Homilies on the Gospel of John

“You both know Me, and you know whence I am: and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom you know not.”

2. And again, “If you had known Me, you should have known My Father also.” How then says He, that they both “know Him,” and “whence He is,” and then, “that they neither know Him, nor the Father”? He does not contradict, (away with the thought,) but is very consistent with Himself. For He speaks of a different kind of knowledge, when He says, “ye know not”; as when He says, “The sons of Eli were wicked sons, they knew not the Lord”; and again, “Israel does not know Me.” So also Paul says, “They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him.” It is therefore possible, “knowing,” “not to know.” This then is what He says: “If you know Me, you know that I am the Son of God.” For the “whence I am” does not here denote place. As is clear from what follows, “I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom you know not,” referring here to the ignorance shown by their works. [As Paul says, “They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him.”] For their fault came not merely of ignorance, but of wickedness, and an evil will; because even though they knew this, they chose to be ignorant. But what manner of connection is there here? How is it that He, reproving them, uses their own words? For when they say, “We know this man whence he is,” He adds, “ye both know Me.” Was their expression, “We know him not”? Nay, they said, “We know him.” But (observe), they by saying the, “We know whence he is,” declared nothing else than that He was “of the earth,” and that He was “the carpenter's son”; but He led them up to heaven, saying, “You know whence I am,” that is, not thence whence ye suppose, but from that place whence He that sent Me (has sent Me). For to say, “I am not come of Myself,” intimates to them, that they knew that He was sent by the Father, though they did not disclose it. So that He rebukes them in a twofold manner; first, what they said in secret He published aloud, so as to put them to shame; after that He revealed also what was in their hearts. As though He had said, “I am not one of the abjects, nor of those who come for nothing, but He 'that sent Me is true, whom you know not.'” What means,“He that sent Me is true”? “If He be true, He has sent Me for the truth; if He be true, it is probable that He who is sent is true also.” This also He proves in another way, vanquishing them with their own words. For whereas they had said, “When Christ comes, no man knows whence He is,” He proves from this that He Himself is the Christ. They used the words, “No man knows,” with reference to distinction of some definite locality; but from the same words He shows Himself to be the Christ, because He came from the Father; and everywhere He witnesses that He alone has the knowledge of the Father, saying, “Not that any man has seen the Father, save He which is from the Father.” And His words exasperated them; for to tell them, “You know Him not,” and to rebuke them because knowing they pretended to be ignorant, was sufficient to sting and annoy them.