Praise of glory; spirit of wisdom; hope and heirs of God (Eph 1:14–18)
mind 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
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
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam ad Ephesios (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 14 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.