Andreas of Caesarea : John says this with reference to the close union of the Word with the flesh. Or perhaps he says this with reference to the resurrection, considering the way in which it was made known to the apostles by the action of Thomas. That proved that Christ rose again with the same flesh in which he had been crucified. — CATENA Augustine of Hippo : "The Life was manifested." Christ therefore is "the word of life." And whereby manifested? For it was "from the beginning," only not manifested to men: but it was manifested to angels, who saw it and fed on it as their bread. But what saith the Scripture? "Man did eat angels' bread." Well then "the Life was manifested" in the flesh; because it exhibited in manifestation, that that which can be seen by the heart only, should be seen by the eyes also, that it might heal the hearts. For only by the heart is the Word seen: but the flesh is seen by the bodily eyes also. We had wherewith to see the flesh, but had not wherewith to see the Word: "the Word was made flesh," which we might see, that so that in us might be healed wherewith we might see the Word. — Ten Homilies on 1 John 1 Augustine of Hippo : "We have seen and are witnesses." Perhaps some of the brethren who are not acquainted with the Greek do not know what the word "witnesses" is in Greek: and yet it is a term much used by all, and had in religious reverence; for what in our tongue we call "witnesses," in Greek are "martyrs." Now where is the man that has not heard of martyrs, or where the Christian in whose mouth the name of martyrs dwelleth not every day? For it was for bearing witness of that which they had seen, and bearing witness of that which they had heard from them who had seen, that, while their testimony itself displeased the men against whom it was delivered, the martyrs suffered all that they did suffer. The martyrs are God's witnesses. — Ten Homilies on 1 John 1 Bede : And the life was manifested, etc. He refers to that life which speaks in the Gospel: "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11); which was manifested through divine miracles declared in the flesh, and the disciples present saw what they would testify to posterity with undoubted truth, when performing signs, as John himself wrote, He manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him (John 2). And because the apostle John testifies that he saw the life manifested with his co-apostles, the heretic Apelles should be confounded with his followers, who contends that the same life, that is, the Lord Savior, appeared to the world not as God in truth, but as a man in fantasy. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles Bede : And we proclaim to you eternal life, etc. It was with the Father in eternal divinity, and appeared in time to the world in humanity. — Commentary on the Catholic Epistles Clement of Alexandria ((as quoted by Cassiodorus)) : "The life was manifested." For in the Gospel he thus speaks: "And what was made, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men." "And we show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto you." He signifies by the appellation of Father, that the Son also existed always, without beginning. — From the Latin Translation of Cassiodorus Didymus the Blind : Note that there is an important difference between seeing and contemplating. For what is seen can be told to others, which is not always possible with things which are contemplated. For there are many things which may be perfectly well contemplated but which cannot be expressed in words because they are known by some ineffable understanding. In this verse it should be noticed that those who are bearing witness are not validating the life of Jesus but improving themselves by their confession. — COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN Oecumenius : "And we declare to you eternal life, which was with the Father and was revealed to us." "And we declare to you the life." Therefore, what we have seen, we also declare to you, John says. What is that? That he who is eternal life has been revealed to us, and we have become witnesses of him both before his crucifixion and after his resurrection. For he was indeed nailed to the cross in the flesh, and in that same flesh he rose again. — Commentary on 1 John Tertullian : For its salvation is endangered, not by its being ignorant of itself, but of the word of God. "The life," says He, "was manifested," not the soul. — On the Flesh of Christ