The Process of Faith and Spiritual Nourishment

To sit or to be laid down does not give life. It signifies the taking of life, but the living one does not take it; for he possesses it, unless it is signified by something else, for the name of life has multiple meaningsmeanings (John 5:23).

Just as the one transgressing the law dishonors God through transgressing, but the one keeping it honors the giver, so the one honoring the Son by doing according to the law and the right word will honor the Father likewise (John 5:23).

'All those in the tombs' (John 5:28) signifies 'all those having died'; for if he did not say this—those whose bodies have been consumed by beasts or fire and are not placed in tombs, they do not rise. But since there will be a resurrection of all men, these also shall be numbered among those in the tombs. If the disputants were to contend, they must be stopped by noting that those doing good and bad things are being judged, not the bodies placed in the tombs. Therefore the word will not prevent them from receiving the truth even if the bodies were consumed by fire or otherwise.

Of men divided according to the opinion into the ungodly, that is, the unbelieving, or the godly, that is, the believing (John 5:28–29), of all the same rising men, the unbelieving and ungodly indeed rise, but not unto judgment, since he who does not believe has already been judged. But those who have believed in the Savior and have also done good works, those who rise for a resurrection of life, shall not be judged among those being raised unto judgment who sinned after believing. As for the state of infants, since they also rise, God alone knows, perhaps even those to whom the revelation of this truth has come.

Someone is drawn from the Father in this way (John 6:44–45), of a rational man becoming 'according to the image and according to the likeness' of God. The concepts concerning virtuous actions and the word concerning truth and knowledge are sown within him. Therefore, the one having heard according to common concepts and judging the good and having learned from the Father, comes to Christ through faith, or even through revelation.

He draws those hearing and learning to himself, in the same manner that he says Peter confessed: 'that flesh and blood did not reveal to you, but my heavenly Father' (Matt 16:17). 'Created according to image and likeness' (Gen 1:26), and this very thing becoming rational for the man. The concepts concerning praiseworthy deeds are sown in him by God, but also of knowledge, of truth. The one, therefore, having heard and learned according to common concepts from the father, comes through faith to the Lord.

And after a little: the Father, teaching through revelation the things concerning the Son, leads those hearing and learning to him; for so also he led Peter through revelation into believing in the Son, having revealed to him. Regarding 'Heaven,' he says it signifies the like appearance and state of God, which is not other than his intelligible essence. And 'life' and 'bread' and 'the one coming down' is the nourishing word of God, which the one coming to him eats by exercising virtue.

And since it is necessary not only to come to him through deed, but also to believe scientifically the things true according to theory, someone drinks from him 'living water' (John 4:14) from the spring and from the vine (John 15:1) wine gladdening the 'heart of man.' Therefore, receiving according to practical virtue we eat, but according to the intellectual we drink, as having been filled and never having thirsted from him. And if 'blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness' (Matt 5:6) seems contrary, it is by no means a disagreement; for if someone, having eaten of this bread and having drunk of the immortal drink, does not hunger nor thirst, but nonetheless, because of the lovely and worthy food and the drink, having been satisfied, still hungers and drinks, so as to be always filled and to hunger.

What heaven does it signify here out of the three heavens: the first, the firmament, the air? None of these should be understood, but the like appearance and state of God, which is not other than his intelligible essence. And 'life'...