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Translation
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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
"Yet ye have not known Him." Because He desired to show that they not only knew not His Father, but that they knew not God. "But I know Him." "So that to say, 'I know Him,' is not a boast, while to say, 'I know Him not,' would be a falsehood; but ye when ye say that ye know Him, lie; as then ye, when ye say that ye know Him, lie, so also should I, were I to say that I know Him not." "If I honor Myself." Since they said, "Whom makest thou thyself?" He replieth, "If I make (Myself anything,) My honor is nothing. …
Cyril of Alexandria
But I know Him and if I say that I know Him not I shall be like you a liar. I spake not falsely (He says) in saying to the Jews, If any keep My word he shall not see death for ever; for I am able to render undying, seeing I know that He of whom I am is mighty to do this, seeing I know that My Father is by Nature Life. I too am therefore as He is, Life that is by Nature and Lifegiving. But if I denied My power of quickening, I should be ignorant of My Father, the Property of whose Essence I possessing, am able to quicken as He. …
Theophylact of Ohrid
From this it is clear that you do not know Him at all. But I know Him by nature, I have perfect knowledge of Him. For, as I am, so also is the Father. And as I know Myself, so I also know Him. "For you lie, boasting that you know Him; but I would deny the truth if, knowing Him, I said that I do not know." How then will You prove that You know Him? "By this," He says, "that I keep His word, that is, His commandments." For I am not an adversary to Him, otherwise I would boast as one who opposes God, nor do I break His commandments. …
Western Saints
Augustine of Hippo
Some heretics say that the God proclaimed in the Old Testament is not the Father of Christ, but a kind of prince of bad angels. These He contradicts when He calls Him His Father, whom the Jews called their God, and knew not. For had they known Him, they would have received His Son. Of Himself however He adds, But I know Him. And here too, to men judging after the flesh, He might appear arrogant. But let not arrogance be so guarded against, as that truth be deserted. …
Thomas Aquinas
Then he shows both these things, that is, the error of the Jews, and his own truth, when he says, but you have not known him. He shows these in two ways: first, by pointing out the ignorance of the Jews; secondly, his own knowledge (v 55). With respect to the first it should be noted that the Jews could say: You say that you are glorified by God; but his judgments are known by us, according to "He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances" (Ps 147:20). …
Bonaventure
"And you have not known him": for they were among those of whom it is said in Titus 1: "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny him." "But I know him," and this indeed not out of boasting, but for the sake of speaking the truth. Whence: "And if I say that I do not know him, I will be like you, a liar": and therefore it is necessary to say that I know him. …
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