Church Fathers Commentary John 1:5

"And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not." — John 1:5 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: Since that life is the light of men, foolish hearts cannot receive it, being so burdened with sins that they cannot see it. For this reason, so that no one would think there is no light near them simply because they cannot see it, he continues: And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Suppose a blind man is standing in the sun; the sun is present to him, but he is absent from the sun. In the same way, every fool is blind, and wisdom is present to him. But though wisdom is present, it is absent from his sight because his sight is gone. The truth is not that wisdom is absent from him, but that he is absent from her.

Origen of Alexandria: This kind of darkness, however, is not in men by nature, according to the text in Ephesians: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Alternatively, the light shines in the darkness of faithful souls, beginning from faith and drawing them onward to hope. But the deceit and ignorance of undisciplined souls did not comprehend the light of the Word of God shining in the flesh. This, however, is an ethical meaning.

The metaphysical meaning of the words is as follows. Human nature, even if it had not sinned, could not shine by its own strength alone, for it is not light by nature but only a recipient of light. It is capable of containing wisdom but is not wisdom itself. Just as the air does not shine by itself but is called darkness, so also is our nature, considered in itself, a dark substance that nevertheless admits and partakes of the light of wisdom. And as the air, when it receives the sun’s rays, is not said to shine by itself but to make the sun’s radiance apparent, so the rational part of our nature, while possessing the presence of the Word of God, does not understand God and intellectual things on its own, but only by means of the divine light implanted in it. Thus, the light shines in darkness, for the Word of God—the life and the light of men—never ceases to shine in our nature, even though that nature, regarded in itself, is formless and dark. And because pure light cannot be comprehended by any creature, the text says, The darkness comprehended it not.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, throughout the entire preceding passage, John had been speaking of creation. Then he mentions the spiritual benefits which the Word brought with it: and the life was the light of men. He did not say, "the light of the Jews," but of all men without exception, for not only the Jews but the Gentiles also have come to this knowledge. He omits the angels, for he is speaking of human nature, to whom the Word came bringing good news.

Origen of Alexandria: But some ask why the Word Itself is not called the light of men, instead of the life which is in the Word. We reply that the life spoken of here is not the life that rational and irrational animals have in common, but the life that is joined to the Word within us through participation in the eternal Word. For we must distinguish the external and false life from the desirable and true life. We are first made partakers of life, and for some, this life is light only potentially, not actually—namely, for those who are not eager to seek out the things that pertain to knowledge. For others, it is actual light—for those who, as the Apostle said, covet earnestly the best gifts, that is, the word of wisdom. (If the life and the light of men are the same, whoever is in darkness is proven not to live, and no one who lives abides in darkness.)

St. John Chrysostom: Now that life has come to us, the empire of death is dissolved. A light has shone upon us, so there is darkness no longer. Instead, there remains forever a life that death cannot overcome and a light that darkness cannot conquer.

Therefore, he continues, And the light shines in darkness. By "darkness" he means death and error. For physical light does not shine in darkness—the darkness must first be removed. In contrast, the preaching of Christ shone forth in the midst of error's reign and caused it to disappear. By dying, Christ changed death into life, so overcoming it that even those who were already in its grasp were brought back again. Because neither death nor error has overcome His light, which shines conspicuously everywhere by its own strength, he therefore adds, And the darkness comprehended it not.

Origen of Alexandria: Just as "the light of men" is a phrase expressing two spiritual things, so also is "darkness." To one who possesses the light, we attribute both the doing of the deeds of light and also true understanding, since he is illuminated by the light of knowledge. On the other hand, we apply the term "darkness" both to unlawful acts and also to that knowledge which seems to be knowledge, but is not. Now, as the Father is light, and in Him is no darkness at all, so also is the Savior. Yet, because He took on the likeness of our sinful flesh, it is not incorrect to say that there was some darkness in Him, for He took our darkness upon Himself in order to dispel it.

This Light, which was made the life of man, therefore shines in the darkness of our hearts when the prince of this darkness makes war against the human race. The darkness persecuted this Light, as is clear from what our Savior and His children suffer, with the darkness fighting against the children of light. But because God takes up their cause, the darkness does not prevail, nor does it apprehend the light. For it is either too slow to overtake the light’s swift course or, when waiting for the light to approach, it is put to flight by its arrival.

We should bear in mind, however, that "darkness" is not always used in a bad sense, but sometimes in a good one, as in Psalm 18:11: He made darkness His secret place. Here, the things of God are unknown and incomprehensible. This darkness, then, I will call praiseworthy, since it tends toward light and lays hold of it. For though it was darkness before, while it was unknown, it is turned to light and knowledge in the one who has learned.

St. Augustine of Hippo: A certain Platonist once said that the beginning of this Gospel ought to be copied in letters of gold and placed in the most conspicuous place in every church.

The Venerable Bede: The other Evangelists describe Christ as born in time; John testifies that He was in the beginning, saying, In the beginning was the Word. The others describe His sudden appearance among men; John testifies that He was always with God, saying, And the Word was with God. The others prove Him to be truly man; John proves Him to be truly God, saying, And the Word was God. The others show Him as a man conversing with men for a season; John declares Him to be God abiding with God in the beginning, saying, The same was in the beginning with God. The others relate the great deeds He did among men; John relates that God the Father made every creature through Him, saying, All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made.