Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam ad Ephesios Unit 7 opening
Some 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
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
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.