foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. [Origen says] the one who tests in each thing he says and does and thinks what is well-pleasing to the Lord, will be able also to see precisely from much attention how he will walk, and the one seeing precisely how he will walk is in every way wise. And since some have a better intention, but not being wise wish to see precisely how they walk, he added the "not as unwise but as wise"; for it is the work of wisdom to see precisely also moral matters. redeeming the time, because the days are evil. As if buying the time for themselves, which has, with respect to human life, evil days. When, therefore, we spend time on something necessary, we have bought it and redeemed it for ourselves as if it had been sold to human wickedness; but no one living a more worldly life and existing in cares or anxieties has bought time for himself, but only the one spending it on something necessary and on the acquisition of the blessed life. And by redeeming the time which is in evil days, we as it were transform the evil days into good ones, and as it were we make them for ourselves to be not days of the present age
evil, but good days of the age to come. 〚[v. 17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. For what "therefore," or "to see precisely how you walk, not as unwise but as wise," do not be foolish? For if you are foolish, you will not walk precisely nor as wise men. And he commands them to examine the will of the Lord and to understand it, so that whenever they might apprehend something about what to do, they may do it as the will of the Lord, and whenever they suffer, they bear
it as happening by the will of the Lord.〛 28 Eph. v18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is debauchery, but be filled in the spirit. [Origen says] These things can be understood more simply, debauchery being in the use of wine that makes one drunk. But also "wine, in which is debauchery" can be understood concerning which it is said in a great song, "The poison of dragons is their wine, and the incurable poison of asps," which all who are out of their minds and drunk in their reasoning drink, having much debauchery. And in contrast to that intoxicating wine in which is debauchery, the opposite is understood: the one filled with spirit and receiving all that he can contain of the more divine. And we have often observed the name "spirit" written without addition, that it is said of the better, which is also signified here. 29 Eph. v19 [speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.] [But Origen says] Hymns proclaim the power and divinity of God, and the one who is knowledgeable in theology would be in spiritual hymns; but perhaps the one who distinguishes concerning practical matters and those things by which one must act through our bodily instrument as a psaltery, this one is in spiritual psalms; but the one otherwise discoursing on nature concerning the order of the world and the rest of the created things, this one is in spiritual songs. And one must sing according to the discourse on nature and make melody according to the exposition on morals for the Lord, being genuinely disposed toward the things being said; for this is to make melody and sing with the heart to the Lord. [v 20] giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. And in the first to the Thessalonians he says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks." Indeed, the one will keep this commandment who has understood concerning providence reaching even to the five sparrows sold for two assaria, of which not one falls into a snare without the Father in heaven. And to give thanks "in everything" is also to give thanks "for all things"; therefore one must also give thanks in difficult circumstances, since these also are among the things for which one must give thanks; and just as one in the world must give thanks in partaking of the world and gazing upon its beauty and contemplating how many and what kind of things have come into being for the sake of the rational, so also
ἄφρονες, ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου. [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ὁ δοκιμάζων καθ' ἕκαστον ὧν λέγει καὶ πράττει καὶ ἐννοεῖ τὸ εὐάρεστον τῷ Κυρίῳ, δυνήσεται καὶ βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς προσοχῆς πῶς περιπατήσει, ὁ δὲ βλέπων ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατήσει πάντως ἐστὶ σοφός. καὶ ἐπεὶ πρόθεσίν τινες ἔχουσι χρηστοτέραν, οὐ σοφοὶ δὲ τυγχάνοντες θέλουσι βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατοῦσι, προσέθηκε τὸ μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι ἀλλ' ὡς σοφοί· σοφίας δὲ ἔργον τὸ βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς καὶ τὰ ἠθικά. ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρὸν ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσιν. οἱονεὶ ἑαυτοῖς τὸν καιρὸν ὠνούμενοι, ἔχοντα ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον πονηρὰς ἡμέρας. ὅτε οὖν εἴς τι δέον τὸν καιρὸν καταναλίσκομεν, ὠνησάμεθα αὐτὸν καὶ ἀντηγοράσαμεν ἑαυτοῖς ὡσπερεὶ πεπραμένον τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κακίᾳ· οὐδεὶς δὲ βιωτικώτερον ζῶν καὶ ἐν φροντίσιν ἢ μερίμναις τυγχάνων ἐώνηται ἑαυτῷ τὸν καιρόν, ἀλλ' ὁ μόνος εἴς τι δέον καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν τοῦ μακαρίου βίου ἀναλίσκων αὐτόν. ἐξαγοραζόμενοι δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ὄντα ἐν ἡμέραις πονηραῖς οἱονεὶ μεταποιοῦμεν τὰς πονηρὰς ἡμέρας εἰς ἀγαθάς, καὶ ὡσπερεὶ ἑαυτοῖς ποιοῦμεν αὐτὰς εἶναι οὐ τοῦ ἐνετῶτο αἰῶνο ἡμέρας
πονηρὰ ἀλλὰ τοῦ μέλλοντο αἰῶνο ἡμέρας ἀγαθάς. 〚[v. 17] διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου. διὰ ποῖον τοῦτο, ἢ τὸ βλέπειν ἀκριβῶς πῶς περιπατεῖτε μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι ἀλλ' ὡς σοφοί, μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες; εἰ γὰρ ἔσεσθε ἄφρονες, ἀκριβῶς οὐ περιπατή σετε οὐδὲ ὡς σοφοί. προστάσσει δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐξετάζειν θέλημα καὶ συνιέναι αὐτό, ἵν' ὅπου τι περὶ τοῦ πράττειν καταλάβοιεν, αὐτὸ πράττωσιν ὡς θέλημα Κυρίου, ὅπου δὲ πάσχ<ω>σι φέρ<ω>σιν
αὐτὸ ὡς θελήματι γινόμενον Κυρίου.〛 28 Eph. v18 καὶ μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ ἐν ᾧ ἐστὶν ἀσωτία, ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν πνεύματι. [Ὠριγένης φησί] δύναται μὲν καὶ ἁπλούστερον ταῦτα νοεῖσθαι, ἀσωτίας οὔσης ἐν τῇ χρήσει τοῦ μεθύειν ποιοῦντος οἴνου. δύναται δὲ καὶ οἶνος ἐν ᾧ ἐστὶν ἀσωτία νοεῖσθαι περὶ οὗ ἐν ᾠδῇ μεγάλῃ λέγεται θυμὸ δρακόντων ὁ οἶνο αὐτῶν καὶ θυμὸ ἀπίδων ἀνίατο, ὅντινα πάντες οἱ ἐξιστάμενοι καὶ μεθύοντες τὸν λογισμὸν πίνουσι πολλὴν ἔχοντα τὴν ἀσωτίαν. πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν δὲ ἐκείνου τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ μεθύσκοντος ἐν ᾧ ἐστὶν ἀσωτία ἐναντίος νοεῖται ὁ πεπληρωμένος πνεύματι καὶ πᾶν ὃ χωρεῖ τοῦ θειοτέρου λαμβάνων. πολλάκις δὲ τετηρήκαμεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ «πνεύματος» χωρὶς προσθήκης γεγραμμένον ὅτι ἐπὶ κρείττονος εἴρηται, ὅπερ καὶ ἐνθάδε σημαίνεται. 29 Eph. v19 [λαλοῦντες ἑαυτοῖς ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς, ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] οἱ μὲν ὕμνοι δύναμιν καὶ θειότητα καταγγέλλουσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εἴη ἂν ὁ ἐπιστήμων τοῦ θεολογεῖν ἐν ὕμνοις πνευματικοῖς· τάχα δὲ ὁ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων διαλαμβάνων καὶ τῶν οἷς δεῖ ἐνεργεῖν διὰ τοῦ ὡς ψαλτηρίου ὀργάνου σωματικοῦ ἡμῶν, οὗτος ἐν ψαλμοῖς ἐστι πνευματικοῖς· ὁ δὲ ἄλλως φυσιολογῶν περὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου τάξεως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν δημιουργημάτων, οὗτος ἐν ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς. καὶ χρή γε ᾄδειν κατὰ τὴν φυσιολογίαν καὶ ψάλλειν κατὰ τὴν περὶ τῶν ἠθῶν διέξοδον τῷ Κυρίῳ διακείμενον γνησίως πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ ψάλλειν καὶ ᾄδειν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῷ Κυρίῳ. [v 20] εὐχαριστοῦντες πάντοτε ὑπὲρ πάντων ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ πατρί. καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς προτέρᾳ φησί πάντοτε χαίρετε ἀδιαλείπτω προεύχεθε ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριτεῖτε. ταύτην δὴ τηρήσει τὴν ἐντολὴν ὁ διειληφὼς περὶ τῆς προνοίας φθανούσης καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ βʹ ἀαρίων πωλούμενα πέντε τρουθία ὧν ἓν οὐ πίπτει εἰ παγίδα χωρὶ τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖ πατρό. τὸ δὲ ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖν καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων εὐχαριστεῖν ἐστιν· οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς περιστάσεσιν εὐχαριστητέον, ἐπείπερ καὶ αὗται τῶν ἐφ' οἷς δεῖ εὐχαριστεῖν εἰσιν· καὶ ὥσπερ δεῖ εὐχαριστεῖν τὸν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐν τῷ μεταλαμ βάνειν τοῦ κόσμου καὶ καταθεᾶσθαι τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῦ καὶ θεωρεῖν ὅσα καὶ οἷα γέγονε διὰ τὸ λογικόν, οὕτως