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Translation
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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
"Grace for grace." For by grace the Jews were saved: "I chose you," saith God, "not because you were many in number, but because of your fathers." If now they were chosen by God not for their own good deeds, it is manifest that by grace they obtained this honor. And we too all are saved by grace, but not in like manner; not for the same objects, but for objects much greater and higher. The grace then that is with us is not like theirs. …
Cyril of Alexandria
The Evangelist in these words accepts the true testimony of the Baptist, and makes clear the proof of the superiority of our Saviour, and of His possessing essentially the surpassing every thing originate, both in respect of glory itself (whereof he is now more especially speaking) and of the bright catalogue of all the other good things. For most excellently, says he, and most truly does the Baptist appear to me to say of the Only-Begotten, For He was before me, that is far surpassing and superior. …
Theophylact of Ohrid
And these are the words of the Forerunner, speaking about Christ, that all of us, the prophets, have received from His fullness. For He possesses grace not such as spiritual people have, but, being the source of all goodness, all wisdom, and prophecy, He abundantly pours it out upon all who are worthy, and despite such outpouring remains full, and is never exhausted. And we received "grace," namely, of the New Testament, in place of the grace of the giving of the Law. …
Western Saints
Augustine of Hippo
"And of His fullness have all we received." What have ye received? "And grace for grace." For so run the words of the Gospel, as we find by a comparison of the Greek copies. He does not say, "And of His fullness have all we received grace for grace"; but thus He says: "And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace," that is, have we received; so that He would wish us to understand that we have received from His fullness something unexpressed, and something besides, grace for grace. …
Thomas Aquinas
He follows with, Of his fullness we have all received words and those that follow to (v 19), "This is the testimony of John," are taken in two ways. According to Origen, these are the words of John the Baptist and are added by him to support what he had said previously. It is as though he said: Truly, he existed before me, because of his fullness, i.e., of his grace, not only I but all, including the prophets and patriarchs, have received, because all had the grace they possessed by faith in the incarnate Word. …
Bonaventure
"And of his fullness we have all received grace for grace." Here the second reason for knowing that Christ was the Son of God is touched upon, namely on account of a singular effect, and this was the bestowal of grace. Therefore he says: "And of his fullness," as if to say: truly we knew him to be full; because "of his fullness we have all received grace for grace," namely the grace of recompense for the grace of justification, or conversely we have received the grace of justification for the sake of obtaining the grace of …
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