Homilies on the Gospel of John

“But this spoke He of the Spirit, which they that believe in Him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given.”

2. How then did the Prophets prophesy and work those ten thousand wonders? For the Apostles cast not out devils by the Spirit, but by power received from Him; as He says Himself, “If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?” And this He said, signifying that before the Crucifixion not all cast out devils by the Spirit, but that some did so by the power received from Him. So when He was about to send them, He said, “Receive the Holy Ghost”; and again, “The Holy Ghost came upon them”, and then they wrought miracles. But when He was sending them, the Scripture said not, that “He gave to them the Holy Ghost,” but that He gave to them “power,” saying, “Cleanse the lepers, cast out devils, raise the dead, freely you have received, freely give.” But in the case of the Prophets, all allow that the Gift was that of the Holy Spirit. But this Grace was stinted and departed and failed from off the earth, from the day in which it was said, “Your house is left unto you desolate”; and even before that day its dearth had begun, for there was no longer any prophet among them, nor did Grace visit their holy things. Since then the Holy Ghost had been withheld, but was for the future to be shed forth abundantly, and since the beginning of this imparting was after the Crucifixion, not only as to its abundance, but also as to the increased greatness of the gifts, (for the Gift was more marvelous, as when It says, “You know not what Spirit you are of”; and again, “For you have not received the Spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of adoption”; and the men of old possessed the Spirit themselves, but imparted It not to others, while the Apostles filled tens of thousands with It,) since then, I say, they were to receive this Gift, but It was not yet given, for this cause he adds, “The Holy Ghost was not yet.” Since then the Lord spoke of this grace, the Evangelist has said, “For the Holy Ghost was not yet,” that is, “was not yet given,”

“Because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Calling the Cross, “glory.” For since we were enemies, and had sinned, and fallen short of the gift of God, and were haters of God, and since grace was a proof of our reconciliation, and since a gift is not given to those who are hated, but to friends and those who have been well-pleasing; it was therefore necessary that the Sacrifice should first be offered for us, that the enmity (against God) which was in our flesh should be done away, that we should become friends of God, and so receive the Gift. For if this was done with respect to the promise made to Abraham, much more with respect to grace. And this Paul has declared, saying, “If they which are of the Law be heirs, faith is made void— because the Law works wrath.” What he says, is of this kind: God promised that He would give the earth to Abraham and to his seed: but his descendants were unworthy of the promise, and of their own deeds could not be well-pleasing unto God. On this account came in faith, an easy action, that it might draw grace unto it, and that the promise might not fail. And It says,

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure.” Wherefore it is by grace, since by their own labors they prevailed not.

But wherefore after saying, “according to the Scriptures,” did He not add the testimony? Because their mind was corrupt; for,