Ephesians 1:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Nevertheless, one must thank God for all that He has done for the human race, both before this and after it. One must also thank Him for the faith of believers.

“Having heard,” he says, “of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love toward all the saints.” Everywhere he joins and brings together faith and love as a wondrous pair.

He speaks of their love not only toward their fellow countrymen, but toward all Christians.

“Having heard,” he says, “of your faith in Christ Jesus.” And not only of faith, but also of love, that is, of a merciful and brother-loving disposition.

It is even a love for mankind, since it extends to all, not only to the local saints, that is, to poor believers.

Everywhere he joins love with faith, since love gives birth to a virtuous life. Without it, faith is useless, faith without works and life. Likewise, life is useless without faith.

“Remembering you in my prayers.” Notice how many he has in his mind, and how many he remembered in his prayers. But we do not even remember ourselves as we ought.

The further words, “and enlightened the eyes of your heart” (cf. Eph 1:18), may be rendered by transposition in this way.

Seeing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in the knowledge of Him, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to pray for you.

I make supplication for you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (cf. Eph 1:17).

Then, “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father of glory” must be understood in this way.

As our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the Word, Wisdom, Truth, Peace, Righteousness, and Power, so also He is Glory.

This accords with what is said elsewhere: “And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people” (Lev 9:23).

In almost the whole Old Testament it was written that the Glory of God was seen over the people (Num 9). And again: “Arise, my glory, arise!” (Is 6:3).

This Glory, sanctifying the world by its radiance, was fashioned by God as a temple from a virginal body.

Where Christ is Glory, there alone is He called Father. Where He is Jesus, God names Him without any addition.

In the Synodal rendering: “the whole earth is full of His glory!”

By choosing and establishing such a reading for all such occasions, Christ’s Church, our universal nurturer and teacher, wishes to express the following thought.

The highest and final goal of every form of learning must be the knowledge of the Lord God, drawing near to Him, and the striving of the human spirit toward that unearthly realm.

There, a truly rational and blessed life awaits man in communion with the source of all knowledge, the Lord God, glorified in the Trinity.

All other goals are lower and subordinate. The Church does not bless any science or instruction that forgets this highest goal of its own.

Nor does she in any way take it under her protection.

Concerning the naming of the Father as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Blessed Theodoret observes: “The Apostle called one and the same One both God and Father of Jesus Christ.

He is His God as man, and His Father as God. After the Incarnation, the God-man could not fail to know Himself as man, while being God at the same time.”

Concerning the naming of God as the Father of glory, Bishop Theophan says that this Eastern expression means “most glorious, glory itself.”

Taken together with what precedes, it will mean: “the God of our Lord, most glorious, exceedingly great, unbounded, and ineffable in His perfections.

For the glory of God is the fullness of divine majesty” (cf. Acts 7:2; Ps 23:7).

According to John Chrysostom, “The Apostle cannot find a word that could fully depict the blessings prepared by God.

Everywhere he calls them glory, as a word that signifies for us every kind of greatness.”

Explaining why the Apostle prayed for the gift of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the Ephesians, the same father says: “To understand spiritual things and see hidden things, spiritual wisdom is needed.

The Spirit reveals all things and explains the very mysteries of God. The vision of the mysteries of God belongs to the Spirit alone, Who searches even the depths of God (1 Cor 2:10).

Neither angel, nor archangel, nor any other created power will bestow this gift.”

“Whose word, for example, can set forth the glory of which the saints will one day be deemed worthy?

To understand this, the human mind truly needs grace. It needs to receive at least a ray of spiritual light.”

“In the work of conversion to faith, divine power is also needed. To awaken faith in souls is much harder than to raise the dead.

The reason is that God desires us to become good voluntarily. Thus the Apostle rightly sees the surpassing greatness of God’s power in us who believe.

When the prophets accomplished nothing, and when angels and archangels proved unable to help mankind’s salvation, then God Himself was well pleased to appear.

By this He showed that divine power is needed in the work of conversion to faith.”

He prays that the Spirit of God received by the believing Ephesians may act among them chiefly as the Spirit of constantly manifested wisdom, σοφίας.

He also prays that He may act as the Spirit of revelation, άποχαλύψεως, which comes at times and gives the Christian the guidance needed in various circumstances.

The actions of this Spirit must concern the knowledge of God, εν έπιγνώσει αύτοΰ. That is, the Spirit must enlighten us in all that concerns God’s divine economy for our salvation and God’s relation to us.

The Apostle knew of the faith and goodness of the Ephesians' character, having lived with them so long. When he says, "having heard," he makes known that since he had been separated from them, they had not only remained unchanged, but had preserved what had been sown in them and were advancing in it. They were building their salvation on it as on a firm foundation.

Blessed Theodoret writes: "From this, that he said 'having heard,' some concluded that the Apostle wrote this epistle without yet having seen the Ephesians. But one must know that he also wrote an epistle to the Corinthians after hearing something unpleasant about them. For he says: 'It has been reported to me concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are divisions among you' (1 Cor 1:11). Therefore, as there he writes with sorrow after learning something unpleasant, so here, having heard something joyful about the Ephesians, he composes praise for them."

Hearing of the good condition of the Ephesians and foreseeing what they will be deemed worthy of for this, the Apostle rejoices with them and counts their good as his own. Therefore he thanks God. This is his apostolic spirit. His apostolic heart, caring fatherly for those converted, moved him to this.

"There was nothing comparable to the Apostle's tender compassion," says Saint Chrysostom, "nothing like that participation and tender love with which blessed Paul was filled. In all his prayers he remembered whole cities and peoples. 'I thank God for you, making mention of you in my prayers.' Thus he usually wrote to all. Imagine, then, how many he had in his thought. Even to remember them was difficult, so many were those for whom he prayed, thanking God for all, as though he himself had received the greatest benefits which they had received."

So too everyone must thank God for others when seeing their progress in faith and love. One must thank God for their spiritual perfection, and not envy them, seeing in their perfection the glory of the Church. But over the scarcity of such people one must grieve and be contrite. One must pray to God that they may not decrease in the Church, but multiply, so that those strong in faith, knowledgeable in the faith, and active according to faith may always predominate in her.

"Making mention of you in my prayers." Every time I pray, I remember you. Every time I remember you, I thank God for you, because He has given you to believe and to live according to faith, so that both here and in the future life you may be partakers of all the blessings in the Lord.

But for one thing the Apostle gives thanks, and for another he asks. What exactly he asks is set forth in the following verses: that God would lead them more deeply into the contemplation of the mysteries of salvation in the Lord.

Yet thanksgiving alone is already a petition. The one who gives thanks values the gift. The one who values the gift will use it as he should. The one who knows how to use gifts disposes the Giver to pour out still more mercies upon him.

One can limit the whole prayer to thanksgiving, in the faith that both what is given and what is not given are all according to God's good pleasure toward us. He alone knows that it is good to give one thing and better not to give another.

Such a man stands reverently before the bountiful Giver, always in thankful feelings, because there is no moment when we are not enjoying His mercies. He does not dare to ask for more, not intruding into the mysteries of God's good pleasure toward us. So it is with regard to oneself.

To express good wishes for others and to pray to the Lord for them is not out of place even with such a disposition. This is the fruit of love and stirs up God's love. For this reason it is quickly heard and fruitful.

Yet let this also be known: the one who asks for others does not become the cause of the gift, but only a fellow-helper of it. The gift is still wholly from God's good pleasure and is conditioned by the proper disposition of those who receive it. When there is no receptacle in them, all heaven will not obtain anything for them by prayer. There is nothing into which the requested gift can be placed. Even apart from this, God desires every good thing for all. If not all have it, this is no longer from Him.