Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 17

1. Previously, our Lord consoled His disciples by example and encouragement; here He comforts them by His prayer. In this prayer He does three things:

1. He prays for Himself.
2. He prays for the group of the disciples: I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world (John 17:6).
3. He prays for all the faithful: and not for them only do I pray, but for those also who through their word will believe in me (John 17:20).

Concerning the first part, He does three things:

• First, He makes His request.
• Second, He states the fruit of this request: that your Son may glorify you.
• Third, He mentions why His request deserves to be heard: I have glorified you on the earth.

Regarding the first point, we will consider three aspects:

• First, the order He followed in His prayer.
• Second, the way He prayed.
• Third, the words He used.

2. The order He followed was fitting, because He prayed after first encouraging them. So we read, these things Jesus spoke. This gives us the example to help by our prayers those we are teaching by our words, because religious teaching has its greatest effect in the hearts of those who hear it when it is supported by a prayer that asks for divine help: pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Again, our sermon should end with a prayer: the sum of our words is: he is the all .

3. The way He prayed is described as lifting up his eyes to heaven. There is a difference between the prayer of Christ and our own. Our prayer arises solely from our needs, while Christ's prayer is more for our instruction. Indeed, there was no need for Him to pray for Himself, since He, together with His Father, answers prayers.

He instructs us here by His words and actions. He teaches us by His actions in lifting up His eyes, so that we also will lift our eyes to heaven when we pray: to you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! (Psalms 123:1). And we should lift not just our eyes, but also our actions, by directing them to God: let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven (Lamentations 3:41).

He teaches us by His words, for He said His prayer publicly; for this reason, the text says he said, so that those whom He taught by His teaching He might also teach by His praying. We are taught not just by the words of Christ, but also by His actions.

4. His words are effective, and so He says, Father, the hour has come. Their effectiveness is caused by three things.

1. The love of the one praying. For the Son is praying to His Father and petitioning the Father because of His love for Him. So He says, Father, to show us that we should pray to God with the affection of His children: and I thought you would call me, my Father, and would not turn from following me (Jeremiah 3:19).
2. The need for this prayer. For as He says, the hour has come—the hour of His passion, about which He had said before, my hour has not yet come (John 2:4). It is the hour, I say, not the season or the day, because Christ was to be seized right away. This was not an hour fixed by fate, but one chosen by His own plan and good pleasure. It is appropriate that right before He prays He mentions His troubles, because God especially hears us when we are troubled: in my troubles I cried to the Lord, and he heard me (Psalms 120:1); since we do not know what to do, we can only turn our eyes to you (2 Chronicles 20:12).
3. The content of the prayer: glorify your Son.

5. But the Son of God is Wisdom itself, and this has the greatest glory: wisdom is radiant and unfading . How then can He speak of glory being glorified, especially since He is the splendor of the Father (Hebrews 1:3)?

We should say that Christ asked to be glorified by the Father in three ways.

1. In His passion, which was done by the many miracles that occurred: the sun was darkened, the veil of the temple was torn, and graves were opened. This was referred to before: I have both glorified it, by the miracles occurring before the passion, and will glorify it again (John 12:28), during the passion. With this understanding, Christ says, glorify me in my passion by showing that I am your Son. And so the centurion, after seeing the miracles, said: truly, this was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54).
2. In His resurrection. His holy soul was always joined to God and possessed glory from the vision of God: we saw his glory, glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14). From the beginning of His conception, His soul was glorified, but in the resurrection He also had glory of body, which is referred to in Philippians: Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:21).
3. In the knowledge of all people: because of her I will have glory among the multitudes and honor in the presence of the elders .

And so He says, glorify your Son. This means, "Show the entire world that I am your Son in the strict sense." This is:

• By birth, not by creation, in opposition to Arius, who said that the Son of God is a creature.
• In truth, not just in name, against Sabellius, who said that the same person is now called Father and then called Son.
• By origin, not adoption, in opposition to Nestorius, who said that Christ was an adopted son.

6. Now we see the fruit of His being glorified. First, the fruit is mentioned, and second, it is explained: as you have given him power over all flesh.

7. The fruit of the Son’s being glorified is that the Father is glorified; thus He says, that your Son may glorify you.

When Arius observed that our Lord said, glorify your Son, he supposed that the Father is greater than the Son. This is true if we consider the Son in His human nature: the Father is greater than I (John 14:28). Consequently, Christ adds, that your Son may glorify you (in the knowledge of men) to show He is equal to the Father regarding the divine nature. Now, glory is renown joined with praise. Formerly, God was renowned among the Jews: in Judah God is known (Psalms 76:1); but later, through His Son, He was known throughout the entire world. Holy people also increase God’s renown by their good works: that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Above, Christ said: I do not seek my own glory, but there is one who seeks and judges (John 8:50).

8. Next, we come to the fruit of Christ’s request. First, we see the benefit Christ confers on us. Second, He shows that this benefit is related to the Father's glory: now this is eternal life.

9. He says, that your Son may glorify you, and this as you have given him power over all flesh. We should understand that whatever acts by the power of another tends to reveal that other in its effect, because the action of a secondary source reveals the primary source from which it proceeds. Now, whatever the Son has, He has from the Father; and thus it is necessary that what the Son does reveals the Father. Thus He says to the Father, you have given him power over all human beings. By this power, the Son is to lead them to a knowledge of the Father, which is eternal life. This is the meaning of that your Son may glorify you. As you have given him power over all flesh, that is, over all human beings: all flesh will see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6).

You have given him this, says Hilary, by giving the divine nature to the Son through an eternal generation, from which the Son has the power to embrace all things: all things have been delivered to me by my Father (Matthew 11:27); for the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself does (John 5:20). Or, in another way, you have given this power to Christ in His human nature because this nature is united with your Son to form one person. In this way, flesh has power over flesh: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given me (Matthew 28:18); and to him, that is, the Son of man, was given dominion and glory and kingdom (Daniel 7:14).

He says, "Father, you have given him power." This means: "Father, just as you have power not to take things from your human creatures but to give yourself to them, so you have given power to Christ in His human nature—power over all flesh, so that he may give eternal life to all whom you have given him" through eternal predestination: my sheep hear my voice, and I know them (John 10:27).

10. But is the eternal life given to people related to the glory of the Father? Indeed it is, for this is eternal life: that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. That is, the Father could be glorified by being known by people.

Two things need explanation here. First, why He says, this is eternal life: that they may know. Note that strictly speaking, we call those things living which move themselves to their activities. Those things which are only moved by other things are not living, but dead. And so all those activities to which an active thing moves itself are called living activities, for example, to will, to understand, to sense, to grow, and to move about.

Now, a thing is said to be alive in two senses. It is alive because it has living activities potentially, as someone who is asleep is said to have sensitive life because they have the power to move themselves, although they are not actually doing so. Or, something is said to be alive because it is actually engaged in living activities, and then it is alive in the full sense. For this reason, one who is asleep is said to be half alive.

Among living activities, the highest is the activity of the intellect, which is to understand. Therefore, the activity of the intellect is living activity in the highest degree. Now, just as the active sense is identified with the active sense-object, so also the active intellect is identified with the thing actively understood. Since intellectual understanding is a living activity, and to understand is to live, it follows that to understand an eternal reality is to live with an eternal life. But God is an eternal reality, and so to understand and see God is eternal life.

Accordingly, our Lord says that eternal life lies in vision—in seeing. That is, it consists in this basically and in its whole substance. But it is love which moves one to this vision and is, in a certain way, its fulfillment. For the completion and crown of beatitude is the delight experienced in the enjoyment of God, and this is caused by charity. Still, the substance of beatitude consists in vision, in seeing: we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

11. Second, we should explain the phrase, you, the only true God. It is clear that Christ was speaking to the Father, so when He says, you, the only true God, it seems that only God the Father is true God. The Arians agree with this, for they say that the Son differs by essence from the Father, since the Son is a created substance, although He shares in the divinity more perfectly and to a greater degree than do all other creatures. So much so that the Son is called God, but not the true God, because He is not God by nature, which only the Father is.

Hilary answers this by saying that when we want to know whether a certain thing is true, we can determine it from two things: its nature and its power. For true gold is that which has the nature of true gold, and we determine this if it acts like true gold. Therefore, if we maintain that the Son has the true nature of God because the Son exercises the true activities of divinity, it is clear that the Son is true God. Now, the Son does perform true works of divinity, for we read, whatever he, the Father, does, these the Son also does in like manner (John 5:19). And again He said, for as the Father has life in himself, which is not a participated life, so he has also given to the Son to have life in himself (John 5:26). And elsewhere it is written, that we may be in his true Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20).

According to Hilary, He says, you, the only true God, in a way that does not exclude another. He does not say without qualification, you, the only, but adds, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. It is like saying, "that they know you and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent, to be the one and only true God." This is a pattern of speaking that we also use when we say, you alone, Jesus Christ, are the most high, together with the Holy Spirit. No mention is made of the Holy Spirit because whenever the Father and the Son are mentioned, especially in matters pertaining to the grandeur of the divinity, the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of the Father and Son, is implied.

12. Or, according to Augustine in his work, The Trinity, He says this to exclude the error of those who claim that it is false to say that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, while it is true to say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God. The reason for this opinion was that the Apostle said that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Now, it is clear that we cannot call anyone God unless he has divine power and wisdom. Therefore, since these people held that the Father was wisdom (which is the Son), they held further that the Father considered without the Son would not be God. The same applies to the Son and the Holy Spirit. The incarnation of the Son of God is indicated by saying that He was sent. So when He says here, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent, we are led to understand that in eternal life we will also rejoice in the humanity of Christ: your eyes will see the king, that is, Christ, in his beauty (Isaiah 33:17); he will go in and out, and he will find pastures (John 10:9).

13. Now we see why Christ’s prayer deserves to be heard. First, He mentions why He deserves this, and second, He states the reward: and now glorify me, O Father, with yourself.

14. He states that He merited to be heard for two reasons. First, because of His teaching, when He says, I have glorified you on earth, that is, in the minds of people, by revealing you in my teaching: glorify the Lord in teaching (Isaiah 24:15). Second, He glorified you by His obedience; thus He said, I have finished the work.

He uses the past tense in place of the future: I have glorified for I will glorify, and have finished in place of I will accomplish. He does this because these things had already begun, and also because the hour of His passion, when His work would be accomplished, was very near. He says, The work that you gave me to do, not merely ordered. For it is not enough for Christ and for us to be ordered by God, because whatever Christ as man accomplished and whatever we can do is God’s gift: I knew that I could not be continent unless God gave it .

You gave me, I say, by the gift of grace, to do, that is, to accomplish. As it is written, he that sets his mind to finish his work, and his watching to polish them to perfection .

15. The reward for Christ’s obedience and teaching is glory: he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name (Philippians 2:8). And so Christ asks for His reward, saying, and now glorify me, O Father. According to Augustine, this does not mean, as some have thought, that the human nature of Christ, which was assumed by the Word, would at some time be changed into the Word, and the human nature changed into God. This would be to annihilate the nature of Christ, for when a first thing is changed into another in such a way that this other is not enriched, the first thing seems to have been annihilated. But nothing can be added to enrich the divine Word of God.

Thus, for Augustine, and now glorify me, O Father, refers to the predestination of Christ as man. Something can be had by us both in the divine predestination and in actual fact. Now Christ, in His human nature, like all other human beings, was predestined by God the Father: he was predestined Son of God (Romans 1:4). With this in mind He says, and now, that is, after I have glorified you, and finished the work that you gave me to do, glorify me, O Father with yourself, that is, have me sit at your right hand, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with you. This means, with the glory I had in your predestination: the Lord Jesus . . . was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19).

16. Hilary gives the other interpretation. The glory of human beings will be in a certain way similar to the glory of God, although unequal. Now Christ, as God, had glory with the Father from all eternity—a divine glory equal to that of the Father. Accordingly, what He is asking for here is that He be glorified in His human nature. That is to say, that what was flesh in time and subject to corruption should receive the glory of that brightness which is outside of time. He is asking not for an equal glory, but for one which is similar. This is to say that just as the Son is immortal and sitting at the right hand of the Father from all eternity, so He may now become immortal in His human nature and be exalted to the right hand of God.

1. Above, our Lord prayed for Himself; here He prays for the company of His apostles.

   First, He states His reasons for praying. Second, He states what He is praying for: holy Father, keep them in your name, whom you have given me.

   Regarding the first part, He does two things: first, He mentions the reasons for praying that were founded on His disciples; second, the reasons founded on Himself: I pray for them; I do not pray for the world.

   From the perspective of His disciples, He mentions three reasons for praying for them: first, because they were taught by Him; second, because they had been given to Him; and third, because of their obedience and devotion.

2. He mentions the first reason when He says, I have manifested your name. We could add here, according to Augustine, that this relates to the prayer, that the Son may glorify you. The Father has already received some of this glory because, I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world.

   Chrysostom reads it this way: I say that I have finished the work you gave me to do. He explains what this work was by adding, I have manifested your name to the men. This is the characteristic work of the Son of God, who is the Word, and the characteristic of a word is to reveal the one speaking it: no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Matthew 11:27); no one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known (John 1:18).

3. This presents a problem: since God the Father was known to people before Christ came—in Judah God is known (Psalms 76:1)—why does Christ say, I have manifested your name?

   I answer that the name of God the Father can be known in three ways.

   1. As the Creator of all things. In this way, the Gentiles knew Him: His invisible nature... has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Romans 1:20); God has shown it to them (Romans 1:19).

   2. As the only one to whom the veneration of latria is to be given. He was not known to the Gentiles in this way, for they gave the veneration of latria to other gods. He was known in this way only to the Jews, for they alone had been commanded in their law to sacrifice only to the Lord: whoever sacrifices to any god, except to the LORD alone, will be utterly destroyed (Exodus 22:20).

   3. As the Father of an only Son, Jesus Christ. He was not known to anyone in this way but became known through His Son when the apostles believed that Christ was the Son of God.

4. He gives the second reason He prays for them when He says, whom you have given me. First, He mentions that they were given to Him, from which we can see the reason or way they were given.

   He says, whom you have given me, that is, it is to these that I have manifested your name.

   But did Christ possess them as the Father possessed them? Yes, He did, insofar as He was God. But He says, whom you have given me, meaning, to Me as man, to listen to Me and obey Me: no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (John 6:44). Those who come to Christ do so through the gift and grace of God: for by grace you have been saved... it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). You gave them to me out of the world, that is, they were chosen from the world: I have chosen you out of the world (John 15:19). For even though the entire world was given to the Son insofar as He was God, the apostles were given to the Son to obey.

   He mentions the reason for this giving when He says, yours they were. This is like saying: the reason they were given is that yours they were, and mine, and predestined from eternity to attain by grace a future glory: he chose us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And you gave them to me, that is, by making them adhere to Me, you brought to pass what was previously predestined for them with Me and in Me.

5. The third reason for praying for the disciples, based on their devotion, is mentioned when He says, they have kept your word.

   First, He mentions their devotion to the Son. Second, He shows that this devotion gives glory to the Father: they know that all things which you have given to me are from you. Third, we see the reason this gives glory to the Father: because the words which you gave me, I have given to them.

6. Regarding the first point: He had said that you gave them to me, because yours they were. And they were devoted because they have kept your word, in their hearts by faith, and in their actions by fulfilling Your words: keep my commandments and live (Proverbs 7:2); if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love (John 15:10).

7. Father, the fact that they kept Your word in this way gives You glory. For this is my word: everything I have, I have from You. Now they know that all things which you have given me, that is, to Your Son in His human nature, are from you. As it is written, we saw his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father (John 1:14), which is to say, we saw Him as having everything from the Father. And because they know this, the Father receives glory in their minds.

8. The reason this gives glory—that is, that this obedience of the disciples to the Son gives glory to the Father—is stated when He says, because the words which you gave me, I have given them.

   First, He states that knowledge comes from the Father to the disciples. Second, that the minds of the disciples are led back to the Father.

9. It is stated that knowledge is given in two ways. In the first way, the Father gives to the Son. Thus He says: the words which you gave me, in My eternal generation, in which the Father gave words to the Son, although the Son Himself is the Word of the Father. These words are nothing other than the patterns or plans of everything which is to be done. And all these patterns the Father from eternity gave to the Son in generating Him. Alternatively, it could be said that you gave me refers to the humanity of Christ, because from the very instant of His conception the most holy soul of Christ was filled with all knowledge of the truth, full of grace and truth (John 1:14), that is, with the knowledge of every truth: in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

   The other giving of knowledge is from Christ to His disciples, so He says, I have given them, by teaching them, both from without and from within: because all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:15). By saying this, He shows that He is the mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), because what He received from the Father He passed on to the disciples: I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD (Deuteronomy 5:5).

10. He mentions that the minds of the disciples were led back to the Father when He says, and they have received them. Two kinds of receiving are mentioned, corresponding to the two kinds of giving previously stated. One kind of receiving corresponds to the second kind of giving, and regarding this He says, and they have received them, from Me, without resisting: the Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious (Isaiah 50:5); everyone who has heard from the Father and has learned comes to me (John 6:45). And receiving them, they... have known that You have given Me all things, and this corresponds to the first kind of giving.

11. According to Augustine, the words that follow, and they have believed that you sent me, are added to explain the previous sentence. Knowledge of God is of two kinds: one is perfect, by the clear vision of glory; the other is imperfect, through faith. As the Apostle says, for now we see in a mirror dimly, in the second way, but then face to face, in the first way (1 Corinthians 13:12).

    He says, they... have known indeed that I came out from you. But what kind of knowledge was this? The knowledge of our homeland, heaven? No, it was the knowledge of faith. And so He adds, and they have believed, indicating that to know this is to believe it. They have believed, I say, indeed, that is, firmly and strongly: Do you now believe? (John 16:31). That is, firmly. The hour is coming when you will believe completely (John 16:32). He uses the past tense in place of the future tense because of His certainty about the future and because of the infallibility of divine predestination.

    Or, according to Chrysostom, He uses the past tense to indicate that these things have already happened, because they had already begun. We can harmonize both of these interpretations because all these things had already begun, but they still remained to be completed. Thus, in reference to what has already begun, He speaks in the past tense, but in reference to their completion, He speaks in the future, because they would be accomplished by the coming of the Holy Spirit.

12. But what did they believe? That you sent me: God sent his Son (Galatians 4:4). According to Augustine, this is the same as I came out from you.

    This does not agree with Hilary, for whom, as was said, to "come forth" refers to the eternal generation, and "to be sent" refers to the incarnation. But I say that we can speak of Christ in two ways. In one way, from the point of view of His divinity; and then, insofar as He is the Son of God, "to come forth" and "to be sent" are not the same, as Hilary says. Or, we can speak of Christ from the point of view of His humanity; and then, insofar as He is the Son of man, "to come forth" and "to be sent" are the same, as Augustine says.

13. Now we see the reasons, founded on Himself, why Christ prayed for His disciples. He mentions three reasons.

14. One is based on the authority He had received over them. In reference to this He says, I pray for them, that is, the disciples. First we see the reason; second, its explanation: because they are yours.

    The reason a person’s prayer should be heard and why he should pray for others is that they belong to him in a special way, for general prayers are less assured of being heard. Accordingly, He says, I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, especially as obedient disciples, although all things are mine, under My authority: ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage (Psalms 2:8).

15. On the contrary, it seems that He prayed for all: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1); God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

    We should say to this that Christ did pray for all, because His prayer is powerful enough to benefit the entire world. Yet it does not produce its effect in all, but only in the elect and saints of God. This is because of the obstacles present in the worldly.

16. He gives a reason for why He prays for them when He says, because they are yours, that is, by eternal predestination. But they were not Yours in such a way that the Son could not have them; nor were they given to the Son in such a way that they were taken from the Father. Thus He says, all that is mine is yours, and yours is mine. This indicates the equality of the Son with the Father, for the Son, insofar as He is God, has from all eternity everything that the Father has.

17. Note that the Father has certain things that belong to His essence, like wisdom, goodness, and things of that kind; and these things are nothing other than His essence. The Son asserts that He Himself has this when, speaking of the procession of the Holy Spirit, He says: he will take what is mine and declare it to you (John 16:14). This is because all that the Father has is mine (John 16:15). He says all, because while all these things are one in reality, we apprehend them with many ideas.

    Second, the Father has certain things that relate to those who possess holiness or sanctity, who are set apart for Him through faith, such as all the saints and the elect, of whom it was said, yours they were. All these things, too, the Son asserts that He has when He says here, speaking of them, and yours are mine, because they have been predestined to enjoy the Son as well as the Father.

    Third, the Father has some things in a general way because of their origin, for example, all created things: The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof (Psalms 24:1). All these too belong to the Son. Thus in the parable of the prodigal son, the father says to his older son: Son... all that is mine is yours (Luke 15:31).

18. The second reason why Christ prayed for His disciples is based on the glory He had in them, for they already knew something of His glory and would know it more fully: For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty (2 Peter 1:16).

19. The third reason He prays for them is His impending physical absence; so He says, And now I am no longer in the world. Note that one is said to be in the world in two senses. First, by clinging to the world by one’s affections: for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). This is not the sense in which Christ was no longer in the world, since He never clung to it with His affections. He is no longer in the world in another way, that is, by His physical presence, for while He had been in the world physically, He would soon physically leave it. But these, the disciples, are in the world, physically present. And I am coming to you, regarding My humanity, to share Your glory and to be seated at Your right hand. So it is fitting that I pray for those whom I will soon physically leave.

1. After Christ stated his reasons for praying for the apostles, he makes his petitions here. He asks for two things:

   1. He asks for their protection.
   2. He asks for their sanctification: sanctify them (John 17:17).

   They are to be protected from evil and sanctified by good.

   Regarding their protection, he does two things:

   1. He asks for their protection.
   2. He mentions why they need protection: while I was with them, I kept them in your name.

2. Regarding the first point, four things must be considered:

   • Whom he asks.
   • What he asks for.
   • For whom he asks.
   • Why he asks.

   The one he asks is the Father, so he says, Father. This is with good reason, for the Father is the source of every good: every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). He adds, holy, because the Father is also the source and origin of all holiness and because, in the final analysis, he was asking for the sanctification of the apostles: you will be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2); there is none holy like the Lord (1 Samuel 2:2).

   He asks for their protection, saying, keep them, for as we read, unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalms 127:1). Our good consists not only in receiving existence from God, but also in being kept in existence by God. As Gregory says, all things would return to nothingness, if the hand of the Almighty did not uphold them; upholding the universe by his word of power (Hebrews 1:3). Accordingly, the Psalmist prays, keep me, O Lord, for I have put my trust in you (Psalms 16:1). We are kept from evil and from sin in the name of God; thus he says, keep them in your name, that is, by the power of your name and of your knowledge, for in these lay our glory and our well-being: some trust in chariots, and some in horses. But we will call upon the name of the Lord our God (Psalms 20:7).

   He is praying for those who were given to him; he says, whom you have given me. Consider the work of God; who can make straight what he has made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13). For one can be kept from evil only by God’s choice, which is indicated when he says, whom you have given me—that is, by a gift of grace, so that they remain with me: not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given (Matthew 19:11). Those who are given to Christ in this way are kept from evil.

   Then he states why he is asking for their protection, saying, that they may be one, as we also are. This can be connected with what has gone before in two ways. First, it can show the way they will be kept or protected, meaning they will be protected by being kept as one. For a thing is preserved in existence as long as it remains one, and it ceases to exist when it becomes divided: every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste (Matthew 12:25). Accordingly, the Church and its people can be preserved if they remain one. Alternatively, this phrase can state the purpose of their being kept. The meaning would be: let them be protected so that they may be one, for our entire perfection lies in a unity of spirit: eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3); behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity (Psalms 133:1).

3. He adds, as we also are.

   This causes a problem. The Father and Son are one in essence. Will we also be one in essence? This is not true.

   The solution is that the perfection of each thing is simply a sharing in the likeness of God, for we are good to the extent that we resemble God. Accordingly, our unity contributes to our perfection to the extent that it shares in the unity of God. Now, there is a twofold unity in God. There is a unity of nature—I and the Father are one (John 10:30)—and a unity of love in the Father and Son, which is a unity of spirit. Both of these unities are found in us, not in an equal way, but with a certain likeness. The Father and the Son have the same individual nature, while we have the same specific nature. Again, they are one by a love that is not a participated love or a gift from another; rather, this love proceeds from them, for the Father and Son love themselves by the Holy Spirit. We are one by participating in a higher love.

4. Then he mentions why they need this protection: while I was with them, I kept them in your name. They need it for two reasons:

   • Because he is leaving them.
   • Because the world hates them: I have given them your word.

   Regarding the first reason, he does three things:

   1. He recalls the eagerness with which he protected them while he was with them.
   2. He states that he is leaving to return to the Father: and now I come to you.
   3. He mentions why he is saying these things: and these things I speak in the world.

   Regarding his protection of them, three things are mentioned:

   1. The way he protected them.
   2. His obligation to protect them.
   3. The effectiveness of his protection.

5. The way they were protected was appropriate because it was by the power of the Father. Accordingly, he says, while I was with them, that is, physically present: afterward he appeared on earth and lived among men . I, the Son of man, kept, that is, protected, them from evil and sin, not by human power, but rather by divine power, because it was in your name. This name is also common to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)—because the Father and the Son are one God, and because the name of Son is implied in the name Father, for one who has a son is called a father.

   Note that before, when Christ denied that he had a demon, he did not deny that he was a Samaritan, that is, a guardian, because Christ is a guardian: watchman, what of the night? (Isaiah 21:11). This refers to the night of this world, for like a shepherd, Christ guards his flock.

6. His obligation to protect them is stated when he says, whom you have given me, for a guardian is bound to protect those placed in his care: keep this man (1 Kings 20:39); I will take my stand to watch (Habakkuk 2:1). This is how a superior acts when he carefully watches over those entrusted to his care: and in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8).

7. The effectiveness of Christ’s protection is complete, because none of them is lost: my sheep hear my voice (John 10:27); and no man will pluck them out of my hand (John 10:28); everyone who... believes in him, may have eternal life (John 6:40). One person is excluded: the son of perdition, Judas. He is called the son of perdition as though foreknown and foreordained to eternal perdition. In this way, those destined to die are called the sons of death: you are the sons of death (1 Samuel 26:16); you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte... and you make him a son of death twice as much as yourself (Matthew 23:15).

   A Gloss says that a son of death is one who is predestined to perdition. It is not customary to say that one is predestined to evil, so here we should understand predestination in its general meaning of knowledge or orientation. Actually, predestination is always directed to what is good, because it has the double effect of grace and glory, and it is God who directs us to each of these. Two things are involved in reprobation: guilt, and punishment in time. God ordains a person to only one of these, that is, punishment, and even this is not for its own sake. This is so that the Scripture, in which you predicted that he would betray me—O God, be not silent in my praise, for wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me (Psalms 109:2)—may be fulfilled.

8. And now I come to you, physically leaving them: I leave the world, and I go to the Father (John 16:28). He had said before, I kept them in your name, so that some would not fall into unbelief by misunderstanding this present statement. They might think it means that he could not protect them after he had left, or that the Father was not protecting them before. He says, I kept them in your name, to show that the Father was protecting them before, and the Son could also protect them after he left.

9. He gives the reason why he said these things when he says, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy filled in themselves. It is as if to say: I am like a man who is praying, and these things I speak to console my disciples, who think that I am merely human. In this way, they can at least be consoled because I am entrusting them to you, Father, whom they believe to be greater than I, and so they can rejoice in your protection. This is the interpretation of Chrysostom.

   In the interpretation of Augustine, this present statement is related to that they may be one, as we also are. In this case, these words indicate the fruit of being one. It is as if to say: that they may have my joy—by which they can rejoice in me, or which they have received from me—filled in themselves. They will obtain this joy by a unity of spirit, which will give them the joy of eternal life, which is full joy. And so this joy follows from being one, because unity and peace produce perfect joy: those who follow plans for peace have joy (Proverbs 12:20); the fruit of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22).

10. Now we have another reason why they need protection, which is because of the hatred of the world. He does three things:

    1. He mentions the benefit he had given his disciples.
    2. He mentions the hatred of the world for them: and the world has hated them.
    3. He asks the Father’s help to protect them: I pray not that you would take them out of the world, but that you would keep them from evil.

11. He says, I have given them your word, which I have received from you: because the words which you gave me, I have given them (John 17:8). Or, I have given, that is, I will give them by the inspiration of the Paraclete, your word, that is, the word about yourself, which is the greatest of gifts and benefits: I will give you a good gift, do not abandon my law (Proverbs 4:2).

12. The result of this is the hatred of the world: because they have received your word, the world has hated them. Blessed are you when men hate you (Luke 6:22); do not wonder, brothers, that the world hates you (1 John 3:13). The reason for this hatred is that they have left the world. For the word of God causes us to leave the world since it unites us to God, and one cannot be joined to God without leaving the world, for one who loves the world does not have a perfect love for God. Thus he says, because they are not of the world, as he said above, I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:19). For it is natural for one to love others who are similar: every beast loves its own kind, and hates the others ; the very sight of him is a burden to us, and this is because his manner of life is unlike that of others .

13. Then he mentions the model according to which they are not of the world when he says, as I also am not of the world. This should be understood to refer to their affections, for just as Christ was not in the world by his affections, so neither were they. It does not apply to their origin, because at one time they were of the world, while Christ was never of the world because even considering his birth in the flesh he was of the Holy Spirit: you are of this world, and I am not of this world (John 8:23).

14. Then he asks for help in facing this hatred when he says, I pray not that you would take them out of the world, but that you would keep them from evil. He does two things:

    1. He makes his prayer.
    2. He gives the reason for what he asks: they are not of the world.

15. In the first part, he mentions two things. He says he is not asking for one thing, which is that they be taken out of the world.

    But how can they be taken out of the world if they are not of the world? We should say that they are not of the world as regards their affections, as we said before. But they are in the world by continuing to be physically present in it, and in this way he does not want them to be taken out of the world. This is because they would be of benefit to the faithful whom they would bring to the faith: go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15).

    He asks for something else: namely, that while they remain physically in the world, the Father would keep them from evil, that is, worldly evil. For it is difficult for a person who lives among those who are bad to remain free from evil, especially since the entire world is set in evil: when you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you (Isaiah 43:2).

16. He gives the reason for this request when he says, they are not of the world. This seems to be a useless repetition since he had just said the same thing. But it is not useless, because the words are spoken in different contexts. They were spoken before to show why the disciples were hated by the world; here they are spoken to show why they should be protected by God.

    We can see from this that the reason the saints are hated by the world is the same as the reason God loves them: their disdain for the world. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5). Therefore, whatever good a person does makes this person hateful to the world, but loved by God: we sacrifice what the Egyptians worship (Exodus 8:26).

Previously, our Lord prayed for the protection of his disciples; here he prays for their sanctification.

1. He asks for their sanctification.
2. He mentions why they need to be sanctified: as you have sent me into the world.
3. He says this sanctification has already begun: and for them I do sanctify myself.

He says: I have prayed that my disciples be kept from evil, but this is not enough unless they are perfected by what is good: depart from evil, and do good (Psalms 37:27). Accordingly, he prays, Father, sanctify them, that is, perfect them and make them holy. And do this in the truth; that is, in me, your Son, who am the truth (John 14:6). It is like saying: make them share in my perfection and holiness. And so he adds, your word, that is, your Word, is truth. The meaning is then: sanctify them in me, the truth, because I, your Word, am the truth.

Or, we could say this: sanctify them by sending the Holy Spirit. And do this in truth, that is, in the knowledge of the truths of the faith and of your commandments: you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). For we are sanctified by faith and the knowledge of the truth: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (Romans 3:22). He adds, your word is truth, because the truth of God’s words is unmixed with falsity: all the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them (Proverbs 8:8). Furthermore, his word teaches the uncreated truth.

Another interpretation: in the Old Testament, everything set aside for divine worship was said to be sanctified: then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel to serve me as priests (Exodus 28:1). Accordingly, he says, sanctify them, that is, set them aside, in truth—that is, to preach your truth—because your word, which they are to preach, is truth.

The need for their sanctification is added when he says, as you have sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. He is saying in effect: I have come to preach the truth: for this I was born... that I should give testimony to the truth (John 18:37). And so I have sent my disciples to preach the truth: go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15). Accordingly, they have to be sanctified in the truth: as the Father has sent me, I also send you (John 20:21).

They need to be sanctified not only because of the task they have been given, but also because their sanctification has already been started by me. Thus, he says, and for them I do sanctify myself.

According to Augustine, we should note that there are two natures in Christ. Christ is holy by essence, considering his divine nature, while he is holy by grace, which is derived from the divine nature, considering his human nature. Referring to his divine nature, he says, I sanctify myself, by taking on flesh for them. I do this so that the sanctity or holiness of grace, which is in my humanity but is also from me as God, might flow from me to them, because of his fullness we all have received (John 1:16).

It is like the precious oil upon the head—and this head is Christ, who is God—running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron—that is, upon his human nature—and from there, running down on the collar of his robes (Psalms 133:2), that is, to us.

Or, according to Chrysostom, he is asking that they be sanctified by a spiritual sanctification. In the Old Testament, there were sanctifications of the body: a cleansing of the body imposed until the time comes to set things right (Hebrews 9:10). These were figures of a spiritual sanctification, and these figures involved the offering of a sacrifice. And so it was appropriate that some sacrifice be offered for the sanctification of the disciples.

This is what he is saying: I sanctify myself so that they might be sanctified; that is, I am offering myself as a sacrifice: who offered himself without blemish to God (Hebrews 9:14); so Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood (Hebrews 13:12). He did this in truth, not in a figure, as was done in the Old Testament.

1. After our Lord prayed for his disciples, he now prays in general for all the faithful (in chapter 17, lecture 3).

   First, we see his prayer. Second, he states why he should be heard: just Father, the world has not known you (John 17:25).

   In his prayer, he asks the Father two things for those who follow him: first, a perfect unity, and second, the vision of glory: Father, I will that where I am, they whom you have given me may also be with me (John 17:24).

   Regarding unity, he does two things: first, as man, he asks for a perfect unity. Second, as God, he shows that he gives them the ability to acquire this unity: and the glory which you gave me, I have given to them.

   In asking for unity, he first mentions for whom he is asking, and second, what he is asking for: that they all may be one.

2. He is praying for the entire community of the faithful. He says: I have asked that you protect my disciples from evil and sanctify them in the truth, but not for them only do I pray, but for those also who through their word will believe in me. This refers to those whose faith will be strengthened through their word—the word of the apostles. It is right for him to ask this, because no one is saved except by the intercession of Christ. Therefore, so that not only the apostles would be saved, but others as well, he also had to pray for these others. He loved your fathers and chose their descendants after them (Deuteronomy 4:37); their prosperity will remain with their descendants .

3. An objection is made that he does not seem to be praying for all his faithful, because he is praying only for those who would be converted by the word of the apostles. But the old fathers and John the Baptist were not converted by their word.

   We should answer that these persons had already arrived at their destination. Although they were not yet enjoying the vision of God, since the price had not yet been paid, they departed from this world with their merits, so that they would enter as soon as the gate was opened. Thus, they did not need such a prayer.

4. Again, what about others who did not believe through the word of the apostles, but through Christ’s word, as Paul did? I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12). Or what of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43)? It does not seem that Christ prayed for them.

   The answer, according to Augustine, is that those who believed through the word which the apostles preached—which is the word of faith ()—are said to believe through the word of the apostles, even if they did not hear the apostles directly.Tractates on the Gospel of John 109.2. The word of faith is called the word of the apostles because they were especially commissioned to preach it. This same word was divinely revealed to Paul and the thief on the cross.

   Alternatively, one could say that those who were converted directly by and through Christ, like Paul and the thief on the cross, are included in the part of the prayer where our Lord prayed for his disciples. And so our Lord said, whom you have given me (John 17:6), or will give me.

5. What about us, who do not believe through the apostles?

   We should say that although we do not believe directly through the apostles, we do believe through their disciples.

6. He prays for a perfect unity when he says, that they all may be one.

   First, he mentions the unity he is asking for. Second, he gives an example of it and its cause: as you, Father, in me. Third, he gives the fruit of this unity: that the world may believe that you have sent me.

7. He says: I am praying that they all may be one. As the Platonists say, a thing acquires its unity from that from which it acquires its goodness. For that which preserves a thing is good for it, and a thing is preserved only if it remains one. Thus, when our Lord prays that his disciples be perfect in goodness, he prays that they be one. Indeed, this was accomplished: now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul (Acts 4:32); behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! (Psalms 133:1).

8. He gives an example of this unity and its cause, saying, as you, Father, in me, and I in you. Others are one, but in evil. Our Lord is not asking for this kind of unity, but for that which unites in good, that is, in God. And so he says, as you, Father, in me, and I in you, meaning, let them be united by believing in me and in you. We, though many, are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5); eager to keep the unity of the Spirit... one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:3, 5). We are one or united in the Father and the Son, who are one; for if we were seeking different things to believe and desire, our affections would be scattered.

9. Arius uses this passage to argue that the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son in the same way that we are in God. However, we are not in God by a unity of essence, but by a conformity of will and love. Therefore, he says, like us, the Father is not in the Son by a unity of essence.

   To this we should say that there is a twofold unity of the Father and the Son: a unity of essence and of love. In both of these ways the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father. The phrase as you, Father, in me, and I in you can be understood, according to Augustine, as referring to the unity of love. The meaning then is: as you, Father, are in me through love—because charity makes one be with God.Tractates on the Gospel of John 110.1. It is like saying: as the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father, so the disciples love the Father and the Son. In this case, the word as does not imply equality but a remote likeness.

   Alternatively, according to Hilary, this statement can refer to a unity of nature.The Trinity 8.10–11. This is not to say that the same numerical nature is in us and in the Father and the Son, but that our unity resembles that of the divine nature, by which the Father and the Son are one. In this case, the word as indicates a certain imitation. That is why we are invited to imitate divine love: be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us (Ephesians 5:1–2). And we are also to imitate the divine perfection or goodness: you, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

10. He indicates the fruit of this unity when he says, that the world may believe. For nothing shows the truth of the Gospel better than the charity of those who believe: by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). This will be the fruit of unity: because if my disciples are one, the world may believe that the teaching I gave to them is from you, and know that you have sent me. For God is a cause of peace, not of contention.

11. A problem arises here. If we will be perfectly one in our heavenly homeland, where we will not believe but see, it seems out of place to say, after mentioning unity, that the world may believe that you have sent me.

    Our reply is that our Lord is speaking here of the unity that is taking shape on earth, not of perfected unity in heaven.

12. There is another problem. Our Lord is praying that those who believe in him may be one; therefore, the believing world is itself one. How then can he say, after the world has become one, that the world may believe?

    One can answer by giving the mystical sense. In this sense, our Lord is praying that all believers be one. Yet not all would believe at the same time; some would be the first to believe, and they would convert others. So when he says, that the world may believe, it refers to those who did not believe at first but became one when they did believe. The same applies to those who would believe after them, continuing to the end of the world.

    Hilary has another interpretation: the words that the world may believe indicate the purpose of their unity and perfection.The Trinity 8.12. It is like saying: you will perfect them so that they may be one, for this purpose, that the world may believe that you sent me. Here the word that indicates a final cause.

    A third interpretation is by Augustine.Tractates on the Gospel of John 110.2. For him, that the world may believe is another petition. In this case, the phrase I pray has to be repeated, so that the sense is: I pray that they may be one, and I pray that the world may believe.

13. Christ’s part in establishing this unity is mentioned when he says, the glory which you gave me, I have given to them, since what he is asking for as man he is accomplishing as God.

    First, he shows that he acted to make them one. Second, he mentions the kind and degree of this unity: I in them and you in me. And third, we see the purpose of this unity: that the world may know that you sent me.

14. He says: although, as man, I am asking for their perfection, still I am accomplishing this together with you. For the glory of my resurrection, which you, Father, gave me by an eternal predestination, and which you will soon give me in reality, I have given to them, my disciples. This glory is the immortality which the faithful will receive at the resurrection, an immortality even of the body: who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:21); it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory (1 Corinthians 15:43). And this is so that they may be one, because by the fact that they have glory they will be made one, as we also are one.

15. He seems to be distinguishing his own activity from that of the Father, for he says that the Father gave him glory, and Christ gave this to his faithful.

    If this is understood correctly, we see that he is not saying these things to distinguish their activities, but their persons. For the Son, as Son, gives glory to Christ in his human nature together with the Father; and Christ, together with the Father, gives it to the faithful. But because Christ gave glory to his faithful especially through his own human nature, he attributes this giving to himself, while he attributes to the Father the giving of glory to his own human nature. This is the opinion of Augustine.Tractates on the Gospel of John 110.3.

    Or, according to Chrysostom, the glory—that is, the glory of grace—which you gave me in my human nature, giving me a superior knowledge, perfection, and power to perform miracles, I have given to them in a limited way, and will give it later more fully.Commentary on Saint John 82.2. We are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18); you have given gifts to men (Psalms 68:18). And this is in order that they may be one, as we also are one, for the purpose of God’s gifts is to unite us in a unity that is like the unity of the Father and the Son.

16. The manner of this unity is added when he says, I in them and you in me. They arrive at unity because they see that I am in them, as in a temple—do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)—by grace, which is a certain likeness of the Father’s essence, by which you, Father, are in me through a unity of nature: I am in the Father and the Father is in me (John 14:10). And this is in order that they may be made perfect in one.

    Above, he had said, that they may be one, while here he says, perfect in one. The reason for this is that the first time he was referring to the unity brought about by grace, but here to its consummation. Hilary gives another interpretation: I in them, that is, I am in them by the unity of human nature, which I have in common with them, and also because I give them my body as food; and you in me, by a unity of essence.The Trinity 8.13.

17. Referring to the first explanation, since the Father, as well as the Son, is in them by grace—we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23)—why then does he say, I in them, without mentioning the Father?

    According to Augustine, he does this not to mean that the Son is in them without the Father, but because they have access to the Father through the Son: we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access (Romans 5:1–2).Tractates on the Gospel of John 110.4.

    Or, according to Chrysostom, Christ previously said, we will come to him (John 14:23), to indicate that there is a plurality of divine persons, contrary to Sabellius.Commentary on Saint John 82.2. But here he says, I in them, to indicate the equality of the Father and the Son, contrary to Arius. We can understand from this that it is enough for the faithful if the Son alone dwells in them.

18. The purpose of this unity is given when he says, that the world may know that you sent me. If perfect in one refers to the perfection of this life, then that the world may know is the same as what he said before, that the world may believe. The word "believe" would indicate just a beginning state. But here he says, know, because complete knowledge, not faith, comes after imperfect knowledge.

    He says, that the world may know, not the world as it is now, but as it was, so that the meaning is: that the world, now a believing world, may know. Or, that the world, that is, the lovers of the world, may know that you have sent me. For by that time, those who are evil will know by clear signs that Christ is the Son of God: every eye will see him (Revelation 1:7); they will look on him whom they have pierced (John 19:37); they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:27).

19. The world will not only know this, but it will also know the glory of the saints, and that you loved them. At the present time, we cannot know how great God’s love for us is. This is because the good things that God will give us exceed our longings and desires, and so cannot be found in our heart: no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

    Thus the believing world, that is, the saints, will then know by experience how much God loves us. But the lovers of the world, that is, the wicked, will know this by seeing in amazement the glory of the saints: This is the man whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach ; and it continues, Why has he been numbered among the sons of God? And why is his lot among the saints? .

20. He continues, as you also loved me. This does not imply an equality of love, but a similarity and a reason. It is like saying: the love you have for me is the reason and cause why you love them, for by the fact that you love me, you love those who love me and are my members: the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me (John 16:27).

    God loves all the things he has made by giving them existence: for you love all things that exist, and have loathing for none of the things you have made . But above all he loves his only Son, to whom he has given his entire nature by an eternal generation. In a lesser way, he loves the members of his only Son—that is, the faithful of Christ—by giving them the grace by which Christ dwells in them: he loved his people; all those consecrated to him were in his hand (Deuteronomy 33:3).