Cyril of Alexandria

Then the woman left her water jar, went back into the town, and said to the people,

“The woman now shows herself superior to and above the cares of the body, who two or three days ago was the wife of many, and she who ofttimes was easily taken captive by vain pleasures, now overreaches the flesh of its necessary want, disregarding…”

But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

“Skilfully does the Saviour fashion His answer from what was before Him. He all but says darkly, that if they knew that the conversion of the Samaritans was at the doors, they would have persuaded Him rather to cling to that as a delicacy than…”

After two days, Jesus left for Galilee.

“He departs from Samaria, having now sown the Word of salvation, and like a husbandman hidden the faith in them that dwell there, not that it might be bound captive in the silence of them that received it, quiet and deep buried, but rather that…”

So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.

“Christ loveth to dwell among those that are well disposed, and to those who more readily advance unto the perception and knowledge of benefits done them, He poureth forth supplies of greater goods.”

When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.

“The nobleman cometh as to One able to heal, but he understandeth not yet that He is by Nature God: he calleth Him Lord, but giveth not at all the true dignity of Lordship.”

Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”

“A mind yet hard dwelleth in them who are deceived, but mightier will be the more wonder-working power of Him That calleth them unto faith.”

“Sir,” the official said, “come down before my child dies.”

“Feeble indeed unto understanding is the nobleman, for he is a child in his petition for grace, and almost dotes without perceiving it.”

And while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.

“The one command of the Saviour healeth two souls. For in the nobleman it worketh unwonted faith, the child it rescueth from bodily death. Which is healed first it is hard to say.”

So he inquired as to the hour when his son had recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”

“He enquires of them the hour of the turn for the better of the sick child, to prove whether it coincides with the time of the grace.”

When Jesus saw him lying there and realized that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“An evident proof of the extreme goodness of Christ, that He doth not wait for entreaties from the sick, but forecometh their request by His Loving Kindness.”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.

“About the day of the holy Pentecost, Angels coming down from heaven used to trouble the water of the pool, then they would make the plash therefrom the herald of their presence.”

Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

“God-befitting the injunction, and possessing clearest evidence of power and authority above man. For He prays not for the loosing of his sickness for the patient, lest He too should seem to be as one of the holy Prophets, but as the Lord of Powers…”

Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,

“On the Sabbath day doth Christ heal the man, when healed He immediately enjoins him to break through the custom of the law, inducing him to walk on the Sabbath and this laden with his bed, although God clearly cries aloud by one of the…”

And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

“He makes Jesus known to the Jews, not that they by daring to do anything against Him should be found to be blasphemers, but in order that, if they too should be willing to be healed by Him, they might know the wondrous Physician.”

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

“For as the Father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them, so the Son too quickeneth whom He will. See again in these words clear proof of His Equality.”

so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

“CHAPTER VIII. That the Son being God and of God by Nature, and the Exact Image of Him Who begat Him, hath equal honour and glory with Him.”

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment.

“Having now proved sufficiently by the foregoing, that the miserable Jews sin not against the Son only, by daring to find fault with the things which He says or does among them in His teaching, but do also ignorantly transgress against the Father Himself, and…”

For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.

“Observe again the economy in these words, that thou mayest marvel at the form of expression and not, by falling into offence thereat from ignorance, bring upon thyself perdition.”

If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that His testimony about Me is valid.

“The most wise Solomon, gathering together the things in which a man may very reasonably glory, and show his manner of life to be enviable, and placing them before those who are apt to learn, says, The righteous man is his own accuser in the…”

Even though I do not accept human testimony, I say these things so that you may be saved.

“He doth not reject the word of John as useless, nor declare the witness of the truth to be of none effect (for He would with justice have seemed to have wrought absurdity against Himself, by unreasonably dismissing from credence him whom He sent to…”

But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the…

“Even though he was the lamp (saith He) both depicted by the books of the law, and proclaimed afore by the voice of the holy Prophets, that he should one day appear, beaming before the true Light, and declaring among you, that ye ought to…”

I do not accept glory from men,

“He perceives again, yea rather He sees in a God-befitting way, that the stubborn and contumacious band of the Pharisees were cut to the heart, and that not altogether at being accused of not searching the Divine Scriptures as they ought, but rather at His…”

How can you believe if you accept glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

“He accuses the Pharisees of love of rule and of prizing honours from men, covertly hinting that they do exceeding ill, in unadvisedly putting the diseases of their own soul upon God Who can by no means know disease.”

Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope.

“Having said that the Pharisees cared more to live vain-gloriously than piously, and having taught that hence they turned aside to unmeasured unbelief, He says that they were accused by Moses himself, of whom it was their custom to boast very vehemently.”

But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

“The verse might appear to a person, and with good reason, to have great obscurity. For he might even without being out of the mark, take to untrue surmises, supposing that the books of Moses excel the words of the Saviour.”