Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and you say, If a man keeps my saying, he shall never taste of death.
Read Chapter 8
Alcuin of York
AD 804
The Father glorified the Son, at His baptism, on the mount, at the time of His passion, when a voice came to Him, in the midst of the crowd, when Heraised Him up again after His passion, and placed Him at the right hand of His Majesty.
As if to say, you call Him your God, after a carnal manner, serving Him for temporal rewards. You have not known Him, as He should be known; you are notable to serve Him spiritually.
This is to answer those who said, Whom make you Yourself? He refers His glory to the Father, from Whom He is: It is My Father that honors Me. The Arians take occasion from those words to calumniate our faith, and say, Lo, the Father is greater, for He glorifies the Son. Heretics, have you not read that the Son also glorifies the Father? .
Some heretics say that the God proclaimed in the Old Testament is not the Father of Christ, but a kind of prince of bad angels. These He contradicts when He calls Him His Father, whom the Jews called their God, and knew not. For had they known Him, they would have received His Son. Of Himself however He adds, But I know Him. And here too, to men judging after the flesh, He might appear arrogant. But let not arrogance be so guarded against, as that truth be deserted. Therefore our Lord says, And if I should say I know Him not, I should be a liar like to you.
He spoke the saying of the Father too, as being the Son; and He was Himself that Word of the Fa...
Whom make you Yourself? i.e. Of what merit, of what dignity would you be accounted? Nevertheless, Abraham only died in the body; his soul lived. And the death of the soul which is to live for ever, is greater than the death of the body that must die some time.
He shows in these words that the glory of this present life is nothing.
The Jews said to Him, Now we know that Thou hast a devil.
They again accuse the Truth who when called liars take it ill as though they were insulted: yet do they bear witness even against their will to the Saviour's words and whereby they dishonour Him, by these very same words they shew that He is unlying. But blind are these wretched ones and they have their heart replete with so great unlearning as not even to think that they ought to wipe off those charges about which they were accused, but even to fall into evils worse than the past ones and to be caught in their own toils. For see, see by what things they think to excuse themselves as though not in vain they had railed against Him, through these they are the more convicted of being liars and are the faster holden (so to say) in the bonds of their own sins. In most utter folly too do they here say, Now we know: for they who had full often bayed against Him and declared that He hath a devil, say that now they know it, condemning...
Abraham died and the prophets died and THOU sayest, If any keep My saying, he shall not taste death for ever.
When the all-daring folk of the Jews, lying against their own head, say to the Saviour, Thou hast a devil, they want to indicate nothing else than, Thou makest Thyself God, as having put about Him the honour and glory due to the Divine Nature: for such is the practice of devils as we have said before also. And they conceive of nothing beyond what is visible nor acknowledge God the Word in human form, nor vet remove their mind some little from corporeal things, but fastening them only on those of earth, they are conversant only with the inferior part, as subject to touch. Hence the wretched ones are offended and suppose that the Truth, that is, Christ, speaks untruly, yea and imagine that He is lifting Himself up against the glory that befits God, not solely as admitting the being placed in equal rank with Him who rules all things but as even savouring something greater, and ...
As it is necessary that the good should grow better by contumely, so are the reprobate made worse by kindness On hearing our Lord’s words, the Jews again blaspheme: Then said the Jews to Him, Now we know you have a devil.
For being given over to eternal death, which death they saw not, and thinking only, as they did, of the death of the body, their minds were darkened, even while the Truth Himself was speaking. They add: Whom makes you Yourself? .
Abraham saw the day of the Lord even then, when he entertained the three Angels, a figure of the Trinity.
Again, they have recourse to the vainglorious argument of their descent: Are you greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? They might have said, Are you greater than God, whose words they are dead who heard? But they do not say this, because they thought Him inferior even to Abraham.
This is to answer their suspicions as above, If I bear witness of Myself My witness is not true.
He adds, Of whom you say that He is your God; meaning to tell them that they werenot only ignorant of the Father, but even of God.
As if to say, As you, saying that you know Him, lie; so were I a liar, did I say I knew Him not. It follows, however,(which is the greatest proof of all that He was sent from God,) But I know Him.
In answer then to their question, Are you greater than our father Abraham, He shows them that He is greater than Abraham; Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: he saw it, and was glad; he must have rejoiced, because My day would benefit him, which is to acknowledge Me greater t...
As if to say, you a person of no account, a carpenter’s son of Galilee, to take glory to Yourself! .
For had they known the Father really, they would have reverenced the Son. But they even despise God, who in the Law forbade murder, by their clamors against Christ. Wherefore He says, You have not known Him.
Having that knowledge by nature; for as I am, so is the Father also; I know Myself, and therefore I know Him. And He gives the proof that He knows Him: And I keep His saying, i.e. His commandments. Some understand, I keep His saying, to mean, I keep the nature of His substance unchanged; for the substance of the Father and the Son is the same, as their nature is the same; and therefore I know the Father. And here has the force of because: I know Him because I keep His saying.
As if to say, He regarded My day, as a day to be desired, and full of joy; not as if I was an unimportant or common person.
