And what he has seen and heard, that he testifies; and no man receives his testimony.
Read Chapter 3
Alcuin of York
AD 804
Or, Has put to his seal, i.e. has puta seal on his heart, for a singular and special token, that this is the true God, Who suffered forthe salvation of mankind.
And because all things are in His hand, the life everlasting is too: and therefore it follows, He that believes on the Son has everlasting life.
But what is it, w which the Son has heard from the Father? Has He heard the word of the Father? Yes, but He is the Word of the Father. When you conceives a word, wherewith to name a thing, the very, conception of that thing in the mind is a word. Just then as you have in your mind and with you your spoken word; evenso God uttered the Word, i.e. begat the Son. Since then the Son is the Word of God, and the Son has spoken the Word of God to us, He has spoken to us the Father’s word. What John said is therefore true.
Or thus; There is a people reserved for the wrath of God, and to be condemned with the devil; of whom none receives the testimony of Christ. And others there are ordained to eternal life. Mark how mankind are divided spiritually, though as human beings they are mixed up together: and John separated them by the thoughts of their heart, though as yet they were not divided in respect of place, and looked on them as two classes, the unbelievers, and the believers. Looking to the ...
He that is of the earth, &c. John prefers Christ to himself, as what is heavenly to what is earthly. As much therefore as heaven is higher than the earth, so greatly is Christ superior to John , according to the words, "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is of the heaven, heavenly" ( 1 Corinthians 15:47, Vulg.)
The meaning Isaiah , "He that is born of the earth, as I John am formed from it, as Adam was, he is earthy, and of the earth he speaketh, i.e, of earthly things. Now this was true of John (1.) if you have regard to his bare nature, as apart from the grace and calling of God. For apart from that, John was only earthy, and savoured of the earth. "For if thou hast heard anything Divine from John , it is of Him who gave him the light, not of him who only received the light," as S. Augustine says.
2. It is true if John be compared with Christ, whose origin, nature, and spirit are far loftier than those of John , for they are plainly heavenly and Divine, and conse...
What he hath seen and heard. The meaning is not by his senses, but what he knows for certain, having the same knowledge as his eternal Father. See chap. v., ver. 19. And no one; i.e. but few now receive his testimony. (Witham)
Having said, And what he has seen and beard, that he testifies, to prevent any from supposing, that what he said was false, because only a few for the present believed, he adds, And no man receives his testimony; i.e. Only a few; for he had disciples who received his testimony. John is alluding to the unbelief of his own disciples, and to the insensibility of the Jews, of whom we read in the beginning of the Gospel, He came to His own, and His own received Him not.
i.e. has shown that God is true. This is to alarm them: for it is as much as saying, no one can disbelieve Christ without convicting God, Who sent Him, of falsehood: inas much as He speaks nothing but what is of the Father. For He, it follows, Whom God has sent, speaks the words of God.
By Spirit here is meant the operation of the Holy Spirit. He wishes to show that allof us have received the operation of the Spirit by measure, but that Christ contains within Himself the whole operation of the Spirit. How then shall He be su...
The Father then has given all things to the Son in respect of His divinity; of right, not of grace. Or; He has given all things into His hand, in respect of His humanity: inasmuch as He is made Lord of all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth.
