John 8:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For why, after saying, “I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me,” and again, “the testimony of two men is true,” did He not stop speaking? Why did He add, “I bear witness of Myself”? Clearly, in order to show His self-existence. And first He said of Himself, “I bear witness of Myself.” By this He shows both His equality of honor with the Father and, at the same time, that there is no benefit for those who say they know God the Father while they do not know Him. This, He says, comes from their unwillingness to know Him. Therefore He says that without Him it is impossible to know the Father, so that even in this way He may draw them to the knowledge of Himself. Since they were always trying to know the Father while abandoning Him, He says, “You cannot know the Father without Me.” Thus those who blaspheme the Son blaspheme not only Him, but also Him who begot Him. Let us avoid this. Let us glorify the Son. If He were not of one and the same nature with the Father, He would not have spoken in this way. If He merely taught, while in reality He were of another nature, then one could know the Father without knowing Him. Conversely, one could know Him completely and not know the Father. For he who knows a man does not thereby know an angel. You will say, “Yes, but he who knows a creature knows God also.” No. Many know creation, or rather all men know it because they see it, and yet they do not know God. Therefore let us glorify the Son of God not only with this verbal glory, but also with the glory of works. The first without the second means nothing. “Behold,” it is said, “you are called a Jew, and rest upon the law, and boast in God. You then who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by transgressing the law?” (Rom 2:17, 21, 23). See that we also, who boast in the rightness of faith, do not dishonor God by a life unworthy of the faith. Let us not give occasion for blasphemy against Him. The Lord wishes the Christian to be a teacher for the whole world, a leaven, a light, and salt. What does light mean? A luminous life that has nothing dark in it. Light is not useful to itself, just as salt and leaven are not, but they bring benefit to others. Therefore it is required of us that we be useful not only to ourselves, but also to others. For if salt does not season, it is no longer salt. This also shows that if we lead a virtuous life, others too will necessarily live in the same way. Conversely, so long as we ourselves are not virtuous, we shall bring no benefit to others. Let there be nothing irrational among us, nothing vain. Such are worldly affairs. Such are the cares of life. For this reason the virgins were called foolish: they cared for empty worldly affairs. They gathered here and did not store up there where they ought. But I fear lest we too suffer the same thing. I fear lest we also arrive clothed in unclean garments where all have bright and shining raiment. Nothing is filthier, nothing more defiled than sin. Therefore the prophet, depicting the nature of sin, cried out, “My wounds stink and fester” (Ps 37:6). If you wish to know the stench of sin, imagine it after the deed, when you are freed from desire. When the fire of passion no longer troubles you, then you will see what sin is. Imagine anger when you are in a peaceful state. Imagine covetousness when you are free from this passion. Nothing is more vile, nothing more repulsive, than robbery and covetousness. We often speak of this not because we wish to trouble you, but in order to bring you great and wondrous benefit. He who was not corrected after hearing once may perhaps be corrected after hearing a second time. He who missed the second time will be corrected the third. May we all be counted worthy, after being freed from every evil, to have the fragrance of Christ. To Him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Rather, being a servant, as the heretics blaspheme, He would have turned to one of His fellow servants and made him a co-witness, for example John or Moses. In general, if He had desired such testimonies, He would have found many.

But now He wishes to show His consubstantiality with the Father, and therefore He numbers Himself together with the Father. If in other places He brings forward John, Moses, and the prophets as witnesses concerning Himself, do not be amazed at this. He does this in accommodation to the understanding of His hearers.

They placed John and Moses above Him. Therefore He brings forward the testimony of those whom they considered glorious and great. They had a lofty understanding of God and the Father. For what else did they glorify, if not God?

Therefore now He brings Him Himself as witness, the God who is over all. And since He places Himself beside such an unfailing and unlying Witness, it is very clear that He has the same dignity and authority as the Father. Those who call Him a servant and in every respect less than the Father ought to be put to shame.

As regards My existence from the Father, I am acknowledged and borne witness to 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 because of identity of essence, I am shown able to accomplish all things without hindrance. For our Lord Jesus Christ, as God, possesses omnipotence from His own divine nature, although He appeared as man. He is also borne witness to by the Father, since He has Him as co-worker in all things, according to His words: “I do nothing from Myself, but the Father who abides in Me Himself does the works” (Jn 8:28; 14:10). We understand the Father’s cooperation with the Son not as the communication of His own or another’s power to one who is weak, so that He may accomplish works. If we think this, we would have to confess the power of the Father imperfect, as also that of the Son. For then some miracle would be accomplished through two, because one alone would somehow prove insufficient. Understanding what is said in a far more pious and reasonable way, we again affirm this. Since in the Father and the Son there is one Godhead and the immutable omnipotence of one and the same nature, the works of God the Father are undoubtedly the works of the Son. In turn, the works of the Son are also the works of God the Father. He says, “I do nothing from Myself,” not as a servant or subordinate, nor as one placed in the position of a disciple. He does not await commands from the Father, nor is He taught to perform miracles. Rather, with complete precision He indicates that He was begotten from the essence of God the Father. Like light, ineffably and without beginning, He 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 intention with Him and the same activity in all things. In order to teach clearly that He wills together with the Begetter in all things, He says, “I do nothing from Myself.” It is as though He said, “I do not incline at all toward any private wish not belonging to God the Father. Whatever the nature of the Father wills and determines is certainly also in Me. For I have shone forth from His depths, and I am the true fruit of His essence.” This is difficult to explain. It is not easy to express with the tongue, and it is inaccessible even to reason itself. Yet by bringing it, as far as possible, into pious contemplation, we shall gain for ourselves the heavenly reward. We shall keep our mind unharmed and uninclined to any changes. It should be noted that the Savior, when He added and said to the Jews, “And in your law it is written,” by this already compels the Pharisees, as it were of necessity, to accept the duality of persons. “I bear witness,” He says, “of 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 disregard even the law that 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).