To this, the Jews responded, “Will he kill himself, since he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?” It is indeed evident that the authority to die willingly, leaving the body behind, lies in "I am going away." Perhaps because of "I am going away," he adds "And you will search for me." It is likely that those present with him, when he departed from life, would seek him. And because they die in their sins, even after all this, they were not convinced enough to say about him unmistakably, "Will he kill himself?" since they cannot go where he is going. I think that with more ill intent, naming it according to what was said about the death of Christ, it has come to them. "And not glorifying the one thus departing from life, they have said the phrase, 'Will he kill himself?' For it was said hesitantly, with an emphasis on his glory in death, and as if to say in this manner: Will his soul leave, whenever he wishes, leaving behind the body, and this is why he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' At the same time, observe what was said to us about how he departed from life: 'And going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve aside by themselves, and on the way, he told them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will rise again.' If someone objects by quoting, 'From then on, he began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed,' and 'The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again,' you will say that they killed him, all who shouted, 'Crucify, crucify him,' and those who are guilty of his death, even though he cried out with a loud voice and gave up his spirit before the soldiers coming to break his legs. Refer also to this: 'Whoever finds me will kill me,' and 'Anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.' For how could 'Whoever finds Cain will kill him' be true if one had already killed him? Or how could 'Anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over' not imply that many would kill him? For the word 'anyone' has been said about a multitude. Perhaps Peter, taking the words of the Savior in a more human sense, says, 'God forbid, Lord; this shall never happen to you.' But the Savior, rebuking him for not understanding correctly, says, 'Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's.' Likewise, see how Paul's statement, 'He gave himself for us as a sacrifice to God,' fits into this context. Thus alone can you interpret the eternal high priest according to the order of Melchizedek and the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, offering a sacrifice to God, not by the hands of the ungodly but by a pious high priest. So we have wrestled with the intent of those who said, 'Will he kill himself because he says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?' having heard the many words previously spoken by Jesus. It is likely that some stumble at what they think is a forced interpretation, believing the Jews simply said, 'Will he kill himself?' as if Jesus were taking his own life and going to a place of punishment where they could not go, not being guilty of the same sin against themselves. But even they must admit if the Jews could have conceived that Jesus said this, condemning himself to a place of punishment where they could not go, considering themselves better than him, or they will have to admit that if Jesus perceived this and decided to kill himself, he preferred taking his own life to not doing so. Also, Heracleon claims that the Jews, thinking meanly of Jesus, said this and considered themselves greater than the Savior, believing they were destined for eternal rest with God, while the Savior, by managing his death, was heading towards destruction and death, where they did not think they would go. In their very words, he says that the Jews believed the Savior was saying, 'I, managing my own death, am going to destruction, where you cannot come.' But how can this be, according to the one who said, 'I am the light of the world,' and what follows, that he was heading toward destruction? If someone argues that the Savior did not say this, but the Jews thought it, it becomes clear that the Jews had despised him, believing that those who destroy themselves would perish and be punished, which was utterly foolish in every way."
[John 8:23] And he said to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world."
And in the foregoing, he said, "He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth; he who comes from heaven is above all; what he has seen and heard, this he testifies." Therefore, if "he who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth," and "he who comes from heaven testifies to what he has seen and heard," you may inquire whether "being of the earth" is the same as "being from below" or something different. And at the same time, notice that he did not say, "He who is from heaven belongs to heaven and speaks of heaven"; for perhaps the Savior was not from heaven, most especially as he was the firstborn of all creation. For "the second man" was from heaven, as Paul also somewhere says, "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." Here too, consider whether "You are from below" and "You are of this world" mean the same thing or if "being from the earth" is different from "being of this world." Similarly, examine "I am from above" and "I am not of this world." It is worthwhile to see what it means to be "from above" and what it means to be "not of this world."
Indeed, consider whether he who has taken on generation and bodies from matter, by abandoning the better part, is from the earth; whoever belongs to the earth speaks of the earth, not being able to see or speak of anything higher. Such a one is also from below. However, there is a different conception of being from below and being of the earth. Below is understood not only in terms of place but also in beliefs and mind. And anyone who uses such beliefs and mind, which are from below, is from below. But also, the visible world, having become material, due to those who desire material life, has places that differ; all such places are considered below in comparison to the immaterial, the invisible, and the incorporeal, not so much in place as in comparison to the invisible. As for examining the places of the world with the places of the world, some places might indeed be below and others above; the earthly things are below, and the heavenly things are above, thus someone who is from below is certainly of this world, but someone who is of this world is not necessarily from below. For consider if someone who is a citizen of the heavenly things is somehow of this world, but not locally from below. Nevertheless, even he is from below in comparison to the intelligible things. For every citizen of the visible and transient and temporary is from below, even if he happens to be in the highest place. Yet it is possible for the one from below and from this world and from the earth to change and become from above and no longer from this world, and another who is from this world, but from heaven. For he says to his disciples: "You were of the world, and I chose you out of the world, and you are no longer of the world." For if the Savior came to seek and save what was lost, he came to transfer those below and registered among the below to the above. For he who descended to the lower parts of the earth did so for those in the lowest parts of the earth; but he also ascended above all the heavens, making a path for those willing and truly apprenticed to him, the path leading above all the heavens, that is, above the realm of bodies. And if you desire to learn from writing who is from below and who is from above, listen: since wherever each one’s treasure is, there also is his heart; if someone treasures on the earth, he becomes from below by treasuring on the earth, but if someone treasures in the heavens, he is born from above and assumes the image of the heavenly; but even otherwise, having gone through all the heavens, he is found in the highest blessedness. It would be as each one’s works, as I said, so that one may say that the works of the flesh make one from below, but the fruit of the Spirit makes one from above; and again, love for this world makes one from this world. Since, according to John, the one who has the love of God * * he is not from this world, who does not love the world nor the things in the world, but says, "May it never be that I boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world," and proceeds to love the Lord his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his mind, such love not being distressed by love for the world or the things in the world; for it is impossible for love for the world to coexist with love for God, just as it is impossible for light and darkness, or Christ and Belial, or the temple of God and the temple of idols to coexist. As there is a difference among the lower things themselves, it is said superlatively, "They placed me in the lowest pit" and "He who descended into the lower parts of the earth, this one also ascended." Therefore, all those descending into the lower regions of the earth, into Hades, will fall down before Christ, since it is true: "In death, there is no one remembering you, and in Hades, who will confess you?" And if someone argues about Him descending into the lower parts of the earth, you will notice that it is said about those descending into the earth: "They will fall down," for all things submit to Christ and every knee bends at the name of Jesus; some fall down to Him sooner and others later. Perhaps those on the earth will fall down and be subjected before others, for it is worse to be subjected later, which is why "the last enemy to be destroyed is death." After this, inquire if there is also a difference among the higher things, just as there is among the lower, as something is spoken of as the lowest, so also among the higher, especially since the inheritance of the kingdom of heavens is the same, with all heirs of heavens being above, but not all equally having the state of being above. But even with the intellectual descent of the soul due to wickedness and malicious doctrines, and its intellectual ascent, you will find no simple difference; indeed, you will consider the spiritual descents to be more profound. At the same time, consider whether you do not hear, more mystically and not spatially, concerning the soul of Jesus: "Ascending above all the heavens," for the intellectual ascent of that soul has surpassed all the heavens and, as it can be said, has already reached toward God Himself.
However, there exists another world besides the visible one composed of heaven and earth, or heavens and earth, where unseen things exist; and all this is an invisible world, an unobservable world, and an intellectual world, the vision and beauty of which will be perceived by the pure in heart, preparing through seeing it to proceed to see God, such that they see God as He is naturally seen, as He is by nature, God. Inquire also if in any sense the firstborn of all creation can be the cosmos, particularly since "wisdom" is manifold; for by being the reasons of everything whatsoever, by which all things made by God are made in wisdom (as the prophet says, "You made all things in wisdom"), in Him, He might also be the cosmos, differing as much from the material cosmos as the reason devoid of matter differs from the material world, not coming from matter, but from the participation of reason and wisdom, decorating matter. And observe if the saying, "I am not from this world," means the soul of Jesus is conducting itself within the whole cosmos, encompassing it all and guiding those being taught to it. That world does not have anything below, just as this one does not have anything above when examined precisely. For how could this world have anything above, whose creation is a foundation? Therefore, we must not heedlessly understand "before the foundation of the world," for the holy ones devised this name of foundation with such an intent; yet, they could have said "before the creation of the world" and not used the name "foundation." Thus, the entire world and everything in it are in a foundation; but those true disciples of Jesus become outside the foundation of every world, whom He chose out of the world, so that they are no longer of the world, lifting up their own cross and following Him.
[John 8:24] Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
When did He say to them, "You will die in your sins," or when He said, "You will seek Me, and you will die in your sins?" What is the cause of men dying in their sins if not believing that Jesus is the Christ? For He Himself says, "If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." And if he who does not believe that Jesus is the Christ will die in his own sins, it is clear that he who does not die in his sins has believed in Christ, and he who dies in his own sins, even if he claims to believe in Christ, has not truly believed in Him; if faith is said to exist but without works, it is dead, as we read in the epistle attributed to James. So who then is he who believes or who has been affected by being disposed according to the word and to be in concord with it by not falling into, as much as possible, sinful actions? As for "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God," is it not to sin and towards anything that happens contrary to the right word? Moreover, you will understand what "For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" means, by considering that He is the firstborn of all creation. For instance, one who believes in what righteousness is would not act unjustly, and he, by having observed what wisdom is, having believed in wisdom would not say or do anything foolish, since he who has believed in the Word that was in the beginning with God, in having understood Him, would do nothing illogically. Besides, he who believes that "He is our peace" would not act in a way of war and strife. But if Christ is not only the wisdom of God but also the power of God, he who believes in Him as power would not be incapable regarding good things. Necessarily, considering Him as patience and strength, because "And now, what is my hope? Is it not the Lord?" and "My strength," and "The Lord is my sustenance," we shall say that if we yield to hardships, we do not believe in Him as patience, and if we are feeble, we have not believed in Him as strength. And if we thus reconsider the remaining attributes of Christ, we will find from the sayings without difficulty how he who does not believe in Christ will die in his sins; for by becoming in the opposites of the attribute of Christ, he dies in those very sins.
[John 8:25] So they said to him, "Who are you?"
It was natural for those listening with great authority to ask the one speaking these things, "Who is this person?" For it appeared that the one asserting these things seemed to possess a nature greater and more divine than that of a human. The Savior asserted, "If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins." Hence, the "Who are you?" as if asking directly, was a response such as, "I am the Christ" or "I am the Prophet" or "I am Elijah" or perhaps "I am an angel of God." For one asserting such genuine words would certainly belong to one of these or something similar to them.