Fragments on Ephesians

Origen of Alexandria · c. 230–250 AD · PG 14; Fragmenta in Ephesios

Through the will of God; saints who are; spiritual blessing (Eph 1:1–3)§1

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1Fragments from the commentaries on the Letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God.”

Let us hear what Origen also says about this: if the preposition “through” (διά) marks a serving role—as we examined at length when treating “all things came to be through him,” and set out the counter-objections that seemed to us to bear on that point—then we must ask how Paul is an apostle of Christ Jesus not “from” the will of God but “through” the will of God. One person will say that Paul is not everywhere precise about the special force of prepositions, and that he behaves the same way with other meanings. Another, knowing the difference between “through God” and “through the will of God,” will say it would have been absurd if it had been written “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through God”; but if God’s will is a servant while the one who uses it is the governing agent, that would not be unreasonable. You should also notice, concerning the will of God, whether it can be ranked of Christ, so that just as there is power of God and wisdom of God, so also there may be his will, having him as God’s hypostasis. If it seems awkward to someone to say that God’s will is given substance, let him consider whether the apparent awkwardness is much the same for power of God and wisdom of God and Word of God, and for truth and resurrection and way; for it seems to me much the same about all these, as being given substance in the only-begotten Word.

Ephesians 1:1b: “to the saints who are, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Origen says: only in Ephesians do we find lying there the phrase “to the saints who are.” And we ask, if “who are” is not redundant when added to “to the saints,” what it can mean. See, then, whether—just as in Exodus the one who speaks to Moses names his own name “the One who is”—so those who share in the One who is become “beings,” called as if from not-being into being. For God chose the things that are not, says the same Paul, in order to abolish the things that are. And someone will ask how he abolishes the things that are; but let us hear him adding “so that no flesh may boast before God.” For if someone who has shared in being, forgetting the share, credits himself with the cause of being and does not bring all thanksgiving up to the one who, from not-being, gifted him being like God and according to the image, then the “being” is abolished.

Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Someone will say that because of the blessings in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and wherever else in Scripture such things are recorded, the spiritual blessing is spoken by way of contrast with those, as if the God and Father of Jesus Christ blesses us not in a bodily blessing like those, but in a spiritual one. And the heterodox will take it that way, thinking they would also gain from such a reading a pretext for cutting apart the Godhead. But we, having shown that even under the law the blessings, if understood bodily, were not given to those entrusted with the law and who had lived soundly, will prove that those who have supposed this either make the giver of the blessings a liar, or that what was promised to those who lived as he commanded is not what the ready surface reading understands. For it follows, if the law is spiritual, that the blessings in it are spiritual too. The prophets, for example, have not obtained the blessings bodily: people who went about in sheepskins and goatskins, lacking, oppressed, mistreated, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and the holes of the earth, did not lend to many nations, nor were they blessed in city or field; nor were their storehouses blessed, which they never even owned in the first place. And see whether from these things we shall not compel those who understand otherwise to change their mind (if they keep the dignity of the one who gave the

Greek · §1

Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam ad Ephesios Eph. i 1 Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ. ἀκούσωμεν τί καὶ Ὠριγένης φησὶ περὶ τούτου εἰ ἡ διὰ πρόθεσις τὸ ὑπηρετικὸν ἐμφαίνει (ὥσπερ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐξητάσαμεν διηγούμενοι τὸ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, τιθέντες καὶ τὰς φαινομένας ἡμῖν εἰς τοῦτο ἀνθυποφοράς), ζητητέον πῶς ἀπόστολός ἐστι Παῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὐκ ἐκ θελήματος Θεοῦ ἀλλὰ διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ. ὁ μὲν οὖν τις ἐρεῖ, μὴ πάνυ ἀκριβοῦν πανταχοῦ τὸν Παῦλον τὰ τῶν προθέσεων ἰδιώματα, ὅπερ αὐτὸν ποιεῖν καὶ ἐπ' ἄλλων σημαινομένων. ἄλλος δέ, διαφορὰν εἰδὼς τοῦ «διὰ Θεοῦ» καὶ τοῦ διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ, ἐρεῖ ὅτι ἄτοπον ἂν ἦν εἰ ἐγέγραπτο Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ Θεοῦ· εἰ δὲ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπηρετικόν ἐστιν, ἡγουμένου ὄντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ χρωμένου αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἂν εἴη τοῦτο ἄλογον. ἐπιστήσεις δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ θελήματος τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰ δύναται τάσσεσθαι ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ· ἵν' ὥσπερ ἐστὶ Θεοῦ δύναμι καὶ Θεοῦ οφία, οὕτως ᾖ καὶ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, Θεοῦ ὑπόστασιν ἔχον αὐτόν· ἐὰν δέ τινι ἀπεμφαῖνον φαίνηται οὐσιῶσθαι λέγειν τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλημα, ἐπιστησάτω εἰ μὴ ἡ δοκοῦσα ἀπέμφασις παραπλήσιός ἐστι καὶ ἐπὶ δυνάμεω Θεοῦ καὶ οφία Θεοῦ καὶ λόγου Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀληθεία καὶ ἀνα τά εω καὶ ὁδοῦ· παραπλήσιος γάρ μοι δοκεῖ τυγχάνειν περὶ πάντων τούτων, ὡς οὐσιωμένων ἐν τῷ μονογενεῖ Λόγῳ. 2 Eph. i 1b [τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσιν καὶ πιστοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησι] ἐπὶ μόνων Ἐφεσίων εὕρομεν κείμενον τὸ τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσι· καὶ ζητοῦ μεν, εἰ μὴ παρέλκει προσκείμενον τῷ τοῖς ἁγίοις <τὸ> τοῖς οὖσι, τί δύναται σημαίνειν. ὅρα οὖν εἰ μὴ ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ ὄνομά φησιν ἑαυτοῦ ὁ χρηματίζων Μωσεῖ τὸ <ὁ> ὤν, οὕτως οἱ μετέχοντες τοῦ ὄντος γίνονται ὄντες, καλούμενοι οἱονεὶ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι εἰς τὸ εἶναι· ἐξελέξατο γὰρ ὁ Θεὸ τὰ μὴ ὄντα, φησὶν ὁ αὐτὸς Παῦλος, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργή ῃ. καὶ ζητήσει τις, πῶς τὰ ὄντα καταργεῖ· ἀλλὰ ἀκούωμεν ἐπιφέροντος αὐτοῦ τὸ ὅπω μὴ καυχή ηται πᾶ α ὰρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. ἐὰν γάρ τις μετεσχηκὼς τοῦ εἶναι, ἐπιλαθόμενος τῆς μετοχῆς, ἑαυτῷ καταχαρίσηται τὴν τοῦ εἶναι αἰτίαν, καὶ μὴ τὴν πᾶσαν εὐχαριστίαν ἀναφέρῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι τὸ εἶναι αὐτῷ ὅμοιον καὶ κατ' εἰκόνα χαρισάμενον, τότε καταργεῖται τὸ ὄν. [i 3] εὐλόγητος ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ εὐλογήσας ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ. ὁ μέν τις ἐρεῖ, διὰ τὰς ἐν Λευιτικῷ καὶ ∆ευτερονομίῳ εὐλογίας καὶ εἴ που ἄλλοθι τῆς γραφῆς τοιαῦται εἰσὶν ἀναγεγραμμέναι, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν ἐκείνων δέ, λέγεσθαι τὴν πνευματικὴν εὐλογίαν· ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡμᾶς εὐλογοῦντος οὐκ ἐν σωματικῇ ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις εὐλογίᾳ, ἀλλὰ πνευματικῇ. καὶ οὕτω γε ἐκδέξονται οἱ ἑτερόδοξοι, νομίσαντες ἂν καὶ ἀφορμὴν τοῦ διακόπτειν τὴν θεότητα ἐκ τοιαύτης ἐκδοχῆς λήψεσθαι. ἡμεῖς δὲ παραστήσαντες ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ νόμον δέδονται αἱ εὐλογίαι, εἰ σωματικῶς νοηθεῖεν, τοῖς πεπιστευμένοις κατὰ τὸν νόμον καὶ ὑγιῶς βεβιωκέναι, ἐλέγξομεν τοὺς οὕτως ὑπειληφότας ἤτοι ψεύδεσθαι τὸν τὰς εὐλογίας δεδωκότα, ἢ τὸ μὴ ἀπὸ τῆς προχείρου ἐκδοχῆς νοούμενον ἐπηγγέλθαι τοῖς βιώσασι καθὼς προσέταξεν. ἀκόλουθον γάρ ἐστι τῷ ὁ νόμο πνευματικό ἐ τι καὶ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ εὐλογίας εἶναι πνευματικάς. οὐ τετεύχασι δὲ σωματικῶς τῶν εὐλογιῶν, φέρ' εἰπεῖν, οἱ προφῆται· οὐ γὰρ ἐδάνει αν ἔθνε ι πολλοῖ ἄνθρωποι περιελθόντε ἐν μηλωταῖ , ἐν αἰγίοι δέρμα ιν, ὑ τερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι, ἐν ἐρημίαι πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρε ι καὶ πηλαίοι καὶ ταῖ ὀπαῖ τῆ γῆ , οὐδὲ εὐλόγηνται ἐν πόλει ἢ ἐν ἀγρῷ· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αἱ ἀποθῆκαι αὐτῶν εὐλόγηνται, ἃς οὐδὲ ἐκτήσαντο τὴν ἀρχήν. καὶ ὅρα εἰ μὴ ἐκ τούτων ἀναγκάσομεν τοὺς ἄλλως νοοῦντας μεταθέσθαι (εἰ τηροῖεν τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ τὰς

Heavenly spiritual blessing; holy before him; adoption and Beloved (Eph 1:3–7)§2

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2—blessings of God) toward his having given them spiritually to his own blessed ones. Not only is every blessing with which Paul and those like him have been blessed spiritual, and none of them bodily, but it is also in the heavenly places. For it was fitting for those whose commonwealth is in heaven, who store up treasure in heaven and keep their heart where their treasure is, also to obtain the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. How God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has already blessed us in every spiritual blessing and in the heavenly places is worth examining; for it does not say “who will bless” us. And see whether “in the heavenly places” can stand for “in the intelligible things and outside the senses”; for in that way someone also stores treasure in heaven and no longer keeps the heart on earth—that is, in material and bodily things—but in heaven, always conversing with intelligible nature. And for us to see more precisely, both things are said about the blessing: that it is spiritual and that it is in the heavenly places; and besides these, that it is in Christ, as in the Word and the Wisdom and the Truth and the Power.

Ephesians 1:4b: “that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Origen says: someone might ask, toward some being holy and blameless before God, whether the prophetic word contradicts this when it says, “No living thing will be justified before you.” And if before God no living thing will be justified, how will they be holy before him? For if they will be holy and blameless, they will also be justified. Fleeing to the ambiguity of the prophetic word, someone will say that “no living thing is justified before God” means something like this: not wholly and for the whole of his time will anyone be justified before God, because he has certainly sinned at some point; and if that is so, it does not prevent some from being holy and blameless before him, having become such by correction; or else, if not every living thing, still some are justified.

Ephesians 1:5: “in love having predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ unto himself.” Either “in love” is to be joined with “having predestined,” or “he chose us in him in love before the foundation of the world, having predestined us in adoption through Jesus Christ unto himself,” so that we should be holy and blameless before him. The name “adoption” shows that those predestined by him are not sons of God by nature; the name of adoption would not be ranked of the Savior, but of those who, having received the spirit of slavery unto fear and then put fear away, become worthy of freedom and of hearing “I no longer call you slaves,” and who for that reason receive the spirit of adoption. And when someone receives the Son whom he did not have before, then the spirit of adoption has also made room; for thus adoption enters us through Christ. Yet with a view to arriving at him, he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, having predestined us in love in adoption through Christ; for to these words is added “unto himself.”

Ephesians 1:5b: “according to the good pleasure of his will.” I think the name “good pleasure” (εὐδοκία) is not very worn in Greek custom, but was coined by the translators; for they used the word in the prophetic books, as in Psalm 84, “Lord, you were well pleased with your land,” and in Psalm 105, “Remember us, Lord, in the good pleasure of your people,” and in Habakkuk, “and if he draws back, my soul is not well pleased in him.” Still, good pleasure shows the “well” and the “seeming,” so that it would not be said of things that seem to us not good, but only of things that seem praiseworthily. So we must ask how, having predestined in love for adoption those whom God predestined, he predestined according to the good pleasure of his will; and we must find a demonstration that there is good pleasure of his will upon these; for his will was also well pleased that the glory of his grace toward the saved should be praised.

Ephesians 1:6: “in the Beloved.” Origen says: the Savior is called “Beloved” simply; for even if people wander about grasping righteousness and truth and wisdom, still all would confess that they “love” wisdom and truth and righteousness. For this reason the Only-begotten of God is called “Beloved,” since all love the things conceived of him, whether they miss the mark or hit it—just as all are struck with awe at God, yet those who fall away from the sound notion about God go astray. Ephesians 1:7: in

Greek · §2

εὐλογίας δεδωκότος Θεοῦ) πρὸς τὸ πνευματικῶς αὐτὸν δεδωκέναι αὐτὰς τοῖς μακαρίοις ἑαυτοῦ. οὐ μόνον δὲ πᾶσα εὐλογία πνευματική ἐστιν ἣν εὐλόγηνται Παῦλος καὶ οἱ παραπλήσιοι αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐδεμία αὐτῶν σωματική, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. ἔπρεπε γὰρ τούτοις ὧν τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖ ὑπάρχει, θη αυρίζου ιν ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχουσιν ὅπου ἐ τὶν αὐτῶν ὁ θη αυρό , καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις τῶν πνευματικῶν τυγχάνειν εὐλογιῶν. πῶς δὲ ἤδη ἐστὶν εὐλογήσας ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, ἄξιον ἐπισκέψασθαι· οὐ γὰρ εἴρηται «ὁ εὐλογήσων» ἡμᾶς. καὶ ὅρα εἰ δύναται τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις εἶναι ἀντὶ τοῦ «ἐν τοῖς νοητοῖς καὶ ἔξω αἰσθήσεων·» οὕτω γὰρ καὶ θη αυρίζει τις ἐν οὐρανοῖ , καὶ τὴν καρδίαν οὐκέτι ἔχει ἐπὶ γῆ , τουτέστιν ἐν τοῖς ὑλικοῖς καὶ σωματικοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ, τῇ νοητῇ φύσει ἀεὶ αὐτῇ ὁμιλῶν. ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ ἀκριβέστερον θεωρῆσαι ἡμᾶς, ἀμφότερα εἴρηται περὶ τῆς εὐλογίας, καὶ ὅτι ἐστὶ πνευματικὴ καὶ ὅτι ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ, οἱονεὶ ἐν τῷ Λόγῳ καὶ τῇ Σοφίᾳ καὶ τῇ Ἀληθείᾳ καὶ τῇ ∆υνάμει. 3 Eph. i 4b [εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] ζητήσαι δ' ἄν τις πρὸς τὸ εἶναί τινας ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰ μὴ τὸ προφητικὸν ἐναντιοῦται τούτῳ λέγον οὐ δικαιωθή εται ἐνώπιόν ου πᾶ ζῶν· εἰ δὲ κατενώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ πᾶ ζῶν οὐ δικαιωθή εται, πῶς κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ ἔσονται ἅγιοι; εἰ γὰρ ἅγιοι καὶ ἄμωμοι ἔσονται, καὶ δικαιωθήσονται. ἐπὶ τὴν ἀμφιβολίαν τις καταφυγὼν τοῦ προφητικοῦ ἐρεῖ, τὸ μὴ δικαιοῦσθαι κατενώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντα ζῶντα τοιοῦτό τι σημαίνειν οἱονεὶ ὅλος καὶ ἐξ ὅλου τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ χρόνου οὐ δικαιωθή εται κατενώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ πάντως ἡμαρτηκέναι ποτέ, ὅπερ ἐὰν οὕτως ἔχῃ οὐ κωλύει τὸ εἶναί τινας ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ, ἐκ διορθώσεως τοιούτους γεγενημένους· ἢ καὶ τό, <εἰ> μὴ πᾶ ζῶν, ἀλλ' οὖν γέ τινας δικ<αι>οῦσθαι. [i 5] ἐν ἀγάπῃ προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς αὐτόν. ἤτοι τὸ ἐν ἀγάπῃ τῷ προορίσας συναπτέον, ἢ ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ ἐν ἀγάπῃ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου προορίσας ἡμᾶς ἐν υἱοθεσίᾳ <διὰ> Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς αὐτόν ὥστε ἡμᾶς εἶναι ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ. δηλοῖ δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς «υἱοθεσίας» τὸ μὴ φύσει εἶναι υἱοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς προορισθέντας ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· οὐκ ἂν γοῦν ταχθείη τὸ ὄνομα τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἐπὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τούτων οἳ λαβόντε τὸ <π>ν<εῦ>μα τῆς δουλεία εἰ φόβον ἀποδόντε τὸν φόβον ἄξιοι γίνονται ἐλευθερίας καὶ τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι οὐκέτι ὑμᾶ λέγω δούλου , οἳ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λαμβάνουσι τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς υἱοθε ία . ὅτε δέ τις τὸν Υἱὸν λαμβάνει οὐ πρότερον ἐσχηκὼς αὐτόν, τότε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα κεχώρηκε τῆς υἱοθε ία · οὕτως γὰρ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἡ υἱοθεσία ἡμῖν ἐπεισέρχεται. ἐπὶ τῷ μέντοιγε εἰς αὐτὸν καταντῆσαι ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ πρὸ κατα βολῆς κόσμου, εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἀγάπῃ προορίσας ἡμᾶς ἐν υἱοθεσίᾳ διὰ Χριστοῦ· τούτοις γὰρ ἐπιφέρεται τὸ εἰς αὐτόν. [i 5b] κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. τὸ τῆς «εὐδοκίας» ὄνομα οὐ πάνυ τι τετριμμένον ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑλλήνων συνηθείᾳ νομίζω ὄν, ὠνοματοποιῆσθαι δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἑρμηνευσάντων· ἐχρήσαντο γὰρ τῇ λέξει ἐπὶ τῶν προφητικῶν, ὡς ἐν τῷ πδʹ ψαλμῷ, εὐδόκη α Κύριε τὴν γῆν ου, καὶ ἐν ρεʹ, μνή θητι ἡμῶν Κύριε ἐν τῇ εὐδοκίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ ου· καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἀμβακούμ, καὶ ἐὰν ὑπο τείληται οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ. πλὴν ἡ εὐδοκία ἐμφαίνει τὸ «εὖ» καὶ τὸ «δοκεῖν·» ὥστε μὴ ἂν λεχθῆναι ἐπὶ τῶν δοκούντων ἡμῖν οὐ καλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μόνων τῶν ἐπαινετῶς δοκούντων. ζητητέον οὖν πῶς ἐν ἀγάπῃ προορίσας εἰς υἱοθεσίαν οὓς προώρισεν ὁ Θεός, κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ προώρισε· καὶ ἀπόδειξιν εὑρετέον τοῦ εὐδοκίαν εἶναι τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τούτοις· καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ ἐπαινεῖσθαι τῆς εἰς τοὺς σωζομένους χάριτος αὐτοῦ τὴν δόξαν εὐδόκησεν αὐτοῦ τὸ θέλημα. 4 Eph. i 6 [ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] «ἠγαπημένος» ἁπλῶς λέγεται ὁ Σωτήρ· ἐπεὶ κἂν πλανῶνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι περὶ τὴν τῆς δικαιο ύνη κατάληψιν καὶ τῆς ἀληθεία καὶ τῆς οφία , πλὴν πάντες ἂν ὁμολογήσαιεν «ἀγαπᾶν» οφίαν καὶ ἀλήθειαν καὶ δικαιο ύνην. διὰ τοῦτο «ἠγαπημένος» λέγεται ὁ Μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ, πάντων ἀγαπώντων τὰ ἐπινοούμενα αὐτῷ, ἤτοι δὲ σφαλλομένων τοῦ σκοποῦ ἢ ἐπιτυγχανόντων· ὥσπερ πάντες τεθήπασι τὸν Θεόν, σφάλλονται δὲ οἱ ἀποπίπτοντες τῆς ὑγιοῦς ἐννοίας περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ. [i 7] ἐν

Redemption by blood; riches of grace; wisdom and the mystery (Eph 1:7–9)§3

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3whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses. Redemption—or ransoming—happens for captives who have come under enemies. We have come under the enemies: the ruler of this age and the wicked powers under him; and for that reason we needed redemption and the one who buys us out, so that he might receive us back after we had been estranged from him. So the Savior gave his own blood as the ransom for us; therefore we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses. Forgiveness of trespasses follows redemption; before someone is redeemed, forgiveness of trespasses cannot happen for him. First, then, we must be redeemed and no longer be under the one who took us captive and holds us, so that, freed and outside his hands (so to speak), we may for our benefit be able to receive forgiveness of trespasses and, healed from the wounds of sin, act according to piety and the remaining virtues.

Ephesians 1:8: “according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us.” The one who has understood what it is to be saved by grace and not from works, and who compares trespass with trespass, would see, according to the parable that speaks of the five hundred and the fifty denarii, who ought to confess more favors to the master who remitted the debt. Still, seeing how the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory about to be revealed to us, one would recognize the riches of God’s grace, and how it overflowed upon the called and elect—especially those alien to God’s covenants and strangers to his promises, drawn by Israel’s trespass from the Father’s kindness toward salvation. Still more would someone contemplate the riches of his grace which overflowed upon the blessed by considering “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” and “things into which angels long to look,” and what is said about all being one—“that as I and you are one, they also may be one in us.” And this whole riches of God’s grace which overflowed upon the saints, supplied from some beginning and growing and multiplying, either has the one who obtains what was said competing in zeal and stretching alongside as far as possible, or, if he falls short of doing all that falls to him as far as he can, makes the grace empty toward such a one. If someone falls short, grace becomes as it were empty toward him; but if he does what is from himself without omission, he may say the apostolic word: “his grace toward me was not empty.”

Ephesians 1:9: “in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him for the stewardship of the fullness of the times.” Origen says: what is “all wisdom,” and after that what is “insight”? Jesus also used the word in Wisdom, beginning from “All wisdom is from the Lord and with him it is forever.” So if someone has contemplated the things seen and what is in them or even outside them unseen, and having parcelled them out by reason examines separately the invisible and the visible by the wisdom with which God has made all things—for David says “You made all things in wisdom”—this person would look upon all wisdom from the Lord. But it is likely that someone, despairing that one still wearing this body can already be in all wisdom and insight, and hearing also “we know in part and we prophesy in part,” will stumble at “making known to us the mystery of his will in all wisdom and insight,” as said more generously than truly. For even if the mystery of God is made known to Paul and those like him in wisdom, it is not made known in all wisdom to one who knows all things in part and prophesies in part. See, then, whether another division of the reading does not fit this inquiry of the passage, as follows: “unto the praise of the glory of his grace with which he graced us in the Beloved, in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight”—stopping the division of this passage here, and from another beginning reading thus: “making known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure,” so that “in all wisdom and insight” does not attach to “making known to us the mystery

Greek · §3

ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν παραπτωμάτων. ἀπολύτρωσις <ἢ> λύτρωσις γίνεται τῶν αἰχμαλώτων καὶ γενομένων ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις· γεγόναμεν δὲ ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις τῷ ἄρχοντι τοῦ αἰῶνο τούτου καὶ ταῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν πονηραῖς δυνάμεσι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐδεήθημεν ἀπολυτρώσεως καὶ τοῦ ἐξαγοράζοντος ἡμᾶς ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλοτριωθέντας αὐτοῦ ἀπολάβῃ· ἔδωκεν οὖν ὁ Σωτὴρ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν λύτρον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ αἷμα· διόπερ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν παραπτωμάτων. τῇ ἀπολυτρώσει ἕπεται ἡ ἄφεσις τῶν παραπτωμάτων, πρὶν ἀπολυτρωθῆναί τινα οὐκ ἐνδεχομένης αὐτῷ γενέσθαι ἀφέσεως παραπτωμάτων. πρῶτον οὖν ἀπολυτρωθῆναι ἡμᾶς δεῖ καὶ μηκέτι εἶναι ὑπὸ τῷ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντι καὶ κεκρατηκότι, ἵνα ἐλευθερωθέντες καὶ ἔξω γενόμενοι τῶν (ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω) χειρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ δυνηθῶμεν λαβεῖν τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν παραπτωμάτων καὶ θεραπευθέντες ἀπὸ τῶν τραυμάτων τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐνεργῆσαι κατ' εὐσέβειαν καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἀρετάς. [i 8] κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς ἡμᾶς. ὁ νοήσας τί ἐστὶ χάριτί ἐ τε ε ω μένοι καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, καὶ υγκρίνων παραπτώματα παραπτώμασι, βλέποι ἂν κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν παραβολὴν περὶ τῶν πεντακο ίων καὶ πεντήκοντα δηναρίων τίς ὀφείλει πλείονας χάριτας ὁμολογεῖν τῷ συγχωρήσαντι τὸ χρέος οἰκοδεσπότῃ. ἔτι δὲ θεωρῶν πῶς οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθή ματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸ τὴν μέλλου αν δόξαν ἀνακαλυφθῆναι εἰ ἡμᾶ , τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος συνίδοι ἄν, καὶ ὡς ἐπερίσσευσεν οὕτως ἐπὶ τοὺς κλητοὺς καὶ ἐκλεκτούς, μάλιστα τοὺς ἀλλοτρίου τῶν διαθηκῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ξένου τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν αὐτοῦ, τῷ παραπτώματι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἑλκυσθέντας ἀπὸ τῆς πατρικῆς χρηστότητος ἐπὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν· ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χ<άρι>τος αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τοὺς μακαρίους μείζον' <ἄν> τις κατανοήσαι θεωρῶν τὸ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἀγγέλου κρινοῦμεν; καὶ τὸ εἰ ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦ ιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι, καὶ τὸ περὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσι λεγομένου ἔσεσθαι δὸ ἵνα ὡ ἐγὼ καὶ ὺ ἓν ἐ μέν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ἓν ὦ ιν. οὗτος δὲ ὁ πᾶς πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἧς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, ἀπό τινος ἀρχῆς ἐπιχορηγούμενο καὶ αὔξων καὶ πληθυνόμενος, ἤτοι ἀντιφιλοτιμούμενον καὶ συμπαρεκτεινόμενον κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἔχει τὸν τυγχάνοντα τῶν προειρημένων, ἢ ἀπολειπόμενον κατὰ τὸ ἐνδεχόμενον ποιεῖν πάντα τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀπολείποιτό τις, οἱονεὶ κενὴ γένοιτ' ἂν πρὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον ἡ χάρις· εἰ δὲ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀνελλιπῶς ποιήσαι, λέγοι ἂν τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἡ χάρι αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰ ἐμὲ οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη. 5 Eph. i. 9 [ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] τί τὸ πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τί τὸ φρονήσει; κέχρηται τῇ λέξει καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ, ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ πᾶ α οφία παρὰ Κυρίου καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐ τιν εἰ τὸν αἰῶνα. εἴ τις οὖν κατενόησε τὰ βλεπόμενα καὶ τίνα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἢ καὶ ἔξω αὐτῶν μὴ βλεπόμενα, καὶ κατακερματίσας τῷ λόγῳ ἰδίᾳ τὰ ἀόρατα καὶ ἰδίᾳ τὰ ὁρατὰ ἐξετάζοι τὴν σοφίαν ᾗ τὰ πάντα πεποίηκεν ὁ Θεὸς (πάντα γὰρ ἐν οφίᾳ φησὶν ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἐποίη α ), οὗτος τὴν παρὰ Κυρίου πᾶ αν <ἂν> ἐπιβλέποι οφίαν. ἀλλ' εἰκός τινα ἀπογνόντα τὸ ἤδη δύνασθαι ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει γενέσθαι τὸν ἔτι τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο περικείμενον, κατακούοντα δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἐκ μέρου γινώ κομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρου προφητεύομεν, προσκόψειν τῷ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ, ὡς κατακεχαρισμένως μᾶλλον ἢ ἀληθῶς εἰρημένῳ· ἵνα γὰρ καὶ ἐν σοφίᾳ γνωρισθῇ Παύλῳ καὶ τοῖς παραπλησίοις αὐτῷ τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ γνωρίζεται πάντα αὐτῷ ἐκ μέρου γινώσκοντι καὶ ἐκ μέρου προφητεύοντι. ὅρα οὖν εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὴν ζήτησιν ταύτην ἄλλη διαστολὴ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως ἁρμόζει τῶν κατὰ τὸν τόπον οὕτως ἔχουσα· εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐχαρίτωσεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν παραπτωμάτων, κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει· ἐνθάδε καταπαύσας τὴν τούτου τοῦ τόπου διαστολήν, ἀπ' ἄλλης ἀρχῆς οὕτως ἀναγνώσεται τὸ γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ, ὥστε τὸ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει μὴ ἐφαρμόζειν τῷ γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον

Purpose and fullness of times; summing-up in Christ; counsel of will (Eph 1:9–13)§4

4of his will but to what stands above. For God graced us in the Beloved in all his own wisdom and his insight; and also, having in the Beloved the redemption through the blood of Christ, we received these things in all wisdom and insight of God; and in all his wisdom and insight we have obtained forgiveness of trespasses, as he overflows toward us the riches of his grace in all wisdom and insight—all of which he has done, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. But if the former reading also stands, a account will be given that does not fight the force of knowing in part and of the one who pursues to grasp: in all his own wisdom and insight God arranged us, making known the mystery of his will. For that we may be able to know the mystery of his will and have strength to contain it while wearing a body of humiliation, we need the stewardship of all God’s wisdom. And if the name “mysteries” is taken for divine and secret things not fit to reach many, clearly the mystery also concerns those who will be saved by God’s will; for the great throng of God’s kindness is hidden for those who fear him, as David says: “How great is the throng of your kindness, Lord, which you hid for those who fear you.”

Notice also whether “predestination” and “purpose” differ, so that purpose comes after predestination: as if predestination occurs according to God’s thoughts, and according to the same, when those he predestined somehow take substance, the purpose about them follows and the predestination comes into work; hence first is written “in love having predestined us for adoption,” and second “according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him.” One must also examine what the fullness of the times is; beside it lies “the fullness of time” in the same Paul: “when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his Son.” And just as the time for the heir to receive the paternal estate when he has come to a man’s age might somehow be named the fullness of his time or of his season, so in the fullness of the times would be the one who, through the roads and advances that lead to perfection, has arrived at being able to receive what God predestined and purposed for the saints.

Ephesians 1:10: “to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him.” Origen says: the name “summing up” (ἀνακεφαλαίωσις) is used of bankers’ and similar accounts that are totalled and gathered into one head of gifts and expenses or receipts; from which I think the apostle also used the word here. For there being many accounts of the stewardship of things in heaven and of the administration of things on earth, all of them, as parts of one whole world, breathing together and nodding toward one result—there is a summing-up in Christ. For not only the piecings of what is stewarded and the several accounts of what is administered are in God’s Word and his Wisdom, but also the summing-up and (as one might say) the gathering-under-one-head of all. “Head” is often also the encompassing thought; “a head,” it says, “upon the things said,” and “heading many things in few.” And “head” is so called, I think, because our head has in it all our sense-organs of life as in a summary.

Ephesians 1:11: “of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Origen says: whatever God works and does and completes, he works all these according to the counsel proper to his will; for there is nothing that can make him do anything contrary to the counsel of his will, since he rules and governs the whole. And so that Paul may present how carefully God’s workings happen according to his will, he set counsel before will. For God above all does all things with counsel. Therefore he works all things according to the counsel of his will.

Ephesians 1:13: “in whom you also, having heard [the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise].” Origen says: in whom (clearly Christ), toward others who have

Greek · §4

τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀνωτέρω. ἐχαρίτωσε γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ φρονήσει ὁ Θεός· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἔχοντες τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλάβομεν ταῦτα· καὶ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ καὶ φρονήσει τετυχήκαμεν τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν παραπτωμάτων, περισσεύοντος αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει· ἅπερ πάντα πεποίηκε, γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστή ριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ. ἐὰν δὲ ᾖ καὶ ἡ προτέρα ἀνάγνωσις, τοιοῦτος ἀποδοθήσεται λόγος, μὴ ἐναντιού μενος τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ ἐκ μέρου γινώ κειν καὶ τοῦ διώκοντα καταλαμβάνειν· ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει ὁ Θεὸς ἡμᾶς ᾠκονόμησε, γνωρίσας τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. ἵνα γὰρ δυνηθῶμεν γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦτο χωρῆσαι ἐξισχύσωμεν, ῶμα ταπεινώ εω περικείμενοι, πάσης σοφίας Θεοῦ οἰκονομούσης ἡμᾶς χρῄζομεν. καὶ εἴπερ τὸ τῶν μυστηρίων ὄνομα ἐπὶ τῶν θείων καὶ ἀπορρήτων καὶ μὴ ἐπιτηδείων φθάνειν εἰς πολλοὺς παραλαμβάνεται, δηλονότι καὶ περὶ τῶν σωθησομένων θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ μυστηρίου ἔχεται· τὸ γὰρ πολὺ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ κέκρυπται τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν, καθὼς φησὶν ὁ ∆αβίδ, ὡ πολὺ τὸ πλῆθο τῆ χρη τότητό ου, Κύριε, ἧ ἔκρυψα τοῖ φοβουμένοι ε. ἐπίστησον δὲ εἰ διαφέρει «προορισμὸς» καὶ «πρόθεσις,» ὡς μετὰ τὸν προορισμὸν τὴν πρόθεσιν γίνεσθαι· ὥστε οἷον κατὰ μὲν τὰ ἐννοήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ γίνεσθαι τὸν προορισμόν, κατὰ δὲ ταὐτὰ ἤδη τὴν περὶ ὧν προώρισε πρόθεσιν οὐσιωμένων πως ἐπακολουθεῖν καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἐρχομένων τοῦ προορισμοῦ· ὅθεν καὶ πρότερον μὲν γέγραπται τὸ ἐν ἀγάπῃ προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν, δεύτερον δὲ κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ. ἐξεταστέον δέ τί ἐστι τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν καιρῶν· τούτῳ δὲ παράκειται τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου παρὰ τῷ αὐτῷ λεγόμενον Παύλῳ, ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέ τειλεν ὁ Θεὸ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ. ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ παραλαβεῖν τὴν πατρῴαν κτῆσιν τὸν κληρονόμον γενόμενον ἐν ἡλικίᾳ ἀνδρὸς πλήρωμα ἄν πως ὀνομάζοιτο τοῦ χρόνου αὐτοῦ ἢ τοῦ καιροῦ αὐτοῦ, οὕτως ἐν πληρώματι τῶν καιρῶν γένοιτ' ἂν ὁ διὰ τῶν φερουσῶν ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα ὁδῶν καὶ προκοπῶν καταντήσας ἐπὶ τὸ δύνασθαι τὰ προωρισμένα καὶ προτεθει μένα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς ἁγίοις λαβεῖν. 6 Eph. i 10 ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν Χριστῷ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐν αὐτῷ. [Ὠριγένης φησί] τὸ ὄνομα τῆς «ἀνακεφαλαιώσεως» εἴρηται ἐπὶ τῶν τραπεζιτικῶν καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων συμψηφιζομένων λόγων καὶ εἰς ἓν κεφάλαιον συναγομένων δόσεων καὶ ἀναλωμάτων ἢ λήψεων, ὅθεν οἴομαι καὶ τὸν ἀπόστολον ἐνταῦθα κεχρῆσθαι τῇ λέξει. πολλῶν γὰρ ὄντων λόγων τῆς οἰκονομίας τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ διοικήσεως τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, πάντων, ἅτε ἑνὸς τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου μερῶν τυγχανόντων, συμπνεόντων καὶ συννευόντων εἰς ἓν ἀποτέλεσμα, «ἀνακεφα λαίωσίς» ἐστιν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ. οὐ μόνον γὰρ οἱ κατακερματισμοὶ τῶν οἰκονο μουμένων καὶ οἱ καθ' ἕνα λόγοι τῶν διοικουμένων εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγῳ καὶ τῇ Σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἀνακεφαλαίωσις καὶ (ὡσὰν εἴποι τις) συγκεφα λαίωσις πάντων. «κεφάλαιον» λέγεται πολλάκις καὶ τὸ περιληπτικὸν νόημα· κεφάλαιον γοῦν, φησίν, ἐπὶ τοῖ λεγομένοι , καὶ κεφαλαίω ον ἐν ὀλίγοι πολλά. κεφάλαιον δὲ λέγεται, ὡς οἶμαι, ἀπὸ τοῦ καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἡμῶν ἅπαντα ἔχειν ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ τὰ ὅλα ἡμῶν τῆς ζωῆς αἰσθητήρια ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ. 7 Eph. i 11 [τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργοῦντος κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ὅσα ἐνεργεῖ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πράττει καὶ ἐπιτελεῖ, ταῦτα πάντα κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἐνεργεῖ· οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὃ δύναται αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι πρᾶξαί τι παρὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ· πάντων γὰρ κρατεῖ καὶ ἄρχει τῶν ὅλων. ἵνα δὲ τὸ περιεσκεμμένον ὁ Παῦλος παραστήσῃ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ γινομένων, προέταξε τοῦ θελήματος τὴν βουλήν. πάντων γὰρ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ βουλῆς πάντα ποιεῖ. διόπερ πάντα ἐνεργεῖ κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. 8 Eph. i 13 ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες [τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ἐν ᾧ (δηλονότι Χριστῷ) πρὸς ἑτέροις

Word of truth and gospel seal; earnest of inheritance (Eph 1:13–14)§5

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5heard, and you also, having heard the word of truth—which word of truth is the gospel of your salvation—in which also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. As to the phrasing, the second “in which” will seem redundant, and that has also caused the appearance that, with the thought hanging, the subordinate clause was not brought in. It is not so. Someone before us used to say that from much love toward Jesus Paul mentions him most continually and as it were redundantly, as one can also see in “in which also having believed” according to the “in which.” And it is very fitting for the Ephesians, who have shared in secret words with Paul as guide, to hear “in which you also, having heard the word of truth.” For I do not think that those who have heard only the preaching, and have not received the words of the realities in narrative and clear unfolding, hear the word of truth. For the word differs from the preaching, as Paul also teaches elsewhere when he says, “and my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of Spirit and power”; and there too one must note that he says his word is other than his preaching. One must also examine whether in another letter it is said that some have heard the word of truth, so that the observation may appear more precisely according to Paul’s intent. But where “gospel” is named must be watched, and also the words added to it—for example “according to my gospel,” or “beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” or “eternal gospel,” or “gospel of the salvation of the Ephesians,” or simply “gospel,” as when Paul says of Luke, “whose praise is in the gospel through all the churches.”

And everyone who has heard the word of truth, which is the gospel of the hearer’s salvation, and has believed, is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise; so that if one heard but did not believe, one would not be sealed. Another will say that even if one believed, yet did not advance so far as to hear the word of truth, one would still not contain the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise, which is truly an imprint and clarification of the things that ought to be imprinted and clarified by the Holy Spirit of promise. One must also ask whether “Holy Spirit of promise” is said anywhere, and what to take for the Holy Spirit of promise. I think, then, that just as the Holy Spirit, when it comes upon someone, makes holy, and the spirit of wisdom makes wise, and the spirit of understanding makes understanding, so also the spirit of promise is somehow already in the promise.

Ephesians 1:14: “who is the earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of the possession, unto the praise of his glory.” You will ask whether everyone who shares in the Holy Spirit shares in the spirit of promise, or only the one who has heard a word of truth that is a gospel of salvation and believed receives the Holy Spirit of promise; and further we should notice whether everyone who somehow shares in Holy Spirit has the earnest of the inheritance. Better to understand that, just as with those who buy something and give an earnest the earnest is given in proportion to the quantity of the whole silver, so according to the proportion of the goods each holy one is foreknown to receive, the earnest of the inheritance is given, so that from the earnest one able to discern differences of earnest-power and earnest could already declare a greater or lesser inheritance laid up for Christ’s fellow-heirs. And just as the earnest of the inheritance is not something outside us—for in each is the Holy Spirit of promise, the earnest of the promise—so the inheritance is not outside the heir, but in the

Greek · §5

ἀκούσασι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον, ὅσπερ ἀληθείας λόγος τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν ἐστι τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν, <ἐν ᾧ> καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ. δόξει δέ, ὡς πρὸς τὴν φράσιν, τὸ δεύτερον ἐν ᾧ παρέλκειν, ὅπερ καὶ αἴτιον γεγένηται τοῦ δοκεῖν ὅτι, κρεμαμένου τοῦ διανοήματος, ἡ ὑποτακτικὴ φράσις οὐκ ἐπενήνεκται. οὐχ οὕτω δὲ ἔχει· ἔλεγε δή τις τῶν πρὸ ἡμῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς περὶ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀγάπης τὸν Παῦλον συνεχέστατα αὐτοῦ μεμνῆσθαι καὶ ὡσπερεὶ παρελκόντως, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἔστιν ἰδεῖν κατὰ τὸ ἐν ᾧ. πάνυ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς Ἐφεσίους ἐστί, κεκοινωνηκότας ἀπορρήτων λόγων ὑφηγουμένου τοῦ Παύλου, τὸ ἀκούειν ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας. οὐκ οἶμαι γὰρ τοὺς τοῦ κηρύγματος μόνου ἀκηκοότας, καὶ τοὺς λόγους τῶν πραγμάτων μὴ παρειληφότας ἐν διηγήσει καὶ τραν<εῖ> ἀναπτύξει, ἀκούειν τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας. διαφέρει γὰρ ὁ λόγος καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις ὁ Παῦλος διδάσκει λέγων, καὶ ὁ λόγο μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμά μου οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖ οφία λόγοι ἀλλ' ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύματο καὶ δυνάμεω · κἀκεῖ γὰρ παρατηρητέον ὅτι ἕτερον λέγει εἶναι τὸν λόγον ἑαυτοῦ τοῦ κηρύγματος ἑαυτοῦ. ἐξεταστέον δὲ καὶ <εἰ> ἐν ἄλλῃ ἐπιστολῇ κεῖται τὸ ἀκηκοέναι τινὰς τὸν λόγον τῆ ἀληθεία , ἵνα τὸ παρατήρημα ἀκριβέστερον κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Παύλου φανῇ. ἀλλὰ ποῦ τὸ μὲν «εὐαγγέλιον» ὀνομάζεται παρατηρητέον, <παρατηρητέον> δὲ καὶ τὰς προστιθεμένας αὐτῷ λέξεις, οἷον κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου, ἢ ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰη οῦ Χρι τοῦ, ἢ εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον, ἢ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν Ἐφεσίων· ἢ ἁπλῶς «εὐαγγέλιον,» ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ περὶ τοῦ Λουκᾶ ὁ Παῦλος, οὗ ὁ ἔπαινο ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ πα ῶν τῶν ἐκκλη ιῶν. σφραγίζεται δὲ τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ πᾶς ὁ ἀκούσας τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον, ὄντα εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας τοῦ ἀκούοντος καὶ πιστεύοντος· ὡς εἰ ἀκούσαι μέν, μὴ πιστεύσαι δέ, οὐκ ἂν σφραγισθείη. ἄλλος δέ τις ἐρεῖ ὅτι εἰ καὶ πιστεύσαι μέν, μὴ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δὲ προκόπτοι ὡς ἀκούειν τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐδ' οὕτως ἂν χωρήσαι τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ ἁγίου σφραγῖδα, <ἥ>τις ἐστὶν ἀληθῶς ἐκτύπωσις καὶ τράνωσις τούτων ἃ πρέπει ἐκτυποῦσθαι καὶ τρανοῦσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἁγίου πνεύματος. ζητητέον δὲ καὶ εἴ που εἴρηται πνεῦμα ἐπαγγελίας ἅγιον, καὶ τί ἐκδεκτέον εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἅγιον. οἶμαι τοίνυν ὅτι ὥσπερ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, γενόμενον ἐπί τινι, ἅγιον ποιεῖ, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς οφία σοφόν, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς υνέ εω συνετόν, οὕτω καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας εἶναι πως ἤδη ἐν τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ. [i 14] ὅ ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν, εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως, εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ. ζητήσεις εἰ πᾶς ὁ μετέχων ἁγίου πνεύματος μετέχει τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἢ μόνος ὁ ἀκούσας λόγου ἀληθείας, ὄντος εὐαγγελίου σωτηρίας, καὶ πιστεύσας, οὗτος λαμβάνει τὸ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας πνεῦμα ἅγιον· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἐπιστήσωμεν, εἰ πᾶς ὁ μετέχων ὁπώσποτε πνεύματος ἁγίου ἔχει τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τῆς κληρονομίας. βέλτιον δὲ νοεῖν ὅτι, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν συνωνουμένων τι καὶ διδόντων ἀρραβῶνα κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς ποσότητος τοῦ ὅλου ἀργυρίου δίδοται ἀρραβών, οὕτως κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῶν ἑκάστου προεγνωσμένων ἁγίου μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν δίδοται ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρραβῶνος τὸν δυνάμενον κατανοεῖν διαφορὰς τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ ἀρραβῶνος καὶ ἀρραβῶνος ἤδη ἂν ἀποφήνασθαι περὶ πλείονος καὶ ἐλάττονος κληρονομίας τῆς ἀποκειμένη τοῖς Χριστοῦ συγκληρονόμοις. ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας οὐχὶ ἔξω τι ἡμῶν ἐστιν (ἐν γὰρ ἑκάστῳ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐστὶ τὸ ἅγιον, ὁ ἀρραβὼν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας), οὕτως ἡ κληρονομία οὐκ ἔξωθέν ἐστι τοῦ κληρονομοῦντος, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ

Praise of glory; spirit of wisdom; hope and heirs of God (Eph 1:14–18)§6

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6mind of the one who inherits and in his soul; for nothing outside can be compared with the perfection of a mind contemplating the beauties of Wisdom and Word of God and Truth. This Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, is given for the present to the saints so that they may be redeemed and acquired for God, being fitted unto the praise of God’s glory. And “unto the praise of his glory,” beside what has been explained, can also mean this: “each one, for the sake of praising God’s glory, now receiving the Spirit of promise as earnest of the inheritance, and later the inheritance itself”—not, however (as someone might suspect from the wording), as if God needed those who praise his glory, but as if the greatest goods accrue to those who have contemplated what is praiseworthy in God’s glory and cannot keep silent about it, but are always becoming people who rejoice in hymning it.

Ephesians 1:15–17: “For this reason I also, having heard of the faith among you in the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, having the eyes of the heart enlightened in the knowledge of him.” Origen says: “having the eyes of the heart enlightened in the knowledge of him” will seem solecistic unless we take it as a hyperbaton; therefore we think the next of the construction runs thus: “For this reason I also, having heard of the faith among you in the Lord Jesus—having the eyes of the heart enlightened in the knowledge of him—and toward all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know what is the hope of your calling,” and what follows. If the Father is father of something underlying and substantial, and is also called Father of glory, clearly glory is something underlying and given substance; and perhaps our Savior, just as he is Word and Wisdom and Truth and Peace and Righteousness, is also Glory; and whenever Glory of God is recorded as having appeared, nothing else should be understood to have appeared than the Son of God. The spirit of wisdom, then, makes wise, and the spirit of revelation takes the veil from the heart, so that with unveiled face reflecting the Lord’s glory one is transformed into the same image from glory to glory. So no one who is not wise has a spirit of wisdom, and none of those who, when Moses is read, still have a veil on the heart have already received the spirit of revelation—unless perhaps the spirit of wisdom by quality of wisdom’s contemplations makes wise in different degrees, and by quantity of removing the veils over the letters does not serve revelation equally to those from whom the veil is taken. Besides these, one must hear “having the eyes of the heart enlightened in the knowledge of him”; for if knowledge of God and recognition (ἐπίγνωσις) of God are not the same, but the one who recognizes as it were re-knows what he once knew and had forgotten, then as many as come into recognition of God knew him long ago; therefore “all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord.” And “having the eyes of the heart enlightened” shows the bodiless and intelligible nature of our ruling faculty and of the true light.

Ephesians 1:18–20: “so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of his strength which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead.” Origen: God’s calling has a hope that must be known from much attention of life and quickness of mind; and his inheritance has riches of much glory in the saints in the upper places. The one to whom, according to Paul’s prayer, the spirit of wisdom and of revelation is given will himself know what is laid up for the called and will contemplate the hoped-for things, which are riches of glory according to his inheritance, which he gives to those called to this holy inheritance. And you will ask whether God himself is also the inheritance of the saints, so that the heirs of God are understood thus: that just as we say heirs of fields and heirs of houses, ranking the inheritance upon the properties, so we should

Greek · §6

νῷ τοῦ κληρονομοῦντος καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ· οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν συγκρίνεσθαι δύναται τελειότητι νοῦ θεωροῦντος κάλλη Σοφίας καὶ Λόγου Θεοῦ καὶ Ἀληθείας. τοῦτο μέντοιγε τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἅγιον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀρραβὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν, ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος δίδοται τοῖς ἁγίοις, ἵνα ἀπολυτρωθῶσι καὶ περιποιηθῶσι τῷ Θεῷ, καταρτιζόμενοι εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ. τὸ δὲ εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ πρὸς τῷ ἀποδεδομένῳ δύναται καὶ τοιοῦτο δηλοῦν, «ἐπὶ τῷ ἐπαινεῖν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἕκαστος, νῦν μὲν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λαμβάνων ἀρραβῶνα τῆς κληρονομίας, ὕστερον δὲ αὐτὴν τὴν κληρονομίαν·» οὐ μέντοι (ὡς ἄν τις ὑπονοήσαι σημαίνεσθαι ἐκ τῆς λέξεως) ὡς χρῄζοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ἐπαινούντων τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὡς μεγίστων ἀγαθῶν περιγινομένων τοῖς τεθεωρηκόσι τὸ ἐπαινετὸν τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ μὴ δυναμένοις σιωπᾶν αὐτό, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ πρὸς τῷ εὐφραίνεσθαι ἐν τῷ ὑμνεῖν αὐτὸ γινομένοις. 9 Eph. i 15–17 [∆ιὰ τοῦτο κἀγώ, ἀκούσας τὴν καθ' ὑμᾶς πίστιν ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὴν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους, οὐ παύομαι εὐχαριστῶν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν μνείαν ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου, ἵνα ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ πατὴρ τῆς δόξης, δῴη ὑμῖν πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως, ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] δόξει σόλοικον εἶναι τὸ ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας εἰ μὴ ὡς ὑπερβατὸν αὐτὸ ἀποδῶμεν· διόπερ τὸ ἑξῆς τῆς συμφράσεως οὕτως ἔχειν οἰόμεθα διὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ ἀκούσας τὴν καθ' ὑμᾶς πίστιν ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας, καὶ τὴν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους, οὐ παύομαι εὐχαριστῶν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν μνείαν ὑμῶν ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου, ἵνα ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ πατὴρ τῆς δόξης, δῴη ὑμῖν πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως, εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς κλήσεως ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. εἰ ὁ πατὴρ ὑποκειμένου καὶ οὐσιώδους ἐστὶ πατήρ, λέγεται δὲ καὶ τῆς δόξης πατήρ, δηλονότι ἡ δόξα ὑποκείμενόν τί ἐστι καὶ οὐσιωμένον· καὶ μήποτε ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, ὥσπερ ἐστὶ Λόγο καὶ Σοφία καὶ Ἀλήθεια καὶ Εἰρήνη καὶ ∆ικαιο ύνη, οὕτω καὶ ∆όξα· καὶ εἴ ποτε ὦφθαι ἀναγέγραπται ∆όξα Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἄλλο τι νοητέον ὦφθαι ἢ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ. τὸ μὲν οὖν πνεῦμα τῆς σοφίας σοφὸν ποιεῖ, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως περιαιρεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας τὸ κάλυμμα, ἵνα ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ τις προ ώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου κατοπτριζόμενο τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφῶται ἀπὸ δόξη εἰ δόξαν. οὐδεὶς οὖν μὴ σοφὸς ἔχει πνεῦμα σοφίας, καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν ἡνίκα ἀναγινώ κηται Μω ῆ κάλυμμα ἔτι ἐχόντων ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἤδη εἴληφε τὸ τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως πνεῦμα· εἰ μὴ <ἄ>ρα τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς σοφίας προσότητι τῶν θεωρημάτων τῆς σοφίας διαφόρως σοφοὺς ποιεῖ, καὶ ποσότητι τῆς περιαιρέσεως τῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς γράμμασι καλυμμάτων οὐχ ὁμοίως διακονεῖ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν ὧν περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα. πρὸς τούτοις ἀκουστέον τὸ ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ταὐτόν ἐστι γνῶσις Θεοῦ καὶ ἐπίγνωσις Θεοῦ ἀλλ' ὁ ἐπιγινώσκων οἱονεὶ ἀναγνωρίζει ὃ πάλαι εἰδὼς ἐπελέληστο, ὅσοι ἐν ἐπιγνώσει γίνονται Θεοῦ πάλαι ᾔδεσαν αὐτόν· διόπερ μνη θή ονται καὶ ἐπι τραφή ονται πρὸ Κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆ γῆ . ἐμφαίνει δὲ τὴν ἀσώματον φύσιν καὶ νοητὴν τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸ τὸ πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας. [i 18–20] εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς κλήσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ τί τὸ ὑπερ βάλλον μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστεύοντας κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ ἣν ἐνήργησεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. [Ὠριγένους] ἡ κλῆσις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλπίδα ἔχει, ἣν χρὴ γνῶναι ἀπὸ πολλῆς προσοχῆς βίου καὶ ἐντρεχείας νοῦ· καὶ ἡ κληρονομία αὐτοῦ πλοῦτον ἔχει δόξης πολλῆς ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἄνω τόποις. ᾧ κατὰ τὴν εὐχὴν τοῦ Παύλου δίδοται τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως, αὐτὸς εἴσεται τὰ ἀποκείμενα τοῖς καλουμένοις καὶ θεωρήσει τὰ ἐλπιζόμενα, ὄντα πλοῦτον δόξης τῆς κατὰ τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ, ἣν δίδωσι τοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν ταύτην καλουμένοις κληρονομίαν. ζητήσεις δὲ εἰ ἔστι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ἁγίων κληρονομία, ὡς καὶ οὕτως νοεῖσθαι τοὺς κληρονόμους τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα, ὥσπερ λέγομεν κληρονόμους χωρίων καὶ κληρονόμους οἰκιῶν τὴν κληρονομίαν τάσσοντες ἐπὶ τῶν κτημάτων, οὕτως

Power that raised Christ; seated above every name (Eph 1:18–22)§7

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7also understand the heirs of God. And the law that says, “But the sons of Levi shall not be given a lot among their brothers, because I am their portion, says the Lord,” and elsewhere, “the Lord is their inheritance,” holds to such a sense. So the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance come to be in the mind of the saints who will contain so much of the contemplation of God and of his Word by the surpassing greatness of God’s power toward the saints and believers. For it is not ordinary power from God that we need in order to know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, but a greatness of his power coming to be in us who believe from him, and coming according to the working of his strength that rules all things, which Paul now names “might of his strength”; and using this working of the might of his strength he worked what he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead.

Ephesians 1:20–23: “and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places above every rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come; and he subjected all things under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” These things must be taken in a bodily figure, not as if certain seats or sense-perceptible thrones lie in the heavens on which the Father sits and the Son at the Father’s right; for thinking that way we would not say these things worthily of the divine nature. Nor is the earth bodily subject to God himself as a footstool under his feet when he sits in heaven. For how can heaven be a throne, measured by his span? And the earth a footstool of his feet, itself also enclosed in his hand? For Isaiah says, “Who measured the water with his hand and the heaven with a span and all the earth with a handful?” I think, then, that being near God and far from him are intelligible: all the saints who live according to the will of the Father of all and draw near to God, while the ungodly are far from him, of whom the prophet says, “Behold, those who put themselves far from you will perish.” As, then, one has understood who is near God and who is far from him, so one must take the saints as said to be at his right and the ungodly as it were at his left, just as the Savior also says he sets the sheep on the right and the goats on the left. And “having seated at the right” is such as this: “having established and gifted him kingship and rule,” according to which he oversees and rules the saints, benefiting them and sharing himself—Jesus who became above all through the philanthropic stewardship toward all.

Many, then, are the things that rule and lead those who need oversight from him, and many that hold authority, and many that lord it, and many that share their own power—some in this age, some also to work in the age to come; yet none of these rules a rule as great as the Son. For all that rule need him as their ruler; and authorities will rule better when under Christ’s authority, God’s power excelling every remaining power; and even if some are led into beneficial slavery by those who lord well, those who lord must take the science of lording from the Lord of those who lord, to lord over what they lord. Hence the one who raised Christ from the dead seated him at his right in the heavenly places, above every rule and authority and power and lordship and every name named not only in this age but also in the one to come; for it is likely there are also unutterable and indescribable names named according to the arrangement of the whole, not graspable by us—some in this age, but also some in the one to come. And from where did the apostle have these names if not from the Holy Spirit that revealed them to him? And how “he subjected all things under his feet” is said must be examined, since it is plain that countless people still refuse to submit to the Word of God. For we do not yet see all things subjected; and “he must reign until he puts all enemies under his feet” shows that not yet are all enemies under his feet. So one will say that according to

Greek · §7

νοήσωμεν καὶ τοὺς κληρονόμους τοῦ Θεοῦ. καὶ ἔχεταί γε τοιαύτης διανοίας ὁ λέγων νόμος τοῖ δὲ υἱοῖ Λευῒ οὐ δώ ει κλῆρον ἐν μέ ῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐγὼ μερὶ αὐτῶν, λέγει Κύριο , καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ Κύριο κληρονομία αὐτῶν. γίνεται τοίνυν ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ νῷ τῶν ἁγίων τὰ τοσαῦτα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ θεωρίας καὶ τοῦ Λόγου αὐτοῦ χωρησόντων ὑπερβάλλοντι μεγέθει δυνάμεως Θεοῦ τῷ εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ πιστεύοντας. οὐ γὰρ τῆς τυχούσης δυνάμεως ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἡμῖν χρεία ἐστὶν εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι τί ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς κλήσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις, ἀλλὰ μεγέθους δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ἐγγινομένου εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐγγινομένου κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς πάντων κρατούσης ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, ἥτις κράτος ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ νῦν ὠνό μασται· ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ χρησάμενος ἐνήργησεν ἃ ἐνήργησεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. [i 20–23] καὶ καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ κυριότητος καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομα ζομένου οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι· καὶ πάντα ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸν ἔδωκε κεφαλὴν ὑπὲρ πάντα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἥτις ἐστι τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληρουμένου. σωματικῷ χαρακτῆρι ἡγητέον ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι, οὐχ ὡς καθεδρῶν τινων ἢ θρόνων αἰσθητῶν κειμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐφ' ὧν καθέζεται ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ πατρός· οὕτω γὰρ νοοῦντες οὐκ ἂν τῆς θείας φύσεως ἀξίως ταῦτα λέγοιμεν. οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτῷ Θεῷ σωματικῶς ὑπόκειται ἡ γῆ καθεζομένῳ ἐν οὐ ρανῷ, ὡς ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. πῶς γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸ θρόνο εἶναι δύνα ται, τῇ σπιθαμῇ αὐτοῦ μεμετρημένος; καὶ ἡ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὴ τῇ δρακὶ αὐτοῦ ἐμπεριειλημμένη; φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἠσαίας τί ἐμέτρη ε τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν πιθαμῇ καὶ πᾶ αν τὴν γῆν δρακί; ἡγοῦμαι οὖν καὶ τὸ πλησίον εἶναι Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ πόρρω αὐτοῦ νοητά, πάντων μὲν τῶν ἁγίων καὶ κατὰ βούλημα τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων βιούντων καὶ ἐγγιζόντων Θεῷ, τῶν δὲ ἀσεβῶν πόρρω αὐτοῦ τυγχανόντων, περὶ ὧν φησὶν ὁ προφήτης ἰδοὺ οἱ μακρύνοντε ἑαυτοὺ ἀπὸ οῦ ἀπολοῦνται. ὥσπερ οὖν νενόηται τίς ὁ πλησίον Θεοῦ καὶ τίς ὁ πόρρω αὐτοῦ, οὕτως ἡγητέον τοὺς μὲν ἁγίους ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς εἶναι αὐτοῦ λέγεσθαι τοὺς δὲ ἀσεβεῖς οἱονεὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀριστεροῖς, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ σωτήρ φησι τή ει τὰ πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν τὰ δὲ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν «ἱδρύσας καὶ βασιλείαν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀρχὴν δωρησάμενος,» καθ' ἣν ἐπιστατεῖ καὶ ἄρχει τῶν ἁγίων, ὠφελῶν αὐτοὺς καὶ μεταδιδοὺς ἑαυτοῦ, ὁ ὑπεράνω πάντων γενόμενος Ἰησοῦς διὰ τὴν φιλάν θρωπον εἰς πάντα οἰκονομίαν. πολλὰ μὲν οὖν τὰ ἄρχοντα καὶ ἡγούμενα τῶν δεομένων τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιστασίας καὶ πολλὰ τὰ ἐξουσιάζοντα καὶ πολλὰ τὰ κυριεύοντα, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἰδίας δυνάμεως μεταδιδόντα, τινὰ μὲν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, τινὰ δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἐνεργήσοντα· οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων ἄρχει ἀρχὴν ἡλίκην ὁ υἱός. δεῖται γὰρ πάντα τὰ ἄρχοντα αὐτοῦ ἄρχοντος αὐτῶν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξουσίαι βέλτιον ἐξουσιάσουσιν ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ὄντες τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὑπερεχούσης τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν λοιπὴν δύναμιν· ἀλλὰ κἂν ἄγηταί τινα ἐπὶ συμφέρουσαν δουλείαν ὑπὸ τῶν καλῶς κυριευόντων, ἀνάγκη ταῦτα τὰ κυριεύοντα λαμβάνοντα τὴν ἐπιστήμην τοῦ κυριεύειν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου τῶν κυριευόντων κυριεύειν ὧν κυριεύει. ὅθεν ὁ ἐγείρας ἐκ νεκρῶν τὸν Χριστὸν ἐκάθισεν αὐτὸν ἐν δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ κυριότητος, καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι· εἰκὸς γὰρ εἶναί τινα καὶ ἄρρητα καὶ ἀνεκδιήγητα κατὰ τὴν διάταξιν τῶν ὅλων ἡμῖν οὐ ληπτὰ ὀνόματα ὀνομαζόμενα, τινὰ μὲν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ <τινὰ> ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. πόθεν δὲ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ τὰ ὀνόματα ταῦτα ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀποκαλύψαντος αὐτῷ ἁγίου πνεύματος; πῶς δὲ εἴρηται καὶ πάντα ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ἐξεταστέον, φανεροῦ ὄντος ὅτι μυρίοι ὅσοι εἰσὶν οἱ ἔτι ἀνυποτακτοῦντες τῷ Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. οὔπω γὰρ ἔτι ὁρῶμεν τὰ πάντα ὑποτεταγμένα· καὶ τὸ δεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν βα ιλεύειν ἄχρι οὗ ἂν θῇ πάντα τοὺ ἐχθροὺ ὑπὸ τοὺ πόδα αὐτοῦ δηλοῖ τὸ μηδέπω πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ εἶναι. ὁ μὲν οὖν τις ἐρεῖ ὅτι κατὰ

Church as body and fullness; dead in trespasses made alive (Eph 1:22–2:5)§8

8foreknowledge this too has been said. Another, presenting the ranking by which God ranks each into some order, will say this: he subjected under his feet all things that belong to the order of those who are being subjected. And he gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Finding the church called Christ’s body, we ask whether, as the rest of the body beside the head, one must think it an instrument of the head, or as a human body of which the head is a part, so Christ’s body is the whole church of Christ, ensouled by his deity and filled by his Spirit—or whether these things must be taken otherwise. If the second is so, his more human side will itself also be a part of the whole body, while the divine and life-giving of the whole church will be the divine power that as it were ensouls it. And we want to know how the church, being Christ’s body, is the fullness of him who fills all in all, and why it is not said “of him who fills all in all” but “of him who is filled.” For it will seem more consistent to have said that Christ is the one who fills, not the one filled; for he is not only fullness of law but fullness of all fullnesses, nothing becoming full apart from him. See whether one can answer thus: just as through the Son’s great relation and fellowship with the rational beings the Son of God is as it were fullness of all rational beings, so also he himself as it were takes fullness into himself, being most fully revealed in each of the blessedssed. And to make the saying clearer, think of a king filled with the kingdom in each who increase the kingdom, and emptied of it in those who withdraw; and nothing fits Christ’s philanthropic kingship better than this king, each of those who fill it out being benefited by him rationally and perfected, who, fleeing to him, fill out his body, somehow empty when the benefited are lacking. Therefore Christ is filled in all who approach, lacking them before they come.

Ephesians 2:1–5: “And you, being dead in your trespasses and your sins, in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also once conducted ourselves in the desires of our flesh, doing the wills of the flesh and of the thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath, as the rest also; but God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” The sequence is: and you, being dead in your trespasses and your sins, God made alive together with Christ, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us; and even when we were dead in trespasses, in which we once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also once conducted ourselves in the desires of our flesh, doing the wills of the flesh and of the thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath, he made us alive together with Christ. The connective “but God, being rich in mercy” we think either has been inserted uselessly in the copies or, as by an unskilled hand, was not seen as redundant beside Paul’s wording. And sins are clearly said to be death of the soul, from “and you being dead in your trespasses and your sins.” And since “trespass” is a name proper to Scripture, one must examine whether it differs from “sin,” especially since here they are woven together: “dead in your trespasses and your sins.” And we ask whether the evils already finished by us are called our “sins,” while their beginnings, not yet falls but journeying toward our falling, are “trespasses.” And perhaps for this reason Psalm 18 says, “Who will understand trespasses?”—because the one who understands the roots and beginnings of sins that are “trespasses” would also be able to guard himself so as not to fall under the “sins” as well. What is according to the

Greek · §8

πρόγνωσιν εἴρηται καὶ τοῦτο. ἕτερος δέ, τὴν κατάταξιν τοῦ Θεοῦ ᾗ κατατάσσει ἕκαστον εἴς τι τάγμα παριστάς, ἐρεῖ τόδε· πάντα ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὅσα τῆς τάξεώς ἐστι τῶν ὑποτασσομένων. καὶ αὐτὸν ἔδωκε κεφαλὴν ὑπὲρ πάντα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἥτις ἐστι τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, <τὸ πλήρωμα> τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληρουμένου. σῶμα Χριστοῦ εὑρίσκοντες λεγομένην τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ζητοῦμεν πότερόν ποτε, ὡς παρὰ τὴν κεφαλὴν τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα, ὄργανον τῆς κεφαλῆς δεῖ αὐτὴν νοεῖν, ἢ ὥσπερ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σῶμα, οὗ σώματος μέρος ἐστὶν ἡ κεφαλή, οὕτως Χριστοῦ σῶμά ἐστι ψυχούμενον ὑπὸ τῆς θειότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ πληρούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ ἡ πᾶσα ἐκκλησία Χριστοῦ, ἢ ἄλλως πως δεῖ ταῦτα ἐκλαμβάνειν. ἐὰν μέντοιγε τὸ δεύτερον ᾖ, ἔσται τὸ μὲν ἀνθρωπικώτερον αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸ μέρος τυγχάνον τοῦ ὅλου σώματος, τὸ δὲ θεῖον καὶ ζωοποιοῦν πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἡ ὡσπερεὶ ψυχοῦσα αὐτὴν δύναμις θεία. πῶς δὲ ἡ ἐκκλησία οὖσα σῶμα Χριστοῦ πλήρωμά ἐστι τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληρουμένου θέλομεν γνῶναι, καὶ διατί οὐ λέγεται τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληροῦντος ἀλλὰ τοῦ πληρουμένου. δόξει γὰρ ἀκολουθότερον ἂν εἰρῆσθαι τὸ τὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι τὸν πληροῦντα, οὐχὶ δὲ τὸν πληρούμενον· αὐτὸς γὰρ οὐ μόνον νόμου ἐστὶ πλήρωμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων τῶν πληρωμάτων ἐστὶ πλήρωμα, οὐκ ἂν χωρὶς αὐτοῦ τινὸς πλήρους γινομένου. ὅρα δὲ εἰ δύναται πρὸς ταῦτα οὕτως ἀπαντῆσαι ὁ λέγων ὅτι, καθάπερ διὰ τὴν πολλὴν σχέσιν καὶ κοινωνίαν τοῦ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὰ λογικὰ ὥσπερ πλήρωμά ἐστι πάντων τῶν λογικῶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὕτως καὶ αὐτὸς ὡσπερεὶ πλήρωμα εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλαμβάνει, πληρέστατος ἀποδεικνύμενος καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν μακαρίων. καὶ ἵνα γε σαφέστερον γένηται τὸ λεγόμενον, ἐννόει βασιλέα μὲν πληρούμενον τῆς βασιλείας καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν αὐξόντων τὴν βασιλείαν, κενούμενον δὲ ταύτης ἐν τοῖς ἀφισταμένοις· τούτου τοῦ βασιλέως οὐδὲν δὲ ὅλως ἁρμοδιώτερον τῇ Χριστοῦ φιλανθρώπῳ ἐστὶ βασιλείᾳ, ἑκάστου τῶν συμπληρούντων αὐτὴν εὐεργετουμένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λογικῶ<ς> καὶ τελειουμένων, οἵτινες προσφεύγοντες αὐτῷ συμπληροῦσιν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα, κενόν πως ὂν ὅτε λείπει τῶν εὐεργετουμένων. διὸ πληροῦται ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς προσιοῦσιν ὁ Χριστός, λείπων τούτοις πρὶν προσέλθωσιν. [ii 1–5] Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν, ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας, ἐν οἷς καὶ <ἡ>μεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπι θυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν δια νοιῶν, καὶ ἦμεν τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει διὰ πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι συνεζωοποίησε τῷ Χριστῷ. τὸ ἑξῆς ἐστι· καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρ τίαις ὑμῶν συνεζωοποίησε τῷ Χριστῷ ὁ Θεός, πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς· καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παρα πτώμασιν, ἐν οἷς ποτε περιεπατήσαμεν κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, καὶ ἦμεν φύσει τέκνα ὀργῆς, συνεζωοποίησε τῷ Χριστῷ. τὸν δὲ σύνδεσμον τοῦ τόπου ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει ἡγούμεθα ἤτοι παρεμ βεβλῆσθαι μάτην ἐν τοῖς ἀντιγράφοις ἢ ὡς ὑπ' ἰδιώτου τῷ λόγῳ Παύλου μὴ τεθεωρῆσθαι παρέλκοντα. σαφῶς δὲ θάνατος τῆς ψυχῆς εἶναι λέγεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ἐκ τοῦ καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἴδιόν ἐστι τῆς γραφῆς ὄνομα τὸ «παράπτωμα,» ἐξεταστέον εἰ διαφέρει τῆς «ἁμαρτίας,» καὶ μάλιστα ἐπειδὴ ἐνθάδε συμπεπλεγμένως εἴρηται τὸ καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν. καὶ ζητοῦμεν εἰ τὰ κακῶς ἡμῖν ἤδη τετελεσμένα «ἁμαρτίαι» ἡμῶν λέγονται, αἱ δὲ ἀρχαὶ τούτων, οἱονεὶ μηδέπω πτώματα οὖσαι ἀλλ' ὁδεύουσαι ἐπὶ τὸ καὶ πεσεῖν ἡμᾶς, «παραπτώματα.» καὶ τάχα διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ ὀκτωκαι δεκάτῳ λέγεται ψαλμῷ παραπτώματα τί υνή ει; τῷ τὸν συνιέντα τὰς ῥίζας καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἁμαρτημάτων οὔσας «παραπτώματα» δύνασθαι ἂν καὶ φυλάττεσθαι πρὸς τὸ μὴ ὑποπεσεῖν καὶ ταῖς «ἁμαρτίαις.» τί ἐστι κατὰ τὸν

Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam ad Ephesios Unit 3 opening§9

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9—to walk according to the age of this world, and not according to the age of the better world toward which the saints press?

Someone will take “the age of this world” more simply as the time that stretches alongside this world’s framing from beginning to end. Another, from what follows, will suspect that the ruler of the authority of the air—the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience—is the same as the age of this world, since Paul sets them as one: “in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit.”

And in Galatians, “that he might deliver us from the present evil age,” someone will take to show that the present age is an evil living being, the same as that ruler of the authority of the air of the spirit. Yet the Galatians wording has a counter-case: of days too—things agreed not to be animate—Scripture says something like “redeeming the time, because the days are evil,” and Jacob says, “few and evil have been the days of the years of my sojourning on the earth.”

And the line “through whom he made the ages” will seem to call the ages creatures, of which one may have become evil by apostasy and be named “age of this world” and “ruler of the authority of the air of the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience,” among whom we also all once lived.

Notice that he did not say “according to the ruler of the air,” but “of the authority of the air.” So one must ask what the authority of the air is, in order to see its ruler. The wording can also mean something like this: according to the ruler of the authority of the spirit—which spirit is spirit of air—now at work in the sons of disobedience.

Since a ruler is ruler of something, you will mark whether the one now named is ruler of every authority that concerns the air, an authority that stays about the air and works on the sons of disobedience (and everyone who disobeys announced divine teachings shows himself, by that very disobedience, a son of disobedience). And perhaps our wrestling is against these authorities, as we resist the workings they want to plant even in us, wishing to make us sons of disobedience.

It is no wonder that these authorities are said to be in the heavenly places—just as the principalities and authorities and world-rulers are “in the heavenly places”—when the air about us is, by a Scriptural habit, called “heaven.” For we say “birds of heaven,” and it is clear that those are spoken of with respect to the air.

And “in which we also all once lived”—in what, if not in the trespasses? For he did not answer only to the trespasses but also to the sins. After saying “and you being dead in your trespasses and sins,” he adds “in which you once walked.” Now he also answers to “your trespasses” with “and in which we also all once lived,” so that, having said “in which you once walked according to the age of this world” and keeping silence about himself, he may not seem to boast.

Paul himself knows a desire of the flesh and another desire of the Spirit, saying, “for the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Having lived in the trespasses, because we were in the desires of our flesh, we did not do one will but several, and not only of the flesh but also of the thoughts.

We ask what the wills of the thoughts are, being other than the wills of the flesh. And we guess that by doing the works of the flesh and loving pleasure one does the wills of the flesh, but by falling away from sound opinion and right understanding we do the

Greek · §9

αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου περιπατεῖν, καὶ οὐχὶ κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κρείττονος κόσμου ἐφ' ὃν οἱ ἅγιοι σπεύδουσιν; ὁ μὲν οὖν τις ἁπλούστερον αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἡγήσεται τὸν συμπαρεκτεινόμενον χρόνον τῇ τούτου τοῦ κόσμου ἀπ' ἀρχῆς μεχρὶ τέλους κατασκευῇ. ἄλλος δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἑξῆς ὑπονοήσει μὴ ἄρα ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας καὶ ὁ αἰὼν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἐπείπερ ὡς καθ' ἑνὸς τέτακται ταῦτα πάντα, λέγοντος Παύλου ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος· καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας δὲ τὸ ὅπω ἐξέληται ἡμᾶ ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνο τοῦ ἐνε τῶτο πονηροῦ νομίσει δηλοῦν ὅτι ζῷον πονηρόν ἐστιν ὁ ἐνε τὼ αἰών, ὁ αὐτὸς ὢν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος (πλὴν ἔχει ἀντεπιχείρησιν τὸ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Γαλάτας ἐπιστολῆς ῥητόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ περὶ ἡμερῶν λέγεται, τῶν ὁμολογουμένων ὡς οὐκ οὐσῶν ἐμψύχων, τοιοῦτό τι ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρὸν ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰ ι, καὶ μικραὶ καὶ πονηραί εἰσιν αἱ ἡμέραι ἃ παρῴκηκα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς φησὶν ὁ Ἰακώβ). καὶ τὸ δι' οὗ ἐποίη ε τοὺ αἰῶνα κείμενον δόξει κτίσμα λέγειν τοὺς αἰῶνας, ὧν δύναται εἷς ἀποστατικῶς πονηρὸ γεγονέναι καὶ λέγεσθαι αἰὼν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου καὶ ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε. καὶ παρατηρητέον γε ὅτι οὐκ εἶπε κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ ἀέρος ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος· οὐκοῦν ζητητέον τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος ἐξουσίαν, ἵνα οὕτως ἴδωμεν τὸν ἄρχοντα ταύτης. δύναται δὲ ἡ λέξις καὶ τοιοῦτό τι δηλοῦν κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅπερ πνεῦμα ἀέρος ἐστὶ τὸ πνεῦμα, τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ ἄρχων τινός ἐστιν ἄρχων, ἐπιστήσεις μήποτε πάσης ἐξουσίας ἄρχων ἐστὶ τῆς περὶ τὸν ἀέρα ὁ νῦν λεγόμενος, ἥτις ἐνεργεῖ διατρίβουσα περὶ τὸν ἀέρα εἰς τοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας υἱούς (καὶ πᾶς δὲ ὁ καταγγελλομένων θείων δογμάτων ἀπειθῶν αὐτοῖς δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀπειθεῖν υἱὸς ἀπειθείας ἀναφαίνεται)· καὶ μήποτε πρὸ ταύτας ἡμῖν τὰ ἐξου ία ἡ πάλη, ἀνθισταμένοις ταῖς ἐνεργείαις αἷς βούλονται ἐμποιεῖν καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς, θέλουσαι ἡμᾶς ποιῆσαι υἱοὺς ἀπειθείας. οὐ θαυμαστὸν δὲ ταύτας τὰ ἐξου ία ἐν τοῖ ἐπουρανίοι εἶναι λέγεσθαι (ὥσπερ τὰ ἀρχὰ καὶ τὰ ἐξου ία καὶ τοὺ κο μοκράτορα ἐν τοῖ ἐπουρανίοι ), τοῦ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀέρος κατά τινα συνήθειαν τῆς γραφῆς «οὐρανοῦ» ὀνομαζομένου· λέγεται γὰρ πετεινὰ οὐρανοῦ, σαφὲς δὲ ὅτι ταῦτα κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα λέγεται. τὸ δὲ καὶ ἐν οἷς ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε, τίσιν ἢ τοῖς παραπτώ μασι; καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀπέδωκέ τι πρὸς τὰ παραπτώματα ἀλλὰ πρὸς μόνας τὰς ἁμαρτίας· εἰπὼν γοῦν καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν, ἐπιφέρει τὸ ἐν <α>ἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε· νῦν δὲ ἀποδίδωσι πρὸς τὸ τοῖς παραπτώμασιν ὑμῶν τὸ καὶ ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ, εἰπὼν τὸ ἐν <α>ἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἀποσιωπῶν, οἷον ἀλαζονεύεσθαι δοκεῖν. οἶδε δέ τινα αὐτὸς ὁ Παῦλος ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς σαρκός, καὶ ἑτέραν ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ πνεύματος, λέγων ἡ ὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματο τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆ αρκό . ἀναστραφέντες δὲ ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν, ἐπεὶ ἤμεθα ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ἐποιοῦμεν οὐχ ἕν τι ἀλλὰ πλείονα θελήματα, καὶ οὐ μόνον τῆς σαρκὸς ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν· ζητοῦμεν δὲ τίνα τὰ θελήματα τῶν διανοιῶν ἕτερα ὄντα τῶν θελημάτων τῆς σαρκός· καὶ στοχαζόμεθά γε <ὅτι> τῷ μὲν ποιεῖν τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ φιληδονεῖν ποιεῖ τις τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκός, τῷ δὲ ἀποπεπτωκέναι τῆς ὑγιοῦς δόξης καὶ τῆς ὀρθῆς διανοίας ποιοῦ μεν τὰ

Unit 3 rem early§10

10the wills of the thoughts.

As for “we were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest,” we do not know what those who introduce spiritual natures from the beginning will say. How can one who is by nature a son of God be said to be by nature a son of wrath? Let them answer. We think that through the body of humiliation we became children of wrath by nature when our understanding clung to evils from youth; for according to Solomon there is no one righteous on the earth who does good and does not sin.

Eph. 2:6: “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places.” Origen says: the one who takes “he raised and seated” more simply will say it is spoken according to God’s foreknowledge and predestination, as what will be already spoken of as done. But the one who contemplates Christ’s kingdom as intelligible will not hesitate to say that the person already holy, just as he is not “in flesh” even if simpler people say he is in flesh, so he is not “on earth” even if to the senses he is seen on earth. For the one in spirit is not on earth, and none of those in the heavenly places is in flesh but already in spirit.

Such dispositions, and the grasp of things so great and of such a kind, are not earthly but heavenly; all who already have their citizenship in heaven sit with Christ in the heavenly places, if indeed the kingdom of God is within us—so that in this way we have sat in the heavenly places, seated with Christ and settled with the Wisdom and the Word of God.

Eph. 2:12: “that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Origen says: against those who think that believers in Christ do not live Israel’s polity but some other new one with nothing in common with that, there is a fine observation here. “For you were,” he says, “at that time without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel”—as if now they are no longer without Christ, nor alienated from Israel’s polity. For all who understand the spiritual law and live by it are made kin to Israel’s polity, and more so than the bodily Jews. It follows that the one without Christ and alienated from Israel’s polity is also reckoned a stranger to the covenants of promise.

You will ask whether for this reason they are called “without God in this world”: because, as far as God’s foreknowledge goes, those to whom the letter is written were not without God.

Eph. 2:13: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.” “Far” and “near” are named from things spatially far or near, to show a purpose far from God and one drawing near to his will. We become near when cleansed by the blood of Christ and bought with that price.

Eph. 2:14a: “For he himself is our peace.” Mark that, just as Christ is Word and Wisdom and Power and Life, so also Peace; and one must gather from all Scripture the names he is given, that we may understand him more exactly. So as the one who has him has Word when he has sought him and found him as Word (and likewise for Wisdom and righteousness), let us also seek him as Peace, that we may have him as he is Peace, and peace of all rational beings. The one who does not have the peace does not have Christ.

Eph. 2:14b–15, 17: “who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of the fence, the enmity in his flesh, abolishing the law of the commandments in decrees, that he might create the two into one new man … and coming he preached peace to you who were far and peace to those near.” Origen says: these things are said of the more divine powers and of those saved from among humans—the more divine powers being near even before, humans far (and to these the speaker will fit “having made peace through the blood of his cross, whether things on earth or things in the heavens,” and will narrate the whole passage so). The better powers were in friendship with God; humans in the world were in enmity toward him; and that enmity was the dividing wall of the fence, hindering human nature from being united to the blessedness of the better. So this dividing wall of the fence, being enmity, was broken through our Savior’s becoming human, and for that reason it is said to have been broken in his flesh.

Greek · §10

θελήματα τῶν διανοιῶν. εἰς δὲ τὸ ἤμεθα φύσει τέκνα ὀργῆς ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί, οὐκ οἴδαμεν ὅ τι ποτὲ ἐροῦσιν οἱ τὰς πνευματικὰς ἀρχῆθεν φύσεις εἰσάγοντες· πῶς γὰρ ὁ φύσει υἱὸς Θεοῦ φύσει εἶναι λέγεται υἱὸς ὀργῆς, ἀποκρινέσθωσαν. ἡμεῖς δὲ οἰόμεθα διὰ τὸ ῶμα τῆ ταπεινώ εω γεγονέναι τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς, ὅτε ἐνέκειτο ἡμῶν ἡ διάνοια ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκ νεότητο · κατὰ γὰρ τὸν Σολομῶντα οὔκ ἐ τι δίκαιο ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ ὃ ποιή ει ἀγαθὸν καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτήεται. 10 Eph. ii. 6 [καὶ συνήγειρεν καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησι] τὸ συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισεν ὁ μὲν ἁπλούστερον ἐκλαμβάνων κατὰ πρό γνωσιν καὶ προορισμὸν Θεοῦ φήσει εἰρῆσθαι, ὡς ἤδη γενόμενον τὸ ἐσόμενον· ὁ δὲ νοητὴν θεωρῶν τὴν Χριστοῦ βασιλείαν οὐκ ὀκνήσει λέγειν τὸν ἤδη ἅγιον, ὥσπερ οὐκ εἶναι ἐν σαρκὶ κἂν ὑπὸ τῶν ἁπλουστέρων λέγηται εἶναι ἐν σαρκί, οὕτως οὐκ εἶναι ἐπὶ γῆς κἂν κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν βλέπηται ἐπὶ γῆς τυγχάνων. ὁ γὰρ ἐν πνεύματι οὐκ ἐστὶν ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐστὶν ἐν αρκὶ ἀλλ' ἤδη ἐν πνεύματι. αἱ γοῦν τοιαίδε διαθέσεις καὶ ἡ τῶν τηλίκων <τ>ε καὶ τοιῶνδε κατάληψις οὐκ ἐστὶν ἐπίγειος ἀλλ' ἐπουράνιος, πάντων τῶν ἤδη τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖ ἐχόντων συγκαθισάντων τῷ Χριστῷ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρα νίοις, εἴπερ καὶ ἡ βα ιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντὸ ἡμῶν ἐ τιν, ἵν' οὕτως ὦμεν κεκαθικότες ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις συγκαθήμενοι τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ συνιδρυμένοι τῇ Σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. 11 Eph. ii. 12 [ὅτι ἦτε ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ, ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] πρὸς τοὺς νομίζοντας μὴ τὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πολιτείαν πολιτεύεσθαι τοὺς εἰς Χριστὸν πεπιστευκότας ἀλλὰ ἄλλην τινὰ καινὴν καὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς ἐκείνην κοινὸν ἔχουσαν, καλὸν παρατήρημα ἐντεῦθεν ἔστι λαβεῖν. ἦτε γάρ, φησίν, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ, ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὡς νῦν οὐκέτι αὐτῶν ὄντων χωρὶς Χριστοῦ ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀπηλλοτριωμένων τῆς πολι τείας τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· τοῖς γὰρ νοοῦσι τὸν πνευματικὸν νόμον καὶ κατ' αὐτὸν βιοῦσι πᾶσιν ὑπάρχει τὸ <ᾠ>κειῶσθαι τῇ πολιτείᾳ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν σωμα τικῶν Ἰουδαίων· ἀκόλουθον δέ ἐστι τὸν χωρὶς Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπηλλοτριωμένον τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ξένον νομίζειν εἶναι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. ζητήσεις δὲ μήποτε διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ· ἐπεὶ ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ προγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἦσαν ἄθεοι οἷς γράφεται ἡ ἐπιστολή. [ii 13] νυνὶ δὲ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ὑμεῖς οἵ ποτε ὄντες μακρὰν ἐγενήθητε ἐγγὺς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. τὸ μακρὰν καὶ τὸ ἐγγὺς ὠνομάσθη ἀπὸ τῶν τοπικῶς μακρὰν ἢ ἐγγύς, εἰς παράστασιν τῆς πόρρω τοῦ Θεοῦ προαιρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐγγιζούσης τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ· γινόμεθα δὲ ἐγγὺς καθαρθέντες τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ταύτης τῆς τιμῆ ἀγορα θέντε . [ii 14a] αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν. τηρητέον ὅτι, ὥσπερ ἐστὶ λόγο ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ οφία καὶ δύναμι καὶ ζωή, οὕτως καὶ εἰρήνη· καὶ συνακτέον γε πάντα ἀπὸ πάσης γραφῆς ἃ ὀνομάζεται, ἵνα αὐτὸν ἀκριβέστερον νοήσωμεν. ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ ἔχων αὐτὸν ἔχει λόγον, ὅτε αὐτὸν ζητή α εὗρεν ὡς λόγον (τὸ δὲ ἀνάλογον καὶ ἐπὶ οφία καὶ δικαιο ύνη ἔχει), οὕτως ζητήσωμεν αὐτὸν καὶ ὡς εἰρήνην, ἵνα αὐτὸν ἔχωμεν καθώς ἐστιν Εἰρήνη καὶ εἰρήνη πάντων τῶν λογικῶν· ὁ δὲ μὴ ἔχων τὴν εἰρήνην οὐκ ἔχει τὸν Χριστόν. 12 Eph. ii. 14b, 15, 17 [ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἓν καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσας, τὴν ἔχθραν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ, τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν καταλύσας, ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον ... καὶ ἐλθὼν εὐηγγελίσατο εἰρήνην ὑμῖν τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ εἰρήνην τοῖς ἐγγύς.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησι] ταῦτα λέγεσθαι περὶ τῶν θειοτέρων δυνάμεων καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων σωζομένων, τῶν μὲν θειοτέρων δυνάμεων οὐσῶν καὶ πρότερον ἐγγὺς τῶν δὲ ἀνθρώπων μακράν (ἐφαρμόσει δὲ τούτοις ὁ ταῦτα λέγων τὸ εἰρηνο ποιή α διὰ τοῦ αἵματο τοῦ ταυροῦ αὐτοῦ εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖ οὐρανοῖ , καὶ ὅλα τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον οὕτω διηγήσεται), τῶν μὲν κρειττό νων δυνάμεων ὅτι ἐν φιλίᾳ ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, τῶν δὲ ἐν κόσμῳ ἀνθρώπων ὅτι ἐν ἔχθρᾳ ἦν πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ αὕτη ἡ ἔχθρα τὸ μεσότοιχον ἦν τοῦ φραγμοῦ κωλῦον τοῦ ἑνοῦσθαι τὴν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν τῇ μακαριότητι τῶν κρειττόνων. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ, ἔχθρα τυγχάνον, ἐλύθη διὰ τοῦ ἐνην θρωπηκέναι τὸν σωτῆρα ἡμῶν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται λελύσθαι ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ

Unit 3 rem mid§11

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11And notice what follows, whether it can be said more strikingly by one who interprets this way: according to the true law, of which Moses’ letter was a shadow and pattern, some were serving in the heavenly places; and that law is decrees rather than a law of commandments. The one deemed worthy to understand those decrees, once the dividing wall of the fence that walled him from the better is broken down, no longer lives by the law of the commandments. For Christ abolishes the law of the commandments in decrees, so that when the decrees shown by the law of the commandments are understood, the letter of that law of commandments is despised as killing.

So the law of the commandments, abolished by the Savior through the disclosure of the decrees in them, gathered both—I mean the more divine powers and those who believe from among humans—into one new man. The new man is understood from being renewed day by day, and he will be settled in a new world, because there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Yet “into one new man” will seem to conflict with that interpretation.

Eph. 2:19–22: “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

Against the earlier “strangers to the covenants of promise,” it now says “so you are no longer strangers and sojourners”; and against “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel,” now “but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.” These words must be brought against those who introduce natures: how are those who are by nature citizens of the saints strangers, and how are those by nature strangers members of God’s household?

And the words from “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” will seem to agree with the interpretation that Israel is near and the nations far. But one must also use these sayings against those who split the Godhead and think the prophets belong to one God and the apostles to another. For if those no longer strangers and sojourners but fellow citizens of the saints and household of God are built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself the cornerstone, in whom every building fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord—in whom the Ephesians too are built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit—there is one God of one building and temple built on that foundation. And if the whole building fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, we must make it our aim to become harmonious living stones for the whole building, that being built together we may become a dwelling for God, holding in ourselves all his theology.

Eph. 3:1–3: “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace given me for you, that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in brief.” Origen says: as to the phrasing, after searching as far as we could to restore it, we say he did not complete “for this reason I, Paul, the prisoner” with what for this reason he did or what happened to him. Unless, as an untrained speaker in wording, he fell short of the phrasing’s sequel yet gave the owed sense without polish, as if one should say: for this reason I, Paul, prisoner of Christ Jesus and prisoner for you Gentiles, made known the mystery so as to share it with you also, as I myself wrote briefly in what precedes; and you ought to have heard the stewardship of God’s grace given me for you from the nations, for whom I became Jesus Christ’s prisoner.

I think a solecism has occurred in the place. He ought to have said, “for this reason I, Paul, prisoner of Jesus Christ, made known the mystery,” but he says, “for this reason I, Paul, a prisoner—by revelation the mystery was made known to me.” If someone can show that both the sense and the phrasing succeed for him, that person especially should be heard. In the few words before this the careful reader can truly find a revelation of a holy mystery made known to Paul.

Eph. 3:12: “in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in him.” Origen

Greek · §11

αὐτοῦ. καὶ πρόσχες γε τῷ ἑξῆς, εἰ δύναται πληκτικώτερον λέγεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ οὕτως ἑρμηνεύοντος· κατά γε τὸν ἀληθῆ νόμον, οὗ κιὰ καὶ ὑπόδειγμα τὸ γράμμα Μωσέως ἦν, ἐλάτρευόν τινες ἐν τοῖ ἐπουρανίοι · καὶ ἐκεῖνος ὁ νόμος δόγματά ἐστι μᾶλλον ἢ νόμος ἐντολῶν, ἅπερ δόγματα ὁ ἀξιωθεὶς νοῆσαι, τῷ καταλελύ σθαι τὸ διατειχῖζον αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ, οὐκέτι τῷ νόμῳ τῶν ἐντολῶν ζῇ· τὸν γὰρ νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασι καταργεῖ Χριστός, ἵνα, νοηθέντων τῶν δηλουμένων ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τῶν ἐντολῶν δογμάτων, καταφρονηθῇ ὡς ἀποκτέννον τὸ γράμμα τοῦ νόμου τῶν ἐντολῶν. καταργηθεὶς τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ὁ νόμος τῶν ἐντολῶν διὰ τῆς τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς δογμάτων φανερώσεως συνήγαγεν ἀμφοτέρους, λέγω δὴ τὰς θειοτέρας δυνάμεις καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων πιστεύοντας, εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον. ὁ δὲ καινὸς ἄνθρωπο ἐκ τοῦ ὁ ημέραι ἀνακαινοῦ θαι νοεῖται, καὶ κατοικισθήσεται ἐν καινῷ κόσμῳ, ὅτι ἔ ται ὁ οὐρανὸ καινὸ καὶ ἡ γῆ καινή. δόξει δὲ τὸ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐναντιοῦσθαι τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ. [ii 19–22] ἄρα οὖν οὐκέτι ἐστὲ ξένοι καὶ πάροικοι, ἀλλὰ συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ οἰκεῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν, ὄντος ἀκρογωνιαίου αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἐν ᾧ πᾶσα οἰκοδομὴ συναρμολογουμένη αὔξει εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον ἐν Κυρίῳ ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς συνοικοδομεῖσθε εἰς κατοικητήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν πνεύματι. πρὸς τὸ προειρημένον ξένοι τῶν διαθηκῶν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας νῦν λέγεται ἄρα οὐκέτι ἐστὲ ξένοι καὶ πάροικοι, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ νῦν τὸ ἀλλὰ συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ οἰκεῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ. τὰ δὲ ῥήματα ταῦτα προσακτέον τοῖς εἰσάγουσι τὰς φύσεις· πῶς γὰρ ξένοι οἱ φύσει πολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ πῶς οἱ φύσει ξένοι οἰκεῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ; τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν δόξει συνᾴδειν τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ τῇ περὶ τοῦ ἐγγὺς μὲν εἶναι τὸν Ἰσραήλ, πόρρω δὲ τὰ ἔθνη. δεήσει δὲ τούτοις τοῖς ῥητοῖς χρήσασθαι κατὰ τῶν διακοπτόντων τὴν θεότητα καὶ οἰομένων ἑτέρου εἶναι Θεοῦ τοὺς προφήτας καὶ ἄλλου τοὺς ἀποστόλους. εἰ γὰρ οἱ μηκέτι ξένοι καὶ πάροικοι ἀλλὰ συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ οἰκεῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐποικοδομοῦνται ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν, ὄντος ἀκρογωνιαίου αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἐν ᾧ πᾶσα οἰκοδομὴ συναρμολογουμένη αὔξει εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον ἐν Κυρίῳ, <ἐν ᾧ καὶ οἱ Ἐφέσιοι συνοικοδομοῦνται εἰς κατοικητήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν πνεύματι, εἷς ἐστιν Θεὸς μιᾶς οἰκοδομῆς καὶ ναοῦ τοῦ ἐποικοδομηθέντος ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν. εἰ δὲ πᾶσα ἡ οἰκοδομὴ συναρμολογουμένη αὔξει εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον ἐν Κυρίῳ,> φιλοτιμητέον ἁρμονίους ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι ζῶντα λίθου τῇ πάσῃ οἰκοδομῇ, ἵνα συνοικοδομη θέντες κατοικητήριον γενώμεθα τῷ Θεῷ χωροῦντες εἰς αὐτοὺς πᾶσαν τὴν θεολογίαν αὐτοῦ. 13 Eph. iii 1–3 [τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος ὁ δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν–εἴγε ἠκούσατε τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὅτι κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον, καθὼς προέ γραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] ὡς πρὸς τὴν φράσιν, κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ζητήσαντες ἀποκαταστῆσαι αὐτὴν φα μὲν ὅτι οὐκ ἀνταποδέδωκε πρὸς τὸ τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος ὁ δέσμιος, τὸ τί τούτου γὰρ χάριν πεποίηκα ἢ τί μοι γεγένηται οὐ πάνυ τι παρέστησεν· εἰ μὴ ἄρα τοῦ μὲν ὡς πρὸς τὴν φράσιν ἀκολούθου ὡς ἰδιώτη τῷ λόγῳ ἀποπέπτωκε τὸν δὲ ὀφειλόμενον νοῦν οὐκ εὐφραδῶς ἀποδέδωκεν, οὕτως λέξοντα ἂν τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ δέσμιος ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐγνώρισα τὸ μυστήριον ὑπὲρ τοῦ καὶ ὑμῖν μεταδοῦναι, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων δι' ὀλίγων ἔγραψα, ὀφείλετε δὲ ἀκηκοέναι τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὑπὲρ ὧν δέσμιος γέγονα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. σολοικισμὸν δὲ νομίζω γεγονέναι ἐν τῷ τόπῳ· δέον γὰρ αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος δέσμιος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγνώρισα τὸ μυστήριον, ὁ δέ φησι τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος δέσμιος, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον. εἰ δέ τις δύναται παραστῆσαι πρὸς τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τὴν φράσιν αὐτῷ ἐπιτετευγμένην, ἐκείνου μάλιστα ἀκουστέον. ἐν ὀλίγοις τοῖς πρὸ τούτων ἔστιν ἀληθῶς εὑρεῖν τὸν ἐπιμελῶς ἐντυγχάνοντα ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρι μένην μυ τηρίου ἁγίου τῷ Παύλῳ. 14 Eph. iii 12 [ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ προσαγωγὴν ἐν πεποιθήσει διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης δέ

Unit 3 rem close§12

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12says: if our conscience does not condemn us, we have boldness toward God. It is a great thing not simply to have boldness, but boldness in confidence; and access again, because of firmness, in boldness. The beginning of boldness in confidence and of access is faith toward Christ. We have often said that the one who does everything by Word has believed in Christ the Word; the one who grasps Wisdom has believed in Christ the Wisdom; the one who clarifies the truth has believed in Christ the Truth; the one who lives by righteousness has believed in Christ the Righteousness.

Eph. 3:13: “Therefore I ask that you not lose heart in my afflictions for you, which is your glory.” Contending for those being discipled to Christ, he had many things that afflicted him. So “I ask,” he says, “that you not lose heart in my afflictions for you”—the speech of one who feels himself in danger of losing heart. After this we ask to what we should attach “which is your glory.”

Someone will say he answered “which is your glory” to the afflictions, as if he meant “which are your glory,” but because of the singular “glory,” as an untrained speaker, he put “which” singular instead of “which” plural. Another will refer “which is your glory” either to the boldness or the access or the faith: for boldness is glory of the one who has it, access glory of the one brought near to God, and faith may be called glory of the believer.

And “therefore I ask that you not lose heart in my afflictions for you” can mean: “therefore I ask for you, that you not lose heart in my afflictions, which are your glory.” What follows will seem to agree more with this reading: “for this reason I bow my knees to the Father, that he may give you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power”—for one who will not lose heart under afflictions needs to be strengthened with power.

Someone will say against the second: it made sense, if the Ephesians were afflicted, for Paul to ask about them that they not lose heart; but it will seem ridiculous that when Paul is afflicted the Ephesians need prayer so as not to lose heart in his afflictions. Against this set “your trial in my flesh you did not despise or spit out”: for through these it appears that a trial in Paul’s flesh was becoming a trial for others.

Otherwise mark whether what most troubles many in providence-talk is not this: when they see the holiest and most righteous meeting countless afflictions and straits, while the most lawless receive what people think goods. That Paul suffered much in Ephesus and about Asia is written also in the Acts of the Apostles, and one may learn from himself: “If according to man I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me if the dead are not raised?” And in the second to the Corinthians: “For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of our affliction that happened in Asia, that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life; but we ourselves had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great deaths and does deliver; in whom we have hoped that he will also still deliver.” See how great his afflictions were, that he says “who delivered us from so great deaths and does deliver.”

Eph. 3:14: “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father.” Origen says: bowing the knees is a symbol of another kneeling that happens in being subject to God and having fallen under him. On this account the apostle also says that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of heavenly and earthly and under-the-earth beings; and we say that the heavenly do not necessarily have bodies that have become, nor likewise the under-earth, nor besides the souls released from this body.

Eph. 3:15 patria (marginal note): Chrysostom: patriae as if tribes. Origen likewise. And he himself (that is, Origen) rendered “patrias,” not “phratrias” as Theodore.

Eph. 3:16–17a: “that he may give you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell through faith in your hearts.” His divinity seems especially to be named “his glory” according to Scripture. And he is rich in a divinity that is great and hard to grasp for the

Greek · §12

φησιν] ἐὰν ἡ συνείδησις ἡμῶν μὴ καταγινώ κῃ, παρρη ίαν ἔχομεν πρὸ τὸν Θεόν. μέγα δέ ἐστιν οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἔχειν παρρη ίαν, ἀλλ' ἐν πεποιθήσει παρρησίαν· καὶ προσαγωγὴν διὰ τὸ βέβαιον πάλιν ἐν παρρησίᾳ. ἀρχὴ δὲ τῆς ἐν πεποιθήσει παρρησίας ἐστὶ καὶ προσαγωγῆς ἡ πίστις ἡ εἰς τὸν Χριστόν. πολλάκις δὲ εἴπομεν ὅτι ὁ πάντα λόγῳ ποιῶν πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν Λόγον, καὶ ὁ τὴν σοφίαν καταλαμβάνων πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τὴν Σοφίαν, καὶ ὁ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τρανῶν πεπίστευκεν εἰς Χριστὸν τὴν Ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ὁ κατὰ δικαιοσύνην βιοὺς πεπίστευκεν εἰς Χριστὸν τὴν ∆ικαιοσύνην. [iii 13] διὸ αἰτοῦμαι μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσί μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν δόξα ὑμῶν. ἀγωνιζόμενο ὑπὲρ τῶν Χριστῷ μαθητευομένων πολλὰ εἶχε τὰ θλίβοντα· διὸ αἰτοῦμαι φησὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσί μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν· αἰσθανομένου γὰρ ἑαυτοῦ ἐστιν οἷον κινδυνεύοντος ἐκκακεῖν τὸ ταῦτα λέγειν. μετὰ ταῦτα ζητοῦμεν τίνι ἐφαρμόσομεν τὸ ἥτις ἐστὶ δόξα ὑμῶν. ὁ μὲν οὖν τις ἐρεῖ ὅτι πρὸς τὰς θλίψεις ἀποδέδωκε τὸ ἥτις ἐστὶ δόξα ὑμῶν, ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν «αἵτινές εἰσι δόξα ὑμῶν,» διὰ δὲ τὸ ἑνικὸν τῆς δόξης, ὡς ἰδιώτη τῷ λόγῳ, ἀποδέδωκεν ἀντὶ τοῦ «αἵτινες» τὸ ἥτις. ἄλλος δὲ τὸ ἥτις ἐστὶ δόξα ὑμῶν ἤτοι πρὸς τὴν παρρησίαν ἢ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἢ τὴν πίστιν ἀποδώσει· καὶ γὰρ ἡ παρρησία δόξα τοῦ ἔχοντός ἐστι, καὶ ἡ προσαγωγὴ δόξα τοῦ προσαγομένου Θεῷ, καὶ ἡ πίστις δόξα τοῦ πιστεύοντος ἂν εἶναι λέγοιτο. δύναται δὲ τὸ διὸ αἰτοῦμαι μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσί μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τοιοῦτο εἶναι, «διὸ αἰτοῦμαι ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, τὸ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ὑμᾶς ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσί μου, αἵτινές εἰσιν ὑμετέρα δόξα.» καὶ δόξει γε τὰ ἑξῆς ταύτῃ μᾶλλον τῇ ἐκδοχῇ συνᾴδειν· τούτου γὰρ χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι· χρεία γὰρ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι τὸν μὴ ἐκκακήσοντα ἐπὶ θλίψεσιν. ἐρεῖ δέ τις πρὸς τὸ δεύτερον, λόγον μὲν εἶχεν θλιβομένων τῶν Ἐφεσίων αἰτεῖν τὸν Παῦλον περὶ αὐτ<ῶ>ν μὴ ἐκκακεῖν, γελοῖον δὲ εἶναι δόξει τὸ Παύλου θλιβομένου εὐχῆς δεῖσθαι τοὺς Ἐφεσίους ἵνα μὴ ἐκκακῶσιν ἐν ταῖς ἐκείνου θλίψεσιν. ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῦτο παραθετέον τὸν πειρα μὸν ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τῇ αρκί μου οὐκ ἐξουθενή ατε οὔτε ἐξεπτύ ατε· ἐμφαίνεται γὰρ διὰ τούτων ὅτι ἐν τῇ αρκὶ Παύλου πειρα μὸ ἑτέροις ἐγίνετο. ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἐπιστήσωμεν εἰ μὴ τὸ μάλιστα το<ὺς> πολλοὺς ταράττον ἐν τοῖς περὶ προνοίας λόγοις ἔστιν, ὅτε τοῖς μὲν ἁγιωτάτοις καὶ δικαιοτάτοις ὁρῶσιν θλίψεις μυρίας καὶ περιστάσεις συμβαινούσας τοῖς δὲ ἀνομωτάτοις τὰ νομιζόμενα καλὰ γινόμενα. ὅτι δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἐφέσῳ καὶ περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν πολλὰ πέπονθεν ὁ Παῦλος, γέγραπται μὲν καὶ ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων πράξεσιν, ἔξεστι δὲ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν λέγοντος εἰ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ἐθηριομάχη α ἐν Ἐφέ ῳ, τί μοι τὸ ὄφελο εἰ νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται; καὶ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους, οὐ θέλω γὰρ ὑμᾶ ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῆ θλίψεω ἡμῶν τῆ γενομένη ἐν τῇ Ἀ ίᾳ, ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν κατὰ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν, ὥ τε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶ καὶ τοῦ ζῆν· ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖ τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἐ χήκαμεν, ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότε ὦμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖ ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ἐγείροντι τοὺ νεκρού , ὃ ἐκ τηλικούτων θανάτων ἐρρύ ατο ἡμᾶ καὶ ῥύεται, ἠλπίκαμεν γὰρ ὅτι καὶ ῥύ εται. ὅρα γὰρ ὅσα ἦν τὰ τῶν θλίψεων αὐτοῦ, ὡς λέγειν ὃ ἐκ τηλικούτων θανάτων ἐρρύ ατο ἡμᾶ καὶ ῥύεται. 15 Eph. iii 14 [τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] τὸ κάμπτειν τὰ γόνατα σύμβολόν ἐστιν ἄλλης γονυκλισίας τῆς γινομένης ἐν τῷ ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ὑποπεπτωκέναι αὐτῷ. τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰη οῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμπτῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, καὶ λέγομεν μὴ πάντως τὰ ἐπουράνια ἔχειν σώματα γεγονατωμένα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ καταχθόνια ὁμοίως, πρὸς τούτοις οὐδὲ τὰς ἀπηλ λαγμένας τούτου τοῦ σώματος ψυχάς. 〚Eph. iii 15 πατριά [μαργιναλ νοτε]. ὁ Χρυσόστομος, πατριαί οἱονεὶ φυλαί. Ὠριγένης ὁμοίως. πατριὰς δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς [scilicet Ὠριγένης] ἐξέδωκεν, οὐ φατρίας κατὰ Θεόδωρον.〛 [iii 16, 17a] ἵνα δῴη ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον κατοικῆσαι <τὸν> Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως, ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. ἔοικεν ἡ θειότης αὐτοῦ ἰδίως κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν «δόξα» αὐτοῦ ὀνομάζεσθαι. πλουτεῖ δὲ θειότητι πολλῇ καὶ δυσκαταλήπτῳ οὔσῃ τῇ

Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam ad Ephesios Unit 4 opening§13

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13generated nature God is. Sharing from this wealth of divinity and of his glory with those he judges ought to share power and might, he strengthens with power through his Spirit; and he strengthens by settling Christ into the inner man who can hold him.

And the most paradoxical thing: Christ, being whole and living by himself, also dwells in those who share in him; and he dwells through faith into the inner man—that is, the ruling part—for he adds “in your hearts.”

Eph. 3:17b–19: “rooted and grounded in love, that you may be strong to grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” Origen says: the sequel seems to me clearly spoken with a solecism as to phrasing. For after “that he may give you” the sequel should have been “to those rooted and grounded,” so that it would run: that he may give you, rooted and grounded in love, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit, so that Christ may dwell through faith in the inner man—in the inner man, I mean according to your hearts, that is, the ruling parts.

Anyone wanting to restore the place without solecism, see whether he will not force the phrasing by restoring it thus: for this reason I bow my knees to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may give you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit, that Christ may dwell through faith in the inner man, in your hearts, that rooted and grounded you may be strong to grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and so on. So on this reading one must move the “that” from “that you may be strong” onto “that rooted and grounded in love you may be strong to grasp.”

And to those rooted and grounded in love toward God—clearly with all the soul and all the heart and all the strength and all the mind—and in love toward the neighbor, Christ is settled. And as plants those rooted in love are rooted in it; and as a building they are founded in love. The same Paul said, “You are God’s field, God’s building.”

It is a task to see of what the breadth is now said, and of what the length, and of what the depth, and of what the height. The cross of Christ has all these, through which ascending on high he led captivity captive, and descending to the lower parts of the earth—for it had both height and depth—and if he himself ran through all the earth, reaching its breadth and length. And the one crucified with Christ and stretching with him grasps the breadth and length and depth and height.

It is also the saint’s work to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. No one who has a love that surpasses knowledge can love any of the things that distract and drag away from the grasp concerning the knowledge that is loved beyond measure.

Eph. 4:3: “in love eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Origen says: the one fitted with the same mind and the same judgment of the Truth and the Word and the Wisdom toward the neighbor keeps the unity of the Spirit. But when we do not all say the same thing, and for that reason there are no schisms among us—when we are not eager to keep the unity of the Spirit—we cut it into many. Yet if God gives distributions of gifts, he still keeps the same Spirit; and if he grants distributions of ministries, he still guards the same Lord; and if he bestows distributions of workings, the same God remains who works all in all. So to the Ephesians who already have the unity of the Spirit and need to keep it

Greek · §13

γεννητῇ φύσει ὁ Θεός· ἀπὸ τοῦ πλούτου δὴ τούτου τῆς θειότητος καὶ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ μεταδιδούς, οἷς κρίνει μεταδιδόναι δεῖν, δυνάμεως καὶ κραταιότητος, δυνάμει κραταιοῖ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ· κραταιοῖ δὲ κατοικίζων εἰς τὸν χωροῦντα ἔσω ἄνθρωπον τὸν Χριστόν. καὶ τὸ παραδοξότατον, ὅλος ὢν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ζῶν κατοικεῖ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετέχουσιν αὐτοῦ, κατοικεῖ δὲ διὰ τῆς πίστεως εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, τουτέστι τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ· ἐπάγει γὰρ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. Eph. iii 17b– 19 [ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι, ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις τί τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ βάθος καὶ ὕψος, γνῶναί τε τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] δοκεῖ μοι σαφῶς τὰ ἑξῆς ἐν σολοικίᾳ εἰρῆσθαι ὡς πρὸς τὴν φράσιν. πρὸς γὰρ τὸ δῴη ὑμῖν ἀκόλουθον ἦν εἰπεῖν «ἐρριζωμένοις καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοις,» ὥστε εἶναι τὸ ἑξῆς ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐρριζωμένοις καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοις κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, ὥστε εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως· εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, λέγω κατὰ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, τουτέστιν τὰ ἡγεμονικά. ὁ δὲ θέλων ἀποκαταστῆσαι τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον χωρὶς σολοικίας, σκέψαι εἰ μὴ βιάσεται οὕτως τὴν φράσιν ἀποκαταστάς· τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται, ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως, ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, ἵνα ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι ἐξισχύσητε καταλα βέσθαι σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις, τί τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὥστε κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἐκδοχὴν μεταθετέον τὸ ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε ἐπὶ τὸ ἵνα ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι. ἐν ἀγάπῃ δὲ ἐρριζωμένοις καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοις τῇ πρὸς Θεόν, δηλονότι ἐξ ὅλη ψυχῆ καὶ ἐξ ὅλη καρδία καὶ ἐξ ὅλη ἰ χύο καὶ ἐξ ὅλη διανοία , καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν πλη ίον κατοικίζεται Χριστός. καὶ ὡς φυτὰ μὲν ἐρρίζωνται ἐν ἀγάπῃ οἱ ἐρριζωμένοι ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡς δὲ οἰκοδομὴ τεθεμελίωνται ἐν ἀγάπῃ· ἔφη δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς Παῦλος Θεοῦ γεώργιον, Θεοῦ οἰκοδομή ἐ τε. ἔργον δὲ ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τίνος νῦν εἴρηται τὸ πλάτος, καὶ ἐπὶ τίνος τὸ μῆκος, καὶ ἐπὶ τίνος τὸ βάθος, καὶ ἐπὶ τίνος τὸ ὕψος. ἔχει δὲ ταῦτα πάντα ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ ἀναβὰ εἰ ὕψο ᾐχμαλώτευ εν αἰχμαλω ίαν, καὶ κατέβη εἰ τὰ κατώτατα τῆ γῆ , εἶχεν γὰρ καὶ ὕψος καὶ βάθος· καὶ εἰ πᾶ αν τὴν γῆν αὐτὸς διέδραμεν, ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος αὐτῆς φθάσας. καὶ ὁ Χρι τῷ γε υνε ταυρωμένο καὶ συνεκτεινόμενος αὐτῷ καταλαμβάνει τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ βάθος καὶ ὕψος. ἔργον δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ τὸ γνῶναι τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ. οὐδεὶς δὲ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀγάπην ἔχων γνώσεως δύναταί τι ἀγαπῆσαι τῶν περισπώντων καὶ περιελκόντων ἀπὸ τῆς καταλήψεως τῆς περὶ τῆς ὑπερβαλ<λ>όντως ἀγαπωμένης γνώσεως. 16 Eph. iv3 [ἐν ἀγάπῃ σπουδάζοντες τηρεῖν τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] τηρεῖ τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος ὁ κατηρτι μένο τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ τῆς Ἀληθείας καὶ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ τῆς Σοφίας πρὸς τὸν πλησίον. ὅταν δὲ μὴ τὸ αὐτὸ λέγωμεν πάντε , καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ ᾖ ἐν ἡμῖν χί ματα, οὐ σπουδά ζοντες τηρεῖν τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος διακόπτομεν αὐτὴν εἰς πλείονα. εἰ μέντοιγε ὁ Θεὸς δίδωσι διαιρέ ει χαρι μάτων, ἀλλὰ τηρεῖ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα· καὶ εἰ χαρίζεται διαιρέ ει διακονιῶν, ἀλλὰ φυλάττει τὸν αὐτὸν κύριον· καὶ εἰ δωρεῖται διαιρέ ει ἐνεργημάτων, ἀλλ' ὁ αὐτὸ μένει Θεὸ ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶ ιν. Ἐφεσίοις μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἤδη ἐσχηκόσι τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ δεομένοις τηρεῖν ταύτην

Unit 4 rem early§14

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14it is said, “eager to keep the unity of the Spirit”; but to those who do not yet have the unity of the Spirit one might say “eager to arrive at the unity of the Spirit” or “to do the things of the Spirit’s unity.” The unity of the Spirit is kept when love binds those being united according to the Spirit and gathers them into one body of Christ.

Eph. 4:5–6: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Origen says: because of those who confuse Father and Son, “Lord” is set of the Son and “one God” of the Father; and against the Valentinians who give two baptisms one must use the saying “one baptism.”

God is also Father of all, in that of some he is God and not Father, and of some God and Father—as if someone pointing out ten people, of whom five are sons of this man and five slaves, said, “This man is lord and father of the ten.”

Besides this one must examine the difference of the prepositions—over, through, and in. Use a bodily image such as this: by place the sun is over all things on earth, say; by its rays it might be said to be through all; and if the power of its light also reached into the depth of each, it would be said to be in all. So also in the intelligibles we take “over all” to show superiority, “through all” the sufficiency toward each, and “in all” that God’s power reaches into all, so that none is utterly empty of him.

And “to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” we think understood thus. God does not give the Spirit and the grace from measure—there is no limit to his greatness—yet he gives a measure, sparing the receivers, since each cannot hold more than he profitably receives. Yet since what is given is grace—and not from works, since then grace would no longer be grace—grace is given according to the measure of Christ’s gift; and even if not from works, still upon something in our power. For grace is given from faith, so that with its cooperation faith may also be adorned with works, so that the receiver of grace may say, “and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored so much.”

Eph. 4:11–12: “And he himself gave some as apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” These too he adds in sequence with what precedes. For if Christ is over all and through all and in all, yet to each of the saints grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift, so that some are apostles, some prophets, others evangelists, and after these pastors and, over all, teachers.

If then to be a teacher is a gift given according to the measure of Christ’s gift, clearly also a pastor who shepherds with knowledge must shepherd having a gift. And how will someone be an evangelist whose feet of the soul are not, so to speak, beautiful? And that they may become so, God must supply them beauty. But also a prophet who convicts and examines the unbeliever (for such is the prophet of the new covenant) must be thought appointed to the church from God. And if these can always be in the church, perhaps also apostles, to whom the signs of an apostle are given to work, can be found even now. There is need of apostles and prophets and the rest for the equipping of the saints, that they may be equipped according to the work of Christ’s ministry, so that the body of Christ may be built and energized from living stones.

Eph. 4:13–15: “until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at a perfect man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we may no longer be infants, tossed and carried about by every wind of teaching in the trickery of men, in craftiness toward the scheming of error, but speaking truth in love we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ.” Who are “all” who will arrive at the unity of the faith must be asked: whether simply all humans, or we who have been

Greek · §14

λέγεται ἐν ἀγάπῃ σπουδάζοντες τηρεῖν τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος· τοῖς δὲ μηδέπω ἔχουσι τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος λέγοιτο <ἂν> «σπουδάζοντες καταντᾶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος» ἢ «ποιεῖν τὰ τῆς ἑνότητος τοῦ πνεύ ματος.» τηρεῖται δὲ ἡ ἑνότης τοῦ πνεύματος, τῆς ἀγάπης συνδεούσης τοὺς κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα ἑνουμένους καὶ εἰς ἓν σῶμα αὐτοὺς συναγούσης τοῦ Χριστοῦ. 17 Eph. iv5, 6 [εἷς κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα· εἷς θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ πάντων, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν ἡμῖν. ἑνὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησι] διὰ τοὺς συγχέοντας πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν τὸ μὲν κύριος τέτακται ἐπὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ δὲ εἷς θεὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρός· καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ Οὐαλεντίνου δὲ δύο διδόντας βαπτίσματα χρηστέον τῷ ῥητῷ ἓν βάπτισμα. πάντων δέ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, τῷ τινῶν μὲν εἶναι Θεὸς καὶ μὴ πατήρ, τινῶν δὲ Θεὸς καὶ πατήρ, ὡς εἴ τις δείξας δέκα τινὰς τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἀνθρώπους, ὧν οἱ μὲν πέντε τοῦδέ τινος υἱοί εἰσιν, οἱ δὲ πέντε δοῦλοι, ἔλεγεν «οὗτος τῶν δέκα κύριός ἐστι καὶ πατήρ.» πρὸς τούτοις ἐξεταστέον τὴν διαφορὰν τῶν προθέσεων, τῆς ἐπὶ καὶ τῆς διὰ καὶ τῆς ἐν. καὶ σωματικῇ γε εἰκόνι χρηστέον τοιαύτῃ· τόπῳ ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ πάντων ἐστι φέρ' εἰπεῖν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, ταῖς δὲ αὐγαῖς λέγοιτο ἂν εἶναι διὰ πάντων, εἰ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸ βάθος ἑκάστου ἔφθανεν ἡ δύναμις τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῦ ἐλέγετο ἂν εἶναι καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν· οὕτως τοίνυν καὶ κατὰ τὰ νοητὰ τὴν μὲν ὑπεροχὴν οἰόμεθα δηλοῦσθαι διὰ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων, τὸ δὲ διαρκὲς πρὸς ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ διὰ πάντων, τὸ δὲ καὶ φθάνειν ἐν πᾶσι τῆς δυνάμεώς ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὥστε μηδένα εἶναι κενὸν πάντῃ αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ ἐν πᾶσιν. καὶ τ<ὸ> ἑνὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὕτω νενοῆσθαι νομίζομεν. οὐκ ἐκ μέτρου μὲν δίδω ι τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὴν χάριν ὁ Θεός, οὗ τῆ μεγαλω ύνη αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔ τι πέρα · μέτρον δὲ δίδωσι φειδόμενος τῶν λαμβανόντων, μὴ χωροῦντος ἑκάστου πλέον οὗ συμφερόντως λαμβάνει. πλὴν ἐπεὶ χάρις ἐστὶν ἡ διδομένη–καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐστίν, ἐπεὶ ἡ χάρι οὐκέτι γίνεται χάρι – δίδοται ἡ χάρις κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ· εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἔργων δέ, ἀλλ' ἐπί τινός γε τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν. ἐκ πί τεω γὰρ δίδοται ἡ χάρις, ἐπὶ τῷ συνεργούσης αὐτῆς τὴν πίστιν κατακοσμηθῆναι καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις, ὡς εἰπεῖν τὸν λαμβάνοντα τὴν χάριν καὶ ἡ χάρι αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰ ἐμὲ οὐκ εἰς κενὸν ἐγενήθη ἀλλὰ τοσόνδε ἐκοπία α. [ iv 11, 12] καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους τοὺς δὲ προφήτας, τοὺς δὲ εὐαγγελιστάς, τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους, πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ἐχομένως τῶν προκειμένων καὶ ταῦτα ἐπιφέρει. εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσίν ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ἀλλ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὥστε τοὺς μέν τινας εἶναι ἀποστόλους τοὺς δὲ προφήτας καὶ ἄλλους εὐαγγελιστὰς καὶ μετὰ τούτους ποιμένας καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι διδασκάλους. εἴπερ οὖν διδάσκαλον εἶναι χάρισμά ἐστι διδόμενον κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δηλονότι καὶ ποιμένα ποιμαίνοντα μετ' ἐπιστήμης χρὴ χάρισμα ἔχοντα ποιμαίνειν· πῶς δὲ καὶ εὐαγγελιστής τις ἔσται, οὗ μὴ εἰσὶν ὡραῖοι, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, οἱ πόδε τῆς ψυχῆς; ἵνα δὲ γένωνται, Θεὸν δεῖ ὡραιότητα αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ προφήτην ἀπί του ἐλέγχοντα καὶ ἀνακρίνοντα (τοιοῦτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης προφήτης), ὃν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ καθίστασθαι τῇ ἐκκλη ίᾳ νομιστέον. εἰ δὲ ταῦτα δυνατὸν ἀεὶ εἶναι ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, μήποτε καὶ ἀποστόλους, οἷς δίδοται τὰ ημεῖα τοῦ ἀπο τόλου κατεργάζε θαι, δυνατὸν εὑρεθῆναι καὶ νῦν. χρεία δὲ ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς εἰς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων, ἵνα καταρτίζωνται κατὰ τὸ ἔργον τῆς Χριστοῦ διακονίας, ὅπως οἰκοδο μῆται <καὶ> ἐνεργῇται τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκ τῶν ζώντων λίθων. [ iv 13–15] μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι, κλυδωνιζόμενοι καὶ περιφερόμενοι παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν πανουργίᾳ πρὸς τὴν μεθοδείαν τῆς πλάνης, ἀληθεύοντες δὲ ἐν ἀγάπῃ αὐξήσωμεν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή, Χριστός. τίνες πάντες καταντήσομεν εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως ζητητέον, πότερον πάντες ἁπαξαπλῶς ἄνθρωποι, ἢ ἡμεῖς οἱ

Unit 4 rem mid§15

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15allotted in Christ. It will seem to answer to the former, because there are many winds of teaching that toss and carry about in men’s trickery, in craftiness toward the scheming of error, almost all or most. Yet one must make it one’s aim to arrive at the unity of the faith; and besides the unity of the faith, to come also into the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God.

When these have come about, putting away all infancy we shall be styled perfect men, having fully taken the measure of the stature that is in secret—which measure of stature is a measure of Christ’s fullness, all who have reached the said stature’s measure having held Christ’s fullness—when they will no longer be infants, nor because of being unmoored and doubtful about dogmas walk in an infant’s condition about them, as if carried about by a surge of the persuasive points for each falsehood and giving themselves to every wind of teaching: some people not disposed toward lying but teaching by dice-play, others deceiving with all craft and cleverness, because error uses countless methods against us.

And when the saints arrive at the said perfect man, then by having understood love, speaking truth in it, they will grow into Christ all the truth-seeds given them, using Christ as a body uses a head.

Since he says “that we may no longer be infants,” we ask whether he said this by moderation, including himself though not an infant, or whether seeing how far short the one who knows in part and prophesies in part falls of perfection he truly says he is an infant. The one who says he spoke by moderation will use “when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child; when I became a man, I put away the things of the child.” The other will answer that by comparison with the many Paul had become a man, but toward the ends laid up for the saints he was still an infant; for the prophetic word names all “children,” saying, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

After this you will mark whether Paul by moderation says not only that he is an infant, but also tossed and carried about by every wind of teaching and the rest. Yet the one who says even this was not spoken from moderation will say that as a man he was sharp and quick to hit, and saw arguments attempted on both sides sufficient to distract and put in a surge the one who contemplates the persuasions; and for that reason, as a man, he was carried about by every wind of teaching—not dragged down or shipwrecked, but like a ship wrestling with varied winds; and he saw the opponents’ arguments, as of people teaching in dice-play, not contemptible but spoken most craftily, enough to deceive; and he hoped sometime to obtain God’s help toward putting away every distraction and speaking truth without distraction and growing in love into Christ, whom he knew as his head and the head of the whole body of the church.

Eph. 4:17–19: “This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the nations also walk in the vanity of their mind, being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, who having become past feeling gave themselves up to licentiousness for the working of every uncleanness in greed.” Origen says: when the mind is either toward the things of life, misusing its power on them, or toward certain dogmas shaped as true that are not true, it is in vanity; for every worldly care is vain, and all false words that pretend to be truth. And when the understanding, which is a rational discourse, is somewhat confused, neither seeing the nature of what is said nor able to follow the varied things said, then it might reasonably be said to be darkened.

So one must neither be in the mind’s vanity nor darkened in understanding, lest we be alienated from God’s life while ignorance is in us and hardness of heart. And if these spread further through our soul—I mean mind’s vanity and understanding’s darkness, the things that alienate from God’s life and give ignorance an entry and allow hardness of heart—

Greek · §15

κληρωθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ. δόξει δὲ πρὸς τὸ πρότερον ἀποδεδόσθαι, διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς ἀνέμους εἶναι τῆς διδασκαλίας τοὺς κλυδωνίζοντας καὶ περιφέροντας ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐν πανουργίᾳ πρὸς τὴν μεθοδείαν τῆς πλάνης, σχεδὸν τοὺς πάντας ἢ τοὺς πλείστους. πλὴν φιλοτιμητέον ἐπὶ τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καταντῆσαι· καὶ πρὸς τῇ ἑνότητι τῆς πίστεως, γενέσθαι καὶ ἐν τῇ ἑνότητι τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ὧν ἐ<γ>γενομένων, πᾶσαν νηπιότητα ἀποθέμενοι ἄνδρες χρηματίσ<ο> μεν τέλειοι, τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐν κρυπτῷ ἡλικίας ἄκρως ἀπειληφότες· ὅπερ μέτρον ἡλικίας πληρώματος μέτρον ἐστὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ τὸ μέτρον τῆς προειρημένης ἡλικίας ἐφθακότων τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ κεχωρηκότων, ὅτε οὐκέτι ἔσονται νήπιοι, οὐδὲ διὰ τὸ περὶ τῶν δογμάτων ἀνερμάτιστον καὶ ἀμφί βολον περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν νηπίων ἕξει περιπατοῦσιν, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ κλύδωνος τῶν ὑπὲρ ἑκάστου ψεύδους πιθανῶν περιφερόμενοι καὶ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ διδασκαλίας ἐπιδιδόντες ἑαυτούς· τινῶν μὲν ἀνθρώπων οὐ <πρὸς τὸ ψεύδεσθαι> διακειμένων ἀλλὰ κυβευτικῶς διδασκόντων, ἄλλων δὲ μετὰ πάσης πανουργίας καὶ ἐντρεχείας ἀπατώντων, τῷ τὴν πλάνην μεθόδοις χρῆσθαι μυρίαις καθ' ἡμῶν. καὶ ὅταν γε καταντήσωσιν οἱ ἅγιοι εἰς τὸν προειρημένον τέλειον ἄνδρα, τότε τῷ νενοηκέναι τὴν ἀγάπην ἀληθεύοντες ἐν αὐτῇ αὐξήσ<ουσιν> εἰς τὸν Χρίστον πάντα τὰ δοθέντα αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας σπέρματα, χρώμενοι ὡς σῶμα κεφαλῇ τῷ Χριστῷ. ἐπειδὴ δέ φησιν ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι, ζητοῦμεν πότερον ταῦτα κατὰ μετριότητα εἶπε, συμπεριλαμβάνων ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ὄντα νήπιον, ἢ ὁρῶν ὅσον ἀπολείπεται ὁ ἐκ μέρου γινώ κων καὶ ἐκ μέρου προφητεύων τῆς τελειότητος ἀληθῶς φησιν εἶναι νήπιος. πλὴν ὁ λέγων αὐτὸν κατὰ μετριότητα ταῦτα εἰρηκέναι, χρήσεται τῷ ὅτε ἤμην ὡς νήπιο , ἐλάλουν ὡ νήπιο , ἐφρόνουν ὡ νήπιο · ὅτε δὲ γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου. ὁ δὲ ἕτερος πρὸς τοῦτο ἀποκρινεῖται, ὅτι συγκρίσει μὲν τῶν πολλῶν ἐγεγόνει μὲν ὁ Παῦλος ἀνήρ, πρὸς δὲ τὰ ἀποκείμενα τοῖς ἁγίοις τέλη ἔτι νήπιος ἦν· καὶ πάντας γὰρ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος παιδία ὀνομάζει λέγων ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεό . μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιστήσεις εἰ μὴ κατὰ μετριότητα ὁ Παῦλος οὐ μόνον νήπιος εἶναί φησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κλυδωνιζόμενος καὶ περιφερόμενος παντὶ ἀνέμῳ διδα σκαλίας καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὁ μέντοιγε καὶ τοῦτο λέγων μὴ ἀπὸ μετριότητος αὐτ<ῷ> εἰρῆσθαι, φήσει ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὀξὺς καὶ εὐεπήβολος καὶ ἑώρα τοὺς ἐπὶ ἑκάτερα ἐπιχειρουμένους λόγους ἱκανοὺς ὄντας περισπάσαι καὶ ἐν κλύδωνι ποιῆσαι γενέσθαι τὸν θεωροῦντα τὰς πιθανότητας· διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος περιεφέρετο παντὶ ἀνέμῳ διδασκαλίας, οὐ κατασπώμενος μὲν οὐδὲ ναυαγῶν, ὥσπερ δὲ ναῦς παλαίων ποικίλοις πνεύμασιν· ἑώρα δὲ καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἀντικει μένων λόγους οἱονεὶ ἐν κυβείᾳ διδασκόντων οὐκ ὄντας εὐκαταφρονήτους ἀλλὰ πανουργότατα λεγομένους, ὥστε ἱκανοὺς εἶναι πλανῆσαι· καὶ ἤλπιζε τεύξεσθαί ποτε τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας πρὸς τὸ ἀποθέ θαι πάντα περισπασμὸν καὶ ἀληθεῦσαι ἀπερι πά τω καὶ ἐν ἀγάπῃ αὐξῆσαι εἰς τὸν Χριστόν, ὃν ᾔδει αὐτοῦ ὄντα κεφαλὴν καὶ παντὸς τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας σώματος. 18 Eph. iv17–19 τοῦτο οὖν λέγω καὶ μαρτύρομαι ἐν Κυρίῳ, μηκέτι ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καθὼς καὶ τὰ ἔθνη περιπατεῖ ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν, ἐσκοτισμένοι τῇ διανοίᾳ ὄντες, ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τὴν οὖσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς, διὰ τὴν π<ώ>ρωσιν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, οἵτινες ἀπηλγηκότες ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ. [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ὅτε μὲν ὁ νοῦς ἤτοι πρὸς τοῖς βιωτικοῖς ἐστι, τῇ δυνάμει ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς ταῦτα καταχρώμενος, ἢ πρός τισι δόγμασιν ἀναπεπλασμένοις ὡς ἀληθέσιν, οὐκ οὖσιν ἀληθέσιν, ἐν ματαιότητί ἐστιν· ματαία γὰρ καὶ πᾶσα φροντὶς βιωτικὴ καὶ πάντες οἱ προσποιούμενοι εἶναι ἀλήθεια ψευδεῖς λόγοι· ὅτε δὲ ἡ διάνοια, ἥτις ἐστὶν διέξοδος λογική, ὑποσυγκέχυται, οὔτε τὴν φύσιν τῶν λεγομένων θεωροῦσα οὔτε ἐφέπεσθαι τοῖς ποικίλοις τῶν λεγομένων δυναμένη, τότε ἐσκοτῶσθαι εὐλόγως ἂν λέγοιτο. οὔτε οὖν ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς εἶναι δεῖ οὔτε ἐσκοτισμένους τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἵνα μὴ ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τυγχάνωμεν τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀγνοίας ἐνυπαρχούσης ἡμῖν καὶ πωρώσεως καρδίας. ταῦτα δὲ ἐὰν ἐπίπλεον νεμηθῇ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν–λέγω δὲ ματαιότης νοὸς καὶ σκότωσις διανοίας, τὰ ἀλλοτριοῦντα τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ παρείσδυσιν διδόντα ἀγνοίᾳ πώρωσίν τε τῆς καρδίας

Unit 4 rem close§16

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16then we will fall into numbness, crowding our conscience about the sins, and we will hand ourselves over, not resisting even a little the fleshly desires, to licentiousness for the working of every uncleanness, along with defrauding those whose marriages we adulterate.

And if we want to understand “who having become past feeling gave themselves up to licentiousness,” let us compare those with a bad conscience, tormented by knowing something base in themselves, with those who with all license multiply their falls. The former have not yet become past feeling, but still feel pain; therefore it is possible, if they meet rational help, for them to be healed so as to live the time ahead blamelessly. The latter no longer feel pain when they sin; therefore, not resisting even a little and not practicing self-control, they gave themselves up to licentiousness for the work of every uncleanness in greed.

Yet into all these there is danger of falling for everyone who is in the mind’s vanity and darkened in understanding; hence we must care for our mind and understanding, that the understanding may be enlightened, the darkness being loosed by the true light—which is the Word of God—and the mind, turned back from affection for vain things, may be led toward God through the word of Wisdom.

If indeed through ignorance and hardness of heart those alienated from God’s life are alienated from it by their mind having come into vanity and their understanding into darkness, they are alienated from that life not by nature but from causes arising from us out of what is in our power.

And I think uncleanness in greed is adultery; for elsewhere he says this in the first to the Thessalonians, in which: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in holiness and honor, not in passion of desire like the nations that do not know God; that no one transgress and defraud his brother in the matter, because the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things, as we also foretold you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness but in holiness and honor. Therefore the one who rejects does not reject a human but God, who gives his Holy Spirit into you.”

And observe that, urging us toward purity, he says one defrauds his brother in the matter if someone takes a brother’s wife; yet the Lord is an avenger concerning all these who have been defrauded, whether brothers or also unbelievers.

Eph. 4:20–22: “But you did not so learn Christ, if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you put off, according to the former way of life, the old man who is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit.” Origen says: to learn Christ is the same as to learn virtue, and to hear him does not differ from understanding the word of the recorded conceptions of the Son of God. So if someone has learned Christ and heard him, since he learned him as Wisdom and heard him as God’s Word, receiving what he learned and heard, he will not walk in the vanity of his mind, nor be darkened in understanding, nor alienated from God’s life.

Let us therefore learn Christ and hear him; yet one must not despair also of being taught by a divine power that subjects to our purified mind a perfect and true word about Christ, as truth is in Jesus. He taught what learning Christ and hearing and being taught is by saying “as truth is in Jesus”; for the prototype substance of the truth is in Jesus alone, who says, “I am the truth.”

And “that you put off according to the former way of life the old man,” being disconnected, see whether we can restore it thus: but you did not so learn Christ, if indeed you heard him and were taught in him to put off according to the former way of life the old man being corrupted according to the desires of deceit, as truth is in Jesus—so that the sense is: as truth is in Jesus, so it will also be in you who have learned Christ and heard him and been taught in him, having put off according to the former way of life the old man being corrupted according to the desires of deceit. And the old man whom one must already put off is the one made old by the

Greek · §16

ἐπιτρέποντα–τότε εἰς ἀναισθησίαν ἐμπεσούμεθα, συνωθοῦντες ἡμῶν τὸ συνειδὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτανομένοις, καὶ παραδώσομεν ἑαυτούς, οὐδὲ κατά ποσον ἀνθιστάμενοι ταῖ αρκικαῖ ἐπιθυμίαι , τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας ἁπάσης, μετὰ τοῦ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐκείνους δέ, ὧν τοὺς γάμους νοθεύομεν. εἰ δὲ θέλομεν νοῆσαι τὸ οἵτινες ἀπηλγηκότες ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ, συγκρίν<ω>μεν τοὺς δυσσυνειδητοῦντας καὶ βασανιζομένους ἐπὶ τῷ συνεγνωκέναι τι ἑαυτοῖς φαῦλον τοῖς μετὰ πάσης ἀδείας πολλαπλασίονα πταίουσιν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐδέπω ἀπηλγήκασιν, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἀλγοῦσιν· διόπερ δυνατόν ἐστιν τυχόντας αὐτοὺς βοηθείας λογικῆς θεραπευθῆναι, ὥστε τὸν ἑξῆς βιῶσαι ἀνεπιλήπτως χρόνον. οἱ δὲ οὐκέτι ἀλγοῦσιν ἁμαρτάνοντες· διόπερ μηδὲ ἐπί ποσον ἀντιτείνοντες μηδὲ ἐγκρατευόμενοι ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ εἰς ἔργον ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ. πλὴν εἰς ταῦτα πάντα κίνδυνος ἐμπεσεῖν παντὶ τῷ ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς τυγχάνοντι καὶ ἐσκοτισμένῳ τῇ διανοίᾳ· ὅθεν τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τῆς διανοίας ἡμῖν ἐπιμελητέον, ἵνα ἡ μὲν διάνοια ᾖ πεφωτισμένη, λυομένου τοῦ σκότους ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτό , ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ὁ δὲ νοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς περὶ τὰ μάταια προσπαθείας ἀνατρεπόμενος προάγοιτο τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς οφία . εἰ μέντοιγε διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν καὶ π<ώ>ρωσιν τῆς καρδίας ἀπαλλοτριοῦνται τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι αὐτῆς, τῷ ἐν ματαιότητι γεγονέναι αὐτῶν τὸν νοῦν καὶ ἐν σκοτισμῷ τὴν διάνοιαν, οὐκ ἐκ φύσεως ἀλλ' ἐξ αἰτιῶν τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν γινομένων ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀλλοτριοῦνται τῆς ζωῆς ἐκεῖνοι οἱ ἀλλοτριού μενοι αὐτῆς. ἀκαθαρσίαν δὲ ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ τὴν μοιχείαν οἴομαι εἶναι· ἀλλαχοῦ γὰρ τοῦτό φησιν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς προτέρᾳ, ἐν ᾗ ταῦτα· τοῦτο γάρ ἐ τι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀπέχε θαι ὑμᾶ ἀπὸ τῆ πορνεία · εἰδέναι ἕκα τον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ κεῦο κτᾶ θαι ἐν ἁγια μῷ καὶ τιμῇ, μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμία καθάπερ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν Θεόν, τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐν τῷ πράγματι τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, διότι ἔκδικο ὁ Κύριο περὶ πάντων τούτων, καθὼ προείπομεν ὑμῖν καὶ διεμαρτυράμεθα· οὐ γὰρ ἐκάλε εν ἡμᾶ ὁ Θεὸ ἐπὶ ἀκαθαρ ίᾳ ἀλλ' ἐν ἁγια μῷ καὶ τιμῇ. τοιγαροῦν ὁ ἀθετῶν οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἀθετεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν διδόντα τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον εἰ ὑμᾶ . παρατήρει δὲ ὅτι προτρεπόμενος ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγνείαν ἡμᾶς πλεονεκτεῖν ἐν τῷ πράγματι τὸν ἀδελφόν φησιν εἴ τις τὴν ἀδελφοῦ λαμβάνοι γυναῖκα· πλὴν ἔκδικο Κύριο περὶ πάντων τούτων τῶν πεπλεονεκτημένων, εἴτε ἀδελφῶν εἴτε καὶ ἀπίστων. 19 Eph. iv20–22 [ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἐμάθετε τὸν Χριστόν, εἴγε αὐτὸν ἠκούσατε καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐδιδάχθητε, καθώς ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] τὸ μαθεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ μαθεῖν τὴν ἀρετήν, καὶ τὸ ἀκοῦσαι αὐτὸν οὐ διαφέρει τοῦ συνιέναι τὸν λόγον τῶν ἀναγεγραμμένων ἐπινοιῶν τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. εἴ τις οὖν ἔμαθε τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ ἤκουσεν αὐτόν, ἐπεὶ ἔμαθεν αὐτὸν ὄντα Σοφίαν καὶ ἤκουσεν αὐτὸν ὡς Θεοῦ Λόγον, παραδεξάμενος ἃ μεμάθηκε καὶ ἤκουσεν, οὐ περιπατήσει ἐν τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτοῦ, οὐδ' ἔσται τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐσκοτισμένος, οὐδὲ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπηλλοτριωμένος. μάθωμεν τοίνυν τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ ἀκούσωμεν αὐτόν· οὐκ ἀπογνωστέον μέντοιγε καὶ τὸ διδαχθῆναι θείᾳ δυνάμει ὑποβαλλούσῃ τῷ νῷ ἡμῶν κεκαθαρμέν<ῳ> λόγον τὸν περὶ Χριστοῦ τέλειον καὶ ἀληθινόν, καθώς ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ. ἐδίδαξε τί τὸ μαθεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ διδαχθῆναι, εἰπὼν καθώς ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ· ἡ γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας πρωτότυπος οὐσία ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ μόνῳ λέγοντι ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια. τὸ δὲ ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀσυνάρτητον ὄν, ὅρα εἰ δυνάμεθα οὕτως ἀποκαταστῆσαι· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἐμάθετε τὸν Χριστόν, εἴγε αὐτὸν ἠκούσατε καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐδιδάχθητε ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, καθώς ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ· ἵνα ὁ νοῦς ᾖ, ὅτι ὥς ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν μαθοῦσι τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ αὐτὸν ἀκούσασι καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ διδαχθεῖσιν, ἀποθεμένοις τε κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης. παλαιὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον ὃν δεῖ ἤδη ἀποθέσθαι τὸν πεπαλαιωμένον ὑπὸ τῆς

Old man and corruption; renew the mind; truth and anger (Eph 4:22–26)§17

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17Call this the old man's life of sin. By the former walk and by deceitful desires—always sinning, never doing anything of incorruption, working only what belongs to decay—he is continually being corrupted. Those desires and that old walk drive the corruption. He is not yet wholly ruined while he still does these things; he is in the process of corruption.

God's Word does not corrupt him. It kills the old man in order to make him live. Scripture says, "I kill and I make alive"; and when he had killed them, then they sought him.

Ask next how someone grown old in vice is called an "old man." Perhaps as virtue renews and recreates, the opposite vice ages the soul, so wrinkles of oldness appear on it as on aging bodies. That is why Christ presents the church to himself in glory, without spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind. While marks of oldness remain, the wrinkle remains; when the old man is put off, everything is in full strength and every wrinkle disappears. "Desire of deceit" means a wicked, base desire.

Ephesians 4:23 "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind." The wording does not say renewal simply in spirit or simply in mind, but in the spirit of your mind. So ask what our mind is, and what its spirit is. Hear also, "I will sing with the spirit and with the mind; I will pray with the spirit and with the mind." If many spirits exist, each akin to someone, there may be a spirit akin to our mind; when the mind is cleansed and the mist cleared, that kin spirit renews us.

Ephesians 4:24 "Put on the new man created according to God." To wear that new man, take to heart "Become imitators of me, as I also of Christ," and "I live, yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me." When Christ is wholly formed in us in every deed, we show the new creation.

Ephesians 4:25 "Putting away the lie, speak truth each with his neighbor." The simple hear only a moral rule. We take "lie" as what stands against truth—false opinion opposite the truth spoken fittingly to the neighbor. Saving truth stands against that lie of false opinions. To put the lie away is no small work: one must be an approved money-changer, test everything, hold what is good, and abstain from every form of evil. Paul takes "speak truth each with his neighbor" from Zechariah.

Ephesians 4:26 "Be angry and do not sin" comes from Psalm 4. "Be angry" has two senses. One is involuntary—the pre-passion even the mature may feel when circumstances provoke anger. The other is assent that it is right to punish the person one thinks has wronged you; that assent is in our power, and the apostle commands us to put it away. So the first sense of the verse means: even if anger once entered, leave it without effect.

Ephesians 4:26 "Let the sun not set on your provocation." If this meant the visible sun, we would only sin when we keep anger past sunset—which is absurd. Better to hear the true sun, which sets on wicked prophets, as the next lines continue.

Greek · §17

ἁμαρτίας λέγεσθαι νομιστέον· οὗτος γὰρ κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, διὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ μηδέποτε ἀφθαρσίας τι ποιεῖν ἀλλ' ὅλα τὰ τῆς φθορᾶς ἐργάζεσθαι, ἀεὶ φθείρεται. αἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπιθυμίαι τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ ἡ προτέρα ἀναστροφὴ ἐνεργοῦσι τὸ φθείρεσθαι αὐτόν, καὶ οὐδέπω πάντῃ ἔφθαρται ὅσον ταῦτα ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ φθείρεται· ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ φθείρει ἀλλὰ ἀποκτένει τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τῷ ζωοποιῆσαι, ἐγὼ γάρ, φησίν, ἀποκτένω καὶ ζῇν ποιή ω, καὶ ὅταν ἀπέκτενεν αὐτοὺ τότε ἐξεζήτουν αὐτόν. ἔτι ζητήσεις πῶς ὁ κατὰ τὴν κακίαν πεπαλαιωμένος παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος λέγεται. καὶ μήποτε ὥσπερ ἀνακαινοῖ καὶ ἀνακτίζει ἡ ἀρετή, οὕτως ἡ ἐναντία αὐτῇ κακία παλαιοῖ, ὡς καὶ τῆς παλαιότητος σημεῖα γίνεσθαι περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν οἱονεὶ τὰς ῥυτίδας, ὥσπερ γίνεται ἐπὶ τῶν γηρασκόντων σωμάτων. διὰ τοῦτο ἔνδοξον αὐτῷ παρί τη ι τὴν ἐκκλη ίαν Χριστός, μὴ ἔχου αν πίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων· ὅσον μὲν γὰρ ἔχει σημεῖα τῆς παλαιότητος, ἔχει καὶ τὴν ῥυτίδα· ὅταν δὲ ἀπόθηται τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἅπαντα ἀκμάζει καὶ πᾶσα ῥυτὶς ἐξαφανίζεται. ἀπάτης δέ ἐστιν ἐπιθυμία ἡ μοχθηρὰ ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἡ φαύλη. [ iv 23] ἀνανεοῦσθε δὲ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν. εἰ χρὴ ἀνανεοῦσθαι κατὰ τὴν λέξιν ταύτην οὔτε ἁπλῶς ἐν τῷ πνεύματι οὔτε ἐν τῷ νοΐ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν, ζητητέον ἰδίᾳ τίς ὁ νοῦς ἡμῶν καὶ τί τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ. πρόσχες δὲ καὶ τῷ ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι ψαλῶ δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ, προ εύξομαι τῷ πνεύματι προ εύξομαι καὶ τῷ νοΐ. ἐπιστήσεις οὖν εἰ, ὥσπερ ἔστι πολλὰ πνεύματα καὶ ἕκαστόν τινι ᾠκείωται, οὕτως ἔστιν τι πνεῦμα ᾠκειωμένον ἡμῶν τῷ νοΐ, ὅπερ τοῦ νοὸς ἡμῶν ἀποκαθαιρομένου καὶ πᾶσαν ἀποβαλόντος ἀχλὺν ᾠκειωμένον αὐτῷ ἀνανεοῖ ἡμᾶς. [ iv 24a. καὶ ἐνδύσασθε τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ Θεὸν κτισθέντα.] εἰ θέλομεν ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ Θεὸν κτισθέντα, νοήσωμεν τὸ μιμηταί μου γίνε θε καθὼ κἀγὼ Χρι τοῦ καὶ τὸ ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χρι τό · καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς μορφωθέντα τὸν Χρι τὸν ἐν ἡμῖν ὅλον καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν πρᾶξιν δείξομεν. [ iv 25a] διὸ ἀποθέμενοι τὸ ψεῦδος λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν ἕκαστος μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ. οἱ μὲν ἁπλούστεροι πλέον τοῦ ἠθικοῦ οὐδὲν οἰήσονται λέγεσθαι ἐκ τοῦ λεγομένου· ἡμεῖς δέ, ἐναντίον εἶναι πειθόμενοι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ ψεῦδος, τὸ ἐναντίον τῇ καθηκόντως λαλουμένῃ ἀληθείᾳ πρὸς μόνον τὸν πλησίον ζητοῦμεν ψεῦδος ἀποθέσθαι ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ ψευδοδοξία (ἔργον δὲ οὐ τὸ τυχόν ἐστι πρὸς τ<ῷ> ἀποθέσθαι ἐκεῖνο τὸ ψεῦδος καὶ τὸ οὕτως ψεῦδος ἀποθέσθαι, καὶ γὰρ δόκιμον δεῖ εἶναι τραπεζίτην καὶ πάντα δοκιμάζειν ἱκανόν, ἵνα μόνον κατέχωμεν τὸ καλὸν ἀπὸ δὲ παντὸ εἴδου πονηροῦ ἀπεχώμεθα)· ἐναντίον δὲ τῷ κατὰ τὰς ψευδοδοξίας ψεύδει ἐστὶν ἡ σωτήριος ἀλήθεια. τὸ δὲ λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν ἕκαστος μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ εἴληπται ἀπὸ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου. [ iv 26a] ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε. ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ τετάρτου ψαλμοῦ τοῦτο εἴληπται δῆλόν ἐστιν. δύο δὲ σημαίνεται ἐκ τῆς ὀργίζεσθαι φωνῆς· ἢ τὸ ἀπροαίρετον, ὅπερ τινὲς ἐκάλεσαν προ<σ>πάθειαν, ἥτις συμβήσεται καὶ τοῖς τελείοις ἀπροαίρετόν τι πάσχουσι κατὰ τὰ τοιάδε εἰς ὀργὴν προκαλούμενα συμπτώματα· ἕτερον δέ, ὅταν ἤδη ἡ συγκατάθεσις παραδέχηται τὸ καθήκειν τιμωρεῖσθαι τὸν ἠδικη <κ>έν<αι> νομιζόμενον, ὅπερ ὡς ἐφ' ἡμῖν τυγχάνον κελεύει ἀποθέσθαι ὁ ἀπό στολος ἡμᾶς. τὸ πρότερον οὖν τῶν σημαινομένων δηλοῦται ἐν τῷ ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε ἀντὶ τοῦ «εἰ καὶ παρεδέξασθέ ποτε τὴν ὀργήν, ἀλλὰ ἄπρακτον καταλείψατε.» [ iv 26b] ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ τῷ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν. ἐὰν τὸν αἰσθητὸν ἥλιον ἀκούσωμεν λέγεσθαι, ἁμαρτησόμεθα ὅτε ὀργιζόμεθα καὶ τηροῦμεν τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ ἡλίου δύνοντος, ὅπερ ἄτοπον εἶναι νομίζω. μήποτ' οὖν ὁ ἀληθινὸς ἥλιος, ὥσπερ δύσεται ἐπὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς προφήτας κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον

True sun and place for the devil; work, speech, Spirit, seal (Eph 4:26–31)§18

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18Just as the sun sets on your prophets at midday, it sets on every sinner and no longer grants its rising while they keep sinning. Paul therefore orders us not to act in anger so that this sun sets on us and night fills our souls.

Ephesians 4:27 "Do not give place to the devil." Origen links this with Ecclesiastes: if a ruling spirit rises over you, do not leave your place, for healing stops a great sin. We give the devil—or that ruling spirit—room when the governing part is empty of holy teaching, saving faith, and discerning thoughts that counsel what is best. As with Zechariah, Satan camps on the soul's regions; assents to worse things invite him in. Judas shows the pattern: first the devil cast betrayal into his heart; later, after the morsel, Satan entered. Had Judas resisted the first cast, Satan would have found no later place.

Ephesians 4:28 "Let the thief steal no more, but rather labor, working the good with his hands, so he may share with the one in need." Even among those thought believers—clean, it seems, of idolatry and fornication—buying, selling, and trade often hide theft under the excuse of getting necessities. So Paul does not shrink from rebuking thieves still at work in Ephesus. "Working the good" marks just provision: unjust gain works evil; reverent securing of necessities works the good.

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no rotten word leave your mouth, but only what is good for needed building-up, that it may give grace to hearers." The good word teaches, urges virtue, and strips vice. The rotten word feeds vice and pushes toward worse.

Ephesians 4:30 "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for a day of redemption." Strictly, grief is a passion—a fresh judgment that evil is present and one should contract. The Spirit does not form such judgments, so in that sense it is not grieved. Yet as far as it depends on us, by doing these things we grieve God's Holy Spirit; the Lord says in Ezekiel, "In all these you grieved me." Our earlier notes on anger, wrath, sleep, and God-spoken human feelings help here too.

Sealing with the Spirit gives us its imprint while the Sealer stays undivided, so we become holy—and our human spirit, and I think the soul too. God seals; the Spirit is the seal. Everyone who believes God true receives that seal from the Father, to keep it unbroken until the day of redemption and be counted among the redeemed.

Ephesians 4:31 "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and blasphemy be removed from you, with all malice." Some make anger a species under desire: desire to punish one who seems to have wronged you wrongly. Among its forms they place bitterness as anger hard for others to receive, or as anger that bursts out at once—continued in the next section.

Greek · §18

δύ εται ὁ ἥλιο ἐπὶ τοὺ προφήτα ὑμῶν με ημβρία , οὕτως καὶ δύει ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, οὐ χαριζόμενος αὐτοῖς ἔτι ἁμαρτάνουσι τὴν ἰδίαν ἀνατολήν. ἐντέλλεται οὖν ἡμῖν ὁ Παῦλος μὴ ποιῆσαι τοιαῦτα κατὰ τὴν ὀργὴν ὡς ἐπιδῦναι ἡμῖν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ γενέσθαι ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡμῶν νύκτα. 20 Eph. iv27 [μηδὲ δίδοτε τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] ὅμοιον τοῦτό ἐστι τῷ ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ εἰρημένῳ, ἐὰν πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξου ιά ζοντο ἀναβῇ ἐπί ε τόπον ου μὴ ἀφῇ , ὅτι ἴαμα καταπαύ ει ἁμαρτία μεγάλα . τόπον δὲ δίδομεν τῷ διαβόλῳ ἢ τῷ ἐξου ιάζοντι πνεύματι ἀναβάντι ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, ὅτε οὐ πεπλήρωται ἡμῶν τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἁγίων μαθημάτων ἢ τῆς σωτηρίου πίστεως καὶ λογισμῶν διαφερόντων καὶ συμβουλευόντων ἡμῖν τὰ ἄριστα· κατὰ γὰρ τὸν πατέρα Ἰωάννου Ζαχαρίαν ἐπὶ τὰ κλίματα τῆ ψυχῆ ἐπι κηνοῖ ὁ Σατανᾶ , καὶ αἱ τοιαίδε συγκαταθέσεις τοῖς χείροσι καὶ ῥοπαὶ ἐπὶ τὰς συγκαταθέσεις προκαλοῦνται τὸν διάβολον εἰσελθεῖν ἡμῶν εἰς τὰς ψυχάς. καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα γοῦν γέγραπται τοῦ προδότου, πρότερον μὲν τοῦ διαβόλου ἤδη βεβληκότο εἰ τὴν καρδίαν ἵνα παραδῷ αὐτὸν Ἰούδα Σίμωνο Ἰ καριώτη , μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὅτι μετὰ τὸ ψωμίον εἰ ῆλθεν εἰ ἐκεῖνον ὁ Σατανᾶ · ὡς εἰ, βεβληκότο τοῦ διαβόλου εἰ τὴν καρδίαν Ἰούδα ἵνα παραδῷ τὸν Κύριον, πρὸς τὸ βληθὲν στὰς ὁ Ἰούδας ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ὕστερον εὑρήκει τόπον εἰς αὐτὸν εἰ ελθεῖν ὁ Σατανᾶ . [ iv 28] ὁ κλέπτων μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ κοπιάτω ἐργαζόμενος τὸ ἀγαθὸν ταῖς χερσίν, ἵνα ἔχῃ μεταδιδόναι τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι. ἐπείπερ ἐν ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις ἀναστρεφόμενοι προφάσει τοῦ πορισμοῦ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν πεπιστευκέναι νομιζομένων, κἂν δοκῶσι καθαρεύειν ἀπὸ εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ πάσης πορνείας, οὐκ εὐκόλως ἀφίστανται τοῦ κλέπτειν ἐν τῷ ὠνεῖσθαι καὶ πιπράσκειν καὶ συμπραγμα τεύεσθαί τισι, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ὤκνησεν, ὡς ἔτι κλεπτόντων (καὶ ταῦτα ἐν Ἐφέσῳ) τινῶν, οἱονεὶ ἐλέγξαι ὡς εἰδὼς τοὺς τοιούτους· τὸν δὲ δίκαιον πορισμὸν δηλοῖ αὐτὸ τὸ ἐργαζόμενος τὸ ἀγαθόν, τῶν μὲν ἀδίκως ποριζόντων οὐ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐργαζομένων, τῶν δὲ μετ' εὐλαβείας περιποιούντων αὐτοῖς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐργαζομένων. 21 Eph. iv29 [πᾶς λόγος σαπρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ἀγαθὸς λόγος ἐστὶ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας διδοὺς χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ὁ διδασκαλικὸς καὶ ἐπ' ἀρετὴν μὲν προτρεπτικὸς κακίας δὲ ἀποστερητικός· σαπρὸς δέ, ὁ συναύξων τὴν κακίαν καὶ ἐρεθίζων ἐπὶ τὰ χείρονα. [ iv 30] καὶ μὴ λυπεῖτε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν ᾧ ἐσφραγίσθητε εἰς ἡμέραν ἀπολυτρώσεως. εἴπερ ἡ λύπη πάθος ἐστί, καὶ καλῶς ἀποδίδοται περὶ αὐτῆς ὅτι ἐστὶ «δόξα πρόσφατος κακοῦ παρουσίας ἐφ' ᾧ καθήκει συστέλλεσθαι,» οὔτε δὲ δοξάζει τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα οὔτε (ἵνα δοθῇ δοξάζειν) δοξάζει τὸ κακὸν αὐτῷ παρεῖναι, οὐ λυπήσεται τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. μήποτ' οὖν, τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἡμῖν, τάδε πράττοντες λυποῦμεν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ; καὶ ὁ Κύριος δέ φησιν ἐν τῷ Ἰεζεκιήλ καὶ ἐν πᾶ ι τούτοι ἐλύπε ἐμέ. τὰ δὲ πολλάκις ἡμῖν εἰρημένα περὶ ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ ὕπνου τε καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωποπαθῶν φωνῶν χρήσιμα καὶ εἰς τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ τοῦ μὴ λυπεῖτε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. ἐσφραγίσθημεν δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, ἵνα τὸν τύπον τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος δεξάμενοι, ἀμερίστου μείναντος τοῦ σφραγίσαντος, τοὺς τύπους λαβόντες τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἅγιοι γενώμεθα, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθ' ἕκαστον ἡμῶν τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν ἅγιον γένηται, οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἡ ψυχή. τῷ πνεύματι μὲν οὖν τῷ ἁγίῳ ὁ σφραγιζόμενος σφραγίζεται, ὁ δὲ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ σφραγίζων. σφραγίζεται δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι πᾶς ὁ ἐκ τοῦ πιστεύειν τῷ Θεῷ φραγί α ὅτι ἀληθή ἐ τιν ὁ Θεό · καὶ σφραγίζεται ἵνα τηρήσας τὴν σφραγῖδα καὶ δείξας αὐτὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀπολυτρώσεως ἄθραυστον τοῖς ἀπολυτρουμένοις συναριθμηθῇ. 22 Eph. iv31 πᾶσα πικρία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ κραυγὴ καὶ βλασφημία ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ. [Ὠριγένης φησίν] γενικὸν μέν τινες πάθος ᾠήθησαν εἶναι τὴν ὀργήν, καὶ αὐτὴν τάξαντες ὑπὸ γένος τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν· καὶ ὅρον γε ἀποδεδώκασι τῆς ὀργῆς τοιοῦτον «ὀργή ἐστιν ἐπιθυμία τιμωρίας τοῦ δοκοῦντος οὐ προσηκόντως ἠδικηκέναι.» εἴδη δὲ πολλὰ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀναγράψαντες, συγκατατάττουσιν αὐτοῖς τὴν πικρίαν μὲν εἶναι ὀργὴν δυσπαράδεκτον ἢ παραχρῆμα ἐκρηγνυμένην (εἰλῆφθαι δέ φασι τὸ δυσπαράδεκτον

Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, blasphemy; kindness and forgiving (Eph 4:31–32)§19

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19—hard for outsiders to accept)—and they call wrath anger as it begins. Scripture often marks a difference between wrath and anger, as in "Lord, do not rebuke me in your wrath, nor discipline me in your anger." We do not define God's rebuking wrath the same way as the wrath we must cast off, nor the Lord's disciplining anger the same as ours. Speech about God is more figurative; what is named in us is plainly passion and sin.

Bitterness also appears in Jeremiah: "Your bitterness rose up before me." In Paul I take bitterness as we call people bitter rather than sweet—custom knows both. Wrath is anger starting in the soul toward someone. Anger here is not merely the genus of such feelings, but anger already primed and active to punish the one thought to have done wrong. Clamor usually rides with them: the bitter, wrathful, and angry shout and speak more noisily, pouring out words of bitterness, wrath, and anger. So clamor too must be practiced away.

Blasphemy to be removed is, I think, what the angry often utter when, from passion, they even dare to speak against God—when every charge about anything is swept into blasphemy. People "blaspheme" when they speak evil of those they speak evil of. So after bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor, blasphemy too must be put off.

If we also take blasphemy as every voice that speaks badly of the divine—not only from grief and anger when people are displeased, but often from ignorance of the truth, as heterodox doctrines show—then whoever calls the true word false or the false true also blasphemes, especially about God and God's matters. Who is so approved a money-changer as to test all things, hold the good, and abstain from every form of evil?

Some think anger can be reasonable, and they insert "without cause" into the gospel saying that whoever is angry with his brother is liable to judgment. Shame them with this text: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and blasphemy be taken from you." Here "all" covers everything: no bitterness allowed, no wrath permitted, no anger excused as reasonable. Psalm 36 says, as if all anger (and wrath) were sin, "Cease from anger and forsake wrath." So it is never right to be angry with anyone. Labor to strip not only all bitterness, wrath, anger, and blasphemy, but these together with all malice—malice as the habit opposite virtue, or as wickedness.

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving yourselves as God in Christ also forgave you." We called the opposite of bitter "sweet"; Paul names kindness as bitterness's opposite, by a food metaphor. So "be kind to one another" means be approachable, sweet in character, and gentle. That comes when we put off raw, merciless, unsympathetic ways toward the neighbor and become tenderhearted to all—and by that we grant the greatest gifts not only to others but to ourselves.

"Forgiving yourselves" is not the same as "forgiving one another." Whatever good we do in benefiting others returns more to us—by the end and by our being under the law—than to those we seem to help. We grant ourselves what God granted us in Christ when we receive it, keep it, and imitate the Giver and his way of giving. Another reader, thinking "forgiving yourselves" no different from "forgiving one another," continues in the next section.

Greek · §19

κατὰ τὸ μὴ ῥᾴδιον αὐτὴν εἶναι τοῖς ἐκτὸς προσδέχεσθαι), θυμὸν δὲ ὀργὴν ἐναρχομένην. ἔοικε δὲ ἡ γραφὴ σφόδρα πολλαχοῦ διαφορὰν εἰδέναι θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ Κύριε μὴ τῷ θυμῷ ου ἐλέγξῃ με μηδὲ τῇ ὀργῇ ου παιδεύ ῃ με. οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ ὁριούμεθα τὸν ἐλέγχοντα θυμὸν Θεοῦ καὶ τὸν θυμὸν ὃν δεῖ ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ τὴν παιδεύου αν ὀργὴν Κυρίου καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν. <τὰ μὲν γὰρ περὶ Θεοῦ> τροπικώτερον εἴρηται, τὰ δὲ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀνομαζόμενα ὁμολογουμένως πάθη ἐστὶ καὶ ἁμαρτήματα. κεῖται δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πικρίας καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ· καὶ ἡ πικρία γάρ ου, φησίν, ἀνέβη πρὸ μέ. οἶμαι οὖν πικρίαν μὲν νῦν λέγεσθαι παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ καθὸ λέγομεν τινὰς πικροὺς ἐναντίους τοῖς γλυκέσι, καὶ ἡ συνήθεια γὰρ γλυκεῖς ἀνθρώπους οἶδε καὶ πικρούς· θυμὸν δὲ τὴν ἐναρχομένην ἐπί τινι γενέσθαι ὀργὴν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ· ὀργὴν δὲ τάχα οὐ τὸ γένος τούτων καὶ ἑτέρων παραπλησίων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἤδη ἑτοίμην καὶ ἐνεργητικὴν πρὸς τὴν «τιμωρίαν τοῦ ἠδικηκέναι νομιζομένου.» καὶ ὡς ἐπίπαν παρακολουθεῖ τοῖς πάθεσι τούτοις καὶ ἡ κραυγή, κεκραγότων τῶν πικραινομένων καὶ θυμουμένων καὶ ὀργιζομένων, καὶ θορυβωδέστερον λαλούν των καὶ προφερομένων λόγους καὶ πικρίας καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς. διὸ πρὸς τοῖς προτέροις καὶ κραυγὴν ἀσκητέον ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν. οἶμαι δὲ ἐνθάδε βλασφημίαν ἣν κελεύει ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἣν προφέρονται ἀπὸ παθῶν ὀργιζόμενοι πολλάκις οἱ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ θείου τολμῶντες ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ὀργῆς λαλεῖν, ὅταν πᾶσα ἡ κατηγορία περὶ οὑτινοσοῦν λαμβάνηται αὖθις ἐν τῇ βλασφημίᾳ· βλασφημεῖν γὰρ λέγονται οἱ κακῶς λέγοντες ἐκείνους οὓς λέγουσι κακῶς. διὸ ἀκολούθως τοῖς περὶ πικρίας καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ κραυγῆς λέγεται δεῖν ἀποτίθεσθαι καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν. εἰ μέντοιγε καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν τάσσοιμεν ἐπὶ πάσης φωνῆς τῆς κακῶς τὸ θεῖον λεγούσης, οὐ μόνον ἐκ λύπης καὶ ὀργῆς κατὰ τοὺς καιροὺς τῆς δυσαρεστή σεως δυσφημούντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλλὰ πολλάκις καὶ κατὰ ἄγνοιαν τοῦ περὶ ἀληθείας λόγου, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἑτεροδόξοις δογμάτων, βλασφημεῖ δὴ καὶ ὁ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον ψευδῆ ἀποφαινόμενος εἶναι ἢ τὸν ψευδῆ ἀληθῆ, καὶ μάλιστα περὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ πραγμάτων. τίς οὖν οὕτως δόκιμο τραπεζίτη ὡς εἰδέναι πάντα δοκιμάζειν καὶ τὸ μὲν καλὸν κατέχειν ἀπὸ δὲ παντὸ εἴδου πονηροῦ ἀπέχε θαι; ἐπεὶ δέ τινες οἴονται εὐλόγως ποτὲ γίνεσθαι ὀργήν, μὴ καλῶς προστιθέντες τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τὸ «εἰκῇ» κατὰ τὸ ῥητόν ὃ ἂν ὀργιθῇ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἔνοχο ἔ ται τῇ κρί ειἀνέγνωσαν γάρ τινες ὃ ἐὰν ὀργι θῇ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῇ– δυσωπήσωμεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ προκειμένου ῥητοῦ λέγοντος πᾶσα πικρία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ κραυγὴ καὶ βλασφημία ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν. σαφῶς γὰρ ἐνθάδε ἡ πᾶσα φωνὴ κατὰ κοινοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων εἴρηται, ὡς μηδεμιᾶς πικρίας συγχωρουμένης μηδὲ θυμοῦ τινος ἐπιτρεπομένου μηδὲ ὀργῆς τινος εὐλόγως συνερχομένης. καὶ ἐν τριακοστῷ ἕκτῳ ψαλμῷ, ὡς πάσης ὀργῆς ἁμαρτίας οὔσης (ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ θυμοῦ), λέγεται παῦ αι ἀπὸ ὀργῆ καὶ ἐγκατάλειπε θυμόν. οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἔστιν ποτὲ εὐλόγως ὀργισθῆναί τινι. καὶ οὐ μόνον γε πᾶσαν πικρίαν καὶ πάντα θυμὸν καὶ πᾶσαν ὀργὴν καὶ πᾶσαν βλασφημίαν φιλοπονητέον ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ· κακίαν δὲ ἐκλαμβάνομεν ἤτοι τὴν ἐναντίαν ἕξιν τῇ ἀρετῇ ἢ τὴν πονηρίαν. 23 Eph. iv32 γίνεσθε δὲ εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοί, εὔσπλαγχνοι, χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς καθὼς καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν. [Ὠριγένης φησί] ἡμεῖς μὲν τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ πικρῷ γλυκὺ ὠνομάσαμεν· ἔοικεν δὲ ὁ Παῦλος τὴν ἐναντίαν τάξιν τῇ πικρίᾳ χρηστότητα νῦν λέγειν, μεταφορικῶς ἀπὸ τῶν βρωμάτων· οὕτως οὖν δυνάμεθα νοεῖν τὸ γίνεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ «εὐπρόσιτοί τινες καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἦθος γλυκεῖς τε καὶ προσηνεῖς.» τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, εἰ τὸ ὠμὸν καὶ ἀνηλεὲς καὶ ἀσυμπαθὲς πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀποθέμενοι εὔσπλαγχνοι πρὸς πάντας γινόμεθα, διὰ τούτων οὐ μόνον τοῖς πέλας ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς τὰ μέγιστα χαριζόμενοι· <«χαριζόμενοι> ἑαυτοῖς» ἑτέρου ὄντος παρὰ τὸ «χαριζόμενοι ἀλλήλοις,» ἐπείπερ ὅσα ἂν ἐν τῷ εὐεργετεῖν ποιῶμεν ἑτέρους καλῶς, ταῦτα καὶ διὰ τὸ τέλος καὶ διὰ τὸ υ ώμου ἡμᾶς εἶναι μᾶλλον εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀναφέρεται ἤπερ εἰς οὓς δοκοῦμεν εὖ πεποιηκέναι. ταῦτα δὲ ἑαυτοῖς χαριζόμεθα ὅσα καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο, οἱονεὶ παρα δεχόμενοι αὐτὰ καὶ τηροῦντες καὶ μιμούμενοι τὸν χαρισάμενον καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ χαρίζεσθαι αὐτόν. ἄλλος δέ τις μηδὲν ἡγούμενος διαφέρειν τὸ χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ «χαριζό

Forgiveness in Christ; sexual vices named; inheritance (Eph 4:32–5:5)§20

20—one another," will take it as equal to "forgiving one another," especially because of "as God forgave us through Christhrist," and will apply it to remission of sins: we must forgive those who sin against us as God forgave us. How did God in Christ forgive our sins? Because the Father, being in Christ, forgave our trespasses? And in Christ he also granted goods—if in Christ there is wisdom he granted us, and truth and righteousness.

Ephesians 5:3–4 "But fornication and all uncleanness or greed must not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints, and shamefulness and foolish talk or coarse jesting, which are not proper, but rather thanksgiving." Origen: Scripture customarily names fellowship with a harlot "fornication." Every sin in the region of fleshly tickling—not only adultery and child-corruption, but whatever else human licentiousness invented in varied frictions—is named uncleanness as a genus.

Greed may be taken simply, or, as elsewhere, as adultery, with "not go beyond and defraud each his brother." Saints must guard against all uncleanness. Shamefulness tracks each kind of licentiousness and is akin to uncleanness: each act in that excretory region shows both the unclean and the shameful. Say this of what is against nature, not of marriage.

What of foolish talk, which must not even be named among saints? Simply, it is buffoonery and laugh-making. Yet those cut off from any wisdom and understanding may also "talk foolishly," and be foolish in their dogmas. Coarse jesting beside it fits the simple reading: ordinary speech uses it for anyone who raises laughter, from foolish talk or any other cause. That too is not proper for saints; rather thanksgiving to God in all things—or "thanksgiving" as when we call people gracious and charming.

So do not be a foolish-talker or coarse jester; be gracious and charming. Because "graciousness" is unusual here, Paul may have used the nearby word and said "thanksgiving." Hebrews may use "thanksgiving" and "thankful" where Greeks say "graciousness" and "gracious." Proverbs' "gracious woman raises a husband's glory" we took as "charming woman"; that would seem forced if Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus did not agree in sense—a woman of grace holding glory.

Ephesians 5:5 "For this you know: every fornicator or unclean or greedy person—who is an idolater—has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Paul forbids six sins, yet ties loss of inheritance to three: fornication, all uncleanness, and greed. If foolish talk and coarse jesting also stripped inheritance, judgment would seem harsh on our weak nature. Those too are improper, yet not so that practicing them alone casts one from Christ's and God's inheritance.

Shamefulness remains. One might add "or shameful" to the inheritance list. Perhaps shamefulness is only the secret passive stain by which someone, even inflamed, checked the drive toward fornication or uncleanness. The things that block inheritance continue in the next unit.

Greek · §20

μενοι ἀλλήλοις,» ἰσοδυναμοῦν οἰήσεται λέγεσθαι τ<ῷ> χαριζόμενοι ἀλλήλοις μάλιστα διὰ τὸ καθὼς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐνέγ<ξ>ει ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, λέγων δεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀφιέναι τοῖ εἰ ἡμᾶ ἁμαρτά νου ιν, ὡ καὶ ἡμῖν ἀφῆκε τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὁ Θεός. πῶς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα; ἢ ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ ὢν ὁ πατὴρ ἀφῆκεν ἡμῖν τὰ παραπτώματα; ἐν Χριστῷ δὲ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν καὶ τὰ ἀγαθά, εἴ γε ἐν Χριστῷ σοφία ἐστὶν ἣν ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν καὶ ἀλήθεια καὶ δικαιοσύνη. 24 Eph. v3, 4 [πορνεία δὲ καὶ ἀκαθαρσία πᾶσα ἢ πλεονεξία μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς πρέπει ἁγίοις, καὶ αἰσχρότης καὶ μωρολογία ἢ εὐτραπελία, ἃ οὐκ ἀνῆκεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστία.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] ἡ μὲν πρὸς πόρνην κοινωνία κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς γραφῆς πορνεία ὀνομάζεται· πᾶσα δὲ ἡ κατὰ τὸν τόπον τῶν σαρκικῶν γαργαλισμῶν ἁμαρτία, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὰς μοιχείας καὶ παιδοφθορίας ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἐπενόησεν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ἀκολασία ἐν διαφόροις καὶ παντοδαπαῖς παρατριβαῖς, ἀκαθαρσία γενικῶς ὠνόμασται. τὴν πλεονεξίαν δὲ ἤτοι ἁπλούστερον ἐκδεκτέον, ἤ, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις παρεστήσαμεν, τὴν μοιχείαν, ὅτε καὶ ἐχρησάμεθα τῷ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ἕκα τον τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν δεῖ φυλάξασθαι, ἐπεὶ τοῦτο πρέπει ἁγίοις. αἰσχρότης δέ τις ἔστι καθ' ἕκαστον εἶδος ἀκολασίας· καὶ ὁμοίως γε αἰσχρότης ἐστὶ καὶ ἀκαθαρσία· ἐμφαίνει γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἀκάθαρτον καὶ τὸ αἰσχρὸν ἑκάστη πρᾶξις ἡ κατὰ τὸν τόπον τῆς εἰς τὸ ἀποκρίνειν ἐνεργείας· ταῦτα δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν λεκτέον, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ γάμου. ἴδωμεν δὲ τίς καὶ ἡ μωρολογία, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν οὐδὲ ὀνομάζεσθαι χρὴ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις. ὁ μὲν οὖν τις φήσει, ἁπλούστερον τὴν λέξιν ἐξειληφώς, μωρολογίαν εἶναι τὴν ἀσκουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν βωμολόχων καὶ γελωτοποιῶν. ὅρα δὲ εἰ μὴ μωρολο γεῖν λεκτέον καὶ τοὺς ὁτιδήποτε σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως ἠλλοτριωμένους πάντας, καὶ μωρὸν ἐν τοῖς δογματιζομένοις ὑπ' αὐτῶν. δόξει δὲ συνᾴδειν τῷ ἁπλούστερον ἐκδέξασθαι τὴν μωρολογίαν ἡ ἐπιφερομένη αὐτῇ εὐτραπελία, ἥντινα ἡ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν συνήθεια τάσσει ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ μωρολογίας ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφ' οἱασδήποτε αἰτίας γέλωτα κινούντων. οὐκ ἀνῆκε δὲ τοῖς ἁγίοις οὐδὲ αὕτη, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἡ ἐν πᾶσι πρὸς Θεὸν εὐχα ριστία, ἤγουν εὐχαριστία καθ' ἣν εὐχαρίτους καὶ χαρίεντάς τινάς φαμεν. μωρό λογον μὲν οὖν καὶ εὐτράπελον οὐ δεῖ εἶναι, εὐχάριτον δὲ καὶ χαρίεντα· καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀσύνηθές ἐστι τὸ εἰπεῖν «ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριτία,» τάχα ἀντὶ τούτου ἐχρή σατο τῇ ἐπ' ἄλλου κειμένῃ λέξει καὶ εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστία. καὶ μήποτε ἔθος ἐστὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς «εὐχαριστίας» καὶ τοῦ «εὐχαρίστου» τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἑβραίων χρῆσθαι ἀντὶ τῆς «εὐχαριτίας» καὶ «εὐχαρίτου»· τοιοῦτο δὲ ἐνομίσαμεν εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἐν Παροιμίαις οὕτως εἰρημένον γυνὴ εὐχάρι το ἐγείρει ἀνδρὶ δόξαν ἀντὶ τοῦ «εὐχάριτος γυνή»· βιάζεσθαι δὲ ἂν ἐδόξαμεν τὸ γυνὴ εὐχάρι το ἀντὶ τοῦ «εὐχάριτος» ἐκλαμβάνοντες, εἰ μὴ αἱ λοιπαὶ ἐκδόσεις συνῇδον ταύτῃ τῇ ἐκδοχῇ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀκύλας οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν γυνὴ χάριτο ἀντέχεται δόξη , Θεοδοτίων δὲ καὶ Σύμμαχος γυνὴ χάριτο ἀνθέξεται δόξη . [v 5] τοῦτο γάρ ἐστε γινώσκοντες, ὅτι πᾶς πόρνος ἢ ἀκάθαρτος ἢ πλεονέκτης, ὅς ἐστιν εἰδωλολάτρης, οὐκ ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ. παρατηρητέον ὅτι ἓξ ἀπαγορεύσας ἁμαρτήματα, πορνείαν καὶ ἀκαθαρσίαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν καὶ αἰσχρότητα καὶ μωρολογίαν καὶ εὐτραπελίαν, οὐ κατὰ τὰ ἓξ ἐπιφέρει ὥστε τὸν ἐνεχόμενόν τινι αὐτῶν μὴ ἔχειν κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τρία, λέγω δὲ πορνείαν καὶ ἀκαθαρσίαν πᾶσαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν. εἰ γὰρ μὴ εἶχον κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ ὁ μωρολογίᾳ καὶ εὐτραπελίᾳ ἔνοχος, ὠμότερον ἄν τινι ἐφαίνετο τὸ κατὰ τὴν κρίσιν ἐπὶ μηδενὶ συγγινώσκουσαν τῇ ἀσθενεῖ ἡμῶν φύσει. ἄλλως μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἀνῆκεν, πλὴν οὐχ ὥστε πραττομένων αὐτῶν ἐκπίπτειν τινὰ τῆς κληρονομίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ. λείπει καὶ περὶ τῆς αἰσχρότητος ἐπιστῆσαι. δόξαις ἄρ' ἂν εὔλογον εἶναι τὸ λέγεσθαι πᾶς πόρνος ἢ ἀκάθαρτος ἢ πλεονέκτης ἢ αἰσχρὸς οὐκ ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ. ἀλλὰ μήποτε ἡ αἰσχρότης ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ κατὰ τὸ κρυπτὸν μόνον παθητικῶς μεμολυσμένῳ, ᾗ καὶ πυρωθείς τις ἀνέστειλεν τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν πορνείαν ἢ τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν ὁρμήν. καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω δὲ τὰ μὲν κωλύοντα κληρονομίαν

Greed as idolatry; empty words; fellow-partakers; darkness to light (Eph 5:5–8)§21

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

21—to have inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Those three he names on their own and says must not even be named among you; then, in a separate place, he adds shamefulness, foolish talk, and coarse jesting.

Earlier we suspected greed might stand for adultery. Does "or greedy person, who is an idolater" overturn that reading, or can it still stand? The prophets often call idolatry fornication—"they fornicated after their idols"—and one may also call fornication idolatry from "by a spirit of fornication they were led astray." If the greedy person is one who gains money from where he must not, greed is idolatry: lovers of silver worship the idols stamped on their coins, loving the images with the metal. Somewhere, I think, the apostle also names love of money idolatry.

Ephesians 5:6 "Let no one deceive you with empty words; for because of this the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." Empty words are persuasive talk that would overturn the teaching of punishments for those who have lived badly. Such talk is deceit and empty, because God's named wrath does come on the sons of disobedience. "Sons of disobedience" means the disobedient—as if disobedience were a mother bearing children with her character. Scripture likewise speaks of sons of fornication, of death, of Gehenna, and the like.

Ephesians 5:7 "Therefore do not become fellow-partakers with them." Mark partaker versus fellow-partaker. Partaker may belong to the better—"God, your God, anointed you with oil of gladness beyond your partakers," and "we have become partakers of Christ"—while fellow-partaker here clearly belongs to the worse. I do not recall συμμέτοχος elsewhere in this sense.

Ephesians 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now light in the Lord." If what was once darkness can change and become light, there are no natures doomed to perish. As the righteous are the world's light, the ungodly may be called darkness; the righteous, being light, will see light in light, while the unjust remain a people of darkness—continued next.

Greek · §21

ἔχειν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ κατ' ἰδίαν ὀνομάσας φησὶ μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, εἶτα ἐν ἰδίᾳ χώρᾳ διῃρημένῃ ἀπὸ τῶν προτέρων ἐπήνεγκε τὴν αἰσχρότητα καὶ μωρολογίαν καὶ εὐτραπελίαν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω ὑπενοήσαμεν τὴν πλεονεξίαν τετάχθαι ἐπὶ τῆς μοιχείας, ζητῶμεν ἐκ τοῦ ἢ πλεονέκτης ὅ ἐστιν εἰδωλολάτρης, πότερον ἀνα τρέπεται ἐκείνη ἡ ἐκδοχὴ ἢ ἔτι δύναται χώραν ἔχειν. εὕρομεν δὴ πολλαχοῦ τῶν προφητῶν τὴν εἰδωλολατρίαν πορνείαν ὠνομασμένην, ἐν τῷ ἐπόρνευον ὀπί ω τῶν εἰδώλων αὐτῶν. δύναται δέ τις καὶ τὴν πορνείαν τάξαι ἐπὶ τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας ἐκ τοῦ λέγειν πνεύματι πορνεία ἐπλανήθη αν. ἐὰν δὲ πλεονέκτης ᾖ ὁ ὅθεν μὴ δεῖ περιποιῶν ἑαυτῷ ἀργύριον, εἰδωλολατρία λέγεται ἡ πλεονεξία οἱονεὶ λατρευόντων τοῖς ἐγγεγραμμένοις εἰδώλοις ἐν τοῖς ἀργυρίοις τῶν ἀγαπών των τὸ ἀργύριον, οἱονεὶ γὰρ οὗτοι συναγαπῶσι τοῖς ἀργυρίοις καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐντετυπωμένα εἴδωλα· οἶμαι δέ που καὶ τὴν φιλαργυρίαν εἰδωλολατρίαν ὠνομά σθαι παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ. 25 Eph. v6 [μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς ἀπατάτω κενοῖς λόγοις, διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] κενοὺς ἔοικε φάσκειν λόγους τοὺς διά τινος πιθανότητος ἀνατρέπειν θέλοντας τὸν περὶ τῶν προσαγομένων τοῖς κακῶς βεβιωκόσι κολάσεων λόγον· ἀπάτης γ' οὖν φησιν εἶναι τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους καὶ κενούς, τῷ πάντως ἔρχεσθαι τὴν λεγομένην ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας. ἀπειθείας δὲ υἱοὺς ὀνομάζει τοὺς ἀπειθεῖς, οἱονεὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀπείθειαν κακίας μητρὸς γινομένης καὶ γεννώσης αὐτοὺς ἔχοντας οἱονεὶ τὸν τῆς μητρὸς χαρακτῆρα· οὕτως καὶ υἱοὺς καὶ τέκνα πορνεία καὶ υἱοὺ θανάτου καὶ υἱοὺ γεέννη καὶ ἄλλα τούτοις παραπλήσιά ἐστι πολλαχοῦ τῶν γραφῶν εὑρεῖν. [v 7] μὴ οὖν γίνεσθε συμμέτοχοι αὐτῶν. τηρήσεις τὴν «μέτοχος» καὶ «συμμέτοχος» φωνήν· μήποτε ὁ μὲν μέτοχος ἐπὶ κρείττονος εἴρηται, ὁ δὲ συμμέτοχος ἐπὶ χείρονος, οἷον διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρι έ ε ὁ θεὸ ὁ θεό ου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιά εω παρὰ τοὺ μετόχου ου, καὶ μέτοχοι γὰρ Χρι τοῦ γεγόναμεν, ἐάνπερ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆ ὑπο τά εω μέχρι τέλου βεβαίαν κατά χωμεν. οὐ μέμνημαι δὲ ἀλλαχοῦ παρὰ τὴν ἐνεστηκυῖαν λέξιν τὸν «συμμέτοχον» εἰρῆσθαι, πλὴν φανερὸν ἐνταῦθα ὅτι ἐπὶ χειρόνων ἐστὶν ὁ συμμέτοχος. [v 8] ἦτε γάρ ποτε σκότος, νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ. εἰ δυνατὸν τὸ ποτὲ σκότος μεταβαλὸν γενέσθαι φῶς, οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀπολλύμεναι φύσεις. ὥσπερ δὲ οἱ δίκαιοι φῶ εἰσι τοῦ κό μου, οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς σκότος ἂν εἶναι λέγοιντο· καὶ οἱ μὲν δίκαιοι φῶς ὄντες ἐν φωτὶ ὄψονται φῶ , οἱ δὲ ἄδικοι σκότος τυγχάνοντες λαό εἰσι καθήμενο ἐν κότει μηδὲν βλέποντες. ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν καρπῶν ἐπιγνω όμεθα τοὺς ὄντας φῶς ἢ σκότος· πᾶ μὲν γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πρά ων μι εῖ τὸ φῶ , καὶ μὴ ἐρχόμενο πρὸ τὸ φῶ σκότος ἐστὶ καὶ υἱὸς σκότους καὶ νυκτός· ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐρχόμενο πρὸ τὸ φῶ φῶς ἐστι καὶ υἱὸς φωτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας. πρὸς τούτοις ἐπιστήσεις εἰ μὴ ὡς ὄντων τινῶν φώτων ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν κυρίῳ λέγεται περὶ τῶν δικαίων τὸ νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν κυρίῳ· καὶ μάλιστά γε τοῖς πεφω τισμένοις ἐν φωτὶ γνώσεως Ἐφεσίοις ἔπρεπε λέγεσθαι τὸ νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν κυρίῳ. [v 8] ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε. εἴπερ ὁ Θεὸ φῶ ἐ τι καὶ κοτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἐ τὶν οὐδεμία, τὰ τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ τέκνα ἐστὶ φωτός. [v 9] ὁ γὰρ καρπὸς τοῦ φωτὸς ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθωσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. πρὸς τοὺς διαχωρίζοντας τὸν δίκαιον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καὶ οἰομένους τὸν μὲν δημιουργὸν εἶναι δίκαιον ὃν δὲ οἴονται ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ἀγαθὸν Θεόν, χρήσιμα τὰ ῥητά· ἐπείπερ ὁ τοῦ φωτὸς καρπὸς καὶ ἐν ἀγαθωσύνῃ ἐστὶ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. ὅπου οὖν ἀγαθωσύνη ἐκεῖ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ὅπου ἀλήθεια ἐκεῖ δικαιοσύνη. παρὰ δὲ τῷ ἀγαθῷ πατρὶ ἀγαθωσύνη καὶ ἀλήθεια· παρ' αὐτῷ ἄρα καὶ οὐ παρ' ἄλλῳ ἐστὶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη.

Goodness, justice, truth; prove what pleases; expose darkness (Eph 5:9–17)§22

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22Mark goodness, justice, and truth also from Christ's being righteousness. Goodness shows in benefaction; justice in distributing according to desert; truth in knowledge of the word of all things.

Ephesians 5:10 "Proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord." Do everything with counsel. Survey each deed by examination; as approved money-changers receive what is tested and pleasing to God, and shake off what is untested and displeasing. The phrasing is incomplete; restore it thus: do not become fellow-partakers with them, proving what pleases the Lord. If you were once darkness but now are light in the Lord, walk as children of light, showing the fruit of light in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Ephesians 5:11 "And do not share in the unfruitful works of darkness." Elsewhere he sets "fruit" on the Spirit and "work" on the flesh: "the works of the flesh are manifest… but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…" Here the works of darkness are unfruitful; whoever does them shares in them. "But rather also expose" belongs among the commandments—done by one who will not hear, "Hypocrite, first take the beam from your own eye." So the prophets, themselves not liable to exposure, exposed sinners.

Ephesians 5:12 "For the things they do in secret it is shameful even to speak." Which "they"? He did not say clearly unless one refers it to the sons of disobedience: what they do in secret—fornication and uncleanness—is shameful even to name.

Ephesians 5:13–14 "But all things exposed by the light are made plain; for everything made plain is light. Therefore it says, Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Exposed works of darkness become plain by the light as those exposed change into light. So to sleepers deadened by unfruitful dark works it is said, "Awake… and Christ will shine on you." Who says "Therefore it says"? Some think Paul quotes a prophet; others that he personifies Spirit-speech urging repentance.

Why to the same person both "Awake, sleeper" (as living) and "Rise from the dead"? Perhaps because the human spirit in him is spoken of for the better, while the soul receives sickness and death from sins: "Awake" suits the spirit; "Rise from the dead" suits the soul—"the soul that sins will die," and we nowhere find death of the spirit. Christ, true light, shines on the one raised from sleep and risen from the dead.

Ephesians 5:15–17 "Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil… understanding what the Lord's will is." Whoever tests each word, deed, and thought for what pleases the Lord can, by much attention, walk carefully—and such a walker is wise. Some mean well yet are not wise; so he adds "not as unwise but as wise." Wisdom watches the moral life carefully.

Redeeming the time means buying it back for yourselves while human life has evil days. Spend time on what is needed and you purchase it from sale to human wickedness. No one living for worldly cares has bought the time; only the one spending it on what is needful—continued next—buys it for the blessed life.

Greek · §22

ἐπιστήσεις δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι δικαιο ύνην. ἐν μὲν οὖν τῷ εὐεργετικῷ ἐμφαίνεται ἡ ἀγαθωσύνη, ἐν δὲ τῷ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονεμη τικῷ ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐπιστημονικῷ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων λόγου ἡ ἀλήθεια. [v 10] δοκιμάζοντες τί ἐστὶν εὐάρεστον τῷ Κυρίῳ. χρεία τοῦ μετὰ βουλῆς πάντα ποιεῖν, ἵνα περισκοποῦντες ἕκαστον τῶν πρακτέων ἀπὸ ἐξετάσεως τὰ μὲν δοκιμαστὰ καὶ εὐάρεστα τῷ Θεῷ παρα δεξώμεθα ὡς δόκιμοι τραπεζῖται, τὰ δὲ ἀδόκιμα καὶ δυσάρεστα αὐτῷ ἀποσειώ μεθα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπήρτηται τὰ τῆς φράσεως, δοκεῖ μοι οὕτως ἂν ἀποκαταστῆναι, μὴ οὖν γίνεσθε συμμέτοχοι αὐτῶν, δοκιμάζοντες τί ἐστὶν εὐάρεστον τῷ Κυρίῳ. εἰ καὶ ἦτέ ποτε σκότος, νῦν δὲ φῶς ὄντες ἐν Κυρίῳ ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε, τοὺς καρποὺς ἐπιδεικνύμενοι τοῦ φωτὸς ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθωσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ. [v 11a] καὶ μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους. καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις τὸ μὲν τοῦ καρποῦ ὄνομα ἔταξεν ἐπὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ δὲ τοῦ ἔργου ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκός, εἰπὼν φανερὰ δέ ἐ τι τὰ ἔργα τῆ αρκό , ἅτινά ἐ τι πορνεία καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ὁ δὲ καρπὸ τοῦ πνεύματό ἐ τιν ἀγάπη χαρὰ εἰρήνη καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. νῦν μέντοιγε τὰ τοῦ σκότους ἔργα ἄκαρπα εἶναί φησιν, οἷς κοινωνεῖ ὁ ποιῶν αὐτά. [v 11b] μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχετε. ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς εἶναι νομιστέον καὶ τὸ ἐλέγχειν· ὅπερ ποιήσει ὁ μὴ ἀκουσόμενος ἄν, ὑποκριτὰ ἔκβαλε πρῶτον ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ ου τὴν δοκὸν καὶ τότε διαβλέψει ἐκβαλεῖν τὸ κάρφο ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ου. διόπερ καὶ οἱ προφῆται, μηδαμῶς ἐλέγχοις ὑπεύθυνοι τυγχάνοντες, ἤλεγχον τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας. [v 12] τὰ γὰρ κρυφῆ γινόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν αἰσχρόν ἐστι καὶ λέγειν. τίνων αὐτῶν; οὐ πάνυ σαφῶς προεῖπεν· εἰ μὴ ἄρα τις ἀναφέρῃ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας τὴν λέξιν, ὥστε οὕτως αὐτὴν ἔχειν τὰ γὰρ κρυφῆ γινόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς ἀπειθείας αἰσχρόν ἐστι καὶ λέγειν, ἅτινα ἦν πορνεία καὶ ἀκαθαρσία. 26 Eph. v13 [τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐλεγχόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦνται· πᾶν γὰρ τὸ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν. διὸ λέγει, Ἔγειρε ὁ καθεύδων καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ χριστός.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] ἐπείπερ τὰ ἐλεγχόμενα ἔργα τοῦ σκότους ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦται, μεταβαλλόντων τῶν ἐλεγχομένων εἰς φῶς, λέγεται τοῖς καθεύδουσι καὶ ἐν νεκρότητι τυγχάνουσιν ἐκ τοῦ τὰ ἄκαρπα ἔργα τοῦ σκότους πεποιηκέναι τὸ ἔγειρε ὁ καθεύδων καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ἁ χριστός. ζητήσαι δ' ἄν τις, τίς λέγει κατὰ τὸ ἐνθάδε γεγραμμένον διὸ λέγει Ἔγειρε ὁ καθεύδων καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν. ὁ μὲν οὖν τις φήσει ἔν τινι τῶν προφητῶν ἀνεγνωκότα ταῦτα τὸν ἀπόστολον ἐνθάδε αὐτὸν ἀναγεγραφέναι. ἕτερος δὲ αὐτὸν τὸν ἀπόστολον προσωποποιεῖν τινα ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος λεγόμενα εἰς προτροπὴν τὴν ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν. ἔτι δὲ ζητήσεις, πῶς τῷ αὐτῷ λέγεται ὡς μὲν ζῶντι καὶ καθεύδοντι ἔγειρε ὁ καθεύδων, ὡς δὲ τεθνηκότι τὸ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν. μήποτ' οὖν ἐπείπερ ἔστι καὶ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ, ὅπερ ἐπὶ κρείττονος τετηρήκαμεν λέγεσθαι, ἔστι δέ τι καὶ δεύτερον ἡ ψυχὴ τὸ καὶ νόσου καὶ θανάτου ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων δεκτικόν, τὸ μὲν ἔγειρε ὁ καθεύδων λέγεται διὰ τὸ πνεῦμα, τὸ δὲ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν διὰ τὴν ψυχήν· ἐπείπερ ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνου α αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται, τοῦ δὲ πνεύματος οὐδαμοῦ εὕρομεν θάνατον. φῶ δὲ ὢν ἀληθινὸν ὁ χριστός ἐπιφαύσει τῷ ἐγειρομένῳ ἀπὸ ὕπνου καὶ ἀναστάντι ἐκ νεκρῶν. 27 Eph. v15– 17 βλέπετε οὖν ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατεῖτε, μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι ἀλλ' ὡς σοφοί, ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρὸν ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσιν. διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες, ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου. [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ὁ δοκιμάζων καθ' ἕκαστον ὧν λέγει καὶ πράττει καὶ ἐννοεῖ τὸ εὐάρεστον τῷ Κυρίῳ, δυνήσεται καὶ βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς προσοχῆς πῶς περιπατήσει, ὁ δὲ βλέπων ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατήσει πάντως ἐστὶ σοφός. καὶ ἐπεὶ πρόθεσίν τινες ἔχουσι χρηστοτέραν, οὐ σοφοὶ δὲ τυγχάνοντες θέλουσι βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατοῦσι, προσέθηκε τὸ μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι ἀλλ' ὡς σοφοί· σοφίας δὲ ἔργον τὸ βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς καὶ τὰ ἠθικά. ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρὸν ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσιν. οἱονεὶ ἑαυτοῖς τὸν καιρὸν ὠνούμενοι, ἔχοντα ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον πονηρὰς ἡμέρας. ὅτε οὖν εἴς τι δέον τὸν καιρὸν καταναλίσκομεν, ὠνησάμεθα αὐτὸν καὶ ἀντηγοράσαμεν ἑαυτοῖς ὡσπερεὶ πεπραμένον τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κακίᾳ· οὐδεὶς δὲ βιωτικώτερον ζῶν καὶ ἐν φροντίσιν ἢ μερίμναις τυγχάνων ἐώνηται ἑαυτῷ τὸν καιρόν, ἀλλ' ὁ μόνος εἴς τι

Redeeming evil days; wine and Spirit; psalms; thanks; mutual submission (Eph 5:16–21)§23

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23—needful, spending time on gaining the blessed life. By redeeming time in evil days we remake those days into good, and make them for ourselves not evil days of the present age but good days of the age to come.

Ephesians 5:17 "Therefore do not become foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Why "therefore"? Because you look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise—so do not become foolish. Fools will not walk carefully or wisely. Examine the Lord's will and grasp it: where you see what to do, do it as his will; where you suffer, bear it as coming by his will.

Ephesians 5:18 "And do not get drunk with wine, in which is debauchery, but be filled in spirit." Simply, debauchery sits in drunken use of wine. There is also the wine of the great song—"their wine is the wrath of dragons, and the incurable wrath of asps"—which all who are beside themselves and drunk in reasoning drink, full of debauchery. Against that wine stands the one filled with spirit, taking all of the more divine he can hold. We have often noted "spirit" without addition said of the better; so here too.

Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Hymns announce God's power and divinity; the skilled theologian lives in spiritual hymns. The one treating deeds and what must be done through our bodily instrument as a psaltery is in spiritual psalms. The one philosophizing nature—the world's order and other created things—is in spiritual songs. Sing according to that natural study and make melody according to moral exposition, truly disposed toward what is said: that is singing and making melody with the heart to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and Father." Compare 1 Thessalonians: always rejoice, pray without ceasing, give thanks in everything. Keep this if you grasp providence that reaches even two sparrows sold for a penny, of which none falls apart from the Father. To give thanks in everything is to give thanks for all things—including hard circumstances. As one thanks God while sharing the world's beauty and seeing what was made for the rational creature, so also for particular things. Thank God and Father in the mediator of God and humans—in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ." This pulls down love of rule and of being first. The command is for all: "Free from all, I enslaved myself to all that I might gain all," and "Serve one another." Through love the apostles served the churches for human salvation. The Savior took a slave's form chiefly to serve the disciples—even putting water in the basin and washing their feet. Whoever understands "the one wanting to be great among you will be slave of all" submits by serving those who must be served.

A servant doing what suits those served may seem not to submit when the served, not knowing what helps them, order unfit things. Even then the one who acts for what truly helps both serves and submits to that need, because of passionless, beatifying fear according to God's word. That fear, I think, is what "in the fear of Christ" shows—continued next.

Greek · §23

δέον καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν τοῦ μακαρίου βίου ἀναλίσκων αὐτόν. ἐξαγοραζόμενοι δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ὄντα ἐν ἡμέραις πονηραῖς οἱονεὶ μεταποιοῦμεν τὰς πονηρὰς ἡμέρας εἰς ἀγαθάς, καὶ ὡσπερεὶ ἑαυτοῖς ποιοῦμεν αὐτὰς εἶναι οὐ τοῦ ἐνε τῶτο αἰῶνο ἡμέρας πονηρὰ ἀλλὰ τοῦ μέλλοντο αἰῶνο ἡμέρας ἀγαθάς. 〚[v. 17] διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου. διὰ ποῖον τοῦτο, ἢ τὸ βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατεῖτε μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι ἀλλ' ὡς σοφοί, μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες; εἰ γὰρ ἔσεσθε ἄφρονες, ἀκριβῶς οὐ περιπατή σετε οὐδὲ ὡς σοφοί. προστάσσει δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐξετάζειν θέλημα καὶ συνιέναι αὐτό, ἵν' ὅπου τι περὶ τοῦ πράττειν καταλάβοιεν, αὐτὸ πράττωσιν ὡς θέλημα Κυρίου, ὅπου δὲ πάσχ<ω>σι φέρ<ω>σιν αὐτὸ ὡς θελήματι γινόμενον Κυρίου.〛 28 Eph. v18 καὶ μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ ἐν ᾧ ἐστὶν ἀσωτία, ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν πνεύματι. [Ὠριγένης φησί] δύναται μὲν καὶ ἁπλούστερον ταῦτα νοεῖσθαι, ἀσωτίας οὔσης ἐν τῇ χρήσει τοῦ μεθύειν ποιοῦντος οἴνου. δύναται δὲ καὶ οἶνος ἐν ᾧ ἐστὶν ἀσωτία νοεῖσθαι περὶ οὗ ἐν ᾠδῇ μεγάλῃ λέγεται θυμὸ δρακόντων ὁ οἶνο αὐτῶν καὶ θυμὸ ἀ πίδων ἀνίατο , ὅντινα πάντες οἱ ἐξιστάμενοι καὶ μεθύοντες τὸν λογισμὸν πίνουσι πολλὴν ἔχοντα τὴν ἀσωτίαν. πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν δὲ ἐκείνου τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ μεθύσκοντος ἐν ᾧ ἐστὶν ἀσωτία ἐναντίος νοεῖται ὁ πεπληρωμένος πνεύματι καὶ πᾶν ὃ χωρεῖ τοῦ θειοτέρου λαμβάνων. πολλάκις δὲ τετηρήκαμεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ «πνεύματος» χωρὶς προσθήκης γεγραμμένον ὅτι ἐπὶ κρείττονος εἴρηται, ὅπερ καὶ ἐνθάδε σημαίνεται. 29 Eph. v19 [λαλοῦντες ἑαυτοῖς ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς, ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] οἱ μὲν ὕμνοι δύναμιν καὶ θειότητα καταγγέλλουσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εἴη ἂν ὁ ἐπιστήμων τοῦ θεολογεῖν ἐν ὕμνοις πνευματικοῖς· τάχα δὲ ὁ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων διαλαμβάνων καὶ τῶν οἷς δεῖ ἐνεργεῖν διὰ τοῦ ὡς ψαλτηρίου ὀργάνου σωματικοῦ ἡμῶν, οὗτος ἐν ψαλμοῖς ἐστι πνευματικοῖς· ὁ δὲ ἄλλως φυσιολογῶν περὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου τάξεως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν δημιουργημάτων, οὗτος ἐν ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς. καὶ χρή γε ᾄδειν κατὰ τὴν φυσιολογίαν καὶ ψάλλειν κατὰ τὴν περὶ τῶν ἠθῶν διέξοδον τῷ Κυρίῳ διακείμενον γνησίως πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ ψάλλειν καὶ ᾄδειν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῷ Κυρίῳ. [v 20] εὐχαριστοῦντες πάντοτε ὑπὲρ πάντων ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ πατρί. καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς προτέρᾳ φησί πάντοτε χαίρετε ἀδιαλείπτω προ εύχε θε ἐν παντὶ εὐχαρι τεῖτε. ταύτην δὴ τηρήσει τὴν ἐντολὴν ὁ διειληφὼς περὶ τῆς προνοίας φθανούσης καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ βʹ ἀ αρίων πωλούμενα πέντε τρουθία ὧν ἓν οὐ πίπτει εἰ παγίδα χωρὶ τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖ πατρό . τὸ δὲ ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖν καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων εὐχαριστεῖν ἐστιν· οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς περιστάσεσιν εὐχαριστητέον, ἐπείπερ καὶ αὗται τῶν ἐφ' οἷς δεῖ εὐχαριστεῖν εἰσιν· καὶ ὥσπερ δεῖ εὐχαριστεῖν τὸν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐν τῷ μεταλαμ βάνειν τοῦ κόσμου καὶ καταθεᾶσθαι τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῦ καὶ θεωρεῖν ὅσα καὶ οἷα γέγονε διὰ τὸ λογικόν, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐν μέρει εὐχαριστητέον. τὸν δὲ εὐχαριστοῦντα τῷ Θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ ἐν τῷ με ίτῃ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων εὐχαριστεῖν χρή, ὥστε ἡμᾶς ποιῆσαι τὸ ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ πατρί. [v 21] ὑποτασσόμενοι, φησίν, ἀλλήλοις ἐν φόβῳ Χριστοῦ. πάνυ τοῦτο καθαιρετικόν ἐστι τοῦ φίλαρχον εἶναι καὶ φιλόπρωτον. πᾶσι γὰρ αὕτη δέδοται ἐντολή, ἐλεύθερο γὰρ ὢν ἐκ πάντων πᾶ ιν ἐμαυτὸν ἐδούλω α ἵνα πάντα κερδή ω. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ λέγουσα ἐντολὴ δουλεύετε ἀλλήλο<ι> προσ τάσσει τοῦτο. διόπερ διὰ τῆ ἀγάπη ἐδούλευ αν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις οἱ ἀπόστολοι, λειτουργοῦντες καὶ ὑπηρετοῦντες τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίᾳ. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ σωτὴρ τὴν δούλου μορφὴν ἀνείληφεν οὐ τοσοῦτον δι' ἄλλο τι ὅσον διὰ τὸ δεδουλευκέναι τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ὥστε καὶ βαλόντα ποτὲ αὐτὸν ὕδωρ εἰ τὸν νιπτῆρα πλύνειν τοὺ πόδα τῶν μαθητῶν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι μέγα ἔ ται πάντων δοῦλο ὁ νοήσας ὑποτάσσεται κατὰ τὸ δουλεύειν οἷς δεῖ. ἔξεστι μέντοιγε τὸν δουλεύοντα, ποιοῦντα ἐν τῷ δουλεύειν τὰ πρόσφορα τοῖς δουλευομένοις, δοκεῖν μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαι, ὅτε παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπίστασθαι τὰ συμφέροντα οἱ δουλευόμενοι ἐπιτάσσουσι τοῖς δουλεύειν ἐθέλουσι ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ κατάλληλα αὐτοῖς. πλὴν καὶ τότε ὁ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ποιῶν καὶ δουλεύει καὶ ὑποτάσσεται τῇ χρείᾳ τοῦ ᾧ δουλεύει, διὰ τὸν κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπαθῆ καὶ μακαριοποιὸν φόβον. τοῦτο γὰρ νομίζω

Wives and husbands as church and Christ; spots; children (Eph 5:21–6:3)§24

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24—is what "in the fear of Christ" shows.

Ephesians 5:22–23 "Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord; for the husband is head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church." This word wants every husband-and-wife pair to symbolize Christ and the church: the husband, if he orders marriage by reason, imitating Christ the church's bridegroom; the wife, if she lives with her husband as she ought, emulating the church's life with Christ. Then the husband is head of the wife as Christ is of the church. If they are not so fitted, one cannot say of them that he is head as Christ is of the church. So let each husband aim to be toward his wife as Christ toward the church, and each wife toward her husband as the church toward Christ; let him think and do Christ's things, and her the church's.

Ephesians 5:24 "But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives to husbands in everything." If wives must submit as the church to Christ, they must live holy, without passion, and without sin in that submission—just as the church does toward Christ.

Ephesians 5:27 "That he might present the church to himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she might be holy and blameless." Spots are like lentils, black marks, white patches, and warty marks on the body; remove them and a woman is more beautiful. Analogous marks arise on the soul, and only the Word can strip them so he may present his own bride spotless, without wrinkle, holy and blameless. Wrinkles signal old age: if anyone keeps traces of the old self and is not always renewed, the soul is said to be wrinkled.

Ephesians 5:31 "For this a man will leave father and mother, and the two will be one flesh." As elsewhere, New Testament writers often do not quote the Old in the same words. Genesis has "For this cause a man will leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will be one flesh"; here Paul writes "For this," drops the repeated "his," and omits "be joined to his wife."

Ephesians 6:1–3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is righteous; Honor your father and mother—which is a first commandment in a promise—that it may be well with you and you may be long-lived on the earth." The line is ambiguous: either obey parents who are in the Lord, or obey parents in the Lord. Reject neither. Obey parents in the Lord—as Paul was to the Corinthians—and obey fleshly parents in the Lord when they command nothing against the Lord's purpose. Either way, obedience is righteous.

Against heterodox who split a just God from a good one: Paul gives the disciples of the so-called good a command they would assign to the other (just) God, when he says it is righteous for children to obey parents in the Lord. The wording comes from Exodus: "Honor your father and your mother… that you may become long-lived on the land the Lord your God gives you." Paul again omits a "your," changes "become long-lived" to "you will be long-lived," and drops "which the Lord your God gives you" after "on the earth." The command is fifth in the Decalogue; so ask how "which is a first commandment" is to be taken, when the first was "You shall have no other gods besides me."

Greek · §24

δηλοῦσθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἐν φόβῳ Χριστοῦ. [v 22, 23] αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ὑποτασσέσθωσαν ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ· ὅτι ἀνήρ ἐστι κεφαλὴ τῆς γυναικὸς ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. πᾶσαν συζυγίαν ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς ὁ λόγος οὗτος σύμβολον εἶναι θέλει Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐκκλησίας· τοῦ μὲν ἀνδρός, εἰ τὰ τοῦ γάμου κατὰ λόγον οἰκονομεῖ, μιμουμένο<υ> Χριστὸν τὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας νυμφίον, τῆς δὲ γυναικός, ἐὰν δεόντως ἀνδρὶ συνοικῇ, ζηλούσης τὴν (ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω) συμβίωσιν πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. οὕτω γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἔσται κεφαλὴ τῆς γυναικὸς ὁμοίως τῷ καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. εἰ μέντοιγε μὴ οὕτως συναρμοσθεῖεν ἀλλήλοις ἀνὴρ καὶ γυνή, οὐκ ἂν λεχθείη ἐπὶ τούτων ὅτι ὅδε τις κεφαλή ἐστι τῆς γυναικὸς ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τῆς ἐκκλησίας. φιλοτιμείσθω οὖν ἕκαστος ἀνὴρ εἶναι πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα ὡς ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἑκάστη πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα ὡς ἡ ἐκκλησία πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν· καὶ πάντα δὲ τὰ Χριστοῦ νοείτω καὶ ποιείτω ἀνήρ, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡ γυνή. 30 Eph. v24 [ἀλλὰ ὡς ἡ ἐκκλησία ὑποτάσσεται τῷ Χριστῷ, οὕτως καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐν παντί.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] εἰ οὕτως δεῖ τὰς γυναῖκας ὑποτάσσεσθαι τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ὡς ἡ ἐκκλησία ὑποτάσσεται τῷ Χριστῷ, ἁγίως καὶ ἀπαθῶς καὶ ἀναμαρτήτως δεήσει βιούσας τὰς γυναῖκας ὑποτάσσεσθαι τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ὥσπερ ἡ ἐκκλησία ὑποτάσσεται τῷ Χριστῷ ἁγίως καὶ ἀπαθῶς καὶ ἀναμαρτήτως βιοῦσα. v 27. [ἵνα παραστήσῃ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἔνδοξον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν μὴ ἔχουσαν σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων ἀλλ' ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ ἄμωμος.] σπῖλοι δέ εἰσιν οἷον φακοὶ γινόμενοι ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος καὶ μελανίαι καὶ ἀλφοὶ καὶ μυρμηκίαι· τούτων γὰρ περιαιρεθέντων ὡραιοτέρα γένοιτ' ἂν γυνή· καὶ τὰ ἀνάλογον αὐτοῖς νοείσθω γινόμενα καὶ περὶ τὴν ψυχήν, ἅτινα οὐδενός ἐστιν ἢ τοῦ Λόγου περιελεῖν, ἵνα παραστήσῃ ἑαυτῷ, φησί, τὴν ἰδίαν νύμφην μὴ ἔχουσαν σπῖλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων ἀλλ' ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ ἄμωμος. ῥυτίδες δὲ σημεῖόν εἰσι γήρως· οὕτως εἴ τις ἴχνη τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἐπιμένοι ἔχων μὴ ἀεὶ ἀνακαινούμενο , ῥερυτιδῶσθαι ἂν λέγοιτο κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν. [ 31] ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. παρατηρητέον, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις πεποιήκαμεν, ὅτι πολλάκις οὐκ αὐταῖς λέξεσιν ἐκτίθενται τὴν παλαιὰν γραφὴν οἱ τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην γράφοντες. καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτου ἐν μὲν τῇ Γενέσει οὕτω γέγραπται ἕνεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπο τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ προ κολληθή εται πρὸ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔ ονται οἱ δύο εἰ άρκα μίαν, ἐνθάδε δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἕνεκεν τούτου πεποίηκεν ὁ Παῦλος ἀντὶ τούτου, παραλέλοιπέν τε τὸ μετὰ τὸν πατέρα εἰρημένον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ μετὰ τὴν μητέρα δεύτερον εἰρημένον αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ προ κολληθή εται πρὸ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ. 31 Eph. vi1–3 τὰ τέκνα, ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ, τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι δίκαιον· τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ἀμφίβολόν ἐστι τὸ ῥητόν· ἤτοι γὰρ τοῖς ἐν Κυρίῳ γονεῦσιν χρὴ ὑπακούειν τὰ τέκνα, ἢ ἐν Κυρίῳ δεῖ ὑπακούειν τὰ τέκνα τοῖς γονεῦσιν. καὶ οὐδετέραν γε τῶν ἐκδοχῶν ἀποδοκιμαστέον· τοῖς τε γὰρ ἐν Κυρίῳ γονεῦσιν, ὁποῖος ὁ Παῦλος ἦν Κορινθίων, ὑπακουστέον, καὶ τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα γονεῦσιν ὑπακουστέον, ἀλλὰ ἐν Κυρίῳ, προστάττουσιν οὐκ ἐναντία τῷ τοῦ Κυρίου βουλήματι. δίκαιον δὲ τὸ ὑπακούειν καθ' ἑκάτερον. ἅμα δὲ καὶ σημειώσῃ πρὸς ἑτεροδόξους διαχωρίζοντας δίκαιον Θεὸν ἀπὸ ἀγαθοῦ, ὅτι τοῖς μαθηταῖς τοῦ ὥς φασιν ἀγαθοῦ προστάσσει τὸ (ὡς ἂν ἐκεῖνοι λέγοιεν) πρόσταγμα τοῦ ἑτέρου Θεοῦ· εἴγε ὁ ἕτερος δίκαιός ἐστιν, καὶ φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος δίκαιον εἶναι τὸ τὰ τέκνα ὑπακούειν τοῖς γονεῦσιν ἐν Κυρίῳ ἢ ἐν Κυρίῳ ὑπακούειν τοῖς γονεῦσιν. τὸ δὲ ῥητὸν εἴληπται ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐξόδου, οὕτως ἔχον τίμα τὸν πατέρα ου καὶ τὴν μητέρα ου ἵνα εὖ οι γένηται καὶ ἵνα μακροχρόνιο γένῃ ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ ἧ Κύριο ὁ Θεό ου δίδω ί οι. καὶ ἐνθάδε δὲ ἐκτιθέμενος ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν λέξιν παρα λέλοιπεν τὸ (μετὰ τὴν μητέρα) ου, καὶ πεποίηκεν ἀντὶ τοῦ καὶ ἵνα μακροχρόνιο γένῃ καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος, παραλέλοιπέν τε μετὰ τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὸ ἧ Κύριο ὁ Θεό ου δίδω ί οι. ἔστι δὲ ἡ ἐντολὴ πέμπτη τῆς ∆εκαλόγου· διὸ ζητητέον πῶς δεῖ ἐκλαβεῖν τὸ ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη, πρώτης εἰρημένης ἐντολῆς τὸ οὐκ ἔ ονταί οι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ.

Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam ad Ephesios Unit 7 opening§25

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25Some have read "which is the first commandment with a promise" as if the commandments before it carried no promise at all. On this one, they say, the first promise is set down: that it may go well with you, and that you may be long-lived on the land the Lord your God gives you.

They seem not to have noticed that a promise also lies on the second commandment: you shall not make yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow to them or serve them. "For I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, repaying the sins of fathers on children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, and doing mercy to a thousand for those who love me and keep my ordinances." Mark that "doing mercy to a thousand for those who love me and keep my ordinances" is itself a promise.

Perhaps, since the Decalogue is the first law given to the people after they left Egypt, each of the ten is "first" as spoken among the first of the commandments that follow.

Anyone who still wants "first commandment with a promise" can answer that the long-life promise on the land is proper to "Honor your father and your mother," while "doing mercy to a thousand" is not proper to the ban on making an idol or any likeness.

Against that, the reader who takes the whole Decalogue as containing first commandments will press back: long life on the land God gives the saints is not given for honoring father and mother alone, but through countless other commands as well. That reader must collect the commandments that carry "that you may be long-lived on the land the Lord your God gives you."

Next one must ask about the promise that grants long life on the land the Lord God gives the saints. The Jews take this according to the letter; yet we see it is not always so, and the prophet says, "Woe is me, that my sojourning has been prolonged." Seek, then, the good land God gives in promise to the one who has left spiritual Egypt, crossed the large and fearful spiritual desert with all patience and endurance, and conquered the kings the Lord struck down and the mighty kings the Lord destroyed.

"And masters, do the same toward them" (Ephesians 6:9). Origen asks which "same things" from what was already said. He thinks: in simplicity of heart, doing God's will, from the soul, and with goodwill toward the household servants.

"For the rest, be empowered in the Lord and in the might of his strength" (Ephesians 6:10). To be empowered in the Lord is to be empowered in Word, in wisdom, in the contemplation of the truth, and in every aspect of Christ. Greatest among these is the might of strength, stronger than virtue and its forms—all of them powers, just as the vices are weakness. Among the virtues, those trained in such questions say, there is an unobservable one called strength, named by analogy with bodily strength, and another observable one, beauty, named from bodily beauty. Under that beauty it is said, "Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your fairness and your beauty"; and in the Song of Songs to the bride, "You are altogether beautiful near me, and there is no blame in you"; and again in Psalm 44, "And the king will desire your beauty."

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). Origen begins from what follows and from what is written about the Savior—

Greek · §25

τινὲς μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἀνέγνωσαν ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ, ὡς τῶν πρὸ αὐτῆς ἐντολῶν οὐ περιεχουσῶν ἐπαγγελίαν· ἐπὶ γὰρ ταύτης οἴονται πρώτην ἐπαγγελίαν κεῖσθαι τὴν ἵνα εὖ οι γένηται καὶ ἵνα μακρο χρόνιο γένῃ ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ ἧ Κύριο ὁ Θεό ου δίδω ί οι. ἐοίκασιν δὲ οὗτοι μὴ τετηρηκέναι ἐπαγγελίαν κειμένην καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς δευτέρας ἐντολῆς, οὐ ποιή ει γάρ, φησί, εαυτῷ εἴδωλον οὐδὲ παντὸ ὁμοίωμα, ὅ α ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ ὅ α ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω καὶ ὅ α ἐν τοῖ ὕδα ιν ὑποκάτω τῆ γῆ · οὐ προ κυνή ει αὐτοῖ οὐδ' οὐ μὴ λατρεύ ῃ αὐτοῖ . ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Κύριο ὁ Θεό ου, Θεὸ ζηλωτή , ἀποδιδοὺ ἁμαρτία πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα ἕω τρίτη καὶ τετάρτη γενεᾶ τοῖ μι οῦ ί με, καὶ ποιῶν ἔλεο εἰ χιλιάδα τοῖ ἀγαπῶ ί με καὶ τοῖ φυλά ου ι τὰ προ τάγματά μου· παρατήρει γὰρ ὅτι ἐπαγγελία ἐστὶ τὸ ποιῶν ἔλεο εἰ χιλιάδα τοῖ ἀγαπῶ ί με καὶ τοῖ φυλά ου ι τὰ προ τάγματά μου. μήποτ' οὖν, ἐπεὶ ἡ ∆εκάλογος πρώτη τῷ λαῷ νομοθεσία μετὰ τὸ ἐξελθεῖν τὴν Αἴγυπτον εἴρηται, ἑκάστη τῶν δέκα ἐντολῶν πρώτη ἐστὶν ἐν πρώτοις τῶν ἑξῆς εἰρημένη. ὁ μέντοιγε θέλων ἐπιμένειν τῇ ἀποδόσει τοῦ ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ ἐρεῖ ὅτι ἰδία μέν ἐστι τῆς τίμα τὸν πατέρα ου καὶ τὴν μητέρα ου ἐντολῆς ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἡ ἵνα μακροχρόνιο γένῃ ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ ἧ Κύριο ὁ Θεό ου δίδω ί οι, οὐκ ἰδία δὲ τῆς οὐ ποιή ει εαυτῷ εἴδωλον οὐδὲ παντὸ ὁμοίωμα ἡ ποιῶν ἔλεο εἰ χιλιάδα τοῖ ἀγαπῶ ί με καὶ τοῖ φυλά ου ι τὰ προ τάγματά μου. πάλιν δὲ αὖ καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐνστήσεται ὁ τὴν ∆εκάλογον ὅλην περιέχειν πρώτας ἐντολὰς διηγούμενος· ἐρεῖ γὰρ τὸ μακροχρόνιον γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ ἧ Κύριο ὁ Θεὸ δίδω ι τοῖς ἁγίοις οὐ διὰ μόνην δίδοσθαι τὴν τίμα τὸν πατέρα ου καὶ τὴν μητέρα ου ἐντολὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἄλλας μυρίας· δεήσει τε τὸν τοιοῦτον συναγαγεῖν ἐντολὰς αἷς ἐπιφέρεται τὸ ἵνα μακροχρόνιο γένῃ ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ , ἧ Κύριο ὁ Θεό ου δίδω ί οι. μετὰ ταῦτα ζητητέον περὶ τῆς χαριζομένης ἐπαγγελίας τὸ μακροχρόνιον ἐπὶ τῆ γῆ ἧ Κύριο ὁ Θεὸ δίδω ι τοῖς ἁγίοις. καὶ οὐκ ἀγνοητέον γε ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ἡγοῦνται τοῦτο γίνεσθαι οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· ἀλλ' ὁρῶμεν οὐ πάντως τοῦτο ἀληθές, φησὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ προφήτης οἴμοι ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη. ζητητέον οὖν τὴν ἀγαθὴν γῆν ἣν Κύριο ὁ Θεὸ ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ δίδω ι τῷ καταλιπόντι τὴν πνευματικὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ μετὰ πάσης μακροθυμίας καὶ ὑπομονῆς ὁδεύσαντι τὴν πνευματικὴν ἔρημον τὴν πολλὴν καὶ φοβεράν, καὶ νικήσαντι οὓς πατά ει Κύριος βα ιλεῖ μεγάλου καὶ οὓς ἀνεῖλεν Κύριος βα ιλεῖ κραταιού . 32 Eph. vi9 καὶ οἱ κύριοι, τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖτε πρὸς αὐτούς. [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] τίνα τὰ αὐτὰ τῶν προειρημένων; οἶμαι οὖν ὅτι ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας καὶ τὸ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ μετ' εὐνοίας τῆς πρὸς τοὺς οἰκέτας. [vi 10] τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. τὸ δυναμοῦσθαι ἐν Κυρίῳ δυναμοῦσθαί ἐστιν ἐν λόγῳ καὶ ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας θεωρίᾳ καὶ πάσαις ταῖς Χριστοῦ ἐπινοίαις· οὗ μέγιστόν ἐστι τὸ τῆς ἰσχύος κράτος καὶ κραταιότερον ἀρετῆς καὶ τῶν εἰδῶν αὐτῆς, ἅτινα πάντα εἰσὶ δυνάμεις, ὥσπερ αἱ κακίαι ἀδυναμία. ἔστι δέ τις τῶν ἀρετῶν (ὥς φασιν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα δεινοί) ἀθεώρητος ἡ καλουμένη ἰσχύς, ὠνομασμένη οὕτως τῷ ἀναλογίαν τινὰ ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν σωματικὴν ἰσχύν, καὶ ἄλλη θεωρητός, κάλλος ἀπὸ τοῦ σωματικοῦ ὠνομασμένη, καθ' ὃ κάλλος λέγεται, περιζῶ αι τὴν ῥομφαίαν ου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν ου, δυνατέ, τῇ ὡραιότητί ου καὶ τῷ κάλλει ου· καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων πρὸς τὴν νύμφην ὅλη καλὴ εἶ πλη ίον μου, καὶ μῶμο οὐκ ἐ τὶν ἐν οί· καὶ πάλιν ἐν τεσσαρα κοστῷ τετάρτῳ ψαλμῷ καὶ ἐπιθυμή ει ὁ βα ιλεὺ τοῦ κάλλου ου. 33 Eph. vi11 [ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρὸς τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς καὶ τῶν περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος

Unit 7 rem early — armor as Christ; wrestling not against flesh§26

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26From what is written one may say that God's full armor is Christ, so "Put on the full armor of God" is the same as "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." If the belt is truth and the breastplate righteousness, and the Savior is truth and righteousness, then the Savior is clearly the belt and the breastplate. By the same measure he himself would be the readiness of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God, the living and active Word sharper than any two-edged sword.

What other full armor of God could the one who will stand against the devil's schemes even think to put on, except the virtue that is Christ? Clothed with him in all his aspects, one will be able to stand against every scheme of wickedness worked by the devil, its father. Girded with truth, he will not be pulled into assenting to persuasive, sophistic arguments for the false. Clothed with righteousness, he will stay unwounded by injustice's arrows; none of them will reach him or make the one wearing righteousness unjust.

The one who has put on the fine shoes of the gospel's readiness for peace—ready, with his works prepared for departure, and so become a person of peace—will neither do anything warlike or factious nor be condemned with the unprepared. Where the shield of faith is, unbelief hostile to the human race's salvation has no room. The one who wears the helmet of salvation keeps unbroken the head of the soul, where the divine and intelligible senses are. And as a noble soldier, holding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Lord's word, he will cut down and destroy every doctrine hostile to the truth.

"For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness, against the spiritual things of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). Wrestling against blood and flesh, I think, means what he calls human temptations, when flesh desiring against the spirit summons us to do its works. It is no longer a human temptation, nor wrestling against blood and flesh, when Satan transforms himself into an angel of light and fights to make us attend to him as an angel of light—or anything like the things that come with every power, lying signs and wonders, and every deceit of injustice.

If the enemy persuades someone to receive him as Lord speaking in him "Thus says the Lord," so that the person even imagines himself a prophet of the God of all, he works that not as blood and flesh or a mere human temptation against one who has guarded himself this far. Therefore give the devil no place at all.

Someone will say Paul speaks this way so we will not first suppose that sins thought to come from the flesh's mindset come from flesh and blood, but from certain powers working them. There are demons that work loves and love-charms, as the prophet shows: "They were led astray by a spirit of fornication." The same may be said of demons that implant wrath and anger; even the curious summon them and are said to make an anger-binding charm. When we hate, we do not hate apart from the demons that work hatred; the so-called hate-charms support that reading.

Because the apostle wants to teach that sinning does not come to us from the body's nature, he says our wrestling is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, the authorities, and the rest. Asking which ancient writings, revealed and shown to him, helped Paul say this, we conjecture from stories of wars and single combat—David against Goliath, Israel's sons against the foreigners or the nations they fought and conquered. Each of those is likely a symbol of spiritual rulers defeated or prevailing. The wrestling—

Greek · §26

ἀναγεγραμμένων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν παν οπλίαν εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Χριστόν, ὥστε ταὐτὸν εἶναι τὸ ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ ἐνδύ α θε τὸν Κύριον Ἰη οῦν Χρι τόν. <εἰ> γὰρ ζώνη μέν ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια θώραξ δὲ ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ὁ σωτὴρ δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ δικαιο ύνη, δῆλον ὅτι ὁ σωτήρ ἐστιν ἡ ζώνη καὶ ὁ θώραξ. ἀνάλογον δὲ τούτοις αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη ἡ ἑτοιμασία τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ ὁ τῆς πίστεως θυρεὸς καὶ ἡ τοῦ σωτηρίου περικεφαλαία καὶ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος μάχαιρα, ὅπερ ἐστὶ ῥῆμα Θεοῦ ὁ ζῶν λόγο καὶ ἐνεργὴ καὶ τομώτερο ὑπὲρ πᾶ αν μάχαιραν δί τομον. ποίαν δὲ κἂν ἐπινοῆσαι ἄλλην ἔστιν λέγεσθαι πανοπλίαν Θεοῦ ἣν χρὴ ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν ἐνστησόμενον πρὸς τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου ἢ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός; τοῦτον γὰρ κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἐπινοίας αὐτοῦ ἐνδυσάμενος ἱκανὸς ἔσται στῆναι πρὸς πάσας τὰς μεθοδείας τῆς κακίας ἐνεργουμένας ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸ αὐτῆ διαβόλου. καὶ καθὸ μὲν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔζωσταί τις, οὐκ ἐξελκυσθήσεται ἐπὶ τὸ συγ καταθέσθαι τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ψεύδους πιθανοῖς καὶ σοφισματώδεσι λόγοις· καθὸ δὲ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἠμφίεσται, ἄτρωτος ἔσται ἀπὸ τῶν βελῶν τῆς ἀδικίας, οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν καθικνουμένου καὶ ἄδικον ποιοῦντος τὸν ἐνδεδυμένον τὴν δικαιο σύνην. καὶ ὁ ὑποδησάμενος δὲ καλὰ ὑποδήματα τῆς ἑτοιμασίας τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης, ὡς ἕτοιμος καὶ ἑτοιμά α εἰ τὴν ἔξοδον τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰρήνης ἄνθρωπος γεγονώς, οὔτε πολεμικόν τι καὶ στασιῶδες ἐργάσεται οὔτε τοῖς ἀνετοίμοις συγκαταδικασθήσεται. χώραν τε οὐχ ἕξει ἡ ἐχθρὰ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους ἀπιστία, ἔνθα ὁ τῆς πίστεως ἐστὶ θυρεός· ἄθραυστός τε διαφυλαχθήσεται τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἐν ᾗ ἐστι τὰ θεῖα καὶ νοητὰ αἰσθητήρια, ὁ τὴν περικεφαλαίαν τοῦ σωτηρίου περικείμενος. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς γενναῖος στρατιώτης πάντα τὰ πολέμια τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δόγματα κατακόψει καὶ ἀνελεῖ ὁ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα Κυρίου, κρατῶν. [vi 12] ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. νομίζω πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα εἶναι <πάλην> τοὺς λεγομένους παρ' αὐτῷ ἀνθρωπίνου πειρα μού , ὅτε ἡ ὰρξ ἐπιθυμοῦ α κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματο προσ καλεῖται ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι τὰ ἔργα αὐτῆ . οὐκέτι δὲ ἀνθρώπινο πειρα μὸ οὐδὲ πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα ἡ πάλη, ὅτε ἤτοι ὁ Σατανᾶ μετα χηματιζόμενο εἰ ἄγγελον φωτὸ ἀγωνίζεται ἡμᾶς πεῖσαι προσέχειν αὐτῷ ὡς ἀγγέλῳ φωτός, ἤ τι τῶν παραπλησίων τούτοις, ἃ γίνεται ἐν πά ῃ δυνάμει καὶ ημείοι καὶ τέρα ι ψεύδου καὶ ἐν πά ῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικία . καὶ εἰ πείσαι δέ τινα ὁ ἐχθρὸς παραδέξασθαι αὐτὸν ὡς Κύριον ἐροῦντα ἐν αὐτῷ τάδε λέγει Κύριο , ὥστε καὶ ὑπολαβεῖν τινα ἑαυτὸν προφήτην γεγονέναι τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ, ταῦτ' ἂν ποιήσαι οὐχ ὡς αἷμα καὶ σὰρξ ἢ ἀνθρώπινο πειρα μὸ παλαίσας τῷ μέχρι τούτων ἑαυτὸν φρουρήσαντι· διόπερ οὐδαμῶς δοτέον <τόπον> τῷ διαβόλῳ. ἐρεῖ δέ τις τὸ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς λέγεσθαι ἵνα διδασκώμεθα μηδὲ τὰ νομιζόμενα ἀπὸ τοῦ φρονήματο ἔρχεσθαι τῆ αρκὸ ἡμῖν ἁμαρτήματα πρῶτον νομίζειν ἔρχεσθαι ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τοῦ αἵματος, ἀλλ' ἀπό τινων δυνάμεων ταῦτα ἐνεργουσῶν· εἰσὶ γάρ τινες δαίμονες ἐνεργοῦντες τοὺς ἔρωτας καὶ τὰ φίλτρα, ὡς δηλοῖ καὶ ὁ προφήτης λέγων πνεύματι πορνεία ἐπλανήθη αν. τὸ δ' ὅμοιον εἰπεῖν καὶ περὶ ἄλλων δαιμόνων θυμὸν καὶ ὀργὴν ἐμποιούντων, οὓς ἀνακαλοῦντες καὶ οἱ περίεργοι λέγονται θυμοκάτοχ<όν> τινα ποιεῖν. τὸ μισεῖν δὲ οὐ χωρὶς τῶν ἐνεργούντων ποιοῦμεν ὅτε μισοῦμεν δαιμόνων· καὶ τοῦτο δέ τις ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων μισήτρων οὐκ ἀτόπως κατασκευάσει. ἐπεὶ οὖν βούλεται, φησίν, ἡμᾶς ὁ ἀπόστολος διδάξαι οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ σώματος ἔρχεσθαι ἡμῖν τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, διὰ τοῦτο λέγει οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ζητοῦντες δὲ ἀπὸ ποίων παλαιῶν ὠφελημένος γραφῶν ὁ Παῦλος ταῦτά φησιν ἀποκαλυφθεισῶν αὐτῷ καὶ φανερωθεισῶν, στοχαζόμεθα ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ἀναγεγραμμένων περὶ πολέμων καὶ μονομαχιῶν, οἷον τοῦ ∆αβὶδ πρὸς τὸν Γολιὰθ καὶ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἢ τὰ ἔθνη οἷς ἀνταγωνιζόμενοι νενικήκασιν· εἰκὸς γὰρ ἕκαστον ἐκείνων σύμβολον εἶναι πνευματικῶν ἀρχῶν ἡττωμένων ἢ περιγινομένων. ἡ πάλη

Unit 7 rem mid — evil day; belt, breastplate, shoes, shield§27

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27Our wrestling, then, is against authorities that are not visible and fleshly, against world-rulers of the darkness that wraps the human race, and against spirits of wickedness that inhabit the heavenly place—that is, the air. Elsewhere he said, "in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience." The air poured around us seems filled with opposing powers.

"That you may be able to withstand in the evil day" (Ephesians 6:13). Origen: whoever seeks to withstand in the evil day must have the full armor of God the apostle set out. Through it the adversary will be shamed, with nothing base to say about us—the devil, accuser of our brothers, who also deceives sinners as his own and as belonging to his portion. Another will say the present age is an evil day. A third reading, besides those two, will say the contest does not end when someone leaves this life: even the one who has conquered here is about to fight again in another evil day against opposing energies that appear.

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth" (Ephesians 6:14). Luke also writes, "Let your waists be girded." We now know what the belt is: the one who has drawn in the works of generation, no longer serves them, and hastens toward immortality girds the waist.

"And having put on the breastplate of righteousness" (Ephesians 6:14). As a breastplate makes a fighter harder to wound—especially in the vital parts—so the one clothed with righteousness will not be struck like a deer hit in the liver by an arrow, will not fall into wrath or desire, and will remain pure in heart. He wears a breastplate of righteousness forged for him by God, the craftsman of all, who prepares and gives the full armor to each of the saints.

"And having shod your feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15). Notice he named a power of the soul "feet," with which we journey, walking the one who said "I am the way." Those feet must be shod with the gospel's readiness for peace. I take the Exodus shoes required of those eating the Passover, ready for the road, as symbols of these: "Eat it with your waists girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staffs in your hands; eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover." Readiness includes both hasty eating and eating while shod, so that strengthened by the food they can travel. The one still journeying must be shod; the one who has reached the holy land must untie: "Loose the shoe from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." So the one not yet an apostle must shoe the feet with the gospel's readiness for peace; the apostle no longer takes shoes for a road—already perfected, standing and walking on holy ground, living in Christ.

"In all things taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16). Origen: the evil one's arrows are evil thoughts. He cannot even begin to cast them into the heart when someone is covered by the shield of faith; all the flaming arrows are quenched in it. The one wearing that shield will say, "In the Lord I have trusted; how will you say to my soul, Flee to the mountains like a sparrow? For look, sinners have stretched a bow and prepared arrows for a quiver, to shoot the upright in heart in a moonless place." Since I have trusted in the Lord, how do you advise me not to stand against the bows and quivered arrows sinners aim, wanting to wound the upright in heart? Look: I have stood; I do not flee; and all the flaming arrows of the evil one will be quenched almost at once.

"And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, through every prayer and petition, praying at every time in the Spirit, and watching for this with all perseverance and—" (Ephesians 6:17–19)

Greek · §27

οὖν ἐστιν ἡμῖν πρὸς ἐξουσίας οὐχ ὁρατάς τινας καὶ σαρκίνας, καὶ κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ περιέχοντος τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος σκότους, καὶ πρὸς τὰ τῆς πονηρίας πνεύματα οἰκοῦντα τὸν ἐπουράνιον τόπον, τουτέστιν τὸν ἀέρα· καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις γοῦν εἶπεν ἐν οἷ περιεπατή ατέ ποτε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κό μου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆ ἐξου ία τοῦ ἀέρο , τοῦ πνεύματο τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντο ἐν τοῖ ἀπειθεία . ἔοικεν γὰρ ὁ περικεχυμένος ἡμῖν ἀὴρ πεπληρῶσθαι δυνάμεων ἀντικειμένων. 34 Eph. vi13 ἵνα δυνηθῆτε ἀντιστῆναι, φησί, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πονηρᾷ. [Ὠριγένης] ὁ ἀντιστῆναι ζητῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πονηρᾷ ὀφείλει ἔχειν τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἣν ἐξέθετο ὁ ἀπόστολος, δι' ἣν ὁ ἐξ ἐναντία ἐντραπή εται οὐδὲν ἔχων περὶ ἡμῶν λέγειν φαῦλον ὁ διάβολος καὶ κατήγορο τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἀπατῶν ὡς ἰδίους καὶ τῆ μερίδο αὐτοῦ γεγενημένους τοὺς ἁμαρτωλούς. ἄλλος δέ τις ἐρεῖ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα αἰῶνα εἶναι πονηρὰν ἡμέραν. τρίτος δὲ παρὰ τὰς δύο ἐκδοχὰς ἔσται τις λόγος λέγων μὴ πέρας ἔχειν τὸν ἀγῶνα τῷ τὸν βίον τοῦτον ἐξεληλυθότι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐνταῦθα νενικηκότα καὶ ἐν ἄλλῃ πονηρᾷ ἡμέρᾳ μέλλειν ἀγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς τὰς ἀντικειμένας ἐνεργείας ἐπιφαινομένας. [vi 14] στῆτε οὖν περιζωσάμενοι τὴν ὀσφὺν ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. καὶ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Λουκᾶν γέγραπται ἔ τω αν αἱ ὀ φύε ὑμῶν περιεζω μέναι. τίς δὲ ἡ ζώνη νῦν γινώσκομεν· ὁ τὰ τῆς γεννήσεως συστείλας πράγματα καὶ μηκέτι αὐτῇ ὑπηρετῶν ἀλλὰ σπεύδων ἐπὶ τὴν ἀθανασίαν, τὴν ὀσφὺν ζώννυται. [vi 14] καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιοσύνης. ὥσπερ δυσπαθέστερός ἐστιν βαλλόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὁ θώρακα ἐνδυσάμενος, καὶ μάλιστα κατὰ τὰ καιριώτερα δυσπαθέστερος, οὕτως ὁ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἠμφιεσμένος οὐκ ἂν τρωθείη οὔτε ὡ ἔλαφο τοξεύματι πεπληγὼ εἰ τὸ ἧπαρ, οὔτε γὰρ εἰς θυμὸν οὔτε εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμπεσεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθαρὸ τὴν καρδίαν μενεῖ, τῷ ἐνδεδύσθαι τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὸν θώρακα κεχαλκευμένον αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τοῦ τεχνίτου τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ, ὅστις ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἁ<γ>ίων κατασκευάσα<ς> δίδωσι τὴν πανοπλίαν. [vi 15] καὶ ὑποδησάμενοι τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης. παρατήρει ὅτι δύναμίν τινα τῆς ψυχῆς πόδας ὠνόμασεν, οἷς οἱονεὶ ὁδεύομεν βαδίζοντες τὸν εἰπόντα ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδό , οὕστινας ὑποδῆσαι δεῖ τῇ ἑτοιμότητι τοῦ τῆς εἰρήνης εὐαγγελίου. οἶμαι δὲ τούτων τῶν ὑποδημάτων σύμβολα εἶναι τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ ἀναγεγραμμένα ὑποδήματα ἅπερ ἐχρῆν ἔχειν τοὺς ἐσθίοντας τὸ πάσχα καὶ ἑτοίμους ὄντας πρὸς τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν. οὕτω γάρ φησι, φάγε θε αὐτό· αἱ ὀ φύε ὑμῶν περιεζω μέναι καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖ πο ὶν ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ βακτηρίαι ὑμῶν ἐν ταῖ χερ ὶν ὑμῶν, καὶ ἔδε θε αὐτὸ μετὰ πουδῆ · πά χα ἐ τὶ Κυρίου. ἑτοιμότητος γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἐσθίειν μετὰ πουδῆ καὶ τὸ ὑποδεδεμένον ἐσθίειν, ἵνα ἰσχυροποιηθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν τροφῶν ὁδεῦσαι δυνηθῶσιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν ὁδεύων ὑποδεδέσθω, ὁ δὲ φθάσας ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν γῆν ὑπολυέσθω· λῦ αι γάρ, φησί, τὸ ὑπόδημα ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν ου, ὁ γὰρ τόπο ἐν ᾧ ἕ τηκα γῆ ἁγία ἐ τί. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ μὲν μὴ ἀπόστολος ὑποδεδέσθω τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης· ὁ δὲ ἀπόστολος μηκέτι ὑποδήματα αἰρέτω εἰ ὁδόν, ἤδη τελειωθεὶς καὶ ὢν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ὅπου καὶ ἑ τηκὼ καὶ περιπατῶν ἐν γῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐστί, ζῶν ἐν Χριστῷ. 35 Eph. vi16 [ἐν πᾶσιν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως, ἐν ᾧ δυνήσεσθε πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα σβέσαι.] [Ὠριγένης φησί] βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ οἱ πονηροί εἰσι διαλογισμοί· οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὖν βαλεῖν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν δυνήσεται, ἐπάν τις <ᾖ> σκεπόμενος τῷ τῆς πίστεως θυρεῷ, σβεννυμένων πάντων τῶν πεπυρωμένων τοῦ ἐχθροῦ βελῶν ἐν αὐτῷ· ἐρεῖ δὲ ὁ τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως περικείμενος ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ πέποιθα, πῶ ἐρεῖτε τῇ ψυχῇ μου, μετανα τεύου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ὡ τρουθίον; ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐνέτειναν τόξον, ἡτοίμα αν βέλη εἰ φαρέτραν, τοῦ κατατοξεῦ αι ἐν κοτομήνῃ τοὺ εὐθεῖ τῇ καρδίᾳ. πεποιθότο γάρ μου, φησίν, ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ, πῶ μοι συμβουλεύετε μὴ ἵστασθαι πρὸς τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐντεινόμενα κατ' ἐμοῦ τόξα καὶ ἑτοιμαζόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν βέλη ἐν φαρέτραι , θελόντων τρῶσαι τοὺ εὐθεῖ τῇ καρδίᾳ; ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ ἕστηκα καὶ οὐ μεταναστεύω, καὶ πάντα τὰ βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα ὅσον οὔπω σβεσθήσεται. [vi 17b, 18, 19a] καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, διὰ πάσης προσευχῆς καὶ δεήσεως, προσευχόμενοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρυπνοῦντες ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσει καὶ

Unit 7 rem close — Spirit's sword; bold speech; peace and incorruption§28

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28—petition for all the saints and for me. The healthy word flows from a divine spirit; the opposing word speaks from the earth. The one who is from the earth is of the earth and speaks from the earth; the one who comes from heaven is above all, and what he has seen and heard he witnesses. The word from the Spirit is a sword; that is why Paul here calls the sword of the Spirit the word of God. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword; it penetrates as far as the division of soul and spirit, cuts and divides, and also works through prayer and petition for those who pray at every time and pray in the Spirit, according to "I will pray with the spirit." It works for those who watch in order to grow rich in God's word and persist in gaining it, so they may help others and, through prayers, work with those who help. Notice also the apostle's moderation: he asks the Ephesians for petitions on his behalf.

"That speech may be given me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19). Origen: when the mouth is opened after speech has been given, the mystery of the gospel is made known with boldness, no longer in proverbs and parables. The Savior says the same: "An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in proverbs, but will announce the Father to you with boldness." Only the person whose heart does not condemn can hold a word spoken with boldness—and every such person can—because if the heart does not condemn, we have boldness toward God, and whatever we ask we receive from him. So the one who makes the mystery known with boldness is rare, because rare is the one who has boldness toward God. Who will boast of a pure heart? Who will speak boldly of being clean from sins?

"But that you also may know my affairs, what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord will make everything known to you, whom I sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us and that he may encourage your hearts" (Ephesians 6:21–22). Because the apostle's whole life, every act and energy, happened by the Word of God with Christ living in him, he sends Tychicus to announce to the Ephesians the rule of his life and the order of his deeds. It was fitting that, so the Ephesians might have a pattern of good conduct, he send Tychicus for that very reason. They would also be encouraged as they learned that the best things, and those fitting an apostle, were being accomplished in Paul.

"Peace to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 6:23). Origen: if any other gift is given from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, peace is one too—among the most honored gifts, the peace that surpasses every mind, which will guard the hearts and thoughts of the saints. It is a calm and fair weather of the soul, foreign to every storm, unrest, and passion. Likewise love with faith is a gift from God and the Lord Jesus Christ: love toward God with the whole heart and what follows, and toward the neighbor as oneself. The one who has received love as a gift also shows it toward enemies, hating no one and praying for those who abuse him.

"Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption" (Ephesians 6:24). Some have explained loving him in incorruption as being pure from the works of corruption, and they take those works as sexual intercourse—hence custom calls the pure from intercourse "incorrupt" and those who have tasted mixing "corrupted." Others stretch "If anyone corrupts the temple of God, God will corrupt him" that way, and then cannot save "But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that." See whether every sin can be corruption of the soul, and complete abstinence from it incorruption. Then those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption are those who abstain from every sin; and with all of them is the grace of God. Since there are some who love the Lord yet do not love him in incorruption, Paul says, "Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption."

Greek · §28

δεήσει περὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ. ὁ ὑγιαίνων λόγο ἀπὸ θείου πνεύματος ῥεῖ, ὁ δὲ ἐναντίο ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ· ὁ γὰρ ὢν ἐκ τῆ γῆ ἐκ τῆ γῆ ἐ τι καὶ ἐκ τῆ γῆ λαλεῖ· ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχό μενο ἐπάνω πάντων ἐ τίν· καὶ ὃ ἑώρακεν καὶ ἤκου εν τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖ. ὁ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος λόγος μάχαιρά ἐστιν, διόπερ ἐνταῦθά φησιν ὁ Παῦλος τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος εἶναι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ· ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγο τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴ καὶ τομώτερο ὑπὲρ πᾶ αν μάχαιραν δί τομον καὶ διικνούμενο ἄχρι μερι μοῦ ψυχῆ καὶ πνεύματο τέμνει τε καὶ διαιρεῖ, ἀνύων καὶ διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς καὶ δεησέως τοῖς ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ προσευχομένοις καὶ προσευχομένοις πνεύματι κατὰ τὸ προ εύξομαι πνεύματι· καὶ ἀνύει τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλουτῆσαι ἐν ῥήματι Θεοῦ ἀγρυπνοῦσι, καὶ προσκαρτεροῦσι τῇ τούτου κτήσει, ἐπὶ τῷ καὶ ἄλλους ὠφελῆσαι καὶ τοῖς ὠφελοῦσι διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν ἐνεργῆσαι. παρατήρει δὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου μέτριον, αἰτοῦντος ἀπὸ τῶν Ἐφεσίων δεήσεις γενέσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. 36 Eph. vi19b [ἵνα μοι δοθῇ λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματός μου ἐν παρρησίᾳ γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου.] [Ὠριγένης] ὅταν ἀνοιχθῇ τὸ στόμα δοθέντος λόγου, τότε παρρησίᾳ γνωρίζεται τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου καὶ οὐκέτι ἐν παροιμίαις καὶ παραβολαῖς, ὡς καὶ ὁ σωτήρ φησιν ἔρχεται ὥρα ὅτε οὐκέτι ὑμῖν ἐν παροιμίαι λαλή ω ἀλλὰ παρρη ίᾳ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸ ἀπαγγελῶ ὑμῖν. τὸν δὲ ἐν παρρησίᾳ λόγον μόνος καὶ πᾶς χωρῆσαι δύναται ὁ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχων μὴ καταγινώσκουσαν, ἐπεὶ ἐὰν ἡ καρδία μὴ καταγινώ κῃ, παρρη ίαν ἔχομεν πρὸ τὸν Θεόν, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν αἰτῶμεν λαμβάνομεν παρ' αὐτοῦ. ὅθεν καὶ σπάνιος ὁ ἐν παρρησίᾳ γνωρίζων τὸ μυστήριον τῷ σπάνιον εἶναι τὸν παρρη ίαν ἔχοντα πρὸ Θεόν. τί γὰρ καυχή εται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν; ἢ τί παρρη ιά εται καθαρὸ εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν; [vi 21–22] ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε καὶ ὑμεῖς τὰ κατ' ἐμέ, τί πράσσω, πάντα ὑμῖν γνωρίσει Τύχικος ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς καὶ πιστὸς διάκονος ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὃν ἔπεμψα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἵνα γνῷ τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν καὶ παρακαλέσῃ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν. ἐπεὶ πᾶς ὁ τοῦ ἀποστόλου βίος καὶ πᾶσα πρᾶξις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνέργεια Λόγῳ Θεοῦ ἐγίνετο, ζῶντο ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ Χρι τοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο πέμπει τὸν Τύχικον, τὸν κανόνα τοῦ βίου καὶ τὴν τάξιν τῶν πράξεων αὐτοῦ ἀπαγγελοῦντα τοῖς Ἐφεσίοις· καὶ ἔπρεπέ γε τῷ ἀποστόλῳ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔχειν παράδειγμα πολιτείας ἀγαθῆς τοὺς Ἐφεσίους, πέμψαι δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸν Τύχικον. ἔμελλον δὲ καὶ παρακαλεῖσθαι, τὰ ἄριστα καὶ τὰ ἀποστόλῳ ἁρμόζοντα κατορθοῦσθαι μανθάνοντες τῷ Παύλῳ. 37 Eph. vi23 [εἰρήνη τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καὶ ἀγάπη μετὰ πίστεως ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] εἰ καί τι ἄλλο δῶρόν ἐστι διδόμενον ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ εἰρήνη· ὅπερ ἓν τῶν τιμιωτάτων ἐστὶ δώρων, ἡ ὑπερέχου α πάντα νοῦν, ἥτις φρουρή ει τὰ καρδία καὶ τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἁγίων, γαλήνη τις καὶ εὐδία οὖσα ψυχῆς, παντὸς χειμῶνος καὶ πάσης ἀκαταστασίας καὶ πάθους ἀλλοτρία. ὁμοίως δὲ τῇ εἰρήνῃ καὶ ἡ μετὰ πίστεως ἀγάπη δῶρόν ἐστι διδόμενον ἀπὸ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀγάπη δὲ πρὸς Θεὸν μὲν ὡς γέγραπται ἐξ ὅλη καρδία καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς, πρὸς τὸν πλη ίον δὲ ὡς ἑαυτόν· ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺ ἐχθροὺ ὁ λαβὼν δῶρον τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπιφαίνει αὐτήν, οὐδένα μισῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων εὐχόμενος. [vi 24] ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ. διηγήσαντό τινες εἶναι τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ, καθαρεύοντα ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων τῆς φθορᾶς· ἔργα δὲ τῆς φθορᾶς ἐστι τὰ κατὰ τὴν συνουσίαν, ὅθεν καὶ ἡ συνήθεια «ἀφθόρους» ὀνομάζει τοὺς καθαροὺς ἀπὸ συνουσίας, καὶ «ἐφθαρμένους» τοὺς μίξεως γευσαμένους. ὑπερτείνοντες δέ τινες τὸ εἴ τι τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φθείρει φθερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ Θεό οὕτως ἐδέξαντο· οὐ δυνάμενοι τούτῳ ὁμοίως σῶσαι τὸ ἀλλὰ ἕκα το ἴδιον ἔχει χάρι μα ἐκ Θεοῦ, ὁ μὲν οὕτω , ὁ δὲ οὕτω . ὅρα δὲ εἰ δύναται πᾶσα μὲν ἁμαρτία φθορὰ εἶναι ψυχῆς, ἡ δὲ παντελὴς αὐτῆς ἀποχὴ ἀφθαρσία· ὥστε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ εἶναι τοὺς πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἀπεχομένους· μεθ' ὧν πάντων ἐστὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις. ὡς ὄντων μέντοιγέ τινων τῶν ἀγαπώντων μὲν τὸν Κύριον, οὐ μὴν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ ἀγαπώντων αὐτόν, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος ἡ χάρις μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ.

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