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JOHN 8:23 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
John 8:22John 8:24
“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world — Jesus establishes the ultimate contrast. They are 'from beneath' (katōthen, from below), of 'this world' (kosmos), while he is 'from above' (anōthen), not 'of this world.' This is not a judgmental condemnation but a statement of the cosmic divide: Jesus belongs to God's realm; they belong to the world's realm that opposes God. The contrast determines everything about communication and understanding: he speaks from the divine perspective; they listen from the human and worldly perspective.

Church Fathers on John 8:23

In accordance with what was just, He said that no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come; He now speaks to the Jews of His passion, as a free, and not a compulsory sacrifice on His part: Then said Jesus again to them, I go My way. Death to our Lord was a return to the place whence He had come.

Augustine · 4th century

The connection of these words is such, that they might have been spoken at one place and one time, or at another place and another time: as either nothing at all, or some things, or many may have intervened.

Bede · 8th century

If this was spoken to men who persisted in unbelief, how is it He says, You shall seek Me? For to seek Jesus is to seek truth and wisdom. You will answer that it was said of His persecutors, that they sought to take Him. There are different ways of seeking Jesus. All do not seek Him for their health and profit: and only they who seek Him aright, find peace. And they are said to seek Him aright, who seek the Word which was in the beginning with God, in order that He may lead…

Origen · 3rd century · But some one will object
Read all 21 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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