Thomas Aquinas

There follows also "And of his fullness we all have received." These words, up to that place "And this is the testimony of John," are inserted in two ways. For, according to Origen, they are words uttered by John the Baptist, and are subjoined by him as it were in proof of what has gone before; as if he were to say: truly "he was before me," because "of his fullness," namely of graces, not only I, but also all, the prophets and the fathers, "have received," because all the grace which they had, they had through faith in the incarnate Word. And according to this, from that place "John bears testimony," etc., he began to weave the beginning of his incarnation. But according to Augustine and Chrysostom, they are the words of John the Evangelist from where it is said "John bears testimony"; and then it is continued to what he had said, "full of grace and truth," so that it may be said thus: above, the Evangelist showed the evidence of the Word, which became known both through sight and through hearing; but here he explains both: and first, how it became known to the apostles by sight, as receiving from Christ; second, how John testified concerning him, there, "And this is the testimony of John." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows Christ to be the fontal origin of all spiritual grace; second he shows the grace derived into us through him and from him, there, "and grace for grace." He says therefore first: it is clear by experience, that "we saw him full of grace and truth," because "of his fullness we all have received." Now there is a fullness of sufficiency, by which someone is sufficient for performing meritorious and excellent acts, as in Stephen. Likewise there is a fullness of redundance, by which the blessed Virgin excels all the saints, on account of the eminence and abundance of her merits. There is also a fullness of efficiency and of effluence, which belongs to the man Christ alone, as it were to the author of grace. For thus the blessed Virgin caused grace to redound into us, yet in such a way that she was in no wise the author of grace, but from her soul grace redounded into her flesh; for through the grace of the Holy Spirit, not only was the mind of the Virgin perfectly united to God through love, but her womb was supernaturally impregnated by the Holy Spirit. And therefore, as soon as Gabriel had said "Hail, full of grace," he added concerning the fullness of the womb, saying "the Lord is with thee." Therefore, in order that the Evangelist might show this singular fullness of redundance and of efficiency concerning Christ, he said "of his fullness we all have received," namely all the apostles, and the patriarchs, and the prophets, and the just, who were, are, and will be, and also all the Angels.

Note that this preposition "of" (de) sometimes indeed denotes efficiency, or original cause, as when it is said, the ray is, or proceeds, "from" the sun; and in this way it denotes in Christ the efficiency of grace, or authorship, because the fullness of grace which is in Christ is the cause of all the graces which are in all intellectual creatures. Ecclesiasticus, chapter 24:26: "Come to me, all you who desire me, and be filled from my generations," which namely proceed from me, "be filled," by participation of the sufficient fullness. But sometimes this preposition "of" denotes consubstantiality, as when it is said, the Son is "of" the Father; and according to this the fullness of Christ is the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from him consubstantial to him in nature, in power, and in majesty. For although the habitual gifts in the soul of Christ are other than those which are in us, nevertheless the Holy Spirit, who is in him, one and the same, fills all who are to be sanctified. 1 Corinthians 12:11: "All these things one and the same Spirit works"; Joel 2:28: "I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh"; Romans, chapter 8:9: "If anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." For the unity of the Holy Spirit makes unity in the Church; Wisdom 1:7: "The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world." In a third way this preposition "of" denotes partiality, as when we say, take "of" this bread, or wine, that is, take a part, and not the whole; and taking it in this way, it marks that in the receivers a part is derived from the fullness. For he himself received all the gifts of the Holy Spirit without measure, according to a perfect fullness; but we participate some part of his fullness through him; and this according to the measure which God has divided to each one. Ephesians 4:7: "But to each one of us grace is given, according to the measure of the giving."

Then when he says "and grace for grace" he shows the derivation of graces into us through Christ. Here he does two things. First he shows that we have received grace from Christ, with him as author; second, that we have received wisdom from him, there, "No one has ever seen God." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows that we have received of his fullness; second he shows the necessity of receiving, there, "because the law was given through Moses," etc. Now he says first that we have received of the fullness of Christ this which I say, "and grace for grace." But by this that is set down, we are compelled to understand that of his fullness we received grace, and for that grace we received another; and therefore it must be seen what is the first grace, for which we received the second, and what that second is. Now according to Chrysostom, the first grace, which the whole human race received, was the grace of the Old Testament received in the law, which indeed was great, according to that of Proverbs 4:2: "I will give you a good gift," etc. For it was a great thing that to idolatrous men precepts were given by God, and the true knowledge of the one true God; Romans 3:1: "What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way. First indeed because the words of God were entrusted to them." Therefore for that grace, which was the first, we received a second far better; Zechariah 4:7: "He will make equal grace." But was not the first grace sufficient? I reply that it must be said, that it was not, because through the law only the knowledge of sin is given, not its removal. For "the law brought no one to perfection," Hebrews 7:19. And therefore it was necessary that another grace should come, taking away sins, and reconciling to God. And therefore he says "because the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Here the Evangelist prefers Christ to the lawgiver Moses, to whom the Baptist had preferred himself. Now Moses was reckoned the greatest of the prophets; Deuteronomy, last chapter, 10: "There arose no more a prophet in Israel like Moses." But he prefers him to Moses, as to the excellence and dignity of the works, because "the law was given through Moses"; and of these two, the one excels the other as much as the thing figured excels the figure, and the truth the shadow itself. For "the law had a shadow of the good things to come," etc.; Hebrews 10:1. Likewise he excels as to the manner of working: because the law was given through Moses, as through one proposing it, not through one making it; because, "the Lord alone is our lawgiver": Isaiah 33:22. But "grace and truth came through Christ," as through the Lord and author of truth and grace, as was expounded above.

But according to Augustine, the first is the justifying and prevenient grace, which is not given to us from works; Romans 11:6: "But if by grace, then it is not now from works." Therefore for that grace, namely the imperfect, we received another consummated grace, namely of eternal life. And although eternal life is in some way acquired by merits, nevertheless because the principle of meriting in all is prevenient grace, therefore eternal life is called grace; Romans 6:23: "The grace of God is eternal life." And, to conclude briefly, whatever is added to prevenient grace of grace, the whole is called "grace for grace." Now the necessity of the second grace is from the insufficiency of the law, which showed what was to be done and what was to be avoided; but for fulfilling the things which it commanded, it offered no help; nay rather, by occasion it worked death, which nevertheless seemed to have been unto life; the Apostle, Romans 7:10, and 2 Corinthians 3:9, says that the law was the minister of death: for "if the ministration of condemnation is in glory, much more does the ministry of justice abound in glory." Likewise it promised the help of grace, but did not deliver it, because "the law brings no one to perfection," as is said in Hebrews 7:19. Likewise through sacrifices and ceremonies it figured the truth of the new grace, by its very rite proclaiming it a figure; and therefore it was necessary that Christ should come, who by his own death should destroy others' deaths, and confer the help of new grace, so that we might easily and delightfully fulfill the precepts, and might die to the transgression and the old manner of life; Romans 6:6: "Our old man is crucified together," etc. Likewise, that the truth of the figures contained in the law might be made manifest, and that the promises made to the fathers might be fulfilled; 2 Corinthians 1. Or otherwise, "the truth came through Christ," as to the wisdom and truth hidden from the ages, which, coming into the world, he openly taught, below, chapter 18:37: "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, that I might bear testimony to the truth." But if Christ himself is the truth, as is said below, chapter 14:6, how did the truth come through him, since nothing can be made by itself? I reply, it must be said, that he himself is by his essence the uncreated truth; which is eternal, and not made, but begotten by the Father; but through him were made all created truths, which are certain participations and reflections of the first truth, which shine forth in holy souls.