10. Yet my soul was weighed down with fear
both for itself and for the body. It retained a firm conviction,
and a devout loyalty to the true faith concerning God, but had come to
harbour a deep anxiety concerning itself and the bodily dwelling which
must, it thought, share its destruction. While in this state, in
addition to its knowledge of the teaching of the Law and Prophets, it
learned the truths taught by the Apostle in the Gospel;—In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things
were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made.
That which was made in Him is life Cf. Hilary’s
explanation of this passage in Book ii. §§ 19, 20.,
and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness,
and the darkness apprehended it not. There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John. He came for witness, that he might bear
witness of the light. That was the true light, which lighteneth
every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world,
and the world was made through Him, and the world knew Him not.
He came unto His own things, and they that were His own received Him
not. But to as many as received Him He gave power to become sons
of God, even to them that believe on His Name; which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of
God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, glory as of the Only-begotten from the Father, full of grace
and truth St. John i. 1–14.. Here the soul
makes an advance beyond the attainment of its natural capacities, is
taught more than it had dreamed concerning God. For it learns
that its Creator is God of God; it hears that the Word is God and was
with God in the beginning. It comes to understand that the Light
of the world was abiding in the world and that the world knew Him not;
that He came to His own possession and that they that were His own
received Him not; but that they who do receive Him by virtue of their
faith advance to be sons of God, being born not of the embrace of the
flesh nor of the conception of the blood nor of bodily desire, but of
God; finally, it learns that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and that His glory was seen, which, as of the Only-begotten from the
Father, is perfect through grace and truth.