I and the Father Are One

John 10:22–39 · Journey to Jerusalem

Scripture

John 10:22–39

nd it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. ²³And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. ²⁴Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. ²⁵Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. ²⁶But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. ²⁷My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰I and my Father are one. ³¹Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³²Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? ³³The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. ³⁴Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? ³⁵If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; ³⁶Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? ³⁷If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. ³⁸But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. ³⁹Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

King James Version · public domain

Joani 10:22–39

dhe ubë e-kremteja e të-shënjtëruarit të hieroresë ndë Jerusalim, edhe ishte dimër. ²³Edhe Jisuj ecënte ndë hieroret, ndë kamaret të Sollomonit. ²⁴Judhenjtë pra e qerthëlluanë, edhe i thoshinë, Gjer kur mban ndë dyshim shpirtinë t’ënë? ndë je Krishti, na thuaj ndër sy. ²⁵Jisuj u upërgjeq atyre, U thashë juve, edhe nukë besoni. Punëratë që bënj unë mb’emërit të t’im Eti, këto dëshmonjënë për mua. ²⁶Po ju nukë besoni; sepse nukë jini prej dhënvet të mia. ²⁷Sikundrë u thashë juve, dhënt’ e mia dëgjonjënë zënë t’im, edhe un’ i njoh; edhe më vinjënë pas. ²⁸Edhe un’ u ap atyre jetë të-përjetëshme; edhe nukë dotë humbasënë për gjithë jetënë, edhe nukë dot’i rrëmbenjë njeri ato prej dorësë s’ime. ²⁹Im Atë, që m’i ka dhënë, është më i-math se të-gjithë; edhe asnjë s’munt t’i rrëmbenjë prej dorës’ së t’im Eti. ³⁰Unë edhe Ati jemi një. ³¹Përsëri pra Judhenjtë rroknë gurë, që t’i bininë me gurë. ³²Jisuj u upërgjeq atyre, Shumë punëra të-mira u rrëfeva juve prej t’im Eti; për ç’punë nga ato më bini me gurë? ³³Judhenjtë i upërgjeqnë, dyke thënë, Nukë të bjemë me gurë për punë të-mirë, po për vllasfimi, edhe sepse ti, ndonëse je njeri, e bën vetëhenë t’ënde Perëndi. ³⁴Jisuj u upërgjeq atyre, Nuk’ është shkruarë ndë nomt t’uaj, “Unë thashë, Jeni perëndira?” ³⁵Ndë qoftë, se quajti perëndira ata, mbë të-cilët ubë fjal’ e Perëndisë, (edhe shkronja s’munt të bjerë poshtë), ³⁶Për atë që e shënjtëroj Ati, edhe e dërgoj ndë botët, ju thoni, Se ti vllasfimis, sepse thashë, Jam i Bir’ i Perëndisë? ³⁷Ndë mos bënj punërat’ e t’im Eti, mos më besoni; ³⁸Po ndë bënj, edhe ndë mos më besoni mua, beso-u-ni punëravet; që të njihni e të besoni, se Ati është tek unë, edhe unë tek ay. ³⁹Kërkoninë pra përsëri t’a zënë; po dolli nga dora e atyreve.

Kristoforidhi, Dhiata e Re Toskërisht 1879 · zotërim publik

In their own words

I and the Father are One. By the word "One" He signifies the Sameness of their Essence: and by the word "are" He severs into two that which is understood, and again binds them up into One Godhead.
St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 7 (on John 10:30)

I and the Father Are One (John 10:22–39)

The texts below are quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations; nothing is paraphrased.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)

Homilies on the Gospel of St. John, Homily 61 (on John 10:22–39) Source: trans. in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 14. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf114/npnf114.iv.lxiii.html

On "I and the Father are One," spoken with reference to power:

Then that thou mayest not suppose that He indeed is weak, but that the sheep are in safety through the power of the Father, He addeth, "I and the Father are One." ... Speaking here with reference to Power, for concerning this was all His discourse

On His refusing to set the Jews right, but confirming their inference:

Yet not even so did He remove this opinion and suspicion; though if their suspicion were erroneous, He ought to have set them right ... but now He doth quite the contrary, and confirmeth their suspicion, and clencheth it, and that too when they were exasperated.

On the works that prove Him in nothing inferior to the Father:

Seest thou how He proveth what I said, that He is in nothing inferior to the Father, but in every way equal to Him? For since it was impossible to see His Essence, from the equality and sameness of the works He affordeth a proof of unvaryingness as to Power.

St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444)

Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book VII (on John 10:29–30) Source: trans. T. Randell, Library of Fathers, Vol. 48, 1885. Public domain. Full text: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_john_07_book7.htm

On the hand of Christ, which is His power:

For it is not possible that they who are in Christ's hand should be snatched away to be punished, because of Christ's great might; for "the hand," in the Divine Scripture, signifies "the power:" it cannot be doubted therefore that the hand of Christ is unconquerable and mighty to all things.

On "One" as the sameness of essence:

I and the Father are One. By the word "One" He signifies the Sameness of their Essence: and by the word "are" He severs into two that which is understood, and again binds them up into One Godhead.

On the Arian reading refuted — oneness of essence, not merely of will:

But this also we must understand, in opposition to the Arians, that in His saying: I and the Father are One, there is signified, not the proof of sameness of will, but the Oneness of their Essence. For indeed the Jews understood that in saying this, He said that Himself was God and equal to the Father; and Christ did not deny that He had said this as they understood it.

Theophylact of Ohrid (c. 1055–1107)

Explanation of the Gospel of John (on John 10:22) As preserved in the Catena Aurea on John. Public domain. Full text: https://isidore.co/aquinas/english/CAJohn.htm

On the winter, which marks the nearness of the Passion:

The Evangelist mentions the time of winter, to shew that it was near His passion. He suffered in the following spring; for which reason He took up His abode at Jerusalem.

On Him "whom the Father hath sanctified," set apart to be sacrificed:

Or, sanctified, i.e. set apart to be sacrificed for the world: a proof that He was God in a higher sense than the rest. To save the world is a divine work, not that of a man made divine by grace.

Blessed Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 48 (on John 10:22–39) Source: trans. John Gibb, in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 7. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf107/npnf107.iii.xlix.html

On the hand of the Father and the Son, which is one power:

If by hand we are to understand power, the power of Father and Son is one; for their Godhead is one.

On what the Jews grasped that the Arians do not:

You see here that the Jews understood what the Arians understand not. For they were angry on this account, that they felt it could not be said, "I and my Father are one," save where there was equality of the Father and the Son.

On the argument from Psalm 82:

If the word of God came to men, that they might be called gods, how can the very Word of God, who is with God, be otherwise than God?

On the prerogative of the Lord and the privilege of the servant:

Recognize the prerogative of the Lord, and the privilege of the servant. The prerogative of the Lord is equality with the Father: the privilege of the servant is fellowship with the Saviour.

St. Hilary of Poitiers (c. 310–367)

On the Holy Trinity (on John 10:29–30) As preserved in the Catena Aurea on John. Public domain. Full text: https://isidore.co/aquinas/english/CAJohn.htm

On "My Father which gave Me them" as the language of conscious power:

This is the speech of conscious power. Yet to shew, that though of the Divine nature He hath His nativity from God, He adds, My Father which gave Me them, is greater than all. He does not conceal His birth from the Father, but proclaims it.

On the unity of nature, not of will, against the heretics:

The heretics, since they cannot gainsay these words, endeavour by an impious lie to explain them away. They maintain that this unity is unanimity only; a unity of will, not of nature; i.e. that the two are one, not in that they are the same, but in that they will the same. ... The Father and Son are one in respect of nature, honour, and virtue: and the same nature cannot will different things.

Patristic sources

St. John Chrysostom
- Homilies on the Gospel of St. John, Hom. 61
St. Cyril of Alexandria
- Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 7
Theophylact of Ohrid
- Explanation of the Gospel of John
No standalone public-domain English of his John commentary exists; quoted through the Catena Aurea on John.
Blessed Augustine of Hippo
- Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate 48
Venerated in the East as Blessed; his Johannine tractates are cited in later Byzantine catenae.
St. Hilary of Poitiers
- On the Holy Trinity, Book 7
His anti-Arian exposition of the 'one' survives in public-domain English only through the Catena Aurea on John.

Read the sources: Chrysostom on John, Homily 61 (CCEL) · Cyril of Alexandria on John, Book 7 (tertullian.org) · Augustine, Tractate 48 on John (CCEL) · Catena Aurea on John (isidore.co)