Tractates on the Gospel of John 1-10
The Virtues in Late Antique Sermons | Augustine, Sermons
General remarks
Tractates on the Gospel of John 1-10, translated by John W. Rettig In the tractates Augustine gives an exegesis of the Gospel of John a few verses at a time. The first tractates focus on the image of Christ as the Word of God. The next few discuss the symbolism of baptism and the necessity of Christ’s baptism after John’s baptism. The last few tractates in this group focus on creating connections between the Old and New Testaments. In that respect, they are similar to Prudentius’ preface; Augustine finds symbolism in practically every word of the Gospel and extrapolates situations and sometimes manipulates bible passages to show the prefigurement of Christ in the Old Testament that now shows up in the Gospels. Augustine is concerned, as with his other sermons, with the Donatist heresy present in North Africa at that time. Several of the sermons deal with Donatism directly, though rarely mentioning the actual name, and proclaim orthodoxy in matters of faith (ex. Tractates 5 and 6). The style is erudite and asks many rhetorical questions, as though Augustine is having a debate with someone at times. These sermons are, for the most part, in chronological order as part of Augustine's series on John, but Rettig notes that other sermons were sometimes given between the tractates.
Augustine rarely teaches morality (except to warn against Donatist drunkenness and pagan festivals) and virtues/vices generally come up in only relation to certain examples. Both Christ and John the Baptist are continually praised for their humility/lowliness (used interchangeably): Christ is humble by submitting to become man and by suffering on the cross, John the Baptist (like Paul later) is humble because he constantly points the way to Christ, never glorifying himself.
Tractate 1, John 1:1-5
John is a “mountain” who helps people, “hills,” in their faith through his inspired writings. Regular words are spoken and pass away; the Word of God was begotten, not made, and all things were created through this Word. Not all things have a life or soul, but everything God creates is life while in him.
Tractate 2, John 1:6-14
To get to our destination, we must cross the “sea of this world”; Christ has provided the wood of the Cross to cross the sea. Through Christ’s birth on Earth, we can become sons of God and, though this adoption, we become coheirs of Christ’s inheritance.
Tractate 3, John 1:15-18
The Law, which was announced by Moses but created by Christ, oppresses men until Christ forgives their transgressions. God gives the grace of faith gratuitously; those who practice faith receive eternal life in return. No one is able to see God; Christ was visible because he took on flesh.
Tractate 4, John 1:19-33
John was a lamp showing the way to Christ; he is humble and denies being a prophet, although he is symbolic of the Prophet Elias’ role in heralding the coming of Christ. Christ received baptism, although he didn’t need it, so that no one might disdain baptism; John recognized Christ by the dove.
John is an example of humility because he merely pointed the way to Christ and did not take any credit for himself (Sect. 3, p. 94) (see John 1:19-33)
Tractate 5, John 1:33
Ministers are able to baptize in Christ’s name; there is only ever one true baptism (that of Christ), each person does not create his own baptism. Those whom John baptized need to be rebaptized in Christ, since Christ baptizes in the Holy Spirit; however, those baptized in Christ by an unworthy minister do not need to be rebaptized. This sermon is particularly directed against the Donatists, who believed that an unworthy minister could not confect a valid sacrament.
Augustine references drunkenness in conjunction with the Donatists; the Donatists were known for drinking and wild celebrations (Sect. 17, pp. 124-5)
Tractate 6, John 1:32-33
The dove, representing the Holy Spirit and those who belong to Christ, is in opposition to the raven, those who are consumed by earthly matters; this references Noah who sent out both a dove and a raven from the ark and the dove returned (here the ark is the Church). No baptism outside the Church is valid; there are evil men within the Church who already have baptism, but they will be weeded out from the good men by God.
Stephen, in his speeches against impious men, has “fiery words,” “great vehemence,” and “rages” (see Acts 7:51), but Augustine sees this as an example not of anger, but of the fervor that the Holy Spirit inspires (Sect. 3 p. 131-2). Through the dove (Holy Spirit), all tongues are unified, but pride causes disunity: Augustine uses the example of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9) as the act of pride that divided mankind (Sect. 10, pp. 137-9). The pride of the Tower of Babel is counteracted by Christ’s humility (p. 139). The dove (Holy Spirit) is a model of humility; the raven (non-believers) is an example of pride (Sect. 10, p. 139).
Tractate 7, John 1.34-51
Christ bought mankind with a price and Christ is the sole possessor of men; men should not then go to fortune-tellers, enchanters, etc. since they are not of Christ. Christ did not choose Nathaniel as an apostle because he preferred to call the weak and unlearned rather than the learned; however, Nathaniel still needed Christ as the physician to heal him.
Tractate 8, John 2:1-4
Christ went to the wedding at Cana; he is also the bridegroom of the wedding between himself and the Church, his bride. Some wrongly assume that Mary is not Christ’s mother because he called her “Woman”; Christ did not call her “mother” since he was about to perform a miracle, which he does through his divinity, and Mary gave birth to him in his humanity.
Augustine condemns those who believe astrology as people who want to “buy lords for themselves…whether Saturn or Jupiter or Mercury or any other of sacrilegious name” (Sect. 11, p. 191).
Tractate 9, John 2:1-11
Old Testament prophecy was “water” before Christ was understood in it and it became “wine”. Augustine creates an elaborate analogy in which each of the six water jars which Christ transfigures into wine represents one of the eras of history (Adam – Noah, Noah – Abraham, Abraham – David, David – Babylonian exile, Exile – John the Baptist, John – end of the world) and prefigures something about Christ. This sermon is similar to Prudentius’ preface and the extended analogy about Abraham in its attempt to connect the Old and New Testaments through prefigurement of Christ.
Tractate 10, John 2:12-21
Those who are called Christ’s “brothers” are not Mary’s children but are those people who “do the will of [the] Father” (Luke 11:27). The Donatists seek to sell the “dove” – i.e. the Holy Spirit – when you can get it for free. All should have zeal for God’s house; do not let others disrespect the house of God.
