Thomas Dilbeck: Jerome's Exegesis of Ephesians 4:5-6: Prepositional Metaphysics and Vergil

In Jerome's Commentary on Ephesians, the exegete uses the prepositions found in Ephesians 4:5-6 to combat "heretical" teachings concerning the trinity. More specifically, Jerome applies each preposition in the aforementioned text to a member of the godhead to argue against Arian notions. While Jerome's indebtedness to Origen is undisputed, on this occasion the former departs from the latter. Furthermore, he uses two texts from Vergil to bolster his argument. In this paper, I will argue that Jerome's exegesis of Ephesians and use of Vergil coincide with what has been termed "prepositional metaphysics." This use of prepositions originates with Aristotle but was practiced by several different groups and authors including Jerome.