Wives and husbands as church and Christ; spots; children (Eph 5:21–6:3)
—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 As elsewhere, New Testament writers often do not quote the Old in the same words.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
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.
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)
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