50 Homily I. Chapter I. Verses 1–2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints which are at Eph- esus,170and the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 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.” Observe that he calls saints, men with wives, and children, and domestics. For that these are they whom he calls by this name is plain from the end of the Epistle, as, when he says, “Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands.” (Eph. v. 22.) And again, “Children, obey your parents:” (Eph. vi. 1.) and, “Servants, be obedient to your masters.” (Eph. vi. 5.) Think how great is the indolence that possesses us now, how rare is any thing like virtue now and how great the abundance of virtuous men must have been then, when even secular men could be called “saints and faithful.” “Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” “Grace” is his word; and he calls God, “Father,” since this name is a sure token of that gift of grace. And how so? Hear what he saith elsewhere; “Because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Gal. iv. 6.) “And from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Because for us men Christ was born, and appeared in the flesh. Ver. 3. “Blessed171 be the God,” he saith, “and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Observe; The God of Him that was Incarnate172. And though thou wilt not, The Father of God the Word. Ver. 3. “Who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” 170 [At Ephesus, Chrysostom’s text has these words (ἐν ᾽Εφέσῳ) and he betrays no knowledge of any copies which omitted them. But they are omitted by Aleph* B. by some mss., consulted by Basil, and apparently by Origen’s text, for he interprets τοῖς οὖσιν (those who are) absolutely, as he would not have done had he read ἐν ᾽Εφέσῳ. The Revisers insert the words but with a marginal note. Westcott and Hort bracket them. See their discussion of the point in Appendix (vol. II. of Greek Text), p. 123. For a full discussion 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.] 171 [Compare Rom. ix. 5; 2 Cor. i. 3; Luke i. 68; 1 Peter i. 3.—G.A.] 172 [Meyer holds that the genitive τοῦ κυρίου, etc. does not limit Θεὸς, but only πατήρ: “Blessed be God who at same time is Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So also Ellicott.—G.A.] Ephesians 1:1--2 97 Ephesians 1:1--2