Purpose and fullness of times; summing-up in Christ; counsel of will (Eph 1:9–13)
of his will but to what stands above. For God graced us in the Beloved in all his own wisdom and his insight; and also, having in the Beloved the redemption through the blood of Christ, we received these things in all wisdom and insight of God; and in all his wisdom and insight we have obtained forgiveness of trespasses, as he overflows toward us the riches of his grace in all wisdom and insight—all of which he has done, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. But if the former reading also stands, a account will be given that does not fight the force of knowing in part and of the one who pursues to grasp: in all his own wisdom and insight God arranged us, making known the mystery of his will. For that we may be able to know the mystery of his will and have strength to contain it while wearing a body of humiliation, we need the stewardship of all God’s wisdom. And if the name “mysteries” is taken for divine and secret things not fit to reach many, clearly the mystery also concerns those who will be saved by God’s will; for the great throng of God’s kindness is hidden for those who fear him, as David says: “How great is the throng of your kindness, Lord, which you hid for those who fear you.”
Notice also whether “predestination” and “purpose” differ, so that purpose comes after predestination: as if predestination occurs according to God’s thoughts, and according to the same, when those he predestined somehow take substance, the purpose about them follows and the predestination comes into work; hence first is written “in love having predestined us for adoption,” and second “according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him.” One must also examine what the fullness of the times is; beside it lies “the fullness of time” in the same Paul: “when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his Son.” And just as the time for the heir to receive the paternal estate when he has come to a man’s age might somehow be named the fullness of his time or of his season, so in the fullness of the times would be the one who, through the roads and advances that lead to perfection, has arrived at being able to receive what God predestined and purposed for the saints.
Ephesians 1:10: “to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him.” Origen says: the name “summing up” (ἀνακεφαλαίωσις) is used of bankers’ and similar accounts that are totalled and gathered into one head of gifts and expenses or receipts; from which I think the apostle also used the word here. For there being many accounts of the stewardship of things in heaven and of the administration of things on earth, all of them, as parts of one whole world, breathing together and nodding toward one result—there is a summing-up in Christ. For not only the piecings of what is stewarded and the several accounts of what is administered are in God’s Word and his Wisdom, but also the summing-up and (as one might say) the gathering-under-one-head of all. “Head” is often also the encompassing thought; “a head,” it says, “upon the things said,” and “heading many things in few.” And “head” is so called, I think, because our head has in it all our sense-organs of life as in a summary.
Ephesians 1:11: “of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Origen says: whatever God works and does and completes, he works all these according to the counsel proper to his will; for there is nothing that can make him do anything contrary to the counsel of his will, since he rules and governs the whole. And so that Paul may present how carefully God’s workings happen according to his will, he set counsel before will. For God above all does all things with counsel. Therefore he works all things according to the counsel of his will.
Ephesians 1:13: “in whom you also, having heard [the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise].” Origen says: in whom (clearly Christ), toward others who have
Greek
τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀνωτέρω. ἐχαρίτωσε γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ φρονήσει ὁ Θεός· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ἔχοντες τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλάβομεν ταῦτα· καὶ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ καὶ φρονήσει τετυχήκαμεν τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν παραπτωμάτων, περισσεύοντος αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει· ἅπερ πάντα πεποίηκε, γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστή ριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ. ἐὰν δὲ ᾖ καὶ ἡ προτέρα ἀνάγνωσις, τοιοῦτος ἀποδοθήσεται λόγος, μὴ ἐναντιού μενος τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ ἐκ μέρου γινώ κειν καὶ τοῦ διώκοντα καταλαμβάνειν· ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει ὁ Θεὸς ἡμᾶς ᾠκονόμησε, γνωρίσας τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. ἵνα γὰρ δυνηθῶμεν γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦτο χωρῆσαι ἐξισχύσωμεν, ῶμα ταπεινώ εω περικείμενοι, πάσης σοφίας Θεοῦ οἰκονομούσης ἡμᾶς χρῄζομεν. καὶ εἴπερ τὸ τῶν μυστηρίων ὄνομα ἐπὶ τῶν θείων καὶ ἀπορρήτων καὶ μὴ ἐπιτηδείων φθάνειν εἰς πολλοὺς παραλαμβάνεται, δηλονότι καὶ περὶ τῶν σωθησομένων θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ μυστηρίου ἔχεται· τὸ γὰρ πολὺ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ κέκρυπται τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν, καθὼς φησὶν ὁ ∆αβίδ, ὡ πολὺ τὸ πλῆθο τῆ χρη τότητό ου, Κύριε, ἧ ἔκρυψα τοῖ φοβουμένοι ε. ἐπίστησον δὲ εἰ διαφέρει «προορισμὸς» καὶ «πρόθεσις,» ὡς μετὰ τὸν προορισμὸν τὴν πρόθεσιν γίνεσθαι· ὥστε οἷον κατὰ μὲν τὰ ἐννοήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ γίνεσθαι τὸν προορισμόν, κατὰ δὲ ταὐτὰ ἤδη τὴν περὶ ὧν προώρισε πρόθεσιν οὐσιωμένων πως ἐπακολουθεῖν καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἐρχομένων τοῦ προορισμοῦ· ὅθεν καὶ πρότερον μὲν γέγραπται τὸ ἐν ἀγάπῃ προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν, δεύτερον δὲ κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ. ἐξεταστέον δέ τί ἐστι τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν καιρῶν· τούτῳ δὲ παράκειται τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου παρὰ τῷ αὐτῷ λεγόμενον Παύλῳ, ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέ τειλεν ὁ Θεὸ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ. ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ παραλαβεῖν τὴν πατρῴαν κτῆσιν τὸν κληρονόμον γενόμενον ἐν ἡλικίᾳ ἀνδρὸς πλήρωμα ἄν πως ὀνομάζοιτο τοῦ χρόνου αὐτοῦ ἢ τοῦ καιροῦ αὐτοῦ, οὕτως ἐν πληρώματι τῶν καιρῶν γένοιτ' ἂν ὁ διὰ τῶν φερουσῶν ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα ὁδῶν καὶ προκοπῶν καταντήσας ἐπὶ τὸ δύνασθαι τὰ προωρισμένα καὶ προτεθει μένα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς ἁγίοις λαβεῖν. 6 Eph. i 10 ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν Χριστῷ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐν αὐτῷ. [Ὠριγένης φησί] τὸ ὄνομα τῆς «ἀνακεφαλαιώσεως» εἴρηται ἐπὶ τῶν τραπεζιτικῶν καὶ τῶν παραπλησίων συμψηφιζομένων λόγων καὶ εἰς ἓν κεφάλαιον συναγομένων δόσεων καὶ ἀναλωμάτων ἢ λήψεων, ὅθεν οἴομαι καὶ τὸν ἀπόστολον ἐνταῦθα κεχρῆσθαι τῇ λέξει. πολλῶν γὰρ ὄντων λόγων τῆς οἰκονομίας τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ διοικήσεως τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, πάντων, ἅτε ἑνὸς τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου μερῶν τυγχανόντων, συμπνεόντων καὶ συννευόντων εἰς ἓν ἀποτέλεσμα, «ἀνακεφα λαίωσίς» ἐστιν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ. οὐ μόνον γὰρ οἱ κατακερματισμοὶ τῶν οἰκονο μουμένων καὶ οἱ καθ' ἕνα λόγοι τῶν διοικουμένων εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγῳ καὶ τῇ Σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἀνακεφαλαίωσις καὶ (ὡσὰν εἴποι τις) συγκεφα λαίωσις πάντων. «κεφάλαιον» λέγεται πολλάκις καὶ τὸ περιληπτικὸν νόημα· κεφάλαιον γοῦν, φησίν, ἐπὶ τοῖ λεγομένοι , καὶ κεφαλαίω ον ἐν ὀλίγοι πολλά. κεφάλαιον δὲ λέγεται, ὡς οἶμαι, ἀπὸ τοῦ καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἡμῶν ἅπαντα ἔχειν ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ τὰ ὅλα ἡμῶν τῆς ζωῆς αἰσθητήρια ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ. 7 Eph. i 11 [τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργοῦντος κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ὅσα ἐνεργεῖ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πράττει καὶ ἐπιτελεῖ, ταῦτα πάντα κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἐνεργεῖ· οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὃ δύναται αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι πρᾶξαί τι παρὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ· πάντων γὰρ κρατεῖ καὶ ἄρχει τῶν ὅλων. ἵνα δὲ τὸ περιεσκεμμένον ὁ Παῦλος παραστήσῃ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ γινομένων, προέταξε τοῦ θελήματος τὴν βουλήν. πάντων γὰρ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ βουλῆς πάντα ποιεῖ. διόπερ πάντα ἐνεργεῖ κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. 8 Eph. i 13 ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσαντες [τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας ὑμῶν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ πιστεύσαντες ἐσφραγίσθητε τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῷ ἁγίῳ.] [Ὠριγένης φησίν] ἐν ᾧ (δηλονότι Χριστῷ) πρὸς ἑτέροις
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.