Chapter 6

Chapter Six

¹ Chapter Six. Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Just as one who molds a body sets down first the head, then the neck, and last of all the feet, so also Paul spoke concerning the man, the first authority; he spoke also concerning the woman, the second authority; and now he speaks also concerning the third authority, the children. For the man alone rules the woman, but the woman too rules the children. Obey, then, he says, your parents—but in the Lord, that is, whenever the commands are according to the Lord; since, if the father presses toward impiety, or wishes to prostitute his daughter, or to teach his son a shameful trade, the command is not according to the Lord, neither ought one to obey.

² For this is right. Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment in the promises. Both by nature, he says, is this right, and it is enjoined by the law. But how does he say that this is the first commandment? For it is not; rather, that one, You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery. But observe what he added: In the promises. For those first ones have no promises and recompenses, since they are withdrawals from evils, not workings of good things; and there is no reward for one who merely abstains from evil. But this one, since it has a working of good, was the first also to receive a promise. And the ordering is marvelous. For when the lawgiver had led men away from wicked deeds, being about to bring them into the working of good things, he ordained first the honor toward parents. For since they, after God, are our first benefactors, as being the cause of our living, with reason would they be the first to enjoy our fruits.

³ That it may be well with you, and that you may be long-lived upon the earth. Observe how he does not here say long and many things, inasmuch as children are not able to follow a long discourse. Besides, the husband and the wife having been ordered according to the laws which he set down before, it is no great labor to bring the little ones into subjection. But neither does he discourse about the kingdom, or about any of the lofty things; rather, the things which a childlike soul most seeks to hear, these he sets down; for his word is toward children. And what is sweeter to children than to be long-lived? Since to the Jews also, as to children, these things were given as law, they not being able to hear more perfect things.

⁴ And you fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. He did not say, Love them—this nature demands of them even against their will; but, Do not provoke them to anger; that is, Do not make them disinherited and disowned, nor lie heavily upon them, treating them not as free but as slaves, and be ever harsh toward them.

⁵ But bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord. He leads back to the source and cause of subjection, and shows fathers how they will make their children obedient. For if you wish, he says, that your children obey you, bring them up in the divine words; and do not say that to read the divine Scriptures belongs to monks. For this belongs to every Christian, and most of all to those in the world, inasmuch as they have need of greater help, as being in a tempest. So that it is for your own sake that they hear the Scripture; for from there they will learn: Honor your father and your mother. And then—with Greek learning you bring up your child together, from which he is taught all the worst things, but with the things of God no longer?

⁶ Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh. Since the virtue of household servants also contributes to the establishment of the household, neither does he neglect this part; but he comes to this too last, since it is also last in rank. And no longer does he discourse with these as with infant children, but as with grown ones, as we shall show as we proceed. And by masters according to the flesh he means the temporary ones. For at once he consoles them, having pointed out that the servitude is temporary, and dissolved together with the flesh.

⁷ With fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ. In the case of the woman he said simply, That she fear her husband; but here with intensity. For trembling is an intensification of fear. For the woman is of equal honor with the man, and free; but servants are not of the same honor. For even if they are brethren according to Christ, yet since he commands even the free to be subject to one another, and the woman to the man, much more the servants to the masters. For neither is the matter a low birth, but rather the first nobility—to know how to be moderate, and to yield to one’s neighbor. But since many fear their masters, yet not out of good will, but, whenever they go unnoticed, plot against them and do them mischief, for this reason he adds: In singleness of heart, doing away with the mischief.

⁸ Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers. That is, not only when the masters are present and watching, but also when they are absent, so serve them.

⁹ But as servants of Christ. The man-pleaser is not a servant of Christ, just as he also says elsewhere: If I pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

¹⁰ Doing the will of God from the soul, with good will. Since it is possible to serve in singleness of heart and without guile, yet not with all one’s power, but to do only the appointed task, for this reason he now adds, From the soul, that is, from all one’s power and eagerness; but also, With good will, that is, with full acceptance, and of one’s own choosing, not from constraint. Thus also the low birth of servitude is taken away, if the servants do what is good willingly, and do not wait for compulsion and lashes. And the will of God is either to be subject (for this God wills, good order), or that, In those things be subject, you servants, to your masters, in which God wills. For it may happen—just as was said also concerning children—that the masters force toward certain shameful things, or toward impiety, which are not of the divine will.

¹¹ Serving as to the Lord, and not to men. For he himself takes upon himself the good will shown toward the masters, as having also legislated good order; and the one who does not serve these as he ought sets himself against the divine law.

¹² Knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he shall receive from the Lord, whether servant or free. Since it was likely that many masters, being Greeks and unbelievers, would do no good to the servants who served well, he says that, Even if you do not receive your recompenses from the master according to the flesh, expect them from the Master of all. And here he showed that he discourses with them as with more perfect ones, and not as with children. For to those he held out length of life upon earth, but these he sent forward to the age to come.

¹³ And you masters, do the same things toward them. — The same things. What things? Serve with good will, and not as men-pleasers, but with fear and trembling—the fear, that is, toward God. For even if he did not say it word for word, nevertheless this is what he wishes. For the master too serves the servant, taking thought for him, and supplying all that is needful, and, in a word, bearing with him, and condescending to him, and, as Solomon says, accommodating himself. For hear also what follows:

¹⁴ Forbearing threatening. He did not say, Forbearing the lash, but, Even the threatening itself. Much more, then, the punishment; that is, Do not appear oppressive even in your threats.

¹⁵ Knowing that your own Master also is in the heavens. Observe how he strikes fear. For with what measure, he says, you measured, it shall be measured back to you; lest you too hear: Wicked servant, I forgave you all the debt; ought not you also to have had mercy on your fellow servant?

¹⁶ And there is no respect of persons with him. Do not suppose, he says, that if you are harsh to the servant, you will not be examined by God because of the meanness of his person. For these are matters of the outward laws, which know distinctions of high birth and of servitude; for they are laws of men. But here it is not so; rather, you yourself also are a servant of the same Master, even while you act severely toward a fellow servant; since neither did God make servitude from the beginning, but covetousness, as in the case of the captives; and the insolence toward fathers, as in the case of Canaan. Yet even if it did not come to be by God, nevertheless God legislates the subjection, for the sake of good order, and that life may not be full of bloodshed.

¹⁷ Finally, my brethren, be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of his strength. A camp is the household of each one; having therefore arranged all the authorities, he thus leads out to war. For indeed, when each one does not overstep his own order, then the affairs of the war also will be well disposed. But since he enjoined many things that seemed hard to accomplish, Do not be afraid, he says, but take courage in the power of the Lord. For there is not strength simply with him, but might of strength—that is, he has unspeakable strength, and one that prevails over all things.

¹⁸ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. What the whole armor is, he will teach a little later. But observe how he did not say, Battles, nor, Wars, but, Wiles. For a wile is to deceive and to take by a contrivance. For the enemy does not set forth sins openly; for instance, he does not openly urge to idolatry, but contrives it otherwise by wiles—that is, making his argument plausible, and using a covering. And by showing the adversary to be terrible and manifold, he rouses them and prepares them to be watchful.

¹⁹ For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh. And this too he says not to terrify, but to make them more attentive. For he who relates the power of the enemy makes his own people more secure. We do not have it, he says, against ordinary foes, nor against men of like passions with us and of equal power.

²⁰ But against the principalities, against the powers. Just as God has principalities and powers, so also the boastful tyrant made for himself such orders.

²¹ Against the world-rulers. Not those who rule the world, that is, the creation; but Scripture knows how to call wicked deeds “world,” and those who pursue them, as in the saying, You are not of the world, that is, of those who pursue wicked things. Over these, then, the demons rule, men having of their own will been enslaved to them.

²² Of the darkness of this age. By “darkness” he means wickedness, which appears and subsists in this present age; but beyond it, it goes no further.

²³ Against the spiritual hosts of wickedness. These same he calls the demons. For since the angels too are spirit, he added, of wickedness; for those others are spirits of goodness and of light. And having said that we war not against blood and flesh, he draws the contrast, and says that, Rather, against nimble, and unconquered, and hard-to-capture foes do we fight.

²⁴ In the heavenly places. For this reason again he rouses the hearer. For the danger is concerning great things, he says, not concerning earthly and perishable things, but the heavenly ones. For the in stands in place of for, and means also because of; as if he said: It is because of the heavenly things that we war, and for this reason we must be watchful.

²⁵ For this reason take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. That is, in the present age; for this he calls an evil day, from the evils that come to pass in it. And he consoles them also by showing that the time of the war is short. For by saying “day,” he made plain its shortness.

²⁶ And having accomplished all things, to stand. Having worked down all the passions, and the inordinate desires—that is, having fought them down, having pulled them down. But since many, after conquering, have fallen, he says, To stand. For after the victory there is need of a standing, lest the one conquered fight again. For if we grow slack, the slain enemy will assuredly revive. But observe that it is possible to accomplish and to stand, and that we ought no longer to be slack, making the excuse that the enemies are strong. For we have indeed been strengthened, and have been taught such an art that we are able even to wrestle with demons; or rather, not even to wrestle, but so to be terrible to the demons, through the power of him who dwells in us, that we have no need even of wrestling, but tread upon serpents and scorpions. And Paul says these things, since there were many who set themselves against them, teaching that the demons war against us through these men as their go-betweens. So that—do not be angry with men, but be severe toward the demons.

²⁷ Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth. In matters of tactics the first thing is to know how to stand well; for this reason Paul gives counsel about the standing first, requiring a stance that is well-ordered, and befitting soldiers, and upright. For he who in truth stands has stood upright, not leaning; whereas the one who does not stand is not even upright—for instance, the lustful, the money-loving, the luxurious do not stand upright, but are bent down. And after the standing, he girds the soldier in a wholly spiritual sense, and binds fast the one who runs loose and is slackened by desires, restraining him by means of the belt. And by “loins” he here means the vigorous power of the soul that bears up the whole. For as the keel is in ships, so also in the living creature are the loins, like a kind of foundation. Whence also, when we are often weary, placing our hands upon them we bear ourselves up. So it is also with the spiritual loins, which he commands us to gird with truth—both that according to doctrines, and that according to life. For none of the heretics is girded with truth, but they are dragged down along the earth, able to conceive nothing lofty, but examining the things of God by human reasonings that are dragged down below. And those too who stumble in their manner of life, and give heed to the deceit of the world, neither are these girded with truth, but, slackened downward, they gape after falsehoods. But it is not right that we be so; rather, we must pursue all things in truth—whether it be a doctrine, to seek the truth, and whether it be life, likewise. But also that we be without hypocrisy and without guile, and not lie to one another. If we are so girded, we shall be able also to run. And by the being girded he signifies that we must ever be armed, as David also says: Like a girdle with which he is girded continually; for we are ever at war. And Gregory the Theologian understands our “loins” to be the desiring faculty (for in the loins are the kidneys, which are a symbol of the desiring faculty in the Scripture), and “truth” to be the contemplative faculty. He says, then, that Paul counsels us to bind fast all our desire by the contemplation and comprehension of God. For he who contemplates God, and delights in him as in one truly to be loved, would not allow his desire to be slackened downward and dragged about earthly things.

²⁸ And having put on the breastplate of righteousness. By “righteousness” he here means the wholly virtuous life, as if saying: Having taken to your bosom the things that are just. For as the breastplate keeps the man unwounded, so also does righteousness the one who has taken it to his bosom.

²⁹ And having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Well does he put greaves upon us. Or at least he means this, that we must be ready to bring good news and to preach, For beautiful, he says, are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace. Or that we must be ready for our departure, living according to the Gospel. For the feet are a symbol of one’s life; wherefore he also says, See how carefully you walk. And the preparation of the Gospel is good deeds, to which the Lord also gives heed, according to the saying, To the preparation of their hearts your ear has given heed. And well did he say, Of peace. For since he made mention of war and battle, he shows that we must have the war against demons, not against men; for the Gospel is of peace; and that if we fight against the demons, we are at peace with God, against whom we must not again make war by dissolving the peace. But it is also good news—the victory has already come to pass; let us not, then, be afraid.

³⁰ Above all, having taken up the shield of faith. This is the meaning of Above all—in place of, with truth and righteousness, and the preparation of the Gospel; for all these have need of faith. And he does not here call faith the knowledge of the true religion, but the unwavering faith, the one that makes us believe in the things to come as though present, the one that also accomplishes the signs, and is so fervent and warm as even to remove mountains. As, then, the shield, that is, the buckler, is held before the whole body, like a kind of door guarding and enclosing it, so also the unwavering faith is a guard of the whole soul. And faith is a shield, not subtleties. The shield shelters, but those things entangle.

³¹ With which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. That is, the inordinate desires, the reasonings of unbelief (such as, Is there indeed a resurrection? is there a judgment?), and the temptations. And “fiery,” not only because the desires set ablaze, kindling toward shameful deeds, but because by them we are already burned even in the conscience. And through the reasonings of unbelief, too, the devil inflames us, and through the temptations. Faith, then, quenches these; for if it subjects demons, much more the passions. For whether desire sets you aflame, by believing in the good things to come, and in the gladness to come, you will quench it; or whether temptations, by believing in the things to come, you will be comforted. Consider how Abraham was inflamed, when he offered his son, but faith quenched the flame.

³² And receive the helmet of salvation. That is, the one that saves and guards. For if we have faith, that is, the one that saves and guards us, we shall quickly receive also the saving reasonings, guarding our head, that is, the governing faculty.

³³ And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. By the things said above Paul armed them, so that they might not be harmed by the enemies; but now he gives weapons by which they themselves may rather have strength to harm the enemies. Either, then, he calls the Spirit itself a sword of the Spirit by a periphrasis, or he means the spiritual manner of life, by which the head of the dragon is cut off. And this spiritual sword is the word of God, that is, a command. For if we do his commands, we shall slay the crooked serpent, as Isaiah says. Or the word of God is the saying, In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, rise up and walk, and the like. Or simply a sword of the Spirit, the wisdom that is in the Spirit. For living is the word of God, and active, and sharper than any sword; and he who has the gift of this spiritual sword, and speaks the things of God, is irresistible—such as this very Paul himself.

³⁴ Through all prayer and supplication, praying at all times in the Spirit. Having armed them, he now leads them also to the King, so as to entreat him to stretch out a hand. For since he said, You shall be able to quench, lest they be puffed up, he says that, You have need of God, and you will set all aright together with the things spoken—and praying, not simply, but, Through all prayer and supplication: that with weeping, that with beating of the breast, that with bending of the knees, and the like. But also not at fixed hours, but, At all times; and, in the Spirit, that is, asking for spiritual things, nothing worldly. And by saying, Praying through all prayer, he hinted that it is possible even to be making a prayer and not to be praying, whenever one is slack.

³⁵ And watching unto this very thing. Whether he here means the all-night vigils, or the watchfulness of the soul, both are admissible. For he who is armed, who stands before the King, must be sober.

³⁶ With all perseverance and supplication. As the Canaanite woman, as the widow, as Anna. For this is truly prayer—the one with perseverance.

³⁷ For all the saints, and for me. So then, one ought not to pray for oneself alone. And observe his humility; for he sets himself last, and asks for the prayer of the disciples, and that too while girded with chains for Christ’s sake. For Peter too was girded with chains, but earnest prayer was made for him by the Church.

³⁸ That utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth. So then, he did not rehearse what he said, but, just as Christ said, Take no thought what you shall speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you shall speak; so he too, opening his mouth, conveyed across the things supplied from God, thus accomplishing all things by divine grace. From this you will understand the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

³⁹ To make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in a chain, that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. That is, That I may make my defense as I ought, with boldness and courage and much understanding. But to whom are you an ambassador? To men, that I may reconcile them to God; but these men bound me, although the law forbids that ambassadors should suffer any harm. The chain, then, was put upon me, that it might stop the mouth of my boldness; but your prayer will open my mouth, that I may speak boldly, and say all that he who sent me as an ambassador commanded me. Do you see boldness as the sword of the word of God, which Paul was about to speak in the opening of his mouth?

⁴⁰ But that you also may know my affairs, what I am doing, Tychicus shall make all things known to you, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord. The things that were of doctrine and exhortation he himself made plain through the Epistle; but since he made mention of his bonds, he does not dwell on the words concerning these, but leaves it also to Tychicus to discourse something about him, that the presence of the brother might not be useless. If, then, he is beloved, he knows all things; if faithful, he will not lie. And he is a minister in the Lord, that is, ministering for God’s sake, and in divine things, not for anything worldly, nor in any of the earthly things; or, the brother in the Lord, that is, the spiritual brother.

⁴¹ Whom I have sent to you for this very thing, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. Saint John read it thus: That you may know our affairs; that is, that he may report to you the things concerning me, and may not let you fall down on my behalf, as though I were in dire straits and wearing a chain. And this makes plain the love—both his toward them, and theirs toward him.[1]

⁴² Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. He prays for them peace and the love that is with faith. And this is of such a kind, either that they should not love the heterodox, but only the faithful; or that they ought also to have faith, so as to take courage concerning the things to come. For apart from faith love profits nothing—or rather, neither could love come to be apart from faith. This is what he meant by “peace,” and the love that is with faith. And teaching how this might come to be, he added that it is through love. And how is love? If we have faith.

⁴³ Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption. Amen. Here he divided peace from grace, setting both apart by themselves, although everywhere he joins them. And the words In incorruption mean either in decorum, or that those who love Christ do so not in wealth or in glory, but in the incorruptible things—that is, for the sake of the incorruptible things; or that he who loves Christ loves him through virtue. For sin is corruption, but virtue incorruption. For as we say that the virgin is corrupted, so also the soul; wherefore Paul also says, Lest somehow, he says, your minds be corrupted; and, Corrupted in mind. May it come to pass, then, that we too show our love toward Christ, both through decorum of life, and through seeking those incorruptible good things; and, in a word, through the whole virtuous manner of life, which keeps the soul incorruptible, not being corrupted in pursuits and lawless deeds, in Christ himself, the incorruptible bridegroom of the virgin and undefiled souls. To whom be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.