Church Fathers Eph 4:8
"4. Of Him it is said, He ascended up on high,
He led captivity captive, He gave gifts unto men. What is, He led captivity captive? He conquered death. What is, He led captivity captive? The
devil was the author of death, and the
devil was himself by the Death of Christ led captive. He ascended up on high. What do we
know higher than heaven? Visibly and before the eyes of His
disciples He ascended into heaven. This we
know, this we
believe, this we confess. He gave gifts unto men. What gifts? The
Holy Spirit. He who gives such a Gift, what is He Himself? For great is God's mercy; He gives a Gift equal to Himself; for His Gift is the
Holy Spirit, and the Whole Trinity, Father and Son and
Holy Spirit, is One God. What has the
Holy Spirit brought us? Hear the Apostle; The
love of
God, says he, has been shed abroad in our hearts. Whence, you beggar, has the
love of God been shed abroad in your heart? How, or wherein has the
love of God been shed abroad in the heart of man? "
Sermon 78 on the New Testament
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/160378.htm
"22. In the next place, turning his address to the Lord Himself, You have gone up, he says, on high, You have led captivity captive, You have received gifts in men
Psalm 67:18. Of this the Apostle thus makes mention, thus expounds in speaking of the Lord Christ: But unto each one of us, he says, is given
grace after the measure of the giving of Christ: for which
cause he says, He has gone up on high, He has led captive captivity, He has given gifts to men.
Ephesians 4:7-8 ...And let it not move us that the Apostle making mention of that same testimony says not, You have received gifts in men; but, He has given gifts unto men. For he with Apostolic authority has spoken thus according to the
faith that the Son is God with the Father. For in respect of this He has given gifts to
men, sending to them the
Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. But forasmuch as the self-same Christ is understood in His Body which is the
Church, wherefore also His members are His
saints and
believers, whence to them is said, But you are the Body of
Christ, and the members,
1 Corinthians 12:27 doubtless He has Himself also received gifts in men. Now Christ has gone up on high, and sits at the right hand of the Father:
Mark 16:19 but unless He were here also on the earth, He would not thence have cried, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
Acts 9:4 When the Same says Himself, Inasmuch as to one of My least you have done it, to Me you have done it:
Matthew 25:40 why do we
doubt that He receives in His members, the gifts which the members of Him receive?
"23. But what is, You have led captivity captive? Is it because He has conquered death, which was holding captive those over whom it reigned? Or has he called men themselves captivity, who were being held captive under the
devil? Which thing's
mystery even the title of that Psalm does contain, to wit, when the house was being built after the captivity: that is, the
Church after the coming in of the
Gentiles. Calling therefore those very men who were being held captive a captivity, as when the service is spoken of there are understood those that serve also, that same captivity he says by Christ has been led captive. For why should not captivity be
happy, if even for a good purpose men may be caught? Whence to Peter has been said, From henceforth you shall catch men.
Luke 5:10 Led captive therefore they are because caught, and caught because subjugated, being sent under that gentle yoke,
Matthew 11:30 being delivered from
sin whereof they were servants, and being made servants of righteousness
Romans 6:18 whereof they were children. Whence also He is Himself in them, that has given gifts to
men, and has received gifts in men. And thus in that captivity, in that servitude, in that chariot, under that yoke, there are not thousands of men lamenting, but thousands of men rejoicing. For the Lord is in them, in Sina, in the
holy place.. ..
24. But what next does he adjoin? For they that
believe not to dwell
Psalm 67:18: or, as some copies have, For not believing to dwell: for what else are men not believing, but they that
believe not? To whom this has been said, is not easy to perceive. For as though a reason were being given of the above words, when it had been said, You have led captivity captive, You have received gifts in men: there has been added in continuation, for they that
believe not to dwell, that is, not believing that they should dwell. What is this? Of whom says he this? Did that captivity, before it passed into a good captivity, show whence it was an
evil captivity? For through not believing they were possessed by the enemy, that works in the sons of unbelief: among whom you were sometime, while you were living among them.
Ephesians 2:2 By the gifts therefore of His
grace, He that has received gifts in men, has led captive that captivity. For they
believed not that they should dwell. For
faith has thence delivered them, in order that now believing they may dwell in the House of
God, even they too becoming the House of
God, and the Chariot of
God, consisting of thousands of men rejoicing. "
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801068.htm
