Homilies on the Gospel of John

“Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up and taught.”

By the delay He made them more attentive; for they who had sought Him on the first days and said, “Where is He?” when they saw Him suddenly present, observe how they drew near, and were like to press upon Him as He was speaking, both those who said that He was a good man, and those who said that He was not such; the former so as to profit by and admire Him, the latter to lay hold on and detain Him. One party then said, “He deceives the people,” by reason of the teaching and the doctrines, not understanding His meaning; the other on account of the miracles said, “He is a good man.” He therefore thus came among them when He had slackened their anger, so that they might hear His words at leisure, when passion no longer stopped their ears. What He taught, the Evangelist has not told us; that He taught marvelously, this only he says, and that He won and brought them over. Such was the power of His speech. And they who had said, “He deceives the people,” altered their opinion, “and marveled.” Wherefore also they said,