Chapter XVII.—The Epistle to the Laodiceans. The Proper Designation is to the Ephesians. Recapitulation of All Things in Christ from the Beginning of the Creation.  No Room for Marcion’s Christ Here.  Numerous Parallels Between This Epistle and Passages in the Old Testament. The Prince of the Power of the Air, and the God of This World—Who?  Creation and Regeneration the Work of One God. How Christ Has Made the Law Obsolete. A Vain Erasure of Marcion’s. The Apostles as Well as the Prophets from the Creator.

We have it on the true tradition3625    Veritati. of the Church, that this epistle was sent to the Ephesians, not to the Laodiceans. Marcion, however, was very desirous of giving it the new title (of Laodicean),3626    Titulum interpolare gestiit: or, “of corrupting its title.” as if he were extremely accurate in investigating such a point. But of what consequence are the titles, since in writing to a certain church the apostle did in fact write to all? It is certain that, whoever they were to whom he wrote,3627    Certe tamen. he declared Him to be God in Christ with whom all things agree which are predicted.3628    For a discussion on the title of this epistle in a succinct shape, the reader is referred to Dean Alford’s Gr. Test. vol. iii. Prolegomena, chap. ii. sec. 2. Now, to what god will most suitably belong all those things which relate to “that good pleasure, which God hath purposed in the mystery of His will, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might recapitulate” (if I may so say, according to the exact meaning of the Greek word3629    ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι, “to sum up into a head.”) “all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth,”3630    Eph. i. 9, 10. but to Him whose are all things from their beginning, yea the beginning itself too; from whom issue the times and the dispensation of the fulness of times, according to which all things up to the very first are gathered up in Christ? What beginning, however, has the other god; that is to say, how can anything proceed from him, who has no work to show? And if there be no beginning, how can there be times? If no times, what fulness of times can there be?  And if no fulness, what dispensation? Indeed, what has he ever done on earth, that any long dispensation of times to be fulfilled can be put to his account, for the accomplishment of all things in Christ, even of things in heaven? Nor can we possibly suppose that any things whatever have been at any time done in heaven by any other God than Him by whom, as all men allow, all things have been done on earth. Now, if it is impossible for all these things from the beginning to be reckoned to any other God than the Creator, who will believe that an alien god has recapitulated them in an alien Christ, instead of their own proper Author in His own Christ?  If, again, they belong to the Creator, they must needs be separate from the other god; and if separate, then opposed to him. But then how can opposites be gathered together into him by whom they are in short destroyed? Again, what Christ do the following words announce, when the apostle says: “That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ?”3631    Eph. i. 12. Now who could have first trusted—i.e. previously trusted3632    He explains “præsperasse by ante sperasse.”—in God, before His advent, except the Jews to whom Christ was previously announced, from the beginning? He who was thus foretold, was also foretrusted. Hence the apostle refers the statement to himself, that is, to the Jews, in order that he may draw a distinction with respect to the Gentiles, (when he goes on to say:) “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel (of your salvation); in whom ye believed, and were sealed with His Holy Spirit of promise.”3633    Eph. i. 13. Of what promise? That which was made through Joel: “In the last days will I pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh,”3634    Joel ii. 28. that is, on all nations. Therefore the Spirit and the Gospel will be found in the Christ, who was foretrusted, because foretold. Again, “the Father of glory”3635    Eph. ii. 17. is He whose Christ, when ascending to heaven, is celebrated as “the King of Glory” in the Psalm: “Who is this King of Glory? the Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.”3636    Ps. xxiv. 10. From Him also is besought “the spirit of wisdom,”3637    Eph. i. 17. at whose disposal is enumerated that sevenfold distribution of the spirit of grace by Isaiah.3638    Isa. xi. 2. He likewise will grant “the enlightenment of the eyes of the understanding,”3639    Eph. i. 18. who has also enriched our natural eyes with light; to whom, moreover, the blindness of the people is offensive:  “And who is blind, but my servants?…yea, the servants of God have become blind.”3640    Isa. xlii. 19 (Sept.). In His gift, too, are “the riches (of the glory) of His inheritance in the saints,”3641    Eph. i. 18. who promised such an inheritance in the call of the Gentiles: “Ask of me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance.”3642    Ps. ii. 8. It was He who “wrought in Christ His mighty power, by raising Him from the dead, and setting Him at His own right hand, and putting all things under His feet”3643    Eph. i. 19–22.—even the same who said: “Sit Thou on my right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.”3644    Ps. cx. 1. For in another passage the Spirit says to the Father concerning the Son: “Thou hast put all things under His feet.”3645    Ps. viii. 7. Now, if from all these facts which are found in the Creator there is yet to be deduced3646    Infertur. another god and another Christ, let us go in quest of the Creator. I suppose, forsooth,3647    Plane. we find Him, when he speaks of such as “were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein they had walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, who worketh in the children of disobedience.”3648    Eph. ii. 1, 2. But Marcion must not here interpret the world as meaning the God of the world.3649    Deo mundi: i.e. the God who made the world. For a creature bears no resemblance to the Creator; the thing made, none to its Maker; the world, none to God. He, moreover, who is the Prince of the power of the ages must not be thought to be called the prince of the power of the air; for He who is chief over the higher powers derives no title from the lower powers, although these, too, may be ascribed to Him. Nor, again, can He possibly seem to be the instigator3650    Operator: in reference to the expression in ver. 2, “who now worketh,” etc. of that unbelief which He Himself had rather to endure at the hand of the Jews and the Gentiles alike. We may therefore simply conclude that3651    Sufficit igitur si. these designations are unsuited to the Creator.  There is another being to whom they are more applicable—and the apostle knew very well who that was. Who then is he? Undoubtedly he who has raised up “children of disobedience” against the Creator Himself ever since he took possession of that “air” of His; even as the prophet makes him say: “I will set my throne above the stars;…I will go up above the clouds; I will be like the Most High.”3652    Isa. xiv. 13, 14. An inexact quotation from the Septuagint. This must mean the devil, whom in another passage (since such will they there have the apostle’s meaning to be) we shall recognize in the appellation the god of this world.3653    On this and another meaning given to the phrase in 2 Cor. iv. 4, see above, chap. xi. For he has filled the whole world with the lying pretence of his own divinity. To be sure,3654    Plane: an ironical particle here. if he had not existed, we might then possibly have applied these descriptions to the Creator. But the apostle, too, had lived in Judaism; and when he parenthetically observed of the sins (of that period of his life), “in which also we all had our conversation in times past,”3655    Eph. ii. 3. he must not be understood to indicate that the Creator was the lord of sinful men, and the prince of this air; but as meaning that in his Judaism he had been one of the children of disobedience, having the devil as his instigator—when he persecuted the church and the Christ of the Creator. Therefore he says: “We also were the children of wrath,” but “by nature.”3656    Eph. ii. 3. Let the heretic, however, not contend that, because the Creator called the Jews children, therefore the Creator is the lord of wrath.3657    In Marcion’s sense. For when (the apostle) says, “We were by nature the children of wrath,” inasmuch as the Jews were not the Creator’s children by nature, but by the election of their fathers, he (must have) referred their being children of wrath to nature, and not to the Creator, adding this at last, “even as others,”3658    Eph. ii. 3. who, of course, were not children of God.  It is manifest that sins, and lusts of the flesh, and unbelief, and anger, are ascribed to the common nature of all mankind, the devil however leading that nature astray,3659    Captante. which he has already infected with the implanted germ of sin. “We,” says he, “are His workmanship, created in Christ.”3660    Eph. ii. 10. It is one thing to make (as a workman), another thing to create. But he assigns both to One. Man is the workmanship of the Creator. He therefore who made man (at first), created him also in Christ.  As touching the substance of nature, He “made” him; as touching the work of grace, He “created” him. Look also at what follows in connection with these words:  “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which has the name of circumcision in the flesh made by the hand—that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,3661    Literally, “the covenants and their promise.” having no hope, and without God in the world.”3662    Eph. ii. 11, 12. Now, without what God and without what Christ were these Gentiles? Surely, without Him to whom the commonwealth3663    Conversatio: rather, “intercourse with Israel.” of Israel belonged, and the covenants and the promise. “But now in Christ,” says he, “ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh by His blood.”3664    Eph. ii. 13. From whom were they far off before? From the (privileges) whereof he speaks above, even from the Christ of the Creator, from the commonwealth of Israel, from the covenants, from the hope of the promise, from God Himself. Since this is the case, the Gentiles are consequently now in Christ made nigh to these (blessings), from which they were once far off. But if we are in Christ brought so very nigh to the commonwealth of Israel, which comprises the religion of the divine Creator, and to the covenants and to the promise, yea to their very God Himself, it is quite ridiculous (to suppose that) the Christ of the other god has brought us to this proximity to the Creator from afar. The apostle had in mind that it had been predicted concerning the call of the Gentiles from their distant alienation in words like these: “They who were far off from me have come to my righteousness.”3665    This is rather an allusion to, than a quotation of, Isa. xlvi. 12, 13. For the Creator’s righteousness no less than His peace was announced in Christ, as we have often shown already. Therefore he says: “He is our peace, who hath made both one”3666    Eph. ii. 14.—that is, the Jewish nation and the Gentile world.  What is near, and what was far off now that “the middle wall has been broken down” of their “enmity,” (are made one) “in His flesh.”3667    Eph. ii. 15. But Marcion erased the pronoun His, that he might make the enmity refer to flesh, as if (the apostle spoke) of a carnal enmity, instead of the enmity which was a rival to Christ.3668    “The law of commandments contained in ordinances.” And thus you have (as I have said elsewhere) exhibited the stupidity of Pontus, rather than the adroitness of a Marrucinian,3669    He expresses the proverbial adage very tersely, “non Marrucine, sed Pontice.” for you here deny him flesh to whom in the verse above you allowed blood! Since, however, He has made the law obsolete3670    Vacuam fecit. by His own precepts, even by Himself fulfilling the law (for superfluous is, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” when He says, “Thou shalt not look on a woman to lust after her;” superfluous also is, “Thou shalt do no murder,” when He says, “Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbour,”) it is impossible to make an adversary of the law out of one who so completely promotes it.3671    Ex adjutore. “For to create3672    Conderet: “create,” to keep up the distinction between this and facere, “to make.” in Himself of twain,” for He who had made is also the same who creates (just as we have found it stated above: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus”),3673    Eph. ii. 10. “one new man, making peace” (really new, and really man—no phantom—but new, and newly born of a virgin by the Spirit of God), “that He might reconcile both unto God”3674    Eph. ii. 15–16. (even the God whom both races had offended—both Jew and Gentile), “in one body,” says he, “having in it slain the enmity by the cross.”3675    Eph. ii. 16. Thus we find from this passage also, that there was in Christ a fleshly body, such as was able to endure the cross. “When, therefore, He came and preached peace to them that were near and to them which were afar off,” we both obtained “access to the Father,” being “now no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (even of Him from whom, as we have shown above, we were aliens, and placed far off), “built upon the foundation of the apostles”3676    Eph. ii. 17–20.—(the apostle added), “and the prophets;” these words, however, the heretic erased, forgetting that the Lord had set in His Church not only apostles, but prophets also. He feared, no doubt, that our building was to stand in Christ upon the foundation of the ancient prophets,3677    “Because, if our building as Christians rested in part upon that foundation, our God, and the God of the Jews must be the same, which Marcion denied” (Lardner). since the apostle himself never fails to build us up everywhere with (the words of) the prophets. For whence did he learn to call Christ “the chief corner-stone,”3678    Eph. ii. 20. but from the figure given him in the Psalm:  “The stone which the builders rejected is become the head (stone) of the corner?”3679    Ps. cxviii. 22.

CAPUT XVII.

Ecclesiae quidem veritate Epistolam istam ad Ephesios habemus emissam (In Ep. ad Eph. I et II), non ad Laodicenos ; sed Marcion ei titulum aliquando interpolare gestiit, quasi et in isto diligentissimus explorator. Nihil autem de titulis interest, cum ad omnes Apostolus scripserit, dum ad quosdam; certe tamen eum Deum praedicans in Christo, cui competunt quae praedicantur. Cui ergo competent secundum boni existimationem, quam proposuerit in sacramento voluntatis suae, in dispensationem adimpletionis temporum (ut ita dixerim, sicut verbum illud in graeco sonat) recapitulare (id est, ad initium redigere, vel ab 0512C initio recensere) omnia in Christum, quae in coelis, et quae in terris; nisi cujus erunt omnia ab initio, etiam ipsum initium, a quo et tempora et temporum adimpletiones , dispensatio, ob quam omnia ad initium recensentur in Christo? Alterius autem Dei, quod initium, id est unde, cujus opus nullum? quae tempora sine initio? quae adimpletio sine temporibus? quae dispensatio sine adimpletione? denique, quid in terris egit jam olim, ut longa aliqua temporum adimplendorum dispensatio reputetur, ad recensenda omnia in Christo, etiam quae in coelis? Nec in coelis autem res ab altero actas existimabimus quaecumque 0513A sunt, quam ab eo, a quo et in terris acta omnibus constat. Quod si non capit alterius omnia ista deputari ab initio quam Creatoris, quis credet ab alio ea recenseri in Christum alium et non a suo auctore, et in suum Christum? Si Creatoris sunt, diversa sint necesse est a diversa Deo. Si diversa, utique contraria. Quomodo ergo contraria recenseantur in eum a quo denique destruuntur? Nam et sequentia quem renuntiant Christum, cum dicit, Ut simus in laudem gloriae nos qui praesperavimus in Christum? Qui enim praesperasse potuerunt, id est, ante sperasse in Deum, quam venisset; nisi Judaei, quibus Christus praenuntiabatur ab initio? qui ergo praenuntiabatur, ille et praesperabatur. Atque adeo hoc ad se, id est, ad Judaeos refert, ut distinctionem faciat, conversus 0513B ad nationes: In quo et vos cum audissetis sermonem veritatis, Evangelium, in quo credidistis, et signati estis Spiritu promissionis ejus sancto. Cujus promissionis? Factae per Joelem (Joel II): In novissimis diebus effundam de meo spiritu in omnem carnem; id est, et in nationes. Ita et Spiritus et Evangelium in eo erit Christo, qui praesperabatur, dum praedicabatur. Sed et Pater gloriae ille est, cujus Christus rex gloriae canitur in Psalmo ascendens (Ps. XXIII, 10): Quis est iste rex gloriae? Dominus virtutum ipse est rex gloriae. Ab illo spiritus sapientiae optatur, apud quem haec quoque spiritalium species enumerantur inter septem spiritus per Esaiam (Is. XI). Ille dabit illuminatos cordis oculos, qui etiam exteriores oculos luce ditavit, cui displicet caecitas populi (Is. XLII, 19): 0513C Et quis caecus, nisi pueri mei? Et: Excaecati sunt famuli Dei. Apud illum sunt et divitiae haereditatis in sanctis, qui eam haereditatem ex vocatione nationum repromisit (Ps. II, 8): Postula de me, et dabo tibi gentes haereditatem tuam. Ille inoperatus est in Christum valentiam suam, suscitando eum a mortuis, et collocando eum ad dexteram suam, et subjiciendo omnia, qui et dixit (Ps. CIX): Sede ad dexteram meam, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum. Quia et alibi spiritus ad Patrem de Filio (Ps. VIII, 7): Omnia subjecisti sub pedibus ejus. Si ex his alius deus et alius christus infertur quae recognoscuntur in Creatore, quaeramus jam Creatorem. Plane puto invenimus, cum dicit: Illos delictis mortuos, in quibus ingressi erant, secundum aevum mundi hujus, secundum 0513D principem potestatis aeris hujus , qui operatur in filiis incredulitatis. Sed mundum non potest et hic pro Deo mundi Marcion interpretari. Non enim simile est creatum creatori, factum factori, mundus Deo. Sed nec princeps potestatis aeris dicetur, qui est princeps potestatis saeculorum. Numquam enim praeses 0514A superiorum de inferioribus notatur, licet et inferiora ipsi deputentur. Sed nec incredulitatis operator videri potest, quam ipse potius a Judaeis et a nationibus patitur. Sufficit igitur, si haec non cadunt in Creatorem. Si autem et est in quem magis competant , utique magis hoc Apostolus sciit. Quis iste? Sine dubio ille, qui ipsi Creatori filios incredulitatis obstruit, aere isto potitus, sicut dicere eum propheta refert (Is. XIV, 14): Ponam in nubibus thronum meum, ero similis Altissimo. Hic erit diabolus, quem et alibi, (si tamen ita et Apostolum legi volunt) Deum aevi hujus agnoscemus. Ita enim totum saeculum mendacio divinitatis implevit. Qui plane si non fuisset, tunc haec in Creatorem spectasse potuissent. Sed et in judaismo conversatus Apostolus, non quia 0514B interposuit de delictis, in quibus et nos omnes conversati sumus, ideo delictorum dominum et principem aeris hujus Creatorem praestat intelligi; sed quia in judaismo unus fuerat de filiis incredulitatis, diabolum habens operatorem, cum persequeretur Ecclesiam et Christum Creatoris. Propter quod et iracundiae filii fuimus, inquit, sed natura. Ne, quia filios appellavit Judaeos Creator, argumentetur haereticus dominum irae Creatorem. Cum enim dicit: Fuimus natura filii iracundiae; Creatoris autem non natura sunt filii Judaei, sed adlectione patrum; irae filios ad naturam retulit, non ad Creatorem. Ad summam subjungens: Sicut et caeteri; qui utique filii Dei non sunt. Apparet communi naturae omnium hominum et delicta et concupiscentias carnis, et incredulitatem, et iracundiam reputare , diabolo tamen captante naturam, 0514C quam et ipse jam infecit delicti semine inlato: Ipsius inquit, sumus factura conditi in Christo. Aliud est enim facere, aliud condere. Sed utrumque uni dedit. Homo autem factura Creatoris est. Idem ergo condidit in Christo, qui et fecit. Quantum enim ad substantiam, fecit; quantum ad gratiam, condidit. Inspice et cohaerentia: Memores vos aliquando nationes in carne fuisse, appellabamini praeputium ab ea quae dicitur circumcisio in carne manu facta, quod essetis illo in tempore sine Christo, alienati a conversatione Israelis, et peregrini testamentorum et promissionis eorum, spem non habentes, et sine Deo in mundo. Sine quo autem Deo fuerunt nationes, et sine quo Christo? Utique eo, cujus erat conversatio Israelis, et testamenta, et promissio. At nunc, inquit, in Christo, 0514D vos qui eratis longe, facti estis prope in sanguine ejus. A quibus erant retro longe? A quibus supra dixit: a Christo Creatoris, a conversatione Israelis, a testamentis, a spe promissionis, a Deo ipso. Si haec ita sunt, ergo his prope fiunt nunc nationes in Christo, 0515A a quibus tunc longe fuerant. Si autem conversationi Israelis, quae est in religione Dei Creatoris, et testamentis, et promissioni, et ipsi Deo eorum, proximi sumus facti in Christo, ridiculum satis, si nos alterius Dei Christus de longinquo admovit Creatori. Meminerat Apostolus ita praedicatum de nationum vocatione ex longinquo vocandarum (Is. XLVI, 12): Qui longe erant a me, appropinquaverunt justitiae meae. Tam enim justitia, quam et pax Creatoris in Christo annuntiabatur, ut saepe jam ostendimus. Itaque ipse est, inquit, pax nostra, qui fecit duo unum, judaicum scilicet populum, et gentilem, quod prope, et quod longe, soluto medio pariete inimicitiae, in carne sua. Sed Marcion abstulit sua, ut inimicitiae daret carnem, quasi carnali vitio, non Christo aemulae. Sicubi 0515B alibi dixi, et hic, non Marrucine, sed Pontice, cujus supra sanguinem confessus es, hic negas carnem. Si legem praeceptorum sententiis vacuam fecit, adimplendo certe legem (vacat enim jam Non adulterabis, cum dicitur: Nec videbis ad concupiscendum: vacat Non occides, cum dicitur: Nec maledices); adversarium legis de adjutore non potes facere. Ut duos conderet in semetipso; qui fecerat, idem condens, secundum quod et supra: Ipsius enim factura sumus, conditi in Christo. In unum novum hominem faciens pacem. Si vere novum, vere et hominem, non phantasma. Novum autem et nove natum ex virgine, Dei spiritu: ut reconciliet ambos Deo; et Deo, quem utrumque genus offenderat, et Judaicum et Gentile ; In uno corpore, inquit, cum interfecisset inimicitiam in eo per crucem. Ita et hic caro corpus in Christo, quod crucem pati 0515C potuit. Hoc itaque adnuntiante pacem iis qui prope, et iis qui longe, accessum consecuti simul ad Patrem, jam non sumus peregrini, nec advenae, sed concives sanctorum, sed domestici Dei; utique ejus, a quo supra ostendimus alienos fuisse nos, et longe constitutos. Superaedificati super fundamentum apostolorum. Abstulit haereticus, et prophetarum, oblitus Dominum posuisse in Ecclesia sicut apostolos, ita et prophetas. Timuit scilicet ne et super veterum prophetarum fundamenta, aedificatio nostra constaret in Christo; cum ipse Apostolus ubique nos de prophetis exstruere non cesset. Unde enim accepit summum lapidem angularem dicere Christum, nisi de Psalmi significatione (Ps. CXVII): Lapis quem reprobaverunt aedificantes, iste factus est in summo anguli? De 0515D manibus haeretici praecidentis non miror, si syllabas subtrahit, cum paginas totas plerumque subducat .