The Revelation of Glory and Eternal Life
Providing more or less than this; for being and essence and knowledge are not naturally comparable by a simple measure or quantity of magnitude. Why then was it said? The Savior, in a single word, extended a twofold manner of teaching; for the meaning of the spoken verb is double. For example, through 'he who sent me,' he pointed to a body contained in places, capable of being described, and not to his indescribable divinity encompassing all things. But through the comparative verb 'to say,' he shows his divinity to be greater when compared to the Father, since he is of the same essence, yet in the assumption of the body, being thought of the Father as lesser according to his becoming man. And do not marvel if the Savior, having become man, says he is lesser than the Father, when it is also said of the angels that they are shorter: 'We see Jesus, being made a little inferior to the angels (Hebrews 2:7), through the suffering of death, being crowned with glory and honor.' And it was also said of his own disciples that they are lesser: 'I am among you as one who serves (Luke 22:27),' and as the least. Therefore, the things being compared are of the same essence, but the simple things, both in knowledge and in essence, do not admit of the greater and the lesser. But if, regarding the divinity of the Son and without having taken flesh, you wish to take 'he who sent me' to mean the Father is greater than me, you will give him as being contained and enclosed in places, being sent to where he was not, and being moved from where he is; which is absurd.
The Father glorified his own Son, placing him under the sun with his scepters, and he himself was also counter-glorified through this; for the Son was glorified by the Father, having been believed by all, that he is the offspring and fruit of the One who is strong in all things. And the Father was counter-glorified as if by his own offspring; for since the offspring was easily known to be able to accomplish all things, the grace of the glory passed over to the one who begot him. Just as, he says, you glorified and were counter-glorified, having given to him the authority and lordship over all according to what was clearly said.
In what way, I wish, so that nothing of what has been given is lost; for glory itself passes into us. For it was necessary that the transcendent, having become entirely under hand, be saved once for all by the all-powerful God the Word and remain in the good things eternally, so as to be no longer tyrannized by death, nor held by corruption or by sins, nor be subject to the ancient evils.
This is what he says: 'Reveal to those who do not know, manifest to me the glory which I have from God the Word' (Jo 17:1–3). For 'no one' 'is able' to 'come to me, unless the Father who sent me draws him' (Jo 6:44). Likewise, it is to hear also the Son glorifying the Father by revealing him to those who do not know God. In this same way, the Holy Spirit is said to glorify the Son by revealing him to those who are ignorant. And even if here—concerning him—it is to be imagined forever. This is the eternal—they cast out the Son of God. But it is necessary to know this: that the cause is instead of the caused; for knowing the truth brings us eternal life.
The pre-cosmic glory of the Son of God would be something other than God the Word himself, that 'true light' (Jo 1:9); for he is not glorified by another glory through another, being other than the glory, but as previously said, he is the 'Lord of glory' and King of glory. But since 'he emptied himself, having taken the form of a slave' (Phil 2:7)—for the 'Word,' he says, 'became flesh' (Jo 1:14) and we saw him 'and he had neither form nor beauty' (Isa 53:2)—and many disbelieved in such a descent, many disbelieved that God became man for this purpose, desiring to reveal his divinity to those who do not know, he says: 'Father, glorify your Son' (Jo 17:1), which is to say: reveal to those who do not know, manifest to me the glory which I have from God the Word. Therefore Paul said, 'when it pleased' God 'to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles' (Gal 1:16).
Greek
μεῖζον τῷδε ἢ τῷδε παρέχοντες· οὐ γὰρ πέφυκε τὸ ὂν οὐσίᾳ καὶ γνώσει ἁπλοῦν μέτρῳ ἢ ποσότητι μεγέθους συγκρίνεσθαι. διὰ τί οὖν ἐρρήθη; ὁ σωτὴρ ἑνὶ λόγῳ διττὸν ἀπετείνατο διδασκαλίας τρόπον· διπλῆ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ εἰρημένου ῥήματος ἔννοια. οἷον διὰ τοῦ “ὁ πέμψας με” καὶ ὑπάγω τὸ ἐν τόποις περιεχόμενον ᾐνίξατο σῶμα περιγραπτὸν ὂν καὶ οὐ τὴν τὰ πάντα περιέχουσαν αὐτοῦ ἀπερίγραπτον θεότητα. διὰ δὲ τοῦ συγκριτικοῦ ῥήματος τοῦ λέγειν μείζων ἑαυτοῦ τὴν θεότητα ἐμφαίνει συγκρινομένην τῷ πατρί, ὅτιπερ ὁμο ούσιός ἐστιν, τῇ δὲ προσλήψει τοῦ σώματος, τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπινοουμένην ἥττω κατὰ τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον. καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἥττων εἶναι λέγει ὁ σωτὴρ ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος, ὁπότε καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων βραχύτερος εἴρηται κατὰ τόδε· “βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους ἠλαττωμένον βλέπομεν Ἰησοῦν διὰ τὸ” πάθος “τοῦ θανάτου δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφανωμένον”. ἐρρέθη δὲ καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μαθητῶν ἥττων· “ἐγὼ δέ”, φησίν, “εἰμὶ ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν ὡς ὁ διακονῶν” καὶ ὡς ὁ μικρότερος. τὰ οὖν συγκρινόμενα ὁμοούσια, τὰ δὲ ἁπλᾶ καὶ γνώσει καὶ οὐσίᾳ οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται τὸ μεῖζον καὶ τὸ ἔλαττον. εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς θεότητος τοῦ υἱοῦ ἄνευ τοῦ εἰληφέναι σάρκα βούλει ἐκλαβεῖν τὸ “ὁ πέμψας με” πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστιν, ἐν τόποις αὐτὸν δώσεις περιεχόμενον καὶ συγκλειόμενον, πεμπόμενον δὲ ὅπου οὐκ ἦν, καὶ μεταίροντα ὅθεν ἐστίν· ὅπερ ἄτοπον. 18 Jo 17,1 Ἐδόξασε μὲν ὁ πατὴρ τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν ὑποθεὶς τὴν ὑφ' ἡλίῳ τοῖς σκήπτροις αὐτοῦ, ἀντεδοξάσθη δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τούτου· ὁ μὲν γὰρ υἱὸς ἐδοξάσθη παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς πιστευθεὶς παρὰ πάντων, ὅτι γέννημα καὶ καρπός ἐστιν τοῦ πάντα ἰσχύοντος. ἀντεδοξάσθη δὲ ὥσπερ παρὰ τοῦ ἰδίου γεννήματος ὁ πατήρ· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πάντα ἰσχῦον ἐπιτελεῖν εὐκόλως ἐγνώσθη τὸ γέννημα, διέβη τῆς εὐκλείας ἡ χάρις εἰς τὸν τεκόντα αὐτό. ὥσπερ οὖν, φησίν, ἐδόξασας καὶ ἐδοξάσθης δοὺς αὐτῷ τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἐξουσίαν καὶ κυριότητα κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον δηλονότι τρόπον, οὕτω θέλω, ἵνα μηδὲν τῶν δοθέντων ἀπόληται· δόξα γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ εἰς ἡμᾶς διαβαίνει· ἔδει γὰρ, ἔδει τὸ ὑπεξούσιον ὅλως καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα γεγενημένον τοῦ πάντα ἰσχύοντος θεοῦ λόγου διασεσῳσμένον ἅπαξ καὶ ἐν ἀτελευτήτοις μεῖναι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ὡς μηκέτι μὲν τυραννεῖσθαι θανάτῳ μηδὲ φθορᾷ κρατεῖσθαι ἢ ἁμαρτίαις καὶ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ὑποκεῖσθαι κακοῖς. 19 Jo 17,1–3 Τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὃ λέγει· ἀποκάλυψόν με τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν, φανέρωσόν μου τὴν δόξαν, ἣν ἔχω παρά Joι ὁ θεὸς ὁ λόγος τυγχάνων· “οὐδεὶς” γὰρ “δύναται”, φησίν, “ἐλθεῖν πρός με, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν”. ὡσαύτως δ' ἐστὶν ἀκοῦσαι καὶ τὸν υἱὸν δοξάζοντα τὸν πατέρα κατὰ τὸ ἀποκαλύπτειν αὐτὸν τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσι θεόν. κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον λέγεται δοξάζειν τὸν υἱὸν ἐν τῷ ἀποκαλύπτειν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα–περὶ αὐτοῦ φαντάζεσθαι τέως. αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος–θεοῦ υἱὸν ἐκβαλοῦσιν. τοῦτο δὲ εἰδέναι χρή, ὅτι τὸ αἴτιον ἀντὶ τοῦ αἰτιατοῦ φησιν· τὸ γὰρ εἰδέναι τὸν ἀληθινὸν 4 προξενεῖ ἡμῖν τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν. Jo 17,5 Ἡ προκόσμιος τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ δόξα τί ἂν εἴη ἕτερον ἢ αὐτὸς θεὸς λόγος, αὐτὸ “φῶς ἀληθινόν”, οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἄλλος ὢν παρὰ τὴν δόξαν ὑπ' ἄλλης δόξης δι' ἄλλου δοξάζεται αὐτὸς ὤν, ὡς προεῖπον, ὁ “κύριος τῆς δόξης” καὶ βασιλεὺς δόξης. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ “ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών” – ὁ γὰρ “λόγος”, φησίν, “σὰρξ ἐγένετο” καὶ εἴδομεν αὐτὸν “καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος”–πολλοὶ δὲ ἠπίστουν τῇ τοσαύτῃ γενομένῃ συγκαταβάσει, πολλοὶ ἠπίστουν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο τούτου ἕνεκεν, ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι βουλόμενος, λέγει· “πάτερ δόξασόν Joυ τὸν υἱόν”, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀποκάλυψόν με τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι, φανέρωσόν μου τὴν δόξαν ἣν ἔχω παρά Joι θεὸς λόγος τυγχάνων. διὸ εἶπε Παῦλος, “ὅτε εὐδόκησεν” ὁ θεὸς “ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοί, ἵνα εὐαγγελίζωμαι αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν”. 5
About this text
Surviving fragments of Didymus's lost commentary on John, on the Word made flesh.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (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.