Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, blasphemy; kindness and forgiving (Eph 4:31–32)
—hard for outsiders to accept)—and they call wrath anger as it begins. Scripture often marks a difference between wrath and anger, as in "Lord, do not rebuke me in your wrath, nor discipline me in your anger." We do not define God's rebuking wrath the same way as the wrath we must cast off, nor the Lord's disciplining anger the same as ours. Speech about God is more figurative; what is named in us is plainly passion and sin.
Bitterness also appears in Jeremiah: "Your bitterness rose up before me." In Paul I take bitterness as we call people bitter rather than sweet—custom knows both. Wrath is anger starting in the soul toward someone. Anger here is not merely the genus of such feelings, but anger already primed and active to punish the one thought to have done wrong. Clamor usually rides with them: the bitter, wrathful, and angry shout and speak more noisily, pouring out words of bitterness, wrath, and anger. So clamor too must be practiced away.
Blasphemy to be removed is, I think, what the angry often utter when, from passion, they even dare to speak against God—when every charge about anything is swept into blasphemy. People "blaspheme" when they speak evil of those they speak evil of. So after bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor, blasphemy too must be put off.
If we also take blasphemy as every voice that speaks badly of the divine—not only from grief and anger when people are displeased, but often from ignorance of the truth, as heterodox doctrines show—then whoever calls the true word false or the false true also blasphemes, especially about God and God's matters. Who is so approved a money-changer as to test all things, hold the good, and abstain from every form of evil?
Some think anger can be reasonable, and they insert "without cause" into the gospel saying that whoever is angry with his brother is liable to judgment. Shame them with this text: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and blasphemy be taken from you." Here "all" covers everything: no bitterness allowed, no wrath permitted, no anger excused as reasonable. Psalm 36 says, as if all anger (and wrath) were sin, "Cease from anger and forsake wrath." So it is never right to be angry with anyone. Labor to strip not only all bitterness, wrath, anger, and blasphemy, but these together with all malice—malice as the habit opposite virtue, or as wickedness.
Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving yourselves as God in Christ also forgave you." We called the opposite of bitter "sweet"; Paul names kindness as bitterness's opposite, by a food metaphor. So "be kind to one another" means be approachable, sweet in character, and gentle. That comes when we put off raw, merciless, unsympathetic ways toward the neighbor and become tenderhearted to all—and by that we grant the greatest gifts not only to others but to ourselves.
"Forgiving yourselves" is not the same as "forgiving one another." Whatever good we do in benefiting others returns more to us—by the end and by our being under the law—than to those we seem to help. We grant ourselves what God granted us in Christ when we receive it, keep it, and imitate the Giver and his way of giving. Another reader, thinking "forgiving yourselves" no different from "forgiving one another," continues in the next section.
Greek
κατὰ τὸ μὴ ῥᾴδιον αὐτὴν εἶναι τοῖς ἐκτὸς προσδέχεσθαι), θυμὸν δὲ ὀργὴν ἐναρχομένην. ἔοικε δὲ ἡ γραφὴ σφόδρα πολλαχοῦ διαφορὰν εἰδέναι θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ Κύριε μὴ τῷ θυμῷ ου ἐλέγξῃ με μηδὲ τῇ ὀργῇ ου παιδεύ ῃ με. οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ ὁριούμεθα τὸν ἐλέγχοντα θυμὸν Θεοῦ καὶ τὸν θυμὸν ὃν δεῖ ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ τὴν παιδεύου αν ὀργὴν Κυρίου καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν. <τὰ μὲν γὰρ περὶ Θεοῦ> τροπικώτερον εἴρηται, τὰ δὲ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀνομαζόμενα ὁμολογουμένως πάθη ἐστὶ καὶ ἁμαρτήματα. κεῖται δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πικρίας καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ· καὶ ἡ πικρία γάρ ου, φησίν, ἀνέβη πρὸ μέ. οἶμαι οὖν πικρίαν μὲν νῦν λέγεσθαι παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ καθὸ λέγομεν τινὰς πικροὺς ἐναντίους τοῖς γλυκέσι, καὶ ἡ συνήθεια γὰρ γλυκεῖς ἀνθρώπους οἶδε καὶ πικρούς· θυμὸν δὲ τὴν ἐναρχομένην ἐπί τινι γενέσθαι ὀργὴν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ· ὀργὴν δὲ τάχα οὐ τὸ γένος τούτων καὶ ἑτέρων παραπλησίων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἤδη ἑτοίμην καὶ ἐνεργητικὴν πρὸς τὴν «τιμωρίαν τοῦ ἠδικηκέναι νομιζομένου.» καὶ ὡς ἐπίπαν παρακολουθεῖ τοῖς πάθεσι τούτοις καὶ ἡ κραυγή, κεκραγότων τῶν πικραινομένων καὶ θυμουμένων καὶ ὀργιζομένων, καὶ θορυβωδέστερον λαλούν των καὶ προφερομένων λόγους καὶ πικρίας καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς. διὸ πρὸς τοῖς προτέροις καὶ κραυγὴν ἀσκητέον ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν. οἶμαι δὲ ἐνθάδε βλασφημίαν ἣν κελεύει ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἣν προφέρονται ἀπὸ παθῶν ὀργιζόμενοι πολλάκις οἱ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ θείου τολμῶντες ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ὀργῆς λαλεῖν, ὅταν πᾶσα ἡ κατηγορία περὶ οὑτινοσοῦν λαμβάνηται αὖθις ἐν τῇ βλασφημίᾳ· βλασφημεῖν γὰρ λέγονται οἱ κακῶς λέγοντες ἐκείνους οὓς λέγουσι κακῶς. διὸ ἀκολούθως τοῖς περὶ πικρίας καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ κραυγῆς λέγεται δεῖν ἀποτίθεσθαι καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν. εἰ μέντοιγε καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν τάσσοιμεν ἐπὶ πάσης φωνῆς τῆς κακῶς τὸ θεῖον λεγούσης, οὐ μόνον ἐκ λύπης καὶ ὀργῆς κατὰ τοὺς καιροὺς τῆς δυσαρεστή σεως δυσφημούντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλλὰ πολλάκις καὶ κατὰ ἄγνοιαν τοῦ περὶ ἀληθείας λόγου, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἑτεροδόξοις δογμάτων, βλασφημεῖ δὴ καὶ ὁ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον ψευδῆ ἀποφαινόμενος εἶναι ἢ τὸν ψευδῆ ἀληθῆ, καὶ μάλιστα περὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ πραγμάτων. τίς οὖν οὕτως δόκιμο τραπεζίτη ὡς εἰδέναι πάντα δοκιμάζειν καὶ τὸ μὲν καλὸν κατέχειν ἀπὸ δὲ παντὸ εἴδου πονηροῦ ἀπέχε θαι; ἐπεὶ δέ τινες οἴονται εὐλόγως ποτὲ γίνεσθαι ὀργήν, μὴ καλῶς προστιθέντες τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τὸ «εἰκῇ» κατὰ τὸ ῥητόν ὃ ἂν ὀργιθῇ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἔνοχο ἔ ται τῇ κρί ειἀνέγνωσαν γάρ τινες ὃ ἐὰν ὀργι θῇ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῇ– δυσωπήσωμεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ προκειμένου ῥητοῦ λέγοντος πᾶσα πικρία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ καὶ κραυγὴ καὶ βλασφημία ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν. σαφῶς γὰρ ἐνθάδε ἡ πᾶσα φωνὴ κατὰ κοινοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων εἴρηται, ὡς μηδεμιᾶς πικρίας συγχωρουμένης μηδὲ θυμοῦ τινος ἐπιτρεπομένου μηδὲ ὀργῆς τινος εὐλόγως συνερχομένης. καὶ ἐν τριακοστῷ ἕκτῳ ψαλμῷ, ὡς πάσης ὀργῆς ἁμαρτίας οὔσης (ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ θυμοῦ), λέγεται παῦ αι ἀπὸ ὀργῆ καὶ ἐγκατάλειπε θυμόν. οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἔστιν ποτὲ εὐλόγως ὀργισθῆναί τινι. καὶ οὐ μόνον γε πᾶσαν πικρίαν καὶ πάντα θυμὸν καὶ πᾶσαν ὀργὴν καὶ πᾶσαν βλασφημίαν φιλοπονητέον ἀρθῆναι ἀφ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ· κακίαν δὲ ἐκλαμβάνομεν ἤτοι τὴν ἐναντίαν ἕξιν τῇ ἀρετῇ ἢ τὴν πονηρίαν. 23 Eph. iv32 γίνεσθε δὲ εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοί, εὔσπλαγχνοι, χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς καθὼς καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο ἡμῖν. [Ὠριγένης φησί] ἡμεῖς μὲν τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ πικρῷ γλυκὺ ὠνομάσαμεν· ἔοικεν δὲ ὁ Παῦλος τὴν ἐναντίαν τάξιν τῇ πικρίᾳ χρηστότητα νῦν λέγειν, μεταφορικῶς ἀπὸ τῶν βρωμάτων· οὕτως οὖν δυνάμεθα νοεῖν τὸ γίνεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ «εὐπρόσιτοί τινες καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἦθος γλυκεῖς τε καὶ προσηνεῖς.» τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, εἰ τὸ ὠμὸν καὶ ἀνηλεὲς καὶ ἀσυμπαθὲς πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἀποθέμενοι εὔσπλαγχνοι πρὸς πάντας γινόμεθα, διὰ τούτων οὐ μόνον τοῖς πέλας ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς τὰ μέγιστα χαριζόμενοι· <«χαριζόμενοι> ἑαυτοῖς» ἑτέρου ὄντος παρὰ τὸ «χαριζόμενοι ἀλλήλοις,» ἐπείπερ ὅσα ἂν ἐν τῷ εὐεργετεῖν ποιῶμεν ἑτέρους καλῶς, ταῦτα καὶ διὰ τὸ τέλος καὶ διὰ τὸ υ ώμου ἡμᾶς εἶναι μᾶλλον εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀναφέρεται ἤπερ εἰς οὓς δοκοῦμεν εὖ πεποιηκέναι. ταῦτα δὲ ἑαυτοῖς χαριζόμεθα ὅσα καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν ἐν Χριστῷ ἐχαρίσατο, οἱονεὶ παρα δεχόμενοι αὐτὰ καὶ τηροῦντες καὶ μιμούμενοι τὸν χαρισάμενον καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ χαρίζεσθαι αὐτόν. ἄλλος δέ τις μηδὲν ἡγούμενος διαφέρειν τὸ χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ «χαριζό
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.