Tractates on the Gospel of John
TRACTATE 8 191 self, and 1 take it up again." Is this the power subject to fate, then? Let them show us a man who has the power over when he shall die, how long he shall live; they will have no one to show. Therefore let them believe God when he says, "I have the power to lay down my life, and to take it up again." And let them seek why it was said, "My hour has not yet come." And let them no longer for this reason put the maker of heaven, the creator and governor of the stars under fate. Because if there were a fate in the stars, the maker of the stars could not be subject to the destiny of the stars. What is more, not only did Christ not have what you call fate, but neither do you, nor I, nor that man, nor any man at all.
1 1. And yet the seduced seduce and propose their fallacies to men. They spread nets to capture men, and this in the streets. On the other hand, those who try to capture wild beasts do it at least in forests and in the wilderness. How unhappily vain are men for whose capture a net is spread in the forum!
(2) When men are selling themselves to men, they take money; these men give money in order to sell themselves to vanities. For they go in to the astrologer that they may buy lords for themselves, such as it pleases the astrologer to give, whether Saturn or Jupiter or Mercury or any other of sacrilegious name. A free man has gone in and paid his money to come out asa slave. No, rather, he would not go in if he were free; but he went in where Lord Error and Mistress Desire dragged him. Wherefore also Truth says, "Everyone who commits a sin is a slave of sin."^^
12. Why, then, did he say, "My hour has not yet come"? More likely because he had it in his power when he should die, but did not yet see that it was the right time to use that power. Just as, brothers, for example, we say, "It is now the scheduled time for us to go to celebrate the sacraments." If we should go before it is necessary are we not wrong and mixed up? Because, therefore, we do not act except when it is the right time, do we, therefore, in doing these things, when we