Five loaves; bread of life; sealed by the Father (John 6:6–37)
him a reward for faith.
So that they may not suppose Andrew hides something for his own need, he said that a child still has five barley loaves and two fish. He said this lest he seem to be hiding what he had for some private need.
He counts only the men, according to the law's custom: those who have nothing childish or womanish, but a youthful mind, whom he also feeds with the bread that strengthens the heart and fills with delight.
For this reason he gives thanks: lest he seem opposed to God, and that he may teach us to give thanks when we eat; yet also as man he gives thanks, that until the passion he may escape the notice of the ruler of this age.
Christ feeds the faithful through the five barley loaves, which signify the coarser teaching of the Pentateuch, and through the two fish, which are the apostolic teaching of the evangelical and apostolic proclamation.
Through the sign he teaches them to take heart in him and not to lose heart in distress, or not to shrink from hospitality, but to be bold toward the good.
He does not forbid working, but worrying and fretting about tomorrow, that he may dry up in advance the heresy of the Messalians and Manichaeans who use no handiwork at all.
He means the intelligible, rational, and spiritual food that remains; for this helps us enjoy the goods to come, which faith in Christ procures.
He means the mystical participation which the Son has given, that sanctifies soul and body, weaving the human together with what befits God.
He "sealed" him—that is, anointed with the Holy Spirit the Lord's human flesh, not the Godhead; for almost all the names of the economy are taken concerning the flesh. He said this either because he is naturally formed toward the Father, that is, anointed (for those anointed are sealed), or "sealed" means the Father confirmed or undeniably disclosed the Son by his own witness; for the Son is impress and seal of the Father's essence, seen without difference as the Father.
Even if he knew those people would gain nothing, still for the common benefit of the teaching he answered.
It is not the one serving the shadows of the law who does God's will, but the one who believes in Christ.
He did not say this as if the manna food were a lie, but because that was a type, not itself the truth. Christ is the manna who is life by nature and gives life to all things—that is, bread as feeding soul and body.
Here again he calls the bread—that is, the flesh—from heaven, not because it was from heaven, but because it was united to the Word who came down from heaven; and after the union the saints speak without distinction as of one person and one hypostasis, even though they know the difference even after the union of flesh, soul, and Godhead.
For he frees from sins and makes friends of God and partakers of the "divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4) and frees from Gehenna and counts the worthy of the kingdom—those who share as they ought in the flesh of the Word of God; for all these are life and food of the immortal soul.
He is bread of life not as soothing bodily hunger, but remaking the whole living being from end to end into life, through the spiritual words of which we are filled, which is life.
Water and drink here mean either sanctification through the Spirit or the Holy Spirit himself.
"All that the Father gives me will come to me" (John 6:37). Faith in him is no chance matter, but needs a tilt from above and a soul noble, God-minded, and grateful that receives faith, the Father's
Greek
αὐτῷ μισθὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς πίστεως. 187 col 1 {3Jο 6, 8 9}3Ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν, ὅτι διὰ οἰκείαν χρείαν ὁ Ἀνδρέας ἀποκρύπτει, ταῦτα εἶπεν, ὅτι ἔτι παιδάριον ἔχει πέντε ἄρτους κριθῆς καὶ δύο ἰχθύας.Ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ διά τινα οἰκείαν χρείαν ἀποκρύπτειν ἃ εἶχεν εἶπεν τοῦτο. 189 {3Jο 6, 10}3Μόνους τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀριθμεῖ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ νόμου συνήθειαν τοὺς μηδὲν νηπιῶδες ἔχοντας ἢ θηλυκόν, ἀλλὰ νεανικοῦ φρονήματος, οὓς καὶ τρέφει διὰ τοῦ στηρίζοντος καρδίαν ἄρτου καὶ ἐπιτέρψεως ἀναπλησθῆναι ποιεῖ. 190 {3Jο 6, 11}3∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐχαριστεῖ, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἀντίθεος εἶναι καὶ ἵνα διδάξῃ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἐσθίειν εὐχαριστεῖν, πλὴν καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος εὐχαριστεῖ, ἵνα λάθῃ ἕως τοῦ πάθους τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ νῦν αἰῶνος. 191 {3Jο 6, 13}3Τρέφει τοὺς πιστοὺς ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τῶν πέντε ἄρτων τῶν κριθίνων, ὅπερ νοεῖται ἡ παχυτέρα τῆς πεντατεύχου διδασκαλία καὶ διὰ τῶν δύο ἰχθύων, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀποστολικὴ διδαχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ καὶ ἀποστολικοῦ κηρύγματος. 192 {3Jο 6, 13}3∆ιδάσκει διὰ τοῦ σημείου θαρρεῖν αὐτῷ καὶ μὴ ἀθυμεῖν ἐν στενοχωρίᾳ ἤτοι μὴ δειλιᾶν πρὸς φιλοξενίαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν εὐτόλμους εἶναι. 193 {3Jο 6, 27}3Οὐ κωλύει τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸ μεριμνᾶν καὶ φροντίζειν τῆς αὔριον, ἵνα τὴν αἵρεσιν προαναξηράνῃ τῶν Μεσσαλιανῶν καὶ Μανιχαίων τῶν μὴ ἐργο χείρῳ χρωμένων τινί. 194 {3Jο 6, 27}3Τὴν νοητὴν καὶ λογικὴν καὶ πνευματικὴν μένουσαν βρῶσιν λέγει· αὕτη γὰρ συμβάλλεται εἰς τὸ ἀπολαῦσαι ἡμᾶς τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, ἣν ἡ εἰςΧριστὸν πίστις προξενεῖ. 195 {3Jο 6, 27}3Τὴν μυστικὴν μετάληψιν λέγει ἣν ὁ υἱὸς ἰὼν δέδωκε τὴν ἁγιάζουσαν ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα συναναπλέξας τῷ θεοπρεπεῖ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. 196 {3Jο 6, 27}3Τοῦτον ἐσφράγισεν, ὅ ἐστιν ἔχρισεν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι τὴν σάρκα τοῦ κυρίου τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, οὐ τὴν θεότητα· πάντα γὰρ σχεδὸν τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας ὀνόματα περὶ τὴν σάρκα εἴληπται. τοῦτο εἶπεν ἢ ὅτι μεμόρφωται φυσικῶς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἤτοι ἔχρισεν· κατασφραγίζονται γὰρ οἱ χριόμενοι. ἤτοι ἐσφράγισεν, ἐβεβαίωσεν ἤτοι ἀναντιρρήτως ἐξεκάλυψεν ὁ πατὴρ τὸν υἱὸν διὰ τῆς ἰδίας μαρτυρίας· ἐκμαγεῖον γάρ ἐστι καὶ σφραγὶς ὁ υἱὸς τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας ὁρώμενος ἀπαραλλάκτως ὡς ὁ πατήρ. 197 {3Jο 6, 29}3Εἰ καὶ ᾔδει ἐκείνους μηδὲν ὠφεληθησομένους, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ κοινωφελὲς τῆς διδαχῆς ἀπεκρίνατο. 198 {3Jο 6, 29}3Οὐχ ὁ ταῖς σκιαῖς δουλεύων τοῦ νόμου ποιεῖ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ θέλημα, ἀλλ' ὁ εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν πιστεύων. 0 {3Jο 6, 32}3Οὐχ ὡς ψεύδους οὔσης τῆς τοῦ μάννα τροφῆς εἶπεν τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκεῖνο τύπος ἦν, οὐκ αὐτὸ ἡ ἀλήθεια. ὁ Χριστός ἐστι τὸ μάννα ὁ φύσει ζωὴ ὢν καὶ τὰ πάντα ζωογονῶν, ὅ ἐστιν ἄρτος ὡς τρέφων ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα. 1 {3Jο 6, 32}3Ὧδε πάλιν τὸν ἄρτον, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ σάρξ, λέγει ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ὅτι ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἦν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡνώθη τῷ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατεληλυθότι λόγῳ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν ἀδιαφοροῦσιν οἱ ἅγιοι ὡς ἐπὶ ἑνὸς προσώπου καὶ μιᾶς ὑποστάσεως, εἰ καὶ τὴν διαφορὰν ἐπίστανται καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν σαρκός, ψυχῆς καὶ θεότητος. 2 {3Jο 6, 33}3Ἀπαλλάσσει γὰρ ἁμαρτίας καὶ ποιεῖ φίλους θεῷ καὶ «θείας φύσεως» κοι νωνοὺς καὶ τῆς γεέννης ἐλευθεροῖ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἀξιοῖ τοὺς ἀξίους καὶ ὡς δεῖ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου σαρκὸς μετασχόντας· ὅλα γὰρ ταῦτα ζωή ἐστι τῆς ἀθανάτου ψυχῆς καὶ τροφή. 4 {Jςο 6, 35}3Ἄρτος ἐστὶ ζωῆς οὐχ ὡς σωματικὸν λιμὸν παραμυθούμενος, ἀλλ' ὅλον ἐξ ὅλου τὸ ζῷον εἰς ζωὴν ἀναπλάττων, δι' ὧν τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ ἐμφορούμεθα τῶν πνευματικῶν, ὅ ἐστι ζωή. 5 {3Jο 6, 35}3Ὕδωρ καὶ ποτὸν ὧδε λέγει ἢ τὸν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἁγιασμὸν ἢ αὐτὸ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. 6 {3Jο 6, 37}3Τὸ δὲ πᾶν ὃ δίδωσίν μοι ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἥξει. οὐ τὸ τυχὸν πρᾶγμα ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν δεῖται ῥοπῆς καὶ ψυχῆς τινος γενναίας καὶ θεόφρονος καὶ εὐγνώμονος δεχομένης πίστιν, τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς
About this text
Ammonius of Alexandria, Fragmenta in Joannem (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 85 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.