Anakalypsis / Unveiling the Word

John 1:13

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

KJV

οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρὸς ἀλλ’ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν.

Greek NT

qui non ex sanguinibus, neque ex voluntate carnis, neque ex voluntate viri, sed ex Deo nati sunt.

Vulgate

who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

ASV

Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Douay-Rheims

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In the original Greek

11 distinct Greek words appear in this verse.

αἷμα
aima
noun · 97×
γεννάω
gennao
verb · 97×
θέλημα
thelema
noun · 62×
θεός
theos
noun · 1311×
οὐ
ou
particle · 1626×
οὐδέ
oude
conjunction · 137×
σάρξ
sarx
noun · 147×
ἀλλά
alla
conjunction · 636×
ἀνήρ
aner
noun · 216×
ἐκ
ek
preposition · 915×
ὅς
os
relative_pronoun · 1404×

Themes

Historic Christian voices

18 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

§496From the first formulations of her faith, the Church has confessed that Jesus was conceived solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, affirming also the corporeal aspect of this event: Jesus was conceived "by the Holy Spirit without human seed".146 The Fathers see in the virginal conception the sign that it truly was the Son of God who came in a hum…
§505By his virginal conception, Jesus, the New Adam, ushers in the new birth of children adopted in the Holy Spirit through faith. "How can this be?"165 Participation in the divine life arises "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God".166 The acceptance of this life is virginal because it is entirely the Spirit's gift to man. the spousal charact…
§526To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom.205 For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become "children of God" we must be "born from above" or "born of God".206 Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us.207 Christmas is the mystery of this "marvellous exchange": O marvellous…
…and 2 more from this source.
Jesus Christ was not a mere man, begotten from Joseph in the ordinary course of nature, but was very God, begotten of the Father most high, and very man, born of the Virgin. 1. But again, those who assert that He was simply a mere man, begotten by Joseph, remaining in the bondage of the old disobedience, are in a state of death having been not as yet joined to the Word of God t…
Christ alone is able to teach divine things, and to redeem us: He, the same, took flesh of the Virgin Mary, not merely in appearance, but actually, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, in order to renovate us. Strictures on the conceits of Valentinus and Ebion. 1. For in no other way could we have learned the things of God, unless our Master, existing as the Word, had become ma…
2. But what is this vestibule? The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham. What do you say? Did you not promise to discourse of the Only-begotten Son of God, and do you make mention of David, a man born after a thousand generations, and say that he is both father and ancestor? Stay, seek not to learn all at once, but gently and little by little. Wh…
1. Great mysteries are they, of which the Only-begotten Son of God has counted us worthy; great, and such as we were not worthy of, but such as it was meet for Him to give. For if one reckon our desert, we were not only unworthy of the gift, but also liable to punishment and vengeance; but He, because He looked not to this, not only delivered us from punishment, but freely gave…
1. Deceit is a thing easily detected, and weak, though it be daubed outside with ten thousand colors. For as those who whitewash decayed walls, cannot by the plastering make them sound, so too those who lie are easily found out, as in fact was the case here with the Jews. For when Christ said to them, If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto Me; We have heard, says one of the…
Source. Translated by J. Walker, J. Sheppard and H. Browne, and revised by George B. Stevens. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 11. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1889.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/210216.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Adven…
2. But what means, according to the flesh? According to what is in sight; according to the life that now is; according to the discipline of the Gentiles. Then, lest he should seem to be at variance with himself, (for he had convinced both the Proconsul, Acts 13:12 and the Areopagite, Acts 17:34 and Apollos; Acts 18:26: through Aquila and Priscilla and other wise men, too, we ha…
1 And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In the preceding section, my revered brother Ambrosius, brother formed according to the Gospel, we have discussed, as far as is at present in our power, what the Gospel is, and what is the beginning in which the Word was, and what the Word is which was in the beginning. We now come to consider the next point in the work before …
Was the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, sanctified before her birth from the womb? Was she sanctified before animation? Was the fomes of sin entirely taken away from her in virtue of this sanctification? Was the result of this sanctification that she never sinned? In virtue of this sanctification, did she receive the fulness of grace? Was it proper to her to be thus sanctified? …
Concerning the holy and much-lauded ever-virgin one, Mary, the Mother of God, we have said something in the preceding chapters, bringing forward what was most opportune, viz., that strictly and truly she is and is called the Mother of God. Now let us fill up the blanks. For she being pre-ordained by the eternal prescient counsel of God and imaged forth and proclaimed in diverse…

Cross-references

  • 1Cor 3:6 — I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
  • 1John 2:28 — And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
  • 1John 2:29 — If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
  • 1John 3:9 — Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
  • 1John 3:9 — Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
  • 1John 4:7 — Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
  • 1John 5:1 — Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
  • 1John 5:4 — For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
  • 1John 5:18 — We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
  • 1John 5:18 — We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
  • 1Pet 1:3 — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  • 1Pet 1:3 — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  • 1Pet 1:23 — Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
  • 1Pet 1:23 — Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
  • 1Pet 2:2 — As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
  • Dan 2:34 — Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
  • Gen 25:22 — And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.
  • Isa 40:13 — Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
  • Jas 1:18 — Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
  • Jas 1:18 — Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
  • John 3:3 — Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
  • John 3:3 — Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
  • John 3:5 — Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
  • John 3:5 — Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
  • John 3:6 — That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
  • John 3:8 — The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
  • John 8:33 — They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
  • Luke 1:17 — And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the L
  • Mark 6:48 — And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
  • Matt 3:9 — And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
  • Phil 2:13 — For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
  • Ps 110:3 — Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
  • Rom 9:1 — I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
  • Rom 9:7 — Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
  • Rom 9:8 — That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
  • Rom 10:1 — Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
  • Titus 3:5 — Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;