And it happened one day, when we were speaking about the divinity of our Savior, and that he had become human and dwelled among humans while being God and Son of God, some in the crowd responded – gently, not wickedly – because they were amazed at what they were hearing. They said, “Did he therefore exist before he had been born from Mary the holy virgin?” I answered them straightforwardly, “This is a snide question of the Jews themselves when they heard the Savior saying, ‘Abraham our father rejoiced that he would see my day.’ Those ignorant people did not put up with this, but responded shamelessly, and they said, ‘You are not yet fifty years old!’ And he replied to them, ‘Before Abraham was, I am.’”

The Preexistence of Christ

Let us pay attention to his words, and understand what we seek. For he is speaking about his Father, as a human. According to divine economy he reveals his perfect divinity to us, that it exists before the entirety. He said, “My father, glorify me with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” And also, “The world came into being through him.” And also, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one in the beginning was with God, and through him the entirety came into being, and without him nothing came into being.” And also it is he who existed in the beginning that was revealed to us and whom we saw. And this one was with the Father, and also, “he came from God, and was going to God.” And also, “I came from the Father and had come into the world.” And also, “By him the ages were created,” and, “He is before all things.” And also, “If you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before […].” And also, “The rock was following them, the rock was Christ,” truly in the time when Israel was in the wilderness up to the time of holy Mary.