Ephesians 1 in the early church
477 passages quote, allude to, or echo Ephesians 1, grouped by verse; passages on the same verse are in date order. Verse text from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). References use the Protestant English Bible's numbering, with a writer's own numbering in brackets where it differs.
Verses: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23
Ephesians 1 as a whole
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1–Eph:6 | Canon 60 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | ca. 343–381 |
| Eph 1–Eph:6 | Canon 47 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | 397 |
Ephesians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:1 | Lines 51–60 · Anonymous | allusion, high confidence | late 2nd or 4th century (disputed) |
| Eph 1:1 | Long recension, Ephesians 8 · Anonymous | allusion, medium confidence | later 4th century (probable) |
| Eph 1:1 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.1 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:1 | Against Eunomius 2.19 · Basil of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 364 |
| Eph 1:1 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:1 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
Ephesians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:2 | Commentary on Romans 1.8 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 244–246 (Rufinus's translation ca. 405–406) |
| Eph 1:2 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.2 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:2 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.3 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:2 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:1 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1:4
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love
Ephesians 1:5
He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Ephesians 1:6
to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:6 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.5 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:6 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:6 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:6 | Homily 8 · Gregory of Nyssa | allusion, high confidence | ca. 390–394 |
| Eph 1:6 | On the Predestination of the Saints 18 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
| Eph 1:6 | On the Predestination of the Saints 19 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
| Eph 1:6 | On the Gift of Perseverance 7 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
| Eph 1:6 | On the Gift of Perseverance 8 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
| Eph 1:6 | On the Gift of Perseverance 12 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Ephesians 1:8
that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:8 | Catechetical Lecture 18.33 · Cyril of Jerusalem | quotation, high confidence | ca. 350 |
| Eph 1:8 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.8 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:8 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:8 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:8 | On the Predestination of the Saints 18 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
| Eph 1:8 | On the Gift of Perseverance 7 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
Ephesians 1:9
And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:9 | Against Marcion 5.17 · Tertullian | quotation, high confidence | 207/208 (third edition, completed later) |
| Eph 1:9–10 | Tractates on the Psalms 1.15 · Hilary of Poitiers | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–367 |
| Eph 1:9 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.9 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:9 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:9–10 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:9–10 | Sermon 1.3 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Eph 1:9 | On the Predestination of the Saints 18 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
| Eph 1:9 | On the Gift of Perseverance 7 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
Ephesians 1:10
as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.
Ephesians 1:11
In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,
Ephesians 1:12
in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:12 | Against Marcion 5.17 · Tertullian | quotation, high confidence | 207/208 (third edition, completed later) |
| Eph 1:12 | Homilies on Joshua 23.2 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 238–250 (Rufinus's translation ca. 400–410) |
| Eph 1:12 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.12 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:12 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:11–12 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:12 | Apology against Jerome 1.30 · Rufinus of Aquileia | allusion, high confidence | ca. 401 |
| Eph 1:12 | Apology against Jerome 1.31 · Rufinus of Aquileia | allusion, high confidence | ca. 401 |
| Eph 1:12 | On the Predestination of the Saints 18 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
Ephesians 1:13
And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 1:14
who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:15
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:15 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.15 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:15 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:15–16 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:15–16 | Letter 217.28 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 386–430 |
| Eph 1:15 | On the Predestination of the Saints 19 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
| Eph 1:15–18 | Chapter 16 · Prosper of Aquitaine | quotation, high confidence | ca. 432-433 |
| Eph 1:15–18 | Book 1, chapter 23 · Anonymous | quotation, high confidence | ca. 440-450 |
Ephesians 1:16
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:16 | On the Trinity 11.17 · Hilary of Poitiers | quotation, high confidence | ca. 356–360 |
| Eph 1:16 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.16 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:16 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:15–16 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:16 | On the Predestination of the Saints 19 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |
Ephesians 1:17
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.
Ephesians 1:18
I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:19
and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:19 | Catechetical Lecture 14.29 · Cyril of Jerusalem | quotation, high confidence | ca. 350 |
| Eph 1:19 | On the Trinity 11.31 · Hilary of Poitiers | quotation, high confidence | ca. 356–360 |
| Eph 1:19 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.19 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:19 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.21 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:19 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:20–21 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:19 | Commentary on the Apostles' Creed 32 · Rufinus of Aquileia | quotation, high confidence | ca. 404 |
| Eph 1:19–20 | Letter to John of Antioch · Eutherius of Tyana | quotation, high confidence | ca. 431-433 |
Ephesians 1:20
which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,
Ephesians 1:21
far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:22
And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,
Ephesians 1:23
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eph 1:23 | 2 Clement 14.2 · Anonymous | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 100–150 |
| Eph 1:23 | To the Ephesians, inscription · Ignatius of Antioch | echo, low confidence | ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) |
| Eph 1:23 | Commentary on the Song of Songs 2.152 · Origen | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) |
| Eph 1:23 | Against Celsus 6.48 · Origen | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 248 |
| Eph 1:23 | Letter 243 · Basil of Caesarea | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 357–378 |
| Eph 1:23 | Commentary on Ephesians 1.21 · Marius Victorinus | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–363 |
| Eph 1:23 | Oration 2.41 · Gregory of Nazianzus | allusion, high confidence | ca. 362–383 |
| Eph 1:23 | Oration 17.12 · Gregory of Nazianzus | echo, medium confidence | ca. 362–383 |
| Eph 1:23 | Commentary on Ephesians 1:20–21 · Ambrosiaster | quotation, high confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Eph 1:23 | Canons on the Letters of Paul 20 · Priscillian | allusion, high confidence | ca. 380–400 |
| Eph 1:23 | Eleven Tractates 1.35 · Priscillian | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 380–385 |
| Eph 1:23 | Eleven Tractates 1.36 · Priscillian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 380–385 |
| Eph 1:23 | Exposition of Psalm 118 15.12.1 · Ambrose | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 386-397 |
| Eph 1:23 | Exposition of Psalm 118 17.9.2 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 386-397 |
| Eph 1:23 | Letters 23.24 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 394–413 |
| Eph 1:23 | Letters 40.9 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 394–413 |
| Eph 1:23 | Letters 42.2 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, high confidence | ca. 394–413 |
| Eph 1:23 | Letters 43.3 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, high confidence | ca. 394–413 |
| Eph 1:23 | On the Trinity 4.9 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 399–419 |
| Eph 1:23 | City of God 22.18 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | 413–426 |
| Eph 1:23 | On the Gift of Perseverance 7 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, high confidence | ca. 428/429 |