Tractates on the Gospel of John
TRACTATE 7 167
God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows." ^'^ For all holy men are his fellows, but he is uniquely the holy of holy men, uniquely anointed, uniquely the Christ.
14. "And he led him to Jesus. But Jesus, looking upon him, said, 'You are Simon, the son of John; you shall be called Cephas' (which is interpreted "Peter")." It is not a great thing that the Lord said whose son he was. What is great to the Lord? He knew all the names of his saints whom he predestined before the constitution of the world. And do you wonder that he said to one man, "You are that one's son and you will be called that"? Is it a great thing that he changed his name and made him Peter from Simon? Now Peter is from the word for rock,^^ but the rock is the Church. Therefore, in the name of Peter the Church was represented. And who is secure if not he who builds upon a rock? And what says the Lord himself?
(2) "Who hears these my words and does them, I shall liken him to a wise man who builds upon rock" (he does not give in to temptation). "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on rock. Who hears my words and does not do them" (let each and every one of us fear and beware), "I shall liken him to a foolish man who built his house on sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and its downfall was great.'"'^ He who wishes to build upon sand, what does it profit him that he enters the Church? For by hearing and not doing, he builds, yes, but upon sand. For if he hears nothing, he builds nothing; but if he hears, he builds. But where, we ask. For if he hears and does, upon rock; if he hears and does not do, upon sand. Those who build are of two types: either [builders] upon rock or [builders] upon sand.
(3) What, then, of those who do not hear? Are they secure? Does he say they are secure because they build nothing? They are exposed under the rains, before the winds, before the
43. The Latin word for "rock" is petra. 44. Cf. Mt 7.24-27; Lk 6.47-49.