John 8:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If it is because They are two, why did He not have recourse to John and say, “I bear witness about Myself, and John bears witness about Me”? Why not to an angel? Why not to the prophets? He could have found many other testimonies. But He wishes to show not only that there are two, but that They are of one and the same essence.

As far as existence from the Father is concerned, I am confessed and witnessed by the nature of Him Who begot Me. I have the Father in Myself and can accomplish all things. Since I have Him in Myself by reason of identity of essence, I am able to accomplish everything without hindrance.

For our Lord Jesus Christ, as God, possesses omnipotence from His divine nature, though He appeared as man. He is also witnessed by the Father as having Him as co-worker in all things, according to what He said: "I do nothing of Myself, but the Father Who dwells in Me Himself does the works," Jn 8:28; 14:10.

We understand the Father's cooperation with the Son not as the supplying of His own and alien power to one who is powerless for the doing of works. If we thought so, we would have to acknowledge the power of the Father, like that of the Son, as imperfect.

For then some miracle would be performed through two, because one alone would seem insufficient for it. Understanding what is said much more piously and reasonably, we again affirm that in the Father and the Son there is one Godhead and the unchanging omnipotence of one and the same nature.

Therefore, without doubt, the works of God the Father will also be the works of the Son. In turn, the works of the Son will also be the works of God the Father.

He says, "I do nothing of Myself," not as a servant and subordinate, nor as one in the position of a disciple waiting for commands from the Father, nor as one taught to perform miracles.

Rather, He indicates with complete precision that He is begotten from the essence of God the Father. Like light, He ineffably and without beginning shone forth from His hidden depths. He eternally coexists with Him, being and being understood as the image and impress of His hypostasis.

He has, so to speak, one and the same purpose with Him, and the same activity in all things. To teach clearly that He wills together with the Begetter in all things, He says: "I do nothing of Myself."

This is as if He said: I in no way incline toward any wish of My own that is not proper to God the Father. Whatever the Father's nature wills and determines is certainly also in Me, since I have shone forth from His depths and am the true fruit of His essence.

This is difficult to explain, not easy to express in speech, and inaccessible even to reason itself. Yet, introducing it as far as possible into pious contemplation, let us gain for ourselves the heavenly reward. Let us preserve our mind unharmed and disinclined to any changes whatever.

It must be noted that the Savior, by adding and saying to the Jews, "And in your Law it is written," thereby already compels the Pharisees, as by necessity, to accept the duality of persons.

For He says: "I bear witness concerning Myself," but for this the "Father" is also joined to Me. Will this pair of witnesses, confirmed by the letter of the Law, not be accepted among you? Or again, carried away solely by envy against Me, will you pay no heed even to the Law you honor?

Therefore, since it is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true, receive our testimony, and do not think only of judgment. He was speaking of judgment. Now He wishes to speak of testimony. “And in your law,” He says, “it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I bear witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.” He would have explained the Law to them, had they not been deaf. Indeed, my brethren, this is a difficult question. I certainly see a great mystery in what God said: “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established” (Mt 18:16; cf. Deut 19:15). Is truth established through two witnesses? Yes indeed. Such is the rule among mankind. Yet it may still happen that two lie. Chaste Susanna suffered from two false witnesses (cf. Dan 13:36-62). Were they not false witnesses because there were two of them? Are we speaking of two or of three? The whole people lied against Christ (cf. Lk 23:1). If a people made up of an immense multitude proved to be a false witness, how should we understand, “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established”? Only in this way: through the mystery, the Trinity is entrusted to us, in whom the immutable constancy of truth is contained. Do you wish your case to be secure? Keep within yourself two or three witnesses: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Finally, when Susanna, a chaste woman and faithful wife, was accused by two false witnesses, the Trinity sustained her in conscience and in secret. This Trinity brought forth one witness, Daniel, and convicted the two. Therefore, since it is written in your Law that the testimony of two men is true, receive our testimony, lest you experience the Judgment. For He says, “I judge no one, but I bear witness of Myself. I defer judgment, but I do not defer testimony.” Let us, brethren, choose God for ourselves as Judge, and God as witness against the tongues of men and the powerless suspicions of mankind. He who is Judge did not think it unworthy of Himself to appear as Witness. Nor did He exalt Himself as Judge, since He who now appears as witness will also be Judge. Why is He Himself witness? Because He seeks no other, by whom it may be known what you are. Why is He Himself Judge? Because He Himself has authority to assign to death or to life, to condemn or justify. He has authority to cast down into Hades or lift up to heaven, to join to the devil or crown with the Angels. Since He has such authority, He is Judge. Since He seeks no other witness in order to know you, He who will later judge you sees you now. It is impossible for you to deceive Him when He judges. For you will not be able to summon any false witnesses who could deceive that Judge when He judges you. God says to you, “When you despised Me, I saw it. When you did not believe, I did not hide My sentence. I deferred it, but I did not abolish it. You did not hear what I prescribed, but you will feel what I have already appointed. But if you hear what I prescribed, you will not feel the evils I appointed. Instead, you will obtain the good things I promised.” Certainly no one should wonder that He says, “My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me.” Elsewhere He says, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (Jn 5:22). We have already discussed these words of the Gospel. Now we remind you that this was said because the Father will not appear together with the Son when He renders Judgment. Only the Son will manifest Himself at the Judgment of the good and the evil, in the very form in which He suffered, rose, and ascended into heaven. For when the disciples beheld His ascension, the angelic voice sounded: “He will come in the same manner as you saw Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11). That is, He will judge in the form of man, in which He was judged, so that this prophecy may be fulfilled: “They shall look on Him whom they pierced” (Zech 12:10; cf. Jn 19:37). And when the righteous enter into eternal life, we shall see Him as He is. Then there will be no judgment over the living and the dead, but only the reward of the living. Let no one wonder that He says, “And in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true” (Jn 8:17). Let no one suppose that this did not belong to the law of God because He did not say, “in the law of God.” Such a person should know that when He said “in your law,” it was as if He said, “in the Law given to you.” By whom was it given, if not by God? So also we say, “our daily bread,” and yet we add, “give us this day” (Mt 6:11).

Yet this does not mean that I fear My judgment might be as mistaken as yours. No, My judgment is true, for I do not judge alone. The Father judges with Me. If you wish to judge Me, then it would be fitting for you to hear My witnesses. Your law requires two or three witnesses. I present two to you. The first witness is Myself. Here the divine nature of Jesus is clearly distinguished, bearing witness to what is accomplished through the mediation of His human nature. The second is My Father.

“If I bear witness about Myself, My testimony is true, because I have the most perfect knowledge of Myself, of My origin, My purpose, and the aim of My coming into the world. I alone know this, and you do not know it and cannot know it of yourselves. Therefore you must receive testimony concerning Me from Me Myself. What you say about testimony does not apply to My self-testimony. It has force only in earthly relations.

You judge according to the flesh, according to carnal impulses. Hence your judgment is false in its very foundation, whether it is judgment about yourselves or about others. Thus you judge Me to be an untrue witness about Myself, because you judge according to the flesh and desire to condemn.

But I judge no one, that is, not with the aim of condemning, and not according to the flesh. Yet if I do judge, whether concerning Myself or others, My judgment is just. It is also the judgment of God the Father Himself. Thus, in each of My judgments and testimonies, two witnesses appear: I and the Father. And your law, on which you rest, also recognizes the testimony of two as true” (Deut 17:6; 19:15).

But let it be as though I alone were bearing witness about Myself. Even in that case My testimony is true, because I know that I came from God and go to Him. Can such testimony be false? I judge no one, since I came to save sinners, not to judge. And if I judge concerning Myself, My judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me.

“Do you see the equality of authority, and how He presents Himself as being as trustworthy as the Father? He would not have dared to say this if He were lower in dignity than the Father, and were not equal and consubstantial with Him” (Theophylact; cf. Chrysostom).

The Son of God stands above the measure of human truth. Moreover, the law concerning witnesses was introduced only for sinful mankind. Otherwise, the testimony of a pure conscience is trustworthy testimony. Such is the meaning of the expressions “in your law” and “men.”

Yet, contending with the stubbornness of the wretched Jews, the Lord summons against them even the response of the law they honored. They measure everything by the letter of the law. So be it. But are not He and the Father, man and God, two witnesses? The Son bears witness to Himself by words. The heavenly Father bears witness by miracles performed to the glory of the Son.

For us Christians, however, our Lord Jesus Christ revealed a still greater meaning of the mystery of the knowledge of the Godhead. For “there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (1 Jn 5:7).

For a time, that is, until His final discourse with His disciples, the Lord speaks only of two manifested testimonies: “for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (Jn 7; cf. the study of that verse).