Forgiveness in Christ; sexual vices named; inheritance (Eph 4:32–5:5)
—one another," will take it as equal to "forgiving one another," especially because of "as God forgave us through Christhrist," and will apply it to remission of sins: we must forgive those who sin against us as God forgave us. How did God in Christ forgive our sins? Because the Father, being in Christ, forgave our trespasses? And in Christ he also granted goods—if in Christ there is wisdom he granted us, and truth and righteousness.
Ephesians 5:3–4 "But fornication and all uncleanness or greed must not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints, and shamefulness and foolish talk or coarse jesting, which are not proper, but rather thanksgiving." Origen: Scripture customarily names fellowship with a harlot "fornication." Every sin in the region of fleshly tickling—not only adultery and child-corruption, but whatever else human licentiousness invented in varied frictions—is named uncleanness as a genus.
Greed may be taken simply, or, as elsewhere, as adultery, with "not go beyond and defraud each his brother." Saints must guard against all uncleanness. Shamefulness tracks each kind of licentiousness and is akin to uncleanness: each act in that excretory region shows both the unclean and the shameful. Say this of what is against nature, not of marriage.
What of foolish talk, which must not even be named among saints? Simply, it is buffoonery and laugh-making. Yet those cut off from any wisdom and understanding may also "talk foolishly," and be foolish in their dogmas. Coarse jesting beside it fits the simple reading: ordinary speech uses it for anyone who raises laughter, from foolish talk or any other cause. That too is not proper for saints; rather thanksgiving to God in all things—or "thanksgiving" as when we call people gracious and charming.
So do not be a foolish-talker or coarse jester; be gracious and charming. Because "graciousness" is unusual here, Paul may have used the nearby word and said "thanksgiving." Hebrews may use "thanksgiving" and "thankful" where Greeks say "graciousness" and "gracious." Proverbs' "gracious woman raises a husband's glory" we took as "charming woman"; that would seem forced if Aquila, Theodotion, and Symmachus did not agree in sense—a woman of grace holding glory.
Ephesians 5:5 "For this you know: every fornicator or unclean or greedy person—who is an idolater—has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Paul forbids six sins, yet ties loss of inheritance to three: fornication, all uncleanness, and greed. If foolish talk and coarse jesting also stripped inheritance, judgment would seem harsh on our weak nature. Those too are improper, yet not so that practicing them alone casts one from Christ's and God's inheritance.
Shamefulness remains. One might add "or shameful" to the inheritance list. Perhaps shamefulness is only the secret passive stain by which someone, even inflamed, checked the drive toward fornication or uncleanness. The things that block inheritance continue in the next unit.
Greek
μενοι ἀλλήλοις,» ἰσοδυναμοῦν οἰήσεται λέγεσθαι τ<ῷ> χαριζόμενοι ἀλλήλοις μάλιστα διὰ τὸ καθὼς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐνέγ<ξ>ει ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, λέγων δεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀφιέναι τοῖ εἰ ἡμᾶ ἁμαρτά νου ιν, ὡ καὶ ἡμῖν ἀφῆκε τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὁ Θεός. πῶς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα; ἢ ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ ὢν ὁ πατὴρ ἀφῆκεν ἡμῖν τὰ παραπτώματα; ἐν Χριστῷ δὲ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν καὶ τὰ ἀγαθά, εἴ γε ἐν Χριστῷ σοφία ἐστὶν ἣν ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν καὶ ἀλήθεια καὶ δικαιοσύνη. 24 Eph. v3, 4 [πορνεία δὲ καὶ ἀκαθαρσία πᾶσα ἢ πλεονεξία μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς πρέπει ἁγίοις, καὶ αἰσχρότης καὶ μωρολογία ἢ εὐτραπελία, ἃ οὐκ ἀνῆκεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστία.] [Ὠριγένης δέ φησιν] ἡ μὲν πρὸς πόρνην κοινωνία κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς γραφῆς πορνεία ὀνομάζεται· πᾶσα δὲ ἡ κατὰ τὸν τόπον τῶν σαρκικῶν γαργαλισμῶν ἁμαρτία, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὰς μοιχείας καὶ παιδοφθορίας ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἐπενόησεν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ἀκολασία ἐν διαφόροις καὶ παντοδαπαῖς παρατριβαῖς, ἀκαθαρσία γενικῶς ὠνόμασται. τὴν πλεονεξίαν δὲ ἤτοι ἁπλούστερον ἐκδεκτέον, ἤ, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις παρεστήσαμεν, τὴν μοιχείαν, ὅτε καὶ ἐχρησάμεθα τῷ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ἕκα τον τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν δεῖ φυλάξασθαι, ἐπεὶ τοῦτο πρέπει ἁγίοις. αἰσχρότης δέ τις ἔστι καθ' ἕκαστον εἶδος ἀκολασίας· καὶ ὁμοίως γε αἰσχρότης ἐστὶ καὶ ἀκαθαρσία· ἐμφαίνει γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἀκάθαρτον καὶ τὸ αἰσχρὸν ἑκάστη πρᾶξις ἡ κατὰ τὸν τόπον τῆς εἰς τὸ ἀποκρίνειν ἐνεργείας· ταῦτα δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν λεκτέον, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ γάμου. ἴδωμεν δὲ τίς καὶ ἡ μωρολογία, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν οὐδὲ ὀνομάζεσθαι χρὴ ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις. ὁ μὲν οὖν τις φήσει, ἁπλούστερον τὴν λέξιν ἐξειληφώς, μωρολογίαν εἶναι τὴν ἀσκουμένην ὑπὸ τῶν βωμολόχων καὶ γελωτοποιῶν. ὅρα δὲ εἰ μὴ μωρολο γεῖν λεκτέον καὶ τοὺς ὁτιδήποτε σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως ἠλλοτριωμένους πάντας, καὶ μωρὸν ἐν τοῖς δογματιζομένοις ὑπ' αὐτῶν. δόξει δὲ συνᾴδειν τῷ ἁπλούστερον ἐκδέξασθαι τὴν μωρολογίαν ἡ ἐπιφερομένη αὐτῇ εὐτραπελία, ἥντινα ἡ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν συνήθεια τάσσει ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ μωρολογίας ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφ' οἱασδήποτε αἰτίας γέλωτα κινούντων. οὐκ ἀνῆκε δὲ τοῖς ἁγίοις οὐδὲ αὕτη, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἡ ἐν πᾶσι πρὸς Θεὸν εὐχα ριστία, ἤγουν εὐχαριστία καθ' ἣν εὐχαρίτους καὶ χαρίεντάς τινάς φαμεν. μωρό λογον μὲν οὖν καὶ εὐτράπελον οὐ δεῖ εἶναι, εὐχάριτον δὲ καὶ χαρίεντα· καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀσύνηθές ἐστι τὸ εἰπεῖν «ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριτία,» τάχα ἀντὶ τούτου ἐχρή σατο τῇ ἐπ' ἄλλου κειμένῃ λέξει καὶ εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστία. καὶ μήποτε ἔθος ἐστὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς «εὐχαριστίας» καὶ τοῦ «εὐχαρίστου» τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἑβραίων χρῆσθαι ἀντὶ τῆς «εὐχαριτίας» καὶ «εὐχαρίτου»· τοιοῦτο δὲ ἐνομίσαμεν εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἐν Παροιμίαις οὕτως εἰρημένον γυνὴ εὐχάρι το ἐγείρει ἀνδρὶ δόξαν ἀντὶ τοῦ «εὐχάριτος γυνή»· βιάζεσθαι δὲ ἂν ἐδόξαμεν τὸ γυνὴ εὐχάρι το ἀντὶ τοῦ «εὐχάριτος» ἐκλαμβάνοντες, εἰ μὴ αἱ λοιπαὶ ἐκδόσεις συνῇδον ταύτῃ τῇ ἐκδοχῇ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀκύλας οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν γυνὴ χάριτο ἀντέχεται δόξη , Θεοδοτίων δὲ καὶ Σύμμαχος γυνὴ χάριτο ἀνθέξεται δόξη . [v 5] τοῦτο γάρ ἐστε γινώσκοντες, ὅτι πᾶς πόρνος ἢ ἀκάθαρτος ἢ πλεονέκτης, ὅς ἐστιν εἰδωλολάτρης, οὐκ ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ. παρατηρητέον ὅτι ἓξ ἀπαγορεύσας ἁμαρτήματα, πορνείαν καὶ ἀκαθαρσίαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν καὶ αἰσχρότητα καὶ μωρολογίαν καὶ εὐτραπελίαν, οὐ κατὰ τὰ ἓξ ἐπιφέρει ὥστε τὸν ἐνεχόμενόν τινι αὐτῶν μὴ ἔχειν κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τρία, λέγω δὲ πορνείαν καὶ ἀκαθαρσίαν πᾶσαν καὶ πλεονεξίαν. εἰ γὰρ μὴ εἶχον κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ ὁ μωρολογίᾳ καὶ εὐτραπελίᾳ ἔνοχος, ὠμότερον ἄν τινι ἐφαίνετο τὸ κατὰ τὴν κρίσιν ἐπὶ μηδενὶ συγγινώσκουσαν τῇ ἀσθενεῖ ἡμῶν φύσει. ἄλλως μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἀνῆκεν, πλὴν οὐχ ὥστε πραττομένων αὐτῶν ἐκπίπτειν τινὰ τῆς κληρονομίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ. λείπει καὶ περὶ τῆς αἰσχρότητος ἐπιστῆσαι. δόξαις ἄρ' ἂν εὔλογον εἶναι τὸ λέγεσθαι πᾶς πόρνος ἢ ἀκάθαρτος ἢ πλεονέκτης ἢ αἰσχρὸς οὐκ ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ. ἀλλὰ μήποτε ἡ αἰσχρότης ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ κατὰ τὸ κρυπτὸν μόνον παθητικῶς μεμολυσμένῳ, ᾗ καὶ πυρωθείς τις ἀνέστειλεν τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν πορνείαν ἢ τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν ὁρμήν. καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω δὲ τὰ μὲν κωλύοντα κληρονομίαν
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.