Tractates on the Gospel of John
TRACTATE 9 199 did he make wine from water? When he opened their understanding to them and explained the Scriptures to them, beginning with Moses through all the Prophets. Now, intoxicated by this, they said, "Was not our heart burning on the road when he opened to us the Scriptures?" For they understood Christ in these books in which they had not known him. (2) Therefore our Lord, Jesus Christ, changed water into wine; and what was tasteless acquires taste, what was not intoxicating intoxicates. For if he had ordered the water poured out of them and so himself put in wine from the secret hollows of creation from which he also created the bread when he satisfied so many thousands — for five loaves would not afford satisfaction to five thousand men, or indeed [produce] twelve full baskets, but the omnipotence of the Lord was, so to speak, a fountain of bread — thus he could have also, after the water had been poured out, poured in wine; but if he had done this, he would have seemed to have repudiated the old Scripture.
(3) But when he turned the water itself into wine, he showed us that the ancient Scripture comes from him too; for by his order the jars were filled. This Scripture, too, is indeed from the Lord; but it has no taste if Christ should not be understood in it.
6. But consider carefully what he said: "The things which have been written in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning '^e." Now we know from what time he sets forth the Law, that is, from the beginning of the world: "In the beginning God made heaven and earth."'** From then right down to this time which we are now living is the sixth era, as less" to duplicate the Augustinian word play. The Greek text of Lk 24.25, quoted in section 4, reads andetoi, "not understanding"; the Vulgate translates this stulti, "stupid." Augustine's version has insensati, a negative adjective created from the root of the verb sentire which means both "to discern by the senses" and "to discern by the mind." The English word "senseless," while it does not ordinarily carry both meanings, nonetheless best conveys the word play.