not voluntarily assume
his great work, but was Divinely ordered on that service. Compare
the following text: "The baptism of John, whence was it, from
Heaven, or of men?" That is to say, was it of human or of Divine
origin and authority? So when it is said that the Son of Man
descended from heaven, or was sent by the Father, the meaning in
Christ's mind probably was that he was raised up, did his works,
spoke his words, by the inspiration and with the sanction of God.
The accuracy of this interpretation is seen by the following
citation from the Savior's own words, when he is speaking in his
prayer at the last supper of sending his disciples out to preach
the gospel: "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I
also sent them into the world." The reference, evidently, is to a
Divine choice and sealing, not to a descent upon the earth from
another sphere.

That the author of the Fourth Gospel believed that Christ
descended from heaven literally we have not the shadow of a doubt.
He repeatedly speaks of him as the great super angelic Logos, the
first born Son and perfect image of God, the instrumental cause of
the creation. His mind was filled with the same views, the same
lofty Logos theory that is so abundantly set forth in the writings
of Philo Judaus. He reports and describes the Savior in conformity
with such a theological postulate. Possessed with the foregone
conclusion that Jesus was the Divine Logos, descended from the
celestial abode, and born into the world as a man, in endeavoring
to write out from memory, years after they were uttered, the
Savior's words, it is probable that he unconsciously
misapprehended and tinged them according to his theory. The
Delphic apothegm, "Know thyself," was said to have descended from
heaven:

"E coelo descendit [non ASCII characters]."

By a familiar Jewish idiom, "to ascend into heaven" meant to learn
the will of God.8 And whatever bore the direct sancion of God was
said to descend from heaven. When in these figurative terms Jesus
asserted his Divine commission, it seems that some understood him
literally, and concluded perhaps in consequence of his miracles,
joined with their own speculations that he was the Logos
incarnated. That such a conclusion was an unwarranted inference
from metaphorical language and from a foregone pagan dogma appears
from his own explanatory and justifying words spoken to the Jews.
For when they accused him of making himself God, he re