Tractates on the Gospel of John

¹³ He then returns to that resurrection of souls: “For as the Father raises the dead, and quickens them, so also the Son quickens whom He will;” but this according to the Spirit. The Father quickens, the Son quickens; the Father whom He will, the Son whom He will; but the Father quickens the same as the Son, because all things were made by Him. “For as the Father raises up the dead, and quickens them, so also the Son quickens whom He will.” This is said of the resurrection of souls; but what of the resurrection of bodies? He returns, and says: “For the Father judges not any man, but all judgment has He given to the Son.” The resurrection of souls is effected by the eternal and unchangeable substance of the Father and Son. But the resurrection of bodies is effected by the dispensation of the Son's humanity, which dispensation is temporal, not co-eternal with the Father. Therefore, when He mentioned judgment, in which there should be a resurrection of bodies, He says, “For the Father judges not any man, but all judgment has He given to the Son;” but concerning the resurrection of souls, He says, “Even as the Father raises the dead, and quickens them, so also the Son quickens whom He will.” That, then, the Father and the Son together. But this concerning the resurrection of bodies: “The Father judges not any man, but has given all judgment to the Son; that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.” This is referred to the resurrection of souls. “That all may honor the Son.” How? “Even as they honor the Father.” For the Son works the resurrection of souls in the same manner as the Father does; the Son quickens just as the Father does. Therefore, in the resurrection of souls, “let all honor the Son as they honor the Father.” But what of the honoring on account of the resurrection of the body? “Whoso honors not the Son, honors not the Father that sent Him.” He said not even as, but honors and honors. For the man Christ is honored, but not even as God the Father. Why? Because, with respect to this, He said, “The Father is greater than I.” And when is the Son honored even as the Father is honored? When “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and all things were made by Him.” And hence, in this second honoring, what says He? “Whoso honors not the Son, honors not the Father that sent Him.” The Son was not sent, but because He was made man.

14. “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” Again He returns to the resurrection of souls, that by continual repetition we may apprehend His meaning; because we could not keep up with His discourse hastening on as on wings. Lo, the Word of God lingers with us; lo, it does, as it were, dwell with our infirmities. He returns again to the mention of the resurrection of souls. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whoso hears my word, and believes Him that sent me, has eternal life;” but has it as from the Father. “For whoso hears my word, and believes Him that sent me, has eternal life” from the Father, by believing the Father that sent the Son. “And shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death to life.” But from the Father, whom he believes, is he quickened. What, dost Thou not quicken? See that the Son also “quickens whom He will.” “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That the hour comes when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.” Here He did not say, they shall believe Him that sent me, and therefore shall live; but by hearing the voice of the Son of God, “they that hear,” that is, they that obey the Son of God, “shall live.” Therefore, both from the Father shall they live, when they will believe the Father; and from the Son shall they live, when they will hear the voice of the Son of God. Why shall they live both from the Father and from the Son? “For even as the Father has life in Himself, so also has He given to the Son to have life in Himself.”