[33] Tract. in Io ., 52, ch. 12, col. 1773; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:34-36.
[34] Chrysostom, In Ioannem hom ., 68, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 374; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:34-36.
[35] Tract. in Io. , 52, ch. 13, col. 1774.
[36] Chrysostom, In Ioannem hom ., 68, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 374; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:34-36.
[37] Summa-the way in which God is said to blind the eyes and hearts of those who do not believe.
[38] Augustine, Quaest. Evang.
[39] Augustine, Contra Faustum, lib. 4, ch. 1; PL 42, col. 217 .
[40] St. Thomas refers to Jn 12:43 in the Summa Theologiae: II-II, q. 132, a. 3; Jn 12:48: ST III, q. 59, a. 5, s. c.
[41] Tract. in Io ., 54, ch. 2, col. 1780-1; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:44-50.
[42] Chrysostom, In Ioannem hom ., 69, ch. 1; PG 59, col. 377; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:44-50.
[43] Tract. in Io ., 54, ch. 6, col. 1782-3; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:44-50.
[44] Summa-patterns of all things existing in the mind of the Father and communicated to the Son.
[45] Chrysostom, In Ioannem hom ., 68, ch. 2; PG 59, col. 379; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:44-50.
[46] Tract. in Io ., 54, ch. 8, col. 1784; cf. Catena Aurea , 12:44-50.
13
LECTURE I
1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he had come from God and was going to God� [1]
1727 Above, the Evangelist set forth some of the events leading to Christ's passion and death; in this part he shows how Christ prepared his disciples before his passion. First, we see how he formed them by his example; secondly, how he comforted them with his words (c 14); thirdly, how he strengthened them by the help of his prayers (c 17). Concerning the first he does two things: first, he presents the example Christ gave for his disciples to imitate; and secondly we see the weakness of the disciples, who were not yet ready to follow him (v 21). Concerning the first he does three things: first, he sets forth the example; secondly, he shows that the example was useful (v 6); thirdly, we see Jesus asking them to imitate it (v 12). Concerning the first he does two things: first, he describes the love of Christ, who is giving the example; secondly, the action in which he gave the example (v 2). Concerning the first he mentions three things: first, the feast about to be celebrated; secondly, the approaching death of Christ; thirdly, Christ's burning love.
1728 The feast at hand was the Passover; so he says, Now before the feast of the Passover . Here we should note that some say the [Latin] word pascha comes from the Greek word for "passion," and that this feast is called the Pascha because it is then that we celebrate the passion of our Lord. As a matter of fact, the word pascha in Greek does mean "to suffer." Yet the primary origin of this word is from the Hebrew word, pesah , which means a "passage," as in Exodus [12:11]: "It is the pesah ," passage, or a passing over, "of the Lord." This is the meaning the Evangelist gives it here because of two passings. The first was the passing of the angel striking down the first-born of the Egyptians and sparing the first-born of the Hebrews (Ex 12:12); and the other was the passage of the children of Israel through the Red Sea. So it was reasonable to call this feast the Pascha , [translated into English as Passover].
We can say that our Passover takes its meaning from both languages, Greek and Hebrew. For the passage of Christ from this world to the Father took place through his passion. "He passed about doing good and healing all" [Acts 10:38]. Again, all of us who follow Christ have our own passage: either by reform and martyrdom, according to the saying, "We have passed through fire and water and you have brought us to a place of refreshment" [Ps 66:12]; or by the desire of our mind aspiring to heavenly things: "Pass over to me all you who desire me and be filled with my fruits" [Sir 24:19].
1729 As we read in Exodus (23:14), the Jews had three great feasts, when they gathered together in a place chosen by the Lord: The Pesah, when the lamb was sacrificed, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, that is, the Skenopegia . But the greatest feast was that of the Passover.
A problem arises as to why he says here, before the feast of the Passover , for the feast of the Passover is when the lamb was sacrificed, that is, on the 14th day of the month. So since he says, before the feast of the Passover , it seems that this was taking place on the 13th day, the day before the 14th. And indeed, the Greeks accept this, and say that our Lord suffered on the 14th, when the Jews were supposed to celebrate the Passover, and that our Lord, knowing that his passion was near, anticipated the celebration of the Passover and celebrated his own Passover on the day before the Passover feast of the Jews. And because it is commanded in Exodus (12:18) that from the evening of the 14th day to the 21st day the Hebrews should not have any leavened bread, they further say that the Lord celebrated not with unleavened bread, but with leavened bread, because Hebrews did have leavened bread on the 13th day, that is, before the Passover.
But the other three Evangelists do not agree with this, for they say the time was the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the lamb was to be sacrificed (Mt 26:17; Mk 14:12; Lk 22:7). It follows from this that our Lord's supper took place on the very day that the Jews sacrificed the lamb.
1730 The Greeks respond to this that the other Evangelists did not report this truly; and so John, who wrote the last of the Gospels, corrected them. But it is heresy to say that there is anything false not only in the Gospels but anywhere in the canonical scriptures. Consequently, we have to say that all the Evangelists state the same thing and do not disagree.
To elucidate this it should be noted that, as is stated in Leviticus (23:5), the feasts of the Jews began on the evening of the preceding day. The reason for this was that they reckoned their days according to the moon, which first appears in the evening; so, they counted their days from one sunset to the next. Thus for them, the Passover began on the evening of the preceding day and ended on the evening of the day of the Passover. We celebrate feasts in the same way; so something that takes place with us on the vigil of Christmas is said to have happened on Christmas. And so the other Evangelists, using this way of speaking, said that the supper took place on the first day of Unleavened Bread, meaning it took place on the evening before the first full day of the feast of Unleavened Bread. But here, John the Evangelist regards the Passover as that entire daytime which was celebrated, but not as the evening before, which was also celebrated. Thus he says, before the feast of the Passover . Consequently, it is clear that our Lord's supper took place on the 14th day in the evening [the beginning of the 14th day, the day beginning in the evening].