Ephesians 1:10

in the dispensation, &c. Lit., in view of the stewardship of the fulness of the seasons. The word rendered "dispensation" is lit. "stewardship, house-management." Its special meaning here seems to be that the eternal Son is the True Steward in the great House of the Father's spiritual Church; and that into His hands is to be put the actual government of it as it stands complete in the "fulness, or, fulfilment, of the seasons" (cp. for the phrase Galatians 4:4); i.e. in the great Age of the Gospel, in which the universality of the Church, long indicated and prepared for by successive "seasons," or stages, of providence and revelation, is at length a patent fact. In other words, the Father "purposed" that His Son should be, in a supreme sense, the manifested Governor and Dispenser of the developed period of grace, of which "glory" is but the outburst and flower.

gather together in one allthings in Christ This clause explains the clause previous; the "stewardship" was to be, in fact, the actual and manifested Headship of Christ. The Gr. may be literally represented by "that He might head upall things in Christ." The verb is only used elsewhere (in N. T.) Romans 13:9, where A. V. reads "it is briefly comprehended," summed up. The element "head" in the compound verb neednot appear in translation; as it does not in either A. V. or R. V. (which reads "sum up"). But the Lord is so markedly seen in this Epistle (Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 4:15; Ephesians 5:23; and see 1 Corinthians 11:3; Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:10; Colossians 2:19) as the Head of the Church that a special reference to the thought and word seems to us almost certain here. We render, accordingly, to sum up all things in Christ as Head. "In Christ" will here import a vital and organic connexion; as so often.

both which are in heaven, &c. Here, and in the close parallel, Colossians 1:20, the context favours the reference of "all things" to the subjects of spiritual redemption who are in view through the whole passage; not explicitly to the Universe, in the largest sense of that word. More precisely, regenerate men are specially intended by "the things on earth," as distinguished from "the things in heaven," the angelic race, which also is "made subject" to the glorified Christ (1 Peter 3:22, and see Colossians 2:10). The meaning here will thus be that under the supreme Headship of the Son were to be gathered, with the "elect angels" (1 Timothy 5:21), all "the children of God scattered abroad" (John 11:52); the true members of the universal Church. So, nearly, St Chrysostom interprets the passage; making the meaning to be that "both to angels and to men the Father has appointed one Head, according to the flesh, that is Christ." (He has previously explained the verb (see last note) to mean "sum up," "gather together;" but here recognizes an additional reference to the Headshipof Christ.) See further Appendix A.

A. HEADSHIP OF CHRIST WITH RELATION TO THE UNIVERSE

In the Commentary, on ch. Ephesians 1:10, we have advocated the restriction of the reference of the Headship to the Lord's connexion with the Church. This is by no means to ignore His connexion with the whole created Universe; a truth expressly taught in the Holy Scriptures (see esp. John 1:3, and Colossians 1:16, though the latter passage makes its main reference to personal existences, not to merely material things). The connexion of the Eternal and Incarnate Son with the created World is indicated to us, directly and indirectly, as a profound and manifold connexion. But on a careful view of the whole teaching of the Ephesian Epistle we think it will be seen that the Epistle does not, so to speak, look this waywith its revelations and doctrines, but is occupied supremely with the Lord's relations with His Church, and with other intelligent existences through it. And we doubt whether the imagery of the Headis anywhere (if not here) to be found used with reference to the Universe at large, material and immaterial alike.