Christian Art | Saint John | Apostle, Disciple, Evangelist
Office Of Readings | Christmas 27 December | Saint John, Apostle, Evangelist | From A Treatise By Saint Augustine On The First Epistle Of John | The Flesh Revealed Life Itself
‘The flesh revealed Life itself.’
In this reading, Saint Augustine reflects on the opening of the first letter of John and explains how the incarnation makes communion with God possible. A central concern is the reality of Christ: the eternal Word truly became flesh and was encountered through the senses.
Augustine begins with the claim that the Word, who existed from the beginning, could be touched only because he became flesh. The incarnation does not mark the beginning of the Word’s existence, but the beginning of his visibility in human history. John’s letter is read in continuity with his Gospel, where the Word is said to be with God from the beginning.
A possible misunderstanding is addressed. The phrase ‘the Word of life’ might be taken to mean a message about Christ rather than Christ himself. Augustine rejects this reading. Life itself, he says, was revealed. Christ is not only the bearer of life but life in person. What was formerly known only in heaven has now appeared on earth.
Augustine then explains why this revelation took place in the flesh. The Word can be perceived by the heart, not by bodily sight. Human beings, however, were unable to see the Word because their hearts needed healing. By becoming flesh, the Word made himself visible to the eyes, in order to heal the inner faculty by which God is known. The visible humanity of Christ leads to faith in his invisible divinity.
The apostolic witness is central. The disciples saw and heard Christ directly and handed on what they received. Later believers have heard but not seen. Augustine insists that this difference does not diminish faith. Fellowship does not depend on physical sight, but on shared belief in the same Christ.
The purpose of this proclamation is communion. Fellowship with the apostles leads to fellowship with the Father and the Son. Joy, in this context, is not an emotion detached from belief, but the result of unity, love and participation in the life of God made known in Christ.
Saint John, Apostle, Evangelist | From A Treatise By Saint Augustine On The First Epistle Of John | The Flesh Revealed Life Itself
We announce what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have touched with our own hands. Who could touch the Word with his hands unless the Word was made flesh and lived among us?
Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment. We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning. Notice how John’s letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ’s body itself which was touched by human hands. But consider what comes next: and life itself was revealed. Christ therefore is himself the Word of life.
And how was this life revealed? It existed from the beginning, but was not revealed to men, only to angels, who looked upon it and feasted upon it as their own spiritual bread. But what does Scripture say? Mankind ate the bread of angels.
Life itself was therefore revealed in the flesh. In this way what was visible to the heart alone could become visible also to the eye, and so heal men’s hearts. For the Word is visible to the heart alone, while flesh is visible to bodily eyes as well. We already possessed the means to see the flesh, but we had no means of seeing the Word. The Word was made flesh so that we could see it, to heal the part of us by which we could see the Word.
John continues: And we are witnesses and we proclaim to you that eternal life which was with the Father and has been revealed among us – one might say more simply ‘revealed to us.’
We proclaim to you what we have heard and seen. Make sure that you grasp the meaning of these words. The disciples saw our Lord in the flesh, face to face; they heard the words he spoke, and in turn they proclaimed the message to us. So we also have heard, although we have not seen.
Are we then less favoured than those who both saw and heard? If that were so, why should John add: so that you too may have fellowship with us? They saw, and we have not seen; yet we have fellowship with them, because we and they share the same faith.
And our fellowship is with God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son. And we write this to you to make your joy complete – complete in that fellowship, in that love and in that unity.
Christian Prayer With Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ,
eternal Word made flesh,
you made yourself known in human form
so that we might come to know the Father.
Strengthen our faith in what has been proclaimed to us,
though we have not seen with our eyes
what the apostles saw.
Draw us into true fellowship with you,
with the Father, and with one another,
so that our joy may be complete
in faith, love and unity.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Incarnation | The taking of human flesh by the eternal Word in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
The Word | The Son of God, who exists from all eternity with the Father and through whom all things were made.
Word of life | A title for Christ himself, who is not only the giver of life but life in person.
Fellowship | Shared participation in faith and life with the apostles, with one another, and with God.
Apostolic witness | The testimony of the apostles, who saw and heard Christ and handed on what they received.
Healing of the heart | The restoration of the inner capacity to know God, made possible through faith in Christ.
Eternal life | Participation in the life of God, revealed in Christ and shared with believers.
Relatives of Jesus, with Jesus’ mother Mary, have come to speak with him, but Jesus does not wish to meet with them. Jesus had problems with his family. We may consider some of the ways in which our own families support us, and at other times may hinder us from doing what is right. Jesus’ refusal to meet with his family is clearly expressed in all three of the Synoptic Gospels [ … ]
Christian Art | Parousia | Second Coming | Lamb Of God, You Take Away The Sins Of The World Luke 17: 26-37 (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word) Early Christian thought about the Parousia – the second coming – was largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. In the early Christian community, expectation of Christ’s return was strong, and many Christians believed that it would happen in their lifetime. This belief is evident in the New Testament, where the authors express a sense of urgency in their writings and encourage their readers to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the idea of the Parousia became more complex and nuanced. Theological debates arose around the nature of Christ’s return and the events that would precede it. Some theologians, such as Origen and Augustine, saw the Parousia as a spiritual event that was already happening in the Church. Others, such as the Montanists and the millenarians, believed in a literal, physical return of Christ and the establishment of a new, earthly Kingdom. In the Middle Ages, the Parousia was often associated with apocalypticism and the idea of a final, cataclysmic battle between good and evil – the last battle. The idea of the Antichrist, who would precede Christ’s return, became a popular theme in Christian literature, and the book of Revelation (Apocalypse – meaning to reveal, to uncover) was interpreted as a prophetic guide to the end of the world. Biblical Basis For The Parousia | The Second Coming The concept of the Parousia, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian eschatology and is supported by numerous biblical passages in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages that refer to the coming of a Messiah who will restore Israel and bring about the final judgment. For example, in Daniel 7:13-14, it is written: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ This passage describes a divine figure who comes in the clouds and is given dominion over all nations. In the New Testament, the Parousia is described in greater detail, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. Jesus speaks of his return in many passages, including Matthew 24:30-31, where Jesus says: ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Here, Jesus describes his return in power and glory, accompanied by angels who gather Jesus’ elect from all over the world. In Saint Paul’s letters, the Parousia is also described in detail. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Saint Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ This passage describes a resurrection of the dead and the gathering of believers to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. The language and imagery used to describe the Parousia are often dramatic and apocalyptic in nature. The Parousia is often described as a time of judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and God’s justice will be fully revealed. The imagery of clouds, trumpets, and angels is used to depict the power and glory of Christ’s return. Theological Interpretations Of The Parousia | Jesus’ Second Coming The concept of the Parousia has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a theological framework that emerged in the 19th Century and has since become popular among some evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. Dispensationalists believe that history is divided into distinct periods or ‘dispensations’, each of which is marked by a particular mode of divine revelation and a specific plan of salvation. According to dispensationalist theology, the Parousia will be preceded by a period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will establish a one-world government and the Jews will be restored to their homeland. The Parousia itself will involve a physical, visible return of Christ, who will establish a thousand-year reign on earth before the final judgment. Preterism Preterism is a theological interpretation of the Parousia that holds that many of the prophecies in the New Testament, particularly those in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the Parousia occurred in a spiritual sense when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. Preterists argue that the tribulation and other end-time events predicted in the New Testament were fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Postmillennialism Postmillennialism is a theological view that holds that the Parousia will occur after a period of history in which the Church will gradually bring about the kingdom of God on earth. According to this view, the Church will spread the gospel throughout the world, and social, political, and economic conditions will gradually improve. Eventually, Christ will return to a world that has been largely transformed by the Gospel. Amillennialism […]
The homily, continued, belongs to the early tradition of pastoral exhortation in which Christian teachers address communities facing both internal moral uncertainty and external cultural pressures. The homilist begins by locating himself within the same condition as his hearers. His confession of sin and susceptibility does not function as rhetorical modesty but as a reminder that Christian life is undertaken together. The salvation of each becomes bound up with the fidelity of all. This interdependence reflects an early understanding of the Church as a community shaped by shared discipline rather than by individual achievement [ … ]
