The Ancient Witnesses

242 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

Mentor: Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh…

Chrysostom: Observe the gentleness of Paul, how on all occasions he encouraged the hearer, not bearing too hard upon him, since men are put to shame when their former misdeeds are brought forward, though they are now cancelled. 25 Marius Victorinus: By saying we all once lived that way, the apostle included himself in this, so as not to hurt the Ephesians’ feelings, since he had told them “you were dead in trespasses…” 26 Ambrosiaster: But the Apostle lived a clean life because

he acted according to the righteousness of the law without any problem. It is because he persecuted the faith of Christ that he says “we all lived in the passions of our flesh.” Good works and purity are of no use to anyone who is an unbeliever, because his unbelief taints everything else. 27

25 Paraphrase of Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians , Homily IV (NPNF I.13, 65).

26 Marius Victorinus, Commentary on the Letter to the Ephesians , Book 1, 2:3. Published in Stephen Andrew Cooper, Metaphysics and Morals in Marius Victorinus’ Commentary on the Letter to the Ephesians (New York: Peter Lang, 1995), 64.

27 Paraphrase of Gerald Bray, Ambrosiaster, Ancient Christian Texts, page 39.