Others, as Maldonatus and Patrizzi, hold that the Evangelist is here adding to his own testimony, and that of the Baptist, the testimony of our Lord Himself, in favour of all that he has said regarding our Lord in this sublime prologue; the meaning being: What I have said regarding the eternity, personality, and Divinity of the Word, regarding His power as creator and regenerator, and regarding His incarnation, I have neither seen with my own eyes, nor learned from anyone who saw, for “no man hath seen God at any time,” but Jesus Christ Himself explained these things to me. *No man hath seen God at any time.* If understood of the vision of _comprehension_ this is universally true of every creature, man or angel; if of seeing God in His essence without comprehending Him, it is true of all while they are here below. The latter is the sense here, for the Evangelist wishes to signify that he could not have learned from any mere mortal the foregoing doctrine. The saints in heaven see God in His essence, for as our Evangelist tells us in his First Epistle: “We shall see Him as He is” (1 John iii. 2. See also John xvii. 3). *The only‐begotten Son.* Instead of: “The only‐begotten Son,” the reading: “God only‐begotten” is found in very many ancient authorities, and is almost equally probable. Were it certain, it would be an additional proof of Christ’s Divinity. Christ is the only‐begotten Son of God, because while He is the natural Son of God, all others are but adopted sons. *Who is in the bosom of the Father* (εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός). This means that the Son is consubstantial with the Father: “In illo ergo sinu, id est in occultissimo paternae naturae et essentiae, quae excedit omnem virtutem creaturae, est unigenitus Filius, et ideo consubstantialis est Patri.” St. Thomas on this verse. *He hath declared him.* “Him” is not represented in the original; and if our view of the verse is the correct one, the object of the verb “hath declared” is not so much the Word, as the doctrine contained in this prologue concerning Him.(30) 19. Et hoc est testimonium 19. And this is the testimony Ioannis, quando miserunt of John, when the Jews sent Iudaei ab Ierosolymis from Jerusalem priests and sacerdotes et Levitas ad eum, Levites to him, to ask him: ut interrogarent eum: Tu quis Who art thou? es? 19. The Evangelist now records, with its various circumstances, one of the most solemn testimonies borne by the Baptist to Christ. The “Jews” are probably the Sanhedrim, whose duty it was to inquire into the credentials of preachers. The deputation was, therefore, a most solemn one, sent by the Sanhedrim, from the Jewish capital, composed of Priests and Levites, to make inquiries regarding a momentous question. 20. Et confessus est, et non 20. And he confessed, and did negavit: et confessus est: not deny: and he confessed: I Quia non sum ego Christus. am not the Christ.