Prologue — Exposition of St. Thomas

12. In this Jerome aims to express two things, namely the author of the Gospel, and to show that he was qualified to write it.

Therefore it is divided into two parts. First he describes John as to his life; second, as to his death, where it says, this is John.

Concerning the first point, he does two things. First he describes the author of the work, as to the gifts conferred on him in life; second, he shows by them his fittingness for composing a Gospel, where he says, finally revealing in a Gospel.

Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he shows the illustriousness of the author; second, he proves it, where he says, of whose virginity in this a two-fold testimony is given in the Gospel.

13. For he describes the author according to his name, saying this is John, in whom there is grace: by the grace of God I am what I am (1 Cor 15:10). Second, according to his office, when he says, the Evangelist: the first shall say to Zion, behold, I am here, and I will give an Evangelist to Jerusalem (Isa 41:27). Third, according to his dignity, where he says, one of the disciples of the Lord; I will make all your children to be taught by the Lord (Isa 54:13). Fourth, according to the virtue of chastity, where he says, who was a virgin. Fifth, by election, at was chosen by the Lord; as it says below: you have not chosen me (John 15:16). Sixth, by the manner of his calling, where it says that he called him from his wedding, namely that wedding to which Jesus was invited with his disciples, where he changed the water into wine.

14. But to the contrary is what is said in Matthew, that he was called with his brother James from their boat, not from a wedding (Matt 4:21).

To this it should be said that there were several callings of the apostles. For first they were called to the acquaintance of Christ, but finally they were called to discipleship, namely, when having left everything, they followed Jesus. Therefore what Jerome says is to be understood concerning John’s first calling, when John was called from his wedding to the aquaintanceship of Christ; but what Matthew says is to be understood as to his final calling, in which he called him from his boat with his brother James, which was when he left everything and followed Christ.

15. Accordingly, when he says of whose virginity in this a two-fold testimony is given, he proves the illustriousness of John’s virginity by two signs.

First, by the sign of his greater love. And as to this he says, whose, that is, John’s, in this, namely, this Gospel, a two-fold testimony of virginity is given in the Gospel, that is, by the words of the Gospel, or else those that are contained in the Gospel, because he is also said to be loved by God above the other disciples: this is that disciple who gives testimony of these things and has written these things (John 21:24). But for the sake of this special love was his purity, which further provoked him to love: he who loves cleanness of heart shall have the king for a friend on account of the grace of his lips (Prov 22:11).

Second, he proves the same thing by the sign of entrusting him with his mother, where he says: and to him, that is, to John, the Lord, that is, hanging on the cross, entrusted his mother, so that a virgin, that is, John, might protect a virgin mother fittingly (John 19:27).

16. Next, when he says, finally revealing in the Gospel, he shows that John was qualified to write the Gospel; and this for four reasons.

First, as to the beginning of the Gospel, which begins with an incorruptible Word, whom it was only fitting that an incorrupted man should discuss. And as to that, he says, finally revealing, that is, John, in the Gospel, because he himself was an inaugurating work of the incorruptible Word, he testifies that the Word was made flesh, and the light was not comprehended by the darkness.

17. Second, as to the prelude to miracles.

For he begins to weave the order of miracles from the miracle that God shows at the wedding, when he changed water into wine, as is clear from John 2:1–11, where the wedding wine ran out, and was replaced with new wine, that is, virginity. And as to this, he says, the first sign, that is, miracle, which the Lord did at the wedding, setting forth, namely, in the beginning of all the other miracles, showing that he himself was, namely, a virgin, so that he might demonstrate to those reading that where the Lord was invited, the wine of the wedding, that is, the enjoyment of conjugality, had to run out; and to the unchanged old ones, that is, the old water into new wine, all the new things that were instituted by Christ would appear; because namely men converted to Christ should cast off the old man and put on the new man (Col 3:10), and the one who was sitting on the throne, says, behold, I make all things new (Rev 21:5).

18. But to the contrary. It seems by the fact that he says that where the Lord is invited the wine of marriage must run out, that whoever loves God, and loves him rationally, must quit marriage: and then it would not be permitted to take a wife.

I answer that a man is invited by God in two ways: with regard to the shared grace and in that way it is not necessary for the wine of marriage to fall short; or with regard to the special zenith of contemplation: and in this way it is necessary for the wine of marriage to fall short. The reason for this the Apostle designates: for the woman who is married thinks how to please her husband, and thus she is necessarily hampered from the act of contemplation, but the one who is not married, thinks how to please Christ (1 Cor 7:34).

Or it may be said that for those loving God, and possessing him by grace, the wine of marriage must fall short in the effect of wine, that is, so that they are not drunk with fleshly enjoyment, which can be so great and can be practiced with so much sexual desire that even between spouses there can be mortal sin.

19. Third, as to the order of description of the book.

For after all the other books of Sacred Scripture, this Gospel was written. For although the canon of Scripture begins with the book of Genesis and ends in Revelation, this Gospel was composed after John was recalled from the island of Patmos to Asia, where he wrote this Gospel at the request of the bishops of Asia. But nevertheless it is not ranked last, although he wrote it last. From this the fittingness of his writing the Gospel is shown so that for the one for whom in the beginning of the canon of Sacred Scripture, where it is said: in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen 1:1), an incorruptible beginning is set down in Genesis, to him also an incorruptible end is rendered by a virgin in the book of Revelation, as regards the order of the books, not as to the order of Scripture.

20. Next when he says this is John, he is described as author: and concerning this he does two things.

First he sets forth the illustriousness of his praise as regards his death; second he concludes from these things the fittingness of the order of this Gospel, at yet he wrote a Gospel after everyone else.

21. But the privilege of his death is wondrous and unique, for he experienced no suffering in death; and God did this so that someone who stood out as almost a stranger to the corruption of the flesh, should be a foreigner to the suffering of death.

22. He shows the fittingness of this author for our faith, saying yet he wrote a Gospel after everyone else.

In books of Sacred Scripture a two-fold order is considered, namely, the one of the time in which they were written, and the other of the disposition to which they are ordered in the Bible.