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

Eph: Prologue

Just as he wrote to the Romans when he had not yet seen them, so also to the Ephesians, John having preceded and laid the foundation of the preaching for them, opportunely exhorting them not to be held by the law. Since the apostles, living in Jerusalem, kept the law on account of those from the circumcision who believed, then, since John had theologized sufficiently and had left out none of the proclamations for the knowledge of God, as far as was comprehensible to men, to set forth the economy of the incarnation, he comes, investing it with its proper greatness through words worthy of the realities 305 and undertaking the more difficult task; for the divinity had its own proper and confessed dignity, but to narrate worthily the incarnation, which in appearance was humble, was a matter of spiritual power. Eph 1,1 And here the 'through' also pertains to God according to Paul, and the Father is not diminished. And he reasonably says 'through the will of God,' in order to show that as God willed John to be an apostle, so also me. And he writes this so that the things said by him may be trustworthy. Eph 1,2 If each is said improperly, both 'Father' and 'Lord,' the Son will be confessed to be greater than the Father, if one has the name of Father, and the other of Lord. But the reason for these sayings has been confessed: for since he said, 'our Father,' but He is the Father of Christ, so that the same name might not apply both to the only-begotten and to the faithful, either lowering the Son contrary to nature, or raising them above nature, having said 'our Father' and showing that the address is by grace, he added, 'and of the Lord Jesus Christ'; for it was not possible, since the designation was common, for the dignity to be common also. Why then is the Father Lord of these, but not also Lord of the Son Himself, if the designation was improper in both cases? Eph 1,4 If, therefore, in Christ the saints were predestined for adoption, the Son is not adopted, but is Son by nature. Eph 1,5- 6 If according to the law the will is an energy, what is the good pleasure of this will? For he would not have said 'the will of the will.' To the praise of the glory of His grace. I have already said before that he adorns his own word with the dignity of the economy. 306 Eph 1,10 Since the one who was formed fell through disobedience, and when men acted impiously the heavenly things were alienated from the earthly, Christ, having come, summed up all things. And this he says in another way after this, saying: 'having made peace between the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.' For he is our peace, who made both one, the Jews and the Greeks, through faith in Christ. Eph 1,11 Clearly here he says energy is one thing and counsel another. Having said 'of him who works all things according to the counsel,' he said 'of the will,' in order to show that the will has been decided. Whatever one might confirm from good counsel, these things are determined by judgment; in saying this, he used these terms. Eph 1,13 Of those foreknown, he says, you also are, being made kindred to Christ through obedience and the faith that comes from hearing and the seal that comes upon faith, which is a likeness to Christ through the partaking of the spirit. From whom did they hear the word of truth? Or from John the Evangelist? For he was preaching there. Therefore Paul also discourses to them on a higher level, as they had been instructed by his teaching. Eph 1,14.17-21 The redemption is of the possession; for so that we might be possessed and made kindred to God, we are redeemed, being mindful of the blood by which we were redeemed and of the whole economy. It is clear that he calls that which is according to the flesh of Christ, God; for nowhere here did he make mention of the dignity of the divinity, but of the economy on our behalf which is confessed of the

Fragmenta in epistulam ad Ephesios (in catenis)

Eph: Prolog

Ὥσπερ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἔγραφεν, ὅτε μηδέπω αὐτοὺς τεθέατο, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς Ἐφεσίοις, Ἰωάννου προλαβόντος καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα αὐτοῖς καταβαλλομένου, εὐκαίρως παραινῶν αὐτοῖς μὴ κρατεῖσθαι νόμῳ. ἐπειδὴ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις διάγοντες διὰ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς περιτομῆς πιστεύσαντας ἐτήρουν νόμον, εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἱκανῶς ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐθεολόγησε καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνέλιπε τῶν εἰς θεογνωσίαν κηρυγμάτων, ὡς ἦν ἀνθρώποις χωρητόν, ἐπὶ τὸ παραστῆσαι τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τὴν οἰκονομίαν, ἔρχεται τὸ οἰκεῖον αὐτῇ μέγεθος καὶ διὰ ῥημάτων ἀξίως τῶν πραγμάτων 305 περιτιθεὶς καὶ τὸ δυσκολώτερον ἀναδεξάμενος· τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς θεότητος εἶχεν οἰκεῖον τὸ ἀξίωμα καὶ ὡμολογημένον, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ταπεινὸν ἀξίως διηγήσασθαι δυνάμεως ἦν πνευματικῆς. Eph 1,1 Κἀνταῦθα τὸ διὰ καὶ τῷ θεῷ προσήκει κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον, καὶ οὐκ ἠλάττωται πατήρ. εἰκότως δὲ λέγει τὸ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι ὡς ἠθέλησεν ὁ θεὸς Ἰωάννην εἶναι ἀπόστολον οὕτως κἀμέ. τοῦτο δὲ γράφει, ἵνα ἀξιόπιστα ᾖ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα. Eph 1,2 Εἰ ἑκάτερον καταχρηστικῶς εἴρηται, καὶ τὸ πατὴρ καὶ τὸ κύριος, ὁμολογηθήσεται μείζων τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ υἱός, εἰ ὁ μὲν πατρὸς ἔχει ὄνομα, ὁ δὲ κυρίου. ἀλλ' ὡμολόγηται τούτων τῶν ῥητῶν ἡ αἰτία· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν· πατρὸς ἡμῶν, πατὴρ δέ ἐστι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ αὐτὸ ὄνομα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πιστῶν ᾖ κείμενον, ἢ τὸν υἱὸν καθελῇ παρὰ φύσιν, ἢ ἐκείνους ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἀναγάγῃ, εἰπὼν πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι χάριτι ἡ προσηγορία, ἐπήγαγεν· καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἐνῆν κοινῇ φύσει τῆς προσηγορίας οὔσης κοινὸν εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα. διὰ τί οὖν κύριος μὲν τούτων ὁ πατήρ, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς κύριος τοῦ υἱοῦ, εἴπερ καταχρηστικὸν ἦν τὸ τῆς προσηγορίας ἐφ' ἑκατέρων; Eph 1,4 Εἰ τοίνυν ἐν Χριστῷ εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ὡρίσθησαν οἱ ἅγιοι, οὐ θετὸς ὁ υἱός, ἀλλὰ φύσει υἱός. Eph 1,5- 6 Εἰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἡ θέλησις ἐνέργειά ἐστιν, τίς ἡ εὐδοκία ἡ ταύτης τῆς θελήσεως; οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἶπε «θέλησιν θελήματος». Εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ. προλαβὼν ἤδη εἶπον ὅτι κατακοσμεῖ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λόγον τῷ ἀξιώματι τῆς οἰκονομίας. 306 Eph 1,10 Ἐπειδὴ ἔπεσεν ὁ πλασθεὶς διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς, καὶ ἀσεβησάντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπηλλοτριώθη τὰ ἐπουράνια τῶν ἐπιγείων, ἐλθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς πάντα ἀνεκεφαλαιώσατο. καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ ταῦτα ἑτέρως φησὶν εἰπών· εἰρηνοποιήσας τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἕν, τοὺς Ἰουδαίους καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας, διὰ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως. Eph 1,11 Φανερῶς ἐνταῦθα ἄλλο ἐνέργειαν λέγει καὶ ἄλλο βούλησιν. εἰπὼν τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργοῦντος κατὰ τὴν βουλήν, εἶπεν τοῦ θελήματος, ἵνα δείξῃ κεκριμένον τὸ θέλημα. ἅπερ ἄν τις ἀπὸ βουλῆς καλῆς ἐβεβαίωσεν, ταῦτα κρίσει ὥρισται, λέγων ἐχρήσατο ταῖς φωναῖς. Eph 1,13 Τῶν προεγνωσμένων, φησίν, ἐστὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς, οἰκειούμενοι Χριστῷ δι' ὑπακοῆς καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκοῇ πίστεως καὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει σφραγισμοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν ὁμοίωσις πρὸς Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος μεταλήψεως. παρὰ τίνος δὲ ἤκουσαν τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας; ἢ παρὰ Ἰωάννου τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ; ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἐκήρυττεν. διὸ καὶ ὑψηλότερον αὐτοῖς ὁ Παῦλος διαλέγεται ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνου διδασκαλίας κατηρτισμένοις. Eph 1,14.17-21 Ἡ ἀπολύτρωσις τῆς περιποιήσεώς ἐστιν· ἵνα γὰρ περιποιηθῶμεν καὶ οἰκειωθῶμεν τῷ θεῷ, ἀπολυτρούμεθα, μεμνημένοι δὲ τοῦ αἵματος οὗ ἀπελυτρώθημεν καὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας πάσης. φανερὸν ὅτι θεὸν τὸ κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγει· οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τοῦ τῆς θεότητος ἀξιώματος ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκονομίας ἥτις ὡμολόγηται τῆς