Ephesians 2:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

With this in mind, the Apostle says, "Remember." What must they remember? That we were created for good works. This is enough to move us to care for virtue.

"Remember," because such remembrance can make us grateful to the Benefactor. "That you, once Gentiles." Notice how the Apostle casts down the advantages in which the Jews took pride, and how he marvels at the deficiencies of the Gentiles.

Yet those deficiencies did not make salvation in Christ impossible for them. From the manner of life and conduct of both, he draws exhortations for both.

"Who were called uncircumcised." The honor was only in words, and the advantage from circumcision applied only to the flesh, because neither uncircumcision nor circumcision means anything.

"By what is called," he continues, "circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that at that time you were without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and godless in the world."

Only the Jews call you by that name, uncircumcision. But why, when he intends to show that the Gentiles were benefited by sharing with the Jews, does the Apostle not lower the dignity of the latter, but rather exalt it?

Those qualities of the Jews that remained necessary for them and for Christians from the Gentiles he exalts. Those things which Gentile converts to Christianity could lack, he lowers. Therefore he says further, "fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph 2:19).

See how he does not demean them. This, he says, is indifferent. Do not think, he says, that there is any difference because you did not receive circumcision and remain in uncircumcision.

Therefore, when the one who believes in Christ Jesus and confesses that He is Lord is justified as one who has known the true God, how then is the Son not God by nature? And being such, how can He also be a creature?

A third class are those circumcised only according to the flesh, while their spirit is uncircumcised. To them the prophet says: Be circumcised before your God, and do not circumcise only your foreskin (Jer 4:4). In another place he says: "All the Gentiles are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart" (Jer 9:26).

The last are those of whom he is now speaking: you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who were called uncircumcision by those called circumcision, a circumcision in the flesh made by hands. Such now is the whole multitude of believers and the whole world filled with Gentiles.

"Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision in the flesh, made by hand, were at that time without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."

Calling the Ephesians Gentiles according to the flesh, he shows that they were not Gentiles according to the spirit, unlike the Jews, who conversely were Gentiles according to the spirit and Israelites according to the flesh.

Therefore Jews and Gentiles are divided into four classes. Some were circumcised both according to the flesh and according to the spirit. Such were Moses, Aaron, the Apostles, and Nathanael. Seeing his hidden Jewishness, the Lord says: "Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit" (Jn 1:47).

Others are those who were circumcised neither according to the flesh nor according to the spirit. Such were Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh, and now the great multitude of Roman and barbarian peoples who do not believe in God.

A third class are those circumcised only according to the flesh, while their spirit is uncircumcised. To them the prophet says: Be circumcised before your God, and do not circumcise only your foreskin (Jer 4:4). In another place he says: "All the Gentiles are uncircumcised in the flesh, and the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart" (Jer 9:26).

The last are those of whom he is now speaking: "that you were once Gentiles in the flesh, called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision in the flesh, made by hand." Such now is the whole multitude of believers and the whole world filled with Gentiles.

Thus, to distinguish them from the Gentiles according to the spirit among the Jews, the Ephesians are called Gentiles according to the flesh, because according to the spirit they were Israelites. In another place Scripture also mentions fleshly Israel, saying: "Consider Israel according to the flesh" (1 Cor 10:18), because according to the spirit it was not Israel.

But the Apostle skillfully moderated his words in this way: "who were called uncircumcision," he says, "by what is called circumcision, made by hand," and not, "who were." It was not because it was truly circumcision, but because it had appropriated this name to itself. In reality it was circumcision made by hand, not circumcision according to the spirit.

At the same time, one must observe that we, who were once without Christ, are said by him to have been alienated from intercourse with Israel and excluded from the promises and covenant of God. Since we have now received His promise and covenant, we are already called those who have intercourse with Israel.

In this way all the requirements of the law have been fulfilled in us, for the law is spiritual. We are chiefly circumcised and keep Sabbath in the spirit, offering spiritual sacrifices, since their temple and altar have been destroyed.

From our fruits we bring tithes to God. We slaughter the spotless Lamb and, with our loins girded, eat the Passover wholly ready for the journey. As circumcision in the flesh is called made by hand, so by contrast another circumcision is shown, which, as we have said, is not made by hand but by the spirit.

His words, "having no hope and without God in the world," do not mean that the Ephesians, before they believed in Christ, did not have many gods whom they worshiped. Rather, they mean that if someone exists without the true God, he has no god at all.

The phrase "without God in the world" is added with significance. They had the God whom, as God foreknew, they would have. Before the face of Him who foresees, they were not without God. But in the world they were without God.

Eph 2:11-12. First the Apostle shows the Ephesians how far away they had been. "Remember," he says, "that you, once uncircumcised Gentiles in the flesh, were without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope of salvation, and godless in the world." For Diana and Jupiter are not gods.

These very godless ones, having no lofty hopes and no bright expectations, as wholly estranged from God, He called and made His own. Is this not the manifest infinite good pleasure of God, worthy of eternal glory?

According to John Chrysostom, the Apostle speaks as if saying: "Do not think there is any important difference because you did not receive circumcision and remain in uncircumcision. This is not the strange thing. The strange thing is to be without Christ, to be alienated from the life of Israel, to be outside the covenant of promise, to have no hope, and to be godless in the world, as you Gentiles indeed were. This is strange."

According to Bishop Theophan, "St. Paul feared that the Gentiles, taking advantage of their number in the Church, might begin to treat the Jews contemptuously. Therefore he commands them to remember what they had been according to God's order in the dispensation of salvation. In every way he tried to smooth away the unevenness between Jews and Gentiles, so that through the union of all in Christ he might fill all with one brotherly spirit."

By remembering this, they would not exalt themselves over the Jews or estrange themselves from them. When addressing the Jews where necessary, he reminds them that they did indeed have advantages, but only for a time. Now all that is no longer decisive.

In every way he tried to smooth away the unevenness between Jews and Gentiles, so that he might fill all with one brotherly spirit through the union of all in Christ.

"That you, who once were Gentiles." The thought of the remaining words of verse 11 is simple: you were uncircumcised, if one sets you in relation to the circumcised Jews.

Why did the holy Apostle choose to use such a circumlocution? Because circumcision served as the door to participation in the promises of the people of God. Since he intends to show what the Gentiles lacked when estranged from the Jews, he points to the starting point of division between them: circumcision and uncircumcision.

Yet by the words, "called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision," he also gives us to understand that this distinction was not, and still less now is, anything essential. It is an outward sign.

The Jews kept aloof from the Gentiles as uncircumcised, regarding them thereby as unclean and rejected by God. For this very reason the Gentiles looked unfavorably on the Jews. Even when they sometimes agreed to believe in the God of Israel, they could not be reconciled to circumcision.

The Apostle now impresses on them, perhaps with the intention of humbling the Jews also, that the uncircumcision called so by the so-called circumcision is not so important if viewed outwardly. What is important is what was joined to it. Very painful privations were bound up with it.

"You who once were Gentiles in the flesh." Blessed Theodoret connects "in the flesh" with "called uncircumcision in the flesh," and places a pause after "Gentiles." The thought is that "circumcision belongs to the flesh, and uncircumcision likewise belongs to the flesh."

"Called uncircumcision." "Circumcision and uncircumcision are a bodily idiom, that is, a distinguishing mark. What is bodily is not essential; therefore he said, 'called'" (St. Damascene).

"By what is called circumcision." "The honor was only in words, and the advantage from circumcision applied only to the flesh, because neither uncircumcision nor circumcision means anything any longer" (St. Chrysostom).

"Made by hands in the flesh." Circumcision was done by another's hands and went no farther than the flesh. Even with it, the heart remained uncircumcised. Therefore, outwardly considered, it added nothing and took nothing away in the spiritual sense.

"The Apostle knew the true circumcision, in which impure desires entering the heart are cut away. But if this is true circumcision, then true uncircumcision will be impurity of heart" (St. Damascene).