# To the Ephesians 6.1

- 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 24:178–180; 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 5:649a–649b (found by text match)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-ephesians/6/1/

Summary: The bishop is to be received as the Lord who sent him.

## Greek text

Καὶ ὅσον βλέπει τις σιγῶντα ἐπίσκοπον, πλειόνως αὐτὸν φοβείσθω· πάντα γάρ, ὃν πέμπει ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης εἰς ἰδίαν οἰκονομίαν, οὕτως δεῖ ἡμᾶς αὐτὸν δέχεσθαι, ὡς αὐτὸν τὸν πέμψαντα, τὸν οὖν ἐπίσκοπον δῆλον ὅτι ὡς αὐτὸν κύριον δεῖ προσβλέπειν.

## English translation (Claude)

And the more anyone sees the bishop keeping silent, the more he should fear him. For everyone whom the master of the house sends to manage his own household we must receive as we would the one who sent him. It is clear, then, that we must regard the bishop as the Lord himself.

## Scripture references

- Matt 10:40: allusion, medium confidence
- John 13:20: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 24:45: echo, low confidence

## Translation notes

- “Keeping silent”: perhaps the bishop Onesimus was a quiet man; silence has a positive value for Ignatius (15.1–2; 19.1).

## Citation (SBL)

Ign. Eph. 6.1 (PG 5:649a–649b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ign-ephesians/6/1/).