Severian of Gabala, Fragments on the Epistle to the Ephesians

Fragments on the Epistle to the Ephesians (in the catenae)

to be of the flesh. And Scripture often calls the substance of God himself glory for since he is untouchable and unreachable, it named him glory

the world may be leavened. He means the law of commandments established by custom, as from the Mosaic commandments. having abolished in his own decree

he says. Eph 5,14 The 'Awake, you who sleep,' and what follows, we find written nowhere in the Old or New [Testament]. What then is it? It was a gift

he says. Eph 5,14 The 'Awake, you who sleep,' and what follows, we find written nowhere in the Old or New [Testament]. What then is it? It was a gift then of both prayer and psalms, suggested by the Spirit, as he says in the [epistle] to the Corinthians: 'each of you has a psalm, has a prayer.' What then is it? 'I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the mind?' 'I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the mind?' It is clear then that this which he mentioned was contained in one of these spiritual psalms or prayers. Eph 5,16 He who redeems another's slave, redeems and acquires him. Since then the present time serves evil things, redeem it, so as to use it for piety. Eph 5,29 Since the lamb was offered, and we eat his body. And the food is accustomed to be distributed into the body of the one eating—clearly we eat his body spiritual312ly—. it is distributed into our body and thus is flesh from his flesh, and bone from his bones. Eph 5,32-33 Not the mystery, but God. What then is it that he says? That this formation of Adam and of Eve from him and their union has become a type of Christ and the church; for which reason he says: 'we are bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh,' as Eve was from Adam. Therefore the 'But I speak concerning Christ and the church' refers to the mystery of marriage, instead of 'the things according to the law of marriage and the original creation are a type of Christ and the church.' For this reason he added: 'Nevertheless, you also individually, let each one so love his own wife as himself.' Why did he say: 'individually'? Because the things concerning Adam were a type of the church and of Christ. For this reason he said: 'And you, each one of you, love.' For the mystery, of which marriage was a type, has come to be and is true, but the type itself must also be fulfilled, and each one must love his own wife. Eph 6,17 If the sword is the word of God, and the sword is of the Spirit, then God is the Spirit whose sword it is. And if he called the Holy Spirit the word of God, it is clear that as the Son is the Word of God, so also the Spirit is the word of God. And he called the avenging energy of the Spirit the sword of the Spirit. Eph 6,18 'Praying in the Spirit' he did not say simply, but since 'we do not know how we ought to pray,' he says elsewhere: 'the Spirit himself intercedes for us,' so that these requests of ours may have nothing carnal. But we have spiritual requests, being helped by the power of the Spirit. 313 Eph 6,24 One being freed, he says, from the corruption that is from the devil, receives in incorruption the grace of the Spirit.

λέγει. Eph 5,14 Τὸ ἔγειρε, ὁ καθεύδων, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς οὐδαμοῦ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἢ τῆς καινῆς εὑρίσκομεν γεγραμμένον. τί οὖν ἐστιν; χάρισμα ἦν τότε καὶ προσευχῆς καὶ ψαλμῶν ὑποβάλλοντος τοῦ πνεύματος, καθὼς λέγει ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους· ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ψαλμὸν ἔχει, προσευχὴν ἔχει. τί οὖν ἐστιν; προσεύξομαι τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξομαι καὶ τῷ νοΐ; ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ καὶ τῷ νοΐ; δῆλον οὖν ὅτι ἐν ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν πνευματικῶν ψαλμῶν ἤτοι προσευχῶν ἔκειτο τοῦτο ὃ ἐμνημόνευσεν. Eph 5,16 Ὁ ἐξαγοραζόμενος τὸν ἀλλότριον δοῦλον ἐξαγοράζεται καὶ κτᾶται αὐτόν. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ καιρὸς ὁ παρὼν δουλεύει τοῖς πονηροῖς, ἐξαγοράσασθε αὐτόν, ὥστε καταχρήσασθαι αὐτῷ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. Eph 5,29 Ἐπειδὴ προσήχθη ὁ ἀμνός, καὶ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἐσθίομεν. φιλεῖ δὲ ἀναδίδοσθαι ἡ τροφὴ εἰς τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐσθίοντος-δηλονότι πνευ312 ματικῶς τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἐσθίομεν-. ἀναδίδοται ἡμῶν εἰς τὸ σῶμα καὶ οὕτως σὰρξ ἐκ τῆς σαρκός, καὶ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ. Eph 5,32-33 Οὐ τὸ μυστήριον, ἀλλ' ὁ θεός. τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγει; ὅτι αὕτη ἡ πλάσις τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῆς Εὔας τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ συνάφεια τύπος γέγονε τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας· δι' ὅπερ φησίν· ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ σὰρξ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἦν ἡ Εὔα. τὸ οὖν ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τὸ τοῦ γάμου μυστήριον λέγει, ἀντὶ τοῦ τύπος ἐστὶν τὰ κατὰ τὸν γαμικὸν νόμον καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς δημιουργίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. διὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν· πλὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ καθ' ἕνα, ἵνα ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα οὕτως ἀγαπᾷ ὡς ἑαυτόν. διὰ τί εἶπεν· οἱ καθ' ἕνα; ἐπειδὴ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἦν τύπος τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν· καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ καθ' ἕκαστον ἀγαπᾶτε. τὸ μὲν γὰρ μυστήριον οὗ ἦν τύπος ὁ γάμος, γεγένηται καὶ ἀληθές ἐστιν, δεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν τύπον αὐτὸν πληροῦσθαι, καὶ ἕκαστον ἀγαπᾶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα. Eph 6,17 Εἰ ἡ μάχαιρα ῥῆμα θεοῦ, πνεύματος δὲ ἡ μάχαιρα, θεὸς ἄρα τὸ πνεῦμα οὗ ἡ μάχαιρα. εἴ τε ῥῆμα θεοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον εἶπεν, δηλονότι ὡς λόγος ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, οὕτως καὶ ῥῆμα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα. μάχαιραν δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος εἶπε τὴν τιμωρητικὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ πνεύματος. Eph 6,18 Προσευχόμενοι πνεύματι οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καθὸ δεῖ προσεύξασθαι οὐκ οἴδαμεν, φησὶν ἀλλαχοῦ· αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα αὗται αἱ αἰτήσεις ἡμῶν μηδὲν ἔχωσι σαρκικόν. πνευματικὰς δὲ αἰτήσεις ἔχομεν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος βοηθουμένας. 313 Eph 6,24 Τῆς φθορᾶς τις, φησίν, ἀπαλλαττόμενος τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ δέχεται τὴν χάριν τοῦ πνεύματος.