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

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

—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

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.

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.