1:1] That which was from
the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we
have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
That which was from the beginning. In the true being of the
Divinity. That which we have heard, through the law and the prophets, that
which we have seen by our senses, a man coming, that which we have looked upon,
noticing divinity in the man, and that which our hands have handled, of the
Word of life: not fortuitously agreeing with him who was seen in the flesh, but
examining with much handling the Scriptures that provide testimony about the
Word itself. That which someone has seen, he can announce to others, that which
he has perfectly discerned once, he cannot explain with words.
From the beginning. The Son of God has been from the
beginning, yet the disciples have seen and heard this same in the flesh. (Bede)
And our hands. Joined with him by a great familiarity, we
have found him to have a real flesh by touching him, both before and after the
resurrection, we to whom it is said "Handle and see" (Lk. 24:39).
[1:2] (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it,
and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the
Father, and was manifested unto us;)
And we have seen. It is obvious that we are not unfaithful
witnesses, because announcing to the incredulous we have become martyrs.
And declare unto you. Thus have we heard through them, but
we have not seen, therefore we are no less blessed than they are. (Augustine)
[1:3] That which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
That you also may have society. Whoever wants to be a
partner with God, must first unite himself with the society of the Church. Nor
do they who have believed through the apostles have less than they who have
believed through Christ himself. Whence it is said, "Blessed are they that
have not seen, and have believed" (Jn. 20:29), and again "Not for
them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in
me" (Jn. 17:20). (Bede)
[1:4] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may
be full. [5] This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare
unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
And this is the annunciation. Why did the Word become
flesh? What new thing did he bring to the world? Why did he come to suffer? It
was not for nothing; see what he wanted to teach: that God is light. This
statement shows the excellence of divine purity, which we are enjoined to
imitate. By this the Manicheans are refuted, who say that the nature of God was
conquered in war by the prince of darkness and was tainted. (Bede)
Declare unto you, That God is light. We have applied
ourselves to the light; the light has illumined us. We were darkness, now
through the light we are light, and we illuminate others when we announce that
the sins are being forgiven and the darkness driven away.
God is light. Therefore, let him who wants to have
communion with light drive away the darkness of sins, because darkness cannot
have communion with light. Whence it follows. If we say "this is the
reason why the Word became flesh, to announce this to the world".
(Augustine)
[1:6] If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk
in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
If we shall say. The commending of the epistle ends here;
from here he shows how one must have charity.
And walk in darkness. Those who persist in sins and those
who cover others with obscurity are not reckoned among his members, whence:
what concord has Christ with Belial? (2 Cor. 6:15) And what communion has light
with darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14)
[1:7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin.
If we walk in the light. Thus are we clean, but yet we
ought not to think ourselves, while we live, able to be cleansed entirely of
sins. (Bede)
As he also is in the light. God is said to be in the light,
because the utmost goodness does not find where it could (still) advance; man
walks in the light, because he advances towards better things through work of
virtues.
AUG. God is light which no place lays hold of, voice which
no time takes hold of, smell which no breeze disperses, food which no gluttony
diminishes, loving embrace which no satiety tears apart. (Pseudo-Augustine
liber soliloquiorum animae ad Deum 31)
[1:8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
If we shall say, etc. Those also do not have charity, who,
taking pride in their merits, say that they are clean.
We have. He did not say "we have not had", lest
it should look as if it were said about the past life.
[1:9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we confess. Because we cannot be without sin, the first
hope of salvation is confession itself, done more out of humility than through
necessity, then there is the love with which we love him to whom we are
humbled, and charity atones for a multitude of sins. (Bede)
Pride extinguishes charity, charity extinguishes sins,
therefore let humility strengthen charity, let humility lead to confession.
(Augustine)
Forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity. Or
sins the more serious things, iniquity the lesser things.
[1:10] If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a
liar, and his word is not in us.
Liar. Only God is truthful by himself: man is truthful by
God, by himself he is a liar. It is impossible for any saint not to fall into
very small sins sometimes. But they do not cease being just, because with God's
help they rise more quickly. (Bede)
And word. AUG. in book 15 on the Trinity. The words which
we express are signs of those things which we think. Accordingly, the
word that sounds outwardly is the sign of the word that gives light inwardly;
which latter has the greater claim to be called a word. For that which is
uttered with the mouth of the flesh, is the articulate sound of a word; and is
itself also called a word, on account of that from which it was taken to appear
outwardly. For so does our word somehow become a voice of the body by assuming
the form in which it may be manifested to men's senses, as the Word of God was
made flesh by assuming the form in which he might be manifested to men's
senses. And as our word is made a voice, but is not changed into a voice, so
was the Word of God made flesh, but is not changed into flesh.
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