ACC ~ John 8 v13

THE PHARISEES FALSELY ACCUSE JESUS

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: Who can rightly say, “I am the light of the world,” except one who is truly God by nature? Let the Pharisees go through the entire divinely inspired Scripture and search into the sacred and divine Word and show us who of the holy prophets ever dared to say such a thing or when an angel ever made such a claim…. The crowd of Pharisees thought that he spoke falsely. In their exceeding foolishness, they had no idea that there are those who set forth their own nature and tell what is essentially inherent in them, not out of boasting or because they are bent on making a name for themselves. Rather, they are simply declaring what they really are…. And so, even when our Savior Christ says that he is the light, he is speaking the truth and will not be found boasting…. But they attack him as though he is one of us. Without hesitation they say “Your record is not true” of the one who cannot lie. And yet, he decided to lead by the hand those who had gone astray… telling them what they had missed about him when they committed sacrilege by ascribing love of lying to him who is from above and begotten of God the Father. COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 5.2. [1]

[1] LF 43:565, 567-68**.