The many things the disciples could not yet bear
Since we have now come to speak of Peter and of those who taught Christianity to the people of the circumcision, I think it not out of place to set down a saying of Jesus from the Gospel according to John, with its interpretation. It is written that he said: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak” (John 16:12–13).
And we ask in this passage what the “many things” were that Jesus had “to say” to his disciples, but which they could not then “bear.” And I say: perhaps, since the apostles were Jews and had been brought up in the law of Moses according to the letter, he had “to say” to them what the true law is, and of what “heavenly things” the worship among the Jews was carried out “as a copy and shadow” (Hebrews 8:5), and of what “good things to come” the law about eating and drinking, festivals, new moons and sabbaths contained “a shadow” (Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:16–17). And these were the “many things” that he had “to say” to them.
But he saw that it is very hard to uproot from the soul doctrines that have been almost born with a man and brought up with him to the age of manhood, and that have persuaded those who received them that they are divine and that to unsettle them is impious; and very hard to prove them, by the surpassing worth of the “knowledge” that accords with Christ, that is, with the truth, to be “refuse” and “loss” (Philippians 3:7–8), so that the hearers would be persuaded. So he put it off to a more suitable time, the time after his passion and resurrection. For truly the help would have been offered out of season to those not yet able to receive it, since it would have overturned the conception of Jesus they had already received, that he was the Christ and the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).
And consider whether understanding the words “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” in this way does not yield a meaning that is far from contemptible. For the “many things” are those that belong to the interpretation and clarification of the law in its spiritual sense; and at that time the disciples, born and brought up among the Jews, were somehow unable to “bear” them.
I think too that, because those things were a type, while what the Holy Spirit was going to teach them was the truth, it was for this reason said: “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13), as if he were saying: into all the truth of the realities, while you, being occupied with their types, supposed that you were offering God the true worship.
And according to the promise of Jesus, “the Spirit of truth” came upon Peter, saying to him about the four-footed creatures and creeping things of the earth and the birds of the sky: “Rise, Peter, kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). And the Spirit came to him while he was still superstitious; for even to the divine voice he says: “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common and unclean” (Acts 10:14). And he taught the doctrine of true and spiritual foods in the words “What God has cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). And after that vision “the Spirit of truth,” guiding Peter “into all the truth,” told him the many things that he could not “bear” while Jesus was still with him in the flesh. But there will be another occasion for explaining these matters, which concern the interpretation of the law of Moses.
Greek
Ἐπεὶ δ᾿ ἅπαξ γεγόναμεν ἐν τῷ περὶ τοῦ Πέτρου λόγῳ καὶ τῶν διδαξάντων τοὺς ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τὸν χριστιανισμὸν, οὐκ ἄτοπον ἡγοῦμαι παραθέσθαι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τινα φωνὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίου καὶ τὴν διήγησιν αὐτῆς. γέγραπται δὴ αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι. „ἔτι πολλὰ ἔχω λέγειν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁδηγήσει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν πᾶσαν· οὐ γὰρ λαλήσει ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ὅσα ἀκούσει λαλήσει.“ καὶ ζητοῦμεν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, τίνα ἦν τὰ „πολλὰ,“ ἃ εἶχε μὲν „λέγειν“ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἑαυτοῦ, οὐκ ἐδύναντο δὲ αὐτὰ „βαστάζειν“ τότε. καί φημι· μή ποθ᾿ ὡς Ἰουδαίοις καὶ συντραφεῖσι τῷ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα Μωϋσέως νόμῳ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις εἶχε μὲν „λέγειν,“ τίς ὁ ἀληθὴς νόμος, καὶ τίνων „ἐπουρανίων“ „ὑποδείγματι καὶ σκιᾷ“ ἡ παρὰ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις λατρεία ἐπετελεῖτο, καὶ τίνων „μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν“ „σκιὰν“ περιεῖχεν ὁ περὶ βρώσεως καὶ πόσεως καὶ ἑορτῶν καὶ νουμηνιῶν καὶ σαββάτων νόμος. καὶ „πολλὰ“ ἦν ταῦθ᾿, ἃ εἶχεν αὐτοῖς „λέγειν“· ὁρῶν δ᾿ ὅτι πάνυ χαλεπόν ἐστιν ἀπὸ ψυχῆς ἀνατρέπειν σχεδὸν συγγεννηθέντα καὶ συντραφέντα δόγματα μέχρι τῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἡλικίας καὶ πείσαντα τοὺς ἀνειληφότας αὐτὰ ὅτι ταῦτα μέν ἐστι θεῖα τὸ δὲ μετασαλεύειν αὐτά ἐστιν ἀσεβὲς, καὶ ἐν τῇ ὑπεροχῇ τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν, τουτέστι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, „γνώσεως“ ἐλέγχειν αὐτὰ „σκύβαλα“ καὶ „ζημίαν,“ ὥστε πεισθῆναι τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ὑπερετίθετο εἰς ἐπιτηδειότερον καιρὸν τὸν μετὰ τὸ πάθος καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ. καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἦν ἀκαίρως προσαγόμενον τὸ βοήθημα τοῖς μηδέπω χωροῦσιν αὐτὸ, ἀνατρεπτικὸν τῆς περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὑπολήψεως τυγχάνον, ἣν ἤδη ἀνειλήφεσαν ὡς περὶ Χριστοῦ καὶ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. καὶ πρόσχες εἰ μὴ νοῦν ἔχει οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον τὸ οὕτως ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ „ἔτι πολλὰ ἔχω ὑμῖν λέγειν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι“· „πολλὰ“ γὰρ τὰ τῆς τοῦ νόμου κατὰ τὰ πνευματικὰ διηγήσεως καὶ σαφηνείας· καὶ οὐκ ἐδύναντό πως „βαστάζειν“ αὐτὰ οἱ μαθηταὶ, ἐν Ἰουδαίοις γεγεννημένοι καὶ ἀνατεθραμμένοι τότε. οἶμαι δ᾿ ὅτι καὶ ἐπεὶ τύπος μὲν ἦν ἐκεῖνα, ἀλήθεια δὲ ἃ ἔμελλε διδάσκειν αὐτοὺς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, διὰ τοῦτο λέλεκται· „ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁδηγήσει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν πᾶσαν“· ὡς εἰ ἔλεγεν· εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν πραγμάτων. ὧν ἐν τοῖς τύποις γενόμενοι ᾤεσθε τὴν ἀληθῆ λατρείαν λατρεύειν τῷ θεῷ. καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἦλθε „τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας“ ἐπὶ τὸν Πέτρον, λέγον πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ τῶν τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν τῆς γῆς καὶ πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· „ἀναστὰς, Πέτρε. θῦσον καὶ φάγε.“ καὶ ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔτι δεισιδαιμονοῦντα, φησὶ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς τὴν θείαν φωνήν· „μηδαμῶς, κύριε, ὅτι οὐδέ ποτε ἔφαγον πᾶν κοινὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον.“ καὶ ἐδίδαξε τὸν περὶ βρωμάτων ἀληθῶν καὶ πνευματικῶν λόγον ἐν τῷ „ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἐκαθάρισε σὺ μὴ κοίνου.“ καὶ ἑξῆς ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ „τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας“ ὁδηγοῦν „εἰς τὴν ἀλήθειαν πᾶσαν“ τὸν Πέτρον τὰ πολλὰ ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ, ἃ οὐκ ἐδύνατο „βαστάζειν,“ ὅτε κατὰ σάρκα αὐτῷ ἔτι ὁ Ἰησοῦς συνῆν. ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἄλλος ἔσται καιρὸς πρὸς τὸ διηγήσασθαι περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἐκδοχὴν τοῦ Μωϋσέως νόμου.