He would not taste death without having experienced the cosmic death; but this seems to overturn the Lord's promise, since those who kept His word have died, and their desire has become a deceitful trickery through a false similarity. For the one keeping the word of Jesus will not see the death that follows sin (John 8:51), even if he shall taste the common and bodily death. Since the prophets also said "they died" without adding "all," Enoch and Elijah do not fight against the not having died.
What does He mean by "day"—the intellectual day of the Lord (John 8:56)?
The "eyes of the heart" have been enlightened (Ephesians 1:18), shining by the light of the true one. The one opposite, being blinded by that which causes ignorance, seems not to have sin because he does not act willingly or sluggishly sinning. But this ignorance in another way is sin; for it was logical to have the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, he is accused for the neglect of this, in favor of that ignorance. For this, the "slave who did not know the will of the master will be given little" (Luke 12:48).
The word of God becomes a door to those entering toward God according to "enter before Him in gladness" (Ps 100:2); with this, the mind is inside the man, but the body is outside.
Saying that one, attending to the inner man, enters through the Word which is a door, just as the dead, surrounding 'the members upon the earth' and 'the death of Jesus in the flesh' around himself, goes out 'through the door' striving to be pleasing even to one not residing within. 16 John 10:29 The Father gives to the Son those having been made according to the good as having an unsurpassed quality; for 'all that the Father gives to me shall come to me', and 'behold, I and the children whom God has given to me'. For just as the Son leads to the Father and hands over to him those to whom he touches himself to provide for understanding according to the one who 'having seen me has seen the Father', so the Father gives these to the Son, whom he makes known to them, just as to Peter; for not 'flesh and blood, but the Father has revealed' the Son. All those having known the Son thus from the Father attain to those things given to the Son through the exceeding perfection of these having such things. How about Judas? Being one of those given by the Father to the Son according to the ones 'whom I have given', and 'no one was lost of them except the son of perdition', he fell from such great magnitude as to be called 'a son of perdition'; for there was not yet room in the construction for Judas to be evil, as the heterodox suppose, such a change being found concerning him.
17 John 14:28 How did the greater here depart? Was it as a greatness of bodies? Or as greater in time? Or as more adorned in virtue? But all these things are within quantity, both the potential and the actual. And nothing potential or actual exists in God. Therefore, it has not been said of the greater and the lesser concerning the Word of God or concerning the Father; for it is not the nature of God to be measured or to be inscribed. If, however, you will say that the Father is greater, since he is unbegotten and the Son is begotten, we will say: that it concerns the modes of the essences, not the existences. And especially regarding the ones who are purely acting and incorporeal, the lesser does not diminish the value of the ones of the same essence, the lesser or the...
Greek · §3
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The Revelation of Glory and Eternal Life§4
4Providing more or less than this; for being and essence and knowledge are not naturally comparable by a simple measure or quantity of magnitude. Why then was it said? The Savior, in a single word, extended a twofold manner of teaching; for the meaning of the spoken verb is double. For example, through 'he who sent me,' he pointed to a body contained in places, capable of being described, and not to his indescribable divinity encompassing all things. But through the comparative verb 'to say,' he shows his divinity to be greater when compared to the Father, since he is of the same essence, yet in the assumption of the body, being thought of the Father as lesser according to his becoming man. And do not marvel if the Savior, having become man, says he is lesser than the Father, when it is also said of the angels that they are shorter: 'We see Jesus, being made a little inferior to the angels (Hebrews 2:9), through the suffering of death, being crowned with glory and honor.' And it was also said of his own disciples that they are lesser: 'I am among you as one who serves (Luke 22:27),' and as the least. Therefore, the things being compared are of the same essence, but the simple things, both in knowledge and in essence, do not admit of the greater and the lesser. But if, regarding the divinity of the Son and without having taken flesh, you wish to take 'he who sent me' to mean the Father is greater than me, you will give him as being contained and enclosed in places, being sent to where he was not, and being moved from where he is; which is absurd.
The Father glorified his own Son, placing him under the sun with his scepters, and he himself was also counter-glorified through this; for the Son was glorified by the Father, having been believed by all, that he is the offspring and fruit of the One who is strong in all things. And the Father was counter-glorified as if by his own offspring; for since the offspring was easily known to be able to accomplish all things, the grace of the glory passed over to the one who begot him. Just as, he says, you glorified and were counter-glorified, having given to him the authority and lordship over all according to what was clearly said.
In what way, I wish, so that nothing of what has been given is lost; for glory itself passes into us. For it was necessary that the transcendent, having become entirely under hand, be saved once for all by the all-powerful God the Word and remain in the good things eternally, so as to be no longer tyrannized by death, nor held by corruption or by sins, nor be subject to the ancient evils.
This is what he says: 'Reveal to those who do not know, manifest to me the glory which I have from God the Word' (Jo 17:1–3). For 'no one' 'is able' to 'come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him' (Jo 6:44). Likewise, it is to hear also the Son glorifying the Father by revealing him to those who do not know God. In this same way, the Holy Spirit is said to glorify the Son by revealing him to those who are ignorant. And even if here—concerning him—it is to be imagined forever. This is the eternal—they cast out the Son of God. But it is necessary to know this: that the cause is instead of the caused; for knowing the truth brings us eternal life.
The pre-cosmic glory of the Son of God would be something other than God the Word himself, that 'true light' (Jo 1:9); for he is not glorified by another glory through another, being other than the glory, but as previously said, he is the 'Lord of glory' and King of glory. But since 'he emptied himself, having taken the form of a slave' (Phil 2:7)—for the 'Word,' he says, 'became flesh' (Jo 1:14) and we saw him 'and he had neither form nor beauty' (Isa 53:2)—and many disbelieved in such a descent, many disbelieved that God became man for this purpose, desiring to reveal his divinity to those who do not know, he says: 'Father, glorify your Son' (Jo 17:1), which is to say: reveal to those who do not know, manifest to me the glory which I have from God the Word. Therefore Paul said, 'when it pleased' God 'to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles' (Gal 1:16).
Greek · §4
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