39. *If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham.* The Greek is: If you _were_ the (true) children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham. 40. Nunc autem quaeritis me 40. But now you seek to kill interficere, hominem qui me, a man who have spoken the veritatem vobis locutus sum, truth to you, which I have quam audivi a Deo: hoc Abraham heard of God. This Abraham did non fecit. not. 41. Vos facitis opera patris 41. You do the works of your vestri. Dixerunt itaque ei: father. They said therefore to Nos ex fornicatione non sumus him: We are not born of nati: unum patrem habemus fornication: we have one Deum. Father _even_ God. 42. Dixit ergo eis Iesus: Si 42. Jesus therefore said to Deus pater vester esset, them: If God were your father, diligeretis utique me: ego you would indeed love me. For enim ex Deo processi, et veni: from God I proceeded, and neque enim a me ipso veni, sed came: for I came not of ille me misit. myself, but he sent me. 41, 42. Understanding Christ to mean that they were not true Jews, but idolaters (πορνέια being frequently used of idolatry in the Bible; _e.g._, Ezech. xvi. 15, foll.; see ii. 4, 5,), they protest that they are not idolaters, and that they worship but one God. To this Christ replies, that if they were true children of God, they would love Himself. *I proceeded and came*, denote respectively the eternal generation, and mission in time. 43. Quare loquelam meam non 43. Why do you not know my cognoscitis? Quia non potestis speech? Because you cannot audire sermonem meum. hear my word. 43. The sense is: why do you not understand My discourses (λαλιάν) on this and on other occasions? The reason is, because you cannot, you _will not_, receive My doctrine (λόγος). What we do not desire to hear, we are slow to understand. Christ’s teaching, so opposed to flesh and blood, so much at variance with all that the Jews had hoped for from their Messias, they were very unwilling to accept. “Ideo audire non poterant, quia corrigi credendo nolebant” (St. August.). 44. Vos ex patre diabolo 44. You are of _your_ father estis: et desideria patris the devil, and the desires of vestri vultis facere. Ille your father you will do. He homicida erat ab initio, et in was a murderer from the veritate non stetit: quia non beginning, and he stood not in est veritas in eo: cum the truth; because truth is loquitur mendacium, ex not in him. When he speaketh a propriis loquitur, quia mendax lie, he speaketh of his own: est, et pater eius. for he is a liar, and the father thereof. 44. At last He plainly tells them who their father is. *He was a murderer from the beginning*, for he tempted Eve, and thus brought death upon the human race, and he prompted Cain to slay Abel.