Tractates on the Gospel of John (continued)
TRACTATE 1 45 you see where he arrived. Do you ask about the sky and the earth? They were made. Do you ask about these things that are in the sky and the earth? Much more so, of course, they, too, were made. Do you ask about spiritual beings, about the Angels, the Archangels, the Thrones, the Dominions, the Virtues, and the Principalities? Even they have been made. When the Psalm enumerated all these things, it concluded thus: "He spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created."'^ If "He spoke and they were made," it was through the Word that they were made; if, moreover, they were made through the Word, the heart of John could not have reached that which he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," unless he had risen beyond all things which were made through the Word.
(3) What kind of mountain was this, then? How holy? How high among those mountains who have received peace for the people of God in order that the hills might be able to receive justice?
6. Consider, then, my brothers, whether perhaps John is one of the mountains about which we sang a little while ago, "I have lifted my eyes to the mountains, from which help shall come to me."'^ Therefore, my brothers, if you want to understand, lift your eyes to this mountain; that is, raise yourselves up to the Evangelist, raise yourselves up to his meaning. But although these mountains receive peace, even so he cannot be at peace who places his hope in man; do not raise your eyes to the mountain in such a way that you think your hope must be put in man.
(2) And say "I have lifted my eyes to the mountains from which help shall come to me" in such a way that you add to it immediately "My help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth." Therefore let us lift our eyes to the mountains from which help shall come to us; and yet it is not the mountains themselves in which our hope is to be placed, for the mountains receive what they may present to us. Therefore we
13. Cf. Ps 148.5. 15. Cf. Jer 17.5. 14. Ps 120.1. 16. Ps 120.2.