Chapter VII.

[pg 135]Chapter VII.1.Christ remains in Galilee.2-10.His brethren urge Him to go up to Jerusalem to the Feast of Tabernacles with them; this He declines to do, but goes afterwards privately.11-13.The chief men among the Jews look out for Him at the Feast, and express different opinions regarding Him.14-24.In the middle of the festival Christ goes up to the temple and teaches.25-29.Comments of some of the people of Jerusalem; Christ's reply.30, 31.Different opinions of the people regarding Him.32-36.Jealously of the Sanhedrim, which sends officers to arrest Him.37-39.Christ's words on the eighth day of the feast, and St. John's authentic interpretation.40, 41.Different opinions among the people regarding Him.44-49.Though some were anxious to arrest Him, no one durst, not even the officers who had been sent for that purpose; consequent indignation of the Priests and Pharisees.50-52.Nicodemus interposes in Christ's favour; reply of the other members of the Sanhedrim.1. Post haec autem ambulabat Iesus in Galilaeam, non enim volebat in Iudaeam ambulare, quia quaerebant eum Iudaei interficere.1. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.1. Instead of“Galilaeam,”“Judaeam,”read“Galilea,”“Judaea”(Abl.) in the Vulgate. The sense is that Christ continues to remain in Galilee.2. Erat autem in proximo dies festus Iudaeorum scenopegia.2. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.2. See note on verse1.3. Dixerunt autem ad eum fratres eius: Transi hinc, et vade in Iudaeam, ut et discipuli tui videant opera tua, quae facis.3. And his brethren said to him: Pass from hence and go into Judea: that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost.3.His brethren said to him: Pass from hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost.Who are these brethren of Jesus?(1) Not the children of[pg 136]Joseph and Mary, born to them after the birth of our Lord, for this opinion of Helvidius was condemned ashereticalin the Council of Lateran (649a.d.), and is opposed to the universal and constant tradition of the Church.61(2) Not the children of Joseph by a previous marriage; for this opinion too, though not heretical, and though held by some of the fathers, is opposed to the common opinion of Catholics, according to which St. Joseph lived and died a virgin.(3) These brethren werecousinsof our Lord. The term“fratres”(ἀδελφοὶ) is used in the Sacred Scriptures of many who are not children of the same parents. Thus it is used of fellow-countrymen, Rom. ix. 3, 4; (2) of co-religionists, Rom. i. 13; (3) of relations who were not, however, members of the same family, Gen. xiii. 8, xiv. 4. In these verses of Genesis, Abraham and Lot are referred to asbrethren, though the former was uncle to the latter (Gen. xii. 5).In Matthew xiii. 55, Mark vi. 3, James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude, are named as brethren of our Lord; but whether they are the same cousins who are referred to here by St. John, is disputed. Of those mentioned by SS. Matthew and Mark, James, Jude, and probably Simon, were Apostles;62and hence, on account of verse 5, some say it is not these, but other cousins of our Lord, who are here referred to by St. John. However, there need be no difficulty about admitting that the faith of the Apostles was still imperfect, especially if we adopt what seems the more probable[pg 137]reading in vi. 70. See Matthew xvii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 15.These brethren of the Lord say to Him, that He ought to go up to Jerusalem, where there would be a concourse of people to witness His miracles.4. Nemo quippe in occulto quid facit, et quaerit ipse in palam esse: si haec facis, manifesta teipsum mundo.4. For there is no man that doth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, manifest thyself to the world.5. Neque enim fratres eius credebant in eum.5. For neither did his brethren believe in him.5. As already explained, if we regard the three Apostles as included among the brethren, we may understand here that their faith was stillimperfect; if other cousins of our Lord are meant, they may have been wholly without faith.6. Dicit ergo eis Iesus: Tempus meum nondum advenit: tempus autem vestrum semper est paratum.6. Then Jesus said to them: My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready.6. There are many opinions as to what is meant byHis time, here referred to by Christ. Some say it is the time of His passion; others, the time for manifesting Himself to the world; and others, the time for going up to Jerusalem. The latter opinion seems to us the most natural and most probable.7. Non potest mundus odisse vos: me autem odit, quia ego testimonium perhibeo de illo quod opera eius mala sunt.7. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth: because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil.7. His brethren might go up to Jerusalem at any time, for they, even if some of them were Apostles, had not yet incurred the odium of thewickedworld (John xv. 18, 19).8. Vos ascendite ad diem festum hunc: ego autem non ascendo ad diem festum istum, quia meum tempus nondum impletum est.8. Go you up to this festival day, but I go not up to this festival day: because my time is not accomplished.9. Haec cum dixisset, ipse mansit in Galilaea.9. When he had said these things, he himself staid in Galilee.10. Ut autem ascenderunt fratres eius, tunc et ipse ascendit ad diem festum non manifeste, sed quasi in occulto.10. But after his brethren were gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.8-10. Christ here seems to say that He will not go up to Jerusalem for the feast, and yet He went. Various answers to this difficulty have been given:—(1) Many ancient MSS. and versions, instead of“Non (οὐκ) ascendo”read“Nondum(οὔπω) ascendo;”i.e., I go not upyet. However, as this is the easier reading to explain, and as the[pg 138]other is equally well supported by ancient authority, we are inclined to believe that the more difficult (οὐκ) is the true reading. Hence (2) others say that our Lord used an ambiguous phrase: I go not up, meaning I go not upnow(but shall go afterwards). (3) The correct explanation seems to be that insinuated by our Evangelist. Christ said: I go not up (as you desire, in your company, and publicly); then when He went up, it was not publicly, but, as it were, in secret.11. Iudaei ergo quaerebant eum in die festo, et dicebant: Ubi est ille?11. The Jews therefore sought him on the festival day and said: Where is he?11. The leaders of the Jews seek Him at the feast, but, through contempt, do not name Him.12. Et murmur multum erat in turba de eo. Quidam enim dicebant: Quia bonus est. Alii autem dicebant: Non, sed seducit turbas.12. And there was much murmuring among the multitude concerning him. For some said: He is a good man. And others said: No, but he seduceth the people.13. Nemo tamen palam loquebatur de illo, propter metum Iudaeorum.13. Yet no man spoke openly of him, for fear of the Jews.13.Openly(palam) does not fully express the force of the Greek word, which seems to mean herewith open approval.14. Iam autem die festo mediante, ascendit Iesus in templum, et docebat.14. Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.14. The festival lasted for eight days, so that this would be the fourth or fifth day.15. Et mirabantur Iudaei, dicentes: Quomodo hic litteras scit, cum non didicerit?15. And the Jews wondered, saying: How doth this man know letters, having never learned?15. From this verse it is plain that Christ had never attended any of the Jewish schools, where theScriptures(γράμματα) were explained.[pg 139]16. Respondit eis Iesus, et dixit: Mea doctrina non est mea, sed eius qui misit me.16. Jesus answered them and said: My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.16. The sense is: The doctrine I preach has not been excogitated by Me; I have received it from My Father. As man, Christ had received His knowledge through the beatific vision, and by infusion into His human soul, and as God, He had received it from the Father from all eternity.17. Si quis voluerit voluntatem eius facere, cognoscet de doctrina utrum ex Deo sit, an ego a meipso loquar.17. If any man will do the will of him: he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.18. Qui a semetipso loquitur, gloriam propriam quaerit: qui autem quaerit gloriam eius qui misit eum, hic verax est, et iniustitia in illo non est.18. He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, he is true, and there is no injustice in him.17, 18. In proof that His doctrine is from God, He appeals to two arguments:—(1) If they will only follow the will of God, and believe,experiencewill teach them that His doctrine is divine. (2) The fact that He seeks not His own glory, but the glory of the Father, is a proof that His doctrine is the doctrine of the Father, and, therefore a proof that He is veracious, and does not deceive (injustitiain illo non est). This second argument, as Mald. points out, is based upon what does, not upon what should, happen among men. When men preach doctrines of their own invention, they generally seek their own glory.19. Nonne Moyses dedit vobis legem: et nemo ex vobis facit legem?19. Did not Moses give you the law, andyetnone of you keepeth the law?20. Quid me quaeritis interficere? Respondit turba, et dixit: Daemonium habes: quis te quaerit interficere?20. Why seek you to kill me? The multitude answered and said: Thou hast a devil; who seeketh to kill thee?19, 20. Most probably Christ begins here to defend Himself against the charge of violating the Sabbath, which the Jews had brought against Him on a former occasion (v. 16, 18),[pg 140]and which they still remembered against Him.He uses an“argumentum ad hominem”: You do not keep the law yourselves, why then seek to kill Me, even for what you allege to be a violation of it? Some among the crowd were even then anxious to kill Jesus, as His words prove, and to these He directs His words; but there were many present who had no such intention, and some of these reply,Thou hast a devil. They may have meant that He was possessed, or simply that He was raving, out of His senses.21. Respondit Iesus, et dixit eis: Unum opus feci, et omnes miramini.21. Jesus answered and said to them: One work I have done; and you all wonder:22. Propterea Moyses dedit vobis circumcisionem: (non quia ex Moyse est, sed ex patribus) et in sabbato circumciditis hominem.22. Therefore Moses gave you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath-day you circumcise a man.23. Si circumcisionem accipit homo in sabbato, ut non solvatur lex Moysi: mihi indignamini quia totum hominem sanum feci in sabbato?23. If a man receive circumcision on the sabbath-day, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are you angry at me because I have healed the whole man on the sabbath-day?21-23. He proceeds to show by sober reasoning, that they ought not to blame Him for having healed the man on the Sabbath.Theone workof verse 21 is the healing of the man on the Sabbath day (v. 9, 16). Some prefer to connect“propterea”with verse 21:“and you all wonder on account of it.”But it is better to connect it, as in the Vulgate, with what follows. The sense is: it was on this account Moses gave you circumcision; namely, because it had been handed down from the Patriarchs (Gen. xvii. 10), not because it was properly a part of the law. If then a man may receive circumcision on the Sabbath,and yetthe law regarding the observance of the Sabbath is not violated thereby, are you angry with Me because, doing the will of God, I made a man whole, both body and soul, on the Sabbath? In this explanation,“ut”(ἵνα) is ecbatic, denoting a consequence. See Gen. xxii. 14; Johnx. 17; Apoc. xiii.[pg 141]13. Others, however, give the particle its ordinary telic force, and explain thus: If then a man may receive circumcision on the Sabbath,in order thatthe law commanding circumcision to be performed on the eighth day be not violated, are you angry, &c.? Both explanations are probable, and leave the argument unchanged.24. Nolite iudicare secundum faciem, sed iustum iudicium iudicate.24. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgment.24.According to the appearance;i.e., take no account of persons, but judge according to the merits of the case.25. Dicebant ergo quidam ex Ierosolymis: Nonne hic est quem quaerunt interficere?25. Some therefore of Jerusalem said: Is not this he whom they seek to kill?26. Et ecce palam loquitur, et nihil ei dicunt. Numquid vere cognoverunt principes quia hic est Christus?26. And behold he speaketh openly, and they say nothing to him. Have the rulers known for a truth that this is the Christ?25, 26. Some of the people of Jerusalem (the correct reading is Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν) said: can it be that they have discovered that He is really Christ?27. Sed hunc scimus unde sit: Christus autem cum venerit, nemo scit unde scit.27. But we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.27. And yet this cannot be, for we know this man whence he is; but when the Christ cometh no man knoweth whence He is. This erroneous opinion of theirs may have arisen from Micheas, v. 2:“His going forth is from the beginning from the days of eternity;”and Mal. iii. 2:“And who shall be able to think of the day of His coming?”28. Clamabat ergo Iesus in templo docens, et dicens: Et me scitis, et unde sim scitis: et a meipso non veni, sed est verus qui misit me, quem vos nescitis.28. Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: You both know me, and you know whence I am, and I am not come of myself; but he that sent me is true, whom you know not.28. The meaning is: You[pg 142]know Me as man, and you know My parents, and yet I come not of My own authority, but sent by My Father, who therein shows Himself true to His promises.29. Ego scio eum: quia ab ipso sum, et ipse me misit.29. I know him, because I am from him, and he hath sent me.29. He declares His Divine knowledge of the Father, His eternal generation, and mission in time.30. Quaerebant ergo eum apprehendere: et nemo misit in illum manus, quia nondum venerat hora eius.30. They sought therefore to apprehend him: and no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.30. They rightly understand Him to claim to be Divine, and as a consequence seek to apprehend Him; but the time for His sufferings had not yet arrived, and so they were powerless.31. De turba autem multi crediderunt in eum, et dicebant: Christus cum venerit, numquid plura signa faciet quam quae hic facit?31. But of the people many believed in him, and said: When the Christ cometh, shall he do more miracles than these which this man doth?31. Many of the multitude—in contrast with their leaders—believed in Him.When the Christ cometh, shall he, &c. The question, expecting, as it does, a negative answer (numquid), suggests that Jesus must be the Christ.32. Audierunt pharisaei turbam murmurantem de illo haec: et miserunt principes et pharisaei ministros, ut apprehenderent eum.32. The Pharisees heard the people murmuring these things concerning him: and the rulers and Pharisees sent ministers to apprehend him.32.Rulers, rather chief priests (ἀρχιερεῖς). Theministerswere officers attendant upon the Sanhedrim, or engaged about the temple. See verses45, 46; xiii.3,18,22;xix. 6; Acts v. 22, 26. As the Sanhedrim was made up of chief priests, Pharisees, and Scribes, probably it was the Sanhedrim that sent these ministers to apprehend Christ.33. Dixit ergo eis Iesus: Adhuc modicum tempus vobiscum sum: et vado ad eum qui me misit.33. Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while I am with you: andthenI go to him that sent me.33. Omit“eis”(to them).[pg 143]Christ's words were probably directed not merely to the ministers, but to all the people.Yet a little while I am with you,i.e., almost six months more after this feast of Tabernacles, and then He would go to the Father.34. Quaeretis me, et non invenietis: et ubi ego sum vos non potestis venire.34. You shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am,thitheryou cannot come.34.You shall seek me, and shall not find me.Some think these words were fulfilled at the siege of Jerusalem, when many of the Jews must have looked in vain for help from Him whom they had put to death.Others, like Maldonatus, say the statement is conditional: even if you sought me, you should not find me, after a little while.Since the same words:“You shall seek me,”were afterwards addressed to the Apostles (xiii. 33), it is not likely that the reference is to seeking Him at the destruction of Jerusalem, for the Apostles did not seek Him then. It would also seem from xiii. 33 that the view of Maldonatus just stated is not probable, for in xiii. 33 there is not a conditional statement, but simply a prediction that the Apostles would seek Him. Hence we take it that in the text before us also, there is a prediction that the Jews after His departure would, when in distress and tribulation, desire to see Him once more among them. Doubtless, many Jews afterwards had such a desire, but it was in vain, for He had gone to Him that sent Him.And where I am(= shall be)thither you cannot come.These words too were afterwards addressed to the Apostles (xiii. 33), and we believe in the same sense as here. The meaning is that until death at least the separation would be complete, for He would be no longer here, and where He would be they could not join Him. Some take the words:“You cannot come,”as meaning here that the Jews on account of their sins couldneverenter heaven. But since, as we have said, the same words were afterwards addressed to the Apostles, the view we have adopted seems more probable.35. Dixerunt ergo Iudaei ad semetipsos: Quo hic iturus est, quia non inveniemus eum? numquid in dispersionem gentium iturus est, et docturus gentes?35. The Jews therefore said, among themselves: Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the gentiles, and teach the gentiles?35.The dispersed among the Gentiles,i.e., the Jews scattered among the Gentiles, or more probably the Gentiles[pg 144]themselves (Ἑλλήνων, not Ἑλληνιστῶν) scattered over the world. The concluding words of the verse:“and teach the Gentiles”render the latter view the more probable.36. Quis est hic sermo, quem dixit: Quaeretis me, et non invenietis: et ubi sum ego, vos non potestis venire?36. What is this saying that he hath said: You shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, you cannot come?37. In novissimo autem die magno festivitatis, stabat Iesus, et clamabat, dicens: Si quis sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat.37. And on the lastandgreat day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.38. Qui credit in me, sicut dicit scriptura, flumina de ventre eius fluent aquae vivae.38. He that believeth in me, as the scripture saith,Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.37, 38. On the last day, the great day of the feast, that is, the eighth day, Jesus cried aloud to the people assembled at the temple. His words mean: If anyone thirst spiritually, let him come to Me by faith, and grace shall be abundantly poured into his soul. The words:Out of his belly, &c., are nowhere to be found in the Old Testament; but, as signifying the abundance of grace in the new dispensation, they convey the sense of many passages of the Old Testament. See Is. xli. 18, xliv. 3.; Ezech. xxxvi. 25; Joel ii. 28.39. Hoc autem dixit de Spiritu, quem accepturi erant credentes in eum: nondum enim erat Spiritus datus, quia Iesus nondum erat glorificatus.39. Now this he said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.39. The Evangelist gives an authentic interpretation of our Lord's words:For as yet the Spirit was not given. These words explain why our Lord spoke of the abundant outpouring of the Spirit asstill to come, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, inasmuch as Christ was not yet glorified (xvi. 7). When it is said that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, the meaning is, that He was not yet given soabundantly, somanifestly, or souniversally, as He has been since the first Pentecost. It is not meant that the Holy Ghost had not been given to the just of the Old Testament. They, as well[pg 145]as we, had the grace of the Holy Ghost in their souls; moreover, according to the common teaching of the fathers and theologians, they, like the just now, had the Holy Ghost united to their souls, not merely by His grace, but also by a substantial union. This union is not, however, peculiar to the Holy Ghost, but is common to the Three Divine Persons, by reason of their unity of nature, and is only by appropriation attributed to the Holy Ghost. See Franz.,De Trin., last Disp.; Corl., pp. 198, 199.40. Ex illa ergo turba cum audissent hos sermones eius, dicebant: Hic est vere propheta.40. Of that multitude therefore, when they had heard these words of his, some said: This is the prophet indeed.41. Alii dicebant: Hic est Christus. Quidam autem dicebant: Numquid a Galilaea venit Christus?41. Others said: This is the Christ. But some said: Doth the Christ come out of Galilee?42. Nonne scriptura dicit: Quia ex semine David, et de Bethlehem castello, ubi erat David, venit Christus?42. Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh out of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was?43. Dissensio itaqua facta est in turba propter eum.43. So there arose a dissension among the people because of him.44. Quidam autem ex ipsis volebant apprehendere eum: sed nemo misit super eum manus.44. And some of them would have apprehended him: but no man laid hands upon him.40-44. The Evangelist notes the difference of opinion among the crowd. Some believed Him to bethe Prophetpromised to Moses (Deut. xviii. 18); others (wrongly distinguishing between the Prophet and the Messias) held Him to be the Messias; others doubted (verse 41); others remained wholly incredulous (verse 44). In verse 42, three different passages of Sacred Scripture are combined:“of the seed of David”(Is. xi. 1);“from Bethlehem”(Mich. v. 2);“the town where David was”(1 Kings xvii. 12).45. Venerunt ergo ministri ad pontifices et pharisaeos. Et dixerunt eis illi: Quare non adduxistis illum?45. The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees. And they said to them: Why have you not brought him?46. Responderunt ministri: Numquam sic locutus est homo, sicut hic homo.46. The ministers answered: Never did man speak like this man.47. Responderunt ergo eis pharisaei; numquid et vos seducti estis?47. The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also seduced?48. Numquid ex principibus aliquis credidit in eum, aut ex pharisaeis?48. Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees?49. Sed turba haec, quae non novit legem maledicti sunt.49. But this multitude that knoweth not the law, are accursed.45-49. The officers, who had been sent a few days before to apprehend Christ (see above,14,32), or perhaps other officers, return and bear favourable testimony to Him, for which they are rebuked by the Pharisees.[pg 146]50. Dixit Nicodemus ad eos, ille qui venit ad eum nocte, qui unus erat ex ipsis.50. Nicodemus said to them, he that came to him by night, who was one of them.51. Numquid lex nostra iudicat hominem nisi prius audierit ab ipso, et cognoverit quid faciat?51. Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth?52. Responderunt, et dixerunt ei: Numquid et tu Galilaeus es? Scrutare scripturas, et vide quia a Galilaea propheta non surgit.52. They answered and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? Search the scriptures, and see that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not.50-52. Nicodemus (iii. 1, 2) interposes in Christ's favour; to whom the members of the Sanhedrim impatiently reply that no prophet had ever arisen in Galilee, thus disposing, as they thought, of Christ's claim to be a prophet. But they were wrong in their assumption that Christ had been born in Galilee (see Luke ii. 4-7), and equally wrong in the conclusion they drew that, being a Galilean, He could not be a prophet. For the Sacred Scriptures had nowhere said that a prophet could not arise in Galilee; nay, they prove that the prophet Jonas was a Galilean, 4 Kings, xiv. 25.53. Et reversi sunt unusquisque in domum suam.53. And every man returned to his own house.53. See next chapter.[pg 147]

Chapter VII.1.Christ remains in Galilee.2-10.His brethren urge Him to go up to Jerusalem to the Feast of Tabernacles with them; this He declines to do, but goes afterwards privately.11-13.The chief men among the Jews look out for Him at the Feast, and express different opinions regarding Him.14-24.In the middle of the festival Christ goes up to the temple and teaches.25-29.Comments of some of the people of Jerusalem; Christ's reply.30, 31.Different opinions of the people regarding Him.32-36.Jealously of the Sanhedrim, which sends officers to arrest Him.37-39.Christ's words on the eighth day of the feast, and St. John's authentic interpretation.40, 41.Different opinions among the people regarding Him.44-49.Though some were anxious to arrest Him, no one durst, not even the officers who had been sent for that purpose; consequent indignation of the Priests and Pharisees.50-52.Nicodemus interposes in Christ's favour; reply of the other members of the Sanhedrim.1. Post haec autem ambulabat Iesus in Galilaeam, non enim volebat in Iudaeam ambulare, quia quaerebant eum Iudaei interficere.1. After these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.1. Instead of“Galilaeam,”“Judaeam,”read“Galilea,”“Judaea”(Abl.) in the Vulgate. The sense is that Christ continues to remain in Galilee.2. Erat autem in proximo dies festus Iudaeorum scenopegia.2. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.2. See note on verse1.3. Dixerunt autem ad eum fratres eius: Transi hinc, et vade in Iudaeam, ut et discipuli tui videant opera tua, quae facis.3. And his brethren said to him: Pass from hence and go into Judea: that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost.3.His brethren said to him: Pass from hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost.Who are these brethren of Jesus?(1) Not the children of[pg 136]Joseph and Mary, born to them after the birth of our Lord, for this opinion of Helvidius was condemned ashereticalin the Council of Lateran (649a.d.), and is opposed to the universal and constant tradition of the Church.61(2) Not the children of Joseph by a previous marriage; for this opinion too, though not heretical, and though held by some of the fathers, is opposed to the common opinion of Catholics, according to which St. Joseph lived and died a virgin.(3) These brethren werecousinsof our Lord. The term“fratres”(ἀδελφοὶ) is used in the Sacred Scriptures of many who are not children of the same parents. Thus it is used of fellow-countrymen, Rom. ix. 3, 4; (2) of co-religionists, Rom. i. 13; (3) of relations who were not, however, members of the same family, Gen. xiii. 8, xiv. 4. In these verses of Genesis, Abraham and Lot are referred to asbrethren, though the former was uncle to the latter (Gen. xii. 5).In Matthew xiii. 55, Mark vi. 3, James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude, are named as brethren of our Lord; but whether they are the same cousins who are referred to here by St. John, is disputed. Of those mentioned by SS. Matthew and Mark, James, Jude, and probably Simon, were Apostles;62and hence, on account of verse 5, some say it is not these, but other cousins of our Lord, who are here referred to by St. John. However, there need be no difficulty about admitting that the faith of the Apostles was still imperfect, especially if we adopt what seems the more probable[pg 137]reading in vi. 70. See Matthew xvii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 15.These brethren of the Lord say to Him, that He ought to go up to Jerusalem, where there would be a concourse of people to witness His miracles.4. Nemo quippe in occulto quid facit, et quaerit ipse in palam esse: si haec facis, manifesta teipsum mundo.4. For there is no man that doth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, manifest thyself to the world.5. Neque enim fratres eius credebant in eum.5. For neither did his brethren believe in him.5. As already explained, if we regard the three Apostles as included among the brethren, we may understand here that their faith was stillimperfect; if other cousins of our Lord are meant, they may have been wholly without faith.6. Dicit ergo eis Iesus: Tempus meum nondum advenit: tempus autem vestrum semper est paratum.6. Then Jesus said to them: My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready.6. There are many opinions as to what is meant byHis time, here referred to by Christ. Some say it is the time of His passion; others, the time for manifesting Himself to the world; and others, the time for going up to Jerusalem. The latter opinion seems to us the most natural and most probable.7. Non potest mundus odisse vos: me autem odit, quia ego testimonium perhibeo de illo quod opera eius mala sunt.7. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth: because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil.7. His brethren might go up to Jerusalem at any time, for they, even if some of them were Apostles, had not yet incurred the odium of thewickedworld (John xv. 18, 19).8. Vos ascendite ad diem festum hunc: ego autem non ascendo ad diem festum istum, quia meum tempus nondum impletum est.8. Go you up to this festival day, but I go not up to this festival day: because my time is not accomplished.9. Haec cum dixisset, ipse mansit in Galilaea.9. When he had said these things, he himself staid in Galilee.10. Ut autem ascenderunt fratres eius, tunc et ipse ascendit ad diem festum non manifeste, sed quasi in occulto.10. But after his brethren were gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.8-10. Christ here seems to say that He will not go up to Jerusalem for the feast, and yet He went. Various answers to this difficulty have been given:—(1) Many ancient MSS. and versions, instead of“Non (οὐκ) ascendo”read“Nondum(οὔπω) ascendo;”i.e., I go not upyet. However, as this is the easier reading to explain, and as the[pg 138]other is equally well supported by ancient authority, we are inclined to believe that the more difficult (οὐκ) is the true reading. Hence (2) others say that our Lord used an ambiguous phrase: I go not up, meaning I go not upnow(but shall go afterwards). (3) The correct explanation seems to be that insinuated by our Evangelist. Christ said: I go not up (as you desire, in your company, and publicly); then when He went up, it was not publicly, but, as it were, in secret.11. Iudaei ergo quaerebant eum in die festo, et dicebant: Ubi est ille?11. The Jews therefore sought him on the festival day and said: Where is he?11. The leaders of the Jews seek Him at the feast, but, through contempt, do not name Him.12. Et murmur multum erat in turba de eo. Quidam enim dicebant: Quia bonus est. Alii autem dicebant: Non, sed seducit turbas.12. And there was much murmuring among the multitude concerning him. For some said: He is a good man. And others said: No, but he seduceth the people.13. Nemo tamen palam loquebatur de illo, propter metum Iudaeorum.13. Yet no man spoke openly of him, for fear of the Jews.13.Openly(palam) does not fully express the force of the Greek word, which seems to mean herewith open approval.14. Iam autem die festo mediante, ascendit Iesus in templum, et docebat.14. Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.14. The festival lasted for eight days, so that this would be the fourth or fifth day.15. Et mirabantur Iudaei, dicentes: Quomodo hic litteras scit, cum non didicerit?15. And the Jews wondered, saying: How doth this man know letters, having never learned?15. From this verse it is plain that Christ had never attended any of the Jewish schools, where theScriptures(γράμματα) were explained.[pg 139]16. Respondit eis Iesus, et dixit: Mea doctrina non est mea, sed eius qui misit me.16. Jesus answered them and said: My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.16. The sense is: The doctrine I preach has not been excogitated by Me; I have received it from My Father. As man, Christ had received His knowledge through the beatific vision, and by infusion into His human soul, and as God, He had received it from the Father from all eternity.17. Si quis voluerit voluntatem eius facere, cognoscet de doctrina utrum ex Deo sit, an ego a meipso loquar.17. If any man will do the will of him: he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.18. Qui a semetipso loquitur, gloriam propriam quaerit: qui autem quaerit gloriam eius qui misit eum, hic verax est, et iniustitia in illo non est.18. He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, he is true, and there is no injustice in him.17, 18. In proof that His doctrine is from God, He appeals to two arguments:—(1) If they will only follow the will of God, and believe,experiencewill teach them that His doctrine is divine. (2) The fact that He seeks not His own glory, but the glory of the Father, is a proof that His doctrine is the doctrine of the Father, and, therefore a proof that He is veracious, and does not deceive (injustitiain illo non est). This second argument, as Mald. points out, is based upon what does, not upon what should, happen among men. When men preach doctrines of their own invention, they generally seek their own glory.19. Nonne Moyses dedit vobis legem: et nemo ex vobis facit legem?19. Did not Moses give you the law, andyetnone of you keepeth the law?20. Quid me quaeritis interficere? Respondit turba, et dixit: Daemonium habes: quis te quaerit interficere?20. Why seek you to kill me? The multitude answered and said: Thou hast a devil; who seeketh to kill thee?19, 20. Most probably Christ begins here to defend Himself against the charge of violating the Sabbath, which the Jews had brought against Him on a former occasion (v. 16, 18),[pg 140]and which they still remembered against Him.He uses an“argumentum ad hominem”: You do not keep the law yourselves, why then seek to kill Me, even for what you allege to be a violation of it? Some among the crowd were even then anxious to kill Jesus, as His words prove, and to these He directs His words; but there were many present who had no such intention, and some of these reply,Thou hast a devil. They may have meant that He was possessed, or simply that He was raving, out of His senses.21. Respondit Iesus, et dixit eis: Unum opus feci, et omnes miramini.21. Jesus answered and said to them: One work I have done; and you all wonder:22. Propterea Moyses dedit vobis circumcisionem: (non quia ex Moyse est, sed ex patribus) et in sabbato circumciditis hominem.22. Therefore Moses gave you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath-day you circumcise a man.23. Si circumcisionem accipit homo in sabbato, ut non solvatur lex Moysi: mihi indignamini quia totum hominem sanum feci in sabbato?23. If a man receive circumcision on the sabbath-day, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are you angry at me because I have healed the whole man on the sabbath-day?21-23. He proceeds to show by sober reasoning, that they ought not to blame Him for having healed the man on the Sabbath.Theone workof verse 21 is the healing of the man on the Sabbath day (v. 9, 16). Some prefer to connect“propterea”with verse 21:“and you all wonder on account of it.”But it is better to connect it, as in the Vulgate, with what follows. The sense is: it was on this account Moses gave you circumcision; namely, because it had been handed down from the Patriarchs (Gen. xvii. 10), not because it was properly a part of the law. If then a man may receive circumcision on the Sabbath,and yetthe law regarding the observance of the Sabbath is not violated thereby, are you angry with Me because, doing the will of God, I made a man whole, both body and soul, on the Sabbath? In this explanation,“ut”(ἵνα) is ecbatic, denoting a consequence. See Gen. xxii. 14; Johnx. 17; Apoc. xiii.[pg 141]13. Others, however, give the particle its ordinary telic force, and explain thus: If then a man may receive circumcision on the Sabbath,in order thatthe law commanding circumcision to be performed on the eighth day be not violated, are you angry, &c.? Both explanations are probable, and leave the argument unchanged.24. Nolite iudicare secundum faciem, sed iustum iudicium iudicate.24. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgment.24.According to the appearance;i.e., take no account of persons, but judge according to the merits of the case.25. Dicebant ergo quidam ex Ierosolymis: Nonne hic est quem quaerunt interficere?25. Some therefore of Jerusalem said: Is not this he whom they seek to kill?26. Et ecce palam loquitur, et nihil ei dicunt. Numquid vere cognoverunt principes quia hic est Christus?26. And behold he speaketh openly, and they say nothing to him. Have the rulers known for a truth that this is the Christ?25, 26. Some of the people of Jerusalem (the correct reading is Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν) said: can it be that they have discovered that He is really Christ?27. Sed hunc scimus unde sit: Christus autem cum venerit, nemo scit unde scit.27. But we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.27. And yet this cannot be, for we know this man whence he is; but when the Christ cometh no man knoweth whence He is. This erroneous opinion of theirs may have arisen from Micheas, v. 2:“His going forth is from the beginning from the days of eternity;”and Mal. iii. 2:“And who shall be able to think of the day of His coming?”28. Clamabat ergo Iesus in templo docens, et dicens: Et me scitis, et unde sim scitis: et a meipso non veni, sed est verus qui misit me, quem vos nescitis.28. Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: You both know me, and you know whence I am, and I am not come of myself; but he that sent me is true, whom you know not.28. The meaning is: You[pg 142]know Me as man, and you know My parents, and yet I come not of My own authority, but sent by My Father, who therein shows Himself true to His promises.29. Ego scio eum: quia ab ipso sum, et ipse me misit.29. I know him, because I am from him, and he hath sent me.29. He declares His Divine knowledge of the Father, His eternal generation, and mission in time.30. Quaerebant ergo eum apprehendere: et nemo misit in illum manus, quia nondum venerat hora eius.30. They sought therefore to apprehend him: and no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.30. They rightly understand Him to claim to be Divine, and as a consequence seek to apprehend Him; but the time for His sufferings had not yet arrived, and so they were powerless.31. De turba autem multi crediderunt in eum, et dicebant: Christus cum venerit, numquid plura signa faciet quam quae hic facit?31. But of the people many believed in him, and said: When the Christ cometh, shall he do more miracles than these which this man doth?31. Many of the multitude—in contrast with their leaders—believed in Him.When the Christ cometh, shall he, &c. The question, expecting, as it does, a negative answer (numquid), suggests that Jesus must be the Christ.32. Audierunt pharisaei turbam murmurantem de illo haec: et miserunt principes et pharisaei ministros, ut apprehenderent eum.32. The Pharisees heard the people murmuring these things concerning him: and the rulers and Pharisees sent ministers to apprehend him.32.Rulers, rather chief priests (ἀρχιερεῖς). Theministerswere officers attendant upon the Sanhedrim, or engaged about the temple. See verses45, 46; xiii.3,18,22;xix. 6; Acts v. 22, 26. As the Sanhedrim was made up of chief priests, Pharisees, and Scribes, probably it was the Sanhedrim that sent these ministers to apprehend Christ.33. Dixit ergo eis Iesus: Adhuc modicum tempus vobiscum sum: et vado ad eum qui me misit.33. Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while I am with you: andthenI go to him that sent me.33. Omit“eis”(to them).[pg 143]Christ's words were probably directed not merely to the ministers, but to all the people.Yet a little while I am with you,i.e., almost six months more after this feast of Tabernacles, and then He would go to the Father.34. Quaeretis me, et non invenietis: et ubi ego sum vos non potestis venire.34. You shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am,thitheryou cannot come.34.You shall seek me, and shall not find me.Some think these words were fulfilled at the siege of Jerusalem, when many of the Jews must have looked in vain for help from Him whom they had put to death.Others, like Maldonatus, say the statement is conditional: even if you sought me, you should not find me, after a little while.Since the same words:“You shall seek me,”were afterwards addressed to the Apostles (xiii. 33), it is not likely that the reference is to seeking Him at the destruction of Jerusalem, for the Apostles did not seek Him then. It would also seem from xiii. 33 that the view of Maldonatus just stated is not probable, for in xiii. 33 there is not a conditional statement, but simply a prediction that the Apostles would seek Him. Hence we take it that in the text before us also, there is a prediction that the Jews after His departure would, when in distress and tribulation, desire to see Him once more among them. Doubtless, many Jews afterwards had such a desire, but it was in vain, for He had gone to Him that sent Him.And where I am(= shall be)thither you cannot come.These words too were afterwards addressed to the Apostles (xiii. 33), and we believe in the same sense as here. The meaning is that until death at least the separation would be complete, for He would be no longer here, and where He would be they could not join Him. Some take the words:“You cannot come,”as meaning here that the Jews on account of their sins couldneverenter heaven. But since, as we have said, the same words were afterwards addressed to the Apostles, the view we have adopted seems more probable.35. Dixerunt ergo Iudaei ad semetipsos: Quo hic iturus est, quia non inveniemus eum? numquid in dispersionem gentium iturus est, et docturus gentes?35. The Jews therefore said, among themselves: Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the gentiles, and teach the gentiles?35.The dispersed among the Gentiles,i.e., the Jews scattered among the Gentiles, or more probably the Gentiles[pg 144]themselves (Ἑλλήνων, not Ἑλληνιστῶν) scattered over the world. The concluding words of the verse:“and teach the Gentiles”render the latter view the more probable.36. Quis est hic sermo, quem dixit: Quaeretis me, et non invenietis: et ubi sum ego, vos non potestis venire?36. What is this saying that he hath said: You shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, you cannot come?37. In novissimo autem die magno festivitatis, stabat Iesus, et clamabat, dicens: Si quis sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat.37. And on the lastandgreat day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.38. Qui credit in me, sicut dicit scriptura, flumina de ventre eius fluent aquae vivae.38. He that believeth in me, as the scripture saith,Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.37, 38. On the last day, the great day of the feast, that is, the eighth day, Jesus cried aloud to the people assembled at the temple. His words mean: If anyone thirst spiritually, let him come to Me by faith, and grace shall be abundantly poured into his soul. The words:Out of his belly, &c., are nowhere to be found in the Old Testament; but, as signifying the abundance of grace in the new dispensation, they convey the sense of many passages of the Old Testament. See Is. xli. 18, xliv. 3.; Ezech. xxxvi. 25; Joel ii. 28.39. Hoc autem dixit de Spiritu, quem accepturi erant credentes in eum: nondum enim erat Spiritus datus, quia Iesus nondum erat glorificatus.39. Now this he said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.39. The Evangelist gives an authentic interpretation of our Lord's words:For as yet the Spirit was not given. These words explain why our Lord spoke of the abundant outpouring of the Spirit asstill to come, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, inasmuch as Christ was not yet glorified (xvi. 7). When it is said that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, the meaning is, that He was not yet given soabundantly, somanifestly, or souniversally, as He has been since the first Pentecost. It is not meant that the Holy Ghost had not been given to the just of the Old Testament. They, as well[pg 145]as we, had the grace of the Holy Ghost in their souls; moreover, according to the common teaching of the fathers and theologians, they, like the just now, had the Holy Ghost united to their souls, not merely by His grace, but also by a substantial union. This union is not, however, peculiar to the Holy Ghost, but is common to the Three Divine Persons, by reason of their unity of nature, and is only by appropriation attributed to the Holy Ghost. See Franz.,De Trin., last Disp.; Corl., pp. 198, 199.40. Ex illa ergo turba cum audissent hos sermones eius, dicebant: Hic est vere propheta.40. Of that multitude therefore, when they had heard these words of his, some said: This is the prophet indeed.41. Alii dicebant: Hic est Christus. Quidam autem dicebant: Numquid a Galilaea venit Christus?41. Others said: This is the Christ. But some said: Doth the Christ come out of Galilee?42. Nonne scriptura dicit: Quia ex semine David, et de Bethlehem castello, ubi erat David, venit Christus?42. Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh out of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was?43. Dissensio itaqua facta est in turba propter eum.43. So there arose a dissension among the people because of him.44. Quidam autem ex ipsis volebant apprehendere eum: sed nemo misit super eum manus.44. And some of them would have apprehended him: but no man laid hands upon him.40-44. The Evangelist notes the difference of opinion among the crowd. Some believed Him to bethe Prophetpromised to Moses (Deut. xviii. 18); others (wrongly distinguishing between the Prophet and the Messias) held Him to be the Messias; others doubted (verse 41); others remained wholly incredulous (verse 44). In verse 42, three different passages of Sacred Scripture are combined:“of the seed of David”(Is. xi. 1);“from Bethlehem”(Mich. v. 2);“the town where David was”(1 Kings xvii. 12).45. Venerunt ergo ministri ad pontifices et pharisaeos. Et dixerunt eis illi: Quare non adduxistis illum?45. The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees. And they said to them: Why have you not brought him?46. Responderunt ministri: Numquam sic locutus est homo, sicut hic homo.46. The ministers answered: Never did man speak like this man.47. Responderunt ergo eis pharisaei; numquid et vos seducti estis?47. The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also seduced?48. Numquid ex principibus aliquis credidit in eum, aut ex pharisaeis?48. Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees?49. Sed turba haec, quae non novit legem maledicti sunt.49. But this multitude that knoweth not the law, are accursed.45-49. The officers, who had been sent a few days before to apprehend Christ (see above,14,32), or perhaps other officers, return and bear favourable testimony to Him, for which they are rebuked by the Pharisees.[pg 146]50. Dixit Nicodemus ad eos, ille qui venit ad eum nocte, qui unus erat ex ipsis.50. Nicodemus said to them, he that came to him by night, who was one of them.51. Numquid lex nostra iudicat hominem nisi prius audierit ab ipso, et cognoverit quid faciat?51. Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth?52. Responderunt, et dixerunt ei: Numquid et tu Galilaeus es? Scrutare scripturas, et vide quia a Galilaea propheta non surgit.52. They answered and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? Search the scriptures, and see that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not.50-52. Nicodemus (iii. 1, 2) interposes in Christ's favour; to whom the members of the Sanhedrim impatiently reply that no prophet had ever arisen in Galilee, thus disposing, as they thought, of Christ's claim to be a prophet. But they were wrong in their assumption that Christ had been born in Galilee (see Luke ii. 4-7), and equally wrong in the conclusion they drew that, being a Galilean, He could not be a prophet. For the Sacred Scriptures had nowhere said that a prophet could not arise in Galilee; nay, they prove that the prophet Jonas was a Galilean, 4 Kings, xiv. 25.53. Et reversi sunt unusquisque in domum suam.53. And every man returned to his own house.53. See next chapter.

1.Christ remains in Galilee.2-10.His brethren urge Him to go up to Jerusalem to the Feast of Tabernacles with them; this He declines to do, but goes afterwards privately.11-13.The chief men among the Jews look out for Him at the Feast, and express different opinions regarding Him.14-24.In the middle of the festival Christ goes up to the temple and teaches.25-29.Comments of some of the people of Jerusalem; Christ's reply.30, 31.Different opinions of the people regarding Him.32-36.Jealously of the Sanhedrim, which sends officers to arrest Him.37-39.Christ's words on the eighth day of the feast, and St. John's authentic interpretation.40, 41.Different opinions among the people regarding Him.44-49.Though some were anxious to arrest Him, no one durst, not even the officers who had been sent for that purpose; consequent indignation of the Priests and Pharisees.50-52.Nicodemus interposes in Christ's favour; reply of the other members of the Sanhedrim.

1.Christ remains in Galilee.

2-10.His brethren urge Him to go up to Jerusalem to the Feast of Tabernacles with them; this He declines to do, but goes afterwards privately.

11-13.The chief men among the Jews look out for Him at the Feast, and express different opinions regarding Him.

14-24.In the middle of the festival Christ goes up to the temple and teaches.

25-29.Comments of some of the people of Jerusalem; Christ's reply.

30, 31.Different opinions of the people regarding Him.

32-36.Jealously of the Sanhedrim, which sends officers to arrest Him.

37-39.Christ's words on the eighth day of the feast, and St. John's authentic interpretation.

40, 41.Different opinions among the people regarding Him.

44-49.Though some were anxious to arrest Him, no one durst, not even the officers who had been sent for that purpose; consequent indignation of the Priests and Pharisees.

50-52.Nicodemus interposes in Christ's favour; reply of the other members of the Sanhedrim.

1. Instead of“Galilaeam,”“Judaeam,”read“Galilea,”“Judaea”(Abl.) in the Vulgate. The sense is that Christ continues to remain in Galilee.

2. See note on verse1.

3.His brethren said to him: Pass from hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost.

Who are these brethren of Jesus?

(1) Not the children of[pg 136]Joseph and Mary, born to them after the birth of our Lord, for this opinion of Helvidius was condemned ashereticalin the Council of Lateran (649a.d.), and is opposed to the universal and constant tradition of the Church.61

(2) Not the children of Joseph by a previous marriage; for this opinion too, though not heretical, and though held by some of the fathers, is opposed to the common opinion of Catholics, according to which St. Joseph lived and died a virgin.

(3) These brethren werecousinsof our Lord. The term“fratres”(ἀδελφοὶ) is used in the Sacred Scriptures of many who are not children of the same parents. Thus it is used of fellow-countrymen, Rom. ix. 3, 4; (2) of co-religionists, Rom. i. 13; (3) of relations who were not, however, members of the same family, Gen. xiii. 8, xiv. 4. In these verses of Genesis, Abraham and Lot are referred to asbrethren, though the former was uncle to the latter (Gen. xii. 5).

In Matthew xiii. 55, Mark vi. 3, James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude, are named as brethren of our Lord; but whether they are the same cousins who are referred to here by St. John, is disputed. Of those mentioned by SS. Matthew and Mark, James, Jude, and probably Simon, were Apostles;62and hence, on account of verse 5, some say it is not these, but other cousins of our Lord, who are here referred to by St. John. However, there need be no difficulty about admitting that the faith of the Apostles was still imperfect, especially if we adopt what seems the more probable[pg 137]reading in vi. 70. See Matthew xvii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 15.

These brethren of the Lord say to Him, that He ought to go up to Jerusalem, where there would be a concourse of people to witness His miracles.

5. As already explained, if we regard the three Apostles as included among the brethren, we may understand here that their faith was stillimperfect; if other cousins of our Lord are meant, they may have been wholly without faith.

6. There are many opinions as to what is meant byHis time, here referred to by Christ. Some say it is the time of His passion; others, the time for manifesting Himself to the world; and others, the time for going up to Jerusalem. The latter opinion seems to us the most natural and most probable.

7. His brethren might go up to Jerusalem at any time, for they, even if some of them were Apostles, had not yet incurred the odium of thewickedworld (John xv. 18, 19).

8-10. Christ here seems to say that He will not go up to Jerusalem for the feast, and yet He went. Various answers to this difficulty have been given:—(1) Many ancient MSS. and versions, instead of“Non (οὐκ) ascendo”read“Nondum(οὔπω) ascendo;”i.e., I go not upyet. However, as this is the easier reading to explain, and as the[pg 138]other is equally well supported by ancient authority, we are inclined to believe that the more difficult (οὐκ) is the true reading. Hence (2) others say that our Lord used an ambiguous phrase: I go not up, meaning I go not upnow(but shall go afterwards). (3) The correct explanation seems to be that insinuated by our Evangelist. Christ said: I go not up (as you desire, in your company, and publicly); then when He went up, it was not publicly, but, as it were, in secret.

11. The leaders of the Jews seek Him at the feast, but, through contempt, do not name Him.

13.Openly(palam) does not fully express the force of the Greek word, which seems to mean herewith open approval.

14. The festival lasted for eight days, so that this would be the fourth or fifth day.

15. From this verse it is plain that Christ had never attended any of the Jewish schools, where theScriptures(γράμματα) were explained.

16. The sense is: The doctrine I preach has not been excogitated by Me; I have received it from My Father. As man, Christ had received His knowledge through the beatific vision, and by infusion into His human soul, and as God, He had received it from the Father from all eternity.

17, 18. In proof that His doctrine is from God, He appeals to two arguments:—(1) If they will only follow the will of God, and believe,experiencewill teach them that His doctrine is divine. (2) The fact that He seeks not His own glory, but the glory of the Father, is a proof that His doctrine is the doctrine of the Father, and, therefore a proof that He is veracious, and does not deceive (injustitiain illo non est). This second argument, as Mald. points out, is based upon what does, not upon what should, happen among men. When men preach doctrines of their own invention, they generally seek their own glory.

19, 20. Most probably Christ begins here to defend Himself against the charge of violating the Sabbath, which the Jews had brought against Him on a former occasion (v. 16, 18),[pg 140]and which they still remembered against Him.

He uses an“argumentum ad hominem”: You do not keep the law yourselves, why then seek to kill Me, even for what you allege to be a violation of it? Some among the crowd were even then anxious to kill Jesus, as His words prove, and to these He directs His words; but there were many present who had no such intention, and some of these reply,Thou hast a devil. They may have meant that He was possessed, or simply that He was raving, out of His senses.

21-23. He proceeds to show by sober reasoning, that they ought not to blame Him for having healed the man on the Sabbath.

Theone workof verse 21 is the healing of the man on the Sabbath day (v. 9, 16). Some prefer to connect“propterea”with verse 21:“and you all wonder on account of it.”But it is better to connect it, as in the Vulgate, with what follows. The sense is: it was on this account Moses gave you circumcision; namely, because it had been handed down from the Patriarchs (Gen. xvii. 10), not because it was properly a part of the law. If then a man may receive circumcision on the Sabbath,and yetthe law regarding the observance of the Sabbath is not violated thereby, are you angry with Me because, doing the will of God, I made a man whole, both body and soul, on the Sabbath? In this explanation,“ut”(ἵνα) is ecbatic, denoting a consequence. See Gen. xxii. 14; Johnx. 17; Apoc. xiii.[pg 141]13. Others, however, give the particle its ordinary telic force, and explain thus: If then a man may receive circumcision on the Sabbath,in order thatthe law commanding circumcision to be performed on the eighth day be not violated, are you angry, &c.? Both explanations are probable, and leave the argument unchanged.

24.According to the appearance;i.e., take no account of persons, but judge according to the merits of the case.

25, 26. Some of the people of Jerusalem (the correct reading is Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν) said: can it be that they have discovered that He is really Christ?

27. And yet this cannot be, for we know this man whence he is; but when the Christ cometh no man knoweth whence He is. This erroneous opinion of theirs may have arisen from Micheas, v. 2:“His going forth is from the beginning from the days of eternity;”and Mal. iii. 2:“And who shall be able to think of the day of His coming?”

28. The meaning is: You[pg 142]know Me as man, and you know My parents, and yet I come not of My own authority, but sent by My Father, who therein shows Himself true to His promises.

29. He declares His Divine knowledge of the Father, His eternal generation, and mission in time.

30. They rightly understand Him to claim to be Divine, and as a consequence seek to apprehend Him; but the time for His sufferings had not yet arrived, and so they were powerless.

31. Many of the multitude—in contrast with their leaders—believed in Him.When the Christ cometh, shall he, &c. The question, expecting, as it does, a negative answer (numquid), suggests that Jesus must be the Christ.

32.Rulers, rather chief priests (ἀρχιερεῖς). Theministerswere officers attendant upon the Sanhedrim, or engaged about the temple. See verses45, 46; xiii.3,18,22;xix. 6; Acts v. 22, 26. As the Sanhedrim was made up of chief priests, Pharisees, and Scribes, probably it was the Sanhedrim that sent these ministers to apprehend Christ.

33. Omit“eis”(to them).[pg 143]Christ's words were probably directed not merely to the ministers, but to all the people.Yet a little while I am with you,i.e., almost six months more after this feast of Tabernacles, and then He would go to the Father.

34.You shall seek me, and shall not find me.Some think these words were fulfilled at the siege of Jerusalem, when many of the Jews must have looked in vain for help from Him whom they had put to death.

Others, like Maldonatus, say the statement is conditional: even if you sought me, you should not find me, after a little while.

Since the same words:“You shall seek me,”were afterwards addressed to the Apostles (xiii. 33), it is not likely that the reference is to seeking Him at the destruction of Jerusalem, for the Apostles did not seek Him then. It would also seem from xiii. 33 that the view of Maldonatus just stated is not probable, for in xiii. 33 there is not a conditional statement, but simply a prediction that the Apostles would seek Him. Hence we take it that in the text before us also, there is a prediction that the Jews after His departure would, when in distress and tribulation, desire to see Him once more among them. Doubtless, many Jews afterwards had such a desire, but it was in vain, for He had gone to Him that sent Him.

And where I am(= shall be)thither you cannot come.

These words too were afterwards addressed to the Apostles (xiii. 33), and we believe in the same sense as here. The meaning is that until death at least the separation would be complete, for He would be no longer here, and where He would be they could not join Him. Some take the words:“You cannot come,”as meaning here that the Jews on account of their sins couldneverenter heaven. But since, as we have said, the same words were afterwards addressed to the Apostles, the view we have adopted seems more probable.

35.The dispersed among the Gentiles,i.e., the Jews scattered among the Gentiles, or more probably the Gentiles[pg 144]themselves (Ἑλλήνων, not Ἑλληνιστῶν) scattered over the world. The concluding words of the verse:“and teach the Gentiles”render the latter view the more probable.

37, 38. On the last day, the great day of the feast, that is, the eighth day, Jesus cried aloud to the people assembled at the temple. His words mean: If anyone thirst spiritually, let him come to Me by faith, and grace shall be abundantly poured into his soul. The words:Out of his belly, &c., are nowhere to be found in the Old Testament; but, as signifying the abundance of grace in the new dispensation, they convey the sense of many passages of the Old Testament. See Is. xli. 18, xliv. 3.; Ezech. xxxvi. 25; Joel ii. 28.

39. The Evangelist gives an authentic interpretation of our Lord's words:For as yet the Spirit was not given. These words explain why our Lord spoke of the abundant outpouring of the Spirit asstill to come, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, inasmuch as Christ was not yet glorified (xvi. 7). When it is said that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, the meaning is, that He was not yet given soabundantly, somanifestly, or souniversally, as He has been since the first Pentecost. It is not meant that the Holy Ghost had not been given to the just of the Old Testament. They, as well[pg 145]as we, had the grace of the Holy Ghost in their souls; moreover, according to the common teaching of the fathers and theologians, they, like the just now, had the Holy Ghost united to their souls, not merely by His grace, but also by a substantial union. This union is not, however, peculiar to the Holy Ghost, but is common to the Three Divine Persons, by reason of their unity of nature, and is only by appropriation attributed to the Holy Ghost. See Franz.,De Trin., last Disp.; Corl., pp. 198, 199.

40-44. The Evangelist notes the difference of opinion among the crowd. Some believed Him to bethe Prophetpromised to Moses (Deut. xviii. 18); others (wrongly distinguishing between the Prophet and the Messias) held Him to be the Messias; others doubted (verse 41); others remained wholly incredulous (verse 44). In verse 42, three different passages of Sacred Scripture are combined:“of the seed of David”(Is. xi. 1);“from Bethlehem”(Mich. v. 2);“the town where David was”(1 Kings xvii. 12).

45-49. The officers, who had been sent a few days before to apprehend Christ (see above,14,32), or perhaps other officers, return and bear favourable testimony to Him, for which they are rebuked by the Pharisees.

50-52. Nicodemus (iii. 1, 2) interposes in Christ's favour; to whom the members of the Sanhedrim impatiently reply that no prophet had ever arisen in Galilee, thus disposing, as they thought, of Christ's claim to be a prophet. But they were wrong in their assumption that Christ had been born in Galilee (see Luke ii. 4-7), and equally wrong in the conclusion they drew that, being a Galilean, He could not be a prophet. For the Sacred Scriptures had nowhere said that a prophet could not arise in Galilee; nay, they prove that the prophet Jonas was a Galilean, 4 Kings, xiv. 25.

53. See next chapter.

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