Catena Aurea: John

* roir trt^i tJJj q-gevfl/af Xoyov. Life, he not be incredulous as to so many things says. The Horn, continues: Life, the having come from Him. For as, Evangelist says, in order that we might &c.

this light of men could not be before man was; the light of men being understood relatively to men ''. And therefore he says. That which was made in the Word was life; not That which teas in the Word was life. Some copies read, not amiss, " That which was made, in Him is lifeP If we understand the life in the Word, to be He who says below, ' I am the life,' we shall confess that none who believe not Johnii, in Christ live, and that all who live not in God, are dead. ' ' '

And the life was the Hght of men.

Theophyl. He had said, In him was life, that you might Theoph. not suppose that the Word was without life. Now he shews *° °^' that that life is spiritual, and the light of all reasonable creatures. And the life was the light of men: i. e. not sensible, but intellectual light, illuminating the very soul. Aug. Life of itself gives illumination to men, but to cattle Aug. in not: for they have not rational souls, by which to discern i_°c! 18. wisdom: whereas man, being made in the image of God, has a rational soul, by which he can discern wisdom. Hence that life, by which all things are made, is light, not however of all animals whatsoever, but of men. Theophyl. He saith not, the Light of the Jews only, but of all men: for all of us, in so far as we have received intellect and reason, from that Word which created us, are said to be illuminated by Him. For the reason which is given to us, and which constitutes us the reasonable beings we are, is a light directing us what to do, and what not to do. Origen; We must not omit to notice, Orig. that he puts the life before tJie light of men. For it would °°° be a contradiction to suppose a being without life to be illuminated; as if life were an addition to illumination. But torn. ii. to proceed: if the life was the light of men, meaning men only, Christ is the light and the life of men only; an heretical supposition. It does not follow then, when a thing is predicated of any, that it is predicated of those only; for of God it is written, that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and yet He is not the God of those fathers only. In the same way, the light of men is not excluded from being the light of others as well.…