"But let the woman fear the man." If fear of punishment in God prevents one from being perfect, how much more imperfect will a woman be who fears not only God, but also her husband? It must therefore be asked whether the woman in question is to be understood purely in a physical sense, and whether her fear concerns her husband. Often, wives are much better than their husbands, and they give orders, manage the household, raise children, and maintain discipline in the family, whereas the husbands indulge in luxuries and visit prostitutes. Whether their husbands should reign over them or fear them, the reader may decide. If, as we said before, the wife is taken allegorically to represent the body and the husband, the soul, it is not incongruous to fear her as a handmaid to the husband, placed in a lower and inferior position. For, as Crispus says, we make more use of the control of the soul than the servitude of the body. Now whoever follows the simple interpretation of the woman and her husband will show that there are two meanings in the word fear. And one of them, about which John says, "He who fears has punishment and he who fears is not perfect" (I John 4:18), tells us that even the servants have the spirit of servitude in fear, which is demanded by the Lord saying to them, "And if I am a father, where is my glory? And if I am a lord, where is my fear?" (Malachi 1:6). The other, called εὐλάβεια by philosophers, and which can be called "reverence" by us, although it does not fully sound like it, is also known by the prophets as the fear of the perfect, in the thirty-third psalm, saying, "There is no lack for those who fear Him" (Psalm 33:9). Therefore, in this case, the woman should be commanded to have plain fear, that she may fear, that is, reverence her husband.
6:1
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth." It is ambiguous whether children should obey their parents in the Lord or whether children should obey their parents who are in the Lord. Both should be done so that we obey and do whatever is commanded by our parents who have begotten us in the Lord, such as Paul and the apostles, and also obey our parents who have given birth to us according to the flesh in the Lord, fulfilling whatever is not contrary to the will of God. And at the same time, we will constrain heretics who do not wish to accept the Old Testament as the good God's, whose son is Christ. The Apostle Christ, the son of the good God, uses the Scripture of the Creator and presumes the obedience of the sons of the Old Law. This testimony taken from Exodus is woven thus: "Honor your father and your mother, so that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth, which the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12): from which he has now removed the last words, which is the fifth commandment of the Decalogue. Hence, one must wonder why he now says, "which is the first commandment:" since the first commandment is "You shall not have other gods beside me". Therefore, some read it as, "which is the first commandment with a promise," as if the other four commandments before it had no promises, and this alone had a promise attached to it, "so that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth which the Lord your God is giving you." But it seems to me that they did not observe subtly, and in the second commandment, there is also a promise associated with it. For it says: "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments" (Exodus 4:5). For observe that these are the words of the promise: 'Doing mercy to thousands of those who love me, and keep my commandments'. Perhaps therefore, since the Decalogue was given to the people who were leaving Egypt, the first law given, each commandment of the Decalogue is to be called the first commandment in comparison with those precepts which were afterwards written in the law. But he who tries to hold the higher explanation, in that which he distinguished as 'which is the first commandment in the promise', will say that the commandment 'Honor your father and your mother' is to be considered separately; and later, the promise put in its place, 'that you may be long-lived upon the land which the Lord your God will give you.' But in this commandment, that is 'You shall not make to yourself an idol, nor any likeness', not separately, but under one text and speech, not so much a promise given as a sentence ending in the praises of God, who does mercy to thousands of those who love Him, and keep His commandments. Again, he who contends that the whole commandments of the Decalogue are the first commandment, he will show that the promise in which it is written, 'that you may be long-lived upon the land which the Lord your God will give you,' not only pertains to those who obey their parents but also to countless other precepts; and he will be obliged to repeat all the commandments in which this reward and prize are promised, that they may be long-lived upon the land which the Lord their God has given them. From which, a different interpreter must demand, that he teaches that those things which were spoken by him before this commandment are written commandments. But if he cannot prove it, he will remember in vain and in other precepts that this promise is attached. After this, it must be retracted that, for the honor of father and mother, this promise is not Judaic and carnal, that the sons may be long-lived upon the land which the Lord their God has given them. For many are to be believed who have quickly died, obedient to their parents, as well as those who have come to extreme old age and yet have been impious towards their parents. For let the Jews and similar to the Jews answer, if the length of this life is in promises, and to remain long in the body is happiness, what does that mean in the Psalms: "Woe is me, because my sojourn is prolonged! I have dwelt with those who dwell in Cedar" (Ps. 119:7). And this of Solomon in Ecclesiastes: "I praised" "all the dead who have already died, over the living who continue to live to the present day:" "and better than these is someone who has not yet been born and has not seen all the evil work that has been done under the sun" (Eccles. 4:2-3); and a little later: "Even if" "a person lives a hundred years, and survives many, and experiences many days of life, and his soul is filled with good, but he has no burial: I said that an untimely birth is better than he, for he comes in vain and in darkness his name will be covered: and yet he did not see the sun " (Ibid., 6), and the rest. For if the dead are praised over the living (and according to some who believe that before they descend into these bodies, the souls live in heaven, it is better to be two who have not yet been born, and all this life is a trial; and secondly Job: "The death of a man is rest" (Al. "of a man is rest": Job 3:13): and according to the same and Jeremiah, Cursed be the day in which we were born (Jer. 20:14), how is it now promised to those who honor their father and mother that they should be long-lived on earth, which the Lord God will give them? Therefore, the land that the Lord promises and gives to those who have left spiritual Egypt, and with all patience, have passed through the great and terrible desert of this life and have overcome great kings, who were struck down by the Lord, must be sought. And they passed through Judaea, which flows with milk and honey, and, under the leadership of Jesus, when Jericho fell and Hai, which means "the abyss," was devastated, they came to Jerusalem, and a temple was built for them under King Solomon, the peaceful one (Joshua 6:8), and they possessed the land that was prepared for the meek: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:4), which is truly the land of the living, as the Psalmist also says: "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living" (Ps. 26:13). The length of this life and wisdom are in the right hand, holding riches and glory in the left.
6:4
"And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in discipline and the instruction of the Lord." The sin of children is to not obey their parents, and because parents were capable of commanding something corrupt, he added "in the Lord." However, it is also a sin for parents to provoke their little and nursing children to anger, or at least to command what is heavy to those who are already adolescents and of more mature age. Therefore, just as obedience in children is shown as a reward for their submission, parents are commanded to exercise moderate authority in such a way that they do not think of themselves as masters, but rather as leaders of their children. And he is not content with just this commandment; he adds, "Bring them up in discipline and instruction of the Lord." We read that disciplinary action is better expressed in the Greek word "νουθεσία", which means "admonition" and "instruction" rather than severity. Let bishops and priests who are educating their children in secular learning and making them read comedies and sing indecent songs, all perhaps at the expense of the Church, read this, and let them be reminded that what a virgin or widow offered as a sacrifice for sin, pouring out all her substance, any poor man could give to his children for New Year's gifts, Saturnalia, or the Minervalia, or spend on his own household expenses, or give to the church, or waste away in shameful love affairs. The priest Eli himself was holy, but because he did not educate his sons in all discipline and correction, he fell on his back and died. He could not extend himself to the previous things, but fell backwards, and fell into an incurable opisthotonus, looking back at Sodom with Lot's wife. And certainly he had rebuked his sons, saying: "Why do you do these things that I hear about you, wicked things from all the people? Do not, my sons: for the reputation that I hear about you is not good." Of such fathers, Isaiah says in a tearful voice, "And the sons of foreigners were born to them." If this was commanded to the lay people of Ephesus and to most people, as it usually is in the life of this business, to educate their children in all discipline and admonition of the Lord, what should be considered of the priests, of whose order he wrote to Timothy, saying, "having children subject to him with all dignity"? And he also emphasizes and repeats the same thing to Titus: "having faithful children, not accused of debauchery, or disobedient." And as if the sins of children were imputed to their parents, inserting the celestial conjunction, he says; "For a bishop must be without crime, as God's steward." Therefore, a bishop is not without sin whose son is not obedient and accused of debauchery.
6:5-8
"Servants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, and with simplicity of heart, as if serving Christ; not just to be seen, as if pleasing everyone, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve with sincerity, as serving the Lord, and not people; knowing that each one, whether slave or free, will receive good from the Lord based on what they have done." The prophet speaks to Jerusalem, "Are you not afraid of mortals, and of the Son of Man?" (Isaiah 51); and Peter, in his epistle, says, "Do not fear their threats, but sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts" (1 Peter 3:14-15); and the Savior himself sings in agreement, "Do not fear those who can only kill the body, but fear him who can kill both body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28). Solomon also testifies to the same, "My son, honor the Lord and you will be strengthened; do not fear anyone else" (Proverbs 7). It seems that the apostle, in ordering servants to obey their earthly masters with fear and trembling, and instructing wives to fear their husbands, is prescribing different things. However, the simple response is that these instructions were not given to perfect servants or those who knew secrets of wisdom, but to those who had the beginnings of faith and needed more humble teachings. Another interpretation is that those who do not have a spirit of servitude should not be subject to this instruction to obey their earthly masters with fear and trembling, just as the same would be true for wives who are told to fear their husbands. Finally, a third interpretation is that fear is used here to mean reverence, as in the case of women, and is further emphasized by the addition of trembling to fear. For respect may be appropriate for a wife, so that, being respectful, she may fear her husband. But where there is trembling, fear will not produce respect, but fear. Therefore, it is necessary for servants to have fear of the Lord after fear, and, to distinguish from the spiritual Lord, the earthly master is now called. Therefore, if a servant believes in God and has not yet come to the height of knowledge, it is not inappropriate for him to serve an earthly master with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of his heart and to serve him faithfully as Christ. Not serving to please people, as those who seek to please people do, but to turn necessity into will and to make a reward out of servitude: especially since the master of the flesh does not command different things from the Spirit of the Lord. For this is what he says: "Not serving to please people, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God." But even faithfulness should not be forced upon the servant, but should be voluntary and from the heart: thus, serving his master as he would serve Christ, from whom he will receive the faithful reward of his servitude, no less than if he had served him willingly. At the same time, note that he has added different obediences for sons and servants. For to the sons he says, "Obey your parents in the Lord," but to the servants, "Obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling." So just as there is a difference of fear between a servant and a wife, so too obedience differs between sons and servants. And commanding servants to obey their masters, he added, "as if to Christ," and again, "as servants of Christ, doing the will of God," so that the servant may not hear the earthly master if he wants to command something contrary to God's precepts. And just as he had written to the Corinthians at one time (1 Cor. 7) so that divorces would not occur between husbands and wives because of faith in Christ, if one of the two wanted to believe, he established moderate rules for conditions to the Ephesians and Colossians because at the beginning of their faith, many thought that they were to despise their masters. This is so that serving does not seem to provoke masters and to teach masters to disobey them under no circumstances, even if they command sinful and abominable practices.
6:9
"And masters, do the same to them, remitting threats, knowing that both their and your Lord is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him regarding persons." What are these things that the servants were ordered to say to their masters? I believe they are what he had previously said: "with sincerity of heart," "doing the will of God," "from the heart," and "with faithfulness" or kindness towards the servants, because εὔνοια can mean both. For each will receive from the Lord what he has done, whether he is a slave or free, as it has been said, whether he has been enslaved or has been a master, as is fitting: so that he will not be fearsome or prompt to beatings, knowing that he too has a Lord in heaven, with whom there is no partiality of persons, and who alone judges the wills and prefers the better to the worse according to actions, not people.
6:10
"From now on, be strengthened by the Lord and by the power of His might." In Greek, "virtue" is expressed by "aretē" and "strength" by "ischyros," but in our Scriptures, the two terms are often used interchangeably as "virtus." This is likely because physical strength is often taken to be a sign of mental fortitude, which is also considered a kind of virtue. However, in philosophy, the idea of fortitude is more specifically linked to mental, rather than physical, strength. Therefore, when it is said "Be strengthened by the Lord, and by the power of His might," it is understood to refer to Christ and to all the virtues that can be attributed to Him, and those who believe in Him will be strengthened. This general instruction follows specific injunctions given to husbands and wives, fathers and sons, masters and servants, and is meant to prepare them all for the onslaught of the devil, about which he writes in the following text.
6:11
"Put on all the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the cunning schemes of the devil." From those things which we read below, and from those things that are said in all the Scriptures about the Lord and Savior, it is most clearly demonstrated that by all the armor of God which we are now commanded ("Al." it is commanded) to put on, the Savior is to be understood. So it is the same as saying, Put on all the armor of God; as if to say, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. For if the girdle is truth, and the breastplate is righteousness: the Savior is also called truth and righteousness, there is no doubt that he is both the girdle and the breastplate. Therefore, according to these, he will be both the preparation of the gospel of peace, and the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, and a living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword. What other armor of God can we imagine, with which he who has to fight against the cunning of the devil must be clothed, except for the virtue that is Christ? For he who, according to all that is understood of him, is clothed with Christ, will be able to resist all the snares of the devil, and, according to what he is girded with truth, will not easily be led into the dogma of falsehood. Moreover, if he has put on the breastplate of righteousness, he will not be pierced by the arrows of iniquity. Nor, when he is shod with the beautiful shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, will he be a man of war or act tumultuously, but like one who has prepared his work for the end, and for this reason has become a man of peace, and he will not be condemned with those who are unprepared. Infidelity, which is an enemy of faith, will have no power where there is a shield of faith. The helmet of salvation, which is the head and principal of the heart and soul in which all senses are located, will not be shaken. Finally, like a courageous and strong warrior, it will overthrow, kill, and slay all sects opposed to the truth, wielding the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, in hand. Therefore, the apostle, wanting to show in various ways the devil's schemes by which he strives to deceive us, named those things by which we do not guard our hearts with all diligence, calling them his methods, which means inventions or cunning schemes. For if we abstain from bodily pleasures, we do not guard ourselves enough against covetousness. But if we also despise covetousness along with pleasure, he creeps in through lust and makes us worship the belly, even overcoming those things that appeared to be strong. And just as wise leaders of armies usually attack weakly fortified places, so that when they break through, they can easily capture the fortified places, the devil seeks to break in through what he sees is open or certainly not firmly closed, and reach the very fortress of the heart and soul. And why do I need to speak of more of his wiles when other species of his cunning can be recognized from these? But the devil, whose name is Greek and means "slanderer," can also be called "downflowing" according to the nature of the Hebrew language, because the tribe of Zabulon has a certain similarity to this word. Namely, that it has gradually flowed from virtue to vice and has fallen from heavenly things to earthly things.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. I do not think that when Paul was writing to the Corinthians he could have said, 'Your struggle is not against flesh and blood,' as he says, 'No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.' (1 Corinthians 10:13) For I believe that there are struggles against the flesh and blood, which are called human temptations when the flesh and blood desire against the spirit and provoke us to commit sin, such as fornication, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, etc. (Galatians 5) Moreover, it is not a human temptation or a struggle against flesh and blood when Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light and tries to deceive us, or does something similar, in every power, sign, and lying wonder, in every wicked deception. For when the enemy deceives someone to receive him, and speaks through him saying, 'Thus says the Lord,' he is not deceived by the flesh and blood, or as a human temptation, but as a ruler of darkness and spiritual wickedness. (Ephesians 4) Therefore, let us not give a foothold to the devil, but even if the spirit of the one who has power ascends upon us, as it is written, we do not give him a place. Someone may say that this is what Ecclesiastes means: 'For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and authorities.' (Ecclesiastes 10:4) and the rest that follow, so that we learn that even what we believe to be vices arising from the flesh and blood are not necessarily such, but are suggested by certain spiritual wickednesses. For there are some demons who serve in love and amorous songs, as the Prophet also recalls saying, 'They have been seduced by a spirit of prostitution.' (Hosea 4:22) For even some of those who are truly called malefactors by the people confess that there are certain barbaric names for them, and that they are invoked to stand by various metals or foods, and to take the souls of unhappy people. Others, indeed, commit irritations, and rages, and wage wars, while others lead in enmities and stir up hatred between people. Therefore, they say, the Apostle wants to teach us that these types of vices are not produced from the nature of the body, and from the material of flesh and blood, but by the instinct of demons; therefore, he says, "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers," and so on. Therefore, we have now brought forth examples of those who are said to serve in magical unlucky arts and do these things, so that we may refute the opinion of those who believe that all vices are of the flesh and blood, and that demons have no power to incite us to sin. We think that Jacob had such a struggle, namely that he did not contend against the flesh and blood (Gen. 31) when he remained alone, and wrestled with a man, helping and strengthening him against another, who was fighting with excessive sweat. And at the same time, be careful not to be laughable for those who believe in the rite of wrestlers, luted throughout the whole night like Jacob. For what is significant if, as they say, he fought and conquered or was defeated? But according to the reasonable and appropriate struggle of the patriarch, it must be believed that they had such a struggle who could say: "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood." It is not necessary to investigate now the sacrament of that place, since, if I live, I will talk about it more fully in its proper place. But we ask ("Consult Hebrew Questions in Genesis") where Paul read this in the Old Testament or by what authority, which are not written, he published them publicly. And we infer from those things which are written about battles and individual struggles, for example, David against Goliath, and the children of Israel against aliens, and other peoples in the Law, and Jesus, and the Book of Judges, and Kings, and Chronicles, that the Apostle understood it more deeply (1 Sam. 17); and he meant the spiritual war of the flesh, in which they were fighting and whether they were victorious or defeated, and that the satraps of each place were evidence of the supernatural powers ("Al." judgments); but the kings of the individual nations were their representations, images of those who are now called rulers of the world and of darkness, and the wicked men demonstrated spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. And it seems to us that Paul is saying these things to others in different words: "O Ephesians, what you read about battles of Israel against nations, these seem to sound of flesh and blood, for example, of Egyptians, Idumaeans, Ammonites, Moabites, and other nations. But if you want to know the truth, know that all these things happened in a figurative sense to them" (1 Cor. 10). But these things have been written for us, upon whom the ends of the ages have come, so that from them we might understand that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against certain spiritual and invisible powers, against the rulers of that darkness in this world, and against spiritual wickedness that resides in the heavenly realm; not that demons dwell in the heavens, but because air above us has received this name. Hence, the birds that fly through the air are called the "winged creatures of the heavens." In another place, the Apostle says about demons wandering in this air, "In which you once walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, who now operates in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). The opinion of all scholars is that this air, which divides the heaven and earth, and is called "empty," is full of opposing fortitudes. After this, it must be recognized from whom these principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places have received power to exist. Some say that the apostate devil has assigned various duties to his satellites and is not the author of these distributions. However, to this, the attentive reader may oppose the statement, "For there is no power except from God" (Romans 13:1). If this is said about men, with how much more reason it may be stated about those of a more subtle and superior nature? Nor is one who holds this view immediately liable to the charge of blasphemy, since each person has received different ministries according to his will. For just as in cities, we see those who have committed shameful acts either feeding animals, cutting marble, cleaning sewerage, managing gladiators, or being designated to pour wine and blood; so, demons have from their own free will chosen to be the governors of darkness through devising schemes, deceits, crimes, perjury, and other vices, since they chose not to be the princes of light. Therefore, rulers of the world and darkness, when they have struggled against someone and have uprooted him, causing him to fall, immediately join him to their own world and darkness, over which they hold sway. For this reason, we must strive harder since we have heard: "I have chosen you out of the world. You are not of the world, for if you were of the world, the world would love what is its own" (John 15:19). Let us not return to the world, nor submit to it, but let the world be crucified for us, and let Jesus, the ruler of light, bind us to His own world, and let Him make us subjects of the Father, having been freed from the power of spiritual wickedness and from the heaven of that which is passing away, which cannot be called the seat of God. Truly, it is impious that spiritual wickedness should be believed to hold a place in heaven, when God says: "Heaven is my throne" (Isaiah 66:1). Therefore, he who understands the great things that happen to us, both those in the present and those absent, in this world: while we cannot see them, either because of the body of our frail and earthly nature with which the soul is veiled, or because the subtler nature is not revealed to carnal eyes: here he will see what darkness is, which the Apostle now calls by name, namely that either this whole earthly life is called darkness, since "the light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:5), or the light and sense of the soul, the earthly body, that body of death, and of humiliation, which overcasts, covers, and blinds it. But we know that, except in this present passage, neither in the Old or New Testament have we ever read of "world rulers" (κοσμοκράτορας), nor has this name been used elsewhere. Paul the Apostle invented this name because he needed to adapt to new and invisible things by using new names while discussing the Ephesians. Moreover, because it may seem ambiguous that he says "in heavenly places," it must be said that this may be understood as being applicable to all things, so that the meaning is: our struggle is not against powers in heavenly places, nor against the rulers of these dark places in heavenly places, but against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places; and not only against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places, especially if we understand (as has been explained above) how the heavenly things are named for the birds of heaven, and that it is customary to say that rain comes from heaven, not because the rain comes down from heaven. For philosophers say that clouds, from which the rains are poured forth, are no more than two thousand paces from the earth, and, according to this sense, the cascades of heaven were also said to be opened in the deluge. Nevertheless, the worse someone is, the closer they will be to the earth and to richer substances. For both the earth and the air that surrounds us have their own richness. Some say that even souls that have been freed from their bodies, if they have been refined by discipline and virtues in this present life, will not dwell in richer places but will be closer to God, who is incorporeal. But if there are those of whom it can be said, 'O sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart?' (Psalm 4:2) or 'have a fat heart,' they will be drawn down by their weight and weighed down by their plumpness. Furthermore, the question arises of whether there is a richer place on this earth and in this air which is known as Hell, where those called the 'inferi' reside. However, it is not within the scope of this present time to discuss who these people are, what kind of relation or difference they have, and who in the heavenly realm are referred to as spiritual evil. It remains for us to learn more fully from the Apostle in two passages about what the struggle of flesh and blood and the rulers of these dark powers and spiritual evil in the heavens are. For when he wishes to indicate human temptations, that is, the struggle of flesh and blood, he speaks of them with contempt, saying, 'Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?' As it is written (Psalm 43:22), 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' But in all these things we overcome, because of him who has loved us (Romans 8:35, 37). However, when he wishes to teach us about the opposing powers and rulers of the darkness and spiritual evil in the heavens, he begins with a different subject and says, 'For I am certain that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord'.
6:13
Therefore take up all the weapons of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day: and having done all things, to stand. Either the present time shows the evil day, of which it was said above: 'Redeeming the time, because the days are evil,' due to the distress and labors of this life, because we do not reach the palm without sweat and struggle, or certainly the consummation and judgment, when the devil, the enemy and avenger, will desire to retain us in his own part, from which he who understands over the needy and poor will be set free: 'For in the evil day the Lord will deliver him' (Ps. 40:1). This is the day, about which it is written in another place: 'Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger' (Isa. 13:9); and in another: 'For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty' (Isa. 2:12); and again: 'Woe unto them that desire the day of the Lord: to what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?' (Amos 5:18-20). For how is this not a day of evil, which is shrouded in darkness and gloom? Concerning this day, Joel the prophet also relates saying: 'Blow the trumpet in Zion, proclaim a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. [...] For the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness' (Joel 2:15-16, 2:1-2). And Zephaniah speaks of the same day, saying: 'The great day of the Lord is near, near and coming quickly' (Zeph. 1:14). The voice of the Lord's day is bitter, and harsh, and strong: a day of wrath, that day, a day of tribulation and distress "and of necessity" (Soph. I, 14 et seqq.), and the rest. After which it adds: "And I will afflict men, and they shall walk like blind men: because they have sinned against the Lord" (Apoc. 12). Therefore, in order to be able to resist the devil on that day, for he is the accuser of our brethren, let him take up all the arms of God (for this is what πανοπλία really means, not simply "arms" as it is translated into Latin), and, armed with all weapons and gear, as is explained in the following passages, let him then know that he can stand if he has accomplished everything, so that he may firmly plant his feet, full of all virtues, and not be moved from his position, and may be among those of whom the Lord says: "There are some standing here" (Matt. 16:28), and in another place: "Indeed you stand by faith" (2 Cor. 1:22), and the Psalmist says: "He set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps" (Ps. 39:5). A third interpretation is sometimes added by some, saying that not every battle against the devil ends with death, but when we leave this world, then the struggle will be even stronger and clearer, opposing the present with the future: and so they explain what we have just set forth, neither present nor future, but future, meaning that these struggles must be undertaken after this life is over. Also, this statement: "Therefore, having done everything, stand firm", is referring to the same meaning: as if no one can do everything in this present life, but only partially, as he may see a part and prophesy a part, and then he will be able to stand firmly when he has accomplished everything. Another simpler interpretation says that Paul the Apostle, in this epistle, is encouraging and advising the Ephesians to do everything they can to stand firm in the Gospel, and not to fall in persecution, for he foresaw by the prophetic spirit that future temptations and persecutions would come upon them. Furthermore, we believe that the "evil day" mentioned here is properly taken from the forty-eighth Psalm.
6:14
Be therefore ready, having your loins girt with truth." Concerning the members of the soul mentioned in scripture, which are all referred to as members of the body, there is no doubt. I believe that one such member is now mentioned, the loins, which we are commanded to gird with truth. It is also written in the Gospel of Luke: "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning" (Luke 12:35). Therefore, the loins are always mentioned in regards to generation and seed, according to: "I will set fruit of your loins upon your throne" (Psalm 132:11). And elsewhere: "For he was still in the loins of his father Abraham, when Melchisedech met him" (Hebrews 7:10). It seems to us that those who do not render what is due to their wife or serve their lust, but instead imitate the innate God and do not participate in matters of generation, have girded their loins with truth. I believe that this is also signified in the case of John the Baptist, who had a leather girdle around his loins (Matthew 3), and was not one of the unclean who, for reasons of seminal flux, are banished outside the camp and cannot dwell with the ark of the Lord (Leviticus 13). Nor is he like those written about in Numbers: "Let his garments be torn" (Numbers 8). But whoever is girded with truth in Christ, raises these garments up high, and draws them upwards. He covers, tightens, and includes the filthiness of naked sides with the spiritual belt. He is prepared for battle, and has shining works, which are referred to as "burning lights.
And having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Just as it is difficult to be injured in those places that hold life, where one, wearing armor made of tightly joined links and iron circles, is protected by the breastplate of virtue, so too one who is surrounded by a diverse garment of righteousness will not accept an arrow in his liver like a deer nor will he fall into desires and frenzies, but will have a pure heart, with God as the maker of this breastplate, who crafts all the weapons for each of the saints and does not allow him to be struck by a flying dart or burned by flaming arrows.
6:15
"And having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Note carefully that he has called the soul's virtue "feet" by which we enter into Him who says, "I am the way" (John 14:6), and which we must shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The same type of footwear preceded those in Exodus who were to partake of the Passover and were prepared for the journey. For it is written, "And thus shall you eat it: your loins girt, your shoes on your feet, and your staves in your hand, and you shall eat in haste; for it is the Phase (that is, the Passage) of the Lord" (Exodus 12:11). Truly, it is a sign of preparation to eat in haste with one's shoes on. Thus strengthened with Passover food, they could cross the vast and dreadful wilderness. Therefore, whoever still walks should put on shoes, but whoever has crossed the Jordan and entered the promised land should remove their shoes. For He says, "Put off the shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). If someone is not Joshua son of Nun or an apostle, they should put on shoes for the preparation of the gospel of peace. But if someone is an apostle, and can be numbered among the twelve, they should by no means take off their shoes on the way or cover their heels to avoid scorpions and snakes; but having already been completed and perfected, they should stand firm in the holy land, live in Christ, and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. It is asked whether he has mentioned the gospel of peace to distinguish it from another gospel. Or is it indeed characteristic of this gospel to be called the gospel of peace? Therefore, whoever has peace has shod themselves with the gospel of Christ, and once they have put on their shoes, are prepared. And being prepared, they should not consider themselves to be perfect, but rather prepare themselves to progress and, while they progress, come to the end.
6:16
Taking a shield of faith above all else, with which you may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. As if to say: In every work, carry the shield of faith so that you may be protected and fortified to receive the arrows that come your way and artfully deflect them in battle. This is the faith upon which Abraham, after many works and virtues, could barely merit, as Scripture says of him: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (Gen. 15:8). Clearly, the wicked throw arrows that they want to penetrate our hearts through wicked thoughts. Of these, one was thrown into the heart of Judas so that he would betray the Savior. So, the enemy cannot even begin to wound the soul if we hold the shield of faith, in which not only the incoming weapons are pierced but also the fire of the weapons themselves is extinguished, about which even the prophet laments saying: "All are adulterous, like an oven heated by the baker" (Hos. 7:4). Whoever firmly holds this shield of faith with a strong hand and trusts in the Lord, knowing that he is safe from the incoming arrows, will speak fearlessly: "I trust in the Lord. How do you say to my soul: Move to the mountain like a sparrow? For behold, sinners have bent their bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, to shoot the upright in heart in darkness" (Ps. 11: 1-2). Therefore, if I trust in the Lord, what counsel do you give me so that I may not stand against the attacks of the enemies, and the arrows that they have prepared in their quivers, wishing to strike not only me but also all those who are upright in heart? Behold, I stand on a rock and do not migrate to dark mountains: and all the enemy's weapons, repulsed, turn against their owners.
6:17
And receive the helmet of salvation. Because of this helmet of salvation, all the senses in our head remain intact, especially the eyes, of which Solomon says in Ecclesiastes: "The eyes of a wise man are in his head" (Eccles. 2:14). For he knew that it was the head of man, and where those eyes were located in the head of man. Therefore, if the head of man is Christ, and the eyes of the wise are in his head, it follows that all our senses, mind, thought, speech, and counsel (if indeed we have been wise) are in Christ. But in Christ, the Word, the Light, Righteousness, Truth, and all virtues.