HOMILIES OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, ON THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. burnt it. THE ARGUMENT. 1 The blessed John the Evangelist spent the chief part of his time there: he was there when he was banished, 1 and there he died. It was there too that Paul left Timothy, as he says in writing to him, "As I exhorted thee to tarry at Ephesus. (1 Tim. 1: 3.) needs take great pains and trouble in writing to these Ephesians. He is said indeed to have entrusted them, as being persons already wellinstructed, with his profoundest conceptions; and the Epistle itself is full of sublime thoughts and doctrines.3 EPHESUS is the metropolis of Asia. It was dedicated to Diana, whom especially they worshipped there as their great goddess. Indeed so great was the superstition of her worshippers, that when her temple was burnt, they would not so. He wrote the Epistle from Rome, and, as he much as divulge the name of the man who himself informs us, in bonds. "Pray for me, that utterance may be given unto me, in opening my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains." (Eph. vi: 19.) It abounds with sentiments of overwhelming loftiness and grandeur. Thoughts which he scarcely so much as utters any where else, he here plainly declares; as when he says, "To the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the Church the manifold wisdom of God." (Eph. iii: 10.) And again; "He raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in heavenly places. (Eph. ii: 6.) And again; "Which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellowpartakers of the promise in Christ." (Eph. iii : 5.) Most of the philosophers also, those more particularly who flourished in Asia, were there; and even Pythagoras himself is said to have come from thence; perhaps because Samos, whence he really came, is an island of Ionia.2 It was the resort also of the disciples of Parmenides, and Zeno, and Democritus, and you may see a number of philosophers there even to the present day. These facts I mention, not merely as such, but with a view of showing that Paul would 1 [The Apocalypse already implies that he stood at the head of the churches of Asia Minor. Rev. 14, 9, 11, 20. Chs. 2 and 3. This is confirmed by the unanimous testimony of antiquity. The most probable view is that he was exiled to Patmos under Nero, wrote the Apocalypse soon after Nero's death, 68 or 69 A. D., returned to Ephesus and died there after 98 A. D.-Schaff, Ch. Hist. I. p. 424, 429-GA] [Of which Ephesus was one of the cities. G.A.] [Coleridge calls it "the divinest composition of man." Alford: "The greatest and most heavenly work of one whose very imagination is peopled with things in the heavens." Grotius: “Equaling the sublimity of its thoughts with words more sublime than any human language ever possessed."-Quoted in Schaff, Ch. Hist. I. p. 781.-G. A.] HOMILY I. CHAPTER I. VERSES I-2. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of OBSERVE, he applies the word "through" to the Father. But what then? Shall we say that He is inferior? Surely not. "To the saints, "saith he, "which are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus. " He is here alluding to the blessings of the Jews; for that was blessing also, but it was not spiritual blessing. For how did it run? "The Lord bless thee, He will bless the fruit of thy body;" (Deut. vii: 13.) and "He will bless thy going out and thy coming in." (Deut. Observe that he calls saints, men with wives, xxviii: 4.) But here it is not thus, but how? and children, and domestics. For that these "With every spiritual blessing." And what are they whom he calls by this name is plain lackest thou yet? Thou art made immortal, from the end of the Epistle, as, when he says, thou art made free, thou art made a son, thou "Wives, be in subjection unto your own hus-art made righteous, thou art made a brother, bands." (Eph. v: 22.) And again, "Child-thou art made a fellow-heir, thou reignest with ren, obey your parents: "(Eph. vi: 1.) and, Christ, thou art glorified with Christ; all "Servants, be obedient to your masters. (Eph. things are freely given thee. "How," saith vi: 5.) Think how great is the indolence that he, "shall He not also with Him freely give us possesses us now, how rare is any thing like vir- all things?" (Rom. viii: 32.) Thy First-fruits tue now and how great the abundance of virtu- is adored by Angels, by the Cherubim, by the ous men must have been then, when even secu- Seraphim! What lackest thou yet? "With lar men could be called "saints and faithful. "every spiritual blessing." There is nothing "Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, carnal here. Accordingly He excluded all and the Lord Jesus Christ. " "Grace" is his those former blessings, when He said, "In the word; and he calls God, "Father; "since this world ye have tribulation," (John xvi: 33.) to name is a sure token of that gift of grace. And lead us on to these. For as they who pcshow so? Hear what he saith elsewhere; "Be- sessed carnal things were unable to hear of spircause ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of itual things, so they who aim at spiritual things. His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." cannot attain to them unless they first stand (Gal. iv: 6.) aloof from carnal things. "And from the Lord Jesus Christ." Because for us men Christ was born, and appeared in the flesh. Ver. 3. "Blessed be the God," he saith, "and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Observe; The God of Him that was Incarnates. And though thou wilt not, The Father of God the Word. "Ye What again is "spiritual blessing in the heavenly places?" It is not upon earth, he means, as was the case with the Jews. shall eat the good of the land." (Isa. i: 19.) "Unto a land flowing with milk and honey. (Ex. iii: 8.) "The Lord shall bless thy land." (Deut. vii: 13.) Here we have nothing of this sort, but what have we? "If a man love Me, he will keep My word, and I and My Father [At Ephes us, Chrysostom's text has these words (év 'Epéσw) and he betrays no knowledge of any copies which omitted them will come unto him, and make our abode with But they are omitted by Aleph B. by some MSS., consulted by him." (Jo. xiv: 23.) "Every one therefore which Basil, and apparently by Origen's text, for he interprets Tois ovσi (those who are) absolutely, as he would not have done had he read heareth these words of Mine, and doeth them, ev Edéo. The Revisers insert the words but with a marginal note. Westcott and Hort bracket them. See their discussion of the point shall be likened unto a wise man which built his in Appendix (vol. II. of Greek Text), p. 123. For a full discussion house upon the rock, and the floods came, and see Meyer's Introduction to Ephesians, Sec. 1, where he earnestly defends "the right of these words to a place in the text."-G. A.] the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and [Compare Rom. ix: 5; 2 Cor. i:3; Luke i : 68; 1 Peter i: 3-it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock.' G. A.] [Meyer holds that the genitive Tou Kupiov, etc. does not limit Θεός, but only πατήρ : "Blessed be God who at same time is Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." So also Ellicott.-G. A.] ["A contrast to the earthly benefits promised to the Jews in the Old Testament is foreign to the context."-Meyer.-G. A.] he means, happily ordered this for us before we were born; nay more, before the foundation of the world. And beautiful is that word "foundation," as though he were pointing to the world as cast down from some vast height. Yea, vast indeed and ineffable is the height of God, so far removed not in place but in incommunicableness of nature; so wide the distance between creation and Creator! A word which heretics may be ashamed to hear." But wherefore hath He chosen us? "That (Mat. vii: 24, 25.) And what is that rock but those heavenly things which are above the reach of every change? "Every one therefore who," saith Christ, "shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father which is in Heaven: But whosoever shall deny Me, him will I also deny." (Mat. x: 32, 33.) Ágain, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Mat. v: 8.) And again, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." (Mat. v: 3.) And again, “Blessed are ye which are persecuted for righteousness we should be holy and without a blemish before sake, for great is your reward in Heaven.' (Mat. v: 11, 12.) Observe, how every where He speaketh of Heaven, no where of earth, or of the things on the earth. And again, "Our citizenship is in Heaven, from whence also we wait for a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil. iii: 20.) And again, "Not setting your mind on the things that are on the earth, but on the things which are above." (Col. iii: 3.) "In Christ." That is to say, this blessing was not by the hand of Moses, but by Christ Jesus: so that we surpass them not only in the quality of the blessings, but in the Mediator also. As moreover he saith in the Epistle to the Hebrews; "And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken; but Christ as a Son over His house, whose house are we." (Heb. iii: 5-6.) Ver. 4. "Even as," he proceeds, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love." His meaning is somewhat of this sort. Through whom He hath blessed us, through Him He hath also chosen us. And He, then, it is that shall bestow upon us all those rewards hereafter. He is the very Judge that shall say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Mat. xxv: 34.) And again, "I will that where I am they will also be with Me." (John xvii: 24.) And this is a point which he is anxious to prove in almost all his Epistles, that ours is no novel system, but that it had thus been figured from the very first, that it is not the result of any change of purpose, but had been in fact a divine dispensation and fore-ordained. And this is a mark of great solicitude for us. What is meant by, "He chose us in Him?" By means of the faith which is in Him, Christ, ["Such a specification of the 'sphere' and thence of the 'spiritual character of the action would seem superfluous after the definite words preceding. In four other passages in this Epistle the expression, in the heavenlies,' seems 'local' (i : 20; ii : 6; iii: 1o; vi: 12). So the expression here must be referred as a 'local' predication to evλoyią пvevμank defining the 'region' whence the blessings of the Spirit come. Cf. Heb. vi: 4."-Ellicott.-G. A.] Him." That you may not then, when you hear that "He hath chosen us," imagine that faith alone is sufficient, he proceeds to add life and conduct. To this end, saith he, hath He chosen us, and on this condition, "that we should be holy and without blemish." And so formerly he chose the Jews. On what terms? "This nation, saith he, hath He chosen from the rest of the nations." (Deut. xiv: 2.) Now if men in their choices choose what is best, much more doth God. And indeed the fact of their being chosen is at once a token of the loving kindness of God, and of their moral goodness. For by all means would he have chosen those who were approved. He hath Himself rendered us holy, but then we must continue holy. A holy man is he who is a partaker of faith; a blameless man is he who leads an irreproachable life. It is not however simply holiness and irreproachableness that He requires, but that we should appear such "before Him." For there are holy and blameless characters, who yet are esteemed as such only by men those who are like whited sepulchres, and like such as wear sheep's clothing. It is not such, however, He requires, but such as the Prophet speaks of; "And according to the cleanness of my hands." (Ps. xviii: 24.) What cleanness? That which is so "in His eyesight." He requires that holiness on which the eye of God may look. Having thus spoken of the good works of these, he again recurs to His grace. "In love," saith he, having predestinated us." Because this comes not of any pains, nor of any good works of ours, but of love; and yet not of love alone, but of our virtue also. For if indeed of 2 [And an argument which can hardly be considered valid, based, as it is, on the literal and etymological meaning of a word in a [Τεκμήριον καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀρετῆς. a proposition which will strike a Protestant reader of any denomination with surprise, to say the least. Schaff says, "Chrysostom laid great stress on free will and the co-operation of the human will with divine grace in the work of conversion. Cassian, the founder of Semi-Pelagianism, was his pupil and appealed to his authority. We may say that in tendency and spirit he was a Catholic Semi-Pelagian or Synergist before Semi-Pelagianism was brought into a system." Prolegomena p. 20. Chrysostom's exposition of this passage is inaccurate, inconsistent, illogical and untenable. If He chose us in order that we should be holy how can holiness, or "moral goodness," as Chrysostom says, be an antecedent condition of His choosing us? See note on ch, ii: 10.-G. A.] love alone, it would follow that all must be again, "I desire that the younger widows saved; whereas again were it the result of our marry, bear children." (1 Tim. v: 14.) By virtue alone, then were His coming needless," "good pleasure" then he means the first will, and the whole dispensation. But it is the re- the earnest will, the will accompanied with sult neither of His love alone, nor yet of our earnest desire, as in case of us, for I shall not virtue, but of both. "He chose us,' saith refuse to employ even a somewhat familiar exthe Apostle; and He that chooseth, knoweth pression, in order to speak with clearness to the what it is that He chooseth. "In love," he simpler sort; for thus we ourselves, to express adds, "having foreordained us;" for virtue the intentness of the will, speak of acting acwould never have saved any one, had there not cording to our resolve. What he means to say been love. For tell me, what would Paul have then is this, God earnestly aims at, earnestly profited, how would he have exhibited what he desires, our salvation. Wherefore then is it has exhibited, if God had not both called him that He so loveth us, whence hath He such from the beginning, and, in that He loved him, affection? It is of His goodness alone. For drawn him to Himself? But besides, His grace itself is the fruit of goodness. And for vouchsafing us so great privileges, was the ef- this cause, he saith, hath He predestinated us to fect of His love, not of our virtue. Because the adoption of children; this being His will, our being rendered virtuous, and believing, and and the object of His earnest wish, that the glory coming nigh unto Him, even this again was the of His grace may be displayed. "According work of Him that called us Himself, and yet, to the good pleasure of His will," he proceeds, notwithstanding, it is ours also. But that on our Ver. 6. To the praise of the glory of His coming nigh unto Him, He should vouchsafe us grace,3 which He freely bestowed on us in the so high privileges, as to bring us at once from a Beloved." state of enmity, to the adoption of children, this is indeed the work of a really transcendent love. Ver. 4, 5. "In love," saith he, "having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself." Do you observe how that nothing is done without Christ? Nothing without the Father? The one hath predestinated, the other hath brought us near. And these words he adds by way of heightening the things which have been done, in the same way as he says also elsewhere, "And not only so, but we also rejoice in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. v: 11.) For great indeed are the blessings bestowed, yet are they made far greater in being bestowed through Christ; because He sent not any servant, though it was to servants He sent, but the Only-begotten Son Himself. Ver. 5. According to the good pleasure," he continues, "of His will.” 66 That the glory of His grace may be displayed, he saith, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Now then if for this He hath shown grace to us, to the praise of the glory of His grace, and that He may display His grace, let us abide therein. "To the praise of His glory." What is this? that who should praise Him? that who should glorify Him? that we, that Angels, that Archangels, yea, or the whole creation? And what were that? Nothing. The Divine nature knoweth no want. And wherefore then would He have us praise and glorify Him? It is that our love towards Him may be kindled more fervently within us. He desireth nothing we can render; not our service, not our praise, nor any thing else, nothing but our salvation; this is His object in every thing He does. And he who praises and marvels at the grace displayed towards himself will thus be more devoted and more earnest. That is to say, because He earnestly willed "Which He freely bestowed on us," he it. This is, as one might say, His earnest de- saith. He does not say, "Which He hath sire. For the word "good pleasure" every graciously given us," (zapisaro) but, "wherewhere means the precedent will, for there is also in He hath shown grace to us. (ἐχαρίτωσεν) another will. As for example, the first will is That is to say, He hath not only released us that sinners should not perish; the second will from our sins, but hath also made us meet obis, that, if men become wicked, they shall per-jects of His love. It is as though one were to ish. For surely it is not by necessity that He take a leper, wasted by distemper, and disease, punishes them, but because He wills it. You by age, and poverty, and famine, and were to may see something of the sort even in the words turn him all at once into a graceful youth, surof Paul, where he says, "I would that all men passing all mankind in beauty, shedding a were even as I myself." (1 Cor. vii: 7.) And bright lustre from his cheeks, and eclipsing the [These words, ev ayány, are in the Revised Version and in the text of Westcott and Hort joined with what precedes, ayiovs kai aμμous. So also Alford. Meyer and Ellicott, however, are in accord with Chrysostom and probably right in joining ev ayány with poopiaas, following.-G. A.] 2 [The good pleasure of His will means, "God's free self-determination, independent of all human desert, as regulative of the προορίζειν."-Meyer.G. A.] ["As love was the motive for the divine predestination, so is the glorifying of the divine love, here designated grace,' its divinely conceived ultimate aim."-Meyer.-G. A.] 4 ["The word does not here mean to make love worthy,' as Chrys., referring to inherent righteousness, but to grant grace,' just as ver. 7 sets forth simply the work of 'pardoning grace,' Meyer.-G. A.] sun-beams with the glances of his eyes; and "in down from greater things to lesser, no rather, he was heightening it, and raising it from the lesser to the greater. For nothing is so great as that the blood of this Son should be shed for us. Greater this than both the adoption, and all the other gifts of grace, that He spared not even the Son. For great indeed is the forgiveness of sins, yet this is the far greater thing, that it should be done by the Lord's blood. For that this is far greater than all, look how here again he exclaims, Ver. 7, 8. " According to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us." The abovementioned gifts are riches, yet is this far more so. "Which," saith he, "He made to abound toward us." They are both "riches" and "they have abounded," that is to say, were poured forth in ineffable measure. It is not possible to represent in words what blessings we have in fact experienced. For riches indeed they are, abounding riches, and He hath given in abundance riches not of man but of God, so that on all hands it is impossible that they should be expressed. And to show us how He gave it to such abundance, he adds, Ver. 8, 9. "In all wisdom and prudence", having made known unto us the mystery of His will." That is to say, Making us wise and prudent, in that which is true wisdom, and that which is true prudence. Strange! what friendship! For He telleth us His secrets; the mysteries, saith he, of His will, as if one should say, He hath made known to us the things that are in His heart. For here is indeed the mystery which is full of all wisdom and prudence. For what will you mention equal to this wisdom! Those And how is this? Not only is there this mar- that were worth nothing, it hath discovered a vel, that He hath given His Son, but yet fur-way of raising them to wealth and abundance. ther that He hath given Him in such a way, as What can equal this wise contrivance? He that that the Beloved One Himself should be slain! was an enemy, he that was hated, he is in a Yea, and more transcendent still! He hath moment lifted up on high. And not this only, given the Beloved for them that were hated.-but, yet more, that it should be done at this See, how high a price he sets upon us. If, when we hated Him and were enemies, He gave the Beloved, what will He not do now, when we are reconciled by Him through grace? Ver. 7. "The forgiveness," saith he, "of our trespasses.' Again he descends from high to low first speaking of adoption, and sanctification, and blamelessness, and then of the Passion, and in this not lowering his discourse and bringing it Different usages were observed as regards the Baptismal Confession. In all cases there was one before Baptism. In some places it was made three times; and in some it was written after it was spoken. vid. Bingham Antique, xi. 7. &c. "["The designation of Christ by ò nyannμévos makes us feel the greatness of the divine grace."-Meyer.-G. A.] ["More precise elucidation of what has been said, on the basis of experience (exouev)."Meyer.-G. A.] Through His Blood' is a more precise definition of the preceding év a in whom."'-Meyer. "We have redemption not in His work without His Person but in His Person which with His work is a living unity."-Olshausen in Lange.-G. A.] particular time, this again was the work of wisdom; and that it should be done by means of the Cross. It were matter of long discourse here to point out, how all this was the work of wisdom, and how He had made us wise. And therefore he repeats again the words, "According to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him."7 That is to say, this He desired, this He tra [ "In all wisdom and prudence' is not to be joined, as Chrysostom does, with having made known' (yvwpioas), because it would thus denote the attribute of God operative in the yropileiv, which on account of the ráon, 'every,' is not admissible. Paul in making known the mystery had to set forth not the display of grace in itself but as revealed.' Hence some definition to the clause, which he made to abound toward us,' is necessary and this is the 'in all wisdom and prudence.'"-Meyer.-G. A.] ["According to His good pleasure' belongs to yvwpicas, stating that God has accomplished the making known in pursuance of His free self-determination, cf. ver. 5."-Meyer.-G. A.] ["Which He purposed in Him,' in itself redundant, serves for the attaching of that which follows."-Meyer. G. A.] י |