Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam ad Ephesios Unit 4 opening

generated nature God is. Sharing from this wealth of divinity and of his glory with those he judges ought to share power and might, he strengthens with power through his Spirit; and he strengthens by settling Christ into the inner man who can hold him.

And the most paradoxical thing: Christ, being whole and living by himself, also dwells in those who share in him; and he dwells through faith into the inner man—that is, the ruling part—for he adds “in your hearts.”

Eph. 3:17b–19: “rooted and grounded in love, that you may be strong to grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” Origen says: the sequel seems to me clearly spoken with a solecism as to phrasing. For after “that he may give you” the sequel should have been “to those rooted and grounded,” so that it would run: that he may give you, rooted and grounded in love, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit, so that Christ may dwell through faith in the inner man—in the inner man, I mean according to your hearts, that is, the ruling parts.

Anyone wanting to restore the place without solecism, see whether he will not force the phrasing by restoring it thus: for this reason I bow my knees to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may give you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit, that Christ may dwell through faith in the inner man, in your hearts, that rooted and grounded you may be strong to grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and so on. So on this reading one must move the “that” from “that you may be strong” onto “that rooted and grounded in love you may be strong to grasp.”

And to those rooted and grounded in love toward God—clearly with all the soul and all the heart and all the strength and all the mind—and in love toward the neighbor, Christ is settled. And as plants those rooted in love are rooted in it; and as a building they are founded in love. The same Paul said, “You are God’s field, God’s building.”

It is a task to see of what the breadth is now said, and of what the length, and of what the depth, and of what the height. The cross of Christ has all these, through which ascending on high he led captivity captive, and descending to the lower parts of the earth—for it had both height and depth—and if he himself ran through all the earth, reaching its breadth and length. And the one crucified with Christ and stretching with him grasps the breadth and length and depth and height.

It is also the saint’s work to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. No one who has a love that surpasses knowledge can love any of the things that distract and drag away from the grasp concerning the knowledge that is loved beyond measure.

Eph. 4:3: “in love eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Origen says: the one fitted with the same mind and the same judgment of the Truth and the Word and the Wisdom toward the neighbor keeps the unity of the Spirit. But when we do not all say the same thing, and for that reason there are no schisms among us—when we are not eager to keep the unity of the Spirit—we cut it into many. Yet if God gives distributions of gifts, he still keeps the same Spirit; and if he grants distributions of ministries, he still guards the same Lord; and if he bestows distributions of workings, the same God remains who works all in all. So to the Ephesians who already have the unity of the Spirit and need to keep it