Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

“(Hom. xxxi. 4) As if she said, Thou canst not say that Jacob gave us this spring, and used another himself; for he and they that were with him drank thereof, which would not have been done, had he had another better one. Thou canst not then give me of this spring; and Thou hast not another better spring, unless Thou confess Thyself greater than Jacob. Whence then hast Thou the water, which Thou promisest to give us?”

“(Tr. xv. c. 13.) She understands the living water to be the water in the well; and therefore says, Thou wishest to give me living water; but Thou hast nothing to draw with as I have: Thou canst not then give me this living water; Art Thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?”

“Next, when he says, Jesus answered and said to her, etc., the Evangelist narrates the spiritual teaching itself. And first the teaching itself is set down; second, the effect of the teaching, where it says, And immediately his disciples came. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down summarily the whole teaching; second he explains it part by part, where it says, The woman said to him: Lord, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. He said therefore: you marvel that I, a Jew, asked drink of you, a Samaritan; but you ought not to marvel, because I came for this, that I might give drink even to the Gentiles. And so he said, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink, you would perhaps have asked of him. And, to begin from the last point, it must be asked what is meant by water. And it must be said that by water is understood the grace of the Holy Spirit, which indeed is sometimes called fire, sometimes water, so that it may be shown that neither the one nor the other is said according to a property of substance, but according to a likeness of action. For it is called fire, because it lifts up the heart through fervor and heat, Romans 12:11: "fervent in spirit," etc., and because it consumes sins; Song of Songs 8: "the lamps thereof are lamps of fire and flames." Water, however, it is called on account of cleansing; Ezekiel 36:25: "I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness." And on account of refreshment from the heats of temptations; Ecclesiasticus 3:33: "burning fire, water extinguishes." And on account of satisfying against thirst for earthly things, and for whatsoever temporal things; Isaiah 55:1: "all you that thirst, come to the waters." Now there is a twofold water: namely living and not-living. Not-living water is that which is not continuous with its source from which it springs forth, but, gathered from rain or from elsewhere, is kept in pools and cisterns, separated from its source. Living water, however, is that which is continuous with its source, and flows forth from it. According to this, therefore, the grace of the Holy Spirit is rightly called living water, because the grace of the Holy Spirit itself is given to a man in such a way that nonetheless the very fount of grace is given, namely the Holy Spirit. Indeed, through him grace is given; Romans 5:5: "the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who is given to us." For the Holy Spirit himself is the unfailing fount from which all the gifts of graces flow forth; 1 Corinthians 13:11: "all these things the one and the same Spirit works," etc. And hence it is that if someone has a gift of the Holy Spirit, and not the Spirit, the water is not continuous with its source, and therefore it is dead, and not living; James 2:20: "faith without works is dead." Thus, then, it is clear what is understood by water. But next it is shown that, in order to have living water, that is grace, in adults it is arrived at through desire, that is through petition; Psalm 9:17: "the Lord has heard the desire of the poor," because without petition and desire grace is not given to anyone. Hence we say that in the justification of the impious free will is required for detesting sins and for desiring grace, according to that word of Matthew 7:7: "ask, and you shall receive." So much indeed is desire required, that even the Son himself is induced to ask; Psalm 2:8: "ask of me, and I will give you." Hence no one who contradicts grace receives it, unless he is first led back to a desire for grace, as is clear in Paul, who before he received grace was led back to a desire for grace, saying, Acts 9:6, "Lord, what will you have me do?" And hence it is that it is said pointedly, You would perhaps have asked of him. And he says perhaps on account of free will, by which a man sometimes desires and asks for grace, sometimes not. But a man's desire is incited to ask for grace from two things, namely from knowledge of the good to be desired, and from knowledge of the giver; and therefore he sets forth two things to be known. First, namely, the gift itself; hence he says, If you knew the gift of God, which is every desirable good, which is from the Holy Spirit; Wisdom 8:21: "I know that I cannot otherwise be continent, except God give it." And this is the gift of God, etc. Second he sets forth the giver himself; hence he says, and who it is that says to you, etc., namely, if you knew him who is able to give, who I am; below, 15:26: "when the Paraclete has come, whom I will send you from the Father, ... he shall give testimony of me"; Psalm 67:19: "he gave gifts to men." Thus, then, this teaching is about three things: namely about the gift of living water, about the petition for this gift itself, and about its giver. And therefore, when he says, The woman said to him, etc., he treats the teaching itself explicitly as to these three things: and first as to the gift; second as to the petition, where it says, The woman said to him: Lord, I see that you are a prophet; third as to the giver, where it says, The woman said to him: I know that the Messiah is coming, etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he explains the gift, showing its power; second he treats of the perfection of the gift itself, where it says, The woman said to him: Lord, give me this water, etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First the woman's inquiry is set down; second Christ's response, where it says, Jesus answered, and said to her: whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again. Concerning the first it must be known that this Samaritan woman took the words which the Lord understood spiritually in a carnal sense, because she was an animal person. 1 Corinthians 2:14: "the animal man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God." And therefore the words which the Lord was speaking, as though they were unsuitable and impossible, she tried to refute using a certain argument, in this way: you promise me living water, either then from this well, or from another; but not from this one, because you have neither anything to draw with, and the well is deep; and from another it does not seem credible that you can give, because you are not greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well. First, then, pursuing the first point, let us look at what she says: Lord, you have nothing to draw with, that is, you lack a vessel by which you could draw water from the well, and the well is deep, namely so that without a drawing-vessel you cannot reach it by hand. By the height, or depth, of the well is understood the depth of Sacred Scripture, and of divine wisdom; Ecclesiastes 7:25: "a great depth, and who," etc.; the drawing-vessel, however, by which the water of saving wisdom is drawn, is prayer; James 1:5: "if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." He shows the second point when he says, Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well? etc.; as if to say: do you have better water to give us than Jacob? Now she calls Jacob her father, not because the Samaritans were of the lineage of Jacob, as appears from what was said above, but because they had the law of Moses, and because they had entered the land promised to the seed of Jacob. Now this woman commends this well on three counts. First from the authority of the giver; hence she says, our father Jacob, who gave us the well. Second from the sweetness of the water, and she says that Jacob himself drank from it, and his sons: for unless it had been sweet, they themselves would not have drunk it, but would have given it over to the cattle. Third from its abundance, when she says, and his cattle: for since it was sweet, unless it had been most abundant, they would not have given it to the cattle. So too Sacred Scripture is great in authority, because it was given by the Holy Spirit; it is delightful in sweetness, Psalm 118:103: "how sweet are your words to my palate." Again it is fruitful in abundance, because it is communicated not only to the wise, but also to the unlearned. Next, when he says, Jesus answered, etc., the Lord's response is set down, where he explains the power of his teaching: and first as to this, that he had said it to be water; second as to this, that he had said it to be living water, where it says, but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water leaping up into life everlasting. Now he shows that his teaching is the best water from this, that it has the effect of water, namely that it takes away thirst much more than this bodily water; showing that in this he is greater than Jacob. And so he says, Jesus answered, and said to her, as if to say: you say that Jacob gave you the well, but I will give better water, because whoever drinks of this water, namely bodily water, or the water of carnal desire and concupiscence, although the appetite is settled for an hour, nevertheless will thirst again, because the appetite of delight is insatiable; Proverbs 23:35: "when shall I awake, and find wine again?" But whoever shall drink of the water, namely spiritual water, that I shall give him, shall not thirst forever; Isaiah, second to last chapter, 13: "my servants shall drink, and you shall thirst." But against this: Ecclesiasticus 24:29, it is said: "they that drink me, shall yet thirst." How then shall he not thirst forever who drinks of this water, namely divine wisdom, since wisdom itself says: they that drink me, shall yet thirst? But it must be said that both are true: because he who drinks of the water that Christ gives both thirsts still and does not thirst; but he who drinks of bodily water will thirst again: and this for two reasons. First, because material and carnal water is not perpetual, nor does it have a perpetual cause, but a failing one; hence its effect too must cease; Wisdom 5:9: "all these things have passed away like a shadow," etc. Spiritual water, however, has a perpetual cause, namely the Holy Spirit, who is the fount of life, never failing; and therefore he who drinks of it shall not thirst forever, just as one who had within his belly a fountain of living water would never thirst. There is another reason, because there is a difference between a spiritual and a temporal thing. For although each generates thirst, yet in different ways: because a temporal thing, once had, causes indeed a thirst not for itself, but for another thing; the spiritual thing, however, takes away the thirst for another thing, and causes a thirst for itself. The reason for this is that a temporal thing, before it is possessed, is reckoned to be of great price and sufficient; but after it is possessed, because it is found neither so great nor sufficient to quiet desire, therefore it does not satisfy desire, but rather one is moved to have something else. A spiritual thing, however, is not known except when it is possessed, Apocalypse 2:17: "no one knows, except him who receives it." And therefore, not possessed, it does not move desire; but when it is possessed and known, then it delights the affection and moves desire, not indeed to have something else, but because it is perceived imperfectly on account of the imperfection of the recipient, it moves one to have it perfectly. And of this thirst it is said in Psalm 41:2: "my soul has thirsted for God, the living fountain." But this thirst in this world is not entirely taken away, because we cannot perceive spiritual goods perfectly in this life; and therefore he who drinks of this water will still indeed thirst for its perfection; but he shall not thirst forever, as though the water itself should fail; because, as it is said in Psalm 35:9, "they shall be inebriated with the plenty of your house." But in the life of glory, where the blessed drink perfectly the water of divine grace, they shall not thirst forever; Matthew 5:6: "blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice," namely in this world, because they shall be satisfied in the life of glory. Next, when he says, but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water leaping up into life everlasting, he shows his teaching to be living water from the motion of the water itself; hence he says that it is a flowing fount, Psalm 45:5: "the stream of the river makes the city of God joyful." But the course of material water is one thing, namely downward, and that of this spiritual water another, because it leads upward; and so he says: I say that material water is such that it does not take away thirst, but the water that I give not only takes away thirst, but is living because it is joined to the fount; hence he says that it will become in him a fountain: a fountain, I say, leading through good works to life everlasting. Therefore he says leaping up, that is, making one leap, into life everlasting, where there is no thirst; below, chapter 7:38: "he who believes in me, rivers," namely of good desires, "shall flow from his belly, of living water"; Psalm 35:10: "with you is the fountain of life." Next, when he says, The woman said to him, the petition for the gift is treated: and first the manner of perceiving the gift itself is set down; second the woman is convinced, where it says, Jesus said to her: You have well said, etc. The manner of perceiving it, as has been said, is through prayer and petition: and so first the woman's petition is set down; second Christ's response, where it says, Jesus said to her, Go, etc. As to the first it must be noted that this woman, at the outset of their mutual conversation, did not call Christ Lord, but simply a Jew, saying: how do you, being a Jew, ask to drink of me? Here, however, as soon as she hears that he could be useful to her, and could give water, she calls him Lord; hence it says, the woman said to him: Lord, give me this water. For because she understood this carnally, and was held by a twofold bodily necessity, namely thirst and labor, in coming to the well and carrying the water, therefore, asking for water, she alleges these two things, saying as to the first, that I may not thirst, and as to the second, neither come here to draw. For naturally man shrinks from labor; Psalm 72:5: "they are not in the labor of men." Jesus said to her: Go, etc. Here the Lord's response is set down. But it must be known that the Lord was answering spiritually, but the woman understood it carnally; and therefore this can be explained in two ways. In one way, according to Chrysostom, who says that the Lord wished to give the water of spiritual teaching not to her alone, but especially to her husband; because, as it is said 1 Corinthians 11:3, "the head of the woman is the man," and therefore he wished that the precepts of God should come to the woman through the man, 1 Corinthians 14:35, it is said that "if a woman wishes to learn anything, let her ask her husband at home." And therefore he says, Go, call your husband, and come here; and then with him, and through him, I will give it to you. In another way, according to Augustine, it is explained mystically. For just as the Lord was speaking figuratively about the water, so also about the husband. Now this husband, according to Augustine, is the understanding: for the will brings forth and conceives from the apprehensive power moving it; hence the will is like the woman; the reason, however, moving the will is her husband. Because, then, the woman, that is, the will, was ready to receive, but was not moved by the intellect and reason so as to understand this specially, but was still held under sense, therefore the Lord said to her, Go, you who are sensual, call your husband, that is, summon your rational understanding, by which you may understand spiritually and intelligibly what you now perceive carnally; and come here, being led by reason in your understanding. The woman answered, etc. Here the woman is convinced by Christ. And first her response is set down; second the assertion by which she is convinced by Christ, where it says, You have well said. Concerning the first it must be known that the woman, wishing to conceal her shame, and believing Christ to be a mere man, although she answered Christ truly, nevertheless kept her disgrace hidden feignedly and secretly; because, according to what is said in Ecclesiasticus 9:10: "a fornicating woman shall be trodden upon as dung in the way." And therefore she answered and said: I have no husband. And this was true: because although before she had had several, namely five, now indeed she had no legitimate husband, but was attached to a certain man; and therefore she is convinced by the Lord. Hence it says, Jesus said to her: You have well said, that I have no husband, namely legitimate; for you have had five husbands, before this one, and the one you now have, that is, whom you use in the manner of a husband, is not your husband; this you have truly said: because you have no husband. Now the reason the Lord said to her these things which she had not taught him, and which seemed hidden to her, was so that he might lead the woman back to spiritual understanding and to believe that there is something divine in Christ. Mystically, however, the five husbands are the five books of Moses, because the Samaritans, as has been said, received these; and so he says, for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have, that is, the one you listen to, namely Christ, is not your husband, because you do not believe. But, as Augustine says, this exposition is not good, because this woman, having dismissed the five husbands, came to this one whom she had; but those who come to Christ have not dismissed the five books of Moses. And therefore it must be said otherwise, that you have had five husbands, that is, the five senses, which you have used up until now; but this one whom you now have, namely erring reason, by which you still understand carnally the things spoken spiritually, is not your husband, legitimately, but an adulterer; and so cast away this adulterous error, which corrupts you, and call your husband, that is, the intellect, so that you may understand me. Here the petition by which the gift is acquired, which is prayer, is treated. And first the woman's question about prayer is set down; second Christ's response, where it says, Jesus said to her: Woman, believe me. Concerning the first the woman does two things. First she confesses Christ's fitness to answer the question; second she puts forward the question, where it says, our fathers worshipped on this mountain, etc. Now this woman, having heard the things which Christ had made manifest to her about hidden matters, whom she had believed until now to be a mere man, now confesses him to be a prophet, fit to satisfy her doubts. This is the property of prophets, that they announce things absent and unknown; 1 Kings 9:9: "he that was formerly called a seer was now called a prophet." And so she says, Lord, I see that you are a prophet; as if to say: in that you tell me hidden things, you are shown to be a prophet. In which, according to Augustine, it is clear that her husband began to come to her, but did not fully come: because she thought the Lord to be a prophet; for although he was indeed a prophet, Matthew 13:57: "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country"; nevertheless he was more than a prophet, because he himself appointed the prophets; Wisdom 7:27: "into holy souls, through the nations, she conveys herself, and makes friends of God and prophets." Next she puts forward the question about prayer, saying, our fathers worshipped on this mountain; and you say that at Jerusalem is the place where men must worship. In which the diligence of the woman is to be admired, because women, being as they are curious and unfruitful, and not only unfruitful, but also idle, 1 Timothy 5, she was asking him not about worldly things, not about future things, but about the things that are of God; according to that word of Matthew 6:33: "seek first the kingdom of God." And she raises first a question about the things which men were accustomed to raise in that land, namely about the place of worship, about which the question turned between the Jews and the Samaritans; and this is what she says, our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you say, etc. Concerning which it must be known that the Samaritans (according to the commands of the law), worshipping God, made a temple in which to worship him, not going to Jerusalem on account of the Jews who were hostile to them: which temple indeed they made on Mount Gerizim, whereas the Jews made theirs on Mount Zion. Hence the question turned between them as to which of these mountains was the more fitting place for worship; and each side brought forward reasons on its own behalf: the Samaritans indeed said that God ought rather to be worshipped on Mount Gerizim, because the ancient fathers worshipped the Lord there; and so she says, our fathers worshipped on this mountain. But how does the woman say our fathers, since the Samaritans were not of the seed of Israel? To this there is a response, according to Chrysostom, that some say Abraham offered his son on that mountain; others, however, say it was on Mount Zion, as is found in Genesis 22. Or it can be said that by our fathers are understood Jacob and his sons, who, as is found in Genesis 33, and as was said above, dwelt in Shechem, which is situated next to Mount Gerizim, and perhaps there they worshipped the Lord on the mountain. Or it can be said that the sons of Israel worshipped on this mountain, when Moses commanded that they should go up onto Mount Gerizim to bless those who kept the commandments of the Lord, as is said in Deuteronomy 6. And she calls these her fathers, either on account of the law given to the sons of Israel, which the Samaritans kept, or on account of the land which they inhabited, as was said above. The Jews, however, say that one must worship at Jerusalem, by the authority of the Lord, who commanded, Deuteronomy 12:13: "take heed that you offer not your holocausts in every place that you shall see, but in the place which the Lord your God shall choose"; which place of worship was indeed first at Shiloh, but afterward, by the authority of Solomon and the prophet Nathan, the ark of God was carried from Shiloh to Jerusalem, and there the temple was made, according to that word of Psalm 77:60: "he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh." And afterward it follows: "but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved." Thus, then, the Samaritans brought forward for themselves the authority of the fathers; the Jews, however, the authority of the prophets, whom the Samaritans did not receive. This question, then, the woman proposes: nor is it to be wondered by whom she had been taught this, because it commonly happens that in lands in which there are diverse doctrines, even the simple are instructed in them. Hence, because the Samaritans had been in continual strife with the Jews, therefore women and simple folk were well instructed in this matter. Next, when he says, Jesus said to her, etc., Christ's response is set down. And first he distinguishes a threefold worship; second he compares them with one another, where it says, you worship what you do not know. Concerning the first he first renders the woman attentive, since he is about to speak great things, saying, believe me, and give faith, because everywhere faith is needed. Hebrews 11:6: "he that comes to God must believe"; Isaiah 7:9: "unless you believe, you shall not understand." Second he sets forth a threefold worship, of which two already existed, while the other was awaited as future. Now of the two that existed, one was that of the Samaritans, by which they worshipped on Mount Gerizim; and this he expresses, saying, the hour comes when neither on this mountain, namely Gerizim, shall you worship. The other is that of the Jews, by which they worshipped on Mount Zion, namely in Jerusalem; and this he expresses, saying, nor in Jerusalem. The third is the future worship, which is awaited, which is other than these; and this he hints at by excepting each worship: for if the hour comes when they will worship, yet neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, it is manifest that this will be the third worship, that of Christ, doing away with the worship of both. For if someone wished to join two peoples into one, it would be necessary, in each, to remove that in which they differed from one another, and to grant them something common in which they might agree. Christ, therefore, wishing to join Jews and Gentiles, removed from the Jews the ceremonies, and from the Gentiles idolatry, which two things were like a single wall in which each side differed from the other, and he made of both peoples one people, according to that word of Ephesians 2:14: "he is our peace, who has made both one." Thus, then, the ceremonial worship ceased, and the idolatry of the Gentiles, and thus the true worship of God was introduced by Christ. Mystically, however, according to Origen, by the three acts of worship are understood three participations in divine wisdom. For some participate in it while clouding it over with the darkness of error, and these worship on a mountain: because every error is caused by pride; Jeremiah 51:25: "behold I come against you, O destroying mountain." Some, however, participate in divine wisdom itself without error, but imperfectly, because as in a mirror and in a riddle; and these worship in Jerusalem, which signifies the present Church; Psalm 146:2: "the Lord builds up Jerusalem," etc. The blessed, however, and the saints participate in it without error, perfectly, because they see God as he is, as is said in 1 John 3. And so he says, the hour comes, that is, will be awaited, when neither in errors, nor through a mirror and in a riddle, will you participate in divine wisdom, but as it is. Next, when he says, you worship what you do not know, he compares the aforesaid acts of worship to one another: and first he compares the second to the first; second the third to the first and second, where it says, but the hour comes. Concerning the first he does three things. First he shows the defect of the first worship; second the truth of the second; third he assigns the reason for both. As to the first he says, you worship what you do not know. But it might seem to someone that the Lord ought to have explained the truth of the question, and resolved the woman's reasoning. But the Lord does not concern himself with this, because each worship was to cease. Now as to what he says, you worship, it must be known that the Philosopher says that knowledge is different in composite things and in simple things. For composite things indeed can be known in some respect, so that in some respect they remain unknown in them: hence a false knowledge can be had of them. As, for instance, if someone having true knowledge of an animal as to its substance, could nevertheless err about knowledge of an accident, namely whether it is white or black; and of a difference, namely whether it is winged or four-footed. In simple things, however, there can in no way be false knowledge: because either they are known perfectly, insofar as their quiddity is known, or they are in no way known, if one cannot attain to it. Since, then, God is altogether simple, there cannot be a false knowledge of him through something of him being known and something not known, but only through his not being attained at all. Hence whoever believes God to be something which he is not, for instance a body, or something of this kind, does not worship God, because he does not know him, but something else. Now the Samaritans had a false opinion of God in two ways. First, because they reckoned him to be corporeal, hence they also believed that he had to be worshipped precisely and determinately in one bodily place. Second, because they did not believe him to be above all things, but equal to certain creatures: hence together with him they also worshipped idols, as though they were equal to him. And so they did not know him, because they did not attain to true knowledge of him. And so the Lord says, you worship what you do not know, that is, you do not worship God, because you do not know him, but your own fancy, by which you apprehend something as God; Ephesians 4:17: "as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind," etc. Now as to the second point, namely as to the different worship of the Jews, he says, we worship what we know. And he numbers himself among the Jews, because he was also a Jew according to his nation, and also the woman supposed him to be both a prophet and a Jew. We worship what we know: because the Jews, through the law and the prophets, had a true knowledge or estimation of God, in that they did not believe him to be corporeal, nor to be in one determined place, as though his majesty could be contained by a place; 3 Kings 8:27: "if the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, how much less this house which I have built?" Nor did they worship idols; and so in Psalm 75:2 it is said: "in Judea God is known." Now he assigns the reason for this when he says, because salvation is from the Jews; as if to say: true knowledge about God was had only from the Jews, for this reason, that it was to come about that salvation would proceed from the Jews; and just as the source of health ought to be healthy, so the source of salvation, which is had through true knowledge of God and true worship, must have true knowledge of God: and so, because from them the source and cause of salvation, namely Christ, was to proceed, according to that word of Genesis 22:18: "in your seed shall all nations be blessed," it was fitting that God be known in Judea. Now salvation proceeds from the Jews in a threefold way. First as to the teaching of truth, because all the Gentiles were in errors, whereas the Jews remained in the truth; Romans 3:2: "what advantage then has the Jew? Because to them were entrusted the words of God." Second as to spiritual gifts: for prophecy, and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit, were given to them first, and from them came to others; Romans 11:17: "you," namely the Gentiles, "when you were a wild olive, were grafted in among them," namely the Jews; Romans 15:27: "for if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things," namely of the Jews, "they ought also in carnal things to minister to them." Third as to the very author of salvation, because he proceeded from them according to the flesh; Romans 9:5: "of whom is Christ, according to the flesh." Next, when he says, but the hour comes, etc., he compares the other worship to the first two: and first he sets forth its preeminence over the others; second the fittingness of this preeminence, where it says, for the Father also seeks such. But it must be attended to, as to the first, according to Origen, that above, speaking of the third worship, when he said, the hour comes when you shall worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, the Lord did not add, and now is; here, however, speaking of this same worship, he says, the hour comes, and now is: because there he was speaking of the worship in our homeland, according to which we will participate in perfect knowledge of God, which has not yet come for those living in this mortal flesh; here, however, he speaks of that worship which is in this present life, which has already come through Christ. And so he says, the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. This can be read first, indeed, according to Chrysostom, so that by this whole statement the preeminence of this worship over the worship of the Jews is shown, such that the sense is: just as the worship of the Jews is preeminent over the worship of the Samaritans, so the worship of the Christians is preeminent over that which is of the Jews; and this in two respects. First, because that worship is according to carnal ceremonies, Hebrews 9:10: "carnal ordinances laid on them until the time of correction," whereas this one is according to the spirit. Second, because that worship is according to figures: for those victims, insofar as they are certain physical things, did not please God; hence in Psalm 49:13 it is said: "shall I eat the flesh of bullocks? or shall I drink the blood of goats?" And elsewhere, Psalm 50:18: "I would surely have given sacrifice: with burnt offerings you will not be delighted," insofar, that is, as they are certain physical things; but he was delighted in them insofar as they were a figure of the true victim, and of the true sacrifice; Hebrews 10:1: "the law has a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things themselves," etc. This worship, however, is in truth, because it pleases God according to itself. Above, 1:17: "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." And so as to the first he says that the true worshippers will worship in spirit, not in carnal ceremonies; as to the second he says in truth, not in figure. Second, it can be read that the Lord, through these two things he says, namely in spirit and in truth, wishes to show a difference of worship, not only from that of the Jews, but also from that which was of the Samaritans. From that of the Jews, indeed, through what is said, and truth: for that worship, as has been said, was with error, because they worshipped what they did not know, whereas this one is with true knowledge of God. Third, it is read that through what he says, in spirit and truth, the condition of true worship is shown. For in order that worship be true, two things are required. One is that it be spiritual: hence he says, in spirit, that is, in fervor of spirit; 1 Corinthians 14:15: "I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the understanding"; Ephesians 5:19: "singing in your hearts to God." The other, that it be in truth. First, indeed, in truth of faith, because no fervor of spiritual desire is fit for meriting, unless the truth of faith be present; James 1:6: "but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." Second, however, in truth, that is, without pretense and simulation: against which it is said, Matthew 6:5: "they love to pray in the corners, that they may be seen by men." Thus, then, for prayer itself there is required fervor of charity as to the first, and truth of faith as to the second, and rectitude of intention as to the third. But he says Father, because the worship of the law was not of a father, but of a lord. We worship as sons through love, whereas they worshipped as servants through fear. Thus, then, what he says, true, is opposed to three things, according to the said expositions. First, against the false rite of worship of the Samaritans; Ephesians 4:25: "putting away lying, speak truth." Second, against what was vain and transitory in the carnal ceremonies; Psalm 4:3: "why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?" Third, against the figural; above, 1:17: "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Next, when he says, for the Father also seeks such, he shows the fittingness of the third worship on two counts. First from the will and acceptance of him who is worshipped; second from his very nature, where it says, God is spirit. Concerning the first it must be known that in order for a man to merit to receive what he asks, he ought to ask for those things which are not against the will of the giver, and in the manner in which it is acceptable to the giver; and so when we pray to God, we ought to be such as God seeks: now God seeks such as worship him in spirit and truth, and in fervor of charity, and truth of faith; Deuteronomy 10:12: "and now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but that you fear the Lord your God, and walk in his ways, and love him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart, that it may be well with you?" Micah 6:8: "I will show you, O man, what is good, and what God requires of you: verily, to do judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk solicitously with your God." He shows this, however, from his very nature, saying, God is spirit: for, as it is said in Ecclesiasticus 13:19: "every beast loves its like," therefore God loves us to the extent that we are made like him; but we are not made like him according to carnal things, because he is incorporeal, but according to spiritual things, because God is spirit; Ephesians 4:23: "be renewed in the spirit of your mind." Now this, that he says, God is spirit, denotes in God incorporeity; Luke, last chapter, 39: "a spirit has not flesh and bones." Likewise, it denotes vivification, because our whole life is from God, as from an effective principle. God is also truth; below, 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life"; and so it is fitting to worship him in spirit and truth. Next, when he says, The woman said to him, etc., here the giver of the gift is treated: which corresponds to what the Lord had said, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink, you would surely have asked. And first the woman's confession is set down; second Christ's teaching, where it says, I am he, who am speaking with you. Concerning the first he does two things: for first the woman professes faith in the Christ who is to come; second the perfection of his teaching, where it says, when he comes, therefore, he will tell us all things. It must be known, then, that the woman, wearied by the loftiness of the things that had been said, was stupefied, unable to grasp them. She says, I know that the Messiah is coming, who is called Christ; as if to say: I do not grasp these words; but a time will come when the Messiah will come, and then we shall know all these things: for Messiah in Hebrew, anointed in Latin, is Christ in Greek. Now this woman knew that the Messiah was to come, having been taught through the books of Moses, where the coming of Christ was foretold; Genesis, last chapter but one, 10: "the scepter shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent." Now, as Augustine says, this is the first speech of the woman in which she names Christ: so as to give one to understand that after the five bodily senses, she was now beginning to return to her legitimate husband. Now this Messiah, when he comes, will set forth perfect teaching, when he says, when he comes, therefore, he will tell us. And this Moses had foretold; Deuteronomy 18:18: "I will raise them up a prophet from the midst of their brethren, like unto you: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him." And because this woman had now summoned her husband, namely her understanding and reason, therefore the Lord gives her to drink the water of spiritual teaching, manifesting himself to her most fully. And so it is said, Jesus said to her: I am he, who am speaking with you, namely, Christ; Wisdom 6:14: "she prevents them that covet her, so that she first shows herself to them"; below, 14:21: "I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Now God did not manifest himself to the woman from the beginning: because perhaps she would have believed, and it would have seemed to her that he spoke out of vanity. But now, gradually leading her to the knowledge of Christ, he opportunely revealed himself; Proverbs 25:11: "golden apples in beds of silver, he that speaks a word in due time." And indeed he was asked by the Pharisees whether he was the Christ, below, 10:24: "if you are the Christ, tell us plainly," and yet he did not manifestly reveal himself to them, because they were not asking in order to learn, but to test him. But this woman spoke with a simple mind.”

“Art thou greater than our father Jacob,.... A person of greater worth and character than he, who was content to drink of this water; or wiser and more knowing than he, who could find out no better fountain of water in all these parts? she calls Jacob the father of them, according to the common notion and boasting of these people, when it served their turn; otherwise they were not the descendants of Jacob; for after the ten tribes were carried away captive by the king of Assyria, he placed in their room, in the cities of Samaria, men from Babylon, Cuthah Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, Heathenish and idolatrous people; see Kg2 17:24. And from these, the then Samaritans sprung; only upon Sanballat's building a temple on Mount Gerizzim, for Manasseh his son-in-law, when put away from the priesthood by the Jews, for his marriage of his daughter, several wicked persons of the like sort, came out of Judea, and joined themselves to the Samaritans: and such a mixed medley of people were they at this time, though they boasted of Jacob as their father, as this woman did; and so to this day, they draw their genealogy from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and particularly call Joseph their father, and say, from whence are we, but from the tribe of Joseph the just, from Ephraim (w)? as they formerly did (x); "R. Meir saw a Samaritan, he said to him, from whence comest thou? (that is, from what family;) he answered, from the (tribe) of Joseph.'' Which gave us the well; Jacob gave it indeed to Joseph and his posterity, along with the parcel of ground in which it was; see Joh 4:5; but not to this mixed company: and drank thereof himself and his children, and his cattle; which shows both the goodness and plenty of the water: though our Lord had spoken of living water, this woman understood him of no other water, but spring water; called living water, from its motion, because it is continually springing up, bubbling, and ever running: so carnal persons, when they hear of spiritual things under earthly metaphors, think of nothing but carnal things; as Nicodemus, when Christ talked of being born again; and the Jews at Capernaum, when he discoursed concerning eating his flesh, and drinking his blood; for spiritual things are neither known nor received by the natural man. (w) Epist. Samar. ad Scaliger. in Antiqu. Eccl. Oriental. p. 123, 124, 126. (x) Bereshit Rabba, sect. 94. fol. 82. 1.”

“Our father Jacob - The ancient Samaritans were undoubtedly the descendants of Jacob; for they were the ten tribes that revolted in the reign of Rehoboam: but those in our Lord's time were not genuine Israelites, but a corrupted race, sprung from a mixture of different nations, sent thither by Salmanezer, king of the Assyrians. See Kg2 17:24.”

“The Samaritan woman says, our father Jacob; because the Samaritans claimed lineage from Abraham, who was himself a Chaldean; and they; therefore, called Jacob their father, because he was Abraham’s grandson. (St. Chrysostom) — Or she calls him their father because they lived under the law of Moses, and were in possession of that spot of ground which Jacob had bequeathed to his son Joseph. (Ven. Bede)”

“Art thou greater, &c.--already perceiving in this Stranger a claim to some mysterious greatness. our father Jacob--for when it went well with the Jews, they claimed kindred with them, as being descended from Joseph; but when misfortunes befell the Jews, they disowned all connection with them [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 9.14,3].”