# To the Ephesians 15.1

- Author: [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/ignatius-of-antioch/)
- Work: [To the Ephesians](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-ephesians/) (*Ad Ephesios*)
- Date: ca. 110 (range ca. 105–135) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 24:188; Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 172–277 (Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Also in: PG 5:657a (found by text match)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-ephesians/15/1/

Summary: Better to be a Christian in silence than to talk without being one; Christ the one Teacher spoke and acted.

## Greek text

Ἄμεινόν ἐστιν σιωπᾶν καὶ εἶναι, ἢ λαλοῦντα μὴ εἶναι. καλὸν τὸ διδάσκειν, ἐὰν ὁ λέγων ποιῇ. εἷς οὖν διδάσκαλος, ὃς εἶπεν, καὶ ἐγένετο· καὶ ἃ σιγῶν δὲ πεποίηκεν ἄξια τοῦ πατρός ἐστιν.

## English translation (Claude)

It is better to be silent and to be than to speak and not to be. It is good to teach, if the one who speaks also does. There is, then, one Teacher, who spoke and it came to be; and even the things he has done in silence are worthy of the Father.

## Scripture references

- Ps 33:9 (32:9 LXX): allusion, high confidence
- Matt 23:8: echo, medium confidence

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Eph. 15.1 (PG 5:657a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-ephesians/15/1/).