Ephesians 1:15 to Ephesians 2:10. THANKSGIVING PASSING INTO PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL INSIGHT This section corresponds to the section of thanksgiving which in all St Paul’s Epistles except Gal., 1 Tim. and Tit. follows directly after the salutation. Such a section (see Robinson’s Excursus, pp. 275 ff.) i... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:1. ΚΑῚ ὙΜΑ͂Σ ὌΝΤΑΣ ΝΕΚΡΟῪΣ Κ.Τ.Λ. The sentence is broken off to be resumed again, Ephesians 2:5, in a phrase καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν, in which the Jews are put on the same level as the Gentile Christians and the verb which was in St Paul’s mind when he began the sentence... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΝ ΑἿΣ ΠΟΤῈ ΠΕΡΙΕΠΑΤΉΣΑΤΕ. Cf. Ephesians 2:3. ἘΝ, ‘on the road marked out by.’ Cf. 2 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 4:5; 2 John 1:4; 2 John 1:6; cf. Luke 1:17. See also Ephesians 2:10. ΚΑΤᾺ ΤῸΝ ΑἸΩ͂ΝΑ ΤΟΥ͂ ΚΌΣΜΟΥ ΤΟΎΤΟΥ Κ.Τ.Λ. The deliverance effected for us in Christ is not merely from a state of indi... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΝ ΟἿΣ ΚΑῚ ἩΜΕΙ͂Σ ΠΆΝΤΕΣ�. The Jews, in spite of their outward separation from the ‘sinners of the Gentiles’ (Galatians 2:15), were in heart one with them, cf. Romans 3:23. ἘΝ ΤΑΙ͂Σ ἘΠΙΘΥΜΊΑΙΣ ΤΗ͂Σ ΣΑΡΚῸΣ ἩΜΩ͂Ν. Cf. 1 Peter 1:14; 1 Peter 2:11 with Hort’s notes: ‘The flesh according to St Paul includ... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΛΟΎΣΙΟΣ. See note on τὸ πλοῦτος, Ephesians 1:7. ἘΝ ἘΛΈΕΙ. Cf. Romans 15:9; Titus 3:5; Luke 1:78; and esp. 1 Peter 1:3 and the declaration of the Name of the Lord to Moses in Exodus 34:6. Mercy is not inconsistent with wrath. They are both aspects of the same love. ΔΙᾺ ΤῊΝ ΠΟΛΛῊΝ�. In his earliest... [ Continue Reading ]
ΣΥΝΕΖΩΟΠΟΊΗΣΕΝ [ἘΝ] ΤΩ͂Ι ΧΡΙΣΤΩ͂Ι. The various readings here are of great interest and it is hard to decide between them. Either of them might quite easily have given rise to the other, though perhaps the accidental omission of εν after σεν would be slightly more probable than its accidental repetit... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ ΣΥΝΉΓΕΙΡΕΝ ΚΑῚ ΣΥΝΕΚΆΘΙΣΕΝ. The new life in which we share is connected both with the Resurrection and with the Ascension of Christ Jesus, cf. Ephesians 1:20. The union with the Resurrection is emphasized also in Colossians 2:12; Colossians 3:1. Union with the Ascension is directly referred to o... [ Continue Reading ]
ἽΝΑ ἘΝΔΕΊΞΗΤΑΙ, ‘to display as a trait of his own character.’ ἘΝ ΤΟΙ͂Σ ΑἸΩ͂ΣΙΝ ΤΟΙ͂Σ ἘΠΕΡΧΟΜΈΝΟΙΣ. Cf. Ephesians 1:21 τῷ μέλλοντι and Ephesians 3:21. ‘The ages that are coming on.’ There is a vista ahead to which no limit can be assigned. There is nothing to show that in St Paul’s view the earth wou... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΗ͂Ι ΓᾺΡ ΧΆΡΙΤΊ ἘΣΤΕ ΣΕΣΩΣΜΈΝΟΙ ΔΙᾺ ΠΊΣΤΕΩΣ. Emphasizing the means, as, before, the reality of the salvation. The root of our salvation lies in the declaration of God’s favour to us (cf. on Ephesians 1:6) and in the power of the consciousness of that favour over us. ΔΙᾺ ΠΊΣΤΕΩΣ, cf. Ephesians 1:13;... [ Continue Reading ]
ΟΥ̓Κ ἘΞ ἜΡΓΩΝ. Here the thought reverts to the main idea, the gift of salvation. It is in no sense earned by our conformity to the requirements whether of the Law or the Gospel, cf. Romans 1-4. ἽΝΑ ΜΉ ΤΙΣ ΚΑΥΧΉΣΗΤΑΙ. The exclusion of ‘boasting’ is a familiar topic in the earlier Epistles, 1 Corinth... [ Continue Reading ]
ΑΥ̓ΤΟΥ͂ ΓΆΡ ἘΣΜΕΝ ΠΟΊΗΜΑ. This raising out of death is virtually a new creation, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16 f. The New Israel as the Old is God’s workmanship, Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 43:21; Isaiah 44:2; Isaiah 44:21. ΚΤΙΣΘΈΝΤΕΣ. Cf. Ephesians 4:24; Ephesians 2:15 and Hort on 1 Peter 2:13. [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:15. ΚΑΤΑΡΓΉΣΑΣ אAB &c. καταρτίσας D*. Ephesians 2:21. ΠΑ͂ΣΑ ΟἸΚΟΔΟΜῊ א*BDG _al_ Clem Orig Chrys. πᾶσα ἡ οἰκ. א*ACP _al mult_. Ephesians 3:5. Τ. ἉΓΊΟΙΣ�. ΠΡΟΦΉΤΑΙΣ אAC &c. Orig. τ. ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ�. προφήταις DG 115 go Theophct Hil Victorin. τ. ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ κ. προφήταις B Ambrst. The text a... [ Continue Reading ]
ΔΙῸ with reference to the whole preceding paragraph. ΜΝΗΜΟΝΕΎΕΤΕ. There is a striking parallel (noticed by G. H. Whitaker) between this appeal and the appeal to Israel in Deuteronomy 5:15, &c. (cf. also Isaiah 44:21) to remember the condition out of which they had been delivered at the Exodus. ἘΝ... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΩ͂Ι ΚΑΙΡΩ͂Ι ἘΚΕΊΝΩΙ. Dative of time (Romans 16:25; 1 Timothy 2:6). ΧΩΡῚΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ͂. The isolation of the Gentiles is defined in three relations: first, to the centre of unity: ‘apart from,’ ‘out of conscious communion with’; the natural antithesis to ἐν Χριστῷ; cf. John 15:5 χωρὶς ἐμοῦ in contrast w... [ Continue Reading ]
13. We come now to the consideration of their present condition, and first the bridging of the gulf that had separated them from God. ΝΥΝῚ ΔΈ. Under the new conditions introduced by the Gospel. ἘΝ ΧΡΙΣΤΩ͂Ι ἸΗΣΟΥ͂. See on Ephesians 1:1. Cf. χωρὶς Χριστοῦ. ὙΜΕΙ͂Σ ΟἽ ΠΟΤΕ ὌΝΤΕΣ ΜΑΚΡᾺΝ ἘΓΕΝΉΘΗΤΕ ἘΓΓῪΣ... [ Continue Reading ]
ΑἸΤῸΣ ΓΆΡ ἘΣΤΙΝ Ἡ ΕἸΡΉΝΗ ἩΜΩ͂Ν. Cf. Micah 5:5; Isaiah 9:6. It is characteristic of this group of Epistles that the effect should be regarded as due in the first instance to what Christ is in Himself rather than to any specific acts performed by Him. His doings and sufferings have their power not, if... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤῸΝ ΝΌΜΟΝ ΤΩ͂Ν ἘΝΤΟΛΩ͂Ν ἘΝ ΔΌΓΜΑΣΙΝ. This phrase would be unintelligible apart from the comment provided by Colossians 2:14; Colossians 2:20. This clear parallel however shows that St Paul is thinking of the Law as a code of precisely formulated precepts requiring to be kept to the letter, cf. Roman... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ�. Cf. Colossians 1:22 ἀποκατήλλαξεν ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου. The difference between these passages should be noticed as well as the resemblance. In Col. the reference is to a single act of reconciliation wrought by our Lord when He died in His earthly body. In Ephes. the re... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΛΘῺΝ Κ.Τ.Λ. The glad tidings of peace are the fruits of the Passion. So the ‘coming’ can only refer to the appearances after the Resurrection (so Bengel). The aorists (both ἘΛΘῺΝ and ΕΥ̓ΗΓΓΕΛΊΣΑΤΟ) suggest a reference to a period now closed. It can hardly therefore refer primarily to the present wo... [ Continue Reading ]
ὍΤΙ ΔΙʼ ΑΥ̓ΤΟΥ͂ Κ.Τ.Λ. This clause explains ‘the way of peace.’ The Father is the source of peace (cf. Ephesians 1:2). Peace is to be enjoyed only in communion with Him. Through Christ we have obtained the right of entry into the Father’s Presence, and in the power of the one Spirit with which Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
ἌΡΑ ΟΥ̓͂Ν. See Voc., p. 136. ΞΈΝΟΙ ΚΑῚ ΠΆΡΟΙΚΟΙ. Cf. Hort on Biblical terms for Sojourning (1 Pet., pp. 154 ff.). ‘Strangers,’ as citizens of another city. ‘Sojourners,’ as only neighbours for a time. ΣΥΝΠΟΛΙ͂ΤΑΙ. Compound unclassical. Cf. Lightfoot on συνηλ., Galatians 1:14. ΟἸΚΕΙ͂ΟΙ ΤΟΥ͂ ΘΕΟΥ͂.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΠΟΙΚΟΔΟΜΗΘΈΝΤΕΣ. The use of οἰκοδομή and οἰκοδομεῖν in a purely metaphorical sense to describe moral ‘edification’ is common enough in St Paul, but the application of the figure of a building as a direct illustration of the constitution of the Church and of the relation of the members in it to one... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΝ ὯΙ. Cf. 1 Peter 2:4 πρὸς ὃν προσερχόμενοι. The secret of harmonious growth is in the personal link which, however mediated, unites each part of the fabric with the chief Corner Stone. ΠΑ͂ΣΑ ΟἸΚΟΔΟΜῊ. Not ‘all the building’ regarded as a completed whole, nor ‘every building’ as if the whole struc... [ Continue Reading ]
ἘΝ ὯΙ ΚΑῚ ὙΜΕΙ͂Σ. Cf. Ephesians 1:13. St Paul comes back from the description of the Universal Fabric to the Gentile share in it. ΣΥΝΟΙΚΟΔΟΜΕΙ͂ΣΘΕ, ‘are builded into one structure with’ the Jew. ΕἸΣ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΗΤΉΡΙΟΝ ΤΟΥ͂ ΘΕΟΥ͂ ἘΝ ΠΝΕΎΜΑΤΙ. St Paul singles out that function of the Temple which is at on... [ Continue Reading ]