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The rubbish was once useful for the seed's birth
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Severianus is explaining Paul's word 'rubbish' through an agricultural image of seed, root, stalk, and ear of grain.
So this rubbish was once very useful for bringing the seed to birth. Just as root, stalk, and ear of grain come from a seed, so from Abraham's faith as from a seed came the root—the things in the law—the stalk of the prophets, and the ear of grain already pre-announcing Christ in hidden form. The harvest and threshing of these took place at the Savior's first coming, whose winnowing fork is in his hand and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor.
Greek τοῦτο ουν τὰ σκύβαλον ποτὲ χρησιμώτατον εἰς τὸ τεχθῆναι τὸν σπόρον. ωσπερ γὰρ
ἀπὸ σπόρου ῥίζα καὶ καλάμη καὶ στάχυς, ουτως ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως τοῦ ̓Αβραὰμ
ὡσπερεὶ ἀπὸ σπόρου ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν νόμῳ, καὶ ἡ καλάμη τῶν προφητῶν καὶ ὁ στάχυς
ηδη τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ προκαταγγέλλων. ὁ δὲ τούτων θερισμὸς καὶ ὁ
ἁλοητὸς ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ σωτῆρος, ου τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ καὶ διακαθαριεῖ
τὴν αλωνα.
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About this text A theological reflection on humility and faith, offering insight into early Christian leadership and spiritual growth.
Severianus of Gabala (fl. c. 400) wrote these comments on selected verses of Paul's Letter to the Philippians. The fragments survive in chain commentaries that gathered excerpts from various interpreters.
Severianus addresses the question of Paul's audience and purpose. He argues that Paul wrote Philippians to clergy, not laity, and that his main aim was to instill humility in them, since pride especially afflicts those who live well. He explains Paul's appeals to the Philippians' faith and steadfastness as proof that his sufferings and defense of the gospel are not fruitless.
A reader will meet Paul, Timothy, the patriarch Abraham, and Euodia and Syntyche, the two people Paul urges to agree in Philippians 4:2. Severianus quotes Paul's words and argues against alternative readings. He interprets Paul's counting his former gains as loss and rubbish through an extended agricultural image: Abraham's faith is like the seed producing the root of the law, the stalk of the prophets, and the ear of grain that is Christ, . He also clarifies that Paul's forgetting what lies behind does not mean his past labors were evil, and he notes a tradition identifying Euodia as the jailer's wife and Syntyche as the man, likely the jailer himself. Readers should know that Bible books are cited by their traditional English names.
This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.
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