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M

ST PAUL’S

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS

A RE VISED TEXT AND TRANSLATION

EXPOSITION AND NOTES

J. ARMITAGE ROBINSON D.D.

DEAN OF WESTMINSTER

SECOND ED IT ION

MA CMIL L A N A ND CO.,L IMITED

ST. MA RT IN’S STREET, L ONDON

AMPL ISS IMO THEOLOGORVM HALLENS IVM ORD INI

QVORVM EX DECRETO

AD GRADVM DOCTORIS IN SACRA THEOLOG IA

ANTE NOVEM ANNOS PROVECTVS SVM

HAS CHARTAS TANDEM

HAVD IMMEMOR

DED ICO

192626

PREFACE.

QN English commentator on the Epistle to the Ephesians

finds a portion of the detai l of his work already done

by the master-hand of Bishop L ightfoot in his edition of the

companion Epistle to the Colossians. For the discussion of

particular words I have accordingly referred again and again

to L ightfoot’s notes. Where I have felt obliged to differ from

some of his interpretations , it has seemed due to himthat

I should state the ground of the difference with considerable

fulness , as for example inmore than one of the detached notes

for we may not lightly set aside a judgment which he hasgiven.

L ightfoot had himself made preparations for an edition of

Ep hesi ans ; b ut only an introductory Essay and notes on the

first fourteen verses have seen the li ght (Bi bli cal Essays,pp. 375—396 ; Notes on Ep i stles of St P aul, pp. 307

Amore solid contribution to the study of the epistle is to b e

found in Hort’s Introductory Lectures (P rolegomena to Romans

and Ep hesi ans , pp. 63 I have nothing to add to the

discuss ion of the authorshi p of this epistle which these lectures

contain.

My object has been to expound the epistle, which is the

crown of St Paul’s writings. I have separated the exposi tion

from the philological commentary, in order to give myselfgreater freedominmy attempt to draw out St Paul

’smeaning

and I have prefixed to each section of the exposition a trans

lation of the Greek text. In this translation I have only

vi i i PREFACE.

departed from the Authorised Version where that version

appeared to me to fai l to bring out correctly and intelligibly

themeamng of the original. The justification of the renderings

which I retain, as well as of those which I modify or reject,must b e sought in the notes to the Greek text.

In order to retain some measure of independence I have

refrained fromconsulting the English expositors of the epi stle,b ut I have constantly avai ledmyself of Dr T. K. Abbott’s work

in the International Cri ti ca l Commentary,since i t i s as he

says primarily phi lological.’

I Offer the fruit of a study which has extended over the

past ten years as a small contribution to the interpretation of

St Paul. The truth of the corporate li fe which was revealed

to himwas nevermore needed than i t is to-day. Our fai lure

to understand his life and message has been largely due to our

acquiescence in di sunion. As we rouse ourselves to enquire

after the meaning of unity,we may hope that he wi ll speak

to us afresh.

Several fri ends have helpedme in seeing this book through

the press : I wish to thank in particular the Reverend

J. O. F. Murray and the Reverend R. B. Rackham.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY,

CONTENTS.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

TRANSLA TION AND EXP OSITION

TEXT AND NOTES

‘ The B eloved’as a Messi an ic ti tle

On themeani ng of p vcmip cov i n the New Testament

On flaipwms' and wrjp om'

ts

INDEX OF GREEK WORDS

INTRODUCTION.

T PAUL was in Rome : not, as he had once hoped, on a St Paul inRome :

fr i endly V i sIt of encouragement to the Roman Chrlsti ans ,resting w i th themfor a few weeks before he passed on to

preach to new cities of the further West ; not in the midstof hismissionary career, b ut at i ts close. His active work was

practically done : a brief interval of release might permit himto turn eastwards once again ; b ut to all intents and purposes

his career was ended. He was a prisoner in Rome.

To know what had brought himthere, and to comprehend theclimax of

1118 speci al mi ss10n,of whi ch thls was i n truth no unfittlng Iri s mi s

climax, W8 must pas s in brief review the beginnings of the

sum

Christian story.

1. Our Lord’s earthly life began and ended among a people 1 Our

0 L d ,

themost exclusw e and the most hated of all the races under 1351218ithe universal Roman rule. But i t was a people who had an un gfif

d t°

paralleled past to look back upon,and who through centuri es of

Oppression had cherished an undying hope of sovereignty over

all other races in the world. Our Lord’s life was essentially a

Jewi sh life in i ts outward conditions. In every vi tal point He

conformed to the tradi tions of Judaism. Scarcely ever did

He set foot outside the narrow limits of the Holy Land,the

area of which was not much larger than that of the county of

Yorkshire or the principality ofWales. With hardly an excep

tion He confined His teaching and Hi s miracles to Jews. He

was not sent,He said

,b ut unto the lost sheep of the house of

EPHE&2

2 . The

Church

EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS.

Israel. It is true that He gave hints of a larger mission, of

founding a universal kingdom,of becoming in His own person

the centre of the human race. But the exclusive character of

His personal ministry stood’

in sharp contrast to those Wider

hopes and prophecies. He incessantly claimed for His teachingthat i t was the filling out and perfecting of the sacred lessons

of the lawgivers and prophets of the past. He seemed contentto identify Himself wi th Hebrew interests and Hebrew aspira

tions. So i t was fromfirst to last. He was born into a Jewish

family, of royal lineage, though in humble circumstances ; andi t was as a Jewish pretender that the Romans nailed Himto

a cross.

2 . The little brotherhood which was formed in Jerusalemto carry on His work after Hi s As cension was as strictly limitedin the sphere of i ts efforts as He Himself had been. It was

composed entirely of Jews, who in no way out themselves off

fromthe national unity, and who were zealous worshippers in

the national temple . It was a kind of Reformation movementwithin the Jewish Church. It sought for converts only amongJews

,and i t probably retained i ts members for the most part

at the national centre in the expectation of the speedy return

of Jesus as the recognized national Mess iah,who should break

the Roman power and rule a conquered world fromthe throne

of David in Jerusalem.

We cannot say how long this lasted : perhaps about five

years. But we know that during thi s period— a long one in

the chi ldhood of a new society—the Apostles and the other

brethren enjoyed the esteemand good w ill of all except the

governi ng class in Jerusalem,and that their numbers grew

wi th as toni shing rapidity. The movement was characteristi

cally a popular one. Whi le the Sadducai c high-pri estly party

dreaded i t, and opposed i t when they dared, the leader of the

Phari sees openly befriended i t,and ‘

a great multitude of the

priests’

(who must b e distinguished fromtheir ari stocratic

rulers)‘ became obedi ent to the faith

’

(Acts vi. This

statement indicates the hi gh-water mark of the movement in

INTRODUCTION. 3

i ts earliest stage. It shews too that there was as yet no breach loyal to

at all w ith Judai sm,and that the specifically Christian gather

“ dam

ings for exhortation, prayers and eucharists were not regarded

as displacing or discrediting the divinely sanctioned sacrificial

worship of the temple.

3. But the Apostles had received a. wider commiss ion, 3. A cri sis

although hitherto they had strictly adhered to the order of thefiff‘m

A crisis cameat last. A stormsuddenly broke upon their prosperous calmLord

’s command by ‘ beginning at Jerusalem.

a stormwhich seemed in amoment to wreck the whole structurewhich they had been bui lding, and to dash their fair hope of

the national conversion in irretri evable ru in.

The Jews of Alexandria had been w idened by contact with b y St

Greek phi losophy and culture. They had striven to presentafi

fifli‘en

’s

their faith in a dress which would make it less deterrent to teamingthe Genti le mind. If we cannot say for certain that St Stephen

was an A lexandrian ,we know at any rate that he was a repre

sentative of the Hellenistic element in the Church at Jerusalem.

A. large study of the Old Testament scriptures had prepared

himto see in the teaching of Chri st a wider purpose than others

saw . He felt that the Christian Church could not always

remain shut up within the walls of Jerusalem,or even limited

to Jewish believers . What he sai d to suggest innovation and

to arouse Opposition we do not know . We only know that the What lyewas sa i d

pomts on whi ch he was condemned were false charges,not to have

unlike some which had been brought against the Lord Himself. said ‘

He was accused of disloyalty to Moses and the temple— the

sacred law and the d ivine sanctuary. Hi s defence was drawn

fromthe very writings which he was charged with di screditing.The poli ti

cal p artiesBut it was not heard to the end. He was pleading a cause unite to

condemnh im.

already condemned ; and the two great political parties were

at one in stamping out the heresy of the uni versality of

the Gospel. For it i s important to note the change in the

Phari saic party. Convinced that after all the new movementwas fatal to their narrow tradi tionalism,

they and the commonpeople, whose accepted leaders they had always been

, swung

1— 2

Persson

tion scat

ters the

Church,

which i s

thus involved in

the conse

quences of

thewi derteach ing,w ithoutb eingasked to

sanction

it.

4. The

b egin

nings of

extensionto the

Genti les .

NotPhi li p ,

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

round into deadly opposition. The wi tnesses, who by the law

must needs cast the first stones at the condemned ,threw off their

upper garments at the feet of a young di sciple of Gamaliel.Themurder of St Stephen was followed by a general perse

cution ,and in a few days the Apostles were the only Chri stians

left in Jerusalem. We may fairly doubt whether the Churchas a whole would have been prepared to sanction St Stephen

’s

line of teaching. Had they been called to pronounce upon i t,theymight perhaps have censured i t as rash and premature, ifnot indeed essentially unsound. But they were never asked

the question. They were at once involved in the consequences

of what he had taught, w ith no opportunity of disclaiming it.Providence had pushed themforward a step, and there was

no possibi lity of a return.

4. The scattered believers carri ed theirmessage w ith them;and they soon found themselves proclaiming i t to a wideningcircle of hearers . St Philip preaches to the unorthodox and

half-heathen Samari tans ; later he bapti ses an Ethiopian,no

Jew ,though a God-fearing man. St Peter himself formally

declares to a Roman centurion at Caesarea that now at length

he is learning themeaning of the Old saying of his Jewi sh Bible,

that ‘

God is no respecter of persons’. A t Antioch a Church

Springs up , which consists largely of Gentile converts .

But we must go back to Jerusalemto get a sight of the

man on whomSt Stephen’s propheticmantle has fallen. He

was w i th himwhen he was taken up ,and a double portion

of hi s spiri t i s to rest upon him. The fiery enthusiasmof the

persecuting Saul,themost conspicuous di sciple of the greatest

Phari see of the age, was a terrible proof that Christianity

had forfeited the esteemand favour of her earliest years in

Jerusalem. The tide of persecution was stemmed indeed by

his conversion to the persecuted side : b ut for some time hisown life was in constant danger, and he retired into obscurity.

He came out of his retirement as the Apostle,not of a

Chri stianized Judaism,b ut of St Stephen’s wider Gospel for

the world.

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may wasnatural.

The ren

deringChri st

di sguisesfromus

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

language of the scriptures and the prayers of the synagogue

all spoke to themof the peculiar pri vileges and the exceptional

destiny of the Hebrew people. Was all thi s to go for nothing ?

Were outside Genti les, strangers to the covenant w ith Moses,

to rise at a bound to equal heights of pri vi lege wi th the

circumcised people of God ?

We are ap t to pass too harsh a judgment on themain bodyof the Jewish believers, b ecause we do not readi ly understand

the dismay which filled theirminds at the proposed inclusion ofGentiles in the Chri stian society, the nucleus of the Messianic

kingdom,wi th no stipulation whatever of conformity to Jewish

institutions . Day by day, as the Jewi sh believer went to his

temple-prayers,i t was his proud right to pas s the barrier

which separated Jew fromGenti le in the house of God . What

was this intolerable confusion which was breaking down the

divinely,

constituted middle-wall of partition be tween them?His dearest hope , which the words of Chri st had only seemedfor a moment to defer, was the restoration of the kingdomto Israel. What had become of that

,i f the new society was to

include the Gentile on the same footing as the Jew ? Was not

Christ emphatically and by His very name the Messiah of the

Jewish nation ? Could any b e a good Chri stian, unless he

were first a good Jew ?

It is essential to an understanding of St Paul’s special

mission,and of the whole view of Christiani ty which he was

led to take during the progress of thatmission,that we should

the Jewi sh appreciate thi s problemas it presented i tself to the mind ofMess“

the Jew who had believed in Christ. The very fact that

throughout the Apostoli c wri tings the Greek translationXpw'rbs

takes the place of the Hebrew Mess iah di sgui ses fromus the

deep signi ficance which everymention of the name must havehad for the Palestini an Chri stian. The Syriac versions of the

New Testament, in which the old word naturally comes backagain

,help us to recover this special point of view . How

strangely—to take a few pas sages at randoml—do these words1I Cor. vi ii I I , ix 1 2 , xi i 2 7.

INTRODUCTION. 7

sound to us : himwho i s weak,for whomthe Messiah died

’

;

the Gospel of the Messiah ‘

ye are the body of the Messiah’.

Yet nothing less than this could St Paul’s words have meantto every Jew that heard them.

Again, St Paul’s own championship of Genti le liberty i s St Paul’s

so prominent in his wri tings, that we are tempted to overlookgiv

ihs

e

ense

those passages which shew how keenly he himself realisedSi tuation

the pathos of the situation. A Hebrew of purest Hebrew

blood ,a Pharisee as his father was before him

,he saw to his

bitter sorrow,what every Jewish Christianmust have seen

,that

his doctrine of Genti le freedomwas erecting a fresh barrier

against the conversion of the Jewish nation : that the very

universality of the Gospel was i ssuing in the self-exclusion of

the Jew . The mental anguish which he suffered is w itnessed

to by the three great chapters of the Epistle to the Romans(ix—xi), in which he struggles towards a solution of the

problem.

‘ A disobedi ent and gai nsaying people it i s, as the

prophet had foretold . And yet the gi fts and the calling of

God are never revoked ; God hath not cast off His people,whomHe foreknew The futuremust contain somewhere thejustification of the present : then, though i t cannot b e now

,

‘all Israel shall b e saved ’

. It is the largeness of hi s hope The1

that stead i es him. HIS work i s not for the souls of men so f ag“

much as for the Purpose of God in Christ. The individual Whi chsustained

counts b ut little in compari son. The wider issues are always h im

before him. Not Jews and Gentiles merely, b ut Jew and

Genti le, are the Objects of his solicitude. Not the rescue of

some out of the ru in of all is the hope w ith which the Gospel

has inspired him, b ut the summing up of all persons and all

things in Christ.

6. The feeling, then, whi ch rose in theminds of the Chris 6. The

tian portion of the Jew ish people on hearing of the proposed 3211

311

1

1

3;indiscriminate admission of Genti les into the Church of Christ

is sue

might have found its expression in the cry, The Jewish Messiah The

for the Jews Genti les might indeed b e allowed a place in viewthe kingdomof God. The old prophets had foretold as much

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

as this. Nor was it contrary to the established practice of

later Judai sm,after i t had been forced into contact with the

Greek world. The Genti le who submitted to circumcision and

other recogni sed conditions might share the privi leges of the

chosen people. But admission on any lower terms amountedto a revolution ; the very proposition was a revolt agai nst

divinely sanctioned institutions.

We are not to suppose that the Apostles themselves, or

even the majori ty of the Jewish believers, took so extremea view : the conference at Jerusalemi s a proof that they did

not. But even they may well have been perplexed at the

swiftness wi th which a change was coming over the whole face

of themovement in consequence of St Paul’smissionary action :

and they must have perceived that this change would b e

deeply obnoxious in particular to those earnest Pharisees whomthey had led to believe in Jesus as the nation’s Messiah.

Some of the more ardent of these found their way to

Antioch,where they proclaimed to the Genti le believers :

Except ye b e circumcised after the customof Moses, ye cannot

b e saved Happi ly St Paul was there to champion the Gentilecause. We need b ut sketch the mai n features of the struggle

that ensued.

A conference with the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalemwas the first step. Here after much discuss ion St Peter rises

and recalls the occas ion on which he himself had been di vinelyguided to action like St Paul’s. Then comes the narrative of

facts from the miss ionaries themselves. Finally St Jamesformulates the decis ion which i s reached

,to lay on them

no other burden ’than certain simple precepts, which must of

necess ity b e observed i f there were to b e any fellowship at all

between Jewish and Gentile believers.

So the first battle was fought and won. The Divineattestation given to St Paul’s work among the Genti les was a

proof that God had opened to .themalso the door of faith.

They were pressing in : who could withstand God by trying to

shut the door ? But when the novelty of the wonder wore

INTRODUCTION. 9

away, the old questionings revived, and i t seemed as though

the Church must b e split into two divisions—Jewi sh and

Genti le Christians.

To St Paul’s vi ew such a partition was fatal to the very Two con

mission of Chri stianity, which was to b e the healer of the2325128

581

world’s d ivi sions . The best years of his life were accordi ngly

devoted to reconci liation . Two great epistles witness to this

endeavour : the Epistle to the Galatians, in which he mighti lydefends Genti le liberty ; and the Epistle to the Romans

,in

which,wri ting to the central city of the world

,the seat of i ts

empire and the symbol of i ts outward unity, he holds an even

balance between Jew and Genti le, and claims themboth as

necessary to the Purpose of God.

One practical method of reconci liation was much in his Gentile

thoughts. Poverty had oppressed the believers in Judaca . Hereli berali tytomeet

was a rare chance for Genti le liberality to shew that St Paul533221

;was right in saying that Jew and Gentile were one man in

Christ. Hence the stress which he laid on the collection of

alms,

‘the mini stry unto the saints ’ (2 Cor. ix The alms

collected,he himself must journey to Jerusalem to present

themin person. He knows that he does so at the risk of his

life : b ut i f he dies, he dies in the cause for which he has lived.

His one anxi ety i s lest by any means his mission to Jerusalemshould fail of its end ; and he bids the Roman Chri stianswrestle in prayer, not only that his li fe may b e spared, b ut also

that‘the ministry which he has for Jerusalem’

,or

,to use an

earlier phrase,‘the offering of the Genti les’

,may b e ‘

acceptable

to the sa ints (Rom. xv 16,

His journey was successful fromthis point of vi ew ; b ut i t St Paul’s

led to an attack upon himby the unbeli eving Jews, and a long

imprisonment in Caesarea followed. Yet even thi s, disastrousmen”

as i t seemed, furthered the cause of peace and unity w ithin

the Christian Church. St Paul was removed fromthe scene of

conflict. Bitter feelings against his person naturally subsided

when he was in pri son for his Master’s sake. His teachings

and his letters gained in importance and authority. Before he

IO EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

was taken to hi s trial at Rome the controversy was practically

dead. Genti le liberty had cost himhis freedom, b ut i t was an

accomplished fact. He was‘the prisoner of Jesus Chri st on

behalf of the Genti les b ut his cause had triumphed,and the

equal position of privi lege of the Gentile converts was never

again to b e seriously challenged.

7 . Thus St Paul had been strangely brought to the place

where he had so often longed to find himself. At las t he was

in Rome : a prisoner indeed, b ut free to teach and free to write .

And fromhis seclusion came three epistles— to the Philippians ,to the Colossians , and to the Ephes ians

The circumcision question was dead. Other questions were

being raised ; and to these the Epistle to the Colossians in

particular is controversially addressed . This done,his mind is

free for one supreme exposi tion, non-controvers ial,positive

,

fundamental,of the great doctrine of hi s life—that doctrine

into which he had been advancing year by year under the

discipline of his unique circumstances— the doctrine of the

uni ty ofmankind in Chri st and of the purpose of God for the

world through the Church.

The foregoing sketch has enabled us in some meas ure tosee how St Paul was specially trained by the provi dence that

ruled his li fe to b e the exponent of a teaching which transcends

all other declarations of the purpose ofGod forman. The best

years of his Apostoli c labour had been expended in the effort to

preserve in uni ty the two confli cting elements of the Christian

Church. And now,when signal success has crowned his

labours,we find himin confinement at the great centre of the

world’s activi ty wri ting to expound to the Gentile Christians of

As ia Minor what is his final conception of the meaning and

aimof the Christian revelation. He is a prisoner indeed, b ut

not in a dungeon : he i s in hi s own hired lodging. He is not

crushed by bodi ly suffering. He can thi nk and teach and

write. Only he cannot go away. At Rome he is on a kind of

watch-tower, like a lonely sentinel wi th a wide field of vi ew

INTRODUCTION. I I

b ut forced to abide at h is post. His mind i s free,and ranges

over the world— past , present and future. Wi th a large liberty

Of thought he commences hi s great argument ‘ before the

foundation of the world’

,and carries i t on to ‘

the fulness of the

times ’, embracing in its compass ‘all things in heaven and on

the earth

8. If the wri ter’s history and circumstances help us to 8 The

understand the meaning Of his epistle,so too w i ll a considera fii

’

i’fi?

tion of the readers for whomit was intended. But here weep ism”

meet with a di fficulty at the very outset. The words ‘ in Omi ssionEphesus ’ (i I) are absent fromsome of our oldest and best in

MSS. , and several of the Greek Fathersmake i t clear that they Ephesus ’

did not find themin all Oopies . Indeed i t is almost certain

that they do not come fromSt Paul himself 1.There are good reasons for beli eving that the epistle was A circular

letter.

i ntended as a Ci rcular letter, an encycli cal,to go the round of

many Churches in Asia Minor. We have parallels to this in

I St Peter and the Apocalypse, in both of which however the

Churches in question are mentioned by their names.The capi tal of the Roman province Of As ia was Ephesus. Naturally

TO Ephesus such a letter would naturally go first of all : and

when in later times a title was sought for it, to correspond Ephesus '

with the titles of other epistles, no name would Offer itself so

readi ly and so reas onably as the name of Ephesus. Accordingly 53206 its

the title ‘TO THE EPHESIANS

’was prefixed to it. And i f

,as

seems not improbable, the Opening sentence contained a space

into which the name of each Church in turn might b e read

‘to the saints which are and the faithful in Christ

Jesus — it was certai n that in many copies the words ‘ in

Ephesus ’ would come to b e filled in.

The internal evidence of the epistle i tself is in harmony Thereaders

with the view that i t was not specially intended for the Ephe in large

sian Church. For inmore than one place the Apostle appears fifizt

w

’zn

goto bewri ting to Christians whomhe has never seen, of whose 815P3 111

fai th he knew only by report,and who in turn knew Of his

1 See the detached note on év

12 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

teachings only through the medi umof his disciples (i 15, i i i 2 ,iv

St Paul’s Moreover the encyclical nature of the epi stle removes whatspeci al

relation would otherwi se b e a most seri ous ob j eeti on to i ts authenti ci ty.

Ephesus .

If we read the notices of St Paul’s relations w ith Ephesus, as

they are given by St Luke in the Acts, we Observe that for a

long whi le he appears to have been specially checked in his

efforts to reach and to settle in that important centre. At one

time ‘ he was forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word

in Asia’

(xvi Other’

work must take precedence. Not

only were the Galatian Churches founded first,b ut also the

European Churches—Philippi , Thessalonica, Corinth. Then

on his way back fromCorinth he touches at the city of his

desire, b ut only to hurry away, though with a promise to

return,i f God so w i ll (xvi i i At last he comes to remain

,

and he makes it a centre,so that ‘

all they which dwelt in

Asia heard the word of the Lord (xix As he tells the

Ephesian elders at Mi letus, when he believes that he is sayinghis last words to them,

For three years night and day I ceased

not to warn every one of you wi th tears’

(xx

Yet thi s To judge by the other letters Of St Paul,we should expect

to find a letter to the Ephesians unusually full Of personalsalutations of

viduals .

detai ls,reminiscences of hi s long labours

,warnings as to special

dangers , kindly greetings to individuals by name . We are

struck by the very opposite of all this . NO epistle is so general,

so little addressed to the peculiar needs Of one Church morethan another. As for personal references and greetings, there

are none. Even Timothy’s name i s not joined w ith St Paul’s

at the outset, as i t is in the Epistle to the Coloss ians,wri tten

at the same time and carri ed by the samemessenger : not oneproper name is found in the rest of the epistle, except that of

Tychicus i ts bearer.

‘ Peace to the brethren’, is i ts close ;‘grace b e w ith all that love our Lord

’.

The inoon The apparent inconsistency disappears themoment we strikesi stencydi sap . out the words ‘ in Ephesus NO one Church is addressed : the

pears’If letter w i ll go the round of the Churches w i th the broad lessons

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I4 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

v zz—vi 9.

vi 10—2 0 .

vi 2 1— 24.

The topic of the Epistle to the Ephesians is of pre-eminent

interest in the present day . At no former peri od has there

been so w idespread a recogni tion in all departments of humanlife of the need of comb ination and cooperation : and never,perhaps, has more anxious thought been expended on the

problem of the ultimate destiny Of mank ind. Whi lst i t is

true that everywhere and always questions have been asked

about the future, yet i t is not too much to say that we, who

have begun to feel after the truth Of a corporate life as higher

than an individual life,aremore eager than any pas t generation

has been to learn,and perhaps are more capable of learning,

what i s the goal for which Man as a whole i s making, or,in

other words,what is God

’s Purpose for the Human Race.

Among the perpetual marvels of the Apostolic wri tings is

the fact that they contain answers to enquiries which have

long wai ted to b e made : that,while the formof the wri tten

record remains the same for all ages,its interpretation

grows in clearness as each age asks i ts own questions in

its own way.

Duties interpreted b y relation to Chri st

wives and husbands (2 2

chi ldren and parents (vi 1—4)slaves andmasters (5

The sp iri tual warri or clad in God’s armour.

Clos ing words.

WE SPEAK THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY,THE WISDOM THAT HATE BEEN HIDDEN

,

WHICH GOD FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLDUNTO OUR GLORY.

element,And one far-of d ivine event

,

To which the whole creation nwves.

[TO THE ' EPHESIAN Sl

AUL , an apostle Of Chri st Jesus by the w i ll of God, to the i I . 2

saints whi ch are [at Ep hesus] and the faithful in Christ

Jesus : “

Grace to you and peace fromGod our Father and the

Lord Jesus Christ.

The tw o points whi ch di stinguish thi s salutation have b een

noti ced already in the Introduction . NO other name i s joined w i thSt Paul’s

,although the salutation Of the Ep istle to the Coloss ians ,

wri tten at the same time,links w i th him‘ Timothy the brother ’.

N0 one Church i s addressed,b ut a blank is left, that each Church

in turn may find i ts own name inserted by the Apostle’s messenger.

Paul the A postle, and no other Wi th him, addresses himself not tothe requirements of a single commun ity of Chri stians, b ut to a

universal need—the need of a larger knowledge of the purposesOf God.

3 BLESSED b e the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ,who hath blessed us w ith all spiri tual bless ing in the heavenly

p laces in Christ : according as He hath chosen us in Himbeforethe foundation of the world,

that we should b e holy and

blameless before Himin love ; 5 havi ng foreordained us to the

adoption of sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, accordingto the good pleasure of His w i ll,

6to the praise of the glory

of Hi s grace,which He hath freely bestowed on us in the

Beloved ; 7 in whomwe have redemption through Hi s blood, theforgiveness Of trespasses

,according to the riches of Hi s grace

,

8which He hathmade to abound toward us in all w isdomand

prudence, 9 havingmade known unto us themystery ofHis wi ll,

according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in

Him,for dispensation in the fulness of the times, to gather

EPHES.2 2

EXPOSITION OF THE [I 3

up in one all things in Chri st, both which are in the heavens

and which are on earth ; in Him,in whomalso w e have been

chosen as God’3 portion, having been foreordain ed according to

the purpose of Himwho worketh all things according to the

counsel Of His wi ll,‘ 2

that we should b e to the praise of His

glory,who have been the first to hOpe in Chri st ;

” in whomyealso

,having heard the word of the truth

,the gospel Of your

salvation,— in whomalso having believed, ye have been sealed

with the holy Spiri t Of promise, " which is the earnest of our

inheritance, unto the redemption Of God’s own possession, to

the praise ofHis glory.

Fromthe outset the elimi nation Of t he p ersonal element seemsto affect the composition. Compare the introductory words of someof the ep i stles

I Thess. ‘We thank God always concerni ng you all

2 Thess. We are bound to thank God always for youGal. I marvel that ye are so soon

Col. We thank God always concerning you

Here, however, no personal consideration enters. Hi s greattheme possesses himat once :

‘ B lessed be hath b lessed

us The customary note of thanksgi ving and p rayer i s indeedsounded (s o. 1 5 b ut not unti l the great doxology has run i ts full

course.

There i s one parallel to this Opening. The Second Ep i stle to

the Corinthi ans was wri tten in a moment of reli ef from intensestrain. The A postle had b een anxiously waiting to learn the effectOf hi s former letter. A t length good news reaches him:

‘ God’,

as he says later on,which comforteth themthat are low

,com

forted us by the coming of Titus’. In the full j oy Of hi s heart hebegins hi s ep i stle wi th a burst Of thanksgi ving to the DivineConsoler : ‘ Blessed b e the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Chr ist, the Father of mercies and God Of all comfort,who com

forteth us in all our trouble, that w e may b e ab le to comfort themthat are in any trouble, by means Of the comfort wi th whi chw e ourselves are comforted Of God

The bless ing there ascribed to God i s for a parti cular mercyBlessed b e comforteth us

’. But here no special boon is

in his mind. The suprememercy Of God toman fills hi s thoughts‘B lessed be ha th b lessed us

’.

I 3] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 19

The twelve verses whi ch follow ba ffle our analysi s. They are a 3—14

kaleidoscope Of dazzling lights and shifting colours’

: at first w e fai l

to find a trace of order or method . They are like the p reliminaryflight Of the eagle, ri sing and Wheeling round, as though for a

While uncerta in what d i rection in hi s b oundless freedomhe shalltake. SO the A postle

’s thought li fts i tself b eyond the limits Of

time and above thematerial concep tions that confine ord inarymen,and ranges thi s w ay and that in a regi on of sp irit, a heavenlysphere, wi th no course as yet marked out,merely exulting in the

attributes and purposes Of God.

A t first w e marvel at the wealth of hi s language : b ut soon wedi scover

,b y the very repeti tion of the phrases whi ch have arrested

us,the poverty of all language when i t comes to deal wi th such

top i cs as he has chosen. He seems to b e swept along b y hi s theme,hardly knowing whi ther i t is taking him. He begins wi th God,the blessing whi ch comes fromGod to men

,the etern i ty of Hi s

purpose of good , the glory of i ts consummation. But he cannotorder h i s conceptions, or close hi s sentences. One thought presseshard upon another

,and wi ll not be refused. And so thi s great

doxology runs on and on :‘ in whom i n Him i n Him, in

in Whom i n

But as w e read it again and again w e begin to perceive certaingreat words recurring and revolv ing round a central point

‘ The w ill ’Of God : vv. 5, 9, 1 1 .

‘ TO the p rai se of His glory’: cv. 6, 1 2

,14.

‘ In Chri st ’: vv. 3, 4, 6, 7 , 9, 10 b i s,1 1 , 1 2

,13 b is.

The wi ll Of God working itself out to some glorious i ssue inChri st— that i s hi s theme. A single phrase of the ninth verse sumsi t up : i t i s themystery of His wi ll’.

In p roceeding to examine the passage clause b y clause w e shallnot here dwell on individual exp ressions, excep t in so far as their

di scussion i s ind i sp ensab le for the understanding Of the maindrift of the ep i stle. But at the outset there are certain words and

p hrases whi ch challenge attention ; and our hope of grasp ing the

A postle’s meaning depends upon our gaining a true conception

of the standpoint whi ch they imply. They must accordi ngly b etreated with whatmight otherwi se seema d i sproportionate fulness .

The third verse contains three such phrases. The first i s : ‘w i th i 3

a ll sp i ri tua l b lessing’. It has been suggested that the A postle

inserts the ep i thet‘ sp iri tual

’b ecause the mention of two Persons

of the Blessed Trini ty naturally leads himto introduce a reference

2— 2

20

Phil. Ii

EXPOSITION OF THE [I 3

to the thi rd. A ccordingly w e are asked to render the words‘every b lessing of the Sp i ri t

’.

But a little consideration wi ll shew that the ep i thet marks an

important contrast. The b lessing Of God p romi sed in the Old

Testament w as p rimari ly a materi al p rosp eri ty. Hence in some of

its nob lest literature the Hebrew mi nd struggled so inefl'

ectually

wi th the p rob lemp resented by the affliction Of the righteous and

the prosperi ty of the wi cked. In the Book of Genesi s the words‘ in b lessing I wi ll bless thee ’ are interp reted b y in mul ti plying Iwi llmultiply thy seed as the stars Of the heaven In Deuteronomythe b lessing of God i s exp ressed b y the fami liar words : Blessedshalt thou b e in the city, and blessed shalt thou b e in the fieldBlessed shall b e thy basket and thy store

The blessing Of the New Covenant i s in another region : the

region not of the body,b ut of the sp i ri t; It i s sp i ri tual blessing

’,

not carnal, temporal blessing. The reference then i s not primari ly

to the Holy Sp iri t, though‘ sp i ri tual blessing

’ cannot b e thoughtof apart fromHim. The adjective occurs again in the phrase‘ sp i ri tual songs

’: and also in the remarkable passage : ‘

our wrestling i s against the sp iri tual (things)of wi ckedness in the heavenly

It is confirmatory of thi s view that in the latter passageit occurs in close connexi on wi th the di fficult phras e whi ch wemustnext d i scuss.

The exp ression‘ in the heavenly (p laces)

’occurs five times in thi s

ep i stle (i 3, 2 0 ; i i 6 ; i i i 10 ; v i and i s found nowhere else.

The adjective (e’vrovpoimog) is not new : w e find i t in Homer and

Plato,as well as in the New Testament, including other ep i stles of

St Paul. The nearest parallel i s in an earli er letter of the sameRoman captivi ty : every knee shall bow Of things in heaven and

things on earth and thi ngs under the earthIt might b e rendered among the heavenly things

’, or in the

heavenly p laces’

or,to use a more modern term,

‘ in the heavenlysphere

’. It is a regi on Of i deas , rather than a locali ty, whi ch i s

suggested b y the vagueness of the exp ression . TO understand whatit meant to St Paul’s mind w e must look at the contexts in whi chhe uses it.

Leaving the present passage to the last, w e begin w ith i 2 0 : after

theResurrection God seated Chri st at Hi s right hand i n the heavenlysp here, above every p rincipali ty and authori ty and power and

dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world b ut

also in that whi ch i s to come Thus the heavenly sphere i s

regarded as the Sphere of all the ruling forces of the universe . The

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22

z 00r

EXPOSITION OF THE [I 3

We may call to our aid one other passage to i llustrate all thi s.‘ The things in the heavens as well as the things on earth ’

,are

to b e summed up— to b e gathered up in one— i h the Chri st

(i Or,as the parallel passage, Col. i 2 0 , puts i t :

‘ It p leasedGod to reconci le all things through Chri st unto Himself, settingthemat peace by the b lood Of the cross

,whether they b e the things

on earth or the things in the heavens That i s as much as to say,‘The things in the heavens were out of gear, as well as the thingson earth ’

. And so St Paul’s Gosp el wi dens out into a Gospel Of theUn iverse : the heavens as well as the earth are in some mysteriousmanner brought wi thi n i ts scope .

It i s important that w e Should understand thi s point of view.

Heaven to us has come to mean a future state of perfect b li ss .But

, to St Paul’s mind

,in the heavenly Sphere

’the very same

struggle i s going on whi ch vexes us on earth. Only wi th thi sdi fference there Chri st i s already enthroned , and w e b y . representation are enthroned with Him.

In other words,St Paul warns us from the beginni ng that he

takes a sup ra sensual v iew of human life . He cannot rest in the‘ things seen

’: they are not the eternal, the real things : they are

b ut things as they seem,not things as they are : they are thi ngs

‘ for a time (r p éo-Ka tpa), not things ‘ for ever’(a ioima

The thi rd important phrase whi ch meets us on the threshold of

the ep i stle i s the phrase‘ i n Chri st

’. It i s characteri sti cally Pauline .

It is not,Of course, confined to thi s ep i stle, b ut i t i s sp ecially

frequent here.

A word must first of all b e sa id as to the tw o forms in whi chSt Paul uses the name ‘ Chri st ’. It i s found sometimes wi th and

sometimes W ithout the defini te arti cle. The d i stinction whi ch i s

thus introduced cannot always b e p ressed : b ut, speaking generally ,w e may say that in the first case w e have a title, in the second a

p roper name : in other words, the first formlays emphasi s on the

Office held, the second on the Person who holds i t.In the p resent p assage, in speaking Of the b lessing wherewi th

God has b lessed us, St Paul points to Chri st as the Person in whomw e have that blessing in Chri st ’. Below

,in speaking more

broadly Of the purpose of God for the universe,he lays the stress

upon the Office of the Messiah— ‘to gather up in one all things in

the Chri st ’. But i t i s possib le that in many cases the choi ce b etween the tw o forms was determined simply b y the consideration Of

euphony.

The Messiah w as the hope Of the Jewi sh nation. Their expecta

I 3] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 23

tion for the future was summed up in Him. He was the Chosen,

the Beloved, the Anointed Of God ; the ideal King in whomthe

nation’s destiny w as to b e fulfilled .

The L ife and Death of Jesus were in strange contrast to the

general Messiani c expectation . The Resurrection and A scensionrestored the failing hope of Hi s immediate followers

,and at the

same time helped to translate i t to a more Sp iri tual region. Theyrevealed the earthly Jesus as the heavenly Chri st.

To St Paul ‘ Jesus was preeminently the Chri st Very rarelydoes he use the name ‘ Jesus ’ Wi thout linking i t with the name or

the ti tle ‘Chri st ’: perhap s, indeed, only Where some special referencei s intended to the earthly L i fe. SO

,for examp le, he speaks Of the 2 Cor. iv IO

dying Of Jesus and , in contrasting the earthly humi li ation wi ththe heavenly exaltation whi ch followed it

,he says : that in the Ph i ld u o f

name Of Jesus every knee should every tongue confessthat Jesus Chri st i s LORD

If the p rimary thought of the Messiah is a hope for the Jewi sh

peop le, St Paul’s Gosp el further proclaims Himto b e the hope Of

the world Of men,the hope even Of the entire universe. That the

Chri st w as the Christ Of the Gentile, as well as of the Jew,w as the

specialmessage whi ch he had been called to announce— ‘ to bri ng as i i i 8

a gospel to the Genti les the unexplorab le wealth of the Chri st ’.Thi s w as themystery, or secret of God

,long hi dden

,now r evealed

as he says to the Colossians : ‘ God wi lled to make known what is Col . i 2 7the wealth of the glory of thi smystery among the Genti les ; whi chi s Chri st in you —you Genti les the hope of glory

That the Chri st to so large an extent takes the place of ‘Jesus’

in St Paul’s thought i s highly signi ficant, and expla ins much thatseems to call for explanation . It explains the fact that St Pauldwells SO little on the earthly L ife and the spoken Words Of the

Lord . He cannot have b een ignorant of or indi fferent to the greatstory whi ch for us i s recorded in the Gospels. Yet he scarcelytouches any part Of i t

,save the facts that Jesus w as cruci fied , that

He d ied and was b uri ed,that He rose and ascended . Of the

miracles whi ch He wrought w e hear nothi ng of themiracle whi chattended His birth into the world w e hear nothing. Of the struggleswi th the Phari sees, Of the tra in ing Of the Twelve, of the di scoursesto themand to themultitudes

,he tells us nothing. It is a soli tary

exception when,as i t were incidentally

,he i s led b y a parti cular

necessity to relate the insti tution Of the Euchari st.

It cannot have b een that these things were of small moment inhi s eyes. He must have known at least most of them,

and have

valued them. But he had a message peculiarly his own : and that

24 EXPOSITION OF THE [I 3

message dealt not wi th the earthly Jesus,so much as with the

heavenly Chri st. In the heavenly sphere’hi smessage lies. Hence

2 Cor. v 16 forth’,he says

,

‘ know w e no man after the flesh : yea, i f w e have

known Chri st after the flesh, yet now henceforth know w e Him(so)nomore ’. The Death, the Resurrection

,the A scension— these are

to himthe important moments Of the life of Chri st ; they are the

ladder that leads upwards from‘ Chri st after the flesh’to ‘ Chri st

in the heavenly sphere — the exalted, the glorified, the reigningChri st ; the Chri st yet to b eman ifested as the consummation Of the

purpose of God . And if St Paul looked beyond the earthly life of

the Lo rd in one d irection,he looked beyond i t also in another. To

hi s thought the Chri st ’does not b egin with the hi stori cal‘ Jesus ’.

The Christ i s eternal in the past as well as in the future. The

earthly life of Jesus i s a kind Ofmiddle point, a stage Of humi liation2 C0r.vi i i 9 for a time.

‘ Being ri ch,He became poor

’

;‘ being in the formof

Ph i l. 11 6 f. humb led Himself, taking the formOf a servant,coming

to b e in the likeness of men ’. That stage Of humiliation i s past :

‘God hath highly exalted Him’: w e fix our gaze now on

‘ Jesus

Chr i st ascended and enthroned.

We may not,indeed

,think that ‘ Jesus ’ and the Chri st ’ can

ever in any w ay b e separated : St Paul’s frequent comb ination Of

the two names i s a wi tness against such a separation . Yet thereare two aspects : and i t is the heavenly asp ect that p redomi natesin the thought of St Paul.

It i s instructive in thi s connexion to compare the narrative Of

St Paul’s conversion with the account that immediately follows Ofhis first p reaching. It was ‘ Jesus ’ who appeared to himin the

Acts ix 5 w ay :‘Who art thou, Lord amJesus He had always looked

for the Mess iah : he was to b e taught that in Jesus the MessiahActs ix 2 2 had come. The lesson was learned ; and w e read : Saul waxed

strong the more,and confounded the Jews that dwelt in Damascus

,

proving that thi s w as the Chri st ’. He had seen Jesus, ri sen and

exalted : he knew Himhenceforth as the Chri st.We Observe

,then

,that the conception which the phra se in

Cit/li st imp li es b elongs to the same supra-sensual region Of ideas to

whi ch the tw o p receding phrases testify. The mysti cal uni on or

identification whi ch i t asserts i s asserted as a relation,not to

‘ Jesus —the namemore di stinctive of the earthly L ife—b ut to the

Chri st as ri sen and exalted .

The s ignificance Of the relation to Chri st, as ind i cated b y the

preposition‘ in

’,and the i ssues Of that relation

,are matters on

whi ch light wi ll b e thrown as w e p roceed wi th the study of the

ep i stle. But i t i s important to note at the outset how much i s

I 4] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

summed up in thi s brief phrase, and how p rominent a position i t

holds in St Paul’s thought.In Chri st, the eternal Chri st

,w ho suffered

, rose, ascended, whoi s seated now at God

’s right hand sup reme over all the forces of theuni verse : in Chri st, in the heavenly Sphere wherein He now abides

,

in the region of sp iri tual activi ties, all sp i ritual blessing i s ours : inChri st God has blessed us blessed b e God .

In the verses whi ch follow (4— 14)w e have an amplification Of vv. 4—14

the thoughts Of v. 3 , and especially Of the phrase‘ in Chr i st Thi s

amplification i s introduced by the words according as’.

A nd first St Paul declares that the blessing wherewith God hathb lessed us i s no new departure in the Divine counsels. It i s in

harmony with an eternal design whi ch has marked us out as the

reci p ients Of thi s b lessing accordi ng as He ha th chosen a s i n Himi 4

before thefoundation of the world’.

‘He ha th chosen a s or elected us’. Election i s a termwhi ch

suggests at once somuch Of controversy, that i tmay b e well to layemphasi s on its p rimary sense by substituting

,for the moment

,a

word of the same meaning, b ut less trammelled b y associations

the word selection

The thought that God in Hi s dealings wi thmen p roceeds by themethod Of selection was not new to St Paul . The whole of the

Old Testament w as an affirmation of thi s p rincip le. He himselffromhi s earliest days had lea rned to cheri sh as hi s p roudest possess ion the fact that he w as included in the Divine Selection. He

w as a member of the Peop le whomGod had in A brahamselectedfor peculi ar b lessing.

The Div ine Selection of the Heb rew People to hold a p rivi leged

position, thei r ready recogni tion Of that posi tion and thei r selfishab use of i t

,the persistent assertion Of i t by the Prophets as the

ground Of national amendment— thi s i s the very theme of the Old

Testament scri p tures . . It i s on account of thi s, above all,that the

Chri stian Church can never afford to part with them. Only as we

hold the Old Testament in our hands can w e hope to interp ret theNew Testament, and especially the wri tings Of St Paul. Only the

hi story of the ancient Israel can teach us the meaning Of the new Gal. vi 16

Israel Of God’.NO new departure in p rinci p le was made b y Chri stianity . Its

v ery name of the New Covenant declares that God’smethod i s sti llthe same. Only the app li cation Of i t has been extended : the area

Of selection has been enlarged. A new People has been founded, aPeop le not limited by geographi cal or b y racial boundari es : b ut

26 EXPOSITION OF THE [I 4

sti ll a Peop le , a Selected Peop le— even as tod ay w e teach the

Chri stian child to say : The Holy Ghost, whi ch sanctifleth me and

all the Elect People of God’

God,then

,says St Paul, selected us to b e the recip ients of the

di stinctive Sp i ri tual blessing of the New Covenant . It i s in accordance wi th thi s Selection that He has b lessed us .

The Selection was made ‘ in Chri st before the founda ti on ofthe world ’. That i s to say, in eterni ty i t i s not new ; though intime i t app ears as new . In time i t appears as later than the

Selection of the Hebrew Peop le, and as an extension and development of that Selection. But it is an eternal Selection

,indepen

dent Of time ; or, as St Paul puts i t, before the foundation of the

world ’.Here w e must ask : Whomdoes St Paul regard as the Objects

Of the Divine Selection ? He says :‘ Blessed b e hath

blessed as He hath selected us . .before the foundationof the world ’. What does hemean by the word us

The natural and Obvious interp retation i s that he means toinclude at least himself and those to whomhe wri tes. He has

spoken so far Of no others. L ater on he wi ll d i stingui sh tw o greatclasses

,both included in the Selection , of whomhe has certain

special things to say. But at p resent he has no divi sion or di s

tinction. Hemay mean to include more : he can scarcelymean to

include less than himself and the readers whomhe addresses .It has been said that in the word ‘ us ’w e have ‘ the language

Of chari ty ’,whi ch includes certai n individuals Whoma stri cter use

Of terms would have excluded. That i s to say, not all themembersof all the Churches to whom the letter was to go were in fact

included in the Divine Selection.

TO this we may reply : (I)Nowhere in the ep i stle does St Paulsuggest that any individual among those whomhe addresses either

i s ormay b e excluded fromthis Selection .

(2) Unworthy individuals there undoubtedly were : b ut his

appeal to themi s based on the very fact of their Selection b y God‘ I beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the calli ng wherewi th yehave been called

The Old Testament help s us again here. Among the SelectedPeople were many unworthy indi viduals. Thi s unworthiness didnot exclude themfrom’

the Divine Selection. On the contrary, theProphetsmade their privi leged posi tion the ground of an appeal to

them.

Moreover, just as the Prophets looked more to the Whole than

to the parts, so St Paul i s dominated by the thought of the whole,

1 4, 5] EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS. 27

and Of God’s purpose wi th the whole. It i s a new Israel that

Chri st has founded— a People of p rivi lege. We are ap t so far to

forget thi s, as to regard St Paul mainly as the A postle of ind ividu

ali ty. But in the destiny Of the individual as an indivi dual he shewsstrangely li ttle interest— strangely, I say, in compari son with the

p revai ling thought of later times ; though not strangely, in the

light Of hi s own past hi story as a member of a Selected People.

We take it, then,that b y the word ‘ us ’ St Paul means to

include all those Chri stians to whomhe intended hi s letter to come .

It i s reasonable to suppose further that he would have allowed h i slanguage to cover all members Of the Chri stian Church everywhere.

The one doubt whi ch may fai rly b e ra i sed i s whether the later

phrase Of v. 1 2,

‘ w e who have b een the first to hope in Chri st ’,

Should b e taken as limiting the meani ng of ‘ us ’ in the earlier

verses. Thi s phrase w emust di scuss p resently : b utmeanwhi le i t isenough to point out that the parallel passage in the Ep i stle to theColossian s

,where some of the same statements are made (compare

especially Eph . i 6, 7 with Col. i 13, has no such limitation,and quite clearly includes the Gentiles to whomhe was writing.

We may therefore b elieve that here too the Genti le Chri stians are

included,up to the point at whi ch the A postle defini tely makes

statements specially belonging to the Chri stian Jew .

The a imof the D ivi ne Selection i s p la inly stated in theWords,

‘ that we shou ld be holy and b lameless b efore Himi n love’. The i a

phrase‘ in love must b e joined wi th the p receding words, not wi th

those that follow ; although the latter collocation has some anci ent

interp reters in i ts favour . For (I) the same phrase occurs fivetimes more in the ep istle (i i i 1 7 , i v 2 , 1 5, 16, v and always inthe sense Of the Chri stian vi rtue of love— not of the D iv ine love

towards man : and (2)here i t stands as the climax Of the Divine

intention. L ove i s the response for whi ch the D iv ine grace looks ;and the p roof that i t i s not bestowed in vain. On our side the

result a imed at i s ‘ love’ just as on God’s side i t i s ‘ the p rai se Of

the glory Of His grace

Havi ng fore-orda ined us unto the adop ti on of sons through i 5\

Jesu s Chri st unto Himself ”. The sonship Of Man to God i s imp lied ,

b ut not exp ressed, in the Old Testament. In the light of the laterrevelation it i s seen to b e involved in the creation of Man in the Gen . i 26 f

D ivine image, b y whi ch a relationshi p i s established to whi ch appeal Gen. ix 6

can b emade even after the Fall. In a more Special sense God i s a Jer. xxxi

Father to Israel,and Israel i s the son of God. But sonship in the Ex. iv 2 2

28

vv. 3—6

EXPOSITION or THE [I 5, 6

comp letest sense could not b e p rocla imed b efore the mani festationof the Divine Son in the flesh. He i s at once the ideal Man and

the Image of God. In Himthe sonship of Man to God finds i tsreali sation. Those who have been ‘ selected in Him’

are p ossessed

of thi s sonshi p , not as of natural right, b ut as by adop tion. Hence‘the adop tion of sons ’ i s the di stinctive privi lege of the New

Covenant in Chri st.The doctrine of A dop tion i s not antagoni sti c to the doctrine of

the universal sonship of Man to God. It i s on the contrary in the

closest relation to i t. It i s the Divine method of i ts actuali sation.

The sonshi p of creation i s through Chri st, no less truly than the

sonship of adop tion . Man i s created in Chri st : b ut the SelectedPeop le are broughtmore immedi ately than others into relation wi thChri st

,and through Chri st w i th the Father.

‘ According to the good p leasure (f Hi s w i ll’. Ultimately, the

power that rules the universe i s the wi ll of God .

‘ It pleased His

w i ll ’ w e cannot, and w e need not, get behind that .

To the p ra ise of the glory of Hi s grace’. Thi s i s the ordained

i ssue : God’s free favour to Man i s to b e gloriouslymani fested, thati tmay b e eternally p rai sed .

‘ Grace ’i s too great a word wi th St Paul to b e mentioned and

allowed to pass. It wi ll,as w e shall see, carry his thought fur ther.

But first he wi ll emphasi se the channel b y whi ch i t reaches us

‘Hi s grace, whi ch He hath freely bestowed on u s i n the Beloved’.

If the Beloved i s a Messiani c ti tle, yet i t i s not used here wi thouta reference to i ts li teral meaning. In the p arallel passage in

Col. i 13 w e have ‘ the Son of Hi s love ’. Just as in the Son,who

i s Son in a peculiar sense, w e have the adop tion of sons : so in theBeloved, w ho i s loved with a p eculiar love, the grace of God i s

graciously bestowed on us .

To sumup vv. 3— 6 : The blessing, for whi ch w e bless God

,i s

of a sp iri tual nature, in the heavenly sphere, in the exalted Christ.It i s in accordance wi th an eternal choi ce

,whereb y God has

selected us in Christ. Its goal, so far as w e are concerned,i s the

fulness of all vi rtues, love. It includes an adoption through JesusChri st to a D iv ine sonship . Its motive li es far b ack in the wi ll ofGod. Its contemplated i ssue in the Divine counsel is that God’s

grace, freely bestowed on us in HisWell-beloved, should b e glori ouslymanifested and eternally prai sed .

It i s noteworthy that up to thi s point there has b een no

reference of any kind to sin : nor, wi th the exception of a passingnoti ce of the fact that it has been put out of the w ay, i s there any

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30 EXPOSITION or THE [1

Redemption i s through the blood of Chri st, and i t includes ‘ the

forgiveness of tresp asses‘ Accordi ng to the r iches of Hi s grace

’. Themention of ‘

grace’

had led to the thought of i ts triumph over sin : and thi s in turnleads b ack to a further and fullermention of grace

’.

‘Hi s grace whi ch He ha th made to abound towards us i n a ll

wi sdomand p rudence’. The last words help to define the grace

in another w ay : among i ts consequences for us are‘wi sdomand

prudence’. W i sdom i s the knowledge which sees into the heart

of things, whi ch knows them as they really are. Prudence i sthe understand ing whi ch leads to right action . Wi sdom,

a s i t i s

set b efore us in the Sap i ential books of the Old Testament, includesb oth these ideas : b ut with St Paul W i sdombelongs specially tothe regi on of the Mystery and i ts Revelation .

The great stress laid b y St Paul on Wi sdomin hi s later letterscalls for some noti ce. In wri ting to the Corinthi ans at an earlier

period he had found i t necessary to check their enthusiasmaboutwhat they called W i sdom— an intellectual sub tlety whi ch b redconceit in indi viduals and

,a s a consequence

,di vi sions in the

Chri stian Society. He had refused tomini ster to their appeti te for

thi s kind ofmental entertainment. He contrasted thei r anxi ety forW i sdomwi th the p lainness of hi s p reaching. He w as forced intoan extreme position : he would not communi cate to themin theircarnal state of d ivi sion and stri fe hi s own knowledge of the deeperthings of God . But at the same time he declared that he had

a W isdom whi ch belonged not to babes,b ut to grown men’.

An d it is thi s W i sdomwhi ch w e have in the p resent Ep i stle . It

1 Cor. n 7 deals as St Paul had sa id wi th ‘a mystery ’: i t i s a W i sdomlong

hidden b ut now revealed .

‘Havi ng made known to u s the mystery of Hi s w i ll’. Thi s

together with what follows, to the end of v. 10,i s exp lanatory of

the p receding statement. God hath made grace to ab ound towardus in all wisdomand p rudence, in that He hath made known to usthemystery of His wi ll

Themystery’or

‘ secret ’. It i s temp ting to regard St Paul’s

emp loyment of the word mystery as one of the instances in whichhe has borrowed a termfrompopular Greek phraseology and has

lifted i t into the highest region of thought. The word was everywhere current in the Greek religious world . When the old national

1 Contrast 1 Cor. n 1, 2 wi th i b . th is sub ject (P rolegg. to Romans and

u 6, 7 : and see Dr Hort’s words on Ep hes i ans , 180

I 9] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

sp i ri t died out in Greece,the national religious life d ied with i t, and

the anci ent national cults lost thei r hold on the people. A bout thesame time there came into p rominence all over the Greek worldanother formof religi ous worship , not so much pub li c and national

as p rivate and ind iv iduali sti c. It had many shapes, and borrowedmuch fromEastern sources. Its aimw as the puri fication of indi

vidual lives ; and i ts methods were (1)the promi se of a future life,

and (2)the institution of rites of purification followed b y ini tiationinto a secret religious lore. W i th some of themysteri esmuch thatwas ab ominable was connected : b ut the ideals whi ch some at leastof themproclaimed were lofty . The true secret of divine thingscould only b e revealed to those who passed through long stages of

purification, and who pledged themselves never to di sclose the

mysteries which they had b een taught.The ‘mystery ’

,of whi ch St Paul speaks, i s the secret of God’s

dealing with the world and it i s a secret whi ch i s revealed to suchas have b een specially p repared to receive i t. But here— so far at

any rate as St Paul’s wri tings are concerned l— the parallel withthe Greek mysteries ends. For the Secret of God has been publi shed in Chri st. There i s now no b ar to its declaration . St Paulhas been appointed a steward of it

,to expound it as containing the

interp retation of all human li fe.

A s amatter of fact the word has come to St Paul froma whollydifferent source. We now know that it w as used of secrets whichb elong to God and are revealed by Himto men

,not only in the

Book of Daniel, b ut also in a book whi ch p resentsmany parallels tothe Book of Daniel

,and whi ch just failed

,when that b ook just

succeeded,in obta ini ng a p lace wi thin the Jewi sh canon . Portions

of the long lost Greek of the Book of Enoch have recently beenrestored to us

,and w e find that the word ‘mystery ’

i s used in

i t again and again of divine secrets whi ch have rightly or wronglycome to the knowledge of men . And even apart fromthis partienlar book, w e have amp le ev idence for th i s usage in the Greek-speaking c ircles of Judai sm. The word, wi th i ts correlative revelation

’,

w as at hand in the region of the A postle’s own Jewi sh train ing,

and w e need not seek a heathen origin for his use of it2.

According to Hi s good p leasure whi ch He ha th p wrp osed in Him,

for d i sp ensa tion i n the fu lness of the times,to gather up in one all

1 With later parallels to the Greek 2 See the detached note on the

mysteri es in the ri tes of the Christian meaning of uverfipcov.

Church we are not here concerned.

32 EXPOSITION or THE [I 10

things i n Chri st.’Thi s i s a descrip tion in the broadest terms of

the scope and contents of the Divine Secret .

For disp ensa ti on i n the fu lness of the times ’. The simi larlanguage of i ii 9 i s the best comment on this passage. The A postledeclares there that i t i s hi smission to shew ‘what i s the d i spensationof the mystery wh ich hath been h idden frometernity in God who

created all things’. The Creator of the uni verse has a Purp ose in

regard to i t an eternal purpose whi ch He hath purposed in ChristJesus our Lord ’. The secret of i t has been hi dden in God until

now . The ‘ di spensation’or

‘ working out’of that secret Purpose

i s a matter on whi ch St Paul cla ims to sp eak by revelation.

D isp ensati on i s here used in its wider sense,not of household

management, whi ch i s i ts p rimary meaning, b ut of carrying intoeffect a design . The wordmust b e taken with the foregoing phrasethemystery of Hi s wi ll ’ and w emay paraphrase, to carry i t outin the fulness of the times The thought i s not of

‘a D i spensation

as though one of several D isp ensations : b ut s imply of the carryingout

’of the secret Purpose of God.

That secret Purpose i s summari sed in the word s,

‘ to gather up

in one a ll things i n Chr ist’.

To ga ther up in one’. As the total i s the result of the

addi tion of all the separate factors, as the summary presents inone vi ew the details of a compli cated argument— these are the

metaphors suggested by the A postle’s word—so in the Divine

counsels Chri st i s the Sumof all things.

All things The defini te article of the Greek cannot b e

represented in English : b ut i t helps to give the idea that ‘all

thi ngs ’ are regarded as a whole,

as when w e speak of ‘ the

universe ’ compare Col. i 1 7 and Heb . i 3.

‘ In Chri st’. The Greek has the definite art i cle here also : for

the stress is laid not on the ind iv idual p ersonali ty, b ut rather on the

Messian i c office. The Messiah summed up the A ncient Peop leSt Paul p roclaims that He sums up the Universe.

The contrast between ‘ the one’

and ‘ the many ’ w as the

foundation of most of the early Greek phi losophi cal systems .‘ The many - the vari ety of obj ects of sense— was the result of

a breaking up of the primal ‘one

’. The many ’ constituted im

perfection :‘ the one

’was the ideal p erfection. The phi losopher

could look b eyond the many to the one — the ab solute and alone

existent one

There is somethi ng akin to this here. The vari ety of the

universe,wi th its di scordances and confusions

,has a pri nci p le

of unity. In Chri st says St Paul in Col. i 1 7, all things consi st

I 10] EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS. 33

in Him, that i s, they have thei r p rinciple of cohesion and unityeven as

‘ through Himand unto Him they have been created ’. 001. i 16If confusion has entered , i t i s not of the nature of things, and i t i s

not to b e eternal. In the i ssue the true unity wi ll b e asserted and

mani fested .

‘ The mystery of the wi ll of God’i s the Divine

determination ‘ to gather Up in one all things in Chri st ’.

St Paul has thus been led on p ast the method of God’s working

to the i ssue of God’s working. He has told us the purpose of the

Div ine Selection . It i s not simply, or mainly, the blessing of the

Selected People. It i s the b lessing of the Universe.

It i s worth while to note how enti rely thi s i s in harmony withthe lesson of the Old Testament, though i t far transcends thatearlier teaching. A b rahamw as chosen for p eculi ar b lessing : b ut

at the moment of hi s call i t was sai d to him ‘ in thee shall all Gen. xi i 3

famil ies of the earth b e blessed And to take b ut tw o of the laterutterances, we may recall the warn ing of Ezekiel : ‘ I do not thi s Ezek.

for your sakes, 0 house of Israel,b ut for Mine holy name’s “ mi 2 2 f'

and the heathen shall know that I amthe L ord and the fami liarwords of the Psalm:

‘0 let the nations rejoi ce and b e glad : for Ps. lxv11

Thou shalt judge the folk [the chosen peop le] righteously, and 4: 7

govern the nations upon shall bless us : and all the

ends of the earth shall fear HimIt w as the fa i lure to recogn i se thi s mi ssion to b less the whole.

world that was the ‘

great refusal ’ of Judai sm. A like fa i lure tograsp the truth that i t i s the mi ssion of Chri stian i ty to sanctify thewhole of human experi ence has b lighted the Church of Chri st again

and again . Out of that fai lure i t i s the purpose of St Paul’s greatestep i stle to lift us to—day .

For the Chri stian hope i s an unb ounded hope of un iversal good .

It has two stages of i ts reali sation,an intermed iate and a final

stage : the intermedi ate stage i s the hop e of b lessing for the Selected

People ; the final stage i s the hop e of b lessing for the Universe‘ the gathering up in one of all things in Chri st, things in heavenand thi ngs up on the earth

W i thout attempting to analyse thi s b urst of living p rai se, we vv. 3— 10

yet may noti ce that there i s a certain orderliness in the A postle’s

enthusiasm. The fulness of sp i ri tual blessing of v. 3 i s expounded

under five great heads : Election, v. 4 ; A doption, v. 5 ; Redemption

,v. 7 W i sdom,

v. 8 ; Consummation ,v. I O.

We might have exp ected himat last to stay hi s pen. He has

reached forward and upward to the sub limest exposition ever framedEPHEs.

’

34 EXPOSITION or THE [1 11,12

of the ultimate Purpose of God. Hi s doxologymight seemto have

gained its fitting close. But St Paul i s always intensely p racti cal,and at once he i s back wi th hi s readers in the actual world . Jew

and Gentile are among the obstinate facts of his day. May i t not

b e thought b y some that he has been painting all along the glowingp i cture of the Jew

’s hope in his Jewish Messiah ?

It i s p lain, at any rate, that he desi res at once to recogni se the

p lace of Jew and Genti le alike in the new economy . So wi thout ai l l—I 3 break he p roceeds :

‘ i n Him, i n whomalso we have been chosen as

God’s p ortion,

havi ng been w e shou ld be to the

p rai se of Hi s glory , who have been the first to hop e i n Chri st; i n

We have been chosen as God’s p ortion

’; that i s, assigned b y God

to Himself as His own lot and portion . Underneath the phraseli es the thought of Israel’s peculiar posi tion among the nations.

Compare the words of the great song in Deut. xxxn 8 til :When the Most High gave to the nations thei r inheri tance,When He separated the chi ldren ofmen,He set the bounds of the peop lesA ccordi ng to the number of the children of Israel.

For the Lord’s portion is His peop le ;

Jacob is the lot of His inheri tan ce.

He found himin a desert land ,And in the waste howling wi lderness ;He compassed himabout, He cared for him,

He kep t h imas the app le of His eye.

The p rophet Zechariah foresaw the reali sation of thi s oncemore inZech . u 1 2 the future : ‘The Lord shall inheri t Judah as Hi s portion in the

holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem’.

To St Paul the fulfilment has come. In the d i spensation of

the mystery of God’s w i ll

,he says, thi s p eculiar position i s ours

‘ we have been chosen as God’s p ortion, having been foreorda ined

accordi ng to the purp ose of Himwho w orketh a ll things according

to the counsel of His w i ll’

Thus far no word of limi tation has occurred : b ut now at once

the first of two classes i s marked out :‘ tha t w e should be to the

p ra i se of Hi s glory— w e

,

‘ who have been the first to hop e i n

Chri st’.

The limi ting phrase i s capab le of tw o exp lanations. It seemsmost natural to interp ret i t of the Chri stian Jew s, - those membersof the Jewi sh people who have recogni sed Jesus as their Messiah.

Elsewhere the Apostle lays stress on the fact that Chri st was first

r 13] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 35

preached to and accepted b y Jews . The Jewi sh Chri stian had a

distinct p riori ty in time : indeed the first stage of the Chri stianChurch w as a stri ctly Jewi sh stage. St Paul recogni ses thi s

,

though he hastens at once to emphas i se the inclusion of the Gentile

Christians. It is ‘to the Jew first

’ —b ut only‘first

’:

‘ to the Jew Rom. u 10

first, and to the Greek ; for there i s no respect of persons wi th God’.

But i t i s also possi b le to render,

‘who aforetime hoped in the

Chri st’, and to refer the words to the Jew i sh p eop le as such. Thi swould b e in harmony wi th such an exp ression as

‘For the hope of Actsxxvi i iIsrael I ambound wi th thi s chain’. 2°

In either case, i f for a moment he points to the Jewi sh pri ori ty,it is only as a p riori ty in time ; and h is very object inmentioni ng iti s to place b eyond all question the fact that the Gentiles are no

less certa inly chosen of God.

‘In whomye a lso’. The main verb of thi s sentence i s not easy i 13

to find . It can hardly b e ‘

ye have been chosen as (God’s)portion

’,

supplied out of the former sentence : for the assignment to God isa part of the eternal purp ose in Chri st, and not a consequence of‘ hearing

’and ‘ believing

’. It might b e ‘

ye hOpe’,supplied out of

the p recedi ng parti ciple. But i t is s imp ler to regard the sentenceas broken

,and taken up again wi th the words

‘ in whomalso’.‘In whomye also

,having heard the word of the tru th

,the gosp el

of your salva ti on ,— in whomalso havi ng beli eved

, ye have been

sea led w i th the holy Sp ir i t of p romise’. To the Jew came the

message first : b ut to you it came as well. You too heard ‘ the

word of the truth’, the good news of a salvation whi ch was yoursas well as thei rs . You heard

, you b elieved ; and,as if to remove all

question and uncertainty, God set Hi s seal on you. The order of

the words in the original i s striking :‘Ye were sealed wi th the

Sp i ri t of the p romi se, the Holy (Sp iri t) Here again we have the

expansion of an Old Testament thought .

‘ To A brahamand his Gal. i i i 16

seed were the promi ses made’: b ut the ultimate purpose of God

w as‘that upon the Genti les should come the b lessing of A b rahamGal. i i i 14

in Jesus Christ,that w e might receive the p romi se of the Sp irit

through fai th’. ‘To you i s the p romi se (of the Holy says Acts 11 39St Peter on the Day of Pentecost, ‘

and to your chi ldren, and to all

that are afar off,as many as the Lord our God shall call ’. And

when the Holy Sp i ri t fell on the Genti les at Caesarea he cried :Can any forbid the water

,that these should not b e baptized, Acts x 47

seeing that they have received the Holy Sp i rit, even as we?’

The gift of the Spiri t of the Promi se was not only God’s

authenti cation of the Genti le converts at the time, b ut their foretasteand thei r securi ty of the fulness of blessing in the future. Thi s i s

EXPOSITION or THE [1

expressed in tw o ways. Fi rst,b y a metaphor frommercantile life.

The Holy Sp i ri t thus given is‘ the earnest of ou r i nheri tance

’. The

word arrhabb'

n means, not a ‘

p ledge deposited for a time and ulti

mately to b e cla imed b ack, b ut an earnest an instalment paid at

once as a p roof of the bona fides of the b argain . It i s an actual

portion of the whole whi ch i s hereafter to b e paid in full. Secondly,‘

ye have been sea led’,says the A postle,

‘un to the redemp ti on of

God’s own p ossessi on So later on, speaking of the Holy Sp iri t,

he says : ‘ in whomye have been scaled unto the day of redemption’.

The full emancipation of the People of God i s sti ll in the future .

‘ The redemp ti on of God’s own p ossessi on

’i s that ultimate

emancipation b y whi ch God shall claimus finally a s Hi s ‘

peculi ar

treasure .

’So the Sep tuagint rendered Mal. i i i 1 7

‘ They shall b eto me for a possession, sa ith the Lord of Hosts

,in that day wh i ch

Imake comp . 1 Pet. i i 9, a people for God’s own possession

’.

It i s noteworthy that St Paul is careful to emp loy in regard to

the Genti les the very terms promi se ‘ inheri tance eman cipation

’, possession -whi ch were the fami liar descri ptions of the

peculiar privi lege of Israel. Moreover in the phrase‘our inheri t

ance ’he has suddenly changed b ack aga in fromthe second person

to the first ; thereb y intimating that Jews and Genti les are, to

use a phrase whi ch occurs later on ,co-hei rs and concorp orate and

co-p artakers of the p romi seA t last the great doxology comes to i ts close wi th the rep etition

for the thi rd time of the refrain,

‘to the p ra ise of Hi s glory

’—wordsJer. xi i i 1 1 whi ch recall to us the unfulfilled destiny of Israel, that theymi ght

i 15—23

b e unto Me for a peop le, and for a name, and for a p rai se, and for

a glory : b ut they would not hear’.

‘ 5WHEREFORE I also, having heard of your faith in the

Lord Jesus,and love unto all the saints

,

‘ 6cease not to

gi ve thanks for you,making mention of you in my prayers ;

‘ 7 that the God of our L ord Jesus Chri st, the Father of glory,

may give unto you the Spiri t of wi sdom and revelation

in the knowledge of Him; ‘8the eyes of your heart being

enlightened,that yemay know what is the hope of His calling

,

what the riches of the glory of His inheri tance in the saints,

‘ 9and what the exceeding greatness of Hi s power to us-ward

who believe , according to the working of the might of His

strength,

”which He hath wrought in Chri st, in that He

hath raised Himfromthe dead and seated Himat His right

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8 EXPOSITION or THE [I 16— 18

and I thanked the gods’. And the language ofmany other letters

bears thi s out l . A frequently occurring phrase i s, for example,thi s : I make thy reverence to our lord Serap i s St Paul

,then ,

instead of p raying to‘our lord Serap i s

’,makes hi s request to ‘ the

God of our Lord Jesus Chri st’: instead of a conventional p rayerfor their health and welfare, he p rays for thei r sp i ri tual enlightenment : and so what to others might have b een a mere formula of

correspondence becomes wi th hima vehi cle of the highest thoughtof hi s ep i stle .

i ry, 18 His p rayer i s thi s :‘tha t the God of our Lord Jesu s Chri s t, the

Fa ther of glory , may give unto you the Sp i ri t of ye

It i s to b e noted that for the sake of emphasis the Apostle hasresolved the combined title of v. 3,

‘ the God and Father of our

L ord Jesus Chri st’. His p rayer i s d irected to Himwho i s not onlythe Father of our L ord

,b ut also our Father in the heavenly glory.

W i th the title ‘the Fa ther of glory

’w e may compare on the one

2 Cor i 3 ; hand‘ the Father of mercies’; and on the other, ‘the God of

3:glory’,

‘ the Lord of glory’,

and the remarkable expression of

Jas. i i 1 St James ‘our Lord Jesus Christ of glory

’. Moreover, when after

a long b reak the Ap ostle takes up his p rayer again in i i i 14,

w e find another emphati c exp ress ion :‘ I bow my knees to the

Father, of whomall fatherhood in heaven and on earth i s named’

an expression whi ch may help to interp ret‘ the Father of glory

’in

this place.

The p rayer takes the formof a single definite request for a

defin i te end : that ‘the gi ve unto you the Sp i ri t of

w i sdom. . that ye may know ’. The words are closely p arallel to

Luke z i 13 our Lord’s p romi se as given by St Luke : ‘ The give

the Holy Sp i ri t to themthat ask Him’.

For note that i t is a Sp iri t, that St Paul p rays for. It i s not

an attitude of mind,as when w e speak of a teachable spiri t

’. In

the New Testament the word ‘ sp irit’ i s used in i ts stri ctest sense.

All true wi sdomcomes from3. Spiri t, who dwells in us and teachesus. It i s a teaching Sp iri t, rather than a teachab le sp i rit, whi chthe

.A postle asks that theymay have.

In St John’s Gospel the personali ty of the Divine Teacher isJohn xiv strongly emphasised The Holy Sp iri t, whomthe Father wi ll send26’x“ 13 in My name, He wi ll teach you all things

’;

‘When He,the Sp iri t

of truth, is come, He wi ll guide you into all truth ’. There in the

Greek w e have the defini te arti cle w efiuo. rv’

y’

s here itis absent (r vefiua (rad ius). To attemp t to make a distinction by

1 See the detached note on current ep i stolary phrases.

1 17 , 1s] EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS.

inserting the indefinite arti cle in Engli sh would p erhap s b e to gofurther than i s warranted. There i s, after all

,b ut one Sp i ri t of

wi sdom that can teach us.

But a di stinction may often b e rightly drawn in the New

Testament b etween the usage of the word with the defini te arti cleand i ts usage without i t. W i th the article, very generally, theword indi cates the p ersonal Holy Sp i ri t ; while wi thout i t somespecial mani festation or bestowal of the Holy Sp i rit i s signified.

And thi s latter i s clearlymeant here. A special gift of the Sp iritfor a speci al purpose is the subject of St Paul’s request.The Sp iri t thus specially gi ven wi ll make themw i se : He wi ll

come a s the ‘ Sp irit of wi sdom’. Yet more

,a s the ‘ Sp i rit of

revelation ’He wi ll lift the veil, and shew themthe secret of God.

‘Revelation’

or‘ unvei ling

’— is a word whi ch isnaturally used where any

‘mystery’or

‘secret ’ is in question.

The D ivine Secret needs a Divi ne Unveiling. So St Paul declaresof himself : ‘ b y apocalyp se w as the mystery —b y revelation was i i i 3

the secret made known unto me ’. He prays that i tmay b e so

for those to whomhe wri tes. In one sense i t i s true that a secretonce pub lished i s thereafter b ut an open secret ’. But i t i s no less

true that the Chri stian ‘mystery ’ demands for i ts unvei ling the

perp etual intervention of the ‘ Sp iri t of apocalyp se’.

‘In the know ledge of Him’ i .e. of ‘ the God of our Lord Jesus i 17Chri st, the Father of glory

’: as such must He b e recogni sed and

known . And to thi s end ‘the eyes of thei r heart

’must b e opened i 18

and filled w i th light. The D ivine i llumination i s nomere intellectual p rocess : i t begins wi th the heart

,the seat of the afi

'

ections

and the will

39

1 A striking i llustration of the lan

guage of St Paul in thi s p assage i s tob e found in 2 (4)Esdras xiv 2 2 , 25‘ If I have found grace b efore thee

,

send the Holy Ghost (or,‘a holy

Sp irit’) into me, and I shall wri te all

that hath b een done in the worldsince the he answered

shall light a candle of understanding i h thine heart

,which shall

not b e put out, till the things b e per

formed which thou shalt b egin to

In thi s b ook, which i s perhap s almost contemp orarywi th St Paul, thereare two or three other verb al parallelswhi ch are worth noticing here : wi th

‘thefulness of the times’compare 2 (4)Esdr. iv. 37 ,

‘ By measure hath Hemeasured the times, and b y numb erhath He numb ered the times ; and Hedoth not move nor stir them, unti lthe sai d measure b e fulfilled ’: wi th‘the mystery ’compare xi i 36, Thou

only hast been made meet to knowthis secret of the Highest

’(comp .

v. 38, x 38, xiv 5‘ the secrets of the

wi th ‘

ye were sealed’com

pare perhap s vi 5 ,‘ Before they were

sealed that have gathered faith for

a treasure,’ and x 2 3,‘ And, whi ch

is the greatest [sorrow] of all, the sealof Sion hath now lost her honour ’.See also b elow, 48.

40 EXPOSITION or THE [I 18— 20

‘Tha t ye may know’. A threefold knowledge, embracing all

eterni ty— the past, the future, and not least the p resent.

(I) What i s the hop e of Hi s calli ng’. Note that St Paul does

not say‘ the hope of your calling

’,i .e. Hi s calling of you : though

that is included . The exp ression i s wider : i t i s universal. We are

taken back, as in the earlier verses of the chapter, to the great pastof eterni ty, before the foundations of the world were laid. It i s

Hi s calling’,in the fullest sense, that w e need to understand.

That calli ng ’ involves a hope’,

and w e must learn to knowwhat that hope i s. It i s a certain hOpe : for i t rests on the veryfact that the calling is God

’s calling, and no weak wi sh of oursI TheBoVM for b etter thi ngs .

‘ Fai thful i s He that calleth you ,who also wi ll

Deut.

i 19, 20

do it’.

(2) What the ri ches of the glory of Hi s i nheri tance i n the

saints’. Thi s too theymust know : the

‘

glory of the eternal future.

Again, i t i s not ‘of your inheri tance —b ut something grander far.

It i s ‘Hi s inheri tance’; of whi ch they are b ut a tiny,though a

necessary, part.‘ The Lord

’s portion i s Hi s peop le : Jacob i s thelot of Hi s inheri tance’.

(3)‘ And wha t the exceeding greatness of His p ower to us-ward

who beli eve’. Not merely God

’s calling in the past, and God’s

inheritance in the future ; b ut also God’s power in the p resent. Of

the first two he has said much already : on the third he will now

enlarge. And so he i s led on, as i t were by a word, to a vast

expansion of hi s thought.

Thi s power i s an extraord inary, a supernatural power. It i s the

very power that has ra ised Chri st fromthe dead and seated Himat

God’s ri ght hand, and thatmakes Himnow sup reme over the uni

verse. Thi s is the power that goes forth to us-ward who believe’.‘ Accordi ng to the worki ng of the might of His s trength, which

He ha th wrought i n Ch/rist’. We have no words that fully represent

the original of the phrase, the He hath wrought’.

Both the noun and the verb are emphati c in themselves, and

St Paul seldomemploys them,excep t where he i s speaking of some

Divine activi ty '. ‘Might’, again, i s an emphati c word, never used

of mere human power in the New Testament. St Paul heap s wordupon word (Si vauts, e

’ve’

pyeta, Kpofrog, texts)in his determination to

emphasi se the power of God that is at w ork in the li ves of them

In that He ha th ra i sed Himfromthe dead’. Compare Rom.

vi i i 1 1,‘ If the Sp i ri t of Himthat rai sed Jesus from the dead

dwelleth in you1 See the detached note on évep

’

yeiv and i ts cognates .

1 20— 23] EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS. 41

‘And set Hima t Hi s right hand in the heaven ly p laces’. The

resurrection is a step in the p ath of exaltation.

‘Above every p ri ncip a li ty and au thori ty and p ow er and domin i on’. i 2 1These titles St Paul uses as denoting fami liar di stinctions of sp i ri tualforces. We have another li st in Col. i 16 : ‘Whether thrones or

domini ons or pri nci paliti es or authorities ’. Originally terms of

Jewi sh sp eculation, they came in after times to p lay a large part inChri stian thought. The A postle

’s purpose in mention ing them,both here and in the Ep i stle to the Colossians , is to emphasise theexaltation of Chri st ab ove themall. He closes the li st wi th ‘

every

name tha t i s named ’, i .e. every title or di gni ty that has been or can

b e given as a designation of majesty. Compare Phi l. i i 9,‘ the

Name wh ich i s ab ove every name’.That sp iri tual potenci es are in the A postle

’s mind i s clear from

the phrase‘ in the heavenly sphere

’

,as w e have already seen (ab ove,

on v . 3) and also fromthe added words ‘not on ly i n this world

(or age), bu t a lso in tha t which i s to come’.A b ove all that anywhere is

,anywhere can be—above all

grades of dignity, real or imagined , good or evi l, p resent or to

come—the mighty power of God has exalted and enthroned the

Chri st.

‘And He hath p u t all things under His f eet Thus Chri st has i 2 2

fulfilled in His own person the destiny of man :‘ Let themhave Gen. i 26

domini on The actual words are derived fromthe eighth Psalm‘What i s man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man Ps .vi i i 4, 6

that Thou vi sitest hast put all things under hi s feet’.

The best comment i s Heb . i i 6— 9.

‘And Himha th He gi ven to b e head over a ll thi ngs to the church, i 2 2 , 23

which is His body’. When St Paul comb ats the sp iri t of jealousy

and d ivi sion in the Corinthi an Church, he works out in deta i l themetaphor of the Body and its several parts. But he does not there

speak of Chri st as the Head . For not only does he point out theab surdi ty of the head’s saying to the feet, I have no need of you ;

b ut he also refers to the seeing, the hearing and the smelling, towh i ch he could not well have alluded as separate functions, had hebeen thinking of Chri st as the head. Indeed in that great passageChri st has, i f p ossi b le, a more imp ressive position sti ll : He i s no

part, b ut rather the whole of whi ch the variousmembers are parts‘ for as the body i s one and b ath manymembers, and all the mem 1 Cor. xi i

bers of the body b eing many are one body ; so also i s the Chri st ’. 12

Thi s i s in exact correspondence wi th the image emp loyed by our

Lord Himself : I amthe Vine, ye are the b ranches ’. That i s to John xv 5

say, not I amthe trunk of the vine,and ye the branches growing

42 EXPOSITION or THE [1 2 3

out of the trunk ’; b ut rather,

‘ I amthe living whole, ye are the

parts whose life i s a life dependent on the whole’.

Here however the A postle app roaches the consideration of

Chri st’s relation to the Church froma di fferent side,and hi s lan

guage di ffers accord ingly. He has begun with the exalted Chri st ;and he has been led on to declare that the relation of the exalted

Chri st to Hi s Church i s that of the head to the body.

It i s interesting to observe that later on , when he comes to ex

pound the deta i ls of human relationshi p as b ased on eternal truths,v 2 2 ff, he says in the first p lace, ‘L et wives b e sub ject to their own hus

bands as to the L ord ; because the husb and i s head of the wife,as

also Chri st i s head of the Church, Himself being savi our of the

body’: b ut then, turning to the husb ands,he drop s the metaphor

of headship , and b ids themlove their wives as their own bodies,following again the example of Chri st in relation to Hi s Church ;and he ci tes the ideal of marri age as p rocla imed at the creation of

Gen . 11 24 ;man,

‘ the twa in shall b ecome one fiesh’. Not headshi p here, b ut

ga’t' X’x 5 identi ty, is the relation in vi ew.

‘ This mystery he adds,

‘ i s a

ph v 32 mi ghty one : b ut I speak (i t)W i th reference to Chri st and to the

Church ’

Thus the two concep tions involve to St Paul’smind no inherent

contrad iction. He passes easily fromone to the other. Each in

turn serves to b ring out some side of the truth.

Nor may w e say that the headship of Chri st i s a new concep

tion,belonging only to the Ep i stles to the Ephesians and to the

Colossians l . For in the same Ep istle to the Corinthian s in whichhe regards Chri st as the whole Body of whi ch Chri stians are the

1 Car. xi 3 parts, he also says,‘ I would have you know that the head of every

man i s Christ,and the head of the woman i s the man (i .e. her

husband), and the head of Chri st i s God ’. Thi s i s not qui te the.

same thought as w e have here ; b ut i t i s closely parallel.

We now come to what i s perhap s the most remarkable expression in the whole ep i stle. It i s the phrase in whi ch St Paulfurther descri bes the Church

,whi ch he has just declared to b e

Christ’s Body, as‘ the fu lness of Him who a ll i n a ll is being

fulfilled’

When the Apostle thus Speaks of the Church as the p leromaor fulness 2 of the Chri st, and in the same breath speaks of the

Chri st as‘being fulfilled

’

,he would appea r to mean that in some

mysterious sense the Church i s that wi thout which the Chri st is

1 Eph . i 2 2 , iv 15, v 2 3 ; Col. i 18, i i 10, 19.

2 See the detached note on r hfipwna .

1 23] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 43

not comp lete, b ut wi th whi ch He i s or will b e complete. Thati s to say, he looks upon the Chri st as in a sense wai ting for

comp leteness, and destined in the purpose of God to find comp leteness in the Church .

Thi s i s a somewhat startling thought. A re w e justified in

thus giving to St Paul’s language what appears to b e i ts obviousmeani ng ?

1 . Fi rst, let us pay attention to the metaphor whi ch has justbeen emp loyed, and whi ch leads d irectly up to this statement.Chri st i s the Head of the Church, whi ch i s Hi s Body. Now

, i s

it not true that in a certa in sense the body i s the p leroma or

fulness of the head ? Is the head complete w i thout the body ?Can w e even think of a head as p erforming i ts functions wi thouta body ? In the sense then in whi ch the body i s the fulnessor comp letion of the head

,i t i s clear that St Paul can speak

of the Church as the fulness or comp letion of the Chri st.Even now ,

in the imperfect stage of the Church, w e can see

that this i s true. The Church is that through whi ch Chri st liveson and works on here below on earth . Jesus

,the Chri st incar

nate, is no longer on earth as He was . Hi s feet and hands no

longer move and work in our midst, as onde they moved and

wrought in Palestine. But St Paul affirms that He i s not wi thoutfeet and hands on earth : the Church i s Hi s Body. Through theChurch, whi ch St Paul refuses to think of as something separate

fromHim,He sti ll lives and moves among men 1

.

2 . But,further, although he may make havoc of his meta

phors, St Paul wi ll never let us forget that the relation of the

Church to Chri st i s something even closer than that of a b odyto i ts head . In the p resent passage he has been descri b ing the

exalted Chri st ; and he asks,How does He in Hi s sup reme posi

tion of authority stand to the Church ? He stands as Head to

the Body. But this i s never all the truth ; and if we bearmind St Paul’s further concep ti on, in accordance wi th whi ch the

whole—Head and Body together— i s the Chri st, w e get yet furtherhelp in our interp retation of the statement that the Church i s the 1 Cor. xu

p leroma of the Chri st . For i t i s p la iner than ever that without 1 2

the Church the Chri st i s incomplete : and as the Church growstowards completion, the Chri st grows towards completion ; theChri st, who in the Divine purposemust b e ‘

all in all’,

‘ the Chri st’001. i i i 1 1- if w e may so use the language of our own great poet that

i s to b e’.

3 . Again ,thi s concep tion i lluminates and in turn receives

1 See the quotation fromClement of Alexandria on p . 140.

EXPOSITION or THE [1 23

light froma remarkable passage in the Ep istle to the Colossians .

St Paul i s there Speaking of hi s own sufferings : he can even re

joi ce in them,he tells us. If the Church and the Chri st are

one, the suffering of the Church and the suffering of the Chri st

are also one. The Chri st, then,has not suffered all that He i s

destined to suffer ; for He goes on suffering in the sufferings of

the Church. These sufferings of the Church have fallen wi thspecial heavi ness on St Paul. He i s filling up something of whatis sti ll to b e filled up , i f the sufferings are to b e complete. So

he says : Now I rejoi ce in my sufferings on your behalf, and fillup in your stead the rema inder (li terally, the deficits of the

sufferings of the Chri st in my flesh, on behalf of His Body,

whi ch i s the Church Thus then the Church,the comp letion of

the Chri st,i s destined to comp lete His sufferings ; and St Paul

rejoi ces that as a member of the Church he is allowed by Godto do a large share of thi s in hi s own person on the Church’sbehalf. The thought i s astonishi ng ; i t could never have occurredto a less generous sp i ri t than St Paul’s . It is of value to us

here, as help ing to show in one special direction how to St Paul’smind the Chri st in a true sense still wa ited for completion, and

would find that completion only in the Church .

St Paul, then, thinks of the Christ as in some sense sti ll ih

complete, and as moving towards completeness . The concep tion i s

difli cult and mysteri ous no doubt ; b ut the A postle has given us

abundant wa rn ing earlier in the epi stle that he i s dealing wi thno ordinary themes . He has already told us that the purpose

of God i s ‘ to gather up in one all things in the Chri st’. Unti l

that great purpose i s ful ly achieved,the Chri st i s not yet all

that the Divine wi sdomhas determined that He shall b e. He

sti ll wai ts for Hi s comp leteness, Hi s fulfilment. A s that is

being gradually worked out,the Chri st is being comp leted, ‘ bei ng

fulfilled .

’

By way of enhancing thi s ultimate completeness St Paul inserts the adverbial phrase ‘

all i n a ll’,or

,more literally

,

‘all

(things) in all We feel i ts force the more when we

read the whole conte xt, and observe that i t comes as a climaxafter two previous decla rations of sup remacy over all things

’

‘He hath put all things under Hi s feet ; and Him ha th He

given to b e head over a ll things to the Church, whi ch is HisBody, the fulness of Himwho all i n a ll is b eing fulfilled

’. A nd

indeed immediately before thi s we read,

‘above every principality

every name’. A ll conceivable fulness,a completeness whi ch

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

i s—i i i 2 1

i rs—23

EXPOSITION or THE [1-

2 3, 11 1

The beginni ng of c. 11 cannot b e separated fromthe close of

c. i . The A postle has been led away to expound the mysteryof the exalted Chri st : b ut he comes qui ckly back to the actual

persons to whomhe i s wri ting, and deals at some length withthei r relation to the exalted Chri st. The transi tion i s exactly

parallel to that in v. 1 1 , where from‘ the gathering up in one of

the universe in the Chri st’he turn s at once to Speak of the relationof himself and of his readers to Chri st in whomalso w e i n whom

It wi ll b e useful at this point to note the general construction of

the first part of the ep i stle

(1) . A Doxology— lead ing to ever-expanding thoughts of the

purpose of God in Chris t, and describing the relation of Jew and

Gentile to that purp ose (i 3(2) A Prayer— leading to a p reliminary exp os i tion of the

mystery of the exalted Chri st (i 15 and then to a fuller

di scussion of the relation of Jew and Gentile to Him(i i 1— 2

(3) In i ii 1 the Apostle recurs to the thought of hi s Prayer ;b ut at once breaks off to saymore of the mystery

,and of hi s own

work in p rocla iming i t ; and then (i i i 14)returns to his Prayer, andcloses it at last wi th a b ri ef Doxology (i i i 2 0 ,We may now gather up the leading thoughts of i 15

— 2 3, in

order to grasp the connexion of this passage wi th what follows‘ I have heard of your fa ith I thank God

,and I p ray (16)

that you may have the true knowledge the light whi ch fallson the Op ened eye of the heart ; that you may know the hope

of God’s calling, the glory of God

’s inheri tance the great

ness of God’s power : above all

,the last of these as i t bears

upon ourselves Judge what i t i s by looking at the exalted

Chri st : there you see i t at work God has raised Him,and

exalted Him ab ove every conceivable digni ty of thi s world or

the next Thus sup reme, He has further made HimHead

of a Body whi ch in turn fulfils and comp letes Him; for toan ab solute completeness He i s still movi ng on (2 3)

The grammati cal cons truction w as broken in v. 2 2 : fromthat point independent sentences follow one another

, no longer

sub si diary to the words ‘according to the of

cv. 19, 2 0 .

The verb of our next sentence,whi ch i s s imp ly added b y a

conjunction to those whi ch precede, i s long in coming ; for once

of the glory of the inheri tance ? Do p ower towards themthat b eli eve? Do

you see the exceeding greatness of the you see the h ope of the calling ?

II 1] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

more the construction i s broken, to b e p icked up again in v. 5.

We find the verb at last in He hath qui ckened us together w i thChrist ’.

So that the line of thought i s thi s : The powerwh ich the Apostlespecially prays that they may know i s the very power by whi chGod has rai sed Chri st from the dead and seated Him in the

heavenly region (i and also has qui ckened them(both Gentilesand Jews

,as he b reaks off to exp lain), and rai sed them, and

seated them in the heavenly region in Chri st (11 5, In the

original the sequence i s brought out clearly by the repeti tion of

the verb s of 1 2 0 m a compound formin i i 6.

AND you,who were dead in your trespasses and sins

, 11

2wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this

world, according to the prince of the power of the air,of the

spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience ; 3wherein

we also all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of ourflesh,

doing the desires of our flesh and of ourminds, and wereby nature children of wrath

,even as the rest — 4b ut God

,being

rich in mercy,for Hi s great love wherew ith He hath loved us,

5 even though we were dead in trespasses hath quickened us

together wi th Chri st,— b y grace ye are saved,— 6

and hath

raised us together and seated us together in the heavenly

p laces in Chri st Jesus : 7 that in the ages to come He mightshew forth the exceeding riches of His grace in Hi s kindness

toward us in Christ Jesus.

8For by grace are ye saved through

faith ; and that not of yourselves : i t i s the gift of God : 9not of

works,lest anyman should boast. IoFor we are His workman

ship, created in Chri st Jesus unto good works , which God hath

afore prepared that we should walk in them.

The grammatical construction i s often broken in St Paul’swri tings froma desi re to clear up obscuri ties at once and to fore

stall possible mi sconcep tions. His style reminds us of the freedomand rap idi ty of conversation : i t hurries eagerly on, regardless of

formal rules, inserting full explanations in a parenthesis, trustingto repeti tions to restore the ori ginal connexion, and ab ove all

depending on emphasi s to drive the meaning home. We have the

less cause to b e surp ri sed at thi s freedomof composi tion, when we

47

Esdr.

Matt.x1132

Rom. X11 2

EXPOSITION or THE [11 I, 2

remember that several of hi s ep i stles conta in the clearest indications that the A postle

’s p ractice w as to d i ctate hi s letters to an

amanuensi s A ccordingly in many cases the force of a passagewillmost readi ly b e felt when w e read i t rap idly or read i t aloud.

In the p resent instance the A postle desires to work out a simpleparallel. The mi ghty power of God, he would say, whi ch rai sed

Chri st fromthe dead and seated Himin the heavenly region, has

been at work in you as well. For you too were dead, and you tooi t has raised fromthe dead and seated wi th Chri st in the heavenlyp laces. But he breaks off in the middle to explain (1) in whatsense he could speak of themas dead, and (2)that not only they

,

the Gentiles, were dead, b ut the Jews likewi se. Quite simi larly ini 13 he had broken off to say that not the Jews only had b een takenas God

’s portion,b ut they, the Gentiles, likewi se.

‘ Dead in your tresp asses and s ins’. tha t i s to say , you were

dead,not wi th a physi cal death as Chri st was

, b ut wi th the death of

sin ; dead whi le you li ved, b ecause you lived in sin . Thi s state of

death was the inevi table condition of those who had no life b eyond

the life of thi s world,wh i ch i s dominated b y death and the lords of

death 2.

‘According to the cowrse of thi s world’. The exp ression of the

original is pleonasti c. The A postle might have said ei ther ‘ thi sage

’,or

‘ thi s world ’. But for the sake of emphasi s he says, in a

phrase whi ch we cannot use in Engli sh w i thout ambigui ty, ‘ the

age of thi s world ’. ‘ Thi s age’and ‘ thi s world rep resent a single

Heb rew phrase, whi ch i s often found in the Rab bini c wri tings,where it stands in contrast to the age (or

‘ world to come ’,that

i s to say , the age introduced by the advent of the Messiah . The

contrast i s not found in the canoni cal b ooks of the Old Testament ;b ut i t occurs frequently in 2 (4)Esdras . Thus w e read :

‘ The

Most High hathmade thi s world for many, but the world to comefor a few

’. The same contrast i s found in St Matthew’s Gospel,

and w e have had i t already in thi s ep i stle3

.

St Paul is in agreement wi th contemporary Jewi sh thought inregarding

‘ thi s age’a s ev i l and as transi tory (see Gal. i 4, 1 Cor.

vii Instead of being‘ conformed ’ to i t

,Chri stians are to be

‘ transfigured’even now

‘ b y the renewing of theirmind’. For them

1 Compare e.g. Rom. xvi 2 2 , 1 Cor.3 See Eph . i 2 1, and the com

xvi 2 1 , Col. iv 18, 2 Thess. i i i 17. mentary on that verse. Compare also2 On ‘ li fe’and ‘ death ’in a Sp iri tual 2 (4)Esdr. vi 9,

‘For Esau i s the end

sense see the strikingwords of DrHort of thi s world , and Jacob i s the b egin

(Hulsean L ectures, App . pp . 189 ning of it that followeth

11 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 49

th is world i s already dead , hav ing b een i tself ‘ crucified ’ in the Gal» Vi 14'

crucifixion of Chri st.

‘ According to the p rince of the p ower of the a i r ’. Here again

the A postle adop ts the language of hi s contemporaries. It w as the

general beli ef of hi s time that through the Fall the whole world hadbecome sub ject to evi l spi ri ts, who had their dwelling in the air

,

and were under the control of Satan as their p rince. So in the

New Testament itself w e read of the power of darkness ’,in Col-i 13

.

contrast wi th the kingdomof Chri st ; of the power of Satan and fi

8

0ts

Hill .even the kingdomof Satan ’

; and Beelzeb ub i s named as the xi i:

p rince of the devi ls ’. Later on in this ep i stle w e have a further Markm”

descri ption of ‘ the spiri tual hosts of wi ckedness’, who are called vi m

in a strange phrase‘ the world-rulers of this darkness ’.

Thi s ‘

power (or authori ty of the a ir is further descri b ed b ya collective termas

‘the sp i ri t tha t now worketh i n the sons of u 2

d isobedi ence The phrase i s carefully chosen so as to suggest that

the world-p ower as a whole stands in sharp contrast to God. It i s‘a sp i ri t and it worketh -the same forci b le word whi ch has been 1 1 1 , 20used twi ce already of the D iv ine working.

‘ The sons of disobedience’is a Hebrai sm. It recurs in v 6 .

Compare also Luke xvi 8, xx 34, the sons of thi s world (or age

and contrast 1 Thess. v 5,‘sons of light

’and sons of day

’. In

rendering i t into Greek the word ‘chi ldren ’ i s sometimes used

instead of sons as in 11 3 chi ldren of wrath and v 8 chi ldrenof the light

’b ut themeaning i s p reci sely the same.

Lest the Gentiles should seemfor amoment to b e p laced in a

worse position than the Jews, St Paul breaks off to insert a guarding clause. We were all alike, he says, in thi s evi l case. Wherein i i 3w e a lso a ll had ow conversa tion in time p ast in the lasts of oa rflesh,doi ng the desi res of ourflesh and of ourmindsWhether in Gentile or in Jew this lower li fe w as hateful to

God : i t w as a life of d i sobed ience, and as such i t incurred the

D ivine wrath. We‘were by nature chi ldren of wrath, even as the

rest’.

‘ Chi ldren of wra th i s, as w e have seen, an expression parallel

to sons of disobed ience That the ‘ wrath ’here spoken of mustb e the Divine wrath

,and not human passion i s made clear by a

later passage, in whi ch simi lar phraseology recurs ‘on account v

of these things the wrath of God cometh upon the sons of dis

ob edience ’. Moreover,to interpret

‘ wrath ’ in th is p lace as

‘

passion would destroy the contrast which immediately followsbetween ‘ wrath ’and mercy ’. The phrase p lainly signi fies

‘objects

EPHEs.

’

EXPOSITION or THE [11 3

of the Divine wrath ’ compare Rom. i 18, 11 5, 8, where‘ the wrath

of God i s shewn to attend Genti les and Jews alike w ho do amiss.

Thus far the exp ression involves no d ifii culty. Thi s i s whatSt Paul has always taught Jew and Genti le are in the same casethey have alike lived in s in : they are al ike sons of d i sobedience ’

and children of wrath ’.But into the latter phrase he inserts the words by na tu re

chi ldren b y nature of wrath ’ i s the order of the original. In

interp reting these words i t i s important to remember that w e are

accustomed to use the word nature muchmore freely than i t w as

used in St Paul’s day. We speak, for instance, of an evi l nature

b ut there i s no such termto b e found in the New Testament’. So

too w e often use the word ‘natural ’ in a dep reciatory sense,

when w e render 1 Cor. i i 14,‘ The natural man receiveth not the

things of the Sp i ri t of God But in the Greek the word i s rlfvxmés,‘ the man of soul ’, as opposed to w ev/Aan xo

'

s, the man of sp irit’.

The Greek word for nature ’ i s a neutral word. It simply meansthe natural constitution of a thing

,or the thing in i tself ap art from

anything that may come to i t fromoutsi de. As a rule i t has a

good meaning rather than a b ad : thus according to na ture i s

good,‘ contrary to nature ’ i s b ad ; compare Rom. xi 2 1 ff , and

Rom. i 26.

An important example of St Paul’s use of the phrase ‘ byRom. i i 14 nature i s found in the words, When the Gentiles

,whi ch have

not Law ,by nature do the things of the Law i .e. without the

Gal. 11 15 intervention of a d irect revelation . Other examples are,We are

Gal. iv 8

by nature Jews ’ i .s. w e have not become such w e are such and,

those whi ch by nature are not god s though theymay b e thoughtsuch and called such.

The sense of the p resent passage i s We were in ourselves children of wrath, even as the rest : b ut God in His mercy did not

leave us to ourselves— as the A postle hurries on to say, breaking hi ssentence again in order to p oint the contrast. We must b e careful

,

then,whi le reta in ing the rendering by na ture

’,not to introduce

later meanings and a ssociations of the word ‘nature ’ nor to

make St Paul throw the blame upon a defect of constitution whichnecessari ly led to sin and wrath. That i s not the teachi ng of thi s

passage. By nature’,as St Paul used the words

,men were not

necessari ly led to do wrong : they could not shift the blame on to

their nature ’.1 In 2 Pet. i 4 we read of a ‘ Divine in contrast to a

‘ nature of b easts’

nature’

(oela (No-rs); and

'

in Jas. i i i 7 (956m: duplwv).of a human nature (dvfipw

‘m'vn (priors)

II 3—6] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Much of the confusion whi ch has shrouded the meaning of

the passage i s p robably due to the word ‘ chi ldren ’. Thi s sug

gests to many minds the i dea of infancy : so that St Paul i staken to mean that by our bi rth as chi ldren w e came under the

D ivine wrath . But thi s i s qui te foreign to h is meaning here. He

i s not thi nking, as in Rom. v,of the sin and death in whi ch w e are

involved through A dam’s di sobed ience. He i s speaking of actual

transgressions, of a conversation in the lusts of the flesh.

tion to the tw o p arts of the phrase has shewn us ( 1)that‘chi ldren

of wrath’i s a Hebraismfor ‘

objects of wrath ’,and (2)that by

na ture’means simp ly ‘ in ourselves as ap art fromthe D ivine

p urpose of mercy. So that the common mis interpretation whi chmakes the phrase mean ‘ deserving of wrath fromthe moment of

birth ’ i s due to a neglect first of a Heb rew,and then of a

i diom.

St Paul hastens on, as so often,fromsin to grace, onlymention

ing s in in order to shew how grace more than meets i t : compareR om. i ii 2 3 f., v 1 2— 2 1 . Here sin and wrath lead on to a wealth 11 4

of mercy ’,as in the p revious chapter sin led on to ‘

a wealth of i 7

grace‘ Even though w e were dead i n tresp asses W i th these words he 11 5

takes up the b roken sentence of v. 1 only now the Jew has beenlinked wi th the Genti le in the disobedi ence and the ‘ wrath and

therefore must b e kep t wi th the Genti le in the ‘mercy ’. Hencenot ‘

you,’b ut w e

’.

‘He hath quickened us together wi th Clw'i st,—by grace ye ar e

saved’. St Paul’s affection for the word ‘ grace the word whi ch to

h imsums up h is own special p roclamation’, the word whi ch i s hi ssign-manual ‘ in every ep i stle leads himto break off again to insert 2 Thess.

it ; and the insertion i tself wi ll p resently b e repeated and expanded,17 f’

causing a yet further digression (v.

Ye are saved’

not ‘

ye are b eing saved ’ (present)—sa1vation

regarded as in p rocess2

nor ye were saved (aori st)—salvation as

a s ingle D iv ine act’: b ut ye are saved ’

,or

‘

ye have been saved

(perfect)—salvation as a Divine act completed indeed , b ut regardedas continuous and permanent in i ts issues.

And hath ra i sed us together (wi th Him)and seated us together i i 6

(with Him)i n the heavenly p laces in Chri st Jesus The compound1 See the detached note on the thatwere b eing savedmeanings of xdpts. 3 As in Rom. V111 24, for by hOp e

2 As in 1 Cor. i 18, xv 2 2 Cor. 11 were we saved ’.1 5 ; and especially Acts 11 47,

‘ them

11 10

EXPOSITION OF THE [II 6— 10

verb s (o-vvn

'

yecp ev and m ck a’dmey)are intended to recall the simple

verb s (e’

yet’

pa s and Kaet'

o a s)of i 2 0 . Chri st w as dead,and w as rai sed

fromthe dead. We too,in a true sense, were dead, and as truly

were ra ised from the dead inHi s Resurrection : aye, and wereseated

,even as He w as seated

,in the heavenly sphere

’.

A ll thi s i s spoken of as a Divi ne act contemporaneous wi th theResurrection and A scension of Chri st. It i s wholly indep endent ofany human action . It i s the free grace of God

,whi ch has li fted us

into a new world in Chri st. A s i ts motive the A postle canb utsuggest the glorification of grace. A s he had said before that theElection and the A dop tion were to the p raise of the glory of Hi s

grace ’ so here he says,‘that i n the ages to come He might shew

forth the exceed ing ri ches of Hi s g race i n Hi s kindness toward us in

Christ Jesus

For by grace’,he rep eats,

‘are ye saved through fa i th

’and

lest b y any means the possibi li ty of meri t should seemto creep inwi th themention of the fai th whi ch reali ses thi s great salvation ,

he adds at once ‘and that not of yourselves : i t i s the gift of God

not of works, les t any mamshould boast’: or, if w e may slightly

paraphrase the words to force out the meaning of the original‘aye, and not of yourselves : the gift, for such i t i s, i s God

’s gift

not of works, tha t nonemay have ground to boast’.

For w e are His workman ship ’: more closely, ‘ for Hi s making

w e are — words whi ch recall P S . 0 3‘ it is He that hathmade us

,

and not w e ourselves But the words whi ch here follow shew that

it is not of the first Creation that St Paul i s speaking. There hasb een a new Making of Man in Chri st. We have been created i n

Chris t Jesus

Thi s i s that New Creation of whi ch St Paul speaks in Gal.

vi 1 5, as having done away wi th the d i stinction between those who

were within the Jewi sh covenant and those who were outside i t‘ for neither i s circumci sion anything, nor unci rcumci sion ; b ut(there i s)a new creation ’

. S imi larly in 2 Cor. v 16 f. he declaresthat di stinctions of the flesh are done away We fromhenceforthknow no man after the that i f any man b e in Chri st

,

(there i s) a new creation : the old things have passed away : 10,

they have b ecome new’.

Mankind had started as One in the original Creation . But in

the course of the world’s hi story, through sin on the one hand,and

on the other hand through the revelation of God to a selectedPeop le, a d ivi sion had c ome in . Mank ind was now Tw o and not

1 See ab ove p p . 20 ff.

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54

Col. i i i 1 ff.

Rom. vi 1 1

11 I 1—2 2

EXPOSITION OF THE [11 10,1 1

present age or world and sets them ‘ in the heavenly sphere

’.

It li fts themab ove the control of the world-forces whi ch rule hereb elow

,and seats themwhere Chri st i s seated ab ove all the p owers

that are or can b e. It lifts themout of death—the death of s in

and makes them truly alive. It annihilates the old d i stinction

between Gentile and Jew,and inaugurates a New Creation of man

kind : for Gentile and Jew alike were dead, and alike have beenqui ckened and exalted in Chri st Jesus . And all thi s i s the free

gift of God, Hi s sovereign grace.

The same teaching, couched to some extent in the same words,may b e gathered out of vari ous parts of the Ep istle to the Colossians

(see especially i 2 1,i i 1 2 , 13, and there i t i s p ressed to the

logi cal conclusion, whi ch i s only hinted at in the good works’of

our passage. For there the A postle urges : If therefore ye

have been rai sed together wi th Chri st, seek the things that are

above, where Chri st i s, seated at the right hand of God : set yourthought on the things that are ab ove

,not on the things that are on

the earth. For ye have d ied, and your li fe is hi dden wi th Chri stin God

Nor i s the teaching by anymeans confined to these two ep i stles.

We need b ut recall the sixth chap ter of the Epistle to the Romans,where again the logi cal conclusion i s v igorously p ressed :

‘ In like

manner do ye also reckon yourselves dead to s in,b ut li ving to God

in Chri st JesusIn our p resent passage the practi cal i ssue i s not insi sted on

,b ut

merely hinted at in p assing. The A postle’s main thought i s the

uni ty whi ch has thus been b rought ab out,and the new hope whi ch

accordingly i s opened up formankind as a whole. Hence he passeson at once to expound the wealth of p rivi lege to whi ch, as the resultof thi s new un i ty

,h i s Genti le readers have been introduced .

WHEREFORE remember that in time past ye, the Genti lesin the flesh ,

who are called the Uncircumci sion by that which18 called the Circumci sion, in the flesh,made by hands, that

at that time without Christ ye were aliens fromthe commonwealth of Israel and strangers fromthe covenants of promise,having no hope and w ithout God in the world.

‘ 3 But now in

Christ Jesus ye who in time past were far off have beenmadenigh by the blood of Chri st.

‘ 4For He is our peace, who hath

made both one,and hath broken down the middle wall of the

partition,

‘ 5 having abolished in His flesh the enmi ty, the law

II 1 1] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 55

of commandments contained in ordinances ; that He mightcreate in Himself of the twain one newman

,somaking peace ;

‘ 5and that He might reconci le both unto God in one body by

the cross, having slain the enmi ty thereby : ‘ 7 and He came and

preached peace to you which were afar off, and peace to them

that were nigh ‘ 3 for through Himwe both have our access in

one Spirit unto the Father.

‘9 So then ye are nomore strangersand sojourners, b ut ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, andof the household of God

,

” being built upon the foundation

of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being thecorner-stone ;

”

in whomall the building fitly framed togethergroweth into an holy temple in the Lord ; “2 in Whomye also

are being bui lded together for an habitation of God in the

Wherefore remember ’. It is hard for us to reali se the vital 11 1 1interest of thi s teaching to St Paul

’s readers. To us the di stinction

of Jew and Gentile i s not the most important fact in human life.

The b attle for our p ri vi lege as Genti le Chri stians— for our part

and p lace in Chri st—w as fought and w on eighteen hundred yearsago. We have forgotten the struggle and the v i ctory altogether.

We do not recognise that this was a deci sive b attle of the world’shistory .

But for the Gentiles to whomSt Paul wrote the abolition of this

great d i stinction was everythi ng. For five and twenty years theconfli ct had b een raging. A t one moment the i ssue had dependedon a single man . A little p lace the Chri stian Jew was p repared toallow to the Chri stian Genti le. He might b e like ‘ the stranger inthe gates b ut he could not b e as the true born child of p rivilege,unless indeed he were prepared to abandon his Gentile position, and

by circumci sion i denti fy himself wi th the Jew .

A t one cri ti cal moment even St Peter wi thdrew himself, and Galau rfi .

would not s it at the same table with the Genti le Chri stians. St

Barnabas at thatmoment was likew ise carried away. St Paul stood

alone. He saw that everything depended on ab solute equalitywi thin the Church of Chri st. He withstood St Peter to the face,and b rought himto hi s true self again. That scene and a score of

others,when in di fferent ways the same struggle was b eing waged,

left a deep mark on St Paul’smind. Two Churches or one— that to

his mind was the question at i ssue. One Church, in the p rov idence

of God,and through the work of St Paul, i t w as destined to b e.

11 I I

EXPOSITION OF THE [II 1 1, 12

The struggle was over— b ut only just over—when he wrote thi sletter. It w as the morrow of the vi ctory . Can w e marvel thatwhi le i t was vi vid in hi s memory, and in the memories of all

, he

should delight again and again to remind the Genti les of what hadb een gained ? Wherefore remember

‘ Remember tha t i n time p ast ye, the Gentiles i n the flesh The

connexion appears to b e thi s. We—b oth Gentiles and Jews, withno distinction now— are God

’s New Creation in Chri st ; created

wi th an end to fulfil, a path marked out to tread . Whereforeremember what you were, and what you are. You were the

despised, outside, alien Genti les,whi le these fleshly di stinctions

2 Cor. v 16 lasted . But now that w e know no man after the flesh now that

i i 12

the New Creation has made the Tw o no longer Tw o, b ut One, all i syours : you have equal rights of ci tizenship , an equal p lace in the

family of God ; you go tomake up the Temple in which i t p leasesGod to dwell.

Remember tha t i n time p ast ye, the Genti les i n theflesh -whi le‘ the flesh was the ground of d i stinction,

as i t w as whi le the signof God’s covenant was a mark made by a man’s hand on a man’sflesh who ar e called the Unci rcumcisi on by tha t which i s called

the Ci rcumci sion,i n the flesh, made w i th hands There i s no

necessary trace of contempt, as has been sometimes thought, in theexp ressions, who are called the Uncircumci sion and whi ch i scalled the Circumci sion ’

. These were fami liar names on Jewi shlip s, even i f St Paul himself wi ll not lend themh is sanction. Thereis no ground for the interp retation, the so-called as if the A postlemeant that the di stinctions were ab surd or unreal. They were veryreal and very tremendous ; b ut they were done away in the New

Creation. So far as there i s any dep reciation of ci rcumci sion in thepassage, i t i s found in the last words, which are intended to suggestthat i t belongs to an order that i smaterial and transient.The emphasi s whi ch the A p ostle wi shes to lay on the words ‘ the

Gentiles has led himaga in to expand, and so the sentence i s broken .

Thi s i s the thi rd time in the ep istle that he has broken hi s sentenceto emphasise the posi tion of the Jew and the Genti le compare i 13and i i 3. Nothing couldmore clearly shew the p lace this questionheld in hi s thought.

That a t that time w i thout Chri st ye were ali ensfromthe commonwea lth qf Israel and strangers fromthe covenan ts of p romi se A

contrast i s here drawn between their old position,‘at that time

wi thout Chri st and their new position, now in Chri st Jesus(v. Thi s contrast i s somewhat obscured i f w e render

,as in the

11 12] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 57

Authori sed Version ,

‘ that at that time ye were wi thout Chri st,

b eing aliens (Si c. They are called upon to remember not simplythat they were wi thout Chri st, b ut wha t they were without Chri st.

It i s interesting to compare wi th this statement of di sabilitiesthe Apostle

’s catalogue in an earlier epistle of the p riv ileges of those

whomhe terms ‘ hi s brethren, hi s kinsfolk after the flesh ’: they Rom. ix

‘are Israelites ’ theirs ‘

are the adoption, and the glory, and the 3 5

covenants,and the giving of the law

,and the worship , and the

p romi ses ’; theirs ‘are the fathers that i s

,the patriarchs and

prOphets, the heroes of the past ; and of them is the Chri st according to the flesh These were their distinctive privi leges, whichmarked themas the Elect People. It was these things that theGenti les had lacked .

In Christ ’,indeed

,as they now were

,all was theirs ; b ut

‘without Chri st as they had been

,they were unenfranchi sed outlanders

aliens and foreigners, w i th no rights of citizenship in the sacred Gen. xv11 7

commonwealth,w i th no share in the covenants whi ch guaranteed

Ex‘ XX” 8

Luke ithe promisemade to Abrahamand his seed for ever

’. 72 f.

55

Havi ng no hop e The Jew had a hope : the Gentile had none.

The golden age of the Gentile w as in the past : hi s poets told himof i t, and how i t was gone. The Jew’

s golden age was in the

future : his prophets told himto look forward to i ts coming.

And w i thou t God Though there were ‘ gods many and lords I 0013 Vi i i

many ’, yet in the true sense they had no God . It had not yet

5

been revealed,as it was revealed through Christ, that

‘ the God of 3 0mi ii

the Jews was the God of the Genti les also29

Thi s i s the only place in the New Testament where the word«ideas occurs. It i s in no contemptuous sense that the A postlespeaks of themas hav ing been athei sts or

‘

godless’. It was the

simple and sad descrip tion of their actual state, not indeed fromtheir own

,b ut fromthe only true point of view.

The charge of athei sm w as hurled again and again by theheathen at the Chri stians of the early days. Justin Martyr com

p lains that Chri stians were persecuted as i dea ,and reminds the

persecutors that Socrates had been put to death as 59509. On a

memorable occasion the phrase w as turned back on those who used

i t. The Martyrdomof P olycarp tells (c. 9)how the p roconsul bade

the aged bi shop , in words whi ch i t was customary to employ,‘ Swear b y the geni us of the emperor ; repent ; say, Away withthe athei sts ’ (A ipe rots dfléovs—mean ing the Christians)

.

Then

Polycarp , looking towards the peop le and wav ing wi th 1118 hand,

groaned and looked up to heaven and said, Aipe rots dde’ovs

’. It

was they and not the Chri stians, who had no God.

58 EXPOSITION OF THE [II 12— 14

In the w orld’. These words are the posi tive descrip tion of the

state whi ch the A postle has hitherto b een describing entirely b ynegatives. Coming at the close

,they stand in sharp contrast to

what immediately follows ‘ b ut now in Chri st JesusThey are not however to b e taken by themselves, b ut in close

connexion with the two preceding phrases. The world, to St Paul,is the present outward order of things not of necessi ty to b e

characteri sed as evi l ; b ut evil, when considered as apart fromGod,or as in Opposition to God . Wi thout a hope, and wi thout a Godthis was to b e in the world and limited to the world, with nothingto lift themabove thematerial and the transient. It was to b e

,in

St John’s language, not only in the world b ut of the world

‘Bu t now in Chri st J esus ye who in time p ast w ere f ar of havebeen made nigh by the b lood of Chri st

’. In the remainder of thi s

section the A postle reverses the p icture. They were ‘ withoutthe world ’: they are

‘ in Chri st Jesus ’. The d i stancebetween the unp rivi leged and the p rivi leged i s annihi lated :

‘ the

18a, 1v u 19 far’ has become ‘

near ’. These are Old Testament terms : theallusion i s more expli citly made b elow in v. 1 7.

‘By the b lood of Chri st’, or (more literally)‘ in the blood of the

Chri st ’. So in i 7 we had‘ through Hi s blood

’, when the A postle

was speaking of the Emanci pation,before he had d i stingui shed the

two classes of Jew and Genti le, and when he w as descri b ing theblessi ngs of the new Election in the imagery of the old covenant.We may reserve to a later point the consideration of his p resentuse of the words.

For He i s our p eace The pronoun i s emphati c in the original.Wemight render : ‘ For He Himself i s our p eace

’,or For i t i s He

who i s our peaceNote that the A postle, having taken tw o words fromthe passage

in Isaiah, now takes a thi rd. In fact i t i s thus that the wordIsa.M 1 19 peace i s suggested to him for the old p romise ran Peace

, peaceto himthat i s far off

,and to himthat i s nigh

’.

‘ It i s He’,says

St Paul , who i s our p eace Note also the change in the p ronounsfrom‘

ye’to ‘

our’. To you and to us the peace has come. We

were strangers to one another ; nay, w e were enemies ‘ i t i s He

who i s our p eaceHe

,

‘who hathmade both one — b oth the parts one whole. The

neuter of the origin al cannot well b e exp ressed b y an Engli shtranslation. Lower down, instead of the neuter he w i ll use the

masculine : that Hemight create the two (men)into one new man,(so)making peace ’.

II 14] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Thi s is the most perfect peace : not the armed p eace of rival

p owers, not even the p eace of the most friendly alliance ; b ut the

peace whi ch comes fromab solute uni ty. There can b e no more a

quarrel, when there are nomore two, b ut only one.

‘And hath broken down themi dd le wall of the p arti ti on ’; that i s ,the intervening wall whi ch formed the b arrier.

To understand -the metaphor we must know something of the

construction of the Temp le in St Paul’s day. The area whi ch had

been enclosed by Herod the Great w as very large. It consi sted of

court w i thin court, and innermost of all the Holy Place and theHolyof Holi es. There were varying degrees of sancti ty in these sacred

places. Into the Holy of Holies only the High Priest could enter,and that once in the year. The Holy Place was entered daily and

incense was burned by a priest on the golden altar at themomentof the sacrifice of themorn ing and even ing lamb. Thi s sacrifice took

place outside in the Court of the Priests,where was the great A ltar

of Burnt-offerings. Outsi de thi s again were two further courts -the

Court of the Sons of Israel immediately adjacent,and beyond thi s

on the east the Court of the Women. The whole of the localitiesthus farmentioned formed a rai sed p lateau : fromi t you descendedat various points down five step s and through gates in a lofty wall

, to

find yourself not yet outside the temp le-p recincts, b ut on a narrow

platformoverlooking another large court— the outer court to whi chGentiles who desired to see something of the glori es of the Temple,or to offer gifts and sacri fices to the God of the Jews, were freelyadmi tted. Further in than thi s court they were forbidden on painof death to go. The actual boundary line whi ch the Genti lemightnot cross was not the high wall wi th i ts gates, b ut a low stone

barrier about five feet in height whi ch ran round at the bottomof

fourteenmore step s’.

In the year 187 1 , during the excavations wh ich were b eingmade on the s ite of the Temp le on behalf of the Committee of the

Palestine Exp loration Fund,M. Clermont Canneau found one of

the very p illars whi ch Josephus describes as hav ing been set up on

the barrier to whi ch St Paul here refers. It i s now preserved in

1 Th is account i s derived from most b eautifully worked ; on i t thereJosephus Anti qq. xv 1 1 , B . J . v 5. In were set up at equal d i stances p i llarsthe latter p assage he says :

‘ As you setting forth the law of sancti ty , somewent on through thi s first court to the in Greek and some in Roman characsecond there was a stone fence run ters, how that noman of another racen ing all round, three cub i ts h igh and might pass wi thin the sanctuary

’.

59

i i 1 1—14

EXPOSITION OF THE [II 14

the Museumat Constantinople, and i t b ears the following inscription in Greek letters ’

NO MAN OF ANOTHER NATION TO ENTERWITHIN THE FENCE AND ENCLOSURE

ROUND THE TEMPLE. AND WHOEVER IS

CAUGHT WILL HAVE HIMSELF TO BLAME

THAT 1118 DEATH ENSUES.

That barrier, wi th i ts series of inscri b ed stones threateni ngdeath to the intruder, was sti ll standing in the Temple courts at themoment when St Paul b oldly p roclaimed that Chri st had broken i tdown . It sti ll stood : b ut i t was already antiquated, obsolete, out

of date, so far as i ts sp i ritual meaning went. The sign sti ll stood

b ut the thing signi fied was broken down. The thing signified was

the separationbetween Gentile and Jew . That w as done away in

the person of Jesus Chri st. A few years later the sign i tself was

dashed down in a literal ruin. Out of that ruin a fragment of i thas b een dug, after exactly eighteen hundred years, to enforce

St Paul’s words, and by a striking object lesson to b id us,the

Gentiles,

‘rememb er ’ that in Chri st Jesus w e who were ‘ far off

"

have been ‘made nigh’.

A t this point we may pause to draw out in greater fulness theteachi ng of the A postle in thi s passage. He has called on the

Gentiles, who have newly been admi tted into a position of absoluteequality of p rivi lege with the Jew ,

to rememb er what they wereand what they now are. They were the Gentiles, according to a

di stinction whi ch he describes by the words ‘ in the flesh ’ that i sto say, they were the Unci rcumci sion , as they were called by thosewho on their part were called the Ci rcumcis ion . The di stinction

was an external one : i t wasmade ‘ in the flesh i t was made by a

man’s hand. The very terms suggest— and are chosen to suggestthat it was temporary, not eternal. But i t w as not therefore un

real ; nor w as i t wrong : i t was part of the Divine method for theeducation of the world. It i s done away now b ut i t w as d ivinelyordained

,and tremendous in i ts reali ty whi le i t lasted.

This i s what they were. There w as a d ivi ding line, and theywere on the wrong side of i t. And consequently, as he goes on to

say, they were not only wi thout the sign of p ri vilege, b ut wi thoutthe p rivi lege i tself. For they were not members of the ChosenPeople : they were aliens, they were strangers : they knew nothingof a Divine fellowship , a sacred p olity, in whi ch men were linkedto one another and to God, in whi ch God had entered into covenant

1 For the Greek text see the commentary ad loc.

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62

Ps . u 8

EXPOSITION OF THE [II 14

w as infini telymore p recious a priv i lege, to b e outside w as farmoregri evous a disabi li ty, than ever i t could have seemed before.

Hence the deep pathos of hi s language as he describes the hop elessmi sery of the Genti le world. Hence too hi s sup reme delight in p roclaiming, not that the Divine fellowship w as suddenly at an end

,b ut

that the old limits b y which i t had been confined to a single race weredone away that the world w as no longer tw o p arts —one p rivi leged,the other unprivi leged —b ut one whole, all p rivi leged alike ; that the

partition wall whi ch had kep t the Gentile at a d istance w as simp lybroken down ,

and that Jew and Gentilemight enter hand in hand

into the One Father’s house, the house of p rayer for all nationsIt was the fulfilment of the Jewi sh hope— not i ts d i sappointment

— whi ch had brought about thi s glorious i ssue. It w as the Messiahwho had done it. The Jew lost nothing : he gained everythinggained new brothers

, gained the whole Genti le world. In Chri st

God had given himthe heathen for his inheri tance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for hi s possession

The Gentile too had gained all. He indeed had nothing to lose,and could only gain . He had gained b rotherhood wi th the Jew , a

place in the Divine fami ly, the franchi se of the sacred p olity, hi s

passage across the partition whi ch had divided himfromthe Jew

and thereby had d ivided himfromGod . He was brought nighnigh to the Jew ,

and n igh to God.

A ll thi s i s in St Paul’s thought when he says : ‘Ye were far off,

b ut ye have beenmade n ighWe have not yet considered the important words whi ch he adds

to this statement : ‘ in’or by the blood of the Chri st The

reconci liation b y whi ch‘ the far off

”and ‘ the near

’are brought

together— b y whi ch Genti le i s made nigh to Jew and thereby nighHeb . ix 18 to God— i s not w i thout b lood ’. For neither was the Jew’s own

covenant wi thout bloodWe need to remind ourselves that fromthe earliest days every

treaty between man and man,as well as every covenant between

man and God,was ratified andmade sure b y the b lood of a sacrifice.

A ll that i s done away now ,and w e find i t hard to do full justi ce to

a conception so foreign to our ways of thinking. But w emust bearthi s fact inmind i f w e would understand St Paul. The covenantb etween a nation and i ts dei ty w as a covenant of blood the p ea

cebetween a nation and a nation w as ratified b y a vi ctim’s blood’.

1 The hi story of th i s i dea , which by the late Professor W. Rob ertson

p layed so large a part in human li fe Smi th (p art I.

‘ Fundamental Institub efore the Chri stian era

,is elab orately tions

treated in The Religi on of the Semi tes

11 14, 15] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 63

That the Mess iah had been ki lled was at first sight the defeatand fai lure of all the expectation of whi ch He had been the centre.

Hi s resurrection di spelled the gloom, and shewed that He had

triumphed in sp ite of death— even through death, for He had shewn

Himself the conqueror of death. Hi s death w as p resently seen tohave b een a necessary stage of Hi s work. It partook of the natureof a sacrifice. It was the blood of a covenant so He Himself hadsolemnly descri b ed i t on the eve of Hi s crucifixion—J This i s My Mark xiv

Blood of the Covenant .

’St Paul gives us here an interp retation of if

"L idia

’

sHis words. The ‘ b lood of the Chri st ’had made a new treaty of

E

p eace b etween the two opposing sections of humani ty : i t hadmadethe two into one. The b lood of the Chri st hadmade the far off

"

to b e ‘near

’: i t had widened out the old Covenant, so as to embrace

those who had been outside it had become the fulfilment of all the

sacrificial blood-shedding of the old Covenant, whi ch i t supersededonly by including i t in a new Covenant, in whi ch Jew and Gentile

a like had access to the one and only God . His life-blood poured out

as the ratification of the new Covenant, says St Paul, hasmade the

far off near for He Himself i s our peace ; He Himself hasmadethe two p arts one whole He Himself has broken down the parti tionwall that shut off the one fromthe p rivileges of the other.

Up to this p oint the Apostle’s meani ng i s clear

,when once w e

have grasped the concep tions whi ch lie behind his thought. But he

i s conscious that he has b een using the language of metaphor, andhe p roceeds to elaborate and to interp ret what he has b een saying.

The p articip ial clause whi ch follows is a re—statement in other termsof what has immediately p receded.

‘Having abolished in Hi s flesh the enmi ty , the law of command 11

ments contained in ordi nances’. This recasts and p resents afresh

the s tatements He Himself i s our peace’and He hath b roken

down themi ddle wall of the partition In Hisflesh correspondsto the emphati c p ronoun He Himself the ab oli tion of ‘ the

enmi ty’i s a new description of ‘

our peace A s the divi sion was

symbolised and exp ressed in the barri er of the Temple, so‘ the

enmi ty w as exp ressed in ‘ the law of commandments contained inordinances A ccordingly the breaking down of the Temp le b arri eri s one and the same thing wi th the aboli tion of the enmity as i t hadtaken outward shape in the enactments of the ri tual law .

But these phrases deserve to b e considered one b y one.

‘ In

Hi sflesh Hi s flesh i s the scrip tural termfor what w e speak of

a s Hi s humani ty,Hi s human nature. He took upon Himflesh ’

was an early Chri stian mode of speaking of the mystery of the

64 EXPOSITION OF THE

Incarnation . It i s the same in mean ing wi th the great phrase of

the Te Deum,Tu ad li berandumsuscep i sti hominem,

Thou tookestupon T

heeman, to deliver him’. The flesh of Chri st i s our common

humani ty, whi ch He deigned to make His ow n . So that in Himall flesh that i s, all human i ty, finds i tsmeeting point. And thus

He i s Himself our p eace in Hi s own person He has aboli shed our

enmity.

The law of commandments contained in ordinances was aboli shed

b y Christ. The fulness of this expression i s no doubt intentional.

Matt. V 17 Chri st came ‘not to destroy ’ the law ,

‘ b ut to fulfil ’ i t : not to

b reak i t down,b ut to fill i t wi th i ts ful l meaning. Yet thi s w as to

do away wi th it in so far as i t was a

'

limi ted ‘ code of commands .

All its commandments were swallowed up in the new commandmentof love. In so far as i t was petrified in enactments, and esp eciallyin those external ord inances whi ch guided all the deta ils of the

Jew’s dai ly life and were meant above all thi ngs to keep him

distinct fromthe outside Genti le,— just in that sense and in thatmeasure i t was annulled in Christ. Thi s i s made clearer by theguarding phrase

‘ in ordinances The law,so far as i t was a

‘ law

of commandments ’ and wa s identified with external ord inances ’,

was aboli shed b y Chri st.

The A postle uses parallel language in the Ep i stle to the Colos

Col. 11 14 sians.

‘He hath cancelled the bond that stood aga inst us, (that

consisted)in ordinances : He hath taken i t out of the w ay, havingnai led i t to Hi s cross ’. And he asks

,lower down,

of those whoseemed to wi sh to return to a modi fied systemof external p rohi b i

Col. 11. 2 0, tions : Why are ye sti ll ordinance—ridden And at the same time2’

he exp lains hi s meaning by examples of such ordinances : ‘ Touchnot

,taste not

,handle not To re-enact these w as to ab andon the

Gospel and to return to the commandments and doctrines ofmenThe law of commandments in ord inances ’ had an imp ortant

use whi le the distinction in the flesh b etween Jew and Genti le

had to b e clearlymarked . The touch of certain things defiled, the

taste of certainmeats made aman unclean . To touch even in the

commerce of themarket what a Genti le had touched , to eat at the

same tab le at whi ch a Genti le ate—these things were defil ing then.

The ordi nances were framed to p revent such pollution, such s ins

agains t the Divine covenant whi ch marked off the Jews as a

peculiar peop le. It was just these di stinctions that were done awaynow ; and wi th them the ordinances whi ch enforced themwereannulled.

‘ The law of commandments in ordinances ’ w as ab oli shed, and

aboli shed by the Messiah Himself. ‘ In Hi s flesh ’He had un ited

11 15—17] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

those whomthese di stinctions had held apart ;‘ in Hi s blood ’He

hadmade a new Covenant whi ch included themb oth.

That He might crea te i n Himself of the twa in one new man,so 11 15

making p eace Thi s i s the New Creation,the New Man

,of whi ch

w e have spoken already. Henceforth God deals wi th man as a

whole,as a single individual

,in Christ. Not as Two Men

,the

p riv i leged and the unp rivi leged— Tw o, parted one fromthe other b ya b arri er in themost sa cred of all the relations of li fe b ut as One

Man,united in a peace, whi ch i s no mere alliance of elements

naturally d istinct,b ut a concorporation, the common li fe of a single

organi sm.

‘ And that He might reconci le both unto God i n one body by the n 16

cross, ha/ving sla in the enmi ty thereby’. Here the A postle exp resses

what has all along been implied in hi s thought, namely, that thep eace b y whi ch the Gentile w as reconciled to the Jew w as at the

same time a peace wi th God . In the new Covenant whi ch was

made in the blood of the Chri st not only were the two sections ofhumani ty b rought nigh to one another

,b ut both of themin the

samemoment were brought n igh to God .

‘ In one body’. Thi s i s the one body ’ whi ch has resul ted from

the union of the two sections . It i s the ‘one body to which the

one Sp iri t of v. 18 corresponds. It i s not the human body of theLord Jesus ; that w as referred to ab ove in v. 1 5 by the exp ression‘ in Hi s flesh Here St Paul i s speak ing of that larger Body of

the exalted Chri st, of whi ch he has already declared that i t i s His i 2 3fulness or completion,

and of which he wi ll p resently declare that iv 4there i s one body and one Sp i ri t, even as ye are called in one hop e

of your callingHaving sla in the enmi ty thereby

’,that i s

,by the Cross. An

alternative rendering i s ha vi ng sla i n the enmi ty i n Himself’. The

meani ng i s the same in ei ther case : and the exp ression i s a boldone. Chri st in Hi s death w as slain : b ut the slain was a slayer

‘ And He came and p reached (or pub li shed good ti dings of’

)11 17

p eace to you which were afar/r ofl,and p eace to themtha t were n igh’.

In these words St Paul comb ines with the p assage of Isaiah whi chhe has already used in vv . 1 3, 14 another passage of the same book.

Peace, peace to himthat is far off and to himthat i s near, sai th Isa. lvu 1

the Lord i s combined wi th How beautiful upon the mountains Isa. 111 7

are the feet of him that b ringeth good tidi ngs, that pub li sheth

peace The verb to publi sh good tid ings i s drawn b y the A postlefromthe Sep tuagint version of the latter passage.

EXPOSITION or THE [11

In the words He came and p reached w e have a reference not

to the work of the Lord Jesus on earth before the Crucifixi on , b ut

to the work of the exalted Chri st in announcing the p eace whi ch

Hi s death hadmade.

‘ For through Himw e b oth have our access i n one Sp i ri t u n to the

Fa ther The new Covenant w as henceforward the ground of the

Jew ’s app

roach to God, as well as of the Genti le’s. For the old

Covenant w as swallowed up in the new . Jew and Gentile now

rested alike on the new Covenant, and so a ll d istinction b etween

themw as at an end .

It i s noteworthy that, a s the A postle p roceeds, the hostilityb etween Jew and Genti le has been gradually falling into the back

ground. The reconci liation of whi ch he speaks i s the reconciliation

of both to God,even more than of each to the other ; and the

climax of all i s found in the access of both to the common Father.For the sup reme b lessing whi ch the new Covenant has secured i s-freedomof app roach to Himwho i s to b e known henceforth by Hisnew Name

,not as Jehovah the God of Israel, b ut as the Father.

In one Sp i rit Thi s phrase i s the counterp art of the phrasein one b ody of v. 16. In one b ody w e both were reconci led to

God :‘ in one Spi ri t we b oth have our access to the Father. The

one body’i s an imated b y one Spi ri t

’. So, later on,

the A p ostle

declares : There i s one b ody and one Sp iri t, even as ye have beencalled in one hOpe of your ca lling Even i f the reference i s not

p rimari ly to the Holy Sp iri t, yet the thought of Himas the Sp i ri tof fellowship i s necessari ly p resent where the ‘

one Sp i ri t’of the

‘one b ody ’ i s spoken of. The Body of the Chri st has a Spiri t thatdwells in i t. That Sp i ri t is the Sp iri t of the Christ, the Holy Sp iri t.When w e grasp thi s correlation of the Body of Chri st and the Sp i ri tof Chri st, w e can understand w hy in the A postoli c Creed the clauseThe Holy Catholi c Church forms the first subd ivi s ion of the

section whi ch begins, I believe i n the Holy Ghost’.

‘ So then ye are no more strangers and soj ourners, bu t ye are

fellow -ci ti zens w i th the sa ints The A postle return s to hi s p oli ti calmetaphor, and uses a termwhi ch w as well understood in the Greekcities. The sojourners ’were a class of residents who were recogn ised by law and were allowed certain defin i te p rivi leges : b uttheir very name suggested that thei r posi tion was not a permanentone : they resided on sufferance only, and had no rights of citizenship . The Genti les, says St Paul, are no longer in this posi tion of

exclusion fromthe franchi se of the sacred commonwealth. Theyare

‘

fellow ci ti zens w i th the sa ints The saints was a des ignation

II 19, 20] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

p reper to the members of the ancient Peop le of God. They werea holy nation

’they were sa ints ’ b y vi rtue of their national

consecration to Jehovah . The designation was naturally retained

b y St Paul, when the Chosen Peop le was wi dened into the Catholi cChurch. To quote B i shop L ightfoot

’s words’ “ The Chri stianChurch, having taken the p lace of the Jewi sh race

,has inheri ted

all‘

i ts titles and privileges ; i t is‘a chosen generation

,a royal

p riesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar peop le (1 P et . 11 A ll who

have entered into the Chri stian covenant b y bapti smare‘saints

’in

the language of the A postles. Even the i rregularities and p rofli

gacies of the Cori nthian Church do not forfeit it thi s ti tleThe Genti les

,then, had been admi tted to full rights in the

polity of ‘ the sa ints they were now no less truly a part of the

consecrated peop le than were the Jews. But the A postle adds a

furthermetaphor. He has just spoken of God as the Father’, to

whomthey had been given access . In harmony wi th this he nowdeclares that the Genti les are members of God’s fami ly

,or house

hold they have all the privi leges of the sons of the house they are

‘of the household of God

’. In this phrase he uses an adj ective i i 19

(oixei‘

og)whi ch impli es the word house in the non-material sense inwhi ch w e often use it ourselves : comp . 1 Tim. i i i. 4 and 1 5. But

we can scarcely doubt that it is the feeling of the radi calmeaningof the word that leads himon to the new metaphor which he at

once developes, and whi ch would seemexcessively ab rupt i f i t werenot for this half-hidden connex ion. They are not merelymembersof the household , b ut actual ly a part of the house of God .

‘ Being bu ilt up on the foundation of the ap ostles and p rop hets, 11 20

Chr ist J esus Himself bei ng the corner -stone They are not the first

stones la id in the b ui lding they are built up on others whi ch werethere before them. The foundation stones are the apostles and

prOphets, the chief stone of all b eing Christ Jesus Himself, who is the Isa , xxvi i i

‘corner-stone as the Old Testament wri ters had called the Messiah.

16 ; P s .

cxvm2 2In an earli er ep i stle St Paul had emphati cally declared Other

1001 . i i i 1 1

foundation can noman lay than that is laid, whi ch i s Jesus Chri stBut there he is emp loying hi smetaphor in a di fferent way. He i s

not speaking of persons who are bui lded in,b ut of persons who

b ui ld . He himself, for example, i s not a stone of the bui lding, b uta wi semaster-bui lder those of whomhe speaks are bui lders also

,

and their work wi ll come to the testing. The foundation he hashimself laid in the p roclamation of Chri st Jesus : it i s not possiblethat any of themshould lay any other foundation b ut it is onlytoo possible that the superstructure whi ch they rai se should b e

1 Note on Ph i lipp ians i 1.

68 EXPOSITION or THE [11 20

worthless, and that instead’

of wages for good work done theyshould come in for the fine whi ch attached to careless or fraudulentworkmanship . Here the appli cation of the metaphor i s di fferent.The stones are persons : the foundation stones are the apostles

and prophets, the most important stone of all b eing Chri st J esus

HimselfThis last phrase i s emphati c. Chri st, the Messiah who had

b een spoken of beforehand as the corner-stone Jesus, the humanmani festation of the Christ in time : Chri st Jesus Himself He

is part of the Body whi ch He brings into being, for He i s i ts Head

He i s part of the House whi ch He founds, for He i s i ts Cornerstone. The pa

ssage in St Paul’smind at this point i s Isa . xxvi i i 16,

as it was rendered b y the Septuagi nt :‘ Behold, I lay for the

foundations of Sion a stone costly and chosen, a precious cornerstone for the foundations thereof ’. A nd just because he wi ll sp eakof Chri st in the old p rophet

’s terms as a corner-stone, he cann ot

here speak of Hima s the whole foundation .

We are naturally reminded by thi s p assage of the saying of our

Lord to St Peter : I say unto thee,Thou art Peter and

upon thi s rock (n e’rpa)I wi ll b ui ld My Church, and the gates of hell

shall not preva i l against i t : I wi ll give to thee the keys of the

kingdomof heaven Here w e have the same metaphor, and again

i ts app li cation is slightly vari ed . In Engli sh the play upon wordsis wholly lost in the Greek i t i s somewhat ob scured b y the changefromHe

'

rp os to n e'

rpa . The femini ne Wol ‘d (n e'

rp a)could not well b ethe name of aman

,and accordingly the Greek name of Cep ha w as

He’rpos, which signifies a stone rather than a rock. But in the

Aramai c, in whi ch our Lord almost certainly spoke, there w as no

such difficulty. Cep ha was equally a stone or a rock. So that thewords must have run

,jus t as we now read them in the Syriac

versions : ‘ Thou art Cep ha , and upon this cepha I wi ll b uild MyChurch ’.

It i s worth our whi le to noti ce how the metaphor of a house i sthere app lied to the Church . It i s the Divine House whi ch Chri stwill b uild (He i s nei ther the foundation nor the corner- stone

,b ut

the Builder), and the keys of i t He wi ll p lace in the A postle’s

hands. Thus b y a rap id transi tion the A postle’s own relation to

the house i s exp ressed by a new metaphor ; he i s now the steward

{1251111 2 2 of the house : compare the p rophet

’s words : ‘ I wi ll give the

key of the house of Dav1d Thus the Church— the Ecclesi acorresponds to

‘ the kingdomof heaven ’,which the Messiah has

come to establi sh : each of the designations being drawn fromthe

past hi story of the sacred commonwealth,whi ch was at once ‘ the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

70 EXPOSITION or THE [11 2 1

W10L 1F.- 1380 . In whomeche b i ldynge made : w exeth in to

an holi temple in the lord.

TYNDALE.—I 534. In whomevery b ildynge coup led togedder,

groweth vuto an holy temple in the lorde.

CRANMER.— 1 539. In whomwhat b uyldyng soever i s coupled

together, i t groweth vnto an holy temp le in the L orde.

GENEVA.— 1557 . In whomall the b uyldying coup led together,

groweth vuto an holy temp le in the L ord .

RHEIMS. —1582 . In whomal bui lding framed together, growethinto an holy temple in our Lord.

A UTHORISED.— 161 1 . In whomall the b uilding fitly framed

together, groweth vnto an holy temple in the L ord .

REvrsan.—1881 . In whoml

each several bui lding, fitly framedtogether, groweth into a holy 2temple in the Lord.

1 Gr. every bui lding.1 Or

,sanctuary .

We need not at thi s point enter into the causes of so greatvariety of rendering. Thi s would b e to di scuss the influence of the

Latin Vulgate, and of the variants in the Greek text. Our studyof the context should by thi s time havemad e i t perfectly clear thatSt Paul contemplates a single structure and no more. Such a

rendering then as‘every b uildi ng ’ (that i s to say,

‘all the b ui ld

ings’)i s out of harmony wi th the general thought of the passage.

If the A postle has in any way referred to parts whi ch go to makeup a whole, i t has always b een to two parts, and only two, v iz. the

Jew and the Genti le. To introduce the idea of many churchesgoing tomake up one Church i s to do violence to the sp iri t of thi swhole section. The rendering ‘

each several b ui ldi ng, fitly framedtogether, groweth into a holy temp le offends themost consp i cuouslyagainst the A postle

’s thought. For i t must logi cally imply that

the ‘ several buildings’grow into

‘ several temples’

and thi s i s at

once inconsi stent with the single habitation or dwell ing-

p lace of

God,whi ch the A postlementions in the next verse.

In Engli sh the word ‘ bui lding’has various shades of mean ing,each of whi ch i s found equally in i ts counterpart in the Greek . It

may mean ‘ the process of bui lding’i t may mean ‘ the bui lding

itself when complete Or i tmay have a sense intermed iate betweenthese two

,and mean ‘ the bui lding regarded as in p rocess

’. The

Apostle’s meaning i s saved by the rendering of the Rheims B ib le

al building’ b ut this i s somewhat harsh

,and limits us too strictly

to the p rocess, as contrasted w i th the work in p rocess. All thatis bui lded ’

,or

‘all b ui lding that i s done

’might express the sensewith sufficient accuracy b ut thi s hardly differs from all the bui ld

II 2 1] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 7 !

ing when w e keep before our minds the thought of the b ui ldingin p rocess, as Opposed to the comp leted edifice. We may accordingly retain the fami liar rendering, although i t i s not free fromambigu ity i f the context b e neglected, and although i t w as originally intended as the translation of a read ing in the Greek whi chthe textual evidence p recludes us fromaccepting.

A ll work done on thi s House of God,all fitting of stone to

stone, as the bui ldi ng ri ses coup led and morti ced b y clamp and

dowel,—all thi s work i s a growth, as though the b uilding were a

liv ing organi sm. St Paul has no hesi tation in mixing ‘

his metaphors, i f thereb y he can the more forci b ly exp ress hi s mean ing.

We have the exact converse of thi s transi tion in the fourth chap terif here the b ui lding grows

’like a body

,there the b ody i s b uilded i v 12

,16:

‘ An holy temp le’. The word ‘ temple

’in our English B ible i s

used to render two Greek words,naos and hi eron . The first of

these—which i s used in thi s place—denotes the shri ne, the actualHouse of God

,whi ch in the Jewi sh temp le consi sted of the Holy

Place and the Holy of Holies. The second,on the other hand

,has

the w ider meaning of the temp le—p recincts— the courts and colonnades

,in whi ch the peop le gathered for worsh ip . Thi s d i stinction

i s observed alike b y Josephus and b y the wri ters of the New Testament. Thus the hieron was the temple into whi ch the Phari see Luke xvi i iand the publi can went up to p ray i t was there that our Lord usedto teach : i t was thence that He drove out the traders. But i t $535; , 5was in the naos that the angel app eared to Zacharias the p riest Luke i 9i t w as between the naos and the altar that Zacharias

,

‘the son of Matt. xxi i i

Barachias ’,w as sla in : i t was the vei l of the naos that w as rent at 35

Markxv 8the Crucrfixron

’.

3

A passage whi ch i s sometimes ci ted to justify a false interp retation of our p resent verse i s Matt. xx iv 1

,the b ui ldi ngs of the

temp le’. But note the word there used A nd Jesus went out and

was departing fromthe hieron, and Hi s di sciples drew near to point

out to Himthe bui ldings of the hieron The p lural could b e usedof the temp le-p recinct through whi ch they were passing, adorned as

i t w as with the splendid structures of Herod . It could not b e

used of the naos,whi ch w as a single b ui lding, d iv ided only by the

parti tion of a vei l. A ccord ingly i t seems impossible to assign

any meaning to the phrase ‘every bui lding groweth into a holy

naos’,excep t it b e such a meaning as i s d i rectly opposed, as w e

1 Th e only p assage where there xxvi i 5 : Judas cast the price of the

could b e a reason forwi sh ing to give L ord’s b etrayal into the naos.

to the naos a wi dermeaning i s Matt.

72 EXPOSITION OF THE [II 2 1, 2 2

have seen, to the whole teaching on whi ch St Paul i s laying such

evi dent stress.

‘ In the L ord’. Th is i s the first time in the ep i stle that thi s

title has stood b y i tself. It may not b e wi se always to insist on a

conscious motive for the choi ce of the phrase‘ in the Lord ’, in

preference to the phrase

‘ in Chri st Yet i t can hardly b e amerecoincidence that where the A postle describes the transcendentalrelation of b elievers to Chri st as the ground of their accep tance

wi th God he uses the expression‘ in Chri st ’, or one of the fuller

expressions into whi ch this ti tle enters ; whereas, when he i s

speaking of the i ssues of that relation as manifested in life and

conduct here below, he uses the phrase‘ in the Lord Contrast,

11 10 for example, the words ‘ created in Chri st Jesus ’ wi th the words‘ Be strong in the Lord

’. The Chr i st of the p rivi leged position i s

the Lord of the holy li fe : if in Chri st w e are in heaven, in the Lord

wemust live on earth. Chri st is the comer-stone of the foundation ;the bui lding grows to an holy temple in the Lord.

11 2 2 In whomye also’. These words have b y thi s time a fami liar

sound. The A postle insi sts afresh upon the inclusion of the Gen

tiles : and he i s thus led into what might seema mere repetition of

what he has already sa id,b ut that the two fresh expressions which

he adds produce the effect of a climax.

‘ Are bu i lded together for an habi tati on of God in the Sp i ri t’.

Once more he takes hi s word from the Old Testament. The

Exod . xv‘ habi tation ’

or dwelling-p lace of God’w as a consecrated phrase.

17 ; It was the proudest boast of the Jew that the Lord hi s God,who

éé’

gggs

etc.

dwelt in heaven, dwelt also in Sion . To the new Peop le the samezooms 15 high p ri vi lege is granted in a yetmore intimatemanner. For w e

L ev. xxvi are the temple of the living God as God hath said,I wi ll dwell in

1 1 f'them,

and walk in them; and I wi ll b e their God , and they shall b eMy people

‘ In the Sp i ri t Here, as so often, the A postle does notmakei t plain whether he i s speaking d i rectly of the Divine Sp i rit or not.But i t is to b e observed that thi s section

,which b egan wi th the

words in the flesh (twi ce repeated), ends wi th the words ‘ in

the sp iri t’. No doub t the thought that the habi tation of God i s

sp iri tual, in contrast to the material temp le, is p resent to the

Apostle’s mind

,even if i t does not exhaust the meaning of hi s

words. And we may p erhap s regard the expression of 1 P et. i i 5,‘a sp iri tual house as the earliest commentary on this passage.

Thus St Paul closes thi s great section b y declaring that the

Gentiles had full rights of citizenship in the sacred commonwealth,

II 2 2 , III I] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

that they were true sons of the household of God,nay that they were

a part of His Holy House, bui lded upon i ts foundation ,secured by

i ts corner-stone, that corner-stone whi ch gave un ity to all b ui ldingthat w as reared upon i t ; so that all such b ui lding

,duly welded into

one,was growing into a holy shrine

,to b e the sp iri tual dwelling

place of God .

Such was‘ the mystery of the will of God ’. It w as that they

might grasp thi smystery that he had begun to p ray for the Sp iri tof w i sdomand apocalyp se

’on their b ehalf. A nd now that he has

so far expounded i t, in b ri ef language compared with i ts mightymagnitude, i t becomes again the b as is of his p rayer. Or rather

,the

p rayer whi ch he had essayed to utter,and the first words of whi ch

had carri ed himso far that the p rayer had lost i tself in the wonderof the b lessing p rayed for,—that prayer he once more desi res totake up and at length to utter in i ts fulness.

This he attempts to do in the words For this cause I P aul, the

p risoner of Chri st Jesus for you ,the Genti les

’b ut

,as w e shall see

,

new thoughts again press in ,and in v. 14 hemakes another and at

last a successful attemp t to declare the fulness of hi s petition‘ For this cause I bow my lmees

’.

FOR t his cause I Paul, the pri soner of Christ Jesus for you,

the Genti les— “ if so b e that ye have heard of the dispensation

of the grace of God which was given unto me to you-ward

3how that by revelation was made known untome themystery,

as I have written afore in few words,4whereby

,when ye read

,

ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ ;5which in other generations was notmade known unto the sons

of men ,as it hath now been revealed unto His holy apostles

d prophets in the Spiri t ;6to wi t, that the Genti les are fellow

heirs , and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of

the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7whereof I wasmade a mini ster according to the gift of the grace of God which

was given unto me according to the working of Hi s power,

8unto me ,

who amless than the least of all saints, was this

grace given, - to preach unto the Genti les the unsearchable

riches of Chri st,9and to bring to light what i s the di spensation

of themystery which fromthe ages hath been hid in God who

created all things ; to the intent that now unto the princi

73

1 9

i n

111 1

1—13

74 EXPOSITION OF THE [I II 1

palities and powers in the heavenly p laces might b e madeknown through the church the manifold w isdom of God

,

according to the purpose of the ages whi ch He purposed in

Chri st Jesus our Lord, in whomwe have our boldness and

access w i th confidence by the fai th ofHim.

“Wherefore I ask

you. that ye faint not at my tribulations for you ,

whi ch are

your glory.

The construction i s at once broken at the end of v. I . There i ssomething even in those few words whi ch has suggested a new train

of thought, and the A postle cannot check himself until he hasexpressed what i s in hi s soul . What i s the starting-

point of this

new departure ?Hitherto St Paul ha s b een strangely unlik e himself in one

parti cular. He has been marvellously impersonal. Hi s onlyreference to himself since the salutation has been in the words

,

‘ I cease not to give thanks and to p ray’. He has said nothing

of hi s own peculiar office as the chosen herald of these new revela

tions of the wi ll and w ay of God and of all that he had personallyendured ,

whether in long journeyi ngs and constant lab ours to b ringthis message to the Genti les, or in persecutions and impri sonmentdirectly due to hi s insi stence on the wideness of the Gospel. The

reason for thi s unwonted reserve i s, as w e have partly seen already,that he i s not wri ting to thememb ers of a single Church of hi s own

Acts xx 3 1 foundation, whomhe had ‘admoni shed night and day wi th tears ’

,

who knew himwell and to whomhe could wri te as he would havespoken face to face. He i s wri ting to many who had never seenhim

,though theymust have heard much of himand p rob ab ly had

learned the Gospel fromhi s fellow-workers . He i s wri ting not a

personal word of encouragement, b ut an exposi tion of the DivinePurpose as he had come to know i t— a word of large import formultitudes who needed what he knew i t w as hi s to give them. He

has heard how the great work has b een going forward far beyondthe limi ts of hi s own personal evangeli sation . He thank s God for

it. It i s part of the fulfilment of the Purpose. He i s fully takenup wi th declaring what the Purpose has brought to the Gentiles asa whole. It i s only as he reaches a resting

-

place in hi s thought,that he hears as i t were the clink of his chain

,and remembers

where he i s and why he is there : I P au l,the p ri son er of Chri st

Jesus for you ,the Genti les

But the words are too full to b e left without a comment or a

justification . You may never have seen my face, he seems to say,

III 2 ] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 7 5

b ut surely you have heard how God has been usingme to help youyoumay even have been di scouraged b y learning to whatmy efforts

on your behalf have broughtme.

The fresh points whi ch are to b e emphasised in the remainder of 2—13

thi s section,which i s one long parenthesi s, are these : I)St Paul

’s

peculiarmi ssion as the exponent of the mystery of the inclusion of

the Gentiles, as the pub lisher of the great secret, as the herald of

the Gosp el of grace (2)the newness of the revelation, hid in God

till now , b ut made known at last to the apostles and p rophets of

the Chri stian Church ; (3)the sufferings which hi s mi ssion has

entailed upon him,and whi ch yet must not d i shearten those for

whomhe suffers .

The section i s full of echoes of the earlier part of the ep i stle.

A lmost every great phrase has its counterpart in the first twochapters —the mystery made known by revelation ; revealed b ythe Sp iri t to the apostles and p rophets the inheri tance

,the body,

the p romi se , in whi ch the Gentiles have their share in Chri st the

grace of God,and the work ing of Hi s power ; the d ispensation of

the grace, and of the mystery ; the heavenly regi on ; the purposeof etern i ty ; the free access to God.

‘

If so be tha t ye have heard of the d isp ensati on qf the grace qf i i i 2

God whi ch was given untome to you -ward The formof the sentencei s conditional, just as in iv 2 1 b ut i t can scarcelymean anything

less than For surely you have heard The exp ression as a whole,

however,confirms the conclusion that among those to whomthe

ep i stle was addressed a considerable numb er,i f not the majori ty

,

had never come into personal contact with the writer : had he beenwri ting solely or even p rimari ly to hi s own Ephesian converts, hecould never have exp ressed h imself so.

The grace of God whi ch was given untome i s a favourite phraseof St Paul. The context usually makes i t qui te clear that ‘ the

grace given himw as not a sp i ritual endowment for hi s own p ersonalli fe

,b ut the Gospel of God

’smercy to the Gentile world. Thus

,in

descri b ing hi s vi sit to the A postles at Jerusalem,St Paul says,

When they saw that I had b een entrusted wi th the Gosp el of the Gal. 11when they knew the grace whi ch was given

untome,

.they gave right hands of fellowship tome and to Barnabas,that w e should go unto the Genti les

,and they unto the Circum

ci sion A n equally striking example i s found where St Pauljustifies hi s action in addressing a letter to the Roman Chri stians : Rom. xv.

I have written themore boldly he says, ‘ b y reason of the grace15 f'

001. i 2 5

EXPOSITION or THE [111 2 , 3

whi ch was givenunto me fromGod, that I should b e a mini ster

of Chri st Jesus unto the Genti les A s we have seen in part already,

grace w as the signi ficant word whi ch summed up for St Paul hi s

ownspecial message—the merciful inclusion of the Gentile in the

purpose of God1

In a parallel passage of the Ep istle to the Coloss i ans w e find the

words, according to the di spensation of God whi ch w as given unto

me to you-ward ’; and an Engli sh reader might b e led to supposethat in our present passage the construction likewi se must b e, the

was given The ambigui ty, whi ch does not

exi st in the Greek, mi ght b e avoided by the renderi ng that grace

of God whi ch was given untome (so the Revi sed Version renders)b ut this expedi ent has the disadvantage of partially obscuring the

i dentity of a phrase whi ch recurs again and again in St Paul’s

ep istles”.

Both here and in Col. i 2 5 the dispensation’spoken of i s a

di spensation inwhi ch God i s the D ispenser, and not the admini s

tration, or stewardshi p , of any human agent. Thi s i s made clearby the parallel use of the word in i I O, and again below in ii i 9.

How tha t by revelati on was made known unto me themysteryWe have already noted 3

the signification of the word mystery or

secret and of its natural correlative apocalypse or revelation

By Divine di sclosure, St Paul declares, the D ivine secret had b eenmade known to him. The recognition of the wideness of God

’s

purpose was neither a conclusion of hi s own mind nor a tradi tion

passed on to himb y the earlier A postles. A special prov i dence had

prepared him, and a special call had claimed him,to b e the depos i tary

Gal. i 15 f. of a special revelation . It w as the good pleasure of God he says

Gal. u 2

elsewhere, in words that remind us of an ancient prophet‘

,who

separatedme, even frommymother’s womb , and called me through

His grace, to reveal His Son inme, that Imight p reach Himamongthe Gentiles And of hi s vi si t to the A postles in Jerusalemhe

says emphatically, I went up b y revelation, and I lai d beforethemthe Gospel whi ch I preach among the Genti les Themessage

1 See ab ove p . 5 1 ; and, for the 3

pp . 30 f. , 39.

detai led examination , see the detached Comp . Jer. i 5 ,‘Before I formed

note on xdpts. The use of theword in thee in the b elly I knew thee, and

the Acts i s in stri king harmony wi th b efore thou camest forth out of the

the usage of St Paul : see esp . xi . 2 3, womb I sanctified thee ; I have apxv n . pointed thee a prophet unto the2 The same amb igui ty meets us nations

’.

below in v. 7.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

n zo f.

EXPOSITION or THE [111

in any other sense than hitherto. It i s no personal holiness to whi chthe A postle refers it i s the hallowing whi ch was thei rs in commonwi th the whole of the hallowed People. Here i s the answer tothe suggested d ifficulty, that whi le St Paul must certainly haveincluded himself among the ‘

apostles to whomthe revelati on came,

he would hardly have called himself ‘ holy ’, even in thi s indi rectfashion . There is no real incongrui ty. Not hi s holiness, b ut God

’s

hallowing i s in question—the hallowing whi ch extended to all the

memb ers of the hallowed People, even,as he would tell us, to

himself, though he w as‘ less than the least of themall.

Themention of the apostles and prophets, as those to whomthenew revelation wasmade, recalls and helps to explai n the posi tion of

the apostles and p rophets as the foundation of the holy temp le’

of God’s b uilding. Wi th the reference to the Sp iri t as themedium

of the revelation we may compare the p rayer for the Sp iri t of

revelation ’to b e the gui de of hi s readers into the knowledge of

God’s purpose. Here, as in some other places, the A postle

’s languagei s so vague that we cannot tell wi th enti re certainty whether herefers d i rectly to the personal Divine Spiri t, or rather desires tosuggest that the recep tion of the revelation i s a sp iri tual p rocess.

The actual phrase‘ in (the)Spiri t

’does not preclude either vi ew.

What, then, is the sub stance of thi s secret—old as eterni ty, yetnew in its disclosure tomankind ? The A postle has told us already

,

as he says,in bri ef : b ut now to remove all possi b le mi sconcep tion

he wi ll tell us once again, repeating in fresh words the imageswhi ch he has already so frui tfully employed. It is ‘ that the Genti les

arefellow -hei rs,andfellowmembers of the body , a/nd fellow-

p artakers

of the p romi se in Chri st Jesus through the gosp el ’.Themiddle termof thi s threefold descrip tion (aura

-mum)cann otb e rendered by any current Engli sh word. Concorporate a loan

fromthe Latin,and analogous to ‘ incorporate

’,i s the word we

want ; b ut, though i t has b een used in this connexion,i t i s not

sufficiently fami li ar to take i ts p lace in a rendering of the p assage.

In relation to the Body the members are‘ incorporate in relation

to one another they are concorporate’, that i s, sharers in the one

Body . The unusual Engli sh word mi ght indeed exp ress the factthat St Paul himself, in order to emphasize hi s meani ng, has hadrecourse to the formation of a new Greek compound 1.

1 The rendering of the L atin Vul fends the unusual Latin on the groundgate i s

‘cohaeredes et concorp orales et that i t was imp ortant to rep resent the

comparticip es ’(Amb rosiaster actually force of the rep eated compounds. ‘ I

has St Jerome de know’,he says,

‘that in L atin i t

111 6—9] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 79

Through the gosp el, whereof I was made a min i ster accordi ng i i i 6 if.

to the gift of the grace of God which was gi ven un to p reach

unto the There i s a close parallel in the Ep i stle to 001 424 if .

the Colossians : the Church, whereof I was made a mini ster ao

cording to the d i spensation of God whi ch was gi ven unto me toyou

-ward,to fulfil the word of God, (even)the mystery that hath

been hid &c. In b oth p assages the A postle emphasi ses the greatness of hi s p eculiarmi ssion,

whi ch corresponded to the widemercy ofGod to the Gentiles. Here he adds according to themight (or working

’

)of His p ower’ words whi ch remind us of Gal. i i 8, He that

wrought (or worked mighti ly for Peter unto the apostleship of

the Ci rcumcis ion, wrought forme also unto the Genti les

Oncemore he b reaks his sentence, lest, whi le as A postle of the Rom. xi

Genti les he glorified hi s min istry, he should for one moment seem‘ 3

to b e glorifying himself. Never d id a man more stoutly p ress hi sclaims : never w as a man more conscious of p ersonal unworthiness.

He w as not a whi t b ehind the very chiefest of the apostles yet 2 Cor. xi 5

he felt that he w as the least of the apostles and ‘not worthy to b e 1 Cor. xv 9

called an apostle’. He was less than the least of a ll sa i nts that is

,i i i 8

of all the holy Peop le of God : b ut yet the fact rema ined that tohimthi smarvellous grace of God had been given .

To preach unto the Genti les the unsearcha b le riches of Chri st’.

Hi smi ssion w as to b ring as the gospel- the verb of the original

takes up aga in the gospel’of v . 6— to the Genti les the inexplorab le

wealth of the Chri st. He can never sufii ciently admire the marvelof the D ivine inclusion of the Gentiles, or b e sufficiently thankfulthat i t i s hi s p rivi lege tomake it known to them.

‘ And to bri ng to light wha t is the disp ensation of the mystery i i i 9whichfromthe ages ha th been hid in God who crea ted a ll thi ngs S0

in the parallel already quoted he continues themystery that hath Col. 1 26been h id fromthe ages and fromthe generations, —b ut now it hathbeenman ifested to Hi s saints ’. The purpose of God i s an eternal

purpose a purpose of the ages’,as he says below in v. I O . It has

remained concealed since the b eginning of thi ngs ; b ut i t was the

very purpose of Creation i tself.A s the Creation includes other intelli gences b eside Man

,so the

makes an ugly sentence. But b ecause Version,

‘ fellow-heirs, and of the sameit so stands in the Greek , and b ecause b ody , and partakers &c.

,fails to re

every word and syllab le and stroke produce the reiterated compound (own)and p oint in the Divine Scrip tures i s of the original ; and I have therefore

full of mean ing, I prefer the ri sks of adopted the necessari ly p araphrastic

verbal mal formation to the ri sk of rendering of the Revi sed Version.

mi ssing the sense’. The Engli sh

80

i ii xo

Comp . i zz

i i i 2 1

v 23—32

i i i n

i i i 13

COL i . 2 4

EXPOSITION or THE [111 110—13

secret of the Divine purp ose in Creation i s pub li shed now to the

whole universe, as the justification of the Div ine dealing‘to the

i ntent tha t now unto the p r incip ali ti es and p ow ers i n the heavenly

placesmight bemade known through the chur ch theman ifold w i sdomof God

’. The A postle has found a perfectly sati sfying philosophy

of hi story he b elieves that i t i s ab le to ‘ justify the ways of God to

men ’; and not to men only, b ut also to those enqui ring sp i ri tual

powers of the heavenly sphere, who have va inly sought to explore

the design and themethods of the Creator and Ruler of the world .

Through the chu rch Thi s i s only the second time that theword Church ’ has been used in the ep i stle. We shall have i t

aga in at the end of the chapter in an equally emphati c posi tion‘ to Himb e glory in the Church and in Chri st Jesus ’. It recurss ix times in the important p assage whi ch closes chap . v. St Paulnever uses the word in thi s ep i stle in the sense of a local Chri stiansociety, though he does in two out of the four times in which i toccurs in the Ep i stle to the Colossians .

Through the Church‘ the very-varied wi sdomof God ismade

known to the universe. The metaphor i s taken fromthe intri cateb eauty of an embroidered pattern We have an echo of i t in I Pet.

iv 10 ,‘ themani fold (or varied grace of God

According to the p urp ose of the ages whichHe p urp osed in Chri st

Jesus our L ord’. The purp ose of the ages i s a Hebrai sti c phrase

for ‘ the eternal purpose’ just as w e say the rock of ages

’for

the everlasting rock fromthe Heb rew of Isa iah xxvi 4 .

‘ In whomwe have ou r boldness and access w i th confidence by the

fa i th of Him These words are an echo of i i 18, and forma simi larclimax. The i ssue of all is that w e are brought near to God Himself through faith in Chri st.

Wherefore I ask you tha t yefa int not a tmy tri bu la ti ons for you,whi ch ar e your glory

’. The meaning i s : I ask you not to lose

heart,when you hear of my suffering as the p ri soner of Chri st on

your behalf’. It might seem to some as though the A postle

’s

sufferings and imprisonment augured ill for the cause whi ch he

rep resented . Thi s was not the view that he himself took of

them.

‘ I rejoi ce in my sufferings on your behalf’,he says to the

Colossians,in a remarkable passage to whi ch w e have already had

occasion to refer at some length’. Never for a moment did he

himself lose heart. He saw a deep meani ng in h i s sufferings : theywere the glory of those for whomhe suffered . He commends thi sreason to hi s readers with a logi c whi ch we can hardly analyse.

1 See p 4+

III 13] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Perhap s he could scarcely have exp la ined i t to them. It is the

language of the heart .

81

The section whi ch we have b een considering forms,stri ctly i i i 1—13

speaking, a mere parenthesi s. It i s a personal explanation

occa sioned by the words, ‘ I Paul,the pri soner of Chri st Jesus

on behalf of you, the Genti les ’. But,though in form i t i s a

digression,whi ch sti ll further postpones the utterance of the

A postle’s Prayer, yet in the general movement of the thought of

the ep i stle i t p lays an essential part . Though he speaks fromh i s own p ersonal standpoint, the A postle

’s thought ranges before

and after, and he i s led to give us such a complete phi losophyof hi story as had never been attemp ted before. He i s confident

that he is in possession of the secret of the Creator Himself —‘ b yapocalyp se themystery has been known tomeHitherto he had been consideringmainly the effect of the work

of Chri st,in the reconciliation of the two Opposed sections of

humanity,in the recep tion of the Gentiles into the sacred common

wealth,and in the nearer approach of Jew and Gentile alike to the

one Father. But now he i s bold to trace the whole course of the

D ivine dealing wi th man ; to declare tha t through the ages one

increasing Purpose runs ’ and even to suggest that human hi storyi s intended to read a lesson to the universe.

The Purpose whi ch i s now made clear to himw as included in

the design of Creation i tself. But i t w as a hidden purpose, a Divinesecret, amystery of which the apocalyp se could not b e as yet.

‘The

sons ofmen ’had lived and d ied in ignorance of the secret of theirown lives and of the universe. Generation followed generation untilthe time was ripe for the di sclosure of ‘ the mystery of the Christ ’.A t last to the apostles and prophets of a new age the revelation was

given . Indeed to the less than the least of themall themessagehad b een p rimarily entrusted. His part i t had been to flash the

torch of li ght across the darkness ; to i lluminate past, p resent and

future at once,by shewing what is the d ispensation of themystery

that hath been hidden frometerni ty in God who created all things’.

It w as a glorious task through incessant toil and suffering hehad accomp li shed i t hi s imp ri sonment at Rome could only remindhimthat for hi s part the work w as done. Yet in a wider sense i twas only begun . The p rocess whi ch had been revealed to himwas

to move steadily on,in p resence of all the sp i ri tual forces of the

universe,who keenly watch the drama of thi s earthly theatre. For

they too through the Church are to learn ‘ the very-vari ed wi sdomi i i Io

of God,according to the purp ose of the ages whi ch He formed in

EPHES.9 6

i i i 5

i i i . 9

ill I4—2 1

i i i 14

ii i r

EXPOSITION or THE [III 14

the Chri st,even Jesus our Lord ’. A nd i t i s b ecause the p rocess

must go forward, and not slacken for anything that may occur to

him,that the pri soner in Chri st Jesus

’b ows hi s knees and li fts hi s

heart in p rayer to God .

“ For this cause I how my knees unto the Father,

I 5of

whomall fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named, I 6thatHe would grant you according to the riches of Hi s glory to

b e strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man,

1 7 that Chri stmay dwell through faith in your hearts in love ; yebeing rooted and founded, 18that yemay b e able to comprehendw ith all the saints what i s the breadth and length and height

and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth

knowledge, that ye may b e filled unto all the fulness of God.

Now unto Himthat is able to do exceeding abundantly above

all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh

in us,

2 ‘ to Himb e glory in the church and in Christ Jesus,throughout all ages, world w ithout end. Amen.

Aftermany digressions, into whi ch he has been led by hi s desireto make plain not only what he p rays for, b ut on whose b ehalf he

prays, and what i s hi s relation to themwhi ch leads himso to p ray,the A postle succeeds at last in uttering the fulness of hi s Prayer.

The Prayer is in i ts final express ion, as i t w as at the outset,a

prayer for knowledge. That knowledge i s indeed declared to passman’s comp rehension ; b ut the brief doxology wi th whi ch the

peti tion closes recogni ses a Divine power to whi ch nothing i s

impossi b le.

‘For thi s cause’. These words are resumptive of the opening

words of the chapter, For thi s cause I Paul , the p ri soner of Chri stJesus for you, the Genti les

’. A ccord ingly they carry us back to

the great mercy of God to the Genti les (expounded in c. 11)as the

ground of the A postle’s Prayer. But the Prayer needed a s i ts

further p reface a reference to hi s own peculiar mission a s the

publi sher of the new declarati on of thatmercy, and to the sufferingsby whi ch he rejoi ced to seal hi s mi ssion. After thi s reference hasb een made and fully exp lained, he kni ts up the connexi on b yrepeating the words For thi s cause

I bow my knees to the Father ’. We shallmiss the solemni ty of

this introduction unless we ob serve how seldom the attitude of

kneeling in p rayer i s mentioned in the New Testament. Standing

111 EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS. 83

to p ray w as the rule comp . Matt. vi 5, Luke xvi ii 1 1 , 13. Kneeling

w as exp ressive of unusual emotion comp . L uke xxn 4 1 , A cts xxi 5.

Indeed when w e compare Luke xxn 41‘ kneeling down with Mark

x iv 35 He fell upon the ground and Matt . xxvi 39 He fell upon

Hi s face’, the p arallels point us to the fact that what there i smeant i s not our

‘ kneeling ’ in an up ri ght position, b ut kneelingwith the head touching the ground— the Eastern prostration. Thisw as and i s the sign of the deepest reverence and humi liation and

,

a s i s well known,the p osture w as forbidden in the early Church on

the Lord’s day .

But the significance of St Paul’s phrase becomes sti ll clearer,when we note that i t i s

,in i ts parti cular wording, deri ved froma

p assage of Isaiah (whi ch he quotes in Rom. xiv 1 1 and alludes to in

Phi l. i i I O) I have sworn b y unto Me every knee Isa. xlv

shall b ow ’. In that reverence, whi ch i s due only to the Supreme, 2 3

to whomit must needs one day b e rendered b y all,he bends low

b efore the Father.

‘The Fa ther, of whoma ll fatherhood i n heaven amt on earth i s i i i 14, 15

named’. A t the first commencement of hi s p rayer the Apostle hadspoken of God as

‘ the Father of glory’. In thi s we have one of i 1 7

several notab le parallels between the prayer as essayed in the first

chapter and the p rayer as comp leted in the thi rd chapter.It will b e instructive to b ring together here the various refer

ences whi ch St Paulmakes in thi s ep i stle to the fatherhood of God.

In hi s opening salutation w e find the words fromGod our Father i 2

and the L ord Jesus Chri st’ and similar words occur at the close vi 2 3

of the ep i stle. His great doxology Op ens w i th the words,Blessed i 3

b e the God and Father of our L ord Jesus Chri st and thi s title isresolved and emphasi sed, as w e have seen, in the form the God of i 1 7

our Lord Jesus Chri st, the Father of glory’. Presently he uses the

name ab solutely, in Speaking of ‘our access to the Father ’; and i i 18 f.

he follows i t by the sign ifi cant phrase, of the household of God’.

Then w e have our p resent descrip tion ,whi ch expands and interp rets

the ti tle ‘ the Father of glory and shortly afterwards w e find theab soluteness and uni versali ty of the fatherhood yet further de

clared in the words,

one God and Father of all,who i s over all iv 6

and through all and in all’. Then

,lastly, Chri stian duty is summed

up in the ob ligation to ‘

gi ve thanks always for all things in the v 2 0

name of our Lord Jesus Chri st to Himw ho i s God and Father’.

This surveymay help to shew us wi th what fulness of app reciationthe Apostle recogni ses the various aspects of the new truth of the

D ivine fatherhood as revealed toman in Jesus Chri st.‘The Fa ther

,of whoma ll fatherhood in heaven and on earth i s i i i 14. 15

001. i 20

Ph il. i i 10

Eph . i 17

EXPOSITION OF THE [III 15, 16

named ’. The li teral translation of the words rendered all fatherhood is every fami ly

’. But thi s translation entirely obscures to

an Engli sh reader the point of the A postle’s phrase. In Greek the

word for ‘ fami ly (warpwi)i s derived fromthe word for ‘ father’

(mi-nip). But in Engli sh the ‘ fami ly i s not named from the

father ’. So that to rep roduce the p lay upon words, whi ch lendsall i ts force to the original, w e must necessari ly resort to a p ara

phrase, and say‘the Father, of whomall fatherhood i s named ”

.

The addition of the words ‘ in heaven and on earth’reminds usof the large inclusiveness of the Divine purp ose as declared to us b ySt Paul . We have had this collocation already, where the A postlesp oke of the summing up of all things in Chri st,

‘ b oth whi ch are in

the heavens and whi ch are on earth’. Simi larly he tells us elsewherethat the reconciliation in Chri st includes ‘

all things, whether thingson the earth or things in the heavens

’. A nd i f in one p lace he adds

‘ things whi ch are under the earth as well,i t i s to declare that

there i s nothing anywhere whi ch shall not ultimately b e subject toChri st. In the p resent passage i t would b e i rrelevant to enqui rewhat fami lies in heaven ’

the A postle had in hi smind Hi s whole

point i s that the Father’—whomhe has before called the Fatherof glory — i s the source of all conceivable fatherhood , whether earthlyor heavenly.

A ccording to thi s notab le utterance of St Paul,God i s not only

the universal Father, b ut the archetypal Father, the Father of

whomall other fathers are deri vatives and types. So far fromregarding the Divine fatherhood as a mode of speech in referenceto the Godhead

,derived b y analogy fromour concep tion of human

fatherhood,the A postle maintains that the very idea of fatherhood

exi sts p rimari ly in the Divine nature,and only b y deri vation in

every other formof fatherhood,whether earthly or heavenly. The

All-Father i s the source of fatherhood wherever i t is found. Thi smay help us to understand something further of the meaning whi chis wrapped up in the ti tle

‘ the Father of glory’.

‘Tha tHe w ou ld grant you accord ing to the r i ches qf His glory tobe strengthened w i th p ower by H i s Sp i ri t in the inner man ’

. We

have already pointed to the close p arallel b etween the language of thep rayer as i t i s at first enunciated in chap . i and that of i ts fullerexp ression whi ch w e have now reached. In each case the p rayer i sdi rected to the Father the Father of glory (i the Father,of whomall fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named ’(i i i 14In each case p eti tion i s made for a gift of the Holy Sp iri t—

‘ that1 The L atin and Syriac versions , as in the same difficulty and escaped i t

wi ll b e seen in the commentary , were by a like p araphrase.

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86

Isa. lv 8

COL i 'z6f.

EXPOSITION OF THE [111 117— 19

which has previ ously b eenmentioned . It i s only as they have thei r

roots struck deep and thei r foundation firmly la id in the fai th as

St Paul p rocla ims i t to them,that they can hope to advance to the

full knowledge for whi ch he p rays.‘Tha t ye may be ab le to comp rehend w i th a ll the sa i n ts wha t i s

the bread th and length and height and dep th’. In the original the

expression i s yetmore forcible that ye may have the strength tocomprehend

’. The clause dep ends on the p arti ci p les

‘ rooted and

founded ’; b ut it has a further reference to the words ‘ to b e

strengthened wi th p ower by Hi s Sp i ri t in the innermanThe Object of the knowledge for whi ch the A postle p rays was

stated with some fulness in i 18 f. ‘ that ye may know what i s thehope of Hi s calling, what the ri ches of the glory of Hi s inh eri tancein the saints and what the exceedingmight of His power to us—wardwho believe Here i t i s indi cated under vague terms chosen to

express i ts immensity. For the D ivi ne measures exceed humancomprehension : as i t i s wri tten, My thoughts are not your thoughts

’.

A nd yet in thi s boldest of p rayers the A postle ask s that theymayb e comprehended. The uttermost extent of the Divine purp ose i sthe goal, however unattainab le, of the knowledge for whi ch the

Apostle p rays.

‘ To comp rehend w i th all the sa ints’. The knowledge of the

Divine purpose i s the privi lege of ‘ the sa ints ’. So the A postlespeaks to the Colossians of ‘ the mystery whi ch w as

now it hath been made mani fest to His sa ints, to whomGod hathwi lled to make known ’

,(to. A s ye, says the A postle in effect

,are

now fellow-citizens of the saints’,and as your love goes out

‘towardsall the saints’, in verification of your oneness wi th them; so youmayshare "wi th all the saints’that knowledge whi ch i s God’s wi ll for them.

We need not exclude a further thought, whi ch, if i t i s not

expressed in these words, at least i s in full harmony wi th St Paul’sconception of the unity of the saints in God

’s One Man . The

measures of the Div ine purpose are indeed b eyond the comprehensionof any individual intelligence : b ut in union ‘wi th all the saints’w emay b e able to comp rehend them. Each saint may grasp someportion the whole of the saints— when ‘

w e all come to the perfectman’—may know,

as a whole, what must for ever transcend the

knowledge of the i solated ind ividual.‘And to know the love of Chr ist whi ch p asseth knowledge

’. These

words are a re statement of the aim,wi th a recogn ition that it i s

indeed b eyond attainment. The Father’s purpose i s coincident withthe Son

’s love both alike are inconceivab le

,unknowab le— and yet

the ultimate goal of knowledge.

111 19] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 87

‘That ye may be fi lled unto a ll the f ulness qf God’. The climax i i i

of the Apostle’s p rayer po ints to an i ssue even beyond knowledge.

He has p rayed for a superhuman strength , in order to the atta in

ment of an inconceivab le knowledge, which i s to result in what hecan only call fulness al l the fulness of God

’. What i s thi s

fulness for whi ch St Paul p rays, as the crowni ng b lessing of the

Genti les for whomhe has lab oured and suffered ?Fulness

, or fulfilment, i s a conception whi ch plays a p rominentpart in St Paul

’s thought both in thi s epi stle and in that whi ch hesent at the same time to the Colossian Church. It i s predi cated

sometimes of Chri st and sometimes of the Church . It i s spoken of

now as though already atta ined,and now as the ultimate goal of a

long process .

A gain and again, in these tw o ep i stles, w e find the thought of

the comp lete restoration of the universe to i ts true order, of the

ultimate correspondence of all things, earthly and heavenly, to theD iv ine ideal. Thi s i ssue i s to b e attai ned ‘ in Chri st’

,and at the

same time in and ‘through the Church’.

Thus,to recall some of the main passages , i t i s the purp ose of

God ‘ to gather up in one all things in Chri st,both that are in the i 10

heavens and that are on earth and again ,

‘ It hath pleased 001. i i g i .

through Himto reconcile all things unto theyb e things on earth or things in the heavens Under the figure of

the un iversal headship of Christ we have the same thought Who Col. 11 10is the head of every p rincipality and authority He set Himat Eph .i zo ff.

Hi s ri ght hand in the heavenly p laces above every p rincipali ty and

gave Him to b e head over all thi ngs to the

Church And the Church’s part in the great p rocess by whichthe result i s to b e a ttained i s further indi cated in the words that i i i 10theremi ght now b e made known to the p rincipalities and authori tiesin the heavenly p laces, through the Church, themani fold wi sdomof

God to whom’,as the A postle says later on,

b e the glory in the i i i 2 1Church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world wi thout

end’.

To exp ress thi s comp lete attainment of the end of all things in

Chri st and through the Church, the word fulness or fulfilmentwi th i ts verb ‘ to b e filled or

‘ fulfilled ’, is used in very variousways . Chri st Himself i s spoken of not only as

‘ filling or ful iv 10

filling all things b ut also as b eing‘all in all filled or fulfilled i 2 3

In close connexion both wi th Chri st’s headship of the Church, andalso wi th the reconci liation of all things, the A postle speaks of all Col. i

the fulness as residing in Chri st : ‘ for i t hath p leased God thatin Himshould all the fulness dwell

,and through Himto reconcile

88 EXPOSITION OF THE [111 19

all things unto Himself’. The Church i s exp ressly sa id to b e the

fulness ’of Chri st,fulfilling Himas the body fulfils the head. A ll

the members of the Church are to meet at last in a perfect Man,

and so to atta in to themeasure of the stature of the fulness of the

Chri st And for the saints the A postle here p rays that they‘may

be filled unto all the fulness of God’.

One remarkable passage rema ins, in whi ch fulnes s’i s p redi catedCol. 11 9 at once of Chri st and of the sa ints : ‘ for in Himdwelleth all the

fulness of the Deity in a bodi ly way, and ye are fi lled (or,‘ fulfil led

in 'Him’. It is usual to limi t the reference of thi s passage to theincarnation of Chri st in Hi s indi vidual human body, and to take i tas meaning that in that b ody resides the Godhead in all i ts completeness. But this i s to neglect St Paul

’s special use of the termsfulness and ‘ body as they recur again and aga in in these

ep i stles. For w e have already had in the p revious chap ter theCol. i 19 expression that in Himshould all the fulness dwell’ and w e have

Eph . i i i 19 also to reckon wi th the phrase that ye may b e filled unto all the

fulness of God’. Moreover, when St Paul refers to the individual

human body of Chri st in these ep i stles, he does so in unmi stakeab lei i 14 terms, speaking either of His flesh ’ or of the body of Hi s flesh001° i 7 2 But the body of the Chri st’to St Paul i s the Church .

When w e bear thi s in mind,w e at once understand the appro

priateness of the second clause of thi s passage : and ye are filled

(or‘fulfilled ’) in Him

’. The relation of Chri st to the Church i s

such that Hi s fulness i s of necessity also i ts fulness. A nd,

further, the whole passage thus interp reted ha rmoni zes wi th its001. 11 8 th context. ‘ Take heed

’,says the Apostle, if w e may paraphrase

his words, ‘ lest there b e any who in h i s dealings wi th you i s a

despoi ler through hi s philosophy (so-called)or emp ty deceit (as i tis in truth). Emptiness i s all that he has to offer you : for heexchanges the tradi tion of the Christ

,whi ch you have received

(v. for the tradition of men : he gives you the world-elementsin place of the heavenly Chri st. For in Chri st dwells all thefulness (as I have already sa id), yea, all the fulness of the Dei ty

,

expressing itself through a b ody a body,in whi ch you are incor

porated, so that in Himthe fulness i s yours for He who i s yourhead i s indeed uni versal head of all that stands for rule andauthority in the universe’.

Thus St Paul looks forward to the ultimate i ssue of the D ivinepurpose for the un iverse. The p resent stage i s a stage of imperfection : the final stage wi ll b e perfection . A ll i s now incomplete inthe i ssue all wi ll b e complete. And thi s comp leteness, thi s fulfilment

, thi s attainment of purpose and realisation of i deal,i s found

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2—13

i i i 2 1

EXPOSITION OF THE [IV 1

another in love ; 3giving di ligence to keep the uni ty of the

Spirit in the bond of peace.4There i s one body and one Spiri t,

even as also ye are called in one hope of your calling : 5one

Lord , one faith,one baptism 6

one God and Father of all, who

i s above all and through all and in all.

I therefore, the p ri soner i n the Lord, beseech you’. He repeats the

title ‘

pri soner’ by whi ch he has already described himself ; and

thereb y he links this section to the long parenthesis in whi ch he has

interp reted hi s use of i t. He seems to say : I ama p risoner now,

and no longer an active messenger of Jesus Chri st. I can indeed

wri te to you,and I can pray for you . But with yourselves hence

forward rests the p racti cal reali sation of the i deal whi ch i t has been

mymi ssion to p roclaimto you.

We have already had occasion to draw attention to the Special

usage of St Paul in regard to the names ‘Chri st’and ‘the Lord ”.

It i s in full harmony wi th thi s usage that he has p revi ously calledhimself ‘ the p ri soner of Chri st Jesus

’

,emphasi sing his sp ecialmi ssion

to declare the new position of the Genti les ‘ in Chri st’ whereas nowhe says, ‘ the p ri soner in the Lord’

,as he begins to speak of the

outcome of the new position, the corporate life ruled b y the Lo rd ’.‘Tha t ye wa lk worthy of the calling wherewi th ye are ca lled

’. The

great human unity, whi ch the A postle regards as the goal of the

Divine purpose, has been created and already exi sts in Chri st. It

is being p rogressively reali sed as a fact in the world ofmen by theChurch, which i s ‘ the body of the Chri st

’and Hi s ‘ fulfilment ’.

Through the Church ’,

as fulfilli ng the Chri st,the very-varied

wi sdomof the Divine purpose is b eing taught to the intelligences ofthe sp i ritual sphere.

‘ In the Church and in Chri st Jesus the

Divine purp ose i s to find i ts consummation to the eternal gloryof God.

It i s the respons ibili ty of the members of the Church for the

preservation and mani festation of thi s uni ty,whi ch the Apostle

now seeks to enforce. You, he says, have been called into the

unity, whi ch God has created in Chri st you have been chosen intothis commonwealth of p rivi lege, thi s household of God : you are

stones in thi s Temp le, members of thi s Body. Thi s i s your highvocation ; and, if you would b e true to i t, youmust ever b emindfulof the whole of whi ch you are parts,mak ing your conduct worthy ofyour incorporation into God

’s New Man .

Wi th all lowliness and meekness,w i th long

-sufi ri ng, forbearimg1 See ab ove

, p . 72 .

IV 2 ] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 9 I

one another in love’. It i s the mental di sposi tions whi ch p romote

the ri ght relation of the parts to the whole and to each other in the

whole, that the Apostle first demands of them. His experience hadtaught himthat these di spositions were indi spensab ly necessary forthemaintenance of unity.

This emphati c appeal for‘ lowliness of mind’, as the first of

v i rtues to whi ch thei r new posi tion p ledged them,must have beenp eculiarly imp ressive to converts fromheatheni sm. To the Greekmind humi lity w as little else than a vi ce of nature. It was weakand mean-sp iri ted ; i t was the temper of the slave ; it was incon

si stent wi th that self-respect which every trueman owed to himself.The fulness of life

,as i t was then conceived, left no roomfor

humi lity. It was reserved for Chri stianity to unfold a di fferentconcep tion of the fuln ess of li fe

,in whi ch servi ce and self-sacrifice

were shewn to b e the highest mani festations of power, whetherhuman or Divine . The largest li fe w as seen to claimfor i tself the

right of humb lest servi ce. The Jew had indeed b een taughthumi lity in the Old Testament, on the ground of the relation of

man to God . The high and lofty One that inhab i teth eternity’Isa. lvu 15

would only dwell ‘with himthat i s of a contri te and humble sp i ri t’.

But the Gosp el went far further and p roclaimed that humility was

not the vi rtue of weakness only. The h ighest life, in the fullest

consciousness of i ts power, exp resses i tself in acts of the deep est

humi li ty .

‘ Jesus,knowing that the Father had given all things John xi i i

into His hands,and that He w as come fromGod

,and went to God ; 4

f‘

He ri seth from supper, and laid aside Hi s garments, and took a

towel and gi rded Himself. A fter that he poureth water into a

b ason,and b egan to wash the d i scip les

’feet

,and to wipe themwi th

the towel wherewith He was gi rded’. It is in harmony wi th thi s

that St Paul,in a great theologi cal passage, treats humi li ty as the

characteri sti c lesson of the Incarnation i tself. In lowliness of Phil. u 3

mind he pleads,‘ let each esteemother better than themselves

L et thi s mind be in you,whi ch was also in Chri st J

humb led HimselfIn our p resent passage the A postle enforces humi lity on the

ground of the relation ofman to man in the great human unity. A

larger life than that of the indi vidual has b een revealed to him. Its

law i s that of mutual servi ce : and i ts fir st requi si te i s the sp irit Ofsubordination,

lowliness ofmind andmeekness’.Wi th long-suf ering, forbearing one another ’. The patient sp iri t

b y whi ch each makes allowance for the fai lures of the other, isclosely related to the lowliness ofmind’

,b y whi ch each esteems the

other better than himself.

92

ii i s fi .

EXPOSITION OF THE [IV 2 , 3

‘In love’. Here

,as so often in thi s ep i stle, love i s introduced as

the climax,the comp rehensive v i rtue of the new li fe whi ch includes

all the rest’. In the Ep i stle to the Colossians the same thought i sevenmore emphati cally exp ressed Put ye ofmind

,

meekness, long-suffering forbearing one over and

above all these,love

,whi ch i s the b ond of p erfectness

‘Gi ving d i ligence to keep the wh i ty of the Sp i ri t i n the bond of

p eace’. The word ‘

endeavouring’,whi ch the A uthori sed Version

employs in thi s p lace, has come to suggest in our modern usage toomuch of the possib i li ty of fai lure to b e strong enough to give theApostle

’smeaning. The word whi ch he uses has an eagerness aboutit,whi ch i s d ifficult to rep resent in Engli sh

? The Church to himwas the embodiment of the D ivine purpose for the world : i t was

the witness tomen of the unity of mankind . What would becomeof thi s witness

,how should the purpose i tself b e reali sed , i f the

un i ty of the Church were not p reserved Wellmight he urge uponhis readers eagerly and earnestly to ma inta in their oneness. Theymustmake a point of p reserving i t they must take care to keep i t.

To keep the uni ty’. The unity i s spoken of as a thing whi ch

already exi sts. It i s a reality of the sp i ri tual world . It i s a gift of

God whi ch is committed tomen to keep intact. A t the same time,

as St Paul wi ll p resently shew,i t i s a unity which i s ever enlarging

i ts range and contents until we all come to the unity’. The unitymust b e maintained in the process, i f i t is to b e atta ined in the

result.The uni ty of the Sp i ri t

’. Hi therto St Paul has avo ided the

ab stract word,and has used concrete terms to exp ress the thought

of uni ty :‘one man i n one one Sp iri t

’. Indeed the

characteri stically Chri stian word to exp ress the idea i s not ‘ unity’

or oneness (évé-nj e), b ut the more liv ing and frui tful term ‘com

munion ’or

‘ fellowshi p’

(Kowuwia): a term implying not a metaphysi cal conception b ut an active relationshi p see

,for examp le,

A cts i i 42 , 2 Cor. xi i i 14, Phil. i i 1 . Yet the more abstract termhas its value : the oneness of the Sp i ri t underlies the fellowshipof the Holy Sp i rit

’

, whi chmani fests and interp rets i t.

By a mi schievous carelessness of exp ression, un i ty of sp i ri t i s

commonly spoken of in contrast to corporate uni ty’,and as though

1 Compare for the emphatic posi whi ch are used to render the corretion of the phrase

‘ in love’, i 4, i i i 17, Sp onding sub stantive (mouse)in 2 Cor.

iv 15, 16. vi i 1 1 f.,vi i i 7 f. , 16 :

‘carefulness ’

,9 The range of the word and the ‘

care’,

‘ diligence’,

‘ forwardness ’,

di fficulty of adequately translating i t earnest care ’.may b e illustrated b y the five synonyms

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'

94

Col. i i i 1 1

iv 7— 16

EXPOSITION OF THE (IV . 6, 7

interpretation ; b ut they cannot in themselves comp el us to abandon

the widermeani ng.

The Apostle i s indeed p rimari ly thinking of the Body of Chri st

and all i tsmembers . The unity of that Body i s the truth whi ch heseeks to enforce. But when he has ri sen at length to find the source

of human unity in the uni ty of the Divine fatherhood , hi s thoughtwidens i ts scope. The words Father of all’cannot b e less inclusive

than the earlier words, The Father of whom all fatherhood inheaven and on earth i s named ’. A nd the fin al clause,

‘Who i s

ab ove all and through all and in all’,i s true not only of all intelli

gentbeings whi ch can cla imthe Div ine fatherhood, b ut of the total

range of things, over whi ch God i s sup reme, through whi ch He

moves and acts, andmwhi ch He dwells.

It w as a startling experiment in human life whi ch the A postle

was striving to reali se. Looked at fromwi thout,his new un ity w as

a somewhat b izarre combination . Greek and Jew, circumci sion

and uncircumci sion, b arb ari an, Scythian, b ondman, freeman —all

these are nomore, he b oldly p roclaims to the Colossians, b ut all in

all i s Chri st’. The putting on of the New Man’,he goes on to tell

them,involved the weldi ng into one of all these heterogeneous

elements ; or rather the p ersi stent di sregard of these d i stinctions,in

p resence of the true human element, whi ch should so far dominateas p racti cally to efface them. In every-day life thi smade a heavy demand upon the new virtues of self-efl

'

acement andmutual forb earance.

A ccord ingly he declares, in language closely parallel to that whi chhe uses in thi s ep i stle, that to put on the New Man is to put on

the heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness ofmind,meekness, longsufl

'

ering ; b earing one with another,and forgiving each other

,if

any have a complaint against any’. Over and above all these

things theymust put on‘ love

,whi ch i s the bond of perfectness

’.

A nd the paramount consideration whi ch must decide all i ssues isthe peace of the Chri st unto whi ch they have been called

‘ in one

7BUT unto every one of us i s given grace, according to the

measure of the gi ft of Christ. 8Wherefore it saith

When He ascended up on high,He led a captivi ty captive,

And gave gifts untomen.

9Now that,He ascended, what i s it b ut that He also

descended into the lower parts of the earth ? He that

descended, He it i s that also ascended above all heavens,that

IV 7] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Hemight fill all things. And He gave some,apostles ; and

some,prophets ; and some

,evangelists ; and some

,pastors and

teachers ;M for the perfecting of the saints for the work of

mini stry,for the bui lding of the body of Chri st

,

I 3ti ll we all

come to the unity of the fai th and of the knowledge of the Son

of God,to a perfectman , to themeasure of the stature of the

fulness of Chri st : 14 that we b e no longer chi ldren, tossed to

and fro and carried about w ith every w ind of doctrine,by the

sleight of men, by craftiness according to the wiles of error ;

1 5b ut maintaining the truth in love,may grow up into Himinall things ; which i s the head , even Chr i st,

16fromwhomthe

whole body,fitly framed together and compacted by every joint

of i ts supply,according to the effectual working in themeasure

of each several part, maketh the increase of the body, unto

the bui lding thereof, in love.

‘Bu t un to every one of u s i s given grace, accord ing to themeasure iv 7of the gift of Chri st

’. The recognition of the whole i s to St Paul

the starting-point for the consi deration of the position of the indi

vidual parts. For the uni ty of whi ch he speaks i s no b arrenuni formity it i s a uni ty in di versity. It secures to the indi vidual

hi s true p lace of respons i b i li ty and of honour.

In order to app reciate the language of thi s passage we mustrecall the phraseology whi ch the A postle has used aga in and again

in the earlier part of chap . ii i . He has there spoken of the grace i i i 2Of God whi ch was given’to himon b ehalf of the Genti les. He w as

mademini ster of the Gosp el whi ch included the Gentiles according i i i 7to the gi ft of that grace of God whi ch w as given ’to him to himfor he will repeat i t the thi rd time— though less than the least of

the holy peop le— ‘ thi s grace w as given, to p reach to the Genti les i i i 8

the unexplorab le wealth of the Christ’. Thi s reiterated identificat ion of hi s special mi ss ion wi th the gift of grace i llustrates the

passage b efore us. To each indi vi dual,if not to all in likemeasure,

the same grace has b een given. The Divinemercy in i ts world-wideinclusiveness i s committed to each member of the holy peop le, not

as a privi lege only, b ut also as a responsi b ili ty1.

‘According to the measure of the gift of Chri st’. The gra ce is

1 Compare Ph il. i 7, where St Paul nexi on wi th ‘ the defence and con

Speaks of the Phi li pp ians as ‘ fellow firmati on of the Gospel’.

p artakers with himof grace’,in con

EXPOSITION OF THE [IV

the same ; b ut Chri st gives i t in d i fferent measures, as the A postlep roceeds to explain .

A t this point w emay usefully compare wi th the p resent contextas a whole a parallel passage in the Ep i stle to the Romans, inwhi ch

,after the A postle has closed hi s di scussion of the wi de inclu

siveness of the Divi ne mercy, he calls for a fitting response in the

conduct of those to whomi t has come. The language of the two

passages offers several similari ties . The openi ng phrase, wi th whi chhe passes fromdoxology to exhortation, i s in each case the same :‘ I b eseech you therefore

’. There

,a s here

,the grace whi ch i s given

tome ’leads the way to‘ the grace whi ch i s given to us There

too w e find an app eal for humi li ty on the ground of the one Bodyand the di strib ution of functions among i ts members, ‘

as God hathdealt to every man the measure of fai th ‘Having gifts

’

,the

A postle continues,‘whi ch are d iverse according to the grace whi ch

i s given to us ’ and he adds a catalogue of these gi fts, whi ch w e

shall p resently have to compare wi th that whi ch follows in thi s

ep istle. These various functions, d iverse according to the di stribution of the grace— such is the Apostle

’s teaching in both placesare indisp ensable elements of a vi tal uni ty.

Wherefore i t sa i th : When He a scended up on high, He led a

cap ti vi ty cap tive, and gave gifts tomen’. The A postle has already

connected the exaltation of Chri st wi th the power that i s at workin themembers of Hi s Church . The vari ed gi fts b estowed by theexalted Chri st now recall to hi s mind the ancient p i cture of the

vi ctori ous king, who mounts the heights of the sacred citadel of

Zion, with hi s cap tives in hi s train, and di stri b utes his largess from

the spoi ls of war. It i s the connexion between the ascension and

the gi fts, whi ch the A postle desi res to emphasi se ; and the onlywords of the quotation on whi ch he comments are ‘He ascended ’

and ‘He gave’.

‘Now tha t,He ascended

, what i s i t bu t tha t He also descended

into the lower p arts of the earth Desiring to shew that the p owerof Chri st ranges throughout the uni verse, St Paul first notes thatHi s ascent implies a p revi ous descent. Thi s descent was below theearth, as the ascent i s above the heavens.

‘He tha t descended,He i t i s tha t also ascended above all heavens

,

thatHemightfil l a ll thi ngs’. Fromi ts depths to i ts heights He has

compassed the universe. He has left nothing unvi sited b y Hi sp resence . For He i s the Divine Fulfiller

, to whomi t appertains inthe purpose of God to fill all things wi th their app rop riate fulnessto

.

bring the uni verse to i ts destined goal, i ts final correspondenceWi th the Divine ideal. Compare what has b een said above on i ii 19.

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EXPOSITION OF THE

Thi s i s not the p lace to di scuss the development of the ofli cial

mini stry : b ut i t may b e p ointed out that i t ri ses in importance as

the first generation of apostoli c and p ropheti c teachers passes away ,

as the very designations of ‘apostle

’and ‘

p rophet’gradually d is

appear, and as all that i s p ermanently essential to the Church of the

apostoli c and pr0phetic functions i s gathered up and secured in the

officialmini stry i tself.The recovery of the Didaché, or Teaching of the A postles, has

thrown fresh light on the hi story of the first tw o terms of St Paul’slist l . It shews us a later generation of apostles

’,who are what w e

should rather term‘mi ss ionari es ’. They pa ss fromp lace to p lace,asking only for a ni ght

’s lodging and a day’s rati ons. They would

seemto correspond to the evangeli sts of St Paul’s catalog ue,who

carried the Gospel to regions hi therto unevangeli sed ; Thi smentionof themestabli shes b eyond further question that w i der use of the

name ‘apostle

’,for the recogn i tion of wh i ch B ishop L ightfoot had

already v igorously pleaded’.

Yetmore interesting i s the p i cture whi ch the D ida ché draws forus of the Chri stian p rophets. It shews us the p rophets as pre

eminent in the communi ty whi ch they may v i sit, or in whi ch theymay choose to settle . They appear to celeb rate the Euchari st, andthat wi th a sp ecial liturgi cal freedom. They are to b e regarded as

beyond cri tici sm,i f their genuineness as p rophets has once been

estab li shed . They are the p roper recip ients of the ti thes and firstfrui ts of the communi ty, and thi s for a noteworthy reason :

‘ for

they are your high-p ri ests’. A nd when at the close of the book

‘ b ishop s and deacons’are for the first time mentioned , honour i s

claimed for themin these signi ficant terms For they alsomini sterunto you the mini stration of the p rophets and tea chers : thereforedesp i se themnot ; for they are your honourab le ones together wi ththe prophets and teachers

’. In this p rimi tive p i cture i t i s instruc

tive to Ob serve that the mini stry of ofli ce i s in the b ackground,overshadowed at p resent b y a mini stry of enthusiasm,

b ut destinedto ab sorb i ts functions and to survi ve i ts fall.

‘For the p erfecti ng of the sa in ts for the w ork of min i stry’. The

1 The D i daché was pub li shed b y regard i t as rep resentative of the

Archb p Bryennius in 1883. In i ts general condi ti on of the Church at so

present formi t i s a compos ite work, late a p eriod : i t would appear ratherwhi ch has emb odied a very early (pos to b elong to some i solated communi ty ,s ib ly Jewi sh)manual of conduct. Its in wh ich there lingered a cond iti on of

locali ty i s uncertain , and i t cannot life and organi sation wh ich had else

b e dated with p rudence earli er than where p assed away.

ab out 130 It i s imp ossib le to 2 L ightfoot, Ga la ti ans , p . 95.

IV 12,13] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 99

second of these clausesmust b e taken as dep endent on the first,and

not (as in the A uthori sed Version) a s coordinate wi th i t. The

equipment of themembers of the Body for their function of servi ceto the whole i s the end for whi ch Chri st has gi ven these gi fts toHi s Church . If the li fe and growth of the Body i s to b e secured

,

everymemb er of i t,and not only those w ho are techni cally called

‘mini sters must b e taught to serve. More eminent servi ce indeedi s rendered b y those memb ers to whomthe A postle has exp li ci tlyreferred ; b ut thei r serv i ce i s specially designed to p romote theserv i ce in due measure of the rest : for, as he tells us elsewhere,‘ thosememb ers of the body whi ch seemto b e feeb ler are necessary’. 1 Cor. x11

Thus ‘ the work of mini stry ’ here sp oken of corresponds to the 2 2

‘

grace given to every one of us’

,whi ch i s the subject of thi s iv 7

section .

A n i llustrative examp le of thi s mini stry of sa ints to saints i s tob e found in St Paul’s reference to an interesting group of Corinthi anChri stians : ‘ I beseech you, brethren ,

-

ye know the house of Ste I Cor. xvi

phanas, that i t i s the firstfru its of A cha ia,and that they have

’5 ff’

add icted themselves to themini stry of the sa ints 1,— that ye submi t

yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth wi th us and

laboureth . I amglad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatusand A chai cus : for that whi ch w as lacking on your part they havesupp lied : for they have refreshed my sp i ri t and yours : thereforeacknowledge ye themthat are such ’

. Fromword s lik e these wemay see that every kind ofmutual servi ce is included in the earlyand unofficial sense of thi s word mini stry’.

Ifmini stry such as thi s i s characteri sti c of eachmember of theBody

,i t w as p reeminently characteri sti c of the Head Himself

‘The Son of Man came not to b emini stered unto, b ut tomi ni ster Mark x

‘ I amamong you as he that min i stereth’. mi l

For the bu i ld ing of the body of Chri st’. Thi s i s the p rocess to iv 13

the forwardi ng of which all that has been spoken of i s d i rected .

In descri b ing i t St Paul combines, as he has done before, h is tw ofavouri temetaphors of the temple and the b ody. He has p rev iously 11 2 1

sa id that the b ui lding of the Temp le grows : here, conversely, heSpeaks of the Body as being b ui lded.

T i ll w e all come to the un i ty of thefa i th a nd of the know ledge ofthe Son of God Uni ty has been sp oken of

,first of all, as a gift to

b e kept it i s now regarded as a goal to b e attained. Un ity, as i texi sts already and i s to b e eagerly guarded, i s a sp i ri tual ratherthan an intellectual oneness ; the v i tal uni ty of the one Sp i ri t in

1 L i terally ,‘ they have app ointed themselves untomi ni stry to the saints

IOO EXPOSITION or THE [IV 13

the one body.Unity

,as i t i s ultimately to b e reached by all the

saints together, wi ll b e a consciously reali sed oneness, p roduced b y

fai th in and knowledge of the Son of God. We are one now : in

the end w e all shall know ourselves to b e one.

The Son of God St Paul i s so careful in h i s use of the vari ous

des ignations of our L ord, that w e may b e confident that he has

some reason here for inserting betw een tw omentions of the Chri st ’

thi s ti tle, ‘ the Son of God’,whi ch does not occur elsewhere in the

epi stle. It i s i nstructive to compare a passage in the Ep istle to the

11 20 Galatians, where a simi lar change of titles i s made. I have b een

crucified wi th Chri st ’, says the A p ostle, and I no longer live, b ut

inme Chri st lives and the li fe whi ch now I live in the flesh,I li ve

by the faith of the Son of God, who lovedme and delivered Himselfup for me

’. He with whomhe has been crucified

,He who now

lives in him,i s ‘ Chri st ’: He whose love brought Him down to

suffer is ‘ the Son of God’. The title i s changed to one whi ch

John xvi i 5 recalls the glory whi ch Christ had wi th the Father before the worldwas

,in order to heighten the thought of Hi s condescending love.

And so in our present passage, when he i s treating of the relation of

our Lord to Hi s Church, he speaks of Himas‘ the Chri st ’ (for the

article i s used in b oth places in the original): b ut when he woulddescribe Himas the object of that fai th and knowledge, in whi ch our

uni ty will ultimately b e reali sed,he uses the words the fa ith and the

knowledge of the Son of God 3 thereby suggesting, as i t would seem,

the thought of Hi s eternal exi stence in relation to the Divine Father.

Ti ll we a ll a p erfect man’that i s, all of us together

(for thi s i s implied b y the Greek) to God’s New Man

,grown at

length to full manhood . Not ‘ to perfect men’: for the A postle

uses the plural of the lower stage only : that w e b e no longer

children ’i s hi s own contrast. We are to grow out of our indi

vidualisminto the corporate oneness of the full-grown Man.

To themeas'wre of the stature of thefu lness of Chri st (or, of the

that i s, to the full measure of the complete stature, or

maturity, of the fulfi lled Chri st. We cannot forget that St Paulhas already called the Church the fulness of Himwho all in all i s

being fulfilled’. But in using the exp ression ‘ the fulness of the

Chri st ’ in this place, he i s thinking of more than ‘ the Church,

whi ch i s His Body’. For here w e get once more to the b ackground

of St Paul’s thought, in whi ch the Body and the Head together are

ultimately the one Chri st the Chri st that is to b eIn the New Man

, grown to perfect manhood , St Paul finds theconsummation of human life. He thus takes us on to the i ssue of

the new creation whi ch he spoke of in chap . 11. There the one new

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102 EXPOSITION OF THE [IV 14, 15

2 Cor. 2 of teaching. Ours i s not, he had once said to the Corinthians, theversati lity of the adep t, whi ch plays tri cks wi th the D iv inemessage.

So here he warns us that sub tleti es and over-refinements end in

error. Wemust keep to the simple w ay of truth and love.

‘ Bu t ma inta i ni ng the tru th i n love In thi s ep i stle St Paul i snot controversial. He attacks no formof false doctrine, b ut onlygives a general warning against themi schievous refinements of oversub tle teachers . W i th the

‘error’ to whi ch these things lead he

b ri efly contrasts the duty of mainta ini ng the truth in love’

and

then at once he returns to the central truth of the harmony and

growth of God’s one Man .

‘May grow up into Himi n a ll things’. The next words

,whi ch

i s the head seemat first sight to suggest that the A postle’smeani ng

is ‘may grow up into Himas the head’. But although the limb s ofthe b ody are p resently spoken of as deriv ing their growth fromthehead— the head b eing regarded as the source of that harmony of thevarious parts which i s essential to healthy development— i t wouldb e di fficult to give a meaning to the exp ression

‘ to grow up into

the head’. A ccordingly i t i s b etter to regard the words may grow

up into Him in all thi ngs as complete in themselves. WhatSt Paul desires to say i s that the children are to grow up , not

each into a separateman, b ut all into One,the perfectman

’,who

is none other than the Chri st.The law of growth for the individual i s thi s : that he should

learn more and more to live as a part of a great whole ; that heshould consciously reali se the life ofmembership , and contri b ute hisappropriate share towards the completeness of the corporate uni tyand that thus his exp anding facul ties should find their full p lay inthe large and ever enlarging li fe of the One Man . It i s to this thatSt Paul points when he says,

‘ that w e b e no longer chi ldren,b ut

grow up into Himevery whit’.In one of the most remarkab le poems of the In Memori am

Tennyson suggests that the attainment of a defini te self-consciousnessmay b e a p rimary purpose of the indivi dual

’s earthly life l

Thi s use may lie in b lood and b reath ,

Which else were frui tless of their due,Had man to learn himself anew

Beyond the second b irth of Death .

We gather fromSt Paul that there i s a further lesson whi ch w e are

called to learn— the consci ousness of a larger life, in whi ch in a

sense w e lose ourselves, to find ourselves again,no longer i solated ,

1 In Memori am, xlv.

IV 15] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

b ut related and coordinated in the Body of the Chri st. That the

poet, too, knew something of the mystery of thi s surrender of theind ividual li femay b e seen fromhi s Prologue

Thou seemest human and di vine,

The highest, holiestmanhood, thouOur wi lls are ours

,we know not how ;

Our wi lls are ours , to make themthi ne.

Which i s the head,even Chr i st Backwards and forwards the

A postlemoves , wi th no concern for logi cal consi stency, between theconception of Chri st as the Whole and the concep tion of Chri st as

the Head of the Body . The newness of the thought which he i sendeavouring to develope

— the thought of human uni ty real isedthrough and in the Chri st— i s doub tless responsible for theseoscillations. We feel that the conception is being worked out

for the first time,and w e watch the struggle of language in face of

the d ifficul ties whi ch p resent themselves. The initial d ifficulty i sto conceive of a numb er of persons as forming in a real sense one

body’. In common parlance thi s d i fficulty i s not recogn i sed ,b ecause the word ‘body’ i s used merely to s igni fy an aggregationof persons more or less loosely held in relation to one another, andits proper meani ng of a structural uni ty is not seriously p ressed.

But just in p roportion as‘a body’i s felt tomean a li ving organi sm,

the d ifii culty remains. An d St Paulmakes i t abundantly clear thatit i s a liv ing organi sm— a human frame with all i ts mani fold struc

ture i nsp ired by a single life—wh i ch offers to himthe true concep

tion of humani ty as God wil l have i t to b e.

A further difii culty enters when the relation of Chri st to thisBody comes to b e defined . It i s natural at once to think of Himas

i ts Head : for that i s the seat of the brain whi ch controls and unifiesthe organi sm. But thi s concep tion does not always suffice. For

103

Chri st i s more than the Head. The whole Body, in St Paul’s Bom. x11 5

language, i s‘ in Him’

; the several pa rts‘

grow up into Him’.

Even more than thi s,the whole i s identified with Him:

‘ for as 1 Cor.mlthe b ody i s one and hath many members, and all the memb ers of 1 2

the body being many are one b ody ; so also is the Chri st ’. In the

New Man‘ Chri st i s all and in all ’. Identified wi th the whole 001. i i i 1 1

Body, He grows wi th i ts growth and wi ll find Hi s own fulfilmentonly in i ts complete maturi ty .

We are not therefore to b e surp ri sed at the rap id i ty of the trans iti on

“

b y whi ch the A postle here p asses fromthe thought of Chri stas the Whole, into whi ch w e are growing up , to the thought of Himas the Head

,upon which the Body

’s harmony and growth depends .

104

1I Z I

Col. 11 19

Col. iv 14

i115, i i i 4f1‘

.

EXPOSITION or THE [Iv

Fromwhomthe whole body ,fi tly framed together and comp actedby every j oi nt of its supp ly

’. The expression fitly framed together

i s repeated fromthe descrip tion of the building p rocess whi ch has

already furni shed a figure of structural, though not organ i c, uni ty.

The remainder of the passage i s found again , with slight verbal

variations, in the Ep istle to the Coloss ians‘ fromwhomthe whole

body,furni shed out and compacted b y the joints and bands,

increaseth wi th the increase of God’. The A postle i s using the

physiologi cal terms of the Greek med ical writers . We can almost

see himturn to the b eloved physi cian’,of whose presence he tells

us in the companion ep istle, b efore venturing to Speak in technical

language of every ligament of the whole apparatus of the humanframe. There i s no reference either here or in the Ep istle to the

Colossians to a supply of nourishment, b ut rather to the completesystemof nerves andmuscles by whi ch the limbs are kn i t together

and are connected with the head.

‘According to the eflectual worki ng i n themeasure of each several

pmt’that is

,as each several part in i ts due measure performs its

app ropriate function. Uni ty in vari ety i s the A postle’8 theme :

uni ty of structure in the whole, and variety of function in the

several component parts : these are the conditions of growth upon

whi ch he insists.Maketh the i ncrease of the body, wnto the bui lding thereof; in

love’. This recurrence to the compani on metaphor of bui lding

reminds us that the reality whi ch St Paul is endeavouring to

i llustrate is more than a physiologi cal structure. The languagederi ved fromthe body’s growth needs to b e supp lemented b y the

language derived fromthe building of the sacred shrine of God.

The mingling of the metaphors helps us to ri se above them,and

thus prepares us for the phrase, w ith whi ch the A postle at once

interprets hi smeaning and reaches hi s climax,

in love

We have thus concluded a further stage in St Paul’s exposition.

To b egin wi th w e had the eternal purpose of God,to make Christ

the summing into one of all thi ngs that are. Then we had the

mystery of Chri st, consummated on the cross,by whi ch Jew and

Genti le passed into one new Man. Lastly w e have had the uni tyof the Spi ri t, a uni ty in vari ety

, conta ining a p rinciple of growth,by whi ch the Body of the Chri st i smoving towardsmaturi ty.

17THIS I say therefore and testi fy in the Lord ,that ye no

longer walk as do the Gentiles walk,in the vanity of their

mind, 18darkened in thei r understanding, being ali enated from

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106

iv 24 f.

EXPOSITION or THE [IV

b red of recklessness. In the Opening chap ter of the Ep i stle to the

Romans the same sequence i s found :‘ they became vain. in their

imaginations, and thei r fooli sh heart w as darkened . .wherefore Godalso gave themup to thi s cause God gave themupunto v i le as they did not like to retain God

in thei r knowledge, God gave themup to a rep rob ate mind, todo those things whi ch are not convenient ’. There i t i s thri cesa id that ‘ God gave them up

’: here i t i s said that, ‘ having

become reckless, they gave themselves up’. The emphasi s whi ch

in ei ther case St Paul lays on want of knowledge correspondswi th the stress whi ch, as w e have already seen, he lays upon

true wi sdom‘.

‘ But ye have not so lea/rned Chri st’,or

,as i t i s in the original,

‘the Chri st

’. That i s to say, You are no longer in thi s darkness and

ignorance : you have learned the Chri st and the lesson involves a

wholly d i fferent life.

If so be that ye have heard Him,and have been taught in Him,

as the tru th i s i n Jesus’. The conditional formof the sentence i s

used for the sak e of emphasi s, and does not imp ly a doubt. We

may paraphrase i t thus :‘ i f indeed i t b e He whomye have heard

and in whomye have been taught’. The phrases to learn Chri st,

to hear Him,and to b e taught in Him,

are exp lanatory of each

other. The A p ostle’s readers had not indeed heard Chri st

,in the

sense of hearing Himspeak . But Chri st was the message whi chhad b een brought to them,

He w as the school in whi ch they hadb een taught, He w as the lesson whi ch they had learnt.

The exp ression to learn Chri st ’ has become fami li ar to our

ears,and we do not at once reali se how strangely i t must have

sounded when i t was used for the first time. But the A postlew as well aware that hi s language w as new

,and he adds a clause

whi ch help s to interp ret i t :‘even as the truth i s in Jesus ’

,or

more li terally, ‘even as truth i s in Jesus He lays much stress

on truth throughout the whole context. He has already calledfor the maintenance of the truth in opposi tion to the subtletiesof error : he wi ll p resently speak of the new man as

‘ createdaccording to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth’;and

,led on b y the word

,he wi ll requi re hi s readers as the first

practical duty of the new li fe to put away falsehood and speaktruth each to his nei ghb our. But truth i s embodied in Jesus

,who

is the Chri st. Hence, instead of saying‘

ye have learned the truth,ye have heard the truth, ye have been taught in the truth he says

1 See ab ove , p . 30 .

IV 2 1— 24] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 107

with a far more imp ressive emphasi s, ‘ It i s Chri st whomye havelearned

,Himye have heard , in Himye have been taught, even as

the truth'

i s in JesusNowhere else in thi s ep i stle does St Paul use the name ‘ Jesus ’

by i tself. Nor does he so use i t aga in in any of the ep istles of

his Roman cap tivi ty, if w e excep t the one passage in which b e

specially refers to the new honour whi ch has accrued to the name Phil. i i 10of Jesus ’. Even in his earli er ep i stles i t rarely occurs alone and

,

when it does,there i s generally an express reference to the death

or resurrection of our Lord’. We have already sa id somethingof the signi ficance of St Paul’s usage in thi s respect

? He usesthe name ‘ Jesus ’ by i tself when he wi shes emphatically to point

to the hi stori c personality of the Christ. A nd thi s i s p la inly hisintention in the p resent passage. The message whi ch he p ro

claimed w as thi s : The Chri st has come : in the person of Jcsus

the crucified , ri sen and ascended Jcsus—He has come,not only

as the Messiah of the Jew,b ut as the hOpe of all mankind. In

thi s Jesus i s embodi ed the truth : and so the truth has come toyou . You have learned the Chri st ; Himyou have heard , in Himyou have been taught, even as the truth is in Jesus.

‘ That ye p u t of as concern i ng yowr former manner of life iv 2 2 if.

the old man ,whi ch is corrup t according to the lusts of decei t;

and be renewed in the sp i ri t of your mind, and p u t on the new

which after God i s created i n r ighteou sness a/nd holiness ofthe tru th

’. The injunctions whi ch St Paul has hitherto laid upon

hi s readers have been gentle admoni tions,ari sing di rectly out of

the great thoughts whi ch he has b een expoundi ng to them. His

first injunction w as : Remember what you were and what you are. i i 1 1 f.

The next w as Cultivate that humble and forb earing temper, whi ch iv 2 fi’

.

naturally belongs to what you are,which tends to keep the uni ty .

But now h i s demand takes a severer tone I p rotest in the L ord, hesays, that you b e not what you were.

The kn i fe goes deep . A s regards your former life, he declares,youmust stri p off the old man’, a mi serable decaying thing, rottedwi th the passions of the old life of error. You must b emade newin your sp i ri ts. Y oumust array yourselves in the new man’

,who

has been created as God would have himto b e,in that righteousness

and holiness to whi ch the truth leads.

1 So,

in 1 Thess. i 10 ,iv 14, Rom. Jude. But in Heb rews i t occurs alone

vi i i 1 1 , 2 Cor. iv 10 , 1 1,14. The re eight times ; and thi s i s , of course, the

maining passages are Gal. vi 1 7, Born. regular use in the Gospels.

i i i 26, 2 Cor. iv 5. The name i s not 2 See ab ove, pp . 2 3 f.

used alone in James, 1 and 2 Peter, or

108 EXPOSITION or THE [IV 2 2— 34

What is ‘ the old man ’who i s here spoken of ? St Paul has

Rom. vi 6 used the termin an earlier ep i stle. Our old man he had written

to the Romans, ‘ was crucified with Chri st ’. Fromthe context of

that passage w e may interp ret his mean ing as follows : I sa id that

b y your bap ti smyou were un ited wi th Chri st in Hi s death, youwere b uried wi th Him. What w as i t that then di ed ? I answer

The former you . A certain man w as liv ing a life of sin : he w as

the slave of sin,living in a body dominated b y sin. That man ,

who lived that life, died. He was crucified wi th Chri st. That iswhat I call your old man

’.

To the Romans , then, he has declared that their ‘oldman’ is

dead . Thi s,he says, is the true vi ew of your life. It i s God

’s

Rom. vi 7 vi ew of i t,in v i rtue of whi ch you are justified in , Hi s sight. And

fi‘

this vi ew,the only true vi ew, you are b ound yourselves to take, and

make i t the ruling p rincip le of all your conduct.Gal. 11 20 Elsewhere he says Thi s i s my own case. I have b een crucified

wi th Chri st I no longer live. Yet you seeme living. What does

i t mean ? Chri st i s living in me. So great w as the revolution

whi ch St Paul recogni sed as having taken place in his own moralexperience, that he does not hesi tate to speak of i t as a changeof personality. I am dead

,he says, crucified on Chri st’s cross.

Another has come to live in me : and He has di sp laced me inmyself.What was true for him w as true for hi s -readers likewi se.

Chri st, he says, has come and claimed you . You have admi ttedHis claimb y your b aptism. You are no longer yourselves. The

old you then died Another came to live in you .

In our p resent passage, and in the closely parallel passage of the

Ep istle to the Colossians , St Paul urges hi s readers to bring theirlives into correspondence wi th their true position, b y putting off

the old man ’and ‘

putting on the new man ’. That they had done

thi s already i n thei r bapti smw as not, to his mind, inconsi stent wi th

001. i i 12 , such an admoni tion. Indeed he exp ressly reminds the Colossians1“ I

that they had thus d ied and been b uried wi th Chri st,and had b een

raised with Himto a new li fe. None the less he urges themto

a fresh act of wi ll,whi ch shall reali se thei r bapti smal position :

Col. iii 9 ff.‘

putting off the old man wi th hi s deeds,and putting on the new

,

who i s ever b eing renewed unto knowledge according to the imageof Him that created him; where there i s no Greek and Jew ,

circumci sion and unci rcumci sion,barbari an

,Scythian ,

bondman,freeman ; b ut Chri st i s all and in all

’.

The metaphor here emp loyed i s a favouri te one wi th St Paul.They are to stri p off the old self they are to clothe themselves wi th

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EXPOSITION OF THE [IV 2 5

itself in human experience :‘ the oldman i s corrup t accord ing to

the lusts of deceit ’, and a fresh creation after the original patte

has been necessi tated i t i s found in ‘the n ew man whi ch af ter God

is crea ted i n r ighteousness and holiness whi ch are (in contrast wi th‘ deceit of the tru th

’.

2SWHEREFORE putting away lying, speak every man truth

with his neighbour : for w e aremembers one of another.

26Be

ye’

angry, and s in not : let not the sun go down upon your

wrath ;2 7neither give place to the devi l. 2 8Let himthat stole

steal no more : b ut rather let him labour, working w i th hi s

hands the thing which i s good, that he may have to give to

him that needeth.

2 c9L et no corrupt communication proceedout of your mouth, b ut that which i s good ,

for bui lding up as

need may b e, that i t may give grace unto the hearers : 3°and

grieve not the holy Spiri t of God, whereby ye are sealed unto

the day of redemption.3 I L et all bitterness and wrath and

anger and clamour and evi l-speaking b e put away fromyou,

w ith allmalice : 32 and b e ye kind one to another,tenderhearted

,

forgiving one another,even as God in Chri st hath forgiven you.

V.

IBe ye therefore followers of God, as Hi s beloved children ;2and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved you,

and hath

given Himself for you,an offeri ng and a sacrifice to God for a

sweetsmelling savour.

The A postle p roceeds to interp ret in a seri es of p racti cal p receptshi s general injunction to put off the oldman and put on the new

,to

turn fromthe life of error to the li fe whi ch belongs to the truth .

He appeals throughout to the large interests of thei r common lifeit i s the Sp i ri t of fellowshi p whi ch suppli es themotive for thismoralrevolution . Six sin s are struck at lying, resentment, stealing, b adlanguage, b ad .

temp er, lust.Lying i s to b e exchanged for truthfulness, for the Body

’s sake.

Resentment is to give w ay to reconci liation , lest Satan get a footingin theirmidst. Stealingmust make p lace for honest work, to helpothers b ad language for gracious sp eech, ‘unto b uilding up

’,and lest

the one holy Sp irit b e gri eved . Bad tempermust yi eld to kindlinessand forgivingness, for God has forgi ven themall yea , to love, the

love of self-giving, shewn in Chri st’s sacrifice . Lastly lust, and all

the unfrui tful works of the dark,must b e b an i shed b y the light.

IV 2 5, 2 6] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. I I I

Thus the A postle bids themd isp lace the old man by the new,

the false li fe b y the‘ri ghteousness and holiness of the truth

’

Ring out the old , ring in the new

Ring out the false,ri ng in the true ;

Ring in the Chri st that i s to be .

‘Wherefore p u tting away lyi ng,sp eak every man tru th w i th hi s i v 2 5

ghbour for w e aremembers one of another’. In the original the

connexi on wi th what has immediately p receded i s very clearlymarked . For the word rendered putting away i s the same as that

whi ch has been used for ‘

putting off"the old man

,though the

metaphor of the garment i s now dr0pped : and ‘ lying’,or

‘ false

hood’a s i t could b e more generally rendered

,i s d irectly suggested

by the word ‘ truth ’wi th whi ch the last sentence closes. Truthfulness of Sp eech i s an ob v ious necessity, i f they are to live the life of‘ the truthThe A postle enforces h i s command b y a quotation from the

p rophet Zechari ah :‘ These are the things that ye shall do : Speak Zech vi i i

ye every man the truth with hi s neighb our : truth and the judgeI6

ment of p eace judge ye in your gates But he gives a character of

his own to the p recep t in the reason which he adds : ‘ for we are

memb ers one of another ’. These words remind us how p racti cal heis in all his mysti cism. The mysti cal concep tion that indi vidualmen are b ut limb s of the b ody of a greaterMan i s at oncemade thebasi s of an app eal for truthfulness in our dealings one wi th another.Falsehood

,a modern morali st would say , i s a s in against themutual

trust on wh i ch all civi li sed society rests . St Paul sa id i t long ago,

and sti ll more forci b ly . It i s ab surd, he say s, that you shoulddeceive one another : just as i t would b e absurd for the limb s of ab ody to play each other false. The habit of lying w as congen ial to

the G reek,as i t w as to hi s Oriental neighbours . St Paul strikes at

the root of the s in b y shewing i ts inconsi stency wi th the realisationof the corporate life.

‘ Be ye angry , and si n n ot : let not the sun go down up on your iv 26 f.

wra th ; nei ther gi ve p lace to the devi l’. The first words of thi s

passage are another quotation fromthe Old Testament. They are

taken fromthe Greek version of the fourth Psalm,and are p erhap s Ps . iv 4

a nearer rep resentation of the original than i s given b y our English

rendering, Stand in aw e,and s in not

’. That there i s a righteous

anger i s thus allowed b y the A postle : b ut he warns us that, i fcheri shed

,i t qui ckly passes into s in. A ccord ing to the Mosai c law

the sun w as not to set on a cloke held as a surety, or the unpaid wage Deut. xxivof the needy and again ,

the sun w as not to set on amalefactor put 13 , 15

I IZ EXPOSITION OF THE [IV 2 7— 29

to death and left unb uri ed. Th i s phraseology furni shes the A postlewi th the formof hi s injunction. Its mean ing i s, as an old commentator ob serves, ‘ Let the day of your anger b e the day of yourreconci liation 1

.

The phrase to give p lace to the devi l’mean s to give himroom

or scope for action . A nger, whi ch suspends as i t were the harmon ious relation b etween one memb er and another in the Body

,

gives an immedi ate opportuni ty for the entry of the evi l sp irit’

L et himthat stole s tea l nomore bu t ra ther let himlabour,work

i ng wi th his hands the thing whi ch i s good, tha t he may have to giveto himthat needeth

’. This is indeed to put off the old

,and to put

on the new . It is a comp lete reversal of themoral attitude. Instead

of taking what i s another’s,seek wi th the sweat of your b row to b e

in a position to gi ve to another what you have honestly made your

L et no corrup t commun ica ti on p roceed ou t of your mouth The

word here rendered corrup t i s used in the Gosp els of the worthlesstree, and of the worthless fish i t i s opposed to good in the sense

of b eing‘

good-for-nothing

’. But the ‘ corrup t

’ speech here con

demned is foul talk, and not merely idle talk. It i s p rob ab le thatSt Paul in hi s choi ce of the word had in mind i ts original meaningof ‘ rotten ’ or ‘ corrup ted

’: for in a parallel pa ssage of the com

001. iv 6 panion ep i stle he says :‘ L et your speech b e alway wi th grace,

seasoned with salt ’ the use of sa lt being not only to flavour,b ut to

preserve.

‘But that whi ch i s good, for bu i lding up as need may be’. The

words ‘edify’ and ‘

edi fication’have b ecome so hackneyed

,that i t

is almost necessary to avoid themin translation,i f the A postle

’s

language i s to reta in i ts original force . How viv i dly he realised the

metaphor whi ch he employed may b e seen from a p assage in the

Epi stle to the Romans,where he says, i f w e render hi s words

literally : Let us follow after the things that belong to p eace and to1 It i s worth while to repeat Fuller

’s

comment quoted fromEadi e b y Dr

Ab b ott (ad loc. p .

‘L et us take

the Ap ostle’smeaning rather than hi s

words—wi th all possi b lespeed to deposeour passion ; not understanding himso literally that wemay take leave tob e angry ti ll sunset, then might our

wrath lengthen wi th the days andmenin Greenland , where days last above a

quarter of a year, have p lenti ful scopeof revenge

2 TheD i dache’

, in a list ofwarni ngsdirected against certain sins on the

ground of what they‘ lead to’

, says

(c. i i i):‘Be not angry ; for anger leads

to murder : nor jealous , nor quarrelsome, nor passionate ; for of all these

thi ngsmurders are b red’. In the same

chap ter comes another p recep t whi chi t i s interesting to compare wi th thesequence of St Paul

’s injunctions in

thi s p lace :‘My chi ld , b e not a liar ;

since lying leads to thi eving’.

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I I4 EXPOSITION OF THE [IV 3 1—V 2

when the opportunity of bui lding it up b ecomes an occasion for i ts

defilement and ruin.

iv 31 f.‘ L et a ll b i tterness and wrath and anger and Glamour and evi l

sp eaking be p ut away f romyou, w i th a ll mali ce : and be ye kind one

to another, tenderhearted,forgivi ng one another, even as God in Christ

ha thforgiven you The fifth injunction,to put away bitter feelings,

and the quarrelling and evi l-speaki ng to whi ch they give ri se,i s

enforced b y an app eal to the character and action of God Himself.You must forgive each other, says the A postle, because God inChri st has forgiven you all.

Be ye therefore followers (or imi tators of God, as Hi s belovedchi ldren

’. These wordsmust b e taken closely wi th what precedes,

as well as wi th what follows. The imi tation of God in Hi smercifulness is the characteri sti c of sonship .

‘ Love your enemies, and do

themgood, and lend hop ing for nothing again ; and your rewardshall b e great, and ye shall b e sons of the Most High ; for He i s

kind to the unthankful and evil. Bemerciful, even as your Father

i smercifulAnd walk in love, as Chri st a lso hath loved you ,

and hath gi ven

Himself for you ,an ofi

’

ering an d a sacrifice to God for a sweet

smelling savour The A postle has invoked the Divine examplefirst of all in regard to forgiveness. He now extends i ts referencebymaking i t the bas i s of the wider command to walk in love ’.Take, he says

,God as your p attern : copy Him; for you are Hi s

chi ldren whomHe loves. Walk therefore in love— such love as

Christ has shewn to you.

For us,the love of God i s sup remely mani fested in the love of

Chri st, who gave Himself up on our b ehalf,‘an offering and a

sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell ’. We then are to love

even as Chri st loved us that i s,with the love that gives i tself for

others,the love of sacrifice. St Paul thus points to Chri st

’s sacri ficeas an example of the love whi ch Chri stians are to shew to one

another. Your acts of love to one another, he implies, wi ll b etruly a sacrifice acceptab le to God ; even as the supreme act of

Chri st’s love to you i s the supremely acceptable Sacrifice.

Two passages may help to i llustrate thi s teaching and the

phraseology in whi ch i t is conveyed . One of these i s found lateron in thi s chapter, where the A postle charges husbands to love

thei r wi ves ‘even as Chri st loved the church and gave Himself

up for i t’. The other oders us another example of the appli cation

of the sacrificial phraseology of the Old Testament to actionswhi ch manifest love. The language in whi ch St Paul d ignifiesthe kindness shewn to himself b y the Phi lipp ian Church i s strikingly

lr

V 3] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 1 15

simi lar to that of our p resent passage :‘Hav ing received of Phil . iv 18

Epaphroditus the things whi ch were sent fromyou, an odour of

a sweet smell, a sacrifice accep tab le, well p leasing to God

3BUT fornication and all uncleanness , or covetousness,let i t V 3— 14

not even b e named among you,as becometh saints ; 4neither

filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting, which are not befitting ;b ut rather giving of thanks. 5For this ye know of a surety

,

that no fornicator nor unclean person, nor covetousman,which

is an idolater,hath any inheri tance in the kingdomof Christ

and of God.

6Let no man deceive you with vain words ; for

because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the

chi ldren of disobedience.7Be not ye therefore partakers with

them.

8For ye were in time past darkness, b ut now are ye

light in the Lord : walk as chi ldren of light : 9for the fruit of

light i s in all goodness and righteousness and truth ; Itoproving

what is acceptable unto the Lord.

1 1.An d have no fellowship

wi th the unfruitful works of darkness , b ut rather expose them:

I ”for of the things whi ch are done of themin secret i t is a

shame even to speak ; I 3but all things when they are exposed

b y the light aremademani fest ; for whatsoever ismademanifesti s light. I4Wherefore it saith

Awake, thou that sleepest,And arise fromthe dead,

And Chri st shall shine upon thee.

‘Bu t forni cati on and all uncleanness, or covetousness,let i t not v 3

even be named among you ,as becometh sa ints The five prohibitions

whi ch have p receded stand side b y side wi th no connecting parti clesto link themto each other. This

,as a point of style, i s far more

unusual in Greek than i t i s in Engli sh. A ccordingly the adversative

parti cle wi th whi ch the final p rohi bition i s introduced deserves the‘more attention . The A postle has called upon hi s readers to put.away falsehood, irri tation, theft

,corrup t speech, bitter feelings .

.But,he seems to say, there i s another class of sins whi ch I do not

even b id you put away : I say that you may not so much as name.themone to another.

‘A s becometh sa ints’. He appeals to a new Chri stian decorum. i i 19

Ye are fellow-citizens with the saints noblesse oblige.

1 16

V IS ff.

EXPOSIT—ION or THE [17 4, 5

‘Nei ther fi lthiness nor fooli sh ta lking nor j esting, whi ch are not

befitting but rather gi ving ef'

thanks’. The first of these nomina

tives might b e taken wi th the p receding verb,

‘ let i t not even b e

named ’; b ut not the other tw o. The mean ing however i s p lain‘neither let there b e among you

’these things which degrade

conversation,or at least relax i ts tone. Havi ng summari ly di smi ssed

the grosser forms of s in , the A postle forbids the app roaches to themin unseemly talk, in fooli shness of sp eech, even in mere frivolousjesting. The seemingly abrup t introduction of ‘ thanksgiving

’in

contrast to ‘ jesting’i s due to a play upon the tw o words in the

Greek whi ch cannot b e rep roduced in translation . Instead of the

lightness of wi tty talk, whi ch p layed too often on the b order-line of

improp ri ety, thei rs should b e the true ‘

grace’of sp eech, the utter

ance of a‘

grace’or thanksgiv ing to God’. He develop es the

thought at greater length below, when he contrasts the merrimentof wine wi th the sober gladness of sacred p salmody.

‘ For thi s ye know qf a sur ety, tha t no f orn i cator nor unclean

p erson, nor covetous man,whi ch i s an i dola ter

,ha th any i nheri tance

in the kingdomQf Chri st and of God St Paul has spoken of the

Gentile Chri stians as havi ng received ‘ the earnest of the inh eri tance and as b eing fellow-heirs wi th the Jews . Here however hedeclares that those who commi t the sins of whi ch he has beensp eaking are thereby excluded fromsuch inheri tance. They haveindeed p racti cally returned to i dolatry

,and renounced Chri st and

God. They have di sinh eri ted themselves.Thi s extension of the metaphor of ‘ inheri tance ’ i s a Heb rew

formof sp eech whi ch has passed over into the Greek of the New

Testament. Thus we have in the Gospel the phrase ‘ to inheriteternal li fe The connexi on of ‘ inh eri tance ’wi th ‘ the kingdom

’

i s found in Matt. xxv 34, ‘ inheri t the kingdomp repared for youand in James i i 5, ‘ Hath not God chosen the p oor of thi s world

,

ri ch in fai th, and heirs of the kingdom’

,etc . In St Paul w e find

only the negative formof the phrase, as in 1 Cor. xv 50,‘ flesh

and blood shall not inherit the kingdomof God ’. The two otherpassages in whi ch i t occurs p resent close parallels to our p resentpassage.

‘Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inheri tthe kingdomof God ? Be not deceived : neither forni cators

,nor

idolaters,nor adulterers, nor efl

'

eminate, nor ab users of themselveswi thmankind, nor thi eves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor rev i lers,

1 For a simi lar p lay on the word 1 2 5 : comp . Ti t. i i i 7. The phrase‘grace

’, see ab ove p . 1 13 .

‘ to inheri t life ’ i s found in P salms2 Mark x 17 and p arallels, Luke of Solomon xiv 6.

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1 18 EXPOSITION or THE [v 8— 13

Walk as chi ldren of light’.

"

We may compare St Paul’s words

to the Thessalonians : But ye, brethren, are not in

ye are all chi ldren of light and chi ldren of the day While speakingof thei r position and p rivi lege the A postle has called them

‘ light

i tself : now that he comes to speak of their conduct, he returns to

truth’. Wi th ‘ the frui t of light

’in this passage w e may compare

2 2 the frui t of the Sp iri t’in the Ep istle to the Galatians. Indeed

y u fi .

somemanuscri pts have transferred the latter phrase to th is place,where i t i s found in our A uthorised Version.

‘ P roving what i s accep table unto the L ord’. These words belong

in construction to the command ‘Walk as chi ldren of light the

intervening verse being a parenthesi s. The light wi ll enab le themto test and di scern the Lord’s will’. So below he b ids them under

stand what the wi ll of the Lord i s‘And have no fellowship w i th the unfru i tfu l w orks of darkness

Just as in the Ep i stle to the Galatians the A postle contrasted the

fru i t of the Spiri t wi th the works of the flesh so here, while hespeaks of ‘ the frui t of light ’, he w i ll not speak of ‘ the frui t of

darkness b ut of its ‘ fruitless worksBut rather exp ose them for qf the things which are done Qf them

in secret i t is a shame even to sp eak ; but a ll thi ngs when they are

exp osed by the light ar e made manifest ; for wha tsoever i s mademanifest i s light’. The A postle i s not content wi th the negative

p recept whi ch bids hi s readers ab sta in fromassociation w i th theworks of darkness. Being themselves of the nature of light, theymust rememb er that i t i s the p roperty of light to dispel darkness, toexpose what i s hidden and secret. Nay more, in the moral and

sp i ri tual world, the A postle seems to say, light has a further power :it can actually transformthe darkness. The hi dden i s darkness ;themani fested i s light ; b y the action of light darkness i tself can b eturned into light.

Ye were darkness ’, he has said,b ut now ye are light and

thi s i s only the beginning of a great series of recurring transformations. You ,

the new light, have your part to p lay in the conversionof darkness into light. Right p roduces right : i t ri ghts wrong.

Or, as St Paul p refers to say, light p roduces light : i t lightensdarkness .

1 On the use of the title ‘ the L ord ’ in these p laces, see what has beensaid ab ove pp . 7 2 , 90 .

V I4, 15] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Wherefore i t sa i th, Awake,than tha t sleep est, and ari se fromthe

dead,and Chri st sha ll shine up on thee

’. Thi s quotation i s not to

b e found in any book that w e know. It is probably a fragment ofan early Chri stian hymn : possibly a baptismal hymn ; or possiblyagain a hymn commemorating the descent of Chri st into the underworld ’. We may compare w ith i t another fragment of earlyhymnology in 1 Tim. i i i 16.

ISTAKE therefore careful heed how ye walk, not as unwise V 15—33

b ut as wise,

16redeeming the time

,because the days are evil.

I 7Wherefore b e ye not fools, b ut understand what the w i ll of

the Lord is .

18And b e not drunk with wine, wherein i s excess

b ut b e filled w ith the Spiri t, I ‘J sp eaking to yourselves in psalmsand hymns and spiri tual songs, singing and making melodywith your heart to the Lord ; ” giving thanks always for all

things in the name of our Lord Jesus Chri st unto our God and

Father ;2 1submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of

Chri st. ” Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands

,

1 Two early suggesti ons are of sufficient interest to b e noted here. One

i s found as a note on the p assage in

John Damaso. (quoted by Ti schendorf):‘We have received by tradi ti on thatthis i s the voice to b e sounded by thearchangel

’s trump to those who have

fallen asleep since the world b egan ’.

The other i s a story told by St Jerome(ad

‘I rememb er once hearing a

preacher d i scourse on this passage in

church. He wi shed to please the

peop le b y a startling novelty ; so he

said : Th i s quotation i s an utteranceaddressed to Adam,whowas b uri ed onCalvary (the place of a skull), wherethe L ord was crucified . It was calledthe place of a skull, b ecause there thehead of the first man was buri ed.

Accordingly at the time when the

L ord was hanging on the cross overAdam’s sepulchre thi s p rophecy was

fulfilled which says : Awake, thou

Adamthat sleep est, and ari se fromthedead

, and,not as we read i t Chri st

sha ll shine up on thee but

Chri st shall touch thee [émx/xatcm]because forsooth by the touch of Hi s

b lood and Hi s b ody that hung therehe should b e b rought to life and

shoul d ari se ; and so that type also

should b e fulfilled of the dead Eli sha

raising the dead. Whether all thi sis true or not, I leave to the

reader’s judgment. There is no doub t

that the saying of i t delighted the

congregation ; they app lauded and

stamp ed wi th their feet. All that I

know i s that such a meaning doesnot harmoni sewi th the context of thep assage

’. There are other traces of

the legend that Adamwas b uried on

Calvary , which was regarded as the

centre of the world. The skull oftendep icted at the foot of the crucifix i sAdam’s skull. It i s not impossib lethat the strange p reacher was goingon tradi tion in connecting the wordswith the release of AdamfromHadesat the time of the L ord’s Descent.

120 EXPOSITION OF THE [V 15, 16

as unto the Lord : 2 3for the husband i s the head of the wife,

even as Chri st i s the head of the church, being Himself thesaviour of the body.

24But as the church i s subject unto

Chri st, so let the wives be to their husbands in every thing.

2SHusb ands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the

church,and gave Himself for it ; 2 ‘Sthat He might sanctify

it, cleansing i t by the washing of water w ith the word ;2 7 that

He might present the church to Himself all-glorious, not

having spot or wrinkle or any such thing ; but that i t should

b e holy and without blemish.

2 3So ought the husbands also to

love their w ives as their own bodies : he that loveth his wife

loveth himself ; 29for no man ever yet hated his own flesh, b ut

nourisheth and cheri sheth it, even as Christ the church ; 3

°for

we are members of His body.S‘Eor this cause shall a man

leave his father and mother, and shall b e joined unto his Wife,

and they two shall b e one flesh.32This mystery i s great ; b ut

I speak i t concerning Christ and the church.33Nevertheless let

every one of you in particular so love his wi fe even as himself ;and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Take therefore carefu l heed how ye walk, not as unw i se bu t as

w i se,redeeming the time, because the days are evi l In hi s desi re to

pursue hismetaphor of the confli ct between light and darkness theA postle has been led away fromhi s p racti cal precepts of conduct.

To these he now returns, and he marks hi s return by once moreusing the verb to walk ’. Four times already he has used i t wi th a

special emphasis in thi s and the p recedi ng Chapter : I beseech youthat ye walk worthy of the calling wherewi th ye are called I

protest that ye no longer walk as do the Genti les walk ‘ Be

followers of God, as Hi s beloved chi ldren, and walk in love,as

Chri st also hath loved you’

Once ye were darkness, now ye are

light ; walk as chi ldren of light’. And now he sums up what he

has just been saying, and p repares the w ay for further injun ctions,in the emphati c words, Take therefore carefu l heed how ye w alk "

The contrast between the darkness and the li ght finds p racti calexpression in the phrase

‘not as unwi se

,b ut as wi se The power

of the light to transformthe darkness suggests that the wi se have a

1 The rendering of the Authorised Spectly’, i s b ased on a slightly di f

Version ,‘ See that ye walk circum ferent reading of the original.

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V 'ZO

Exrosrmou or THE [v 19, 20

second ep i stle to the Corinthian Church . Fromsuch a wri ter insuch an age we can understand the combination of the p recep ts toset free the emotion of a perp etual thankfulness in outb ursts of

hearty song, and at the same time to p reserve the orderliness of

social relations under the influence of an overmastering awe : sp eak

i ng to yourselves i n p sa lms and hymns and sp i r i tual songs, s inging

and making melody wi th your heart to the L ord ; giving thanks

always for all things i n the name of our L ord Jesus Chri st unto

our God and Father ; submi tting yowrselves one to another i n thefi ar

of Chri stThe implied contrast wi th the revelry of drunkenness makes i t

p lain that in speaking of Chri stian p salmody the A postle i s not

primari ly referring to pub li c worship , b ut to social gatherings inwhi ch a common meal was accompanied by sacred song. For the

early Chri stians these gatherings took the place of the manypubli c feasts in the Greek cities fromwhich they found themselvesnecessari ly excluded

,b y reason of the idolatrous ri tes with whi ch

such banquets were associated. The agap ae, or charity-suppers,afforded an opportun ity by whi ch the ri cher members of the communi ty could gather thei r poorer b rethren in hosp itable fellowship .

In the earliest times these supp ers were hallowed b y the solemn‘ breaking of the bread ’, followed by singing, exhortations and

p rayers. A nd even when the Euchari st of the Church had ceasedto b e connected wi th a common supper, these banquets reta ined a

semi -euchari sti c character,and the element of p ra i se and thanks

giving sti ll held an important p lace in them.

Gi vi ng thanks a lways for a ll things i n the name of owr L ord

Jesus Chri st unto our God and Father’. The parallel passage in

the companion epi stle enforces the duty of thanksgiving no lessforcibly. After urging upon the Colossians gentleness , forgiveness

Col . i i i 15 and p eace, he p roceeds : ‘ A nd b e ye thankful. Let the word of

Chri st dwell in you ri chly in all wi sdom teaching and admoni shi ngone another in p salms and hymns and sp i ri tual songs with grace,singing in your hearts to God : and whatsoever ye do in word or in

deed,do all in the name of the Lord Jesus

, gi ving thank s unto Godthe Father through Him

The exp ression, whi ch occurs in both these passages,‘ i n the

name of ’, corresponds to the rei terated exp ressions‘ in Chri st ’and

‘ i n the Lord Beli evers are i n Him theymust speak and act in

His name.

Unto our God and Father ’. The rendering in the A uthori sed

Version, unto God and the Father does not satisfactori ly rep resentthe original, whi ch means ‘ to Himwho i s at once God and the

V 2 1, 2 2] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 123

Father’. We are to give thanks to God,who in Chri st has now

b een revealed to us as the Father‘ Submi tti ng you rselves one to another in thef ear of Christ The v 2 1

enthusiasmof whi ch the Apostle has spoken i s far removed fromfanati ci sm. The glad life of the Chri stian community i s a life of

duly constituted order. The A postle of liberty i s the Apostle of

order and sub ordination. Thi s i s strikingly i llustrated by the factthat the verb to submit oneself’ (often rendered to b e subject ’)isused twenty-three times by St Paul. If w e except 1 St Peter, whi chi s not independent of St Paul

’s ep i stles, i t occurs b ut nine times in

the rest of the New Testament. We may recall a few passages‘ Let every soul b e sub ject to the higher powers

’;

‘ The sp iri ts of Rom.xiii rthe p rophets are subject to the pmphets

’ ‘Then shall even the $30

22,Son Himself be subject to Him that hath subjected all thingsunto Him’

.

Recogni se, says the A postle, that in the Divine ordering of

human li fe one i s subject to another. We must not p ress thi s to

mean that even the highest i s in some sense sub ject to those whoare beneath him. St Jerome indeed takes thi s view,

and p roceedsto commend the passage to bi shop s, wi th whomhe sometimes foundhimself in colli sion . But the A postle i s careful in what follows tomake hi smeaning abundantly clear

,and does not stultify his p recept

by telling husbands to b e subject to their wi ves, b ut to love them;nor parents to b e subject to thei r children, b ut to nurture theminthe d iscipline of the Lord .

The motive of due subordination i s given in the remarkab lephrase

‘ the fear of Chri st ’. In the Old Testament the guidingp rinciple of human life i s again and again declared to b e

‘ the fearof the L ord ’

, or‘ the fear of God

’. Thi s i s ‘ the b eginning of

wi sdom’,and the whole duty of man ’. St Paul b oldly recasts

the p rinciple for the Chri stian society in the unique exp ression‘ the

fear of Chri st ’. He wi ll interp ret hi s meaning as he shews byrepeated i llustrations that the authori ty whi ch corresponds to

natural relationship s finds i ts p attern and i ts sanction in the

authori ty of Chri st over Hi s Church.

Wi ves, submit yourselves un to your own husbands,as unto the v 2 2

L ord’. Having struck the key-note of sub ordination— the recogni

tion of the sacred p rincip les of authori ty and obedience— the A postle

p roceeds to give a seri es of positive p recep ts for the regulation of

social life, whi ch is divinely founded on the unchanging institutionof the family. He deals in turn wi th the duties of wives and

husbands,

of chi ldren and parents, of servants and masters ;beginni ng in each case wi th the responsibi lity of ob edience

,and

124

i i i 14 f.

EXPOSITION OF THE [V 2 3— 25

passing from that to the responsibili ty whi ch rests . on those to

whomobedi ence is due. Those who obey must obey as thoughthey were ob eying Chri st : those who are obeyed must find the

pattern of their conduct in the love and care of Chri st, and must

rememb er that they themselves ow e ob edience in their turn to

Chri st.The thought of the parallel b etween earthly and heavenly

relationshi ps has alread y found exp ression at an early point inthe ep istle, where the A postle speaks of the Father fromwhomall fatherhood in heaven and on earth i s named In the present

passage i t leads himback to h is special top i c of the relation of

Chri st to the Church as a whole. It enab les h im to link the

simplest p recepts of social morali ty wi th the most transcendentdoctrines of the Chri stian fai th . The common life of the home i sdiscovered to b e fraught wi th a far-reachingmystery. The naturalrelationship s are hallowed by their heavenly patterns.

For the husband i s the head of the w ife, even as Chr i st i s the head

of the chur ch, b eing Himself the savi our of the body’. This last

clause i s added to interp ret the special sense in whi ch Christ i s herecalled ‘ the head of the church ’. We have already had occasion to

observe that thi s metaphor of headshi p does not to St Paul’s mindexhaustively express the relation of Chri st to Hi s For, in

fact, Chri st i s more than the Head : He is the Whole of whi chHi s memb ers are parts.

‘ For as the b ody i s one and hath manymembers

,and all the members - including the head are one

body : so also i s the Chri st ’. To this more intimate relation,not

of headshi p , b ut of identification, the A postle wi ll point us a littlelater on in thi s passage. For the moment he contents himself wi thexplaini ng the special thought whi ch he has here in v iew. Chri st

i s the head of the church,as beingHimself the saviour of the body

It is the function of the head to p lan the safety of the body, tosecure it fromdanger and to prov ide for i ts welfare. In the highestsense thi s function i s fulfilled b y Chri st for the Church in a lowersense i t i s fulfilled b y the husb and for the w ife. In ei ther case theresponsib ility to protect i s inseparab ly linked wi th the right to rulethe head i s obeyed b y the body. Thi s is the A postle

’s point ; and

accordi ngly he checks himself, as it were, froma fuller exposition of

the thoughts towards whi ch he i s being led : bu t —for thi s is the

matter in hand as the church is subj ect unto Chri st, so let the

wi ves b e to thei r husbands i n every thi ng‘Husbands

,love your w i ves

, even as Chri st also loved the church,and gaveHimself for i t Subordinationmust b emet b y love. The

1 See ab ove pp . 41 f. , 103.

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126 EXPOSITION or THE [17 28—32

Such is the love of the D ivine Husband to His Bride, of Chri sttheHead to Hi s own Body the Church. So ought thehusbands a lso

to love thei r w ives as their own bodi es’. The conclusion follows at

once,i f indeed i t b e true that the husband is the head, and the wife

the body. Nay, the relation i s i f p ossi b le more intimate sti ll : theman i s in fact loving himself. ‘He that loveth hi s w ife loveth himself:For noman ever yet ha ted hi s ownflesh, bu t nour i sheth and cheri sheth

i t,even as Chri st the church f or w e aremembers of Hi s body

’. The

A postle i s gradually passing away fromthe thought of headshi p to

themoremysterious thought of comp lete oneness. Thi s thought hewill not expand : he will only point to i t as the sp iri tual s ignificance

of the fundamental princi p le enunciated fromthe beginni ng in theGen . 11 2 4

words ‘ they two shall b e one flesh ’. Some manuscri p ts anti cipate

hi s reference to the book of Genesis b y inserting at this place‘of

His flesh and of His bones ’. But the words appear to b e a gloss,

and the passage i s complete wi thout them.

‘For thi s cause sha ll aman leave hi sfather and mother,and shall

be j oined unto hi s w ife, and they two sha ll be oneflesh ’. To these

words our Lord appeals in the Gospel, when He i s confronted b y thecomparative laxity of the Mosai c legi slation in regard to d ivorce.

‘They are no more twain ’, i s the conclusion He draws,

‘ b ut one

flesh : what therefore God hath joined together let not man putasunder ’. St Paul makes hi s appeal to the same words wi th a

di fferent purpose. He i s justi fying hi s statement that ‘ he thatloveth hi s wife loveth himself’. Thi smust b e so

,he declares

,for i t

is wri tten, ‘ they two shall b e one flesh ’. But if i t b e true in thenatural sphere, i t i s true also of the heavenly pattern. Hence headds : Thi s mystery i s great ; bu t I sp eak i t concern ing Chri st and

the church’. The A postle does not mean that the complete union

of husband and wife as‘one flesh ’

,whi ch i s declared in the words

whi ch he has cited, i s a verymysterious thing, hard to b e understood .

In Engli sh w e can speak of a greatmystery in this sense,using the

ep i thet great’ simply to emphas i se or heighten the word to whi ch

it i s attached as in the fami liar phrases a great inconvenience’,‘a great p ity But the corresponding word in Greek i s not so

used it retains i ts propermeaning ofmagni tude or importance : sothat a greatmystery means an important or far-reachingmystery’.Here the word mystery ’ p robably signi fies either somethi ng whi chcontains a secret meaning not ob vi ous to all

, or the secret meaningi tself. A ccordingly the A postle

’s wordsmean ei ther that the statement whi ch he has quoted i s a symboli cal statement of w ide import,or that the secretmeaning therein contained i s of wide import. In

either case he i s p racti cally saying : There i smore here than appears

v 33—v1 1] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 127

on the surface ; there i s an inner mean ing of high importanceI speak it

—or,I use the words—of Christ and the Church.

In conclusion he returns to the p ractical lesson whi ch i t is theduty of hi s readers to draw for themselves in dai ly life. Neverthe v 33

less let every one of you i n p ar ti cu lar so love his w ife even as himseif;and the w ife see that she reverence her husban d The word translated‘reverence would b e more literally rendered ‘ fear

’. A t the close

of the section the A postle strikes again the key-note w i th whi ch he

began .

‘ The fear of Chri st -the fear of the Church for Chri st V 2 1

whi ch i s the p attern of the fear of the wife for her husb and— is noslavi sh fear, b ut a fear of reverence. Just as the word i s often

applied in the Old Testament to the reverence due to God, so i t i s

used of the reverence due to parents : Ye shall fear everyman his L ev. xix 3

mother, and his father ’. Moreover, of Joshua i t i s sa id,‘ they Josh . iv 14

feared him,as they feared Moses, all the days of hi s life

’: and in

P roverbs we read,My son, fear thou the Lord and the king

ICHILDREN,obey your parents in the Lord : for this i s VI

r ight. 2Honour thy father and mother ; which i s the first

commandment wi th promise ; 3that i tmay b e well w i th thee,and thou mayest live long on the earth.

4And, ye fathers,

provoke not your children to wrath : b ut bring themup in

the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

5Servants,b e obedient to your masters according to the

flesh,w ith fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart ,

a s to Christ ;6not wi th eyeservice as menpleasers , b ut as

s ervants of Chri st, 7doing the w i ll of God ; doing service

heartily with good-wi ll, as to the Lord,and not to men

8knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth,the

same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he b e bond or

free.9And

, ye masters, do the same things unto them,for

bearing threatening ; knowing that both their Master and

yours is in heaven ; neither is there respect of persons with

him.

Chi ldren ,obey your p arents in the L ord : for thi s i s right

’

, or vi 1

‘ righteous’. The p recept accords at once with natural right, and

with the righteousness enforced b y the D ivine law . That the latter

p oint of V iew i s not excluded is shewn by the ci tation fromthe

.Decalogue.

128 EXPOSITION OF THE [VI 2— 5

vi 2 f. ‘Honour thy father and mother ; whi ch i s the fi rst commandment w i th p romi se ; tha t i t may be w ell wi th thee, an d thou mayestlive long on the ear th

’. The importance of thi s ob ligation in the

Mosai c legi slation may b e seen by the p rominent p lace whi ch i tholds in the following p assage of the Book of L ev i ti cus : ‘ Speakunto all the congregation of the chi ldren of Israel, and say unto

them: Ye shall b e holy, for I the Lord your God amholy. Ye

shall fear every man his mother, and hi s father, and keep Mysab b aths : I amthe L ord your God ’.

In characteri sing the Gentiles of whom he thri ce says that

‘ God gave themup’,the A postle notes among other signs of thei r

Born. 1 30 dep rav ity that they were‘ d isobed ient to parents

’. Similarly the

2 Tim. i i i 2 evi lmen of the last days are descri b ed as di sobedi ent to parentsand without natural affection

Obedience i s to b e rendered ‘ i n the L ord ’. A lthough the

A postle does not expand the thought, he returns in thi s exp ressionV 2 1 to the key

-note whi ch w as first struck in the phrase‘ in the fear

of Chri st‘And

, yefathers, p rovoke not your chi ldren to wra th ; bu t bri ng

themup in the discip line a/nd admon i tion of the L ord’. A fter

ins isting on obed ience,the A postle enforces the right exerci se of

authori ty. His demand i s not only negative— the avoidance of

a capri cious exercise of authori ty,whi ch i rri tates and d i shearte

the child (compare 001. i i i 2 1 ,‘ lest they b e b ut i t

is also positive. For parents are as much b ound to ins i st on

obedi ence as children are to render i t. There is a‘ di sci p li ne of

the Lord whi ch i s the responsibi li ty of the parent, just as ob edi ence‘ in the Lord i s the duty of the child.

‘ Servants (slaves), be obed ient to your masters (lords)accordi ngto theflesh

’. Thi s passage gains in force when w e observe that

in several instances the same Greek word i s repeated where inEngli sh a variety of renderings i s almost unavoidable. Thus theword whi ch in v. 1 has been rendered ob ey ’must here b e rendered‘ b e obedient to ’

,in order to bring out the parallel (obedi ent)to

your to Chri st’. A gain, the Greek has throughout thesame word for ‘master ’ and for Lord

’; and in like manner the

same word for ‘ servant ’and for ‘ bond ’. This latter word mightequally well b e rendered ‘ slave ’: for it i s bondservi ce that i sprimari ly intended.

Wi th flaar and tremb ling, i n s ingleness of your heart, as to

Chri st’. The relation of slaves to their masters offered a p rob lemwhich could not b e overlooked in the new Christian society. The

Gal. i i i 28 Sp iritual li b erty and equali ty p rocla imed b y St Paul— ‘ there can

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130 EXPOSITION or THE [v1 10

Philem. 16 is to treat Onesimus as‘more than a slave, a b rother beloved

vi 10— 20

b ut Onesimus must go b ack to Phi lemon. A postoli c Chri stian i tydi d not p resent i tself to the world wi th a social p rogramme of

reform. It undertook to create a new human un ity under p resentconditions, teaching master and slave that they were memb ers of

the same b ody, sharers in a common life,both alike related to

one Lord. It strove to make thi s human uni ty— the one new

Man— a vi si b le reality in the Chri stian Church . It"

dealt wi ththe conditions whi ch i t found, and shewed how they might b eturned b y master and slave alike into Opportuni ties for

‘ doing

good whi ch would b e rewarded b y the common Master of themb oth. A t the same time i t planted a seed which w as to grow in

secret to a d i stant and glorious harvest.

FINAL LY, b e strong in the Lord,and in the might of

Hi s strength.

I IPut on the armour of God , that ye may b eable to stand against the w i les of the devil. 1 2For we wrestle

not against flesh and blood, b ut against the principalities,

against the powers,against the rulers of the darkness of this

world,against the spiri tual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly

p laces.

I 3Wherefore take unto you the armour of God,that

yemay b e able to w ithstand in the evi l day ,and having done

all to stand.

I 4Stand therefore,having your loins girt about

w ith truth,and having on the breastplate of righteousness,

15and your feet shod w ith the preparation of the gospel of

p eace ;I‘5withal taking the shield of faith, wherewi th ye shall

b e able to quench all the fiery darts of the w icked one.

1 7And take the helmet of salvation,and the sword of the

Spiri t,which i s the word of God ,

18wi th all prayer and sup

plication praying always in the Spii i t, and watching thereunto

wi th all perseverance and supplication for all the saints ; I9 and

for me, that utterance may b e gi ven unto me, in the opening

of mymouth tomake known w ith boldness the mystery of the

gospel, 20 for which I aman ambassador in bonds ; that thereinImay speak boldly

, as I ought to speak.

A s we approach the close of the ep i stle it i s well that w e

should look b ack and try to realise i ts ma in drift. The A postleb egan wi th a di sclosure of the great purp ose of God for the world

VI 10] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 13 1

the gathering into one of all thi ngs in the Chri st. He prayed that i 10hi s readersmight have the eyes of thei r hearts opened to see and i 18

understand thi s purpose and thei r own share in the reali sation of

i t. He shewed that while hi therto they, as Genti les,had stood 11 1 1 it.

outside the sphere of the special development of the purp ose, theywere now no longer outside i t

,b ut within . For a new beginn ing

had been made : Jew and Gentile had been welded together in

Chri st to formGod’s New Man . The p roclamati on of this oneness i i i 1 ff.

of mankind in Chri st w as themi ssion whi ch w as specially entrustedto St Paul

,and for whi ch he was in bonds. That they should

know and understand all thi s w as hi s earnest p rayer, as their

knowledge of it was an essential preliminary of i ts reali sation.

Hav ing been gi ven thi s unity, theymust keep i t. They had been iv 3called to b e parts of the One Man

,to b e limbs of the Body through

whi ch Chri st w as fulfilli ng Himself ; and thi s consideration mustrule thei r life in every detaiL Here was the ground of the di stino

tion of functions in the various memb ers of the Body : some were iv 1 1 if.

given by Chri st to b e apostles, others to b e p rophets, and so forth,

to fit the saints as a whole for the serv i ce whi ch they were calledto render, and to forward the build ing of the Body of the Chri st ;till all should meet in one grown Man

,who should at length have

reached the comp lete stature of the fulness of the Chri st. Heretoo was the ground of the commonest of obligations : the reason,

for examp le, why they should not lie,

to one another w as that they iv 2 5

were memb ers one of another. The posi tive duties of social lifefound thei r sanction in the same doctri ne of un ity in the Chri stthe reason why wi ves should b e subject to their husbands, and why v 2 2

husbands should love thei r wives,w as that husb and and wife stand

to each other even as Chri st and the Church ; in a relation of

authori ty and obed ience, and yet in a relation of perfect oneness

not twa in,b ut one. Chi ldren and parents, slaves andmasters, were vi 1 if.

in like manner to exemplify the ordered harmony of the new life

in Chri st.A t last he draws to a close. He comes b ack fromthese special

injunctions whi ch deal wi th parti cular relationship s to a generalexhortation whi ch concerns the whole. For there i s one thingmore to b e said . It i s not enough to remember that harmonyand mutual helpfulness are the conditions of the Body

’s growth

and health. If all b e well within,there i s yet an outside foe to

b e continually faced. A struggle i s to b e ma inta ined wi th no

v i si b le human enemy, b ut wi th superhuman and invi sible forcesof evi l. And for this confli ct a divine strength is needed. God

’s

New Man must b e clad i n the very armour of God.

132

vi Io f.

Col. 1 16

EXPOSITION OF THE [V I 10— 12

Finally , be strong in the L ord, and i n themight of Hi s strength.

Put on the armour of Cod’. Thi s note of strength was sounded

at the outset. The A postle p rayed that theymight know‘ the ex

w eding greatness of Hi s power to us-ward who believe, according tothe working of the might of Hi s strength, whi ch He hath wroughtin Christ as the Resurrection and A scension have testified. There

the triumph of Chri st occupied the A postle’s mind : Chri st’s exalta

tion in the heavenly sphere above all forces, good or evi l

, of the

sp i ri tual world. Here he has in view the need of the samemightystrength, in order that the Church may reali se and consummatethat tri umph. A compari son of the

“

tw o passages w i ll shew how

much of the earli er language is repeated in thi s final charge.

‘P u t on the armour of God, tha t ye may be ab le to stand aga inst

the w i les of the devi l’. The word ‘ whole

,

’whi ch i s inserted in the

A uthori sed Version i s redundant,and tends to ob scure the A postle

’s

meani ng. It i s God’s panop ly, or armour

,whi ch must b e put on .

The di vineness, rather than the comp leteness, of the outfit i s emphasi sed : and this becomes clear when the phrase is repeated and

explained later on . The contrast here is b etween ‘ the armour of

God’and ‘ the wi les of the devil

’: and the A postle i s led b y thi s

latter phrase to definemore expressly the nature of the conflict’.‘For we wrestle not aga inst flesh and b lood ’: literally, ‘ for to

us the wrestling i s not against b lood and flesh The emphasis fallson the personal p ronoun we have not to wrestle with a humanfoe not on the metaphor of wrestling, which is only introducedby the way , and i s not further alluded to.

‘But aga inst the p rincip ali ties , aga i nst the p ow ers, against the

rulers of the darkness of this w orld,aga inst the sp i ri tua l hosts of

wi ckedness in the heaven ly p laces’. We have seen already that

St Paul speaks in the language of hi s time when he descri bes theworld as subject to sp i ri tual powers who have fallen from their

first estate and are in rebelli on against God . In hi s firstmentionof themhe left i t open to us to regard themas not necessari ly evi l

powers : hi s one point w as that whatever they might b e Chri stw as exalted ab ove them all in the heavenly sphere . In a later

passage he spoke of themaga in in neutral language, as watchingthe development of God

’s eternal purpose for man,and learning

through the Church the very-vari ed wisdomof God’. Simi larly

in the compani on ep is tle he declares that they have all beencreated in Christ ; and some of them at least appear to b e not

1 So Wi cli f renders rightly , Clothe you wi th the armure of God ’; and

Tyndale,‘Put on the armour of God ’.

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134

Isa. Xi 4 f.

EXPOSITION or THE [v1 14

Judgment i s turned away backward,A nd righteousness standeth afar off

For truth i s fallen in the street,And uprightness cannot enter.Yea, truth i s lacking ;A nd he that departeth fromevi l maketh h imself a preyAnd the Lord saw i t

,and it di sp leased Himthat there was

no judgment.

Then the D ivine warrior step s forth to do battle wi th ini quity

He saw that there w as no man,A nd wondered that there was none to interposeTherefore Hi s own armbrought salvation to Him;And His righteousness, i t upheld Him.

And He p u t on righteousness as a b reastp late,

And an helmet of salvation upon Hi s head ;A nd He put on garments of vengeance for clothing,And was clad wi th zeal as a cloke.

An earli er p rophecy had p ictured the Divine King of the futureas anointed wi th the sevenfold Sp i ri t, and going forth tomake firstw ar

,and then peace, in the earth :

He shall smi te the earth wi th the word of His mouth 1 ;A nd w i th the Sp i ri t through Hi s lip s shall He slay the

wi cked :And He shall have Hi s loi ns gi rt about wi th ri ghteousness,And His reins gi rdled w i th tru th.

A notable p assage in the Book of W i sdom shews how thesedescri p tions of ‘ the armour of God

’had imp ressed themselves on

themind of another Jew besides St Paul :

He shall take Hi s jealousy as a panop ly,A nd shallmake the whole creation His weapons for vengeance

on His enemiesHe shall put on ri ghteousness a s a b reastp late,And shall array Himself wi th judgment unfeigned as wi th

a helmet ;He shall take holiness as an i nv inci b le shield,And He shall sharpen stern wrath as a sword .

The Apostle does not hesitate,then,

to take the words of

ancient p rophecy and transfer them fromGod and the D ivinerepresentative King to the New Man in Chri st

,whomhe arms

1 So the Greek Bi b le renders i t.

VI 14— 17] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 135

for the same confli ct with the very ‘armour of God

’. In so doing

he was in harmony wi th the sp iri t of the p rophet of old. For the

v01ce whi ch cri ed , ‘ Awake,awake, put on strength, 0 armof the H9 ;

Lord cried also, Awake,awake, put on thy strength, 0 Sion

111 I

‘ And you rfeet shod w i th the p rep ara tion (or, read iness’

)of the vi 15

gosp el qf p eace’p repared , as it were, fromthe outset to announce

peace as the outcome of vi ctory. The read iness of the messengerof p eace i s a thought derived fromanother passage of the Book

of Isa iah How b eautiful upon themounta in s are the feet of himIsa . li i 7

that bringeth good tidings, that pub li sheth p eace ; that bringethgood tidings of good

,that publisheth salvation ; that sai th unto

Zion,Thy God reignethWi tha l taki ng the shield 'of fa i th, wherew i th ye shall be able to vi 16 f.

quench a ll the fiery darts Qf the wi cked one and take the helmetof salva tion and the sword of the Sp i r i t

’. G i rded

, guarded, and

shod , wi th truth, with righteousness,and w i th readiness to pub lish

the good tidings of peace : while all that the foe can see i s the

great oblong shield,the crested helm,

and the po inted tw o-edged

b lade—the shield of fa i th,the helmet of salvation

,and the sword

of the Sp i ri t.

The sw ord of the Sp i ri t, whi ch is the word of God’. The

compari son of speech to a sword is frequent in the Old Testament‘ whose teeth are spears and arrows

,and their tongue a sharp Ps , lvu 4

sword ‘ who have whet their tongue like a sword,and shoot out 1111" 3

their arrows,even bitter words He hath made my mouth like Isa. xlix 2

a sharp sword ’. A nd in the A pocalyp se Chri st i s rep resented as Ap oc. i 16 ;

having a sword p roceeding out of Hi s mouth. The passage whi ch 11111 IS

i s immediately in the A postle’s mind i s one whi ch w e have already

quoted : He shall smite the earth w i th the word of Hi s mouth, Isa . xi 4

and w i th the Sp i ri t (or, breath) through His li ps shall He slaythe wi cked St Paul gathers up these words into a new combination

,the sword of the Sp i ri t, whi ch is the word (or, utterance)

of God’.

The word of God , as uttered through Hi s prophets, i s sp okenof as an instrument of vengeance Therefore have I hewed themHos. vi 5

by the p rophets : I have slain themby the words of MymouthBut fromsuch a thought as thi s the Apostle rap idly passed to themention of p rayer as the natural utterance of Chri stian li ps, and

the effective instrument of success in the confli ct wi th evi l. We

may note the repetition‘ the sword of the p raying in the

Sp iri t’. It i s almost as though the A postle had sa i d, For the

Div ine warri or the sword of the Sp i rit i s Hi s own utterance which

puts Hi s enemies to fl ight : for you i t is the utterance of p rayer

I 36 EXPOSITION OF THE [VI 17- 20

in the Sp irit. If thi s i s not clearly exp ressed ,“

yet i t seems to b eimplied by the close connexi on whi ch binds the whole p assage together sword of theSp i ri t, which i s the word of God, w i th

all p rayer a/nd supp li cati on p rayi ng a lways i n the Sp i ri t’. Prayer i s

Rom. vi i i indeed the utterance of the Sp i rit in us, crying A b ba, Father, and

15’26" making intercession for us accord ing to the will of God .

‘ And watching thereunto w i th a ll p erseverance an d sup p li cation

for a ll the sa ints’. If the mi li tary metaphor i s not di stinctly

carri ed on by the word watching ’, the injunction i s at any rate

pecul iarly app rop riate at thi s point. God’s warrior

,fully armed,

must b e wakeful and alert,or all hi s p reparation wi ll b e vain.

‘And for me, tha t utterance may b e gi ven unto me,i n the

op eni ng ef my mou th to make known w i th boldness the mysteryof the gosp el, for which I aman ambassador i n bonds that therein

I may sp eak boldly, as I ought to sp eak’. A t thi s point the

Ap ostle’s language again runs parallel wi th that whi ch he uses

in the Ep i stle to the Coloss ians . For there the exhortation to

001. iv 2 fi . slaves and their masters i s followed at once by the words : Persevere in p rayer, watchi ng therein wi th thanksgiving, praying w i thalfor us also

,that God would Open unto us a door of utterance, to

speak the mystery of the Chri st, for whi ch also I amin b onds,

that Imay make i t mani fest, as I ought to speak Thi s paralleldetermines the meaning of the phrase

‘ the opening of my mouth’.

It i s not,as our A uthori sed Version renders i t

,

‘that I may open

my mouth’; b ut rather ‘ that God may open my mouth ’. He i s

the giver of the utterance. The A postle is Hi s spokesman, Hi sambassador, though, by a strange paradox, he wears a chain.

vi 2 1—24 BUT that ye also may know my affairs,and how I do,

Tychicus , the beloved brother and faithful mini ster in the

Lord,shall make known unto you all things : 2 2whomI have

sent unto you for the same purpose,that ye might know our

affairs,and that hemight comfort your hearts.

2 3Peace b e to the brethren,and love w ith fai th, fromGod

the Father and the Lord Jesus Chri st.24Grace b e w ith all themthat love our Lord Jesus Chri st

in incorruptibili ty.

The words whi ch concern themi ssion of Tychi cus are found also001. iv 7 in the Ep istle to the Colossians

,wi th hardly a d i fference, except

that there Onesimus i s joined wi th him. Tychi cus is mentionedActs XX 4 in the A cts together with Trophimus as a native of p roconsular

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138 EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [VI 24

2 Tim. i 10 ruptib lemust put on i ncorrup ti on’,dzc.

‘Our Savi our Jesus Chri st,w ho hath ab oli shed death

,and hath b rought life and immortali ty

to light through the Gospel’. It signi fies that imperishableness

whi ch i s an attri b ute of God Himself, and whi ch belongs to the

unchanging order of the eternal world. Imperishab leness i s the

characteri sti c of our new li fe in Chri st and of our love to Him.

That life and that love are in truth immortal ; they belong to a

region whi ch i s b eyond the touch of decay and death.

So the ep i stle whi ch opened wi th a b old glance into the eternal

past closes wi th the outlook of an immortal hope.

A 3 A'

Qa rrep 8th rov a cip a'

ros d O'

cc'

nyp e’hahez Ka t taro, ovrws Kai npo

'

repov

p év 8131 7 6311 npogbgrcfiu, V171! de‘

8131 rcfw (i rrom'

cihcov xal 7 03V b tdaa xdhwu. 7;s I c a a a I a I Jr I 8exxhqma yap vmyp erec 17] rov KUPLOU evepyerg . Kat TOTG a vdp amova or a a a t a I a I I

ave’AaBev wa Bl. avrov vmyp efi fay re) Helm/ran rov rrarp os, Ka t rravrore

’I6

t I6

3

BI

6 zaa

I I Ian p amf ou o (b ihav pumas ev vera z 609 e 9 my av pam'

cov O'

comp tav, np or epovI A 3 l

p er rous‘

npocbqra g, vvu b e 7 77V exxhqma v.

Even as through the body the Savi our used to sp eak and heal,so afore

time through the p rop hets and now through the ap ostles and teachers.

For the Church subserves themighty working of the L ord . Whence both

at that time He took up on Himman,that through h imHemight sub

serve the Father’s w i ll; and at all times in His love toman God clothes

Himself w i th man for the sa lvati on of men,aforetime w i th the p rop hets,

now w i th the Church.

CLEMENT or A LEXANDRIA,Eclog. P rOp h . 2 3.

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142 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

33 t

0Q A

Euhoyn7 09 0 609 Ka t 7ra 7 np 7 ou KUp lOU 17wn a s I c A o I 1 I

In0 0v Xp lO‘

T OU, 0 euh07 n0 a 9 1171019 61/ n a 0 g w h oa/taA f

n uevp a 7 ucg éu 7 019 én ovpamow éV Xp lO’

T cp,4Ka0w9 656

3— 10.

‘ I b egin by b lessing Godwho has b lessed us, not with an

earthly b lessing of the b asket and thestore, b ut wi th all sp iritual b lessingin the heavenly region in Christ.

Such was the design of His eternal

selection of us to walk b efore Himin h’oliness and love. Fromthe firstHe marked us out to b e made Hissons b y adop tion through Jesus Christ.The good -

p leasure ofHiswi llwas thesole ground of this selection ; as thep raise of the glory ofHis grace was i tscontemplated end Hi s grace, I say ;forHe has showeredgrace on us inHimwho is the Beloved

,the Bringer of the

great Emancipation, which is wroughtb y His death and whi ch delivers usfromsin : such is the wealth of His

grace. The ab undance of grace too

b rings wisdomand p ractical understanding : for He has allowed us to

know Hi s secret,the hidden purpose

which underlies all and interp rets all.Long agoHis good-p leasurewas determined : now

,as the times are ri peni ng,

He i sworki ng out His p lan. And the

issue of all is thi s—the summing up ,the focussing, the gathering into one

,

of thewhole Universe,heavenly things

and earthly things alike, in Christ’.3. EJAo-yqrés] This word i s used

only of God in the New Testament.It recurs in the p resent phrase, 2 Cor.

i 3, 1 Pet. i 3 ; and in the phrasea h a

-yards s i s rob s a ic

'

ivas, Rom. i 2 5,ix 5, 2 Cor. xi 31. The only otherinstances are Mark xiv 61, Luke i 68.

Of men, on the other hand

,efihq

p e’

vos‘ is used

,e.g. Matt. xxv 34, Luke

i 42 . Efihq rds implies that b lessingis due ; schemat a ,

that b lessing hasb een received. The b lessing ofmanb y God confers material or sp iritualb enefits : the b lessing of God b ymanis a return of gratitude and p raise.

Here St Paul comb ines the two s ignifications : etihoyrj0 a s finds.

15debs Kai i ra '

njp ] The first, as wellas the second of these titles, i s to b etaken with the following genitive. A

sufficientwarrant for this i s found inv. 17, d debs 7 013 xvp iov

’Ir)0 oi}

c crroi},d nariyp rhs 8660s (comp . also

John xx Some early interp retershowever take the geni tive wi th 7ra

'

njpalone. Thus Theodore allows thislatter construction

,and Theodoret

insists upon it. Moreover the Peshitorenders : ‘

Blessed b e God, the Fatherof our Lord Jesus Christ’; and theearlier Syriac vers ion, as witnessed tob yEphraim’s commentary (extant onlyin an Armenian translation), seems tohave had :

‘Blessed b e our Father

,

the Father of our Lord’, etc. On

the other hand B stands alone (forHilary, in P 8. la vi , quotes onlyB ened i ctus dens, qui bened i a

'i t nos,

etc.)in omi tting Ka i na ‘

nip .

c’v mic?) edhoy iq mevuar i xfi]

‘wi th

a ll sp i ri tual b less ing’. It might b e

rendered ‘wi th every sp i ri tua l b less

i ng’; b ut it is b etter to regard

esxoyza as ab stract : compare v. 8 e’u

7160 3) 0 o¢ ia.i n 7 029 e

’n

‘

ovp aviocs] The interpre

tation of this phrase, which occursagain in i 20, i i 6, i i i 10, vi 12

, and

not elsewhere, i s discussed at lengthin the exposition. The Latin renderingi s

‘ in caelestibus’. The Peshito hasm (= e

’v 7 029 odpavo

’

i s) in all

instances except the last. It i s inte

resting to note that in i 20 B and a

few other authorities read i n roi s

odp avo'

i s.

4. sarcasm ] Wemay render thisei ther ‘He ha th chosen

’or

‘He chose’;

and so wi th the aorists throughoutthe passage. In Greek the aorist isthe natural tense to use ; but it does

1 EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS. 143

A, t A 3 A

[8 A

A c h

e§a 7 0 11111019 611 a v7 eo 7rpo 1ca 7 a 0 119 Ko0 p 0v, ewa i

e I s I f a a s a I

a a a 6 (on to a5

a y/

tovs K

.

t

h

p ic/(toy

s 1c

7“

V

,

V 117 011 61! ay amy, grp’oop t0 a s njua s a s v10960 ta 1/ 31a ln0 0v Xp lG

'

T OU 619 a v7 ou,3 2!1

8I n

0I 1 a 5

Ka 7 a T I7V 611 7 011 ehmua 7 09 a u7 0u, a s errawov

not of necessity confine our attention

to themoment of action.

n pd Kara/Sohijs x60uov] Here onlyin St Paul : b ut see John xvu 24,

I Pet. 1 20. The phrase (ia-b kara

Bohijs xo’o-uov is several times used in

the New Testament, b ut not b y StPaul.dyiovs Ka i dp c

i

uovs] These adj ectives are again comb ined in v 2 7 ; and,With the add ition of dve

’

yxhn'

ros, in

Col. i 2 2 . In the Lxx i s

almost exclusively found as a ren

dering of man,which occurs very

frequently of sacrificial animals, inthe sense of ‘without b lemish ’. But

mm“

) is also freely used of moralrectitude, and has other renderings,such as réhetos, dp emrros, Kadap cis,

dxaxos, limo s. Accordingly a sacrificial metaphor is not necessarilyimplied in the use of the word inthis place.

e’v saw ] This has b een interp reted

(1) of God’s love

, (2) of our love,

whether (a) to God or (b) to eachother. Origen adOpts the first view ;he connects e

’

v dycin'

y With npoop i0 as

(‘ i n love having f oreordainedb ut he al lows as a p ossib le alternativethe connexion with e

’

gexéga-ro. Thi salternative (He hath chosen usm i n

love)i s the view taken b y Ephraimandb y Pelagius . The connexion withflpoop lO

'

a s, however, i s more usual :it is accep ted b y Theodore and

Chrysostom: the Peshito p recludesany other view b y rendering

‘and in

loveHe &c. ; b ut Ephraim’s commentshews that the conj unction cannothave b een p resent in the Old Syriacversion.

In Latin the rendering ‘ in cari tate

p raedesti nans (d2g3)left the questionOp en. V ictorinus has this rendering,

b ut Offers no interp retation of‘i n

car i tate’: Amb rosiaster has i t

,and

explains the words of our love to Godwhich p roduces holiness Jerome alsohas it, and gives as alternatives theconnexion with what immedi atelyprecedes, and Origen

’s view which

connects the words with npoop i0 as.

The Vulgate rendering (found also in

f )‘ in cari tate qu i p raedestinaui t

’

precludes the connexion wi th a p o

op i0 as.

The simplest interp retation is thatwhich i s ind icated b y the punctuationgiven in the text. It i s supported b ythe rhythmof the sentence

, and alsob y the frequent recurrence in thisep istle (i i i 17, iv 2

,15, 16, v 2)of the

phrase c’v dycirmin reference to the

lovewhich Christians should have oneto another.

5. eis v iodem’av] St Paul uses theword vzoew za five times ; Rom. vi ii15, 23, ix 4, Gal. iv 5, and here. It is

found in no other Bib lical writer.Although the word does not seemtooccur in the earli er li terary Greek, itis frequent in inscriptions. In addi

tion to the ordinary references,see

Deissmann Neue B i belstud ien (1897)p . 66. He cites frompre

-Christianinscriptions the formulae xad

’v iodea iav

be’

and Karl: dv‘

yarpon'

oclav 85, occurringin contrast to Ka i

-d

In Rom. ix 4 St Paul uses the termin enumerating the p rivi leges of theancient Israel, (511 ri viodem

’a Ka i. rj dbga

Kal. a tBaadr’

ixa i Here thereforeit falls into linewith the other exp ressions which he transfers to the NewPeop le : such as dyaoc, a

’n

'

ohzi-rpcoms,e’xhqp cidnuev, nepm'

o iqms.eddoxiav 7 03 dehrjp aros] Comp . v. 9 ;

and for the emphatic reiteration comp .

v. 1 1 Kard T ip! 6011t 7 05 dehfip aros

144 EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS. [1 7— 10

7 179 xdp17 09 01157 017, 119 exap i7 w0 6 1/ 75111229 611 7 47

n’f

yan ny éuw ,

76V (1) 696011611 7 7511 d 7ro7x157 pw0 w 3101 7 017

a'

qua 7 09 a v7 017,7 11V c

’

ccj)60 11/ 7 amn apa 7r7 w jua 7 wu, Ka 7 a

7 0 7r7\o177 os 7 119 xap 17 09 119 6’

71'

6p i0 0 6v0 61/ 6 is

njua s GV 7ra 0 g 0 0¢ ia Ka 1 (140011110 619y p 10 a s 1711211 7 0

uv0 7 np101/ 7 011 967 w'

11a 7 09 a v7 017, xa 7 a 7 11V GU’

COKLCIV

a u’

7 017 i111 61! 01117 117I °eis oucovow

'

a v 7 ou n hnpw

a137 017. Fritzsche (on Rom. x 1)discusses eddoxe'

iv and eddoxia. He Shewsthat the verb i s freely used b y thelater Greek wri ters

,and especially

Polyb ius, where earlier wri ters wouldhave said stage” and the like. The

noun appears to b e A lexandrian. The

translators of the Greek Psalter, whouniformly employ eddoxei v for 3131

,

render 3131 b y eddoxia ‘

(7 times)andb y 1967117110 (6 times). Apart fromthisei com'a i s found twice only, excep t inEcclesiasticus where it occurs 16

times. In Enoch i 8 we have Kal rip ;

eddoxiav 8160 6 1 av’ro2s Kai min -

a s 61910

yrjcm. L ike it is used largelyof the Divine ‘

good-

p leasure’(comp .

PS. 0111111 4 31-1. 613801162 Kup tos 611

hag? a i roi‘

i), b ut also of the‘

good

pleasure’

,satisfaction or happ iness of

men.

6. i s e’

xap i'r co0 ev 1511129] The Apostle

is emphasising hi s ownword xdp ts. It

i s instructive to compare certain otherphrases in whi ch a sub stanti ve is

followed b y its cognate verb : as in

v. 19 Kard e’wfp ‘

yqxev,

i i 4 di d nohh iyv dydmv a137 017

rj'ycin'

170 ev i juds, iv I 7 179 Oh io-ems 779

ea ten“ . Themeaning i s His gracewherewith He hath endued us withgrace

’; which i s amore emphatic way

of saying‘His grace which He hath

shewn toward us or‘hath b estowed

upon us’. So that the phrase does

not greatly differ fromthat of v. 8‘His grace which He hath made toab ound toward us

’. For other uses

Of xap crofiv, and for the early inter

p retations of the word in this p lace,see the detached note on xcip cc.

The relati ve 59 has b een attractedinto the case of its antecedent. It is

simplest to regard i t as standing for35. N°D2G3KL , with the Latin version(i n read £115 b ut this is prob ab lythe grammatical change of a scri be.

31: h am/1161119] The reasons forregarding 6 ri-yawqp e

’uog as a current

Messianic designation are given in a

detached note. In the parallelpassage,001. i 13 f., St Paul wri tes : Ka i p om-é0 17 70 611 629 7 1711 Baa-(Af fa ir 7 017 115017 7 179ci-ya

'my9 0137 017, 811 exonev In

that p assage the desire to emphasisethe Divine Sonship of Christ mayaccount for his paraphrase of the

ti tle.

7. 31) E’

XOp euSo in Col i 14. For the meaning of

al

v -

pcoaw see note on v. 14.

8. 779 Prob ab ly b yattraction for 13V comp .

2 Cor. ix 8 Sw an ? 86’

6 19609 m’

i o av

xcipw wep 10'

0 6f/0'

a 1 629

9. 7 6 p va-m’pwv] Comp . 111 3, 4, 9,

v 32 , vi 19 : and see the detachednote on p vrrnipw u.

wpoe’

éero]‘He ha th p urp osed

’.

The preposition in this word has thesignification not of time, b ut of p lace :‘He set b efore H imself’. Sowe have7rp61960

'

19,‘

p urp ose’

,in 0. I I .

10. 629 o ixovop fau] The word oz1mvop.1

'

ameans p rimarily either ‘the officeof a steward’or ‘household management’. The latter meaning howeverreceived a large extension, so that

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146

7 "611 w

l

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [I 1 1—13

9 I I I

19011 6xknpw9n/16V 19017 01 7rp0I

960-111 7 017 7 01 77 01117 01 6V6p7 0v117 09 1ca 7 a 7 1111 [3o11a 7 011

I 3 AGehnp a v

'

os 01117 011,3 A I 9 A

a v7 011 7 0119 7 p0n7\7r11<07 a 9 611 XP‘O'

T ‘P

1 23 t A 3 a, I

619 7 0 6111011 1111019 619 6 77 01111011 305119A 13

(0 mu4

t A 9 l fl 3 I 3

11116 19 a xovo'

a V7 69 7 011 Ko'

you 7 119 aAn061a 9, 7 0 611017

yours asmuch as ours. You too haveb elieved in Chri st, and have b eensealed with the Sp iri t, the HolySp irit p romised to the holy People,who i s at once the p ledge and the

first instalment of our common heritage ; sealed, I say, for the full andfinal emancipation, that you, no lessthan we,may contribute to the p raiseof the glory of God

’.

I I . 611 w xa1 6701q 01711611 7rpoop 10'

66117 69] This is practically a restatement in the passive voice of zgexégaro

1511619 (vv. 4, So

Chrysostomcomments : 6669 ‘

ydp 6

6’Kh6fép 6v09 Kai. xhqpcomipi vos‘. KM)p ofmis

‘to choose b y lot

’or

‘to

appoint b y lot’. In the passive it is

‘to b e chosen (or ‘

appointed b ylot

’. But the image of the lot tends

to disapp ear ; so that the wordmeans‘to assign

’,or (mid ) ‘

to assign to

oneself’,‘to choose’; and in the

passive‘to b e assigned

’or

‘ chosen’.The passive, however, could be us ed

wi th a following accusative in the

sense of ‘ to b e assigned a thing’,and

so‘to acquire as a portion Thus in

the Berlin Papyri (II 405)we read ,in a contract of the year 348 A.B. :

317 181)NH011 o croxomv xal 0 17 ah67 1191’111

p qxamfv, 7ra7 pq7a 15111311 b'

w a, 6’klh7po5

61111611, This is the meaninggiven in the present passage b y theA .V . (

‘ inwhomalsowe have ob tainedan inheritance b ut there appears tob e no justification for it, except whenthe accusative of the object assignedi s exp ressed.

A ccordingly the meaning must b e‘we have been chosen as God

’s p or

tion’: and the word is perhaps se

lected b ecause Israel was called ‘the

7 dmix/7 a 6’116pyo17117 09] who w orketh

all th ings’: see the detached note on

6’V6py 6fv.

12 . 7 0179 np oqhmxora s‘]‘who have

been the fi rst to hop e’. For thi s use

of 1rp o’in composition (‘b efore ah

other’)comp are I Cor. xi 2 1 6 1100 7 09

yap 7 0 131011 86 177 11011 up ohayflciva 6 11 7 07

(tay ew . So far as the word in itselfi s concerned it might b e rendered‘who aforetime hop ed

’but the

meaning thus given i s questionab le :see the exp osition.

I3. 611 Kat It is simplestto take 1511629 as the nominative to

20¢ pay i0 19177 6, regarding the secondc’v as p icking up the sentence, whi chhas been b roken to insert the emphatic phrase

‘ the good tidings of a

salvation whi ch was yours as well as

ours ’. A somewhat similar rep etitioni s found in i i 07 1 17 07 3 15116 19 "

57 1. 777 67 17

11 76 7 011 7 779 dhqeefa s] The teaching which told you the truth of things

lot’or

‘the portion

’of God : as, e.g.

,

in Deut. ix 29 017

7 01 ha ck 0 011 mlKhfipds' a

'

ou (comp . Esth. iv I7 , an

addition in the Lxx). The renderingof the R.V .

,

‘we were made a heri

tage ismore correct than that of theA.V ., but it introduces the idea of

inheritance (xknpovop ia), which i s notnecessari ly imp lied b y the word. We

might perhaps b e content to renderéfehé£a7 o (17. 5)and gxhnp aifiqp ev b y‘chose’and ‘

ehosen’, as was done in

the Geneva Bib le of 1557 : an ancientprecedent for this i s found in the

Peshito, which employs the sameverb in b oth verses R and

I 14] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 147

I I A af

yeh ou 7 119 0'

w7 11p 1019 15710111, fi ll 01 Kml

7 0) 77 1161111117 1 7 119 6 7ra v

yf

yeh 1a 9 7 07 017 101,40 a

’

ppafiwv 7 179 Khnp0V0/1 1a 9 17710711, 619

7 pw0'

1u 7 119 7 7 6P17701110'

6w9,619 6 77 01111011 7 179 305119 11117 017.

14. 89 60-7 111

(comp . iv to wi t, that you wereincluded in the Divine purpose—thegood tidings of your salvation. In

Col. i 5 we have the same thought :‘the hope laid up for you in the

heavens, whereof ye heard aforetime

in the word of the truth of the gospelwhich came unto you’, 810. Comparealso 2 Cor. Vi 7 611 héycp 1i7\1)961

'

a9 and

James i 18My?6 0 ¢ pay100177 6

O

K. Compare lv 307 0 1rV617p a 7 0 7 011 66017

,6 11 07

6 0 ¢ p ay1'

0'9177 6 619 np épav a 7ro7tv7 p050

'

6019,

and 2 Cor. i 2 1 f. (quoted b elow).I4. dppaBaiv] L ightfoot has treated

this word fully in the last of his noteson this ep istle (Notes on Epp . p .

It is the Heb rew word 112W (from2 117

, to entwine’,and so to

It i s found in classical Greek writers ;so that it was p rob ab ly b rought toGreece b y the Phoenician traders,and not b y the Heb rews, who knewlittle of the Greeks in early days. It

came also into Latin, and is found ina clipped formin the law books asarra . In usage i tmeans stri ctly nota pledge

’but ‘

an earnest’

(though in the only place in the Lxx

where it occurs,Gen. xxxvi i i 17 111, it

has the former sense). That is to say,i t is a part given in advance as a

securi ty that the whole wi ll b e paidhereafter—a first instalment.Jerome ad loo. points out that the

L atin version had p ignus in thi s

p lace instead of arrabo. Yet in his

V ulgate he left p ignus here and in

2 Cor. i 22, v 5. The explanationp rob ab ly is that in his Commentaryh e was practically translating fromOrigen, and found a careful note on

a’

ppafiaiu, which would have b een

I 0—2

meaningless as a note on p ignusthus his attention was drawn to theinadequacy of the Latin version : b utnevertheless in revising that version(i f indeed to any serious extent he d idrevise it in the Ep istles)he forgot, ordid not care, to insist on the properdistinction.

With the whole context compare2 Cor. i 2 1 f. 6 86 BGBGLCSV 771159 017111511211 629 Xpurrov Ka i xp 1

'

0'

a 9 1511319 9669,6 K0). 0 ¢ pwy1ad116vo9 151139 Ka i 30179 7011cippa/Bcfiva 7 06 1rv61

'

111a 7 09 7 079 Kap81

'

a 19 15111311 (for the technical termBe/Sacofiv, see Deissmann B z

'

belstud ien

p p . 100 3 . and Gradenwitz Einfizhrung in d ieP ap yruskunde, 1900,p .

Gradenwitz (i b i d. pp . 81 shewsthat the dppaficdv, as it appears in thepapyri , was a large p roportion of the

payment : if the transaction was notcompleted the defaulter, i f the seller,repaid the a

’

ppafiaiv twofold with interest if the b uyer, he lost the

cippc dv.

15111311] Note the return to the firstperson. It is

‘our inheritance’: we

and you are O'

v q ovdpm, comp .

i i i. 6.

629 dwohv'7 pw0

'

w] The verb Rv‘rpo i

'

z

0 6mis used of the redemptionof IsraelfromEgyp t in Exod. vi 6, xv 13 (5M),and six times in DeuteronomyIn the Psalms it represents b othHeb rew words ; in Isaiah generallythe first of them: and it is frequentlyfound in other parts of the Old Testament. TheRedemp tion fromEgypti s the ground of the concep tionthroughout ; and ‘

emancipation’ i sperhaps theword which expresses themeaning most clearly. In Englishthe word redemption’almost inevit

148 EPISTLE TO T

ab ly suggests a p rice paid : but thereis no such necessary suggestion whereAw pofio dac i s used of the Peop le,even i f occasionally the p rimary senseis felt and p layed upon. In elm-0M7 pw0

'

19 (and even Mrpcomg in the

New Testament)the i dea of emancip atiou i s dominant, and that of payment seems wholly to have disap

p eared. In the Old Testament theformdflohérpwow i s only found inDan. iv 30

° (Lxx), ofNeb uchadnezzar’s

recovery (6 xp6v09 7 69 dflohvrp aicrmis‘See furtherWestcott Hebrews

p p . 295 fit, and T. K. Ab b ott Ep he

si ans pp . 1 1 if.

7 779 fl6p 171'

01170'

6co9] The verb 71'

6p 171'

01

ei o €a1 is found in two senses in theOld Testament : (1)‘ to p reserve alive

’

(nearly always for (2)‘to ac

quire’. Corresp onding to the former

sense we have the noun mpmm’

qms,‘

p reservation of life’ (who), in 2

Chron. xiv 13 (12) corresponding tothe latter we have Mal. ii i 17

‘

c'

c-om-af

.619 np épav 17V 67 10 W016 , 629 7r6p 1

mzqaw (men “ MN nr‘p. .

15 umn‘azo),

‘they shall b e to the

day that I do make, a peculiar treasure these are the only p laces (exe.Hag. 11 9,m only)where the noun isused.

In the New Testament the verb isfound, p rob ab ly in the sense of ‘

pre

serving alive’,in Luke xvi i 33 (mp 1

wonia ao fiac BL ; b ut NA etc. have(re-70m, and D { woyovfiam} where inthe second memb er of the verse wehave ( 1007 0111517 61. In the sense Of‘acquiring’it i s found in A cts xx 28

(3711 71'6p 161ro1151m7 0 8181 7 05 a i'

naro9 7 017

235011) and in I Tim. i i i 13 (60911611xakév). The noun is found in Heb .

X 39 629 7r6p 111'

01'

770 1v 4119079, I Thess.v 9 629 nepmofqo'

w crco‘mp 1'a9, and

2 Thess. 11 I4 629 nepmoiqaw 861979 ineach of these p laces the meaning isdeb ated ; see L ightfoot on the twolast (Notes on Epp . pp .

The p assage inMalachi i s speciallyimportant for the determination of

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150 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [I 19—2 1

I Q A I a t 3 A I y A7 0 615611111 v

,ua 9 7 19 EO

'

T LV 17 67\7r19 7 179 117\170'

6w9 11117 011,I I A

7 19 15 7r?\o117 o9 7 179 305179 7 179 11A17p01107u1119 1z157 ou 611 7 019

Q I 19I c I I

0A8

I

017 1019, 11111 7 1 7 0 [167 6 09 7 179 111111711613 9A 3 A I i I

c1157 ou 619 1771 119 7 ou9 7 7 10'

7 6v0117 119 , 11117 11 7 1711 6 116707 611111

A l A 3 I n t\ I A7 011 11pa 7 0v9 7 179 tO

'

XUOS‘

a v7 011, 6

’

1117p7 1711611 611 7 91a a I 1 a I a A

Xp10'

7 1p 617 6171119 11117 011

611 VEp V,

[

11111 111

1910 119 611 3651113 f “ A 9 C A

01117 011 611 7 019 67rovpa 1110192 1

v7r6701111111 c17ox179 11111

20. é111§p7 170611

1571211 we should have expected 7r6¢ 13 He hath w rought’: see

7 117 71611011 : b ut the sense i s p lain. detached note on e’vepy eiv and i ts cog

There i s an allus ion to this passageinClem. Rom. 36, 311i 7 0157 0v (so.

’I170

'

01'

5

Xp 10'

7 01'

5)15116 175x19170'

a11 15711311 o i 6¢ 6a>1710i7 779 11ap81

'

a 9' d1ci 7 0157 0v 1; 60151167 09 Kai

80 1107 107161117 81d1101a 15711311 dvaddhha7 15 the former of these sentencesconfirms the reading 11ap81

'

as in thisplace ; the latter recalls at once Rom. i

2 1 and Eph. iv 18.

19—23. Themeasure of themight

of His strength youmay see first ofall in what He has wrought in Chri stHimself. He has rai sed Himfromthe dead ; He has seated Himat Hisown righthand in the heavenly regionHe has made Himsupreme above

all conceivab le rivals,—principali ties,

authorities, powers, lordship s, b e theywhat theymay, in this world or the

next. And,thus supreme, He has

made Himthe Head of a Body—the

Church, which thus supp lements andcompletes Him; that so the Christmay have no p art lacking, butmayb e wholly comp leted and fulfilled’.19. 1517 6d 7\7\011 The

participle comes again in i i 7 7 13 1517 17»Bdhhov and in i i i 19 7 1711 t57repBdkhovo av 7 179 7 11160 6109 dyémyv. Otherwise it is only found in 2 Cor. i i i 10

(With ix 14 (Wi th We

have the adverb in2 Cor. xi 2 3. The noun 1517 1p7807115occurs seven times in St Paul’s ep istles,b ut not elsewhere in the New Testament.

6’111

'

py61a11. " 15

711 gvripyqxev] thework

7 03 xpd7 0v9 7 179 2070509 0 157 013] The

same comb ination i s found in vi 10

6’118v110710i317 196 111v 19 611 7 173 Kp CiTGL

7 39 Zox1509 0 157 03. Comp . also Col. i I 171

'

d v dp el. 8v1107101571 61101 1107 31 7 13

xpd7 09 7 59 365779 015

7 03. With perhap sb ut one exception (Heb . i i 14) theword 117167 09 in the New Testament i sonly used of the Divinemight.20. 6

’1rovp 0111

'

o19] On thi s exp ression see the note on v. 3.

2 1 . 1577 6pdx110]‘above

’. The only

other places in the New Testamentinwhich the word occurs are iv 10 13

11110609 1577611d 17 1317 13 11 7 1311 015110 111311,and Heb . ix 5 1517 6p 1i1111) 36

‘

0 15

1739 (SC. 7 6911173017 03)X6povfieix1 365179. The latter

passage shews that the dup licatedformis not intensive ; as neither isits counterpart (compareHeb . i i S= Ps. vii i 7 157701167 111 7 1311 770

131311 0 157 06 with 11. 2 2 of this chap ter).We have a striking parallel to the

language of this passage in Phi lo de8077171. i 2 5 (M. p .

’E7.11§11v6 86 7 6

1’1'

110p (Gen. xxvi i i I3)6’0

'

7 17p 1yp 6'

11011 em7 779 t ha1<o9 7 011

”

0px0-y-yehox1 K15p 1011 .

15716p0111o yap 1159 0p7107 09 17111'

oxo11 f) 1159

1161139 111178671v 151ro7\r7717 6’011 107 00 60 1

7 6 311 6111 0 13 71157 13 11, 4111x1311,de

'

p 09, o15p01103, 0206177 1311 Burd

71613 11, dopdmw (111517 61011, 30017 6p9607 81 1101 60607 0. 7 011 yap 11617 71011

517 0117 0 356410 9 60117 03 6110117 170 097 1711 7 00 0157 1711 151110X6

'

1

'

77 1507 79 dpxfi9‘every p rima

I 2 2] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 151

I I I

650110 10 9 110 1 3v110 716w9 110 1 11vp 107 177 09 110 1 77 0 117 39 3110'

3 I I A 3 A I a710 7 09 011 711011011 6 11 7 1171 01101111 7 0117 151 11A7\0

A I n c c 1 1

11111 611 71167\7\0V7 1’

YUG’TAZGN vno TOYC noAac

p ali ty’

,&c. The correspond ing li st

in Col. i 16, where the words are inthe p lural 970151101 xvp 167 177 6 9

677 6 cipxa i 677 6 shews thatthese are concrete terms. Otherwisewemight render ‘

all rule’810. We

have the p lurals dpxa i andb elow in i i i 10 and vi 12 . On theseterms see L ightfoot Colossians, loo.

ci t. Although the Apostle inwri tingto the Colossians treats themwithsomething like scorn, yet his references to themin this ep istle shewthat he regarded themas actuallyexistent and intelligent forces, i f in

part at any rate opposed to theDivinewi ll. In the present passage, however

,they arementioned only to em

phasise the exaltation of Christ.770117 39 151167107 09 3110710 { 0116

'

110v] For

3110710 in the sense of a‘title of rank’

or‘ digni ty

’, see L ightfoot on Phil. i i

9 : and compare I Clem. 43, 7 93 6181551931115110 7 1 (so. 7 179 Imam-1511179) 11611007117

7161117, and 44, oZci7760‘

7 0ho1 15111311 67 111116p 19 60 7 0 1 6771 7 03 31167107 09

7 179 677 10 11077139. Among the OxyrhynChas P ap yri (Grenfell and Hunt,p t I no. 58)is a complaint 288)of the needless multiplication of of

ficials : Bovh0'

1161101 7 619 7 0711011619

31167107 0 600 7079 6S6v

p 15117 69, 02 X6 1p 117 7 1311, of. 36 ypap p a

o i 36 ¢ p0117 10 7 1311, closingWith the order : 7 61 36 1311157107 0

770150 177 0 1.

7 13 0213111 The same con

trast i s found in Matt. xi i 32 013

7 15 611

7 0157 171 7 13 0213111 611 7 13 7167010117 1.It i s the familiar Rab b inic contrastb etween 71mD511), the present ag e,

and 111mBS1”, the age to come. Dal

man,who fully d iscusses these terms

(D ie Worte J ean 1 120 i ii), declaresthat there is no trace of themin preChri stian Jewish literature.

In the New Testamentmm13511113represented b y 15 a ia

‘

w 0157 09 again in

Luke xvi 8,xx 34, Rom. xi i 2 , I Cor.

i 20, i i 6, 8, i i i 18, 2 Cor. iv 4 ; b y 15

021311 15 3111 17 7 169 in Gal. i 4 ; b y 15 11311

in the Pastoral Ep istles, I Tim.

vi 17, 2 Tim. iv 10,Tit. i i 12 : and

also b y 15 1115171109 015

7 09 in I Cor. 111 19,v 10, vn 3 1, and in the Johannine

writings, inwhi ch aZaS

v only occurs inthe phrases 129 7 1511 0213110

,311 7 013 02131109

(or in the p lural, as in In

the same sense we often have 15 0211511

I

or 0 11017 1109, just as D311? i s used for71171051V. We may compare also 15

110 1p 159 015

7 09, Mark X 30 (= Lul1e XVIIILuke xi i 56 ; 15 111711 110 1p 159, Rom.

i i i 26,vi i i 18

,Xi 5 ; and 15 110 1p39 (5e

’ve

07 17111159, Heb . ix 9.

On the other hand the words 1115

171109 and 1101p 159 cannot enter into therepresentation of NJ ?!13519. For thiswe have 150212111 151117011011 again in Heb .

Vi 5 (3v111511119 1117010117 09

021311 15 e’

pxéy evo9 inMark X 30 and theparallel Luke xvii i 30 ; 15020

5

11 13

11631109 in

Luke xx 35. Wemay note however1117130110011 in Heb .

i i 5.

We have b elow in this ep istle theremarkab le phrases 15 021511 7 013 1115011011

7 0157 0v in i i 2 , and of 0213111 9 05 éflepxé

1111101 in i i 7 .

2 2 . 1101 770117 0 11.7 .7L] An allusionto PS. V111 7 770117 0 151767 0509 1577011157 10

7 1311 77031311 0157 03, Which i s quoted so

fromthemmin Heb . i i 8. A simi larallusion i smade in I Cor. xv 27 7115117 1:

yc‘

zp 157767 0133111 157715 7 0159 77 1530 9 0157 017.

With the whole context compareI Pet. i i i 2 2 39 317 7 111 31! 3651121 61013

770p ev€el9 1529 ofipavbv 157707 0ye’

117 13 11 0157 13677 1

'

k 1101 3501117 11311 1107. 3111161111011,

which is plainly dependent on this

passage.

152 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [I 23—II I

3 A j , Q

an on 1102 0 157 011 63111116 11 1161150t u7rep 7 7 0 117 0 7 11‘

61111MI A

0 10,

23557 19 60 7 211 7 0 a v7 ou, 7 0 71'7\17pa1,00 7 ou 7 0

A 1/

770 117 0 611 7 7 0 0 111 77Anpov/uevov . II .

IK0 1 15110 9 0117 0 9

1577€p 7715117 0] repeats the 7715117 0 of

the quotation,which itself points b ackto in 17. 2 1.

23. 7 15 nhripwp a‘ the f i ll

ness (or fulfilment) of Himwho

a ll i n all i s being fi lled (or f ulOn themeaning of arkripwpa,

see the detached note.

7 0 77 15117 0 311 77130 111] The phras e i sused adverb ially. It i smore emphaticthan the classical adverb 770117 077 00 01,which does not occur in the NewTestament. It is found, though not

adverb ially, in I Cor. x11 6 0 0117 09

91159, 0 3111117 1311 7 0 770117 0 811 77 130 111

(where however 7100 111 may mean‘ in all and as a predi cate inI Cor. xv 28 7110 35 15 91159 7715117 0 611

77210 111, and wi th a slight variation inCol. i i i I I dhhé 7715117 0 1105 77310 111

Xp 101'

159. In each of the last twocases there is some evi dence for

reading 7 81 77 15117 0 : b ut the ab sence of

the article is natural in the predicate .

This use of the phrase as applied toGod and to Chri stmakes it themoreappropriate here. St Paul uses

7715117 0 adverb ially in 1 Cor. ix 2 5,x 33(7715117 0 77 30 111 Xi 2 , Phil. iv13 ; and likewise 7 8: 77 12117 111 in thi sep istle iv 15 629 0 157 1511

707715117 0,an important p arallel.

t povp e'

uov] There i s no j ustification for the rendering that filleth allin all’ The onlyancient versionwhich gives this interpretation i s theSyriac Vulgate. In English it ap

pears first in Tyndale’s translation

The chief instances cited for777\n00606a 1 as middle are those in

which a cap tain i s said to man hisship (11a 77h17p060901), i .e.

‘to get it

filled ’. But this i diomatic use of themiddle (comp . 770 130 313150 1110001)affords no justification for taking i there in what is really the active

sense. St Paul does indeed speak of

Christ as ascend ing‘that He might

fill all things’; b ut then he uses the

active voice,7110 whqpoio

-

y; 7 d

(iv Had hi smeaning b een thesame here, we can hardly doub t thathe would have said whypofiw-

oc.

The passive sense is supp orted b ythe early versions. (1) The L atin.

Cod. Claromont. has sup p lementumqui omn ia et i n omni bus imp letur.

The usual Latin is p len i tudo ei ua quiomnia i n omni bus ad imp letur : so

Victorinus, Amb rosiaster and the

Vulgate. (2) The Syriac. The

Peshito indeed gives an activemeaning : b ut we have evidence that theearlier Syriac version, of whi ch thePeshito was a revision, took the wordas passive ; for it is so taken in

Ephraim’s commentary, which is p reserved in an Armenian translation.

(3)The Egyp tian. Both the Bohairicand the Sahi dic take the verb in thepassive sense.

Origen and Chrysostomgave a passive sense to the particip le (see the

citations in the footnote to the expositiou). So di d Theodore, though hisinterpretation i s involved : he says

(Cramer Galena, p . 129)01311 6377 611 57 1

770117 0 777\17po'

i, 0703 37 1 0 137 69 611 77 1320 1

77)\ 17p oi37 0 1°

7 00 7607 111, 611 7760 1 77h17'

p 179

The L atin commentatorshad adimp letur, and could not give

any other than a passivemeaning.

II. I , 2 . Next, you may see that

power as it has b een atwork in yourselves. You also it has raised fromthe dead. For you were dead—not

with a physical death such as was the

death of Chri st, b ut dead in your sins.Your former l ife was a death ratherthan a life. You shap ed your con

duct after the fashion of the p resentworld

, after the wi ll of the power

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154 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [II 2

a n A Q A A 9

n ixed/10 7 09 7 011 VUV G’

VEP'

YOUVT OQ éV 7 0 19 w ow 7 7 19 0 77 61

Bovhqv 7 ov 901771107 09 0v7 ov,19 Kara

7 17V e’ve’

p‘

yecav 7 ou kparou9 7 179 loxvo9

0v7 ov, i v 2 3 7 153 vrvevp an 7 ou v009 vp a w.

K07 a TOV apxozrra] The Ap ostle

takes term after term from the

current phraseology, and adds themtogether to b ring out his meaning.

Comp are wi th the whole of thi s

p assage, b oth for style and for

sub j ectmatter, vi 12 7rpo9 7 09 apxas’

,

7rpo9 7 09 e’

fovcn'

09, 7rp o9 7 0v9 Koap o

Kpa7 opa 9 TOU U'

KOT'

OUS‘TOUTOI), “ p 09 Ta

nvevp an xa 7 179 wompz’a9 e’v 7 029 e

’7rov

pam'

ow. There he represents his

readers as struggling against the

world-forces, ln accordancewithwhichtheir former li fe, as here descri b ed ,had b een lived.

With the term6 11,3m comp are Mark i i i 2 2 (Matt. ix 34)£11 7 933pxov7 c 7 6 V 8011101111011, and Matt. X11 24

(Luke Xi 15)311 7 03 BeefeBouh dpxovn7 03V 8041011i also John Xi i 3 1 6

c’

ic ov 7 017 koa'

p ov 7 0157 0v, xiv 30,xvi 1 1. The p lural o i d ovrn 7 013

aZa‘

Svoc rov’rov i s found in 1 Cor. i i 6

,8,

apparently in a similar sense. In

2 Cor. iv 4 we read of (i 9609 7 013 02631109

7 0157 0v.

7 69 e’

govo fa s' 7 013 ci e'

p09] Compare001. i 13 39 31160 07 0 e

’x 7 fi9 e

’

govcn'

a s‘

7 013 0 x67 ov9, and Acts xxvi 18 7 06

e’mmp e

'

xlra t (irto 01057 0119 629 (13139 1102

7 59 e’

fovm’

a9 7 017 2 07 0110 7 01! H66Valso our Lord’s words to those whoarrested Him

,Luke xxii 53 (3708

0 117 1) 307 21} 1416511 7) (Spa Kai n c’

foum'

a

rov 0 x07 0v9.

In the Testaments of the Twelve

P atriarchs (Benj . 3)we have 1571-6 7 017dep iov 17116151107 09 7 05 Bel tdp b ut we

cannot b e sure that this language isindep endent of the p resent passage.The same mus t b e said of the con

ception of the firmament in theA scension of Isaiah, as a regionb etween the earth and the firstheaven, filled wi th contending sp irits

of evil : c. 7 ,‘We ascended into the

firmament and there I b eheld Sammael [who elsewhere 1s i dentifiedwith Malki ra

,

‘the prince of evi l’]

and his powers ,810. There can b e

no doub t, however, that the air was

regarded b y the Jews, as well as b yothers

,as peop led b y sp irits , and

more especially b y evi l sp irits. Compare Philo de gigant. 2 (Mangey,

p . 039 M m¢ 1h60 0¢ 01 8017101109,dy

‘

ye’how v w

'

i9 67016611 ovopd§e1r

xlrvxa i. 36’£ 20 1 Ka7 21 7 0V a épa 7167 01161101

andmore esp eciallymhi s expositionof Jacob ’s Dream (de somn. i 2 2 ,

p . t af 7 01'

vvv 31! 11W 7 13

xo'

apxp 0 v oh11<139 he'

ye7 01 6 mp , ou

1300 19 307 1 7 17, Kopvcpq 35 ovp0v09

0110 yap 7 179 0 630711101019 . axp 1

769 e’a

'

xci‘

rm6 anp 770117 77 7 09629 e¢ 901<evov7 09 £0 7 1 xl/vxa

'

iu 00 10116e oucos,

For the Palestinian doctrineof evi l sp iri ts referencemay b emadeto the instructive chapter Di e Si indeund d i e d onen in Web er A ltsyn.

T heol. pp . 242 i ii ; see also Thackeray,as referred to in the note on p . 133ab ove. In a curious passage in

Athanas ius, de i ncarn. 25, our Lord’s

crucifixion i s regarded as purifyingthe air : ydp 81} 05m. 7 19

C

0 a7 uv 7 ehe1015p ev09'

810 1102 6311157 019 7 0177 011 1517416 111611 0Kup 1o9

‘

0137 0) ydp { Alrcoéei s 7 01! 113V cis'

pa

e’xaficip 1fev 0776 7 6 7 139 310/307t1kfi9 1101

1760 779 7 1811 801116v c’mfiovkfig

7 013 7711613110 7 09] We should haveexpected rather 7 0mefip a , in apposi

tion Wi th 7 0» dpxow a. It may b ethat this was the Apostle

’smeaning,and that the genitive is due to an unconscious assimilation to thegenitiveswhich immediately p recede. If thisexp lanation be not accepted ,wemustregard 7 017 17116151107 09 as in appositionwi th 7 69 350110 109 and governed b y7 011 a

’

pxow a. In 1 Cor. i i 12 we find

7 0mefipa 7 017 11da op posed to 7 0

11 3] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 155

l A f 3

910 9 ‘ 3év 019 K0 1 1511619 77 0 117 69 0 V60'

7 pa'

cpn/uéu 7 7 07 6 6311A I Q A

7 0 19 697 15011110 19 7 179 0'

apK69 17110111, WOlOUV’TGQ 7 0206M§110 7 0

A 3/ I7 119 110 1 7 1011 310 11010114 K0 1 7 6111071 051501 51

77 11617110 7 0 3K 7 017 9eai}. But we haveno parallel to the expression r c

‘

w

dpxow a " .rovmevp 07 09 K.

"7.7L

7 ou vvv e’vepyovvr09] SO

‘thisworld’

is spoken of as 0mm021611 in 1 Tim. vi

17, 2 Tim. W 10, Tit. 11 12 . Theword

like the word 77 11617110, seemspurposely chosen in order to suggesta rivalry with the Divine Sp irit : seethe detached note on e

’vepye

'

iv.

3—7 .

‘Not that we Jews were inany better case. We also lived in

sin,following the d ictates of our

lower desires. We,no less than the

Gentiles, were ob jects in ourselves ofthe Divine wrath. In ourselves, Isay : b ut the merciful God has not

left us to ourselves. Dead as we

were, Gentiles and Jews alike, Hehas qui ckened uswith Christ,—Grace,freegrace,has saved you —and raiseduswi th Him, and seated us with Himin the heavenly sphere : and all this,in Chri st Jesus. For His purpose hasb een to di sp lay to the ages that areyet to come the surpassing wealth of

His grace, in the goodness shewntoward us in Christ Jesus’.3. 81! 079 Kai 7511679]

‘wherein we

also’: so the Latin

‘ i n qui bus’as in

v. 2 , not‘ inter quos

’. At first sight

it seems as though e’u 0179 must b e

rendered as‘0mong whom’

, i .e.

‘among the sons of disob edience ’.But the parallel which the A postle i sdrawing i s b rought outmore forcib lyb y the rendering wherein

’. Thus

we have v1109 0117 0 9 Ve au9 7 019

770pa77 7 o$1100 1v Kal 7 0 19 ap 0p 7 1

'

a19 vp ciiv,

£11 019 7707 5 7rep 1e7ra7 170'

07 e . . 3)cv 019

K02 1711619 770117 69 dueo rpacpqp e'

u 77 07 s "

(0. 5)Kat 3117 09 151159 ve ov9 7rapa

17 7 051100 111. That the relative i s in thefirst instance in the feminine ismerelydue to the proximity of

After the sentence which has inter

vened the neuter i s more natural ;and that the word wapamaip aaw was

p rincipally p resent to the Apostle’s

mind is shown b y the omission of Kai

0110117 5019 When the phrase is

repeated. The change from7rep 177 0

7 e'

1

'

u to dvaorp e'

cpea'eac (on these symonyms see the note on v. 2)does nothelp to justify the supposed changein themeaningof the preposition : forcivcurrp e

'

cpeafiac and duampocb i) are

frequently followed b y £1: to denotecondition or circumstances.

For theworking out of the parallel,compare i 1 1 , 138110

3

1101e’

t paq p ev

311 Ka i. 1511679, and i i 2 1 2 2 311 ‘t’?

7760 0

(13 K0). 1511679 0

‘

vv01K08011

In the present instance theparallel is yet further develop ed bythe correspondence of 31! 7 029 v ic

‘

i 9 17791377 619109 (77. 2)and 611690 7 éK1/a 95150 6 1

rim/139 (v.

c’v The p reposition

here has the same sense as in the

phrase e’u o i9 so that the latter

of the two phrases is to be regardedas an exp ansion of the former.

Gehrip ara] The p lural i s foundin Acts xi ii 2 2 , and as a variant inMark i i i 35.

7 1511 81011010311]‘ourminds’. Wi th

thisandwith 7 139 0 0pK69wemust supp ly15111311, which was used wi th 7 69 0 0pK69at its firstmention and therefore isnot rep eated. For the rendering‘thoughts

’no parallel is to b e found

in the New Testament. In Luke i 5161011010 K0p31

'

09 0137 0311 means strictlythe mind of their heart’; comp .

1 Chron. xxix 18. In the Lxx we

usually find xas’a as the rendering

of but 38 times we have31011010,which is onlyveryexceptionallyused to represent any other word.

That the p lural is used only in the

case of 31011010311 is due to the impos

156

IA c

o’

pf

yns 019 110 1 01 ham-01°EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [II 4—8

9 IL 3 I40 36 9609 7ro 0 1os 0111 611

A8

9 I a A d 3 I c5

10 7 1111 7roa 0 7 0 77 1111 a v7 ou 1111 177 0 77 110 611 71110 9 , 160 1

)I A A I I

0117 0 9 vexpovs 7 019 0 v116§w077 01110 611I I 7 I

7 01 60 7 6 0 60 0107 161101I6

11011 0 1111117 640611I 3 A I A R

160 1 O'

UVSKaOLO'

GV 6 11 7 019 6’

77 0vp0 111019 Xp 10 7 01 1170 011,( I711101 6

’ A 3 A A I

8615117 611 611 7 019 0 1010 111 7 019 6’

77 6pX011611019 7 0

t I a A I a h a I

vn epfiaM ov 7 7o 7 09 7 119 xap 17 09 0 117 011 611 xpn0 7 07 177 1

écj)’

Xp10 7 1§ 1110 00.

8 A I 3

7 11«

yap Xap 17 1'

60 7 6 0 60 01

I I A Q t A A0 1161101 3101 7 7 10 7 6019

'

110 1 7 ov7 0 OUK GEujamu, 96011 7 0

sib ility of saying 7 1311 0 apK13v in such acontext.

InHeb raistic phrasesof this kind 7 6mmand ufot are usedindi fferently as rep resentatives of incompare i i 2 , v 8.

41150 6 1]‘by nature

’, in the sense of

‘ in ourselves’. Other exammes of

this adverb ial use are Rom. i i 1437 011 ydp 7 d 7 017 vdp ov

7701030 111, Gal. 11 15 1511629 (13150 61’Iov

50701, iv 8 7 029 (15150 61 111)0130 111 96029.

5. 0vV6fam7701'

170 6v] The word oc

curs only here and in Col. i i 13,0 v116 (w07701

'

q0 611 151169 0 1311 0137 03. The

thought there expressed makes it

plain that 7 155 xp 107 125 i s the rightreading here, and not 611 ”3107 123,as i s found in B and some otherauthorities. Themistake has arisenfroma dittography of 6 11 .

Xépm] In pointed or p roverb ialexp ressions the article i s b y preferenceomitted. When the phrase, whi ch ishere suddenly interj ected , is taken upagain and dwelt upon in 0. 8,we have75}yap Xdp17 16. 0 v11157 6 1p 611 Kai 0v116Kci910 6 11] i .e.,

‘together with Christ

’,as in the case

of 0 v116 { o>07701'

170 611 j ust b efore. So in

Col. i i 12, 0v1

17 0 (;b6'

117 6 9

8777 6. The compound verb s echo the6"y61

'

p09 and Ka91'

0a9 of i 20.

6’17 0vp0111

'

o19] Compare i 3,20 . This completes the parallel withthe exaltation of Christ. ’

E11 Xp 10 7 1§1110 01? is added, as 611 Xp 10 7 q§ in i 3,

although 0 1511 Xp 10 7 c£5 i s imp lied b y thepreceding verb s : for Xp 10 7 1§

’I170 0f1

states the relation in the comp letestform

, and accordingly the Apostle

repeats it again and again (00. 7,

7 . 61186 12177 01]‘shewf orth

’. The

word is similarly used in Rom. ix 2 2

63 36 96710111 6 96219 7 1)v611317511, where i t is suggested b y a.

citation in 17. 17 of Ex. ix 16 377019

6118655011101 611 0 02 d1ir1ai p ov.

q 0 7 67 177 1]‘ lcindness

’,or

‘

good

ness’. Theword is used of the Divine

kindness in Rom. i i 4 7 013 7r)\0157 0v 7 139

xp 170 7 67 1)7 09 0 13

7 013, and in Rom. Xi 2 2,

where i t is contrasted with dnorop c’a

also in Tit. i i i 4, where i t i s linkedwi th ¢ 1>101119p 0mia z compare also Lukevi 35 37 1 0 137 69 q 07 69 607 111

8—10.

‘Grace, I say, free grace hassaved you, grace responded to b yfai th. It i s not fromyourselves thatthi s salvation comes : i t is a gift, and

the gift is God’s. Merit has no p art

in it : boas ting is excluded. It i s Hethathathmadeus,andnotweourselves :He has created us afresh in ChristJesus

,that we may do good works

which He has made ready for our

doing. Not ofworks , b ut untoworks,is the Divine order of our salvation’.8. Ka i. 7 0177 0]

‘and that

’,as in

Rom. xi i i 1 1 Kai 7 017 7 0 62667 69 7 511

11001611. It is a resump tive exp ression,independent of the construction. It

may be p leaded that, as 810 7750-7 60 9

i s an important element, added to the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

158 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [11 12

I 9 I A I

o i keg/011161101 0 Kp0,0v0 7 10 157 7 0 7 179 Nay/0111611119

I ( I(9 fl Q I

611 X61p077 0 1n7 011, 117 6 7 01 160 11101 616611115)I I a

p 1‘

9 Xp 10 7 011 077 11M 07 p 1w1161101 7 119 7 7 0>x17 6 10 9 7 011

until after A lexander. It was whenHellenismpushed on eastward, andthe policy of Alexander and his successors founded cities as outposts of

trade and civilization, that the con

trast was felt and expressed b etween11671611 and Helleni c life foundits normal type in the milk“ ,

and

b arb arians who lived Kard 1105110 9 or in

some less organised formwere 26111)He refers to Droysen Helleni smusi i i 1

, p p . 31 f. for i llustrations, and

mentions among others Polyb ius vi i 9,where 176x619 and 20111; are repeatedlycontrasted . The word 261117 was thusready to hand when the LXX came toexpress the invi dious sense of non

,

which is found so commonly in Deuteronomy, the Psalms and the Pro

phots. It i s curious that, while StPaul freely emp loys 391117, he neveruses the contrasted term71069, excep twhere he i s d irectly referring to a

p assage of the Old Testament.0 apuj The addition of these

words suggests the external and temp orary nature of the di stinction. For

their position after 7 81 36111; see the

note on i 15. Here i t was perhapsunavoidab le : for 7 0 0 ap 1<i 301117 or

7 036111; 7 0 o apm’would suggest the

existence of another class of 361117whereas the meaning i s ‘

those whoare the Gentiles accord ing to a dis

tinction which i s in the fiesh’. Similarly we have 7 69 hey/011611119 77 6p 17 011fi96 11 0 apx1

'

.

o i hey/01161101]‘which are ca lled

’.

The phrase is not depreciatory, as‘the so-called

’would b e in English.

The Jews called themselves 15and called the Gentiles 15 (i kpo

Bv07 1'

a. St Paul does not here use

the latter name, which'

was one of

contempt ; b ut he cites it as usedb y others .

7 139 keg/0111511179] Thi s i s directlysuggested b y ofh6y61161101. TheApostlemay have intended to suggest thathe himself repudiated b oth termsalike. In Rom. i i 28 f. he refuses torecogni se the mere outward sign of

circumcision : 01186 17 6 11 7 13 (pavepa) 6 11

0 ap 1<1 77 6p17 01117‘

a’hha n .77 6p 17 01117Kapd1

'

09

611 77116111107 1, 011 711014107 1. He thusclaims the word, as itwere, for higheruses ; as he says of the Gentiles themselves in Co]. i i I I , 77 6p 167 111§0177 6 7rep 1

0X61po7701q'

7 19 7 33flé p tTO/Lfi 7 017

X61p07701rfrov] This is the only p lacewhere this word occurs in St Paul’sep istles. Butwe have a

’

xe1p o7701'

177 09 in

2 Cor. v I o im'av 0X6 1p 07701'

177 011 a lcdmov7 079 odpavo

'

1

'

9, and in Col. i i I I

(quoted ab ove). It serves to empharsise the transience of the d istinction,though it casts no doub t on thevalidi tyof it while i t lasted.

12 . xmpu]‘wi thout or

‘ap art

f rom’. St Paul does not use 611611,

which is found only in Matt. x 2931161) 7 017 7707 1109 15111311, in an inter

polation intoMark xi i i 2 c’

z’uev X6 1pa

‘

w,

and twice in 1 Peter,whereml: i s

not used. It is usual to take xcop lgXpurrm

‘

)as a p redicate and to p lace a

comma after it. This is p erfectlypermissib le : b ut the parallel b etween7 33 «mpg? xwp i 9Xp 10 7 01

'

3and vvvl

51? Xpw'

nzo’In0 ot7makes i tpreferab le

to regard the words as the conditionwhich leads up to the predicateswhichfollow.

dq korp rmp e’vm] TheApostle seems

to have inmind Ps. lxvi i i (lxix)98111>xo7 p 1w115v09 6

,

7 61" ;q (”fi lmd i iD) 7 079

ddehcbo’

k 11011, 1601 563109 v io'

1

'

9 7 179

11171-

1169 p oo . This wi ll account for hischoice ofawordwhich does not appearto b e a termof Greek ci vic life. Its

ordinary use is either of the alienation

II 13] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 159

I0p an7\ 160 1 56 1101 7 1011 310011w 7 119 6 77 0 7 7 67110 9, 6A77 180

1111 6x0117 e9 160 1 00601 611 7 01 1600 1101.

of p roperty, or of alienation offeelingthe latter sense prevails inCol. i 2 1, 1601151109 7707 6

’

3117 09 Kai

6x0p01’19 7 37

where estrangement fromGod is in

question. The particip ial sense is

not to b e pressed : strictly speakingthe Gentiles could nothave b een alienated fromthe sacred commonwealthofwhich theyhad never b eenmemb ers.The word is used almost as a noun,

asmay b e seen fromits constructionwi th 3117 69 in iv 18 and in Col. i 2 1.

So too here we have 37 1ho7 p 101716

'

1101. " 601561101. It thus scarcelydifiers fromdhh07 p 109 : comp . Clem.

Rom. 7 , of the Ninevi tes, 671a 0 107 1)

p iar, 1ca 1'

1rep dhh07 p 101 7 013 06017 3117 69.

7707\17 61f09]‘commonwealth or

‘

p oli ty’. In the only other p lace

where the word occurs in the New

Testament, Acts xxi i 28, it is used ofthe Roman citi zenship . In later

Greek i t was commonly used for‘manner of life

’: compare 110x0 61?

6 0001, and see the note on 77 6p 11707 6'

1

'

11

in i i 2 . In this sense it 18 taken hereb y the Latin version, which rendersi t b y

‘conuersatio

’. But the contrast

in o. 19 (0v111707\17 a1)i s decisive againstthis vi ew.

561101] The use of 561109 with a

genitive is not common : Soph. Oed.

Rex 2 19 f. and Plato Ap ol. 1

6x6111)are cited. Here the construc

tion i s no doub t suggested b y the

genitive after In

Clem. Rom. 1 we have a dative,7 179

7 6 070107 p 1'

09 160 1 5611179 7 019 6 167\6i<7 0197 05 0606, 111apds Ka i 01100 1

'

0v 0 700 6 109 :

on which L ightfoot cites Clem. Hom.

vi I4 1159 13 170610 9 190107 111011 030 0 11 110i

56111111. In the papyrus of 348 a n ,

cited ab ove on i 1 1, the sister whohas taken the M009 0 17 016617 7 179 as her

share of the inheritance declares thatshe has no claimwhatever on the

p qxavq'

:‘ hereb y I admit

I 311v111 36 Kp10 7 m

that I have no share i n the aforesaidgrinding-machine, but ama strangerand alien therefrom(110111 5611011 116622101. Kai dhhd'rp tov

7 6311 1310611161311] The p lural is foundalso in Rom. ix 4 (Su n ni 610013160 1.For the covenant with Ab raham, seeGen. xvi i “ 7 ; for the covenant withthe Peop le under Moses, see Exod.xxiv 8.

7 179 Comp . i I3 and

i i i 6,where the Genti les are declared

to share in the Promi se throughChrist.

61 77580 111}610117 69] The same phrase,in a more restricted sense, occurs inI Thess. iv. I3 1100159 Kai o i h01770

’1 of111)

3310117 69 6’711n

'

oa . Christ as ‘the hope

’

of the Genti les was foretold b y thep rophets (Isa. xi 10

, xli i 4 ; comp .

Rom. xv 12 and Matt. xi i and was

the‘secret’ or ‘mystery’ entrusted

to St Paul (Col. iThe word does not occur

elsewhere in the whole of the GreekBib le. It is used here not as a termof reproach, b ut as marking the

mournful climax of Gentile d isab ility.

611 7 113 16001101] These words are notto b e taken as a separate i temin thedescription : b ut yet they are not

otiose. They b elong to the two p receding terms. The Gentiles were inthe world wi thout a hop e and with noGod : in the world, that is, with no

thing to li ft themab ove i tsmaterialising influences.St Paul uses the word 1660-1109 with

various shades ofmeaning. The fun

damental conception is that of the

outward order of things, consideredmore especially in relation to man.

It is rarely found wi thout anymoralreference, as in phrases of time, Rom.

i 20, Eph. i 4, or of place, Rom. i 8,

Col. i 6. But themoral reference isoften quite a general one, with no

suggestion of evil : as in 1 Cor. vi i 31

160 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [II 14

A A c/ r’In0

'

0v 1571619 0 1 OV'TGS

‘

M A KPA N 67 6 11179117 6 e rrvc 61}t/

7 710 0 1710 7 1

‘TOU Xp lO

'

T OU .

157111511, 0 7 01150 0 9 7 0

xp aSp svm7 0V 110071 011, 2 Cor. i 12 cive

mpdcbqp ev 7 1? 110071 19, 77 6p 10'

0'

o7 6'

p co9

86 711109 15p09. In the phrase 010501109057 0: there i s however a suggestionof opp osition to the true order : seethe note on i 2 1. Again, 10501109 is

used of the whole world of men incontrast with the elect peop le of

Israel,Rom. iv 13, xi 12

,15. The

world, as in opp osition to God, fallsunder the Divine judgment, Rom. i i i

6,19, 1 Cor. xi 32 :

‘the saints shall

judge the world’

,1 Cor. vi 2 . Yet

the world finds reconci liation withGod in Chri st, 2 Cor. v 19. In threepassages St Paul uses the remarkab leexp ression 7 0 07 01x1570 7 06 Ko

'

a p ov, of

world-forces which heldmen in b ondage until they were delivered b yChrist, Gal. iv 3, Col. ii 8, 20. In

the last of these passages the expression i s followed b y a phrase which isparallel to that of our text

, 7 1’169

611 16001119 do'

yp arff6006 ; L imitation to the world was the hopelessand godless lot of the Genti les apartfromChri st.13. These words,

and eipémy in the next verse, are fromIsa. lvi i 19 : see b elow, 17 .

61! 071107 1] Comp are Col. i 20

6q uo7ro11§0 09 3107 09 071107 09 7 017

poi)067 013.

14. 0 157 69] He, in His own p erson ;compare azi-rcgi , 17. 15.

7 0 ciq d7 6p0 311] Below we have7 0139 3110 0110110177 011 (11. I and7 0139011¢ 07 6p ov9 (27. Comp . I Cor.

i i i 8 6 ¢ v7 61510v 11ai. 0 7ro7 1'

{ a1v 311 620 111and

, on the other hand, Gal. i i i 28

710117 6 9 ydp 1511 679 639 60 7 6 Xp 10‘

7 13

At first the Apostle is coritent to speak of Jew and Gentile as

the two parts which are comb inedinto one whole : in the sequel hep refers to regard themas two men

,

Cf a 1

0 157 09 60 7 111 11 G IPHN H

0 6V 110 1 7-0 p 60 07 01X0V 7

'

ou

made b y a fresh act of creation intoone newman.

7 8p 6007 01xov] The only parallel tothis word appears to b e 6 p ea érmxosin a pas sage of Eratosthenes (ap udA then. vi i 14, p . 2 81 D), in which hesays of Aristo the Stoic, 86

’

7107 6

1107. 7 0137 011 17 6¢ 05p01<0 7 6V 7 139 1580117791107. cip e

‘

rfis: p 6007 01xov 810p 157 7 0v7 0, Kai.

dvagbmvép evov 71'0p07 33 15801137.7 05} (bpaynofl ‘

the fence’

,or

‘the

p arti ti on’. The allusion is to the

81115430 117 09 or b alustrade inthe Temple,which marked the limit to which a

Gentile might advance. CompareJoseph. B . J . V 5 2 810 7 0157 01) 7rpo1

0117 0111 6771 7 8 86157 6p ov iep c‘

w 8p15<l>0 1<7 097rep 1Be

'

t 7 o 7t1'

011109,7 p 1

'

7mxv9 11611mi l/v 86 x0p 16

'

117 109 8161p'

yacr116'

1109' 61)

0137 113 86 620 7 151160011 65 low 81007 15110 7 090 7 fih01 7 8V 7 139 ci‘yV6 1

'

09 7rp00 17110 1'

v0v0'

0 1

11011011, 0211611‘

Ehknmxo’

k 0 7. 86‘

Pwp aucok

ypdp p aa'

w , 11 7186110 0kh0¢ vhov 6117 69 7 01707 1

'

0v 71'

ap 16'

va 1'7 8 ydp 86137 611011 1

'

6p811

0'

w éxakeiro. One of these inscriptions was di scovered b y M. ClermontGanneau in May 187 1. Owing to thetroub les in Paris he announced his

discovery in a letter to the A the

naeum, and afterwards pub lished a

full d iscuss ion, accompanied b y a facsimi le

,in the Revue A rcheologz

'

gue

1872 , vol. xxi ii pp . 2 14 ft , 290 iiiThe inscrip tion, which i s now at Con

stantinop le, runs as follows

MHOENAAAAOFENHEIZTTOPEYEZOAIENTOZTOYTTEP ITOIEPONTPY¢ AKTOYKAITTEPIBOAOYOZAANAH¢ OHEAYTQ IAIT IOZEZTAIA IATOEEAKOAOYOEINOANATON

Further references to this b arri erare found in Joseph. A ntt. xv 1 1 5(6px1

'

011 h101'

1/0v 8pv§b01<7 00 yp acpf; K0)

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

62 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [II 17— 19

A A 1,

0601 810 7 011 0 7 0vp0v, 07 0167 61110 9 7 1111 6x0p 0 113 A A

1 71606 6

’

7\0wu eYH rre A l c a r o G IPH N H N T O I C

s a 1 cl 7

11 11 16 13 0 11 KA I G IP I-( N HN T O I C e rrvc

1807 1 1

’

0 157 011 exo6 I I

11611 7 1111 7 7p00 0 7 w1

ynv 01 dMCPOT GPO l 611 6111 7 7 116v110 7 1 7rpcsI 191! 1 I y I I

7 011 7ra 7 epa . apa 01111 0111667 1 60 7 6 EEVOL 160 1 77 0p011601,

611 0 137 123] This may b e renderedeither ‘

thereby’,i .e. b y the cross, or

in Himself” . The latter i s the interpretation of the Latin, in semetip soJerome

,who is prob ab ly following an

interpretation of Origen’s,says (Val

lars. vi i‘In ea : non ut in

Latinis cod ici b us hab etur i n semeti p so, prop ter Graeci pronominis amb iguitatem: 611 0 137 03 enim et in

semetip so et in ea, id est cruce,intelligi potest, quia crux, id est

0 7 0vp09, iuxta Graecos generi s masculini est’.The interpretation

‘thereby

’wouldb e impossib le if, as some suppose, 81817 017 0 7 011p0f1 is to b e taken With 077 0

b ut that this is not the

natural construction is shewn b y theparallel in 001. i 2 2 11v11i 8607701607 0)

7 013 001107 011 comp .

Col. i 20. Either interp retation is

accordingly admissib le. In favour of

the secondmay b e urged the 0157 09 of

11. 14 and the 611 aah-655 of 11. 15. On

the suggested parallel with 611 7 330 ap 16i 0 137 09 see the note on 11. 15.

I7 . 61317y'

y6h1'

0 0 7 0 TheApostleillustrates and enforces his argumentb y selectingwords fromtwo p ropheticp assages, to one of which he has

already alluded in passing : Isa. lii 7 ,159 63p a G

’n

' i 7 1311 o’

p e’

wv, 059 770869

y eh1§op 6110v eip 15v179, 659

(01161109 07 000: lvi i 19, 6 ip 1§111711eipq

'myv p axpdv 16a i 7 029 6y y1‘

19

080 111. The first of these is quoted(somewhat differently)in Rom. x 15,and alluded to again in this ep istle,vi 15. The second is alluded to b ySt Peter on the day of Pentecost

,

A cts i i 39.

18. 7 6111 77 p00 0ycoy17'

11]‘our access

so in Rom. V 2,81’05 77po0 0

‘

ywyfiv 60x1716011611 [7 77 7710 7 61] 6 19 7 6711

xapw 7 0 151-1711 : and, ab solutely,mEphi i i 12 611 19 6X0/.1611 7 1111 77 0pp170 10 11 160 1

77p 00 0'

yw'

y1711 6 11 77 677 010170 61. The last

passage is decisive against the alternative rendering

‘introduction ’, not

withstand ing the p arallel in 1 Pet. i ii

18 7110 151109 77po0 0y0‘

y37 66623.6v 611i 77 116 151110 7 1] The close paral

lelismbetween 7 0v9 00¢ 07 6p0v9 611 61110 60110 7 1 7 13 0601 (11. 16)and 01 011¢ 07 6p01611 6111 77 11611110 7 1 77po9 7 011 770 7 6p0 shewsthat the 611 77 116111141 i s that which cor

responds to the 611 0 03110 1 as in iv 4.

That the ‘one sp irit

’ i s ultimatelyindistinguishab le fromthe p ersonalHoly Sp irit i s true, just in the sameway that the ‘

one b ody’i s ind istin

guishab le fromthe Body of Chri stb ut we could not in ei ther case sub

stitute one termfor the other wi thout ob scuring the A postle

’smeaning.

19— 2 2 .

‘You are,then

,no longer

foreigners resident on sufferance only.

You are full citizens of the sacredcommonwealth : you are God

’s own,

the sons of Hi s house. Nay, you are

constituent p arts of the house that isin b uilding, of which Christ

’s apostlesand p rophets are the foundation, andHimself the p redicted corner-stone.

In Himall that is b ui lded is fittedandmorticed into unity, and is growing into a holy temp le in the L ord .

In Himyou too are b eing b uilded inwith us

, to forma dwellingp lace of

God in the Sp irit’.

19.1177d 11601] The technical distino

tion b etween the £61109 and the

KOS‘ is that the latter has acquired b y

the payment of a tax certain limitedrights. But b oth alike are non-ci ti—\i

II 20] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 163

3 3 A A Q l A H fl

0170x111 60 7 6 7 10 11 0 7 110 11 160 1 01166 101 7 011 060v,

l a A I A 1206 7 701160807111106 117 69 6 7 7 1 067167u 1p 7 1011 0 77 00 7 0v 160 1

‘

fl 9, f A

7 7p0q5117 w 11, 0117 09 dxpoy wwaw v a 117 ou Kp 10 7 o11 1170 011,

s ens , which is St Paul’s point here.

So the Christians themselves, in

relation to the world, are spoken of in1 Pet. i i 1 1

,fromP 8. xxxvi i i (xxxix)

I 3, as 770p011601 160 1 770p 677 18171101 : and

this language was widely adopted,

see L ightfoot on Clem.Rom.p ref . For

770p011609 and its equivalent 1167 011609

see E . L . Hicks in Class. Rev. i 5 f.,Deissmann Neue B i belst. pp . 54 f.

0 1111770117 0 1] The word was obj ectedto b y the Atticists : comp . Pollux i i i

51 o yap 0 v117707\17 179 013 8016111011, 6 1 160 1

E13p 177 18179 0137 10 166q 7 0 1 611 Hpaxha

8019 7 6 1601 9 170 61 (Heraclei d . 826, in

the sp eech of the It is

found in Josephus (A nti . xix 2

and in inscrip tions and papyri (B erl.P ap . 11 632 , 9, 2nd cent.

7 0311 dy iwv] See the note on i I .

The thought here i s specially, if notexclusively, of the holy Peop le whoseprivi leges they have come to share.

02116201] 021 620: i s the formal opposite of 070607 71106

"one s own ’

in con

trast to‘another’s’: comp . Ari st. Rhet.

i 5 7 7 011 86 01166 10 6 1110 1 17 (0p0907 0 11 60) 0117 13 1]

The word has various meanings, allderived from 01110: in the sense of‘ household ’or ‘

family’. When usedof p ersons i t means of one

’s fami ly’,stri ctly of kinsmen ,

sometimes loosely of familiar friends : then moregenerally

‘ devoted to’

,or even

‘ac

quainted wi th’

,e.g. ¢ 1ho0 oqbta9. In

St Paul the word has a strong sensesee Gal. vi 10 11121 10 7 0 86 7Tp615

‘

7 0219

0216660119 7 fi9 7760 7 6 609, and 1 Tim. V 8

7 1311 6861011 160 i p dhurra 02166w (comp .

11. 4 7 811 781011 0616011

20. 6770116080117706117 6 9] Theword 019

1101 underlying 02116201 at once suggeststo the Apostle one of his favouritemetaphors. Fromthe 06106, p layingon its doub le meaning, he passes to

I I

the 02K080PJ7’. Apart fromthis sug

gestion the ab ruptness of the introduction of the metaphor, which isconsiderab ly elab orated

,would b e

very strange.

6111 7 135 19611 61119] This corresp ondswi th the e

’m’ of the verb,which itself

signifies ‘to build up on

’: compare

I Cor. 111 10 (59 0 00159 cipx17 6'

167 1011

0611 61 1011 6817160, c'

iMx09 86 60 01160801167.

In that passage Jesus Christ i s sai dto b e the 661161106. Here the metaphor is differently handled ; and theChristian teachers are not the b uilders, b ut themselves the foundation of

the b uilding.

1rpo¢ qr£ w] that is, prophets of theChristian Church. There can b e no

doub t that this is the Apostle’smean

ing. Not only does the order apostlesand p rophets

’p oint in this direction ;

b ut a few verses lower down (i i i 5)thephrase i s repeated, and in iv 1 1 we

have 7 0119 11611 ci7ro0 7 6hov9, 86

wpo¢ 1§7 0 9, 86 way/31671107 09,where Old Testament p rophets are

ob viously out of the question. ThatOrigen and Chrysostomsuppose thatthe latter are here intended is a p roofof the ob livion into which the activityof the prophets in the early Churchhad already fallen.

dxpoycoma iov] The Word is takenfromthe Lxx of Isa. xxvi i i 16, whereit comes in connexion wi th 66116110 .

The Heb rew of thi s passage i s“

ID”

"

10113 mp1 ms in: 13 16

311113“min.

‘ I lay as a foundation in Siona stone, a stone of p roof, a preciouscorner stone of a founded foundationThe Lxx rendering is 18011 63103 6p.

Bcikl w 7 61 GGp G’Ata 2 6 10311 MOO11

6’167\6167 ox1 cixpoymma

'

iov 6117 111011,

629 7 61 661167 00 0 157 139. It i s p lain thatdxp o

'

ywma'

iov corresponds to 1135,

whether we regard it as masculine2

164

6 11 0)l

(sc. or as a neuter sub stantive ;see Hort’s note on 1 Pet. i i 6, wherethe passage i s quoted. In Job

xxxvi i i 6 11009 7 011110209 stands forme in Jer. xvi i i (li)26 11006629 7 01112011 for 11151813 11 : and in PS.

cxvi i (c vi i i)2 2 629 7 0111209 for

7115 11111 In the last of these p lacesSymmachus had dkpo

‘

ymv10209, as he

had also for mm,

‘ chap iter’, in

2 Kings xxv 17. In Ps. cxli i i (cxliv)12 Aqui la had (59 677 171661 10 for 11

1113,

as corners or corner-stones’AKp0

‘

ya1v1a?o9 i s not found again

apart fromallusions to the b ib licalp assages. The Attic word is ymmai os,which i s found in a series of inscriptions containing contracts for stonesfor the temple b ui ldings at Eleusis(CIA iv 1054 6 if): e.g. 67 e

'

p ou9

01290119) 7 01111a2ov 9 65xci ] 8150 (10540, 1. also

,in an

order for 7 d 67721010110 7 6311 1616116011 7 6311

629 7 8 77 p o07 1£5011 7 8 it is

stip ulated that 12 are to b e of certaindimensions

,7 21 86 7 611111020 8150 are to

b e of the same height, b ut of greaterlength and b readth (comp . Herm.

Sim. ix 2 3 86 769 77 1571179 60 7 15166 10 011 77011661101 86686160

'

0201311 8

’02 629

7 619 7 61111209 607 17161120 1 6v8o£67 6p02 1101

60110111 621101 : they are spoken of in

I 5. I as 20xvp67 6p 0 1). In Dion. Hal .i i i 2 2 the P 210 Horati a in the Forumis spoken of as 75 7 01111020 OT vA29.

But, of course, in none of these instances have we the corner-stonep rop er, whi ch is an Eastern conception. That even for a late Chri stianwri ter 7 011110709 was themore naturalword may b e gathered froma comment of Theodore of Heraclea (Corderius P salm. cxvi i 2 2

, p .

1607 61 7 811 ywma'

i ov 7 8 éKéT é p OV

0v-y16po7 6311 7 62Xo9.The earlier Latin rendering was

‘0ngularz

’

s lap z’

s’(62293 Amb rst.

, andso Jerome in some p laces) the later

,‘summus 0 7191110 7 753 lap is

’,which

has b een followed in the A .V . (‘ chief

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [II 2 1

A 1/

7 7 0 0 0 02160801117 0 vV0p/110Ao'

yov1161117 0 11 61 6 19 11010 11

corner-stone ’) b oth here and in

1 Pet. i i 6 ; though in Isa. xxvi i i 16wehave ‘ corner stone

’. Nei ther the

Heb rew nor the Greek affords any

j ustification for the rendering ‘ chiefcorner-stone’. 1 11107 0 111020: stands to

7 01111a 9 as 677" c’i16pa 9 7 011120 9 stands to

67727 0111209 : the first part of the compoundmerely heightens the second.

2 1; 77610 0 O iKa p tfl‘all (the)bu i ld

i ng’,not

‘each several b uilding

’. The

d ifficulty whi ch i s presented b y theab sence of the article (see the note

on various read ings)is removed whenwe b ear in mind that St Paul i sSpeaking not of the b ui lding as comp leted, i .e.

‘the ed ifice ’, b ut of the

b uildi ng as still ‘

growing’towards

completion. The whole edifice couldnot be said to

‘

grow’: b ut such an

expression i s legitimate enough i f

used of the work in p rocess. This i sthe p roper sense of 0211080116, which i sin its earlier usage an ab stract noun,b ut like other ab stract nouns has a

tendency to b ecome concrete, and issometimes found, as here, in a kind

of transitional sense. Our own wordb uilding

’has just the same range of

meaning : and we might almostrender 77220 0 02160801115as all b uildingthat i s carried on

The word i s condemned b y Phrynichus (Lob eck, p . 42 1 ; comp . p p .

487 ff.) as non-A ttic : 0216080117) 012

Aéyera v (i i/T,

0127 017 86 0216086117700.

The second part of thi s j udgmentp roves that b y the middle of the

second century A.D. 0216080117; was

familiar in a concrete sense. The

earliest instances of i ts use are how

ever ab stract. In the TabulaeHeracl.

(CISI 645, i 146)we have 6: 86 7 81

677021610 q'

0 0117 0 1 fékow 69 7 6111 02160

8011011. A L aconian p roverb quotedb y Buidas (3. 71.

"

177 7709)ran : 0216080110

0 6 M1501,‘May you take to

b uilding’ —as one of the wasteful

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166

6/ I

0 7 10 11 611 Kvpup, l

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [11 2 2 —III 1

A A 3

6 11 611 160 1 0 v110116080,u61006 619

I f “

160 7 0116117 77p1ov 7 ou 96011 611 7 7 11611110 7 1.

III .

0 vv0pp oho'

yov116'

1117 OZKOGOp Gi Ta t 629 0 113110

7 671 6 1011 611 1611p269 : this would b e

fairly rendered as‘in whomall the

growth i s b ui lded’,etc. ; nor should

we exp ect in such a case 71210 0 15a1’

1’é170 19.

Thi s compoundi s not found again apart fromSt Paul.In iv 16 he app li es it to the structureof the b ody. There i s some authori tyin other writers for cipp okoyetv. For

themeaning see the detached note.

0 17

56 1] Compare Col. i i 197 6711 0 1

7

5170 111 7 021 66017. Both 0 17

5611 and0 13501101 are Attic forms of the p resent.The intransitive use of the active isnot found b efore Aristotle. It pre

vails in the New Testament,though

we have the transitive use in 1 Cor.

i i i 6 f.,2 Cor. ix 10.

2 2 . 160 7 0111177 rjp 1011] In the NewTestament this word comes again

only in Ap oc. xvi i i 2 1607 0116177 15p 101180 11101126011 (comp . Jer. ix I I 629 1607 01161)

7 17'

p 1or1 8p0166117 61111). It i s found in theLXX

,together with 1607 011620

,1607 0216170 19

and 1607 01166020,for a hab itation of any

sort : but in a considerab le group of

passages i t i s used of the Divinedwelling-

p lace, whether that is con

ceived of as on earth or in heaven.

Thus the phrase 67 0111011 160 7 0116177 1§p 16110 011 comes in Exod. xv 17 , and threetimes in Solomon’s p rayer (1 Kingsvi i i

,2 Chron. vi): comp Ps. xxxi i

(xxxi i i) 14. These Old Testamentassociations fitted it to stand as the

climax of the p resent passage.

611 77 11612

110 7 1] TheGentiles are b ui ldedalong with the Jews to forma dwelling

-

p lace for God ‘i h (the)Sp i r i t

’.

This stands in contrast with theirseparation one fromthe other(the)flesh

’

, on which stress is laid at

the outset of this passage, 7 0

601117 6 11 0 ap 162. . .7 119 hey/011611179 776p 17 011179

611 0 ap 162.

I 3 aIT011

'

7 011 Xapw 67 01 Ha vh os 0C I86071 109 7 011

III. 1 —7 .

‘A ll thi s imp elsmeafresh to p ray for you. And who amI ,that I should so pray ? Paul, thep risoner of the Christ, His p risonerfor you

—you Gentiles. You must

have heard ofmy p eculiar task, of thedispensation of that grace of God

which has b een givenme to b ring toyou. The Secret has b een d isclosedtome b y the great Revealer. I havealready sai d something of it—enoughto let you see that I have knowledgeof the Secret of the Christ. Of old

men knew it not : now it has b een

unvei led to the ap ostles and prophetsof the holy p eop le. The Sp iri t hasrevealed to their sp iri t the new ex

tension of p ri vilege. The Gentiles areco-heirs, concorp orate, co-partakers ofthe Promise. This new position hasb ecome theirs inChrist Jesus throughthe Gospel which I was ap pointed to

serve, in accordance with the gift ofthat grace, of which I have spoken,which has b een given tome in all the

fulness of God’s p ower.’

I . To157 011xcipw ] The actual phraseoccurs again only in 71. 14, where i tmarks the resumption of this sentence,and in Tit. i 5. We have 01

3

xdpw in

Luke vii 47 , and xcipw 7 21109 in I Johni ii 12 . In the Old Testament wefind 7 o157 0v (ydp) xa

'

pw in Prov.

xvi i 17 , 1 Mace. xi i 45, xi i i 4.

67 621 11081109] For the emphaticintroduction of the p ersonal namecompare 1 Thess. i i 18, 2 Cor. x 1

,

Col. i 2 3 ; and especially Gal. v 2 . In

the first three instances other nameshave b een j oined wi th St Paul

’s inthe opening salutation of the ep istle :b ut this i s not the case in the Ep istleto the Galatians or in the presentep istle.

6 860 71 109 7 013 xp 10 7 01'

3’In0 of1] In

Philem. 1 and 9 we have 86011 109

Xp 107 02’

12

1170 021, and in 2 Tim. i 8 7 811

III 2—4] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 167

A A n y 9

Xp 10 7 011 1 110 011 1577 60 15061111 7 11111 69110111, 7 6 11160150 0 7 6

I I A A A

7 1711 01160110010 11 7 179 X0p 17 09 7 011 9eou 7 119 809620 119 001( I3 Q I N

3619 1100 9 , 07 1I 9

160 7 01 0277 0160 7\11\t111 67 11111020 911 001 7 8I I a 3 c.

0n0 7 17p 10u, 1609019 wpoef

ypa xlxa 6 11 8 81511010 96

86001011 0 127 017 (so. 7 01? 1611p2ov

Below,in iv 1

, the expression i s

d i fferent,6y0

’1 5 8600109 611 16071269.

157767) 1501311 7 6511 69116311] So in i i I I ,150629 7 61 6191117. The exp ression is

intentionally emphatic. His champ ionship of the equal position of the

Genti les was the true cause of hi s

impri sonment. Compare 71.‘

13 611

7 029 0ou 15776p 1506311, 60 7 211

86550 1501311.

2 . 7 6 15160150 07 6] The p racti caleffect of this clause is to throw new

emphasis on the words immedi atelyp receding.

‘It i s on your b ehalf

(151re‘

p 1500311)that I ama pri soner—as

you must know, if indeed you haveheard of my special mission to you

(629 We have a close p arallelin iv 2 1 62 716 0 127 6111 15160150 0 7 6The Apostle

’s language does not

imp ly a doub t as to whether they hadheard of hi s mission : it does implythat some at least among themhad

only heard, and had no p ersonal

acquaintance with himself.0216011001

’a11] See the note on i 10 ;

and compare 1502160110020 7 021 000 7 17p20v,b elow in 71. 9. In Col. i 2 5 we have1607 61 7 6711 02160110020 11 7 02) 96021 7 6711 80962

0 6211 001 629 150219, 777\17p 630 0 1 7 6111 hé'yov

7 021 96 021, 7 61 0110 7 15p 1011 In all

these passages God i s 15 0216011001511 : so

that they are not parallel to 1 Cor.

ix 17 02160110020 11 77 677207 6000 1, wherethe Ap ostle himself is the 021601165009

(comp . 1 Cor. iv 1,

xcip 17 o9] For the us e of this wordin connexion with St Paul’s missionto the Gentiles, and in p articular forthe comb ination 1}X62p 19 15809620 62001

(1 Cor. i ii 10, Gal. i i 9, Rom. x11 3,xv 15,Eph. i i i see the detached noteon xdp 19.

3. Karh 12770166ih11111 111] Compare

Gal. 11 2,

and the more strikingp arallel in Rom. xvi 2 5 1601

-0 627701612

)w‘lrw 000 7 1702011

is the natural correlative of 0110 1 15111011,on which see the detached note.

6'y1101p20 917] Compare 071. 5, 10. The

word comes, in connexion with 7 61

0v0 7 15p 1011, in Rom. Xvi 26, Eph. i 9,vi 19, CoL i 27.

77p06'

yp01210] This is the ep i stolaryaorist’, which in English is rep re

sented b y the p erfect. For the

temporal force of the preposition inthis verb , compare Rom. xv 4 30 a

yc‘

zp wpoeypégbq. Here,however, the

meaning i s scarcelymore than that ofgypadra : I have written already(not The technicalsense of 77poyp ci¢ 6 111 found in Gal. i i i 1does not seemsuitab le to this context.611 611 13101] a few w ords

’: more

exactly,‘ in b rief compass ’, or, as we

say,‘ in b rief’. The only other New

Testament passage in which the

phrase occurs i s A cts xxvi 28f. The

phrase i s p erhap s most frequentlyused of time ; as in Wisd. iv 137 671616119629 611 69127101 6719050600 6 xpdvov900 16p0156. Aristotle

,however

,Rhet.

i i i 1 1 (p . 1412 b , in discussingp ithy sayings, says that their virtueconsists in b revity and antithesis, andadds 150629170 19 8161 0611 7 61 5117 116620 901

8161 86 7 61 611 67127 6? 0227 7 01!-y1'

116m1. A useful i llustration i s citedb y Wetstein fromEustathius l l.

i i, p . 339, 18, 0257 611 0611 15’0017p 1161

’

; 611

o’li fiycp 20 7 0020

:

7 61 86

1607 61 06009 0 127 139 7 010177 0 .

4. « pa 3] that i s,‘ looki ng to

which ’, ‘ having regard whereunto’;

and so‘ judging whereb y

’: b ut the

expression i s unusual. The force ofthep reposition receives some i llustrationfrom2 Cor. v 10 2110 160020 177 0 1 616007 09

168 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [III 5, 6

I I a I

0110 7 111020 160117 69 110110 0 1 7 1111 0 111160 111 0011 EV p u0 7 11p1a1fl I A 9 I

7 011 xp10 7 011,50 é7 ep0 19 7 61160 19 01116 6 17 111110 0 911 7 0 19

c A a A a I c Iv1019 7 0111 0 1190027e 059 111111 7 0 19 0 7 1019

A I I 6 3‘

0 157 011 160 1 7 0041117 0 19 GV 77 1161100 7 1, 61110 1

a 6 3

70 810 7 0v 0 15007 09 77039 a 6 7rp 0§6v,The participle civa '

y1vai0 160w e9

seems to be thrown in ep exegetically.Judging b y what he has alreadywritten, they can, as they read, p er

ceive that he has a true grasp of

the Divine purpose, and accordingly,as he hints, a true claimto inter

pret it.The Latin rendering ‘

p routp otestz'

s

legentes i ntelligere’, i .e.

‘so far as ye

are understand’,has much

in i ts favour. This i s also the interpretation ofmost, if not all, of the

Greek commentators : ovvep e-rpria aro

81800 160A2011 7rp89 g7rep 6’

Xaip ov11

(Severian, eaten. ad loo). -But it

makes away/11100 160117 69 somewhatmoredifficult, unless we press it to mean‘ b y reading only

’.

The suggestion that 121107 111020 160117 6 9may refer to the reading of the p ro

phetic parts of the Old Testament inthe light of 3)what the Apostlehas written (Hort, Romans andEp hesi ans, pp . 150 f.) i s b eset withd ifficulties : for (1) where 01107 111050 166111 i s used of the Old Testamentscriptures, the reference ismade clearb y the context, and not left to b e

gathered fromthe word itself ; 1 Tim.

iv. I3 7rp <50 exe 61107111020 6 1 cannot b eproved to refer solely to the pub licreading of the Old Testament : (2)the same verb i s quite naturally usedof the reading of A p ostolic wri tings,Acts xv 3 1, 1 Thess. v 2 7, Col. iv 16

,

Apoc. i 3 : (3)the close p roximity ofwpoéypmpa suggests that what theyare spoken of as readi ng i s what hehas written (4)in the whole contextOld Testament revelation falls for themoment out of sight (see especially11. and the newness of themessage18 insisted on.

7 2111 0 151160 211 0ov A closeparallel is found in 1 (3)Esdr. i 3 1 7 1390 111150 6019 0137 021 6 1 7 121 116019 Kup2cu.

In the Lxx 0 111115110 1 31 is a frequentconstruction : b ut it i s amere reproduction of a Heb rew idiom

,and we

need not look to it for the explanation of our p resent phrase. For the

omission of the article b efore 6110v0 r17p2tp, see the note on i 15.

5. 57 6300 19 “

yet/6029]‘ i n other gene

rati ons",the dative of time ; compare

Rom. xvi 25 xpdvow 0210112019. Fez/68

is used as a sub division of 020511, and

the two words are sometimes b roughtinto comb ination for the sake of

emphasis, as in i i i 2 1 and 001. i 26.

The rendering to other generationsi s excluded b y the fact that zympzaeqis followed b y 7 029 112029 7 1311 civ9pai7rcov.

7 029 112029 7 1311 0119111577010] It i s

remarkab le that this well-known Heb raism

,frequent in the m , occurs

again b ut once in theNew Testament,viz. in Mark ii i 28 (in Matt. xi i 3 1

this b ecomes simply 7 029

The special and restri cted use of thephrase 8 11289 7 013 0

’v9p ai 7rov may

account for the general avoidance of

the i diom, which however i s regularlyrecalled b y the Syriac versions in

their rendering of 22119p a17ro1 (Matt.

v. 19, atp assim).7 029 077 007 191019 In

the parallel p assage, 001. i 26,we

have 11811 86’

134101160 1591) 7 029

0 157 013,

029 15961 110 611 8 9689 yvcop20 a 1,The difference i s in p art at

least accounted for b y the p rominentmention of apostles and prophets

’in

the immediately preceding section(i i

77 11612007 1] See 11 2 2,V 18 and Vi

18, and the notes in these places.

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170 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [III 10

3 I I A 3 I 3

01160110010‘

T OU HUO'

T nPLOU T OU aWOKGv p p é l/OU 0 77 0 7 11111

0 260'

v 611 7 60 9601 7 0 7 7 0 117 0 167 10 0 117 1,

10 2,

1110 7 1160A A A a A I a A

p 10 911 111111 7 0 19 0’

pX0 19 160 1 7 0 19 650v0 10 19 611 7 019 677 011l A a I

700 112019 810 7 179

Paul’s writings. On the other hand,his figurative use of the word has noparallel in the restof the Greek Bib le.

Of fourteen instances of it, five occurin this ep istle. In the uses of the

derivates 7r)\ozi0 1a9 , 777\ov02109, 777\ov

7 6211, 777\0v7 2{ 6 111, the same rule wi ll b efound to hold, though there are someinteresting exceptions.9. 95107 20 01 7 29 15

‘to bring

to light what i s the d i sp ensati on’.

Compare Col. i 27 yuwp iam 7 1’

7 8

77110137 09 where the whole con

text is parallel to the p resent p assage.

is a natural word for the

pub lic d isclosure of What has b eenkept secret : see Polyh. xxx 8 1

677 617 0 86 7 1311 yp a00érwv 602001687 1011 1602

77 6611017 1006116011 : also Suidas629 (21139 22716 111, éfay

‘

yéhhew,

followed b y a quotation in whichoccur the words ¢ w7 2§6 111 7 8 1607 21 7 13116117 0212711 1i77 1ipp 177 011. Compare I Cor.

iv 5 (11607 20 61 7 8 16pu7r7 d 7 017 0 1687 0v9,and 2 Tim. i 10 (21107 200 117 09 86 ( 1027111602cicb9ap0 2011 (with the context).There i s considerab le authority (see

the note on various readings)for theaddition of 7712117 0 9 after 43107 20 0 1.The construction thus gained i s likethat in Judg. xi i i 8 (A text), (11607 10 627 1015069 7 2 7701120 100611 7 133 7ra18up21p (B has

But the sense given toto instruct ’instead of ‘

to

pub li sh — is less appropriate to the

present context ; moreover the insertion of 176117 09 lessens the force of theemphatic 7 029 6191160 111. The changewasprob ab ly a grammatical one, due tothe desire for an expressed accusative :John i 9, 7 8 95107 216 . 7712117 0 2211600 77011, is no true parallel, but i tmayhave influenced the reading here.

‘

12778 7 1311 0265111011] Compare Col. i 267 0 01107 15p 1o11 7 8 1i 77016616p 11006

'

11011 12778

C I

17 0 011520 7 ou

7 12111 0205116011 16ai 62778 7 6311 7 6116 12111 Rom.

xvi 25 0v0 7 17p2011 xp611019 0210112019

0 60 1‘

y1706'

110v : I Cor. i i 7 96017 0 o¢ 2011

0v07 17p2cp, 1i 17 0166 16p 11006'

111711, 131177p 060

'

p 10 6 11 8 9689 77p8 7 1311 0205111011. The

phrase 12778 7 6311 0215111011 is the converseof the more frequent 629 7 0219 02131109

comp . 1577’

02131109, Luke i 70, Actsi i i 2 1

,xv 18 ; 12778 7 021 02631109 1602. 629

7 811 02621110,P S . X] (xli) 14, etc. The

meaning is that ‘ frometernity untilnow

’themystery has b een hidden.

167 20 0 117 1] The add ition in the laterhi ss of 8161

’I170 o17 Xp 107 01

'

} p oints to afai lure to understand the prop riety ofthe simp lemention of creation in thiscontext. The true text hints that thepurpose of God was involved in cre

ation itself.10. 2110 ympw dfi] Compare i 9

yump20 a9 150211 7 8 0v0 7 17'

p 1011, i i i “

36-y1101p20917 001, 5 6

'

re'

pa19 7 6116029 09K

év p209r7, vi 19 770pp 170 20 yump20 a 17 8 0110 7 15p 1oz1. The rejection of the

gloss 7762117 0 9 (see on 11. 9)leaves us themore free to take this clause closelywith 111107 20 01 : to pub lish what frometernity has b een hidden, in orderthat now what has hitherto b een

impossib le of comprehension may b emade known throughout the wi destsphere.

’

See the noteson i 2 1 and the exp osition pp . 20 f.

818 7 139 61619117020 9] Compare 611 7 77616101170 20 b elow,

11. 2 1.

The word i s foundin Greek p oetry in the literal sense of‘ very-varied ’; Eur. Ip h . i n Taur.

1 149, of robes ; Eub ulus 0p . A then.

xv 24, p . 67962 0 7 6111011011 770)\ 1177 02161J\o11

1311661011 : also,figuratively, in the

Orphic hymns vi 1 1 lxi 4In Iren. 1 iv 1 (Mass. p . 19)

we have 77 1290119 770)\v06p o219 1602

111 11] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS . 17 1

f 3 l f 3 I “

160 7 0 71300960 111 7 11111 0 160110111 7111 éTI'

OUIG'

GV EV 7 111

7TO)\U7TOLKD\OU vwdpxow og An echo of

the word i s heard in 1 Pet. iv 10

WOtKQUS‘

xdp 17 o9 9603.

1 1. 1101-07rp6660 111] Th is exp ression

occurs adverb ially in Rom. vi i i 28

7 019 1607 0 77p 096 67 1.

v ov0'

111 . It

there signifies ‘i n accordance with

delib erate purpose on the part, thatis,of Himwho has called : themean

ing ismade clear b y the words whichfollow (07 1 ov9 771106vb y the sub sequent phrase of i x 1 1

1) 1607 7rp o¢960 19 7 ov 960v,‘the

purpose of God which works b y election

’.

In A ri stotle 77p0060'

19 is a technicaltermfor the setting out of the top icof a treatise or sp eech : thus we havethe four d ivisions (Rhet. i i i 13, p .

1414 b , 8) 7711001111011, 77p61960 19,6’

77 1'

7\o ‘

p relude, p roposition, p roof,p eroration

’. In Polyb ius 7rp 0

’1960 19 is

of frequent occurrence in the sense ofa delib erate p lan or scheme ; and thissense i s found in 2 and 3 Maccab ees ;comp . Symm.,

Ps. ix 38 (x i h

terp r. 0L, Ps. cxlv (cxlvi)4. In Polyb .

xii 11 6 we have the actual adverb ialphrase, of lying delib erately

’,160 7 8

7711159667 111 611/eveni ng). In no writerp revious to St Paul does i t app ear tob e used of the Divine purp ose or p lan.

7 1311 0213111011] The addition of the

defining genitive destroys only to a

certain extent the adverb ial characterof the exp ression. The result is d itficult to exp ress in English : neither‘accord ing to the purp ose of the ages

’

(which would strictly p resup pose 1607 81

7811 77p0960'

1v 7 1311 nor‘accord

ing to 0 purp ose of the ages’

, givesthe exact shade of meaning, which israther ‘ in accordance with deli beratepurp ose, and that purpose not new

,

b ut running through the whole of

eternity’. This construction i s frequent

in St Paul’s writings. Thus we haveK0?

"

6’116

'

py61011 (iv 16)and 1607’6’116

'

p'

ye10 11

7 06 207 0 110 (2 Thess . i i onwhich seeb elow in the detached note on éuepye

’

i v.

Again, we have 1607’67r1ray1§11 (1 Cor.

vi i 6,2 Cor. vi i i 8)and 1607

’677 17 031811

7 03 0210111fov 9603 (Rom. xvi also

160 7,

6’167x07 17

'

11 (Rom. ix I I) and 1607’

xdp 17 09 (Rom. xi Comparefurther Rom. 11 7, xvi 5, 2 5, Phil . i i i6 : also in this ep istle, i 1 1 77poop 1

17 96117 69 1607 8 71'

p696 67 111 7 03 7 8 770117 0

6’116p

'

yo3117 09

7711 611-0217616 11] These words involve aserious d ifficulty. If they are takenas equivalent to 71710666 7 0 (comp . i

we supp ose a b reach of the ruleb y which the resolution of such verb si s made With 77 0163090 1

,not With

77016211. N0 other instance of this canb e found in St Paul

,while we have

on the contrary in this ep istle, forexamp le, 1111621111 77 016217 9a 1 (i 16)and0256170 111 77 01620 901 (iv A phraselike 9671171110 77 016211

,Which i s sometimes

ci ted,i s ob viously not parallel, as i t is

not a resolution of 66716111.

Itwas p rob ab lythis d i fficulty,ratherthan the omission of the article b efore77p o

'

960'

111,that led early interp reters

to regard 1607 077p6960'

111 7 1311 0263116011 as

a semi -adverb ial phrase p arentheti

cally introduced, and to take 131 67701170 611 as referring to 0 06220. Jeromeso interp rets, though hementions thepossib ility of a reference ei ther to616162070209 or to 77p6960

'

111. It i s p ro

b ab le that here,as so often

,he i s

rep roducing the view of Origen. But

the Old Latin version, which he

follows in the text, also interp retedso:

‘secundump rop osi tumseculorum,

quamfeci t’: a rendering which rulesout the connexion So

too the translator of Theodore (MSS,71071 ed), b ut of Theodore

’s ow nviewwe have no evidence. Theophylact

and Euthymius Zigab enus exp resslyrefer 1311 to 67 0662011. Chrysostom’s textat this point is in some confusion :

but he suggests, if he d id not actuallyread , 0 121151161111 1311 (comp . Heb .

i 2 81’03 1602

The Vulgate (so too V ictorinus)sub

17 2 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [III 12

fl A I e A 1/

1 110 011 7 111 1611101111 111111111, EV

,

1p exogey 7 1111 7 7 010

pn0 1'

0 11 160 2 7 7100 0 7 017 311 611 7 7 677 019170 61 810 7 119 7 7 167 7 e

stitutes p raefini tionemfor p rep osi

10711,and thus restores the amb iguity

of the original, which the simp lerchange of quod for quamwould haveavoided. It is noticeab le that Jeromehad suggested p rop osi ti o as an alternative rendering of 771161960 19 . The

ab sence of quamfeci t fromAmb rosiaster’s text p oints to another attemp tto get rid of the d ifficul ty.

This construction, however, i s ex

ceedinglyharsh,and i t presents uswiththe phrase 0 09520 11 77016311, Which seemsto have no parallel. Another wayout of the difficulty hasmetwithmorefavour in recent times ; namely, totake 61102170 611 in the sense of

‘wroughtout

’. But itmay b e doub tedwhether

77p6960 111 77016211 could b ear such a

meaning : we should certainly haveexpected a stronger verb such as

677 17 6k6'

211 or This view,

indeed, seems at first sight to b e

favoured b y the full title given to

Christ,and the relative clause which

follows it. But a closer examinationshews that the ti tle i tself i s an almostunique comb ination. In Rom. vi 23,vi ii 39, 1 Cor. xv 31, (Phil. ii i 8)wehave Xp 107 89

’I170 039 8 1615p 109 15111311

(y ou), in i tself an uncommon orderb ut no article is prefixed to Xp 1o-1-69.Only in Col. i i 6 have we an exactparallel, 139 0311 7 7 0p 67\d186 7 6 7 811 xp 10 7 811’1170o311 7 811 1615111011, where L ightfoot punctuates after xpw

-réu and

renders ‘the Chri st

,even Jesus the

Lord ’. Accordingly, in the p resentpassage, even i f we are unwilling topress the d istinction in an Englishrendering, wemay feel that an exactob servation of the Greek weakens theforce of the argument derived fromthe fulness of the ti tle

,and leaves us

free to accept an interp retationwhichregards 671021711 611 as referring to theformation of the eternal purpose inthe Chri st.

On the whole i t is preferab le tosup pose that the Ap ostle is referringto the original formation of the pur

p ose, and not to i ts sub sequentworkingout in hi story. We may even doub twhether here he would have used thep ast tense, if he had been speaking ofits realisation.

Instances may b e found in the

Lxx and in New Testament wri tersother than St Paul

,in which 77 016211 is

used where we should exp ect 77016?

0 90 1 : comp . Isa. xxix 15, xxx 1, 301111711

77 016211,and see Blass JV. T.Gram. § 53 ,

3 and Jannari s H i st. Gr. Gram.

1484. Further, we may rememb erthat 77016211 in b ib lical literature often

has a strong sense, derived fromtheHeb rew,

in reference to creative actsof God (comp . i i The framingof the Purpose in the Christmay b eregarded as the initial act of creation,and the word 67702170 611may b e not inapp ropriately applied to it. In otherwords 77pd960 111 677 02170 611 is a strongerform of expression than 77p6960 111

67701150 07 0,which is themere equivalentof 7rp06

’

667 0 : and i t suggests that ‘the

purpose of the ages,’like the ages

themselves (Heb . i has b een calledinto existence b y a Divine creativeact.

With this pas sage, and indeed withthe whole of thi s section

,should b e

compared 2 Tim. i 8— 12 ,where thereare striking parallels of language andof thought,which are themore noticeab le in the ab sence '

of any exp licitreference to the Gentiles.

12 . 7 811 770pp110 i011 Compare11 18. For themeanings of wappnm'

a

see L ightfoot on Col. i i 15. Ord inari lyit i s used of ‘ b oldness’ in relation to

men : here it is of the attitude ofmanto God : there seems to b e no otherexamp le of this use in St Paul ; butsee Heb . i i i 6

,iv 16

,x 19, 35, 1 John

i i 28,i i i 2 1

,iv 17, v 14.

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174 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

“

[III 15

A A A

77 0 7 6p0 , av 7 0 0 0 611 160 1 677 1 7 179

of thi s phrase marks the close con

nexion of 011. I and 14, and shews thatwhat has intervened is a digression.

110111717 111 The usual phrase for‘kneeling ln the New Testament is6629 7 8 7 61107 0 . The present phrase i sfound again only in a quotation from1 Kings xix 18 in Rom. xi 4 ; in a

quotation fromIsa xlv 23, 87 1 61102

KtipAI/Gl 77811 ydvv, in Rom. xiv I I ; and

in Phil. 11 10, 2110 7 03 63116007 1’Iq0o3

77611 7 61111 an allusion to the

same passage of Isaiah.

77 0 7 6p0] The insertion after thisword of 7 03 16vp 1

'

0v 15111311’Ir)0 03Xp 107 03

is amischievous gloss,which ob scuresthe intimate connexion b etween the

ab solute 7707 15p and 7730 0 7ra7 p 1é. It

is ab sent fromN*ABCP .

15. 7780 0 7ra7 p 1é] Ha7 p 1d denotes

a group of p ersons united b y descentfroma common father or,more generally, a common ancestor. It has thusthe narrower meaning of

‘ family’orthe wider meaning of

‘trib e’. It i s

exceed ingly common in the genea

logical passages of the Lxx,where it

often stands in connexion with 021109

and (tului. St Paul plays on the derivation of the word : 770 7 p 18 is derivedfrom7707 1ip every 770 1-1016, in the visib leor the invisib le world , is ultimatelynamed fromthe one tr ue Father (6

the source of all fatherhood.

The literal rendering i s ‘every

family’; b ut the p oint of the passagecannot b e given in English withouta paraphrase. The Latin rendering‘omni s patern itas

’seems to b e a b oldeffort in this d irection ; for p aternitas

,like ‘

fatherhood’ in English, i san ab stract termand does not appearto b e used in the sense of ‘

a family’.It i s true that Jerome (ad Zoe. and616211. Helvi a. in order to b ringout a parallel, renders 7ra-rp 1a 1

’of the

Lxx b y p aterni tates : b ut in hi s own

version (Numb . i 2, etc.)he does not

1ntroduce the word,nor does i t occur

as a rendering of 770 7 p 16i in the Latin

version of the Lxx. P atri a i s occasionally so used , and is found also ina quotation of our p resent passagein the metri cal treatise [Tert ] adv.

fifarcionemiv 35.Similarly the rendering of the

Peshito 4 8mm < l a mustmean ‘

all fatherhood’: comp .

{ hom é n‘the name of father

hood ’ in Aphrahat (Wright 472

The Latin and Syriac versions therefore warrant us in rendering the passage in English as

‘the F ather of

whomallf atherhood . . i s named ’.On the teaching of the passage i t

is worth while to compare AthanasiusOrat. contra A r ian. i 23 013ydp 15 6689

8119p 011 p 1p 6'

27 0 1‘

12708 p dkkov 02

6’1'

119p017701 818 7 811 966511,16vp 1

'

609 160211611011

821179139 3117 0 770 7 6p0 7 03 600 7 03 v io3, 1602

037 02 7707 6p 69 13110080 9170 0 11 7 6311 2811011

7 6161111111' 65 0127 03 7780 0 770 7 p 18

03p 0 11029 1602 6772 7139 dvop dffl au and

Severian ad loo. (CramerOaten. vi 159)7 8 8110110 7 03 7707 p89 0316 dd)

’75111311

62113219611 62k 8111096 11 629

80801167 1 139 ¢ 30 6 1 811 1602 0316 811651107 1

p dvov.

The d ifficulty supposed to exist inSt Paul’s sp eaking of ‘ fami lies ’ inheavenmay have led to themi stranslation

.

of the A .V .

‘ the whole family.

’

The same d ifficulty led Theodore toadopt (perhap s to invent)the reading¢ arpta (so the Paris codex : the formi s found b oth in Inscrr. and MSS for¢ pa 7 p20, seeDieteri chB yzant.A rchi e.

i on the curious ground that thisword denoted not a 0 vyy6

'

11610 b ut

merely a 0 1507 17710 . The insertion of

the gloss referred to ab ove had p ro;b ab ly b linded himto the connexion,

-

p 1ci , uponwhi ch thewholesense dep ends.The difficulty is not a serious one

for the addi tion 611 mipavo’

i s 1102 6772

7 179, like the similar phrase in i 2 1,dvop afoptévov 012 11611011 611 7 13 0263111.

7 037 69 627018 1602 611 7 113 p e'

hhovn ,is

III 16, 17] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 17 5

5 I 6 QI A A

011071060 0 1, 1110 8111 1211111 160 7 0 7 0 7 7 7\ov7 09 7 1793 A I A A A

0 117 011 8v i1a f1e1 16p0 7 0 1w911V0 1 810 7 011 7 7 11615110 7 09 0 v7 ov

1I 1!

619 7 011 617 111 0 119pw77 0u,1 7160 7 0116110 0 1 7 0 11 90010 7 811 810

2

A I a I t A 3 a I a7 119 77 10 7 61119 6 11 7 0 19 k a p81a 1s v/q 6 11 0 7 0 7771 6pp1§01~

perhap s only made for the sake of

emphasis. Wemay,however,note theRab b inic use of 965735 (fami liay—‘

the

fami ly ab ove and the family b elow’:

see Taylor Say ings of Jew ish Fathersed 2

, p . 12 5, and Thackeray St P aul

and Contemp . Jew i sh Thought p .

149.

8vop 6if67 0 1]‘i s named ’

,i .e. derives

i ts name : for the construction with£11 comp are Soph. 0. T . 1036 1317 7

’

631101100 9179 616 7 15x179 7 0 157 179 89 62 (so.

and Xenoph. Memorab . iv5 12 6¢ q 86

’

1602 7 8 81a7\6'

y6090 1 8110110

09151101. 616 7 0316. 7 811 60 60 8119p 1077011] This phrase

finds i ts full exp lanation in 2 Cor.

iv 16 818 0316 G’

VKGKODFGV, dhh’62 1602

8 6510 15116311 8119p 09 8106/396 1'

p 6 7 a 1,

1270? 8 60 111 15111311 83 06 0 111037 0 1 rip e'

pq1602fip e

’

p g . Our outward man ’is in

the Apostle’s sub sequent phrase 15

677 27 6109 15111311 021620 7 03 0 1675110v9, Whichis subj ect to dissolution our inwardman i s that part of our nature whichhas fellowship with the eternal, whichlooks ‘

not at the things which are

seen, b ut at the things whi ch are notseen.

’There i s no reason to seek for

a philosophical p recedent for the

phrase : at any rate Plato Rep . 589A,which is p ersistently quoted , offers noparallel for there 6 6117-89 6

’

1’1119p 1077 09,

the man who i s wi thi n him i s onlyone of three contend ing constituents(the others b eing a multi formb east

and a lion)which the Platoni c parab lesupposes to b e united under what i soutwardly a human form.

In St Paul the phrase occurs againinRom. vi i 2 2 . And in 1 Pet. i i i 3 f.we

have a contrast b etween 62007 261111 16801109 and 8 kpv77 7 89 7 39160p81

'

a 9 62119p 09 611 7 13 d¢ edp f cp 7 03

fia vxiov 1602 77 p 0 6’

609 77 116151107 09.

I7 . 1607 011630 0 1] K0 7 01166'

211 i s rarein St Paul, whomore frequently uses02166211 or It occurs again onlyin Col. i 19, 11 9, and we have 1607 011617

7 17'

p 1o11 in Eph. i i 2 2 . When used incontrast to WGPOLKGIV the word imp liesa permanent as Opposed to a temporary residence (see L ightfoot

’s noteon Clem. Rom.p ref ); where it occursby i tself it suggests as much of

p ermanence as 03166211 necessari ly does,b ut no more.

611 aiyciwg] Reasons for joiningthese words with what precedes haveb een given in the exposition. In

favour of this collocation itmay alsob e ob served (1)that 611 dyein g formsthe emphatic close of a sentenceseveral times in this ep istle see i 4and note, iv 2

,16 : and (2)that the

anacoluthon which follows ap p ears tob e more natural i f the fresh start i smade b y the particip les and not by anadverb ial phrase ; compare, e.g., iv 2

(iVEXd/J GVOL dhhn’hwu dydny and Col.

11 2 0v 1Ba096'

117-69 611 6

2

318779.

6’

pp 1fcop 6'

1101] St Paul is fond of

passing suddenly to the nominativeof a particip le, as in the two passageslast quoted, to whichmay b e added

Col. i i i 16 8 611

81880 160117 69 : see L ightfoot’s note on

that passage. There is therefore no

reason for supposing that 2110 is b elated, as was suggested b y Origen,and as i s imp lied in the rendering ofthe A .V .

,

‘that ye, b eing rooted

’,&c.

On the contrary, 2110 dep ends d irectlyon the p articip les which precede it.For the metaphors compare (1)

Col. ii 7 6’

pp 1f10716'

1101 1602 6770111080003

[.LGVOL 611 0 157 113 1602 363010806 1101 7 3777 10 7 6 1, and (2)Col. i 23 6 1 7 6 6 77 11161167 6

7 17 77 10 7 61 7 69611621 1006 1101 1602 68p a 1o1,

and 1 Pet. v 10,where 9606211100 61 i s

176

f I16111 T eeep e /ueum,

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

1 8

[III 18—20

i va éElO'

XUG'

nT G Ka T aAaBeA

0 9011 0011 7 7 010 111 7 019 157 1019 7 1 7 0 Wh om-09 mu 11111609 16011

xix/1 09 16011 611009,19y uan/011 7 6: 7 71V 7 119

1

7 1/100 e a’f

ya'

zrnu 7 011 90010 7 011, 11101 7 7Anpw0n7 6 619 7 7 011/

7 0 7 7An'

pw/ua 7 011

A 3 f

7 701110 011 tivrepemrep 10 0'

ov mv 11117 0v 001 7)

found in NKLP , though not in AB.

For the comb ination of themetaphorsWetstein cites Lucian de Saltat. 34(30 77 6p fiffa Kai. 66p éh1a 7 1796px750 6m9 130 0 11.

18. 6510x150 7yre] A lateword, foundbut once elsewhere in the GreekBib le, Ecclus. vi i 6 (B : b ut NAG

have the simp le verb ). It suggeststhe di fficulty of the task, which callsfor all their strength.

KarahaBéo fia L] Themiddle i s foundthrice (Acts iv 13, x 34, xxv and,as here, in the sense of ‘ to perceivewhdros‘ Theodore’s comment

is admirab le and sufficient : i’ua 6711-377 779 Xcipu

-os 7 0 p G

’

YGGOS‘

(in?) 7 1311 nap’

15116311 duop drmv. St Paul i s not thinking of the measures of the

‘ holytemple ’, as some of the modemssuggest ; nor of the shap e of the cross,as many of the ancients p retti lyfancied. He i s speaking in vagueterms of themagnitude of that whichi t wi ll take themall their strengthto apprehend — the Divine mercy,especially as now manifested in theinclusion of the Gentiles, the Divinesecret, the Divine purpose for mankind in Christ. To supply ciyémyc7 06 xp 10 7 017 out of the followingsentence i s at once needless and

unjustifiab le. With the intentionalvagueness of the phrase wemay comp are D i dacfie c. 12 0 vv60 1v yap 6567 666§1av Ka 1 ap 10 7 6pav.

°

Ywepfidhh6w isused with either an accusative or a

genitive (Aesch. Plat. A rist.)of theobj ect surpassed. So too tiflep e

'

xetv :comp . Phil. i i 3 vvrep exow a s

'

6av7 03vWi th Phi l.W 7 r)w rep e

'

xov0 a ravu.

°7 w 36 Suva p evw vvrep 77 0 1x7 01

l t

a

voov/uev 16617 6!

629 up to the measure of

comp - iv I3 629 p67 p01/ fihuu'

a s 7 05

flhnp aip aros 7 017 xp 10 7 01'

3. The Ap ostle’s

p rayer finds its climax in the requestthat theymay attain to the comp leteness towards which God is workingand in whi ch God will b e all in all.

Ideally this position i s theirs alreadyin Chri st, as he says to the Colossians(i i min ? 16a 7 011<62 1761) 7 0 whifpmp a 7 fis

‘ 0667 777 09 0 01110 7 116030, Ka‘

1 6’07 e

‘

min? 7r6vrhnpwp 6'

vo1, Its reali

sation is the Divine purpose and,

accord ingly, the Apostle’s highest

p rayer. On the sense of 7 6 wképmna7 08 6606 see the exp osition. Wemayusefully comp are wi th the wholephrase Col. ii 19, where St Pauldescri b es the intermediate stage of

the process, saying of the Body :

afiga afi§q0w 7 017 196017 .

The reading of B and a few cursives , iua whq afy 772111 7 0whrfpwp a 7 013

9608,offers an easier construction

,b ut

an inferior sense.20

,2 1.

‘ Have I asked a hardthing ? I have asked it of Himwho

can do farmore than this ; who can

vastly transcend our p etition, even

our imagining : ofHimwhosemightyworking i s actually at work in us.

Glory b e to Him! Glory in the

Church and in Chri st Jcsus—glory inthe Body alike and in the Headthrough all the ages of eternity

’.

20. 7 01 86 Suvap e'

vco] Compare thedoxology ln Rom. xvi 2 5,m

”

) 86‘

duva

1161101 v1.16: 0 7 771112301, 161577 6p 6x17 6p 10 0 01

'

3] This word occurstwice in St Paul’s earliest ep istle, b utnot elsewhere : I Thess. i i i 10 yum-osKai rip e

'

p as 1517 6p 61<77 6p 10 0 0i3 Bé dp GI/Ol , V

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I78 EPISTLE TO‘

THE EPHESIANS. [IV 3— 6

9 I I I

Gu/n'

a s, a V6x0p 6V01 a’

M nAwV 6’

V 017 0177 11,30 77 0v3a §0V7 69

A I I A I

7 np 61V 7 11V éV07 n7 01 7 ou 7 7 V6v/ua 7 09 6V 7 00 0 11V360 111p 7 119

t. A t‘ I

61p 17'

V179'

0 101101 16011 6V 7 7 V6v/ua ,16019109 16011 éV

A A I t A I I I a

11161 7 119 167tn0'

6w9 up wV' 5

619 16140109, 111101 7 7 10 7 19, 6V

I I I

160177 7 101101:

66 19 0609 16011 77 017 11p 7ra V7 wV 0 677 1 7 7 11V7 00V

and for the p lace of‘ humility’in the

moral code of Chri stianity, see L ight;foot

’s note on Phi l. i i 3 : and for

7rp0177 179 and p axp oevp ia, see his note

on Co]. i i i 12 .

dVexép eVm] For the transition to

the nominative participle see the noteon i i i I7.

3. movddfow es‘] givi ng d i li

gence’ ‘

sati s agentes’Cypr.

,

‘3olli

ci ti Vulg. For the eagerness whi chthe word imp lies, see the exposition.

63

1167 777 0] Considering that St Paullays so much stress on unity, it i sremarkab le that he uses the ab stractword ‘

oneness ’ only here and in 0.

13. In each case he quickly pas sesto i ts concrete emb odiment—here 3110 1311a , in 0. I3 629 dudpa TG

’

AGLOV. In

b oth p laces it is followed b y defininggenitives—mv 77V6vp a7

’

os' and

17

29 7TLO

'

TG0 9 Ka t 7 729

Gflt‘v a f fl)? TOU

v1ov 7 ou 6eou. It is p ossib le to take7 01? “ Vevp aroc here of the Holy Sp iri t,as the p roducer and maintainer of

unity : comp . 15 1601V10m'a 7 013 dy iov

WVevp aros‘

,2 Cor. Xi i i I3 ; and so

perhap s 1601V10V1'

a 17 11615113 7 09, Phil. 11 I .

But i t is equally p ossib le to regard‘the sp irit

’as the one sp iri t

’of the

one b ody’

see the next verse.

0'd 6

'

01169] Peace i s here the b ondof oneness. In Col. i i i 14 f.

‘love’

is ‘the b ond of perfectness ’, while

‘

peace’is the ruling consideration

which decides all such controversiesas might threaten the uni ty of the

Body : see L ightfoot’s notes on that

passage4. 60 Having already b roken

his construction b y the introductionof the nominative particip les, St Pauladds a series of nominatives

, ofwhich

the first two may b e regarded as in

apposition to the p articip les b eing,as ye are

, one b ody and one sp irit’.

The others are then loosely attachedwi th no defini te construction. In

translation, however, i t i s convenientto p refix the words ‘

there is ’to thewhole seri es.311 7711617110] For the

‘one sp 1r1t

’

which corresponds to the one b odysee the note on i i 18 £11 £11277 116151107 1.

61 77 501 Comp . i 18 157 69 167\11

'

0 6w9 0 13

7 05. God’s calling is

the general ground of hope : ‘

yourcalling

’

,i. e. His calling of you,makes

you sharers in the one common hop e.

5. 6 19 1cup 1o9] Comp . I1

00“ Vi i i 6

6 19 9609 o vamp , ef ou 7 0 77 0V7 0

1601 17116 19 6 19 uvrou, 1601 6 19 16vp 1o9 Iv0 ov9

Xp 10 7 09, 01 av 7 0 770 117 0 160 1 17116 19 01,

0137 06 : also 1 Tim. i i 5 639 y0p 9609,639mi 1160 17 179

-19] One faith in the one

Lord united all b elievers comp .

Rom. i ii 30 6 i9 0 9609, 09 011601160 6 1

1607. dxpoBv0 7 1'

0V

010 7 179 77 10 7 6 109.

311 130777 10110 ] Bap ti sm‘ in the nameof the Lord Jesus ’was the act whi chgave definiteness to faith in Him. It

was at the same time,for all alike

,

the instrument of emb od iment in the‘one b ody

’: I Cor. xii 13 160 i. ye

‘

zp 6’

V

6’Vi 77V6151107 1 1511629 771iV7 6 9 EV

6’

130777 1'

0917116V, 677 6’Iov0a

'

i o1 677 6”

E1717;V6 9, dovh01 6

’7\61i96p o1.

6. 6’77 i 770117 10V Comp .Rom. ix5

013V 770V7 10V 9609 6 13K0‘

y177 09 629 7 009

021300 9. Supreme over all, He movesthrough all, and rests in all. With c

’

v

77 130 111 we may compare I Cor. xv 28

1110 I) 0 9609 770117 0 6V 7700 111, though

there the emphasis falls on

IV 7, 8] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. I79

I a160 1 010 77 0 V7 10V 160 1 6V 77 010 1V.

715111 06 6160 0 7 111 177q

600917 17n xap 19 160 7 0 7 0 71167 p0V 7 179 010706119 7 ou 70010 7 011.8010 hen/61

’A N a 80

‘

. c e i c Yty o c ma Ac e y c e N a iXM AMo c i A N,16111 € A CO K€ N 21 0 11111 7 0. T O IC 0116 73 60 710 10.

The text of NABCP (e’v 7700 1V)i s

undoub tedly right. D2G3KL ,wi th theSyriac and Latin

, add 1771111 : and a

few cursives have 071111,which IS represented in the A.V . When we haverestored the reading, we have to askwhat is the gender of and

77610 111. The Latin translators werecompelled to face thi s question whenrendering 6

’77 i 7rdm and 010 770117 10»

A ll p ossib le variations are found, b utthemost usual rendering seems to b ethat of the Vulgate, ‘

sup er omnes et

p er omm’

a’,whi ch also has good early

authority. The fact that 770 7 7’7p 770V7 10V

p recedesmight suggest that themasculine is intended throughout : b ut6772 71011e at once admits of the

wider reference, see Rom. ix 5 quotedab ove ; and we shall p robab ly b eright in refusing to limit the A p ostle’smeaning.

7— 13.

‘Not indeed that this oneness imp lies uniformity of endowmentor of function. On the contrary, toeach individual in varying measuresb y the gift of Christ has b een en

trusted the gracewhich I have alreadyspoken of as entrusted to me. The

distrib ution of gifts is involved in thevery fact of the Ascension. WhenHe ascended , we read , He gave

g ifts. He, the A ll-fulfiller, descendedto ascend : and He it is that gaveapostles, prophets, evangelists, pastorsand teachers— a rich variety, b ut allfor unity : to fit the memb ers of theholy peop le to fulfil their app rop riateservice, for the b ui lding of the b odyof the Chri st, until we all reach thegoal of the consciously realised unity,which cannot b e reached while anyare left b ehind—the full-grown Man,

the comp letematurity of the fulfilledChrist’.7 . 17 xap 19] ED2 wi th some others

omit the article : b ut i t has p rob ab lyfallen out after £80617.7167 p 0V] Comp . Rom. xl1 3 61600 7 10

109 09609 The

word,which 18 found in only one otherpassage of St Paul

, 2 Cor. x I3,occurs thrice in this context? see vv.

I3, 16. This repeti tion of an un

accustomed word,when it has b een

once used,i s i llustrated b y the re

currence of 61167 179, vv. 3, 13.

8. 310 7te'

ye1] The exact phraserecurs in v 14. We find 7r1ik1u

Ref-ya , following yé'

yp 0777 01, in Rom.

xv IO ; comp . also 2 Cor. vi 2 , Gal. i i i

16. We may supp ly 15yp acpri, as inRom. x 1 1 and elsewhere

, if a nominative is required.

ciV081i 9] In the 10616 of Ps. lxvu

(lxvi i i)19 the words are :’Ava,81

‘

19 629

17

11109 fixp ah167 6v0 0 9 a ixp ahcom'

aV,3 0

B69 007107 0 6’V 0V9p 1577019 (dv9p a

'

177 1p E*h).

‘ The Psalmist p ictures to himself a.triumphal procession, winding up thenewly-conquered hill of Zion, the

figure b eing that of a victor, takingpossession of the enemy’s citadel, andwi th his train of cap tives and sp oi lfollowing himin the the

words following, Hast recei ved gif ts

amongmen, the Psalmist alludes tothe tri bute offered either b ythe vanquished foes themselves, or b y otherswho come forward spontaneously toown the victor, and secure his favour

’

(Driver, Sermons on the 0. T ,1892 ,

pp 194f.)St Paul makes two alterations in

the text of the Lxx : (1)he changesthe verb s fromthe second person to

1 2—2

180 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [IV 9, 10

3 1 a cl I a97 0 06

'

ANG BH 7 1'

60 7 1V 61 7117 07 1 16011 160 7 6617 619 7 01

16017 107 6700 716'

p 17 7 179 0

7 179 ;Q

10 c 3 I

0 160 7 090 9 01117 09 60 7 1V 16011

a I I A f “ ( I I

0 a Vafia s 11'

77 6pa vw 77 0 V7 10 V 7 10V ovpa V, 1V01 77A17pw0 77

9 16074877] 7771137 011

the third , (2)he reads gBCOKGV 00710 7 07 079 0V9p 6077019 for 007107 0 6

’V

0119711617011. Accordingly of the two

Words which he selects to commenton

,0V07309 and g001e , the second is

entirely ab sent fromthe original ofthe text. The exp lanation is thusgiven b y Dr Driver (ib i d . pp . 197 f.)‘ St Paul is not here following the

genuine text of the Psalm, b ut is inall p rob ab ility guided b y an old

Jewish interp retation with whi ch hewas familiar, and which, instead of

received gifts among men, p ara

phrased gave gifts to The

Targum on the Psalms renders :Thou ascendedst up to the firmament, O p rophet Moses, thou tookestcap tives cap tive, thou d idst teach thewords of the law, thou gavest themas

gifts to the children of men ” The

Peshito Syriac likewi se has : ‘ Thoudidst ascend on high and lead cap tivity cap tive, and didst give gi fts tothe sons of men’. For other ex

amp les of the influence of trad itionalJewish interp retations in St Paul’swri tings, see Dr Driver

’s art. in theExp osi tor, 1889, vol. ix, p p . 20 3.

9. 1607 67317] For the add ition of

77p 137 0v, see the note on various read

ings.Ka7 01

'

7 6p0] So far as the Greekalone is concerned

,itmight b e allow

ab le to explain thi s as meaning ‘this

lower earth’. But the contrast tiflep0V60 7 13V mip aVa

'

iv i s against such an

interpretation. And the phrase i s

Heb raistic, and closely parallel tothat of Ps. lxii (lxi i i)IO 620 6h6 1i0 ov7 01629 7 0 1607 107 0 7 0 7 179 7 579, i.s . Sheol, orHades ; and of Ps. cxxxvi i i (cxxxix)15 6

’

V 7 029 1607 10707 019 (B 1607 107 07 10)7 13g7 579. Whetherwe interpret the phraseas signi fying

‘the lower parts of the

earth or‘the parts b elow the earth’

is a matter of indifference, as in

either case the underworld is the

region in question. The descent is tothe lowest, as the ascent i s to thehighest, that nothingmay remain nuvisi ted.

10. 0 13709 607 111‘He i t is

that also ascended’: so in v. I Ia

av7 09 6 (DKGV.

Cwrepdvcoj above

’, not

‘ far ab ove ’see the note on i 2 1.

776117 1011 7 1311 ov’

pava'

iu]‘all heavens

’,

or‘all the heavens

’. The p lural 013

pavo 1'

, which, though not classical, isfrequent in the New Testament

,i s

generally to b e accounted for b y thefact that the Heb rewword for heaven’i s only used inthe p lural. But certainpassages, such as the p resent and

2 Cor. xi i 2 3109 7 1157 011 ofip avoi} (comp ;also Heb . iv imp ly the Jewishdoctrine of a seven-fold series of

heavens,ri sing one ab ove the other.

For this doctrine, and for its historyin the Christian Church

,see art.

Heaven’b y Dr S. D. F . Salmond inHastings

’ B i ble Dicti ona/ry . The

descent and ascent of ‘the Beloved ’

through the Seven Heavens are de

picted at length in the A scensi on ofIsa iah (on which see my art. in the

same d ictionary).t p aic y] The context, which de

scri b es the descent to the lowest andthe ascent to the highest regions,suggests the literalmeaning of ‘fillingthe universe ’ wi th His p resence :comp. Jer. XXIII 24 111)mix} 7 611 ofipavbu Ka i. yfiv e

’

ya‘

) 1r7lqpa'

5 Ré'yel.

Képw s. But in view of the use of the

verb and its sub stantive in this ep i stlein the sense of ‘ fulfilment’, it wouldb e unwi se to limit the meaning here.

He who i sHimself all in all fulfilled ’

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182 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [IV 13

A

629 épf

you 310K01/i0 9 , 6 i9 oucoBowqu 7 011 0 0 110 7 09I t I a

7 011 xp10'

7 ov,131167411 160 7 0 10 1717 p 11 01 77 0 117 69 619 7 11V

v 10 1017 0717 10 61, mp ifet, 096110517 61

(2) literal ly, Mark i 19, of puttingnets in order ; metaphorically, of

restoration of an offender, Gal. vi I

Karaprffere and of the rectifi

cation of short-comings, 1 Thess. i i i 10Ka7 ap 7 1

'

0'

01 7 d tio'

repfinara 7 779The senseof restoration p revai ls

in 2 Cor. xi i i 9 7 0177 0 Ka i 6 13

xd11690, 7 r)uKardpn o

'

w,which i s followed b y

Ka7 0p 7 1'

{ 60'96 in 17. I I : in I Cor. i 10

Kamprw ne'voz 63

11 a 137 tp 11014.

L

followsthemention Of oxiana

'

ra.

For the formsee Clem. Strom. iv

26 (P. 638)7 155 0 10761109 K07 0p7 10p t§and comp . Aristeas

,

Swete Introd . to LXX 544, 77pci-ym

’w Kai. 7 p677<0v e

’

gaprw‘

p dv.

In this passage xa-raprw nés sug

gests the b ringing of the saints to a

condi tion of fitness for the dischargeof their functions in the Body,wi thoutimp lying restoration from a disor

dered state .

629 3p‘

yov 810K0v1'

09] The nearestparallel is 2 Tim. iv 5 gpyov 7701970 011

eday‘

yehw'

rofi (for 3p'

yov 11't e in

2 Thess. i 1 1 i s ‘activi ty insp ired b y

faith’,comp . 1 Thess. i but the

sense here ismuchmore general thanif we had 629 3p

'

yov di axdveov.

A taxom'a i s the action of a servant

(Btdxov09) who waits at tab le,etc.

comp . Luke x 40, xvi i 8, xxii 26 f.,Acts vi I f. But i t has the sameextension as our word ‘

service ’, and

it was at once applied to all forms ofChristian ministration. Thus 1)o1uxovi

'

a hdyov i s contrasted wi th 1)Kadqp epwf) Sta k ozn

'

a in Acts Vi I, 4.

And i t i s used with a wide range

extending fromthework ofthe apostolate (Acts i 17, 25, Rom. xi 13)to theinformal ‘ service to the saints’ towhich the household of Stephanashad appointed themselves (1529 81amvial! dy1

'

019 37 05011 6'

0v7 0139 I Cor.xvi Here we may interpret it

of any service which the saints renderto one another

,or to the Body of

whi ch they arememb ers, or (which i sthe same thing)to the Lord who i stheir Head.The phrase GZS‘ gp

'

yov 810K0111f09 is

most naturally taken as dependent on

xaraprw-

név. The change of p rep ositions p oints in thi s d irecti on

,but i s not in itself conclusive :

the ab sence of the definite articleshowever, with the consequent compactness of the phrase, i s stronglyconfirmatory of thi s view. Themeaning accordingly i s

‘ for the‘

completeequipment of the saints for the workof service ’.

olxodonrfv]‘bu’lld ing

’rather than

‘edification

’for the p icturesque

ness of the metaphor must b e preserved Comp . i i 2 1 7760 0 oixodow)

and the note there. The

phrase 629 olxodop r’

w 10 7 31. gives thegeneral result of all that has hi thertob een spoken of ; as in v. 16, where i t

I3. K0 7 0V7fiawnev] Thi s verb is usednine times in the Acts

, of travellersreaching a p lace ofdestination. Otherwi se it i s confined in the New Testament to St Paul . In 1 Cor. xiv 36 i t

is contrasted with { gekdeiv z 13

) dgb’

1501311 6 Ni‘

yo9 7 017 66017 35177160 ,17 629

p 6vov9 K07 11'

vr170 6v ; (‘were you

its starting-

point, orwere you its onlysee also I Cor. x 1 1

75711311, 629 7 81 7 67V) 7 0311 0205116011 1<arr)'

u

7 1)1<6v, Phi l. i i i 1 1 77 109 K07 0v7 150'

w 629

7 1)v 350 1160 7 00 111 Unity is our

journey’s end

,our destination.

ofmix/7 69] i .e.

‘all of us together’.

A s often in the phrase 7 81 770117 0 ,when itmeans the universe of thingsthe definite article gathers all the

particulars under one vi ew : comp .

Rom. Xi 32 O'

vve'

xketa ev ydp d 0669

77dv7 09 GlS‘ ci17 6 191'

0u 7 0139 776117 0 9

1 Cor. x 17 37 1. 639 dp 7 09, 311

IV 14] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 183

Q A I A I A A A6 1107 117 0 7 119 77 10 7 6109 110 1 7 119 éWl ‘v O

'

GwQ 7 011 viov 7 ouA 9, I I t06011,619 0 V3p0 7 6A610V

,619 MG

'TPOV n7\1xfa 9 7 ou nhnpa

i

( I I 5“ I

110 7 09 7 ou xp 10 7 011' I4

1110 1111x67 1 1071611 111177 101, Kkvdwm

0 1300 of. of ydp 776117 697 013 63169 dp 7 ov nw éxop ev.

The three clauses areco-ord inate. In accordance with thegeneral rule xarav-rav is followed b y 629

to ind icate destination.

61161-177 0] See ab ove, on v. 3.

77 107 6 109] Comp . v. 5.Both 77 107 6 1119 and envy/11050 6 109 are to

b e taken with the following genitive7 06 115013 7 013 960i): comp . Gal. i i 20

17107 6 1 ( 13 7 013 v ioi) 7 013 96013. The

unity springs froma. common faith in,and a common knowledge of

, Christas the Son of God.

377 170050 6109] knowledge’,not ‘ full

’

or‘ further knowledge ’: see the de

tached note on 15771v 0 19.

7 013 v iofz 7 013 6606] St Paul’s firstpreaching at Damascus i s thus describ ed in A cts ix 20

,éxfipv0 0 eu 7 61!

’Ir)0 013v 37 1 0137 69 30 7 111 6 v io9 7 013 06013.

In hi s earliest ep istle we have theDivine sonship mentioned in con

nexion wi th the resurrection 1

Thess. i 10 duap e’vew 7 611 1115611 0137 05

7 0311 013710110311, 311 fiya p ev c’1c 7 1311 11611731311,

1170 01311, and this connexion isemphasised in Rom. i 3 7 06 dp 10 66

’

v

7 09 112013 66013 $11 dvvdnec 1<a7 h

dy1a>0 13vn9 6’

g dva0 7 d0 6 109 vexpa'

iv. On

the special p oint of the title in the

present context see the exposition.

auapa] The new human unity i s inSt Paul

’s language s is 10 111169 1’1’1/19pco

7709 (i i Here, however, he usesdufip 7 6711 109, b ecause his point is thematuri ty of the full-grown organism.

Man as d istinguished fromangels or

the lower animals i s c’z’vdpmnog. He is

aimip as distinguished either (a)fromwoman, or (b)fromb oy. It is in vi ewof thi s last distinction that dwip ishere used, to signify

‘a human b eing

grown to manhood ’. Comp . 1 Cor.

xi i i I I 37 6 17111711 7 67 0110

a’zmjp : so here, in the next verse, wehave b y way of contrast 7110 nqxe

’

n

1311611 111577 101.It is sp ecially to b e ob served that

St Paul does not say 629 duop a g 7 67161

ou9, though even Origen incidentallyso interprets him(Cramer Catena ,ad loc.

, p . Out of the immaturi ty of individualism we

are to reach the predestined unity ofthe one full-grown Man (629 suapa

TG’

AflOV).

ne’rpov]

‘themeasure’in the sense

of ‘the full measure ’; as in the

phrases 06'

7 p011 173179 Hom. Il. xi 2 2 5,

)16'

7 p o11, Solon iv 52 . Top e’rpov

7 179 157111009 i s quoted b y Wetstein

fromLucian Imag. 6 and Philostra

tus, Vi t. Sop h. i 2 5, 26, p . 543.

15110 009] A stage ofgrowth,whethermeasured b y age or stature. It i s

used for maturity in the phrase15711111011 é

’

xew (John ix 2 1, as also in

classical Greek).777wpaina7

-09] We cannot separate

‘the fulness of the Chri st’ in thi spassage fromthe statement in i 23that the Christ i s ‘ b eing fulfilled ’and finds His fulness in the Church.

When all the saints have come to theunity which i s their destined goal, or,in other words

,to the full-grown

Man,the Christ will have b een ful

filled. Thus they Wi ll have togetherreached ‘

the fullmeasure of thematurity of the fulness of the Christ

14—16. So shall we b e b ab es no

longer, like little b oats tossed and

swung round b y shifting winds, thesp ort of clever and unscrupulous instructors ; b utwe shall hold the truthin love, and so grow up into the

Christ. He i s the Head : fromHimthe Whole Body, an organic unityarticulated and compacted b y all thejoints of its system, active in all the

184 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS..[IV 14

I I Q I

83I

{ 01161101 160 1 77 6p 1<j>6p0116 1101 77 0 117 1 0 11610151 7 119 1

7 h I a I 9 I

611 7 11 xvfi10 7 1011 0 11011017 10 11 611 77 0 110vp'

y10 77p09 7 1111 11600

functions of its several parts, growswith its prop er growth and bui ldsitself in love’.14. 111377 101] In addition to I Cor.

xi i i 1 1, quoted above, compare 1 Cor.

i ii 1 f. 01316 hal fwat 13v 1139

0 116000 7 11602} (DOV 1139 0up1c1'

11o19, 1139

1117771019 Xp 107 q3'

ydha 1311139

013 01377 10 yapComp . Luke vi ii

24 7 116 131163111) 16017 153 1671131310111 7 06 13

807 09,James i 6 13 yap 81016pw131161

109 30116611

10113810111 dahdo o'

qs‘ duep 1§onévq1 1601

p 17r1§op 61110. When used metaphorically 1011581011 is

"storm rather than

‘wave’ comp . Demosth. de fals. leg.

p . 442 1603. p aviav 7 31 16006

0 7 1716137 0 npdynara Phi lo decongr. erad . grat. 12 (M. 528)0 101011160i 167t13810110 6776 7 09 0 1131107 09

Plut. Cortol. 32 16061317 6p

X61p a3111 160i 7 139776716109. So we find the verb used inJosephus Ant. ix 1 1 3, 6 861109 7 apa0

0 131161109 160i. Khvdcomfdnevoa776p 1¢ 6p6n6 1101] i .e. swung round. It

occurs, b ut only as an ill-attested

variant for 7rapagb6'

p 60 da1‘to be carried

asi de, out of course

’, b oth in Heb . xiii

9 (8130x079 77 0116171019 160115631019 111)770110and in Jude 12

1’

1'

11v3p01 13771) dvépmvTraw i dve

’

p qo] Thi s is to b e takenwith b oth p articip les : the 16711581011 is

due to the c’z’venos, as in Luke vi i i 2 3 f.

7 139 81300 160311'

091‘0f doctri ne

’: the

articlemarks the ab stract use of the

word.‘

playing with dice‘

gaming’, and so, metaphori cally,‘tri ckery .

’Ev i s instrumental .

‘ bythe sleight ofmen Kv136136 111 is usedin the sense of ‘

to cheat’in Art ianEp ictet. i i 19 28. Ep iphanius Haer.

xxxi v 1 describ es Marcus as “07 1.qwrapxcov 61177 61p67 07 09, and i b id .

2 1 says that no 16v196v7 1161) can

stand against the light of truth.

Origen ad loc. uses the exp ression818130 166111

,for the meaning

of whi ch wemay comp are 0. Gels. i i i

39 0138311 11139011 1601 ml 77 61601 0 011013717 011 6343117 1011 (of

the Evangelists).7 1311 1316110377 101] A simi lar depre

ciatory use of at du0p107701 is found inCol. i i 8

,2 2, the latter of which

passages is b ased on Isa. xxix 13.

wavovpy iq] In classical Greek 77011

017117 09, which originallymeans ‘ readyto do anything

’,has a b etter and a

worse meaning, like our word ‘cun

ning’in b ib lical English. The b etter

meaning i s found e.g. in Plato Rep .

409 0 77011013py 139 7 6 1601 0 0<f1<39. It

prevails in the Lxx,where the word isused to rendermay, of which ¢ pé111~p 09 is another equivalent : comp .

Prov. xi ii 1 v i09 77011080709 1377 13160090 a7 p 1

'

. The only place where the ad

j ective occurs in the New Testamenti s 2 Cor. xi i 16, where St Paul playfully uses it Of himself, 130 d 1011 770 11

013p'

y09 81331 19 131169 31 018011. St Lukeuses 770110vp

'

y1'

a of the‘ craftiness ’ of

our Lord’s questioners in reference to

the tri b ute-money, thus hinting at thecleverness with which the trap was

laid,whereas StMark and StMatthewemp loy harsher words (137r131cp 10 t9,7701117p 1

’a). In his quotation fromJob

v 13 in 1 Cor. i i i 19 St Paul rendersADDWJ b y 311 7 g 770110vp

‘

y1'

0 0 137 1311,Where the LXX has 6 11 ¢ p011170 610137-1311. In 2 Cor. xi 3 he says 0 31111965177707 00 6 11Evav 611 7 1) 7ravovp

‘

y1a 0 137 013,referring to Gen. i ii 1, wheremanisrepresented in the LXX b y (111101110137 07 09. Lastly, we find the word in 2

Cor. iv 2 , 711) 77 6p 17707 0i3117 69 770110vp

807tof1117 6 9 7 1311 711331011 7 00 96013.

There it i s the context which determines that a b ad cleverness ismeant.In our p resent passage Origen linksthe word with anotherword for ‘ hcleverness But the clever

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186 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [IV 16

I 0 7 I I

116 11011 3101 77 0117 119 12111119 7 179 e’

77 1xopnf

y1a 9 , 16a 7’

e’

vep'

ya a u

to its having b een used in the metaphor of the b uilding in i i 2 1. See

the detached note on O'

vvapp oho‘

yei v.

0 111131/3af6p 611011] In Col. i i 2 0'

v11

B1Ba0 66'

w es p rob ab lymeans instructed

’, as it does in the Lxx. But here

and in 001. i i 19 itmeans ‘ united ’.In classical Greek i t is commonly usedof b ringing together

"or

‘reconciling

’

persons. It is possib le that in its

p resent context i t is a termb orrowedfromthemed icalwri ters.81115771] The word aid») has very

various meanings. Besides i ts common use (1) for

‘touching

’,

‘touch’and ‘

a point of contact’,from1

'

1'

77 7 op a 1,i t also signifies (2) ‘kindling

’, from

in a special sense, 3)‘sand’

,as

a technica l termof the arena (seemynote on P assi o P erp et. (4)

‘a

p lague’,often in the Lxx. None of

these senses suits the present contextor the parallel in 001. i i 19 776111 7 6o é p a 81& 7 1311 dgbcfiv 17v 6

'

0'

111011

6’77 1x0p1)y015)1611011 16a

’1

For in b oth p laces the functionas signed to the 611ml is that of holding the b ody together in the unitywhich is necessary to growth.

But the word has another sensewhich connects itwith 5777 10

,

‘ I fastenor

‘tie

’. The wrestler fastens on his

opponentwith a rid»)fi t/111167 09 : comp .

Plut. A nton. 2 7 dcbhv 8,

629

x611 1)M y .

31111167 011,moral. 86 F 62Bl aBepog 1311 l6a

’1 8v0p 6 7 aX6 1

'

p 10'

7 09

611100716517 1” dcfifiv Dion.

H. deDem. 18 1i19K1)7 a'

1

'

9 7 179 67179111179 ioxvp&s

~ d¢&9 77p 00‘ 6'

1

‘

110 1

862mi d¢ 15167 0v9 hafida Theword,together with some kindred wrestling terms, was used of the union oftheDemocri tean atoms : Plut.Moral.

769 F 7 a i 9 1607’ ’E77 1

'

160vpov d¢ al9 Kai77 6p 177ko1ca

‘

1

‘

9, comp . Damoxenus ap .

A then. 1OZ E Ka i ouxi

gvpmwvoimdd)c'9. We find dyp a usedmo

the same sense of the wrestler’sgri p , Plut. Fab . 23 dnp a7 a 16al haBd9,

and even of his gripp ing arms, Id.

A lcib . 2 .

That «id»;mthe sense of a b and orligament may have b een a. termof

ancient physiology is suggested b y anentry in Ga len

’s lexicon of words used

b y H ippocrates (Gal. xix p . éqSér

7& ap p ara nap& 7 6 54101, i .e. b ands,

At any ratefromtheverb ‘ to b ind’.

i t seems clear that the word could beused in the general sense of a b and

or fastening (from377 1 and that

we need not in our exp lanation of

St Paul’s language start fromcigbq’in

the sense of ‘touch’.

L ightfoot indeed, in his note on

001. i i 19, adopts the latter course,and seeks to b ridge the gulf b ymeansof certain p assages of A ristotle. But

Ari stotle again and again contrastsas.)

‘ contact’ with o ép ctvmg‘ cohe

sion’; and in the most important ofthe passages cited he is not speak ingof living bodies, b ut of certain diaphanous sub stances

,which some

suppose to b e diaphanous b y reasonof certain pores ; de gen. et corr . i 8

(p . 326) ydp 16a7& dd)&9 (i .e.

‘at the points of Contact’) 6

,

1136'

x67 a 1

3116'

11a1 81&7 1311 81a¢ az11511, Oil‘l' é' 81&7 1311

17 0'

pcov. In fact in Aristotleappears to mean touching wi thout

j oining : hence e .g. in de caelo i 12

(p . 280)he argues that contact can

cease to b e contact wi thout (Mopé.‘

Acfifithenmay be interp reted as a

general termfor a b and or fastening,which possib ly may have b een usedin the technical sense of a ligament,and which in COL i i 19 is elucidatedthrough b eing linked by the c inculamof a common definite article with0 15118601109, a recognised physiologi calterm.

6’77 1xopqy1

'

ag] Theword occurs againin PhiL i 19 31d 7 179 15111311 861517 6 109 Ka i.

€n1x0pw la9 7 06 1711615110 7 09’I1)17 0f1Xp ur

‘ through your prayer and the7 0v,

supp ly of the Sp irit of Jesus Christ’.

IV 16] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Commentators are wont to exp lain itasmeaning ‘

an abundant supp ly’

,thus

d ifferentiating it fromxopqy ia,‘a

supp ly’. But this interp retation of

the preposition in this word, as in

871131110 0 19, does not appear to b e substantiated b y usage.

The xopnyds‘ supplied themeans of

putting a p lay on the Athenian stage.

The verb xop rrye‘

iv soon came tomean‘to furni sh or supp ly

’in the widest

sense. A little later the compoundverb 6

’77 1xop 1ry6f11 was similarly used .

There is a tendency in later Greek toprefer comp ound to simp le verb s,prob ab ly for no other cause than thegreater fulness of sound. The forceof the p reposition, b efore i t ceased tob e felt, was prob ab ly that of d irection,‘to supply to

’: compare the Latin

compounds with sub, such as sup

p lere, subministrare : and see 2 Cor.

ix 10 6 86’

6’77 1Xop 1ry1311 o n e

’

pp a 7 1530

'

17 6 1'

p 0117 1, Gal. i i i 5 15 01311 6

’17 1X0p177 1311

ugly 171161711a . Even if 6’17 1xopqy1511a 7 a

means ‘add itional allowances ’ in

Athen.Deip nosogph. iv 8 (p . 140 c), thi sdoes not p rove a corresponding use

for the other compounds : and in anycase an

‘addi tional supp ly

’ is something quite difi

'

erent froman ab undant supply

’.

The p resent passage must b e read

in close connexi on with 001. ii 19,where offers ause of the passive (for the p erson‘ supplied which is also commonlyfound With X0p 1rye

'

109a 1. But in Whatsense i s the body

‘ supp lied’b ymeans

of its b ands and li gaments ? It is

usual to suppose that a supply of

nutriment is intended, and the mention of

‘

growth’in the context appears

to b ear this out. But we cannot

imagine that the Greek physiciansheld that nutriment was conveyed b ythe b ands and ligaments, whose function i s to keep the limb s in p ositionand check the p lay of the muscles(Galen iv pp . Nor is there anyreference to nutriment in the contextof either passage : order and unity

are the conditions of growth onwhichthe Apostle 1s insisting.

Aristotle, who does not employ thecompound forms

,frequently uses

xopq'

yew and xop 1)‘

y1a in contrastWi thn6<f>v16611a1 and (tu n a In P ol. iv 1

(p . 1288)he says that education hastwo pre requi sites, natural gifts and

fortunate circumstances, 115150 19 and

xop rna'

a 7 vx1)p 1i (a p rovision or equipment which depends on fortune).The b est physical training will b ethat which is adap ted to the b odybest framed by nature and b est provided or equipped (16070110 7 016a

i

Kexopq p e'

vcp): comp . iv 11 (p .

So again, vi i 4 (p . 132 5)013

7&p 03611 7 6 7707117 6 i011 316 116019111

1ip 1'

o'

7 1)11 ovup e'

Tpov x0p rry1'

a9, I 3

(p . 133 1)3617 111 7&p 16ai x0p1n11'

a9 7 111697 1)

{ 611 16a7\139, E th. Ni c. X 8 (p . 1 178)8’311 [1)7 017 11017 50676]

160 i 7 696 167 09 xopqy 1a 9 617 1 p 116p 011 1) 6 77 6 a7 7 011

36 117 19a1 7 179 01911669, 1 1 I (p . I 10 1)7 1ovu1 1071116 1 héyew

a

61113a 1'

)1011a 7 011m7 ap 6 7 1’

)11

7 6716 1a11’6 116pyov117 a 16a 1 7 019 6167 09 67 0 19019

516011139 andmanymore instancesmight b e quoted. The

limitation to a supp ly of food, whereit occurs, comes fromthe context, anddoes not b elong to the word itself,which is almost synonymous with

and d iffers fromi tmainlyb y suggesting that the provision or

equipment i s afi'

orded fromoutsideand not self-originated.This general meaning of p rovision

or equipment is in p lace here. The

b ody may properly b e said to b e

equi pp ed or furnished,as well as held

together, b ymeans of i ts b ands and

ligaments ; and accord ingly we mayspeak of

‘every b and or ligament of

its equipment or furniture ’. The

rendering of the Geneva Bib lei f a little clumsy, gives the truesense : ‘bg euer ie i oynt,f or thefurniture thereof’. But as the word‘equip

’does not b elong to b i b lical

Engli sh, wemust perhaps b e contentwith the rendering,

‘ by every j oint ofi ts supp ly

’. The Latin renders, ‘

p er

188 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [IV 17

cl .1/ A I

111 6517091 6 1189 éxa

’mrov p epovs 7 11V 011/Sno w 7 ou own/1017 09A 3 1

77 01617 011 629 021603011111! a v7 0v 61! a y a'zrg.

6‘ I l a l II 7

'

1‘

0117 0 OUV Aeyw 16011 p ap 7 up0/1a 1 eu Kvpup, 11111667 1A A

1ipm 7 7 6p 177 a 7 ew Ka0w9 16011 7 01 77 6p 17ra 7 e1 EV 11017 011

omnemz’

uneturam[some O.L . autho

ri ties have taetum]subministrationi s’

,

which adequately represents the ori

ginal.

K0?"

These words are tob e taken closely with $11 p e

’rp cp 6

'

v1‘

19

516617 7 011 p e'

pov9. For the further definition of an anarthrous sub stantiveby a prepositional clause, comp . 17. 14

wavovpy ig 7 1‘

)v p 60061'

av 7 139wh

ims. It i s j ust p ossib le that weare here again in p resence of a technical term of Greek physiology.

Galen (de faeult. natural. i . 2, 4, 5)distinguishes b etween gpyov,

‘workdone ‘ result ’, and 6

’116

'

p-ye1a,

‘the

working process’,

‘ function’: the

impulse that p roduces the 6’1/6

'

p7 61a

b eing The meaning wouldaccordingly b e ‘ in accordance wi thfunction in the fullmeasure of eachseveral part

’,

‘as each part duly fulfils

i ts prop er function’. At the sametime we must not lose sight of thestrongmeaning of éue’pya a in St Paul :see the detached note on éuepye

’

iv andits cognates.

a 1’1'

5170'

w 16.7 .7L ]‘maketh the

i ncrease of the body’. The distance

of the nominative,way 7 0a a

’

ip a, is the

cause of the redundant 7 013 17 05110 7 09.A ll that was required was a 1

’51f61, b ut

the resolved phrase lends a furtherimpressiveness comp . 001. i i 19 aw

’5

5617 1)v 0557 0 111 7 017 96013.

( 29 o ixodom‘pf a 1i7 o1'3] ‘unto the bu i ldi ng thereof He recurs to themetaphor which he has already so used inv. 12 (629 oixodopfiu 7 09 o aip a 7 09), andhas again touched upon in (rm/app oRoyoup evov.

6’v dyéwy] Once again this phrase

closes a sentence : see the notes on

1 4, 1i i 17.

17— 24. This then ismymeaning

and my solemn protestation. Yourconduct must no longer b e that of

the Genti leworld. Theydriftwi thouta purpose in the darkness, strangersto the Divine life ; for they are ignorant, b ecause their heart is b lind and

dead : they have ceased to care whatthey do, and so have surrenderedthemselves to outrageous living, defiling their own b od ies and wrongingothers withal. How d ifferent i s the

lesson you have learned : Imean, theChrist : for is notHe themessag e youhave listened to

,the school of your

instruction ? In the person of Jesusyou have truth embodi ed. And the

purport of your lesson i s that youmustab andon the old li fe once and for all ;

youmust stri p off the old man, thatoutworn and perishinggarment fouledb y the passions of decei t : youmustrenew your youth in the sp iritualcentre of your b eing youmust clotheyourselves wi th the new man, God’sfresh creation in His own image,fashioned in righteousness and holiness which spring fromtruth’.I7. p apfl ipop at]

‘I testzjf'

y’or

‘

p ro

test’. See L ightfoot on Gal. v 3 and

I Thess. i i 1 1 (Notes on Epp . p .

Map 7 vp 6'

iv to bear Witness’and p aprvp e

‘

i crdac to b e b orne wi tness to are

to b e distinguished in the New Testament, as in classical Greek, fromp ap7 155160 1901, whichmeans first to call towi tness ’and then ab solutely

‘to p ro

test’or ‘asseverate’.

£11 xvp icp] See the exposition on v. 1.

151169] emphatic, as 1511629 in 11. 20.

77 6p 11ra 7 6'

iu] See the note on i i 2 .

7 21 The alternative read ing,7 21 Rom-21 30m), has b ut a weak attestaf

tion : see the note on vari ous read ings.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

190 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [IV 20—2 2

A 9 cl 1 I

6f

21 .v/ 1

v,ue19 36 ovx 0117 1119 67 6 7 011 Xp 10

'

7 011, 61 7 6 a v7 011

3 I a a A 1

88I

0 61! 1 [

611160110 017 6 16111 611 6 1 ax 117 6 , no: 1119 617 7 111 a /\ 1) 61a

fl Hs a 22a6/

6c A I

6 11 7 19 1170 011, 1177 0 60'

111 1111619 16117 01 7 1711 7 7p07 6pa 11

widened to mean the p roducing of

any result bymeans of lab our.’Ep~ya

is used in A cts xvi 16, 19, xix 24f.

in the sense of b usiness or the gains

of business ; and stillmore generallyin Luke xi i 58 869 6

’

p1

ya1r1'

av ( z daop eram)1i77 1)7\7\1ix9a1 a

’77’ati7 of1.

In the New Testamentlike E

’

pyov, i s transferred to moralaction (as 3pyé§609a1 1

7 1)dyadév Rom.

i i 10, 1<a1<611 xi i i Here 629

77120179 cika9ap0 1'

a9 is a resolved exp ression used for convenience of construction instead of 6

’

p'

ycif60'9a1 77617 1111 dxa

9ap0'

1'

a 11. It means no more than‘

performance’or ‘

practice’:‘ in op era

ti onemomnia immund i tiae’.wheoueffq]

‘w i th greediness

’, or

‘rapacity

’; i .e.

‘with entire disregardof the rights of others ’, as L ightfootexp lains it in hi s note on 001. ii i 5.

111601 6611: often means more than‘ covetousness’: i s used

in the sense of‘to defraud ’ in the

special matter of adultery77p ciy11a7 1) in 1 Thess. iv 6. Commenting on 77h60116f1

'

aOrigen (Cramer

,ad loo.)says 7 017 77h601161<7 6711

°

31?

(fora. 1311 ydp ov91109615011611, and b elow dxa9ap0 1

’av 86

nheovefig no1x61'

a11 oi'

onm6 lva1. Seefurther the notes on v 3, 5 b elow.

20. 511151967 6] The exp ression p av96116 111 7 611 xp 10

’7 611 has no exact paral

lel ; for 110 1196116111 is not used wi th an

accusative of the person who i s theobj ect of knowledge. But i tmay b ecompared with other Pauline expres~sions

,such as 7 611 xp 1a

'

7 011 77apa)\

36 11 (Col. i i 6’1181517 a0'9a1 (Gal. i ii

7 111311a1 (Phil. i i i and indeed dkoziewin the next verse

,which does not

refer to hearing wi th the b odily ear.

The aorists at this point are not tob e pressed to point to themoment ofconversion : they ind icate the p ast

without further definition ; and, as thecontext does not fix a particularmoment

,theymay b e rendered in Eng

lish either b y the simple past tenseor, perhaps more naturally, b y the

perfect.2 1. 67 y e afirov fixatio n-re] See the

note on i i i 2 . E7 7 6 does not implya doub t, b ut gives emphasis. It is

closely connected wi th a zi-rév,which

i tself is in an emphatic position : ‘ if

indeed i t i s Hewhomye have heard’.év aah-153] i n H im’

as the sphere of

instruction ; not‘ b y Him’ (A. V.)as

the instructor.k adai s This clause is ex

p lanatory of the unfami liar phraseology which has b een used. For n)»dhq

’

da av p avddvew,dxofiew, 7 5} db ;

atadam eaz, would p resent no

d ifficulty. Truth i s found in the person of Jesus, who i s the Chri st : He

i s H imself the truth (John xiv 6)hence we can b e said to ‘ learn Him’.dAfiHa a] In the older MSS no d is

tinction was made b etweenmeg aand q oa

’

q : so that i t i s possib le toread Kadais‘ 30-7 11: q det

'

q, 311 7 126’Iq¢roi3,

‘as He is in truth, in Jesus ’. Or re

taining the nominative curfew ,and

stillmaking 6xpurros‘ the subj ect, wemay render ‘

as He i s truth in Jesus’.Of these two constructions the formeri s preferab le ; b ut neither sui ts thecontext sowell as thatwhich has b eengiven ab ove.

2 2 . 67 09605111] The clause introduced b y the infinitive is epexegeticalof the general thought of the p receding sentence :

‘thi s is the lesson that

ye have b een taught—that yep utofetc. standing in contrastwith guaéa aaeaa i s equivalent to thean exaaa aa ea ‘ of the p arallel passage,001. i i i 9 f., a

’fl

'

exdvodp evoc rov wahatov

dvfipamov m’mra i : wpdfeo w 11137 06

,Ka i

IV 23, 24] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 191

9

7 011 1111971017 011 7 011 (PGGL‘OOMGVOV11117 11 7 119 677 1911111019 7 179 1177 117 179 ,

2311110111150110 9111 36 7 111

77 116 1171117 1 7 011 11009 vy wv,“411111 611360 110 9111 7 011 1111111011

1’

1119pw 7 7011 7 011 11117 11 960 11 117 10 96117 11 311111100 151117 111111

00 107 177 1 7 179 11347961119 .

£113v0 1'

17111101 7 611 1115011. The metaphori s that of strip p ing off one garmentto put on another. Compare also

Rom. xi i i 12 67709157119a 01311 7 31 gpya

7 017 0 1167 0119, e’vdv0 aip e9a Be

’7 11 307m7 01?

(pan-09.

ava07 po<j>r711] Comp . a vempdcbqp e'

u

7707 6 in i i 3 ; and for dva07 p e¢ 609a cas a synonymOf wepm'

a'

rew see the

note on i i 2 .

77a7\a 1o11 Comp . Rom.

Vi 6 6 flahau‘

w 15711511 dv9pw7ro9 GUI/6'

0‘

7 avpai917. Hakau’

s stands in contrastalike to Ka11169 (11. new in the senseoff resh, and to (001. i i i new

in the sense of young. The ‘oldman’

i s here spoken of as (paa p ép euog, in

p rocess of decay, as well as morallycorrupt ; we need in exchange a p er

p etual renewal of youth (dvaveof109a 1),as well as a fresh moral personality(11011169 The interchangeof tenses deserves attention : smeg0 9111 .gb9e1p6711 11011. .duaveof10 9a1. £ 11815

0 a09at . Viewed as a change of garments the process i s momentary ;viewed as an altered li fe it i s con

tinuous.

2 3. 7111115710 7 1 7 013 11069] The mindhad been devoid of true purpose1107 11167 177 1 7 06 110159, 17. for the

heart had b een dull and dead (812171

'

16p a10 111 7 179 Kapdfa s, 11. The sp i

ritual p rincip le of the mind mustacquire a new youth, susceptib le of

Sp iritual impressions. The addition

of 7 013 11009 15711311 indicates that theApostle i s sp eaking of the spirit inthe individual : in itself dvavsofi0 9a17 15 17 11115710 11. would have b een amb iguous in meaning. We may compare his use Of 7 0 0 c311a 7 fi9 0 ap 111

’19

0137 013 in sp eaking of the earthly

b ody of our Lord, 001. i 2 2 , 11 I I.24. 110 1

-21 61611]‘afler God

’: God

Himself i s the 7 151709 after which thenewman is created. The allusion is toGen. i 2 7 1107

’s ik o

'

ua 9soi} 37705170 111

azi 'rdv, the language of which ismore

closely followed in 001. i i i 10 7 611 116011

T5V dvaxawodp evov 629 977 13111100 01 Kar’

eixdva 7 08 11r1'

0 a 117 o9 a137 611.

60 161-177 1] For the usual distinctionb etween 60 167 179 and as

representing respectivelydutytowardsGod and duty towards men (Plato,Phi lo), see L ightfoot

’s note on 1 Thess.i i 10 Kai 811101109 (Notes on Ep p .

p . 2 7 The comb ination was a

familiar one ; comp . Wisd. ix 3, Luke1 75.

1111171111119] to b e taken with b oth thepreceding sub stantives,

‘z’

n righteous

ness and holiness which are of the

truth not as A V .

‘ in righteousnessand true holiness ’. There i s an immedi ate contrast with ‘

the lusts of

deceit’,1107 81 377 1911115“ 7 179 a

’1rd'

n79

11. 22 ; just as in 15 a’h1796150117 69

stands in contrast with 7 69 17161179.

Truth as app li ed to conduct (see also11. 2 1) is a lead ing thought of thi ssection, and gives the starting

-

point

for the next.2 5—V. 2 .

‘ I have said that youmust stri p off the old and put on the

new, renounce the passions of decei tand li ve the li fe of truth. Begin

then b y putting away lying : it is contrary to the truth of the Body thatone limb should p lay another false.

See that anger lead not to sin ; if

youharb our it, the devil will find a

p lace among you. Instead of steal

ing, let a man do honest work, thathe may have the means of n mg to

192 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [IV 2 5—27

A a

25 13 10 dWOQéMGVOL 7 0 41 611809 A a A e ur e A A HOG IA N

cf A i a A t, 7 Ie xa c r o c M 6 7 0 T O Y TTAH C l O N A YT O Y, 0 7 1 6071611 11W

26 1

Ra w fi e/

Ar] . o p r l'

z e c e e Ka i M l-i dM A PT A’N e T e

e/

(i n7\to93 9

fl A111i 677 181167 01 677 1

’77 011007 10111? 15110111,

2771111786

others. Corrupt talkmust give wayto good words, which may b ui ld up

your corporate life, words of grace inthe truest sense . otherwi se you wi ll

pain the Holy Sp irit, the seal of yourp resent unity and your future re

demp tion. The b i tter temper mustb e exchanged for the sweet—for kindness and tenderheartedness and forgivingness. God in Chri st has forgiven you all

,and you must copy

Him,for you are His chi ldren whom

He loves. In love you toomust live,such love as Christ’s, which is thelove of sacrifice25. 0770967161101] rep eated fromci 7r

0060601, 0. 2 2 ; but the metaphorof the garment i s dropped, and thesense i s nowmore general, not ‘

put

ting off but‘

p u tting away’. So in

Col. ii i 8 w vi 86 077096096 110i. 1571679 7 81

770117 0, 6117 1511, b efore the metaphor has b een introduced b y 8177 118006716 1101 (11. We cannot with prop riety give the same rendering hereand in 0. 2 2, as

‘

putting away a gar

ment does not in Engli sh signify putting i t off.

7 8 111 66809] The word is suggestedb y 7 139 111177911119 in the preced ingverse ;b ut it is used not in itsmore generalsense of

‘falsehood ’

,b ut in the nar

rower sense of ‘ ly ing’, as i s shewn

by the next words. Comp . John vii i44 37 011 hal f)7 8 11166809,Rake?“ An exact quotation

fromZech. vi i i 16, excep t that therewe have 77p89 7 811 for 7 05. In

Col . i i i 9 the p recep t 11161586096 629

021711510119 occurs, but wi thout the

reason here given, which is speciallysuggested b y the thought of thisep istle.

26. 0py 1g°

6096 PS. lv 4, LR ;where we render ‘Stand in awe and

sin not’(but R. V.marg. has

‘ Be ye

The Heb rewmeans literally‘tremb le . so Aqui la but

it 18 al so us ed of anger.6 {771109 1 .7 .x] Grotius and others

cite the remarkab le parallel fromPlut. de amore f ratr . 488 B 637 0

7117167090 1 Hv9ayop 1110159, oi. 7 61161.

71179611 77p 00 171<0117 69 1i\7\d 11011100 hdyov

7167 6XO117 69, 6 17707 6 77p oax96 1611 6 19 110180

p 1a9 1177 0p7 179, 77v 17 7 011 77h1011 8111101

7 0 9 865109 671780kk0117 69 a’hhq

’how 1102

0077000061101 8167\vov7 0. For the formof the precept compare Deut. xxiv15 0691771611811 67708030 6 6

”

7 811 7110 9811

0157 013 (sc. 7 013 01311 677 18150 67 01

5 77h109 677’0137 155 : and Evang. P etn

'

2 , 5, and the passages quoted b yDr Swete 0d loo.

770p 0p7 10p o3] The word does not

appear to b e found outside b ib licalGreek, although 7rap 0p

‘

yf{ 0710 1 (pass)sometimes occurs. In the LXX. it

always (with the excep tion of a

variant in A)has an active meaning,‘

provocation’,whereas 77 0710500 7189

i s used in the passive sense,‘ indigna

tion’: wapopyifew and 7707005611601 are

of common occurrence and often ren

der the same Heb rew words. Here770p0p

‘

yw'

1189 is the state of feeling

provocation,‘wmth’. Hap opyffew OC

curs b elow, vi 4.

2 7. 7 677011] InRom. x11 19867 6

7 677011 7 57tip-7157the context (

‘Vengeancei s Mine’)shews that the meaning is‘make way for the Divine wrath’.The phrase occurs in Ecclus. iv 58139 7 077 011 11119p 107np x07 apa0 a0901

'

0 6,

xix 17 809 7 077011 1107110 Yxl1 1'

07 0v (giveroomfor it to work), xxxvi i i 12 miZarp éi 889 7 677011 (allow himscope). It

i s found mthe later Greek writers,as in Plutarch, Moral. 462 B 8s? 8s

(so. 7 5 dpyfi)81

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194 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [IV 30—32

I A Aa’

zcovovo w Ka i ,un Arm-ew e T O wvevp a To a

irway 7 0v

Geou, e’

u w e’

O'

qbpaf

yiaa-e eis muepa v

37ra0

'

a 7rucp ia Ka t 914109 Ka t 6mmKa t Kpa vf

yn Ka t 187mo

'

cjmp c'

a dpGnT w dgb’

vywu mmwa d Kaxiqz,37 t

l

l/60'66

speech compare Col. iv 6 0 A67 0:

vymv ”din-ore e’v xap vn ,

(flan nprvp e’vos

‘

(seasoned with the true ‘ salt’ of

speech), and 001. i i i 16 (seats mamaTtKa tS

'e’v xapm x.r . .7\ Compare also

the contrast between ev-rpand u

’a and

svxapw n'

a below i n V 4 ; and see thed etached note on xa

’zp cs. We cannot

reproduce in English the play' upon

the two meanings of xap ts in thisp assage30. P"? h im-s ire] Compare Isa. lxii i .

IO wapai‘fvvav 7 6m/efma To (1w a ti ‘rofz.

On our present passage is foundedthe remarkable injunction of theShepherd of Hermas in regard toh im; (Mand . x). The interpretationthere given is capricious and purelyindividualistic : dpmi 01

311 ( in?) 0 60117 05

l imp, Ka i p b HMBG r b 77 1/69mTo

dywv rt c’v d o}. yti p

mfeiip a 7 013 6608 f t 80061: s i s n)umip xaTari'nyu h im”!mix i nocfie

'

p ec 01338 (Trevo

xcop iav. E'

vova'

ac 7 151} Rapdnrra,xxx

-A. To St Paul on the contrary theSpirit is the bond of the corporatelife

,and that ‘grieves ’ Himwhich

d oes not tend to the ‘bui lding-up’of

the Christian society. We may compare Rom. xiv 15 ct? yap (Sui fipéip a(i dBehclxis o ov kvfl'

e'

irac,01

3

x61 1. kard

dycimyv wepma'

re'

i s : and Jerome on

Ezek. xviii 7 (Vail. v‘ in euan

gelio quod iuxta Heb raeos Nazaraeilegere consueuerunt inter maximaponitur crimina, qui f ratr is sui sp i

r i tumcontri staueri t’. That which

tends not to bui ld b ut to cast down,

thatwhich grieves the brother, grieves cip éq'm] Compare

the Spirit whi ch is alike in himand dpéfi Ex p éo ov zip cfw 6

in you. wpéfa s‘ . St Paul usesThe whole clause 18 only in I Cor. vi I

an echo of i I3 f. e’a cbpa

‘

yc'

a eqre 7 03 I4.

w vevp a'

rc 7 179 { way-

yeh t'

a g To) ci‘yt'm" .ew Kam'g]

dwohri‘rpcoo'w Tfis

'

r epm'

oufo ems‘ . The

Spirit was the seal of the completeincorporation of the Gentiles. Compare further 1 Cor. xii 13 Ka i yc

‘

zp e’

v

e'

vi mi stip an rip of f: miw es‘s is 311 o cSp a

«E’

Bamfoeqp eu, s ire’Iov8a?o ¢ sire

"

Ekhqyes,

31. mxp i’a] The three other pas

sages in whi ch thi s word occurs ‘1

borrow their phraseology directly orind irectly from the Old Testament(Acts vii i 23, Rom. i i i 14, Heb. xi i

Here the usage is genuinely Greek,

andmay be compared with COL i i i 19p t) 71

'

t d 60'66 a

'

pos' min is. Aristotle

in d iscussing various forms of angersays (Eth. Nic. iv o i y e

‘

u 031;

6p‘

yz'

hoc Taxe'

ws‘ p 31! 6p‘

yt'

fow ac,« at of:

013 367, Ka i. e

’Cf)’

ou’def

,Ka i. pahhov fi

Bei 7ra tiom-ac Be‘ Taxe’wc o i 82mxpo i

duafitdkv'mt, Ka i 17 0t Xpouov dpy t'

fovTar Karéxovm ydp Top Itappears, then, that 7ru<p ia is an embittered and resentful spirit whichrefuses reconciliation.

61416: ma ] Compare Col. 111 8

IV 32] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 195

66 629 a’

M n'

o s Xpncrfro i

,eii

a wh a v

yxum, Xap1§61161101e

cam-019 xaGws Ka t

comp. Tit. iii 3 £11 xam’q xal ¢ 06vcp61ayom'

eg.

32 . q o-rol The parallel

passage, Col. iii 12 , has :awkd‘yxva o ixfl pp ov, q o

'

r6rq-ra

,Ta

1re1vo¢ po<rvmyv, npavrrrra, p axpofivp iav,duex6p evo1 dhhnhwv, Ka t xap 1§6p evo1eav

'

row,e’av 7 19 7rp6s

'rwa ex” 1.101“a

Kaeoi

s' Ka i 6mipw s e

’

xapfcra'

ro 1511711, 017

1-10

xa i zip ei g. In our epistle the demandfor humility and forbearance has beenmade before (iv kindness

,tender

ness, forgivingness are now enforced.

eflmha-yxum] The word occursagain only in 1 Pet. iii 8. It is notfound in the Lxx

,b ut occurs in the

Prayer of Manasses (v. 7)which is oneof the Canticles appended to theGreek Psalter. It is also found

,with

its substantive ev’mrha '

yxvfa, in theTestam. xi i p atr i arch. Hippocratesuses it in a literal sense of a healthycondition of the ovrhci'yxva , as he alsouses p eyahciom'hayxvos of their enlargement by disease. Euripides

,Rhea

192 , has efio flha‘

yxm'

a metaphoricallyfor

‘a stout heart ’. The use of the

word for tenderness of heart wouldthus seemto be not classical, butJewish in origin, as Lightfoot suggestsin regard to mrhayxvigea da t in hisnote on Phi l. i 8. Holuimrhayxvos‘occurs in Jas. v 11, with a variantwohvedovrkayxvog : see Harnack

’s noteon Herm. Vi s . i 3 2 .

éavro’

i g] For the variation of thepronoun after the preceding s is (in fihave see Lightfoot’s note on 001. i i i 13avex6p ev01 cihhnhcov Ka t.xap 1f6p evo1 cav

ro‘

i s. To the instances there citedshould be added Luke xxi ii 12 e

’

yé

vow o 86 . lue'r cihhqha w 71

'

pov

mpxov yap c’v exdpa

”ow es 1rp6s

'

au'

rous‘

,

where the change i smade for variety’ssake (Blass Gram. N T.

The same reason suffices to explainthe variation here. If e

'

av'

ro'

i c is the

more appropriate in the second place,

96’

63V XA

os p to'

v'

tp exap to'

a'ro

it is so on account of the clause whichfollows : they among themselvesmustdofor themselves what God has donefor them.

Origen, who noted the variation,was led by it to interpret xap 1§6p euo1in the sense of ‘giving’ as God has‘given’to us

,as in Rom. viii 32 mi n

ov’

xi Kat (TW av'

rdi r a 7rc'

w'ra 1711111 xap f

(rera1 ; The kindness and tenderheartedness which we shew s is (Whihovg, he says, is in fact shewn ratherto ourselves

,d1a 7 6 o va a aip ovs 171189

e1va1. . .Tavra 86 Gummy 00 a

xai 6 0669 7711 111 611 Xpw'

ra'

i e’

xap io a'ro.

But the parallel in Col. i i i 13, where361! 7 19 7rp6s

‘ ‘rwa exy 1101143171! is added,

is in itself decisive agai nst this view.

The Latin renderingdoma i t

’lends it no support,as may

be seen at once fromCol. ii 13 ‘a’o

nantes uobi s omn ia deli cta’, a use of

dorm/re which is Ciceronian.

e’u Xp tO

‘

Téi ]‘ in Christ

’,not

‘forChrist’s sake as in A .V. The expression is intentionally brief and pregnant. Compare 2 Cor. v 19 sea fill31! Xpurrc‘f) K60'

p ou Karahha'

o o wv

where the omission of the definitearticles, frequent in pointed or proverb ial sayings, has the effect of presenting this as a concise summary ofthe truth (6 k6yos‘ 1779 xarahka ‘

yfis).In 001. iii 13 we have simply 6 16pm(or 6 Xp 1m'69). Here however themention of 6Ha ir enables the Apostleto expand hi s precept and to say 7 1

’

veo fie 01311mam-a i 7 08 0606 ltd

-A .

e’

xap io aro]‘ hath f orgi ven

’.

‘ For

gave ’(Col. iii 13 A .V .)is an equallypermissible rendering. It is an errorto suppose that either ismore faithfulthan the other to the sense of theaorist

,which

,unless the context

decides otherwise, represents an in

definite past.1511211] On the variants here and inv 2 see the note on various readings.

13-2

196 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. W I, 2

V OUV 11111117 111 T OU 1119 7 616110! (17 61777 17 6;11011 7T€p t7ra T €LT € eu a

’f

yaw'

n, 111101119 11011 6 xp10'

7'69 117 01

vp a s 11011 7 011166111e éa v7 6v 117 e v11131/ n p o c

cho pan KA I OYC IA N Ta) 9613

V . I . 11111qra 1'

] Again and againwe find in St Paul’s epistles suchexpressions asmp qral 1511131»( 1 Thess.i 111,1q p ov (1 Cor. iv 16, xi

111116 109a1 (2 Thess. iii 7,Here he boldly bids his readers‘ follow God’s example ’, ‘

copy God ’.Comp. Ign. Ep h. I 11111177 61 3127 69 96017,Trai l. I etipa

’w 151169 169 gym)» 11111177 69

6w a9 66017.

re'

k va dyamrrci]‘as His beloved chil

dren’. The epithet leads the way to

the further precept xc ‘

1 mpmar e‘

ire e’u

dydwy.

2 . 7rap e'

6w1cev] The closest parallelsare in v. 2 5 1<a19<69 Kai 6 Xpw r69 67 611170 611 7 611 e

’xxhqa lav Ka i e

'

avr6v wap e'

Bco

Kev 1571'6p azi

rfi9, and Gal. 11 20 7 017 v ioii

mi)06017 7 013 6yam§a avr69 Kai. napa

6607 09 eav'

r6v vrrep 611017. But wemayalso compare Gal. i 4 7 0v eav1

'6v

i rrep 7 12511 ap ap'n cov 0111311, and in the

Pastoral Ep istles é 6ou9 cav7'6u aVT t

Xvi -pow vrrep wdw cov (I Tim. ii 69

331011611 e'

av‘

r6v 1511-81) 6111311 (Tit. iiIn Rom. viii 32 the action is ascribedto the Father

, 61re‘

p 15116511mivrmv wap é6coe a 1i‘r6u, and in Rom. iv 2 5 we

have the verb in the passive,69 7rap e

6631) 616. 7 6 wap awraip ara 15111311. Inthe last two passages, as in the froquent occurrences of the word in theGospels, there is probably a referenceto Isa. liii 9, 12 . It is to be notedthat in none of these passages is anyallusion to the idea of sacrifice added,as there is in the present case.6111311] For the variant 15111311 see the

note on various readings.7rp00

'

d)0p c’w Kai 5v0'

1'

av] These wordsare found in combination in Ps. xxxix(x1)7 19vo 1

'

ay Ka i 7rpoa¢ 0p6v 013K wide/Vi0

'

a9 (quoted in Heb. x 5, Hpoo

(topc'

z is very rare in the LXX (apartfrom whereas 9v0'

1'

a is ex

€ IC OC M H N e vw a i a c.

ceedingly common. St Paul uses 7rp00'

(bopa again only i n speaking of ‘the

offering of the Gentiles ’,Rom. xv. 16 :

e wza he employs again four timesonly (once of heathen sacrifices). It istherefore probable that here he b orrows the words

,half-consciously at

leas t, fromthe Psalm.

629 6071611 e1ico81'

a 9] 18 foundin the literal sense in John xi i 3.

Otherwise it occurs only in St Pauland in every case in connexion with613108121, which again is confined to hisepistles. The passages are 2 Cor. ii14— 16 7 611 60-1161: 7 179 3111160 61119 (167 06

gbavepo iivn 81’15111511 311 7raw

‘

1 r67rtp° 67 1

Xpw'roii eti fa 3011611 7 153 6563 81} 7 029

amfoae'

vow 11a1 1511 7 029 aflohhvp e'

vow '

039 1161! 60717) e’K Gavdrov and

Phil. iv. 18 fl efl'hfipwp a t 86561161109 vrapa

7 6 nap’6111311, 6071611

61'

a 9, dva fav Ben-nip , ezidp ea '

rov 7 055 96133,where the word ing is closely parallelto that of the present passage. TheApostle is still employing Old Testament language : 60111)ass et“ ,

or c1’c

6071611 6 131031119, occurs about forty timesin the Pentateuch and four times inEzekiel. The fact that he uses themetaphor with equal freedomof thepreaching of the Gospel and of thegifts of the Phi lippians to himselfshould warn us against pressing i t toostrongly to a doctrinal use in the

present passage.Jerome

,doubtless reproducing Ori

gen, comments as follows : ‘

Qui p roaliorumsalute usque ad sanguinemcontra peccatumd imicat

,ita ut et

animamsuam tradat pro eis, isteamb ulat in caritate, imitans Christumqui nos in tantumd ilexit ut crucempro salute omniumsustineret. quo

modo enimille se tradidi t pro nobis,\

sic et iste pro quibus potest lib enter

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

198

1151701011 efixap to' fria .

of youth. Although this quick-wittedraillery might eas ily be as sociatedwith impropriety of conversationand this d anger is doubtless in theApostle’s mind— yet the word itselfappears to remain free fromtaint.Thismay be seen

,for example, by i ts

frequent association with Kap a and

its derivatives comp.Josephus A ntiq.

xi i 4 3 150-0629 66 6772 r?) XCip LT l. Ka i

667 pa77 6h1'

a 7 017 116av1'

0'

K0v : PlutarchMar . 52 1) (of Alcib iades)[16 7 6 667 pa

7r6>\ 1'

a9 { 13V Ka i. x6p 17 09.

a’vfiKev] Comp. 001. i i i 18 169 611610511Kvp 1

'

cp, and see Lightfoot’s note

,in

which he illustrates the use of theimperfect in thi s word and in wpoav

'

jKevand Kafifixev (Acts xxii 2 2)by our ownpast tense ‘ ought ’

St Jerome’s expositiondeserves to be given in full

, as itthrows light not only on the interpretation of the passage b ut also on thehistory of biblical commentary. ‘Upto this point,

’he says,

‘ the Apostleseems to have introduced nothingforeign to his purpose or alien tothe context. But in regard to whatfollows, some onemay raise the question, What has

“ giving of thanks ” todo immediately after the prohibitionof fornication and uncleanness andlasciviousness and shamefulness and

foolish speaking and jesting ? If hewas at liberty to name some one

virtue, he might have mentioned“ justice or

“truth

”

,or

“ love” thoughthese also would have been somewhatinconsequent at this point. Perhapsthen by “ giving of thanks (gratiammacti o)

” ismeant in this place not thatby which we give thanks to God

, b utthat on account of whichwe are cal ledgrateful or ingratiating (grati si ue

gratiosi)and witty (salsi)amongmen.

For a Christianmust not be a fool ishspeaker and a jester : b ut his speechmust be seasoned with salt

,that it

may have grace with themthat heari t. And since it i s not usual

,except

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [V 5

A 3/ cl57 0117 0 «

yap ywwo'

Koz/T es 0 7 1

with certain learned persons amongthe Greeks, to use the word 61ixap 1

'r1

'

a

[the editions give 66xap 10'

7 1'

a] as di stingui shed fromeuchar i sti a

,i .e. to

distinguish between grati osum ease

and agere grati as, I suppose that theApostle, a Hebrew of the Hebrews

,

used the current word and intendedto hint at his own meaning in thesignification of the other word : andthis the rather

,because with the

Hebrews gratiosus and gratias agensare expressed

,as they tell us

,by one

and the same word. Hence in Proverbs (Xi I6): yum) 66xc

'

1p 10'

7'

09 6'y6 1'

p 6 1

1i i/6p}. assay, muli er grata sasci tat

u i ro glor iam,where it stands for

gratiosa. We should appear to bedoing violence to the Scripture inthus daring to interpret muliergratias agens as muli er gratiosa,were it not that the other edi tionsagree with us : for Aquila and Theodotion and Symmachus have so rendered it

, viz. your) xcip 17 09, muliergratiosa, and not 613x6p 10

-7 09

,which

refers to the “

giving of thanksThus far St Jerome. But whence

this subtle feeling for Greek,this apt

quotation fromthe Greek bible,this

appeal to various translators insteadof to the Hebrew verity’ We havethe answer in an extract fromOrigen’sCommentary

,happily preserved in

Cramer’s Catena : 013K 61113116 66‘

7 029

634019 0666mi n ; [80. 667 pa 7r6h1'

a],ma

p dhhov 15611 7760-1 7rp69 6G6V 6 13xap 10‘1'

1'

w

fiyovv 66xap 10'

7 1fa Ka i711 66xap 1'

0'

7 0v9

Kai xap 1'

61/7 69 p wp0h6‘

yov

116V 06V Kai 6137 p67r67\0v 06 66? efva1,

66xdp 10'

7 0v 66 Ka i xap 1'

6v7 a. Kai 6’71

'

6 i

6015117 369 60 7 1 7 6 6217 6211‘dhha pa lm)

66xap 17 1'

a’(sic legendum: 6d . 66xap 1

7 6Xa 6117 17 0151'

ov 6xp 150'

a 7 0 7 33 671"

670t0v K61116'

vy R65“ Ka i

pa lm! Ka i. 11 757107 6 690960-7 2 7 153 6116110 7 1 7 69 66xap 10

'

7 1'

a 9 Kai

7 017 66xap 1'

0'

7 0v 7 069 6716‘

EBpafa w

xp ija 190 1 6117 1 1779 613xap 17 1'

a 9 (ed. 66xa

p 10'

7 1'

a 9)Kal 613

Xap 1'

7 0v, He then

V 5]

9 II

77 119 7rop1/09 11

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. I99

e,aKaGap 7 09 11 0 66 7 11} ei6m7\o

A027 9 0611 6 61 K7\ 0110 7x’

pn X np 11 7 17 110-1 6 191 7 0v s

proceeds to cite the xxx and otherversions of Prov. xi 16. St Jerome’scomment is thus fully accounted for,and we are able to see how closely hefollowed Origen, his indebtedness towhomhe expresses in his preface.Since this note was writtenmy friendMr J. A. F. Gregg has examined theParis MS of the Catena, and foundthat in both places it gives the word66xap 17 1

'

a. This word indeed appearsto have no substantial existence andto be a mere conjecture on the partof Origen.

We cannot suppose that St Paulmeant anything b ut ‘

thanksgiving’byezixapw

-r fa. But he was led to his

choice of the word by the doublemeaning which certainly belongs tothe adjective etixdpw ros

‘ (comp ,for

example, Xenoph. Cyrop . i i 2 1 613

Xap 10'

7 67 a7 01 h6'y01). See the note oniv 29 iva 61g)Xcipw 7 029 6Ko1iov0'1v.

5. y tvaia KovT 69] This appearsto be a Hebrai smfor ‘ye know of a

surety ’. The reduplication with theinfini tive absolute (111

-my‘ l: and thel ike) occurs 14 times in the OldTestament. The Lxx generally renderit by 71116117 6 9 7 11160 6096, etC. Sometimes the reduplication is simplyneglected. In 1 Sam. xx 3, however,we find 7 111050 v 036611, and in Jer.xlix (xli i) 2 2 the actual phrase i’a re

yi n/160 110117 6 9 87 1 occurs in several MSSsub aster i sco

,being a Hexaplaric

readingwhich in themargin of CodexMarchalianus is assigned to Symmachus.

See the notes on 77. 3and iv 19 ; and compare Col. i i i. 5nopua

'

av,dKaOapm

'

au,776909, 67r10v11 1

'

av

KaKrjv, Kai 76V nheovegiav 177 19In the New Testament

the verb 77 7\60116K7 6'

i v is confined totwo of St Paul’s epistles : it regularlymeans ‘

to defraud’, 2 Cor. ii. 1 I (i’va

ptt) 15776 7 05 2a7 av6),

V11 2,x11 17 f. In 1 Thess. iv 6 i t i s

used in connexion with the sin of

impurity, 7 6 111)617 6p/3a1'

116w Ka i 77h60

V6K7 6'

iv 611 7 133 qrpd'

yp an 7 611 66eR1p6va 137 oi3. Certain forms of impurityinvolve an offence against the rightsof others (

‘ thou shalt not covet thyneighbour’s Accordingly r heovegza occurs in close proximity to sinsof impurity in several passages. Thecontext in such cases gives a colourto the word ; b ut it does not appearthatmeowgza can be independentlyused in the sense of fleshly concu

p iscence. The chief passages, besidesthose which have been cited above

,

are 1 Cor. v 9 ff. é’

ypaxlf a c’v

111} a vvavapZ-yvvaam 776pv019,

06 7 019 776pv019 7 017 K60'

110v

7 o67 au 13 7 019 nh60V6K7 a19 Kai 6p 1ra§1v626coh0h67 pa 19 , e

’rr6i 15<p6 1

’7\67 6 6pa 6K

7 05 1160-1100 656A96’

1

’

11. 111311 66 gypadra

111)a vvavap fyvvaem 7 19 d6el\gh69

6rop a§6p 6v09 5 7r6pv09 i)117\60V6’K7 1)9 13

626wh0h67 p 179 i) h01'

60p09 f] 1160v0'

09 i)ap 7ra5, 7 153 7 010157 19 [11766 a vu60 91

'

6w :

vi 9 f. 013K 0180 7 6 67 1 661K01 96017

fiaa thelav 013t p ov0p60 0v0'

w ; 111}777mv1

'

i 1706 7r6pv01 067 6 6Z6w7\0)\67 p a1

067 6 1101x0’1 p ahaKoi 067 6 6p0

'

6v0

Ko'

ira1 1016777 01 017

7 6 777\60V6'

K7 a1, 06

p 69v0'

01,01

3

7\01'

60p01, 06x6p1ray69 Bam7t61

'

a1z 66013 t povop rjo'

ovaw. In the

former passage 77h60v6K7 at9 comes insomewhat suddenlywhen 776pv019 alonehas been the starting-point of thediscussion ; b ut the addition Kal 6p

wa ifw shews that the ground of thediscussion is being extended. Thelatter passage recurs largely to thelanguage of the former. For a furtherinvestigation of wkeoveffa , and for itsconnexion with 636mh0ha1'p 1fa, seeLightfoot’s notes on 001. i ii 5.

7 017 xp10'

7 01'

i Ka i. 6606] The articleis sometimes prefixed to the first onlyof a series of nearly related terms :compare ii 20 617 i 7 15V

200

0 7 011 1ca 1‘

06017 .

1!

0111 7 au7 a yap 6px67 a 1A f

7 119 a 7ret61a s .

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

11 15117 1} 7 01771111 ou11 G

'

UVflGT oXOt a 1i 7 m11

[V 6—1 I

6 C A

[1718619 v,ua 9 a 77 a 7 a 7 w 116 11019 A07 019 ,

A t

860V 677 ! T OUQ UlOUS’

8717 6

«

yap 77 07 6 0 1107 09 , 111111 06 (pws 611 11vp 1w 019 7 61111a 115107 09

776p177 a 7 6 17 6° 9

0 f

yap Kapfl’OQ 7 011 (pan

-09 é11 7ra c

'

z1 ay aflw

0'

v11n 11a 1 0111a 100'

v1111 Ka t dknda a'

n1ca 1 1111 0

'

v11110111wve17 6 6117 019GUa‘OGO

'

T OV T l}. KU

‘t r

8I l s

0K1p a §0117 69 7 1 60 7 111

7 079 a’

d 7ro1s 7 011 07 107 0119, p aM ov 06 Ka t eke -0667 6 ,

677007 6v 1101 77p0¢ 177 1311, i i i 12 7011napp 170

'

1'

a11 1cd’1 a poaaym'yrfv, iii 18 7 1

'

7 0

Kai 11171109 1111154109 110166009.

6. 11611029 Myow] The only parallelis a close one ; 001. ii 811776-7 179. K61169 when used of speechis practically equivalent to 416118159 :comp. D idaché 2 01311 15 007109

17 011 1116v0159, 013 1161169, dhha 1161160 7 10

1161109 “ page“ also Arist. E111. N10. 11

7 I 11611167 6p01 as Opposed todhq9111167 6p01 : Galen dc d ifi:111118. iii 6(Kiihn viii 672) 0137 1119 01

311 1101 7 0139

hdyovs'

\I’€v8629 (311011650110 1 116110159 .

7. ovvp e'

roxm] This compound and0

‘

v11110111a1116'

i 1'6 in 11. I I may be contrasted with the three compoundsovvxhqpovop a, 17 1511010110 , O

'

v émxa , bywhich the Apostle emphasised theirentry into the new fellowship (iii9. éyaGmov

'my] Comp .Rom. xv. 14,Ga]. v 2 2

,2 Thess. i 1 1. It repre

sents the kindl ier,as 81110 10013117] repre

sents the sterner element in the idealcharacter : comp. Rom. v 7.IO. 0011111d§0117 69 Comp. Rom.

xi i 2 629 70doxtpdfa v 151169 7 57 0Héhqp a7 017 0605, 7 067 09011 11a}. 6136p 60

'

7 011 Kai

and 001. iii 20 7 0177 0 yap

clearly out of place . I Cor. xiv 246011 06 771i117 69 77p0¢ q7 6v101n v, 6 10161 6” 067 19 0 77 117 7 09 17 101107 179, 11170

770117 1011, avaxpw 67 a1 W 0 7 a

11pv177 0 7 179 k ap01'

a 9 a137 0v (pavep am1

,where the verb 6

’7\6"yX6w seems to

suggest the explanatory sentence‘

y1'

1167 a 1. So in our

present passage is immediately followed by 7 0 yap v cbfi 7 1110

new , and subsequently we have 7 81

06’17am emeyxdp eva 13170 7 013 ¢ w7 09

(bauepofira t. Accordingly it i s best tointerpret the word in the sense of ‘

to

expose ameaning which it likewisehas in John iii 20 1110

-62 7 0 ¢ 1I>9 mi

01311 3pX6 7 at 77p09 7 0(11139, in p f; el eyxdfi7 0 gp

‘

ya 0 137 013 (contrast Zva ¢ a 116po19f1in the next verse). This significationis illustrated by Wetstein fromArtemidorus i i 36 fih109 61700130 6109 6

’

favav60k 7 0111111177 0 7 1311K6h1766

'

11a1

301106117 1011,and also fromthe lexico

graphers.

With thi s interpretation we giveunity to the whole passage. Thecontrast throughout is between li ghtand darkness. First we have, as theresult of the light, that testing which

613611617 7 611 £0 7 111 e’u 111v 19. For theuse of i ssues in the approval of the good

6136111617 7 09 and its adverb in inscriptionssee Deissmann NeueB i belst. p. 42 .

I I . The ordinarymeaning of in the New Testamentis ‘

to reprove ’,in the sense of ‘ to

rebuke ’. But in the only other p assage in which the word occurs inSt Paul’s writings (apart fromthePastoral Epistles)reproof in words i s

(00111111if6 111); secondly, as the resultof the meeting of the l ight with thedarkness

,that testing which issues in

the exposure of the evilAnd then

,since 6

’7te

'

yx6091u and ¢ aV6

p 0v0'9a1 are appropriate respectively

to the evi l and the good (as in Johniii 20

,quoted above), the transforma

tion of the one into the other i s

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

202 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [V 15, 16

h h

I5B7\e"r1' 67 e ov11 0211111131119 7 019 WGPLW d T GL‘

T G, pmwe

r, I

010 0q u’

M’

1159 0'

q 01,

Bride by a sacramental cleansing, topresent her to Himself in the gloryof a perfect beauty, with no spot ofdisfigurement

,no wrinkle of age. But

Christ’s Bride is also Christ’s Body :and the husband must love his wifeas being his own body . Who hateshis own flesh ? Who does not feedand tend it 7 So is i t with Christ andthe Church : for we are the limbs ofHis Body. Is it not written of

marriage,that t he two shall be one

flesh ? Great is the hiddenmeaningof those words. I declare themto betrue of Christ and the Church : yourpart is to realise their truth in yourrespective spheres : as the fear of

Christ is met by Christ’s love, so letthe wife fear

,and the husband love

I5. BA6'

77 67 6] St Paul frequentlyuses Bke

’mw in the sense of ‘ to takeheed’: (I)with the accusative, as inCol. iv. I7 BA6

'

77 6 7 r)11 (look to,consider), Phil. iii 2 1115110 9 11.7 .7t.

(beware of) (2)with 7110 or p 15, frequently ; (3) with 71139, here and inI Cor. i ii 10 31100 7 09 36‘ Bhefl'

e’n o 77 139

3770111080116 . Here only we have theaddition of cixp 1Ba

‘

39,—‘ take carefu l

heed On the variant 77139 0’11p 118139

see the note on various readings.716p 17ra7 627 6] The repetition Of this

word takes us b aCk to 11. 8 159 7 611110

¢ w709 77 6p 11707 627 6. The particle 01311

is resumptive. Themetaphor of darkness and light is dropped

, and thecontrast is now between Ez'croctmanda ocbof.I6. éfayopafo

'

p wm] Comp. iv5 311 crogb iq 77 6110707 677 6 7rp09

7 011 110t 11 éfiayopafép w ou’Ay0pd§6111

is used of persons by St Paul only inthe phrase fiyopdq -

re 7 111131, I Cor. vi20

, vi i 2 3, in each cas e themetaphorbeing of purchase into servitude. Sowe have in 2 Pet. ii I 7 611 dyop cia aw a

0 137 0159 8601767 1711. It is used Of theredeemed in the Apocalypse

,v 9,

166, 1

a opa §6p 6V01 7 1311 Ka lpOV,

xiv 3 f.’E$u-yop é { e111 is only used by

St Paul,and in the two other places

in which it occurs it has themeaningof

‘ buying out’or ‘away from’ Gal.

iii I3 Xp 107 09 751189 ééqyopaa ev 7 739Kardpa9, iv. 5 7110 1571011611011 6

3

50310

prion. This meaning of‘ ransoming,

redeeming ’is found in other writers.There

'

seems to be no authori ty forinterpreting the word, like o vvayopci

{ 6111 and o vvmue'i o ém,as

‘ to b uy up’

(coemere). Polyh. iii 42 2 is cited as

an example, éfry‘yépaa'

e 770p’0177 1311 7 15

7 6 p ovdévha whoia 77 15117 0 (Hannibalbought all the boats of the natives inorder to cross the Rhone); b ut thesense of ‘ buying up

’is given by the

addi tion of 7111117 0, and the verb itselfboth there and in Plut. Grass. 2 needmean no more than ‘ to b uy

’. In

Mart. P olye. 2 we have the middlevoice as here

,b ut in the sense of

‘ buying ofi” (comp. the use of 8501111217 1901 and 8131 11 189 13pa 9

0216111011 éfayop afdp w ou

A close verbal parallel is Dan. n 8

0230 57 1 1101p011 1511 629 égayopdfa e,

‘I

know ofa certainty that ye would gainthe time’(Aram. P2911111115 N33); W),b ut thi smeaning is not applicable toour passage. The Apostle appears tobe urging his readers to claimthepresent for the best uses. It has got

,

so to speak, into wrong hands the

days are evi l days — they must purchase it out of themfor themselves.Accordingly the most literal translation would seemto be the best, ‘

re

deeming the time’ b ut not in thesense ofmaking up for lost time, asin the words Redeemthy misspenttime that’s past ’.

7 011 1101p611] A. distinction is Oftento be clearlymarked between xp61109as

‘ time ’generally, and 11a1p61‘the

fitting period or moment for a p ar

ticular action’. But Ka tpog i s by nomeans limited to this latter sense .

V 17 , 18] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. . 203

( I C t I I 3

0 7 1 011 maep ea 77 01117p011 610 111.

1 7810 7 0117 0 1111 7 11160 66a cppoves, 0 70m0 1111167 6 7 1 7 0 tic-{Any a 7 ou 11140100

811011

M H M € 6 YC K € C GG 611 (p é0 7 111 00 017 10,aAAa 77 7m

ThusmSt Paul we have a 11611 110 1p 09,Rom. i i i 26, viii 18 (7 0 77 06111107 0 7 0v

W V l1a1p ot1), Xi 5 : and oo 1cu1p o9 alone,

for the time that now i s,or that sti ll

is left, Rom. xiii I I 62807 6 9 7 011 11a 1p o11,07 1 mp0 vyas

‘

v77 110v 6y6p017v01,I Cor. vi i 29 0 110 1p09 0 1111607 07\p.6

'

1109

See also Gal. vi l o 159 1101p011

3Xop ez1, which Lightfoot takes tomean‘as we have opportunity ’; b ut heallows that ‘ there is no objection torendering it “

wh i le we haveand compares Ignat. Smym. 9 159 27 1

1101p o11 6xo116 11, and [2 Clem] 8, 9.

Compare vi I3 5117 10 7 13110 16 11 77116110 7701117pd, and Gal. i 4611 7 ou 0 1131109 7 0v 6 1160 7 137 09 7701117poi .

Though ‘ the days are evil ’,they are

capable in some degree at least of

transformation : the time may b e

rescued. So Origen interprets theWhole passage . 0101161 60v7 o

'

i 9 7 011 1101

pov c1i11ov o1, GXOVTG. 109 77p 09 7 011

0110p0577 111011 7fa11r7pa 9 17116'

p0 9. 07 6

ou11 6 19 7 1 86011 7 011 110 1p011

116 11, 1511170 011660 av7 o11 110 i dw q‘

yopa0 a11611

6'

0v7 o'

i 9 15077 6p 6l 77 6 77p0116'

11011 7 5 7 1311

Gp aifl'

cov 36 7 011

1101p011 5117 0 75116'

p0 19 7rov17p0'

i 9, o io116 i

067 00 010011 3 1 77 011q 9 fine’

p0 9 629

ewes ,xxi

-A . Severian’s comment(also in Cramer’s Catena)i s simi lar zo6§0yop a (

’

0116 1109 7 011 a7\7\07 p 1011 dovhov

6§ayop a { 6 7 0 1 110 1 117 0 7 0 1 av7 011. 6 77 6 1 ou11

o 110 1p 09 0 77 0p co11 dovhw a 7 019 7701111po19,

éfayop ci0 a0 196 0 137 1511

,130 7 6 Ka 7 axp 1§0 a~

0 601 77p 1’19 6 130 6661011.

17. (Tut/{ 67 6 Comp. IO

30111p ci§o117 69 For the variant0 111116117 11 see the note on variousreadings.18. 1166150 116096 So Prov.

xxi i i 31 (L111: only), according to thereadi ng of A . B has N

We might hesitate to accept the

read ing of A ,regarding it as an

assimilation to the text of ourpassage,b ut that Origen confirms it (Tisch.

Not. Cod. S1I71. p . As the wordsoccur in the preceding verse

,

the change in B is probably due to a

desire for uniformity.00 107 10] Comp. Tit. i 6 7 611110 6xw11

77 107 0,

6 11 110 7 17-y0p 1f0 d0 co7 1

'

09 1) 0 11

v77 07 0117 0, I Pet. iv 4 111) 0v117 p exo117 101115111311 629 a1

’1r i)z1 7 39 1i0 co7 1

'

09 dvciXv0 111.The adverb i s used in Luke xv 133160 116p 77 10 611 0177 013 { 131160 167 1119 (comp. 11. 30 6 Karacpayaiv 0 ou

7 611 31011 1167 0 77 0p 111311).whnp ova

'fle 611 77 116v110 7 1] Thesequenceof thought appears to b e this . Be

not drunk with wi ne,b ut find your

fulness through a higher instrumentality, or in a higher sphere. If the

prepositionmarks the instrumentality,

then 77 11613110 signifies the Holy Spiriti f itmarks the sphere

,77 1116110 might

sti ll mean the Holy Spirit,but it

would b e more natural to explain i tof spirit generally (as opposed to

flesh)or of the human spirit. In the

three other places inwhich we find e’11

7711115

1107 1 in this epistle there is a likeambiguity : i i 22 0 vv01K080p 6I0€6 629

1107 0111177 1§p 1o11 7 013 0603 77 116 151107 1, 111 50 77 6110A1

5

1p617 7 019 ayio19 av

7 ou 110 1 77po<f>177 019 6 11 77116151107 1, vi 18

7rp o0 6vx011 6 1101 6 11 77 0117 1 l1a1p 13 6 11 77 11615

1107 1. In every case i t appears on thewhole best to interpret the phrase asreferring to the Holy Spirit : and theinterpretation is confirmed when weobserve the freedomwith which theApostle uses the preposition in ihstances which are free fromamb iguity ; as I Cor. xi i 3 6 11 77 116151107 1 06017

hahcfw, I3 6 11 6 111 77 11615110 7 1 6800 7 10900611,Rom. xv I6 6 11

77 1111511107 1. a‘

yfco : compare also Rom. xiv

17, where there i s a contrast somewhat resembling that of our text, 011

204 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [V 19—2 2

A A Q A

pOUO'06 7 7 11615110 7 1,

’9 7\a 7\011117 69 60 117 019 41 0 701019 11011

A A O,

{5

1111019 110 1’

0380 19 080117 69 110 1 xlf aM ow es‘

I t A A I 203 I

9 77 0 7 07 67 11 1101p810 v u

701 11up11p , 6

11xap 10

’

7 0

11117 6

A

11

15776‘

p 77 05117 11111 61 15110110 7 1 7 ou 1111p 1011 1)w 1110 011 Xp 10'

7 011

A A I7 111 0601 11011 77 0 7 p 1,

Xp 10 7 017 .

‘

ycip i) 1300016 10 7 013 19603 Bp 130 19

1107. 7700 19, 11117181 8111010015111] eip rjwy110 i xapd 77 116 151107 1 dy icp.

If then we adopt the interpretation,‘Let your fulness be that which comesthrough the Holy Spirit’, how are weto render the words in English ? Thefamil iar rendering ‘B efi lled w i th theSp i ri t

’suggests at first sight that theinjunctionmeans Become full of theHoly Spiri t’. Such an injunctionhowever has no parallel : had thisbeen the Apostle’smeaning he wouldalmost certainly have used the genitive (comp. e.g. Acts ii 13 yh6 15110v9

and he wouldprobably have cast his precept intothe formof an exhortation to praythat such fulness might be granted.

Nevertheless this rendering,thoug h

not strictly accurate,suffices to bring

out the general sense of the passage,

inasmuch as it is difli cult to di stinguish between the fulness whichcomes through the Spirit, and thefulness which consists in being full ofthe Spirit : the Holy Spirit being at

once the Inspirer and the Inspiration.

We may therefore retain it in viewof the harshness of such substitutesas Be filled in the Spirit’or ‘ by theSpirit’.19. h0h03117 6 9 Comp. 001. i i i

16 81800 110117 69 1101vovéerovvr 69 { aw o im81111019, 1138029 77V6v1107 1xa i9

x0p 17 1, 7 029 110p81'

019 15111311 7 1366133. See Lightfoot’s notes on thatpassage : ‘

whi le the leading idea of

wakp o'

e is a mus ical accompaniment,

and that of {5111109 praise to God,i s the general word for a song ’.

I I Ia’

M nM w (PofigoI I AA 1 f

yvva uces, 7 0 19 i81019 a’

118pa 0 111 169

Accordi ngly the defini ng epithet 77 116 11110 7 111029 is reserved for this last wordin both places . On the variants inthis verse see the note on various

20. evxap 107 017117 69 80 inCoL 111 I7 1101 7717 11 8 7 1 770167 6 611

h iya) i; 611 776117 0 8116110 7 1

Kvp iov’Iq0 of1, 613Xap10 7 0i

'

1117 6 9

770 7 p i 81’0 177 017. Compare I Thess. V

16 WdVTOT f xaip 67 6 , 1i810}\ 6 1'

777 109 77po0 615

X60 96, 611 770 117 2613x0p 10 7 6'

1

'

7 6 .

2 2 . AI7 1111021169 As amatterof construction this clause depends onthe preceding participle : ‘ submittingyourselves one to another in the fearof Christ : wives, unto your own husbands

,as unto the Lord ’. AI7 1111021169

accordingly stands for the vocative,as in Col. iii 18, 05 yv110

'

1

'

1169, 1777 07 510

0 6006 7 059 d118pd0 111, 1159 Kvp icpcompare the vocatives o i 31181169, 7 0

7 15

11110,etc. lower down in the present

passage,vi 1, 4 f., 9. When this

section was read independently of thepreceding verses

,it became necessary

to introduce a verb ; and thi s i sprobably the cause of the insertionof 157707 60 0 6006 or 157707 00 0609010 011 in

most of the texts : see the note on

various readings.The parallel in COLm18

shews that this wordmay be insertedor omi tted with indifference wherethe contextmakes themeaning clear.So we find with Xep0 1

'

11 in I Cor.iv 12 ; b ut not according to thebest text

,in Eph. iv 28, 1 Thess.

iv 1 1. It was often added b y scribes,in accordance with the later preference for fulness of expression.

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206 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [V 27

3 f l 271! 3 1 A , l

811 0 7 09 611 p 77,110 7 1, 1110 71'

0p00'

7 770'

77 0 117 09 60 v7 1p 6 11 05011

(of sheep coming up ‘ fromthe washand occurs in Sir. xxxi (xxxiv)

30 Ban-7 1057161109 8778 116 11po17 a dhw

8777 8716 1109 0137 017, 7 1'

1511167070 611 7 123.

h0117 p 15'

1

av’7 o1

’

3; In Ps. lix (lx) 10, cvi i (cvi i i)10 W’D ‘my washpot’1s renderedby Aqui la ke'q ‘ 7\0117 pov y ou (the LXXhas Refit” 7 179 61 77 1809 The Latinversions mai ntain the di stinction bythe use of labrumfor

‘ laver’(in thePentateuch : 0110, etc. elsewhere), andof [011007 11711 for ‘washing’in Canticles.In Ps. lix (1x)10 Jerome’s version hasolla 100007 75: in Sirach Cyprian and

the Vulgate have laua tio, b ut Augustine thrice gives lauacrum.

For patristic references confirmingthemeaning of ‘ washing’for Aow p év,see Clem. A lex. P aed . iii 9 46, Dion.

Alex. ep . xiii ad fin.,Epiph . 01117103 .

fid . 2 1,Dind. III 583 ; and contrast

Hippo] . [2] ed . Bonwetsch-Achelis Ipt 2

,p. 262 7167 8 7 1711 7 139 110Kvp/3176pa9

dvaye’vmyaw .

The only other passage in the NewTestament where hov'

rpév occurs isTit. i i i 5 30 1017 611 177159 818 hov‘

rpofi

a ah1v7 61160 1'

a9 k ai 8110110111050 11119 77 111 13

710 7 01 éylov. Both there and here theAuthorised Version correctly rendersit ‘the washing’: ‘ the bath’would notb e incorrect

, though somewhat amb iguous :

‘ the laver’ is incorrect,

and has probably been suggested bythe Latin ‘

lauacro’, whi ch has been

misunderstood.

811 815710 7 1] In the New Testamentpqp a represents the various uses of

the Hebrew ( I)A spoken wordof any kind, as in Matt. xi i 36 pap adpyév. (2)A matter, as in Luke i 3701311 88111107 170 11 7rap87 071 66017 77811 p ap a ,‘ nothing shall b e too hard for God’

(where 7rap8 7 06 reproduces a Hebrewidiom

, the pas sage being based on

Gen. xviii I4 717} 1i8v110 7 17'

17 11 7rapa 7 05

Geou [the true reading, supported bythe Old Latin , not wapa 7 13 6113]pup a , and Luke ii 15 7 0 p rmd 7 0 117 0

7 0 7 67 01181. (3) In a solemn sense, as

when ‘ the word of God’comes to a

prophet,Luke i i i 2 1

37 151117 0 pap a 06017

3171’Ia11i z11711 : comp. 813710 61013 in this

epistle,vi 17 . It is also used more

specially (4)of the Christian teaching,as in 1 Pet. i 2 5 (fromIsa. xl 8)7 881

1cup 1'

o11 7151161 129 7 811 a icfiva ’7 0137 0

86’807 111 7 8 7813710 7 8 1 13077 1h10

‘ 61’v 629

1371169, and Heb. Vi 5 7 evo'

a711'

110119

19106 7557710. The most remarkablepassage is Rom. x 8 iii , where, afterquoting Dent. xxx 14 877

159 7 8

pfip a 1507 111,6 11 7 13 07 07107 1

'

17 011 1101 6 11

7 77 xap8c’

a 17 011, the Apostle continuesA 3 01

7 ov7 6 17 7 111 7 0 pupa 7 179 77 117 7 6 109 0

1117p 150'

0 071111. 07 1 1 8 11 7 0

877110 311 7 173 07 15710 7 1f a ou 37 1 KYPIOE

IHEOYZ,

1101 77 117 7 1150 779 Here7 6 stands on the one hand forthe Christian teaching (comp. 11. 178121 7517710 7 0: Xp 10

'

7 0f1), and on the otherfor the Christian confession whichleads to salvation . With this mustbe compared 1 Cor. xii. 3, where thesame confession appears as a kind offormula, and is sharply contrastedwith a counter-formula ANAeEMA

IHEOYE. Compare, too, Phil. ii 11

7K130'

0'

a é§0p ok07 7§m77 0 1 37 1 KYPIOE IHEOYE XPIETOE.

In the present passage it is clearthat the phrase 811 877713 7 1 indicatessome solemn utterance by the accompaniment of which ‘ the washing of

water’ is made to be no ordi narybath

,b ut the sacrament of baptism.

Comp. Aug. tract. 80 7371 J oan. 3‘De

trahe uerbum, et quid est aqua nisiaqua? accedit uerb umad elementum,et fit sacramentum; etiamipsumtamquamuisib ile uerbumWhat then was this pap a ? Chry

sostomasks and answers the questionthus : ’

E11 75157107 1, 71'

01'

1p ; 311 8118

710 7 1 7ra rp89 Kai v im? Ka i dy t'

ov 7711615

71117 09 : that is to say, the tripleformula of baptism. In the earliesttime

,however

,baptism appears to

have been administered ‘ in the nameof Jesus Christ ’ (Acts ii 38, x 48,

V 28]

3 I 1? I7 7711 71177 6x0v0 0 11 0 77 17\0V

1/ a

7 010117 11111, 070C 1110 77

comp. viii 12) or‘ the Lord Jesus’

(A cts viii 16, xix and on the useof the single formula St Paul’s argument in 1 Cor. i 13 seems to be based(at)Hafihos' 1

’0 7 0vp 16677 157787) 15111315 13 629

7 8 8110710 Haéhov Thespecial 75177111 above referred to pointsthe same way. The confession 57 1

KYPIOE IHEOYE was the shortest andsimplest statement of Christian faith(comp. Acts xvi 31 fi

'

. 7rt'

0 rev0011 3771

7 811 1115p 1011 11010 1110150 7) 08 1101 8

031189 13

73077 7 10917 a 1ir89 1107. of

0137 017 377 0117 6 9 napaxpfip a). That someconfession was required before b aptismis seen fromthe early glossesupon the baptismof the eunuch

,Acts

viii 37, and that this soon took theformof question and answer (817 171167 17710) is suggested by 1 Pet. iii 2 1where the context contains phras eswhich correspond with the seconddivision of the baptismal creed of

the second century. Indeed the originof the creed is probably to be traced,not in the first instance to the tripleformula, b ut to the statement of themain facts about ‘

the Lord Jesus ’asa prelude to baptism‘ in His name ’.When under the influence of Matt.xxviii 19 the triple formula sooncame to be universally employed, thestructure of the baptismal creedwould receive a corresponding ela

beration.It is prob ab le, .then

,that the 77 777111

here referred to is the solemnmentionof the name of the Lord Jesus Christin connexion with the rite of baptism,

either as the confession made by thecandidate or as the formula employedby theministrant. Wemay thereforerender the passage : ‘

that He mightsanctify i t,cleansing i tby thewashingof water w i th the word

For the use of the prepositionwe may compare vi 2 e

’v

The absence of the definite article

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

1/

057 10 110 1 0 711111711109 .

207

3\ 1 [

817 p117 1 0 77 7 1 7 11111

cf“80 117 1119 0

’

61'

presents no difficulty ; themeaning is‘with a word which is appropriateto this washing’

,the M710 being

sufficiently defined by the context.There appears to be no ground for

supposing that theApostle heremakesany allusion to a ceremonial bathtaken by the bride before marriage.There is no evidence for such a ri tein the Old Testament

,the passages

sometimes cited being qui te irrelevant(Ruth i i i 3, Ezek. xxi ii In thelegend of ‘Joseph and Asenath’thereis no such ceremony

,though it is true

that after her long fast Asenathwashes her face and hands before sheputs on her bridal costume. Nor

does it appear as a Christian ceremony, though it probably would havebeen retained if St Paul had beenregarded as alluding to it here. St

Paul’s thought is of the hallowing ofthe Church, and thus he is at onceled to speak of the sacrament ofbaptism.

27. napam-

fiay] Comp. 2 Cor. xi 215p7100 1i7u711 7ap 157189 15111 1i118p i 71

'

ap 91'

11011

87 111311 napa0r i70 a1 ”110 7 153. HereChrist Himself (a137 89, not a137 77

’v,see

the note on various readi ngs)presentsthe Church all-glorious to Himself.”Evb

‘

ogov is the predicate : the wordoccurs again in I Cor. iv 10 1571179

31180501, 1571629 88 37 17101, and twice inSt Luke’s Gospel, vii 2 5 (of gloriousapparel), xiii 17 (of glorious works).

0'

7T0\OV i) pu7 t'

8a]‘ spot Of d isfigure

ment or wrinkle of age’. Neither

word is found in the Lxx. Comp.

2 Pet. ii I3 0 77001. Kai 71137101 : Plut.MOT . 789 D 039 if 7 67\10p.1

'

1117 1107.

807 29 ép nu pfa g 7111717 111 30 116051167 0 1

Diosc. i 39 (de oleo amygdal ino)a’

t’

p a

88 Kai 0 7711 0119 311 777100 0511011 11a}. 121117R151: (freckles)kai fiw i8a9.

8711117109] Comp. i 4 131101

777169 07 10119 1101 a’

p aip ovs‘

1107 111181e

11137 013 e’v 87 67177, and see the note there.

208 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. W 29—32

C 1, A t f “

110 1‘

01 a 118pe9 07 0 77011 7 0 9 60 117 11111 7 11110 1110 9 1159Q

7 0 80 117 11711 0 1157110 7 0'

0 07 0 77 11711 7 7711 éa v7 0v 7 11110 1110

150 117 811 027 0 77 122,“90178629 7 0p 77 07 6 7 7711 150 117 017 00p110

aiM ai 6’

117 p6'

qbe1 110 1‘Gdhwa 0 137 7711, 1109189 110 1

‘

8

xp10 7 89 7 7711 6‘

1111A770 1'

0 11, é0 7116‘

11 7 017 0 187110 7 09

0 157 017 .3‘1’

1 N T'

1 T O Y’T O Y KA T A A G I

'

WG I KN e pmn o c T d N

n a r é p a Ka i T i-i N M HT é PA Ka i U PO C Ko A A H eHc e Tmn p d c T H

‘

N rYN a i Ka a f r o i Ka i 81 0 11 7 11 1 o i Af o e i c

c a’

p 11 a M ia N.

327 8 p v0 7 rip1011 7 0117 0 711157 0 88

28. 017

7 1111] This i s not to b e takenas the antecedent to 151 7 8 150 117 1311

17 1671117 0, whichmeans ‘as being their

own bodies ’. It refers to the generaldrift of what has gone before : thus’,‘ in thi s same manner’. This is themeaning of 01

7

7 1119 in Matt. v 16

hand/07 111 7 8 (111179 15711311, that isto say,

‘as the lamp shineth’(0.

not‘in such a they may

see’etc.

29. o dpxa] The change from17 137111

to maps gives a fresh emphasis to thethought, and at the same time prepares the way for the quotation in17. 31.

3117 71511161. 11cl 00817 61] Each Of thesewords i s once used b y the Apostleelsewhere

, b ut in reference to the

nurture of children : below, vi 4 £117 p 6

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aKvp t

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79 7 671110.

30. 711707] The relation of the

parts to the whole is here emphasised, as i s the relation of the partsof the whole to one another in iv 2 587 1 dhhfihmv With the

latter compare Rom. xi i 5 01 non o‘

t

211 0 11771063

0 716 11 Xp 107 07, 7 8 1100’679

19007k 716117 : with the former I Cor.

vi 15 7 8 0 05710 7 0 15711511 Xp 10 7 0i}X11 2 7 1571679 86

'

607 6 0 13710 Xp 10 7 0f11101716707 p épov9.

For the addition 769 0 ap 1c89 0137 0171102 £11 7 11711 80 7 60111 0 137 017 see the noteon vari ous read ings.

31. dw t. 7 0157 011] Comp.

2 Thess. ii 10,and four times in St

Luke’s writings, I thasbeen suggestedthat 8117 1' heremeans ‘ instead of

’

, thecontrast being with the idea of a

man’s hating his own flesh (11.and the mention of maps in bothverses is pleaded in favour of thisinterpretation. In the few passagesin which St Paul uses 8117 1, however,it does not suggest opp osi ti on , butcorresp ondence : 11011811 ciuri. 110 11017,

Rom. xii 17, 1 Thess. v 15 ; 1167117 0117 1

nep tfiohaiov, I Cor. Xi 15. This Ofcourse is in no way decisive of his useof the word in the present passage :b ut it seems on the whole morenatural to suppose that 81 7 2 7 0157 011

i s intended as equivalent to 31161 611

7 0157 011 by which 73-51; is represented

in the LXX of Gen. 11 24. Comp.

Jerome ad 100 :‘apostolus p ro eo

quod ib i habetur gVGKGV 7 0157 0v, id est

p rop ter hoe, posuit 8117 1 7 0157 011, quodlatine ali is nerbi s dici non potest’.The only other variant fromthe Lxxin our text is the omission of 0137 06

after nare'

pa and 71177 6'

pa : see, hOW

ever,the note on various readings.

32 . 7 8 p vmfipw v Themeaning of 711107 17p 1011 is discussed in a

separate note. In St Paul's use of

the word we must d istinguish ( 1)itsemployment to designate the eternalsecret of God’s purpose formankind,hidden fromthe past b ut revealed in

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2 10 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [VI 1—4

Q A AVI.

ITo? vvraxove're 7 019 7 0V€UCT¢V 15w 63!

I I I

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yap e’

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obey : with a trembling fear and a

whole-hearted devotion,looking to

their mas ters as to Christ Himself.They are Christ’s slaves, doing God

’swill in their daily tasks not renderinga superficial service to please an

earthly lord ; but with their soul intheir work

, serving the Lord in heaven,not men on earth : for the Lordaccepts and rewards all good work,whether of the slave or of the free.And the masters must catch thesame spirit : the threatening tonemust be heard no more : they and

their slaves have the same heavenlyLord

,before whomthese earthly dis

tinctions disappear’.I . Té 7 6mm] Comp. Col. iii 20 7 81

7 61110,

151mx015€7 € 7 079 7 0116170 111 Kurdmiw a

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2 . 177 19 150 7 11)‘wh ich is the

fi rst commandment wi th p romise’.The obvious interpretation of thesewords appears to be the best. Ithas been objected 1)that a kind of

promise is attached to the secondcommandment of the Decalogue, and(2)that no other commandment hasa promise attached to it after thefifth. Itmay he replied (1)that theappeal to the character of God in thesecond commandment is not properlyspeaking a promise at all

,and (2)

thatmany commandments, not of theDecalogue

,have promises attached to

them,so that the Apostle may be

thought of as regarding these as thesubsequent commandments whi ch hisexpression implies. ’

Ev7 07\r}is not ofnecessity to be confined to one of the £171 7 179] The omission of the‘ Ten Words ’. When our Lord was words which follow in the Lxx givesasked £0 7 111 ew e»)7711057 1; 77617 0 11 ; a different turn to this phrase : so

He did not in His reply go to theDecalogue either for the first’or for‘ the second

,like unto it ’ (Mark xi i

28 iii).It is possible to understand 1rpa$7 17

here, as in the Gospel, in the senseof the first in rank ; or, again , as thefirst to be enforced on a child : b utneither interpretation gives a satisfactorymeaning to the clause £117 eMg,unless these words be separatedfromarpaimand connected closely withwhat follows with a promise that itshall be well with thee etc. Thishowever is exceedingly harsh, and itbreaks up the original constructionof the quoted passage, where i

'

va

depends on T ina3. 7110 15 1

3 The quotationdoes not correspond to the Hebrewtext either of Ex. xx 12

,

‘ that thydays may be long upon the landwhich the Lord thy God giveth theeor of Deut. v 16

,that thy days may

be long,and that i tmay go well with

thee,upon the land which the Lord

thyGod giveth thee ’. St Paul quoteswith freedomfromone of the Lxx

texts,which have themselves under

gone some change,due in part to

assimilation : Ex. XX 12 fva £ 13

0 01.

ye’mrrat (these four words are omittedin A and obelised in ‘ the s1ehexaplar)Kai. Tva p axp oxémos' ye

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sup . ras.)£772

7 179 59 Képw s 6 0 0v 818030 11:

VI 5—9] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 2 1 1

g a 3 a I a 1 a1

7 0 7 611110 v u, aM a e117 pe<j>e7 e 0 117 0 611 11 0 1A e 10 110 1I p Q A

N o Yo6 C 10 KYp 10 v.

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I a I I

7 1 77 01110 11 0 7 019011, 7 0117 0 1101110 67 011 n apa Kvp t'

ou,

8067109 677 6 éh ev’depoe.

that it may be rendered ‘on the

earth’ instead of

‘ in the land ’.4. of 7 0 7 61119] Comp. Col. iii 2 1

at warép ee, p f)e'

pedc'

fen 70 7 611110 15111611,7110 w)561111060 111.napopyffere] See the note on

wapopyw pq'

S, iv 26.

77018110] Comp. 2 Tim. iii 16

771109 1rpoe A sy7rpoe e

’fl

'

auop dwcrw , npoe 110 181 101)

7 171! 311 The word is notused elsewhere by St Paul

,though he

used the verb 770 181 1501,‘to discipline’

or in a severer sense ‘to chastise

Although the substantivemay signifysimply education or training, yet‘ nurture ’ is too weak a wordfor it in this place. It is better torender it ‘ discipline ’. Comp. Heb.

xi i I I 17600 p e’v 170181 10 upoe 11211 7 6

wapou 015801112xapae M5171”.

11011510 10] Comp. I Cor. X I I , Tit.i i i 10. It is less wide in meaningthan 77018110, and suggests a warningadmonition. With this injunctioncompare Di daché 4 01511 dp e

‘

i g 7 611

xe'

ipd (7 01) (i7ro 7 06 vio6 0 011 6 151707 739

M arpoe cikkd 6170 11167 177 09 3136

5119 7 011 56613011 7 06 9106.

5. 306K01] Comp. Col. iii 22

of 806h01, 151701101517 6 11070 176117 0 7 029

1107 31 17d 0 xvp r'

oce, 111} 311 6¢ 00X~

0060117111119, 159 dudpwmipecrxoc, 670V

811 1171167 177 1 Kapdt'

ae, (to/301511111101 7 011

1115p 10v.

411113011 mi 7 13151106 ] Comp. I Cor. 113 (of St Paul

’s preaching), 2 Cor. vii

9Ke I y

a t 01 111140101, 7 01 01157 01 7701617 6

15 (of the reception of Titus), Phil. 1112 ; and, for the corresponding verbs,Mark v 33 ¢ q €ei o a 1107. 7 p ép ovo a.

The combination occurs several timesin the Lxx.

ciflkérqn ] In I Chron. xxix 17 £11

15777167 07 1 110p81'

0e renders ”325:For this word and eeoexeoeevxze see

Lightfoot’s notes on Col. i i i 2 2 .

6. dvepwmip ea xoc] Comp. PS. ll l

[liii] 6 d 9669 81150 11d 10 611 60 7 6 dvdpw

1701160 111011, P 8. Sol. iv 8 f. 6111911057 e a’v

Gpwn'

ap e'

a xwv. haho6v

7 a p o’vov ddhov. See also GaL i

10,1 Thess. 11 4.

31 115 101179] Comp. Col. i i i 23 6

3011 770167 1, 311 dt vxfie aie

Kvp t'

cp 1107. 01511 a’vdpain

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oce. The parallelsuggests that the phrase should herealso be taken with what follows, andnot

,as in A .V . , with what precedes.

Moreover the preceding sentence ismore forcible if ‘doing the wi ll ofGodstands by itself as the interpretationof as servants of Christ7 .

’E11 \lf vxfie is opposed

to listlessness : 017’11511010: suggests

the ready good-will, which does notwait to be compelled.

8: 123157 1 9 Comp. Col. iii 2462367 19 37 1. 6170 111v 06 civrokrip dt eoae7611 6117 0 776800 01 769 xhqpovop fae

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cp Xpw'

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i dovkeflerv 6 ydp 681111311

110111017 01. 6 15861170 111, 110i 0 1511 317 7 111

wp oo wn'

ohq u'

a.

9. 11150101] Comp. Col. iv. 1 of.I I a I A

xvpcoc, 7 0 611101011 110) 7 1711 10 07 117 0 7 019

14—2

2 12 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [VI 10, 1 1

7 I 7 I 1

AI 7

8I g,

a67 3iWpOQ a u7 0ve, a VlGV

’T

'

EQ T I1V a 7T€t 71V, Gt 07 69 07 1 110 1 U

QA11011 15w

9 A111511169 130

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2, 3 fl

Nun/1 501 01511 GG'

T tV n ap a v7 w.

A h A f f “ II °Tov Aom'

ov évovvap ovo fie e’

V Kvp tw11011 EV

A I A7 119 a i57 ov.

601571019 nap éxeo ee, 12807 1 9 37 1 1101 1511 679

exere 1115p 1011 e’v 015pav03.

7 0 0157 15] i .e.

‘ deal in likemannerwith them’. The phrase is not to bepressed too literally : it signifies ingeneral

,

‘act by them,

as they are

b ound to act by you01116117 1 1] There is no parallel to

thi s use of the verb in the Greekbible : b ut in classical Greek it is usedeither with the genitive or with theaccusative in the sense of ‘giving up

’,

desisting fromWith this passage Wetstein com

pares Seneca Thyest. 607 ‘Vos

,quibus

rector maris atque terrae Ius deditmagnumnecis atque uitae, Ponite inflatos tumidosque uoltus . Quicquid auob is minor extimesci t, Maior hocnobis dominus minatur. Omne sub

regno grauiore regnumest1101 0157 1611 15111311] See the note

on various readings.wp oownol q ria] Comp. Acts x 34.

See also Lightfoot’s note on Col. iii2 5. With the whole passage compareDidaché 4 01511 37117 05119 30157119 crov

77 7 019 1377 1 7 011 0157 011 01011

1117 150110 111, 13

11 7r111p 1'

0 O'

OU

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11051617 01, (5701 £11) 069 7 0 771166110 177 015

1100 111 v1.1e1e 86 01 806X01 157707 07100 1096l1up 1

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10—20.

‘My final injunction con

cerns you all. You need power, and

you must find i t in the Lord. You

need God’s armour,if you are to

stand against the devil. We have towrestle wi th no human foe

,but with

the powers which have themastery ofthis dark world . they are not flesh

I A6113150 010 96 7 1111 7ra 1107r7\10111 7 ou Geou

and blood, but spirit ; and they wagetheir conflict in the heavenly Sphere.Youmust be armed therefore withGod’s armour. Truth and righteousness

,as you know, are His girdle and

breastplate ; and mthese Hi s representativemust be clad. In the confidence of victory you must be shodwith the readiness of themessengerof peace. With faith for your shield,the flaming arrows of Satan wi ll notd iscomfit you. Salvation is God’s helmet, and He smites with the swordof His lips. Your lipsmust breatheperpetual prayer. Prayer

,too, is your

watch, and it will test your endurance. Pray for the whole body of

the saints : and pray forme, that mymouth may be Opened to give myown message boldly

,prisoner though

I be10. T01

'

311011106] Thi s is equivalentto 7 0 11017 611, With Which St Paulfrequently introduces his concludinginjunctions : see Lightfoot’s note on

Phil. iii I . For the variant 70 710177 1511in thi s passage see the note on variousreadings .

e’

vdvvap o60'01] This verb is confined

in the New Testament to the Paulineepistles and one passage in the Acts,2065109 8111515171011 311680100067 0 (ixit appears in the Lxx rarely

,and never '

without a variant. (from8118151101109) is scarcely distingui shablefrom6111101101711 (Col. i 1 1, Heb. xi

which is found as a variant in thisplace.

1 1. 770 7071111011]‘A rmour ’

, as con

trasted with the several pieces of thearmour 80 it is rightly rendered in Luke xi 2 2 77011017711

’01r

0157 06 afp ec 35 e’

7re7ro1'

611. Comp.

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2 14 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [VI 13, 14

O“ A f A

[10:7 d 7 119 7 01/"p iers 631 7 019 en ovpamozs .

1 3 3101 7 0117 0

A ( I Aduahdfie'

re 7 11V r a yon-Ma y 7 ou deou, ma 81111116117 6

1 I A cl IA A

a o’

a0

'

7 71c 611 7 11 1111610134 7 11Ka t a n a l/7 0: Ka 7 epiy

Mel/O i 0 7 11t .

“0 7 117 6 OUV n e p | s A M e N 0 | T H N o c qnvm

p 1'

0v 75116311mi. 7 06 xpurroi)a137 0i3(Ap00xi God, on the other hand, 18addressed as x15p te 7 06 odpavo ii not

fi g (Matt. xi 2 5, Luke xThe second of the twomeanings i s

alone appropriate here. It is not ofworld-wide rule, b ut of the rule of thisworld

,that the Apostle Speaks ; and

this is made clear by the addition of7 013 0x67 0vr 7 0157 011. The expressionas a whole is not easy to render intoanother language. We find mand itenens in Tert. adv. Mare. v 18, adv.

Valent. 2 2 , de fuga 12 ; and mundip otens in de anima 23, and in Hilaryin p s. cxviii. But the ordinary Latinrendering is aduersus (huius)mund irectores tenebrarum ha rum. ThePeshito boldly paraphrases : ‘ therulers of this dark world ’. Thisfairly represents the Apostle’s meaning : it is with the powers which rulethis world

,their realmof darkness

,

that we have to contend. In English‘ the world-rulers of this darkness ’ishardly intelli gible. The familiar rendering (though suggested by a faultyten

,which added 7 06 a idivos) suffi

ciently gives the sense : ‘the rulers

of the darkness of th is wor ld’.

7 21 nvevp armci]‘the sp i ri tual hosts ’

or‘ forces ’. The phrase 7 8: mevp arm

‘

z

7 519 nomp l'a s' d iffers from7 81meup ararc

‘

znovqpci in layingmore stress Uponthe nature of the foe. The rendering‘ hosts ’ is preferable to elements’

,

because i t suggests personal adversaries :

‘ forces’,in the biblical sense

,

would b e equally suitable,b ut to

modern ears it has the same impersonalmeaning as elements’.

1311 éwovpam'

ow] Comp. i 20,11 6

,

i ii 10. The Peshito has ‘and with the

evi l Spirits which are beneath the hea

wompd] Comp. V. 16 31 1 a i fip e’

p a t

wompa i ( law : also.

Ps. X1 (xi i) I e’u

fip e’

pq 770m Ullfl)fifian a t a1i 7 by

6 xi ip tos‘

.

xa7 epya0cip ev0t] This verb is veryfrequently used by St Paul , and

always in the sense of ‘ producing’or‘accomplishing ’. It occurs 18 timesin the Epistles to the Romans and theCorinthians ; b ut in the later epistlesonly in Phil. ii 12 7 1311 { 007 1311 awmp c'avxa7 epyd§eada Here therefore it ismost naturally interpreted as ‘ havingaccomplished all that your duty re

quires’. There is no reason to desertthe ordinary usage of the New Testament for the rarer sense of

‘ overcoming’, which occasionally occurs inthe classical writers. The Latin rendering ‘

in omni bus p erfecti ’(om. in

if not a corruption of ‘omni

bus p erfectz'

s’,must be regarded as

a loose paraphrase : Jerome in hiscommentary has uni uersa op erati

’.

I4 wep tfwadp evm Withthe description which follows compare I Thess. V 8 e

’vdvcrdp evmdoipaxa

m'

a recos Kai ci-ydmys' Ka i wep txecbahafave’hn'

t'

da o wmp c’a s. Both passages are

eens’,implying a variant w rovpam

'

ow.

The same rendering is found in theArmenian version

,so that it goes

back to the Old Syriac, as is furthershewn by its occurrence in Ephraim’scommentary. Theodore knew of thisinterpretation (prob.fromthe Peshito),b ut condemned it.

13. avaXaBe‘re] Comp. Judith XiV 3avahafiow es our oc 7 a s navon

'h t'

as'

av7 a w:

Joseph. Ant. iv 5 2 7 a : 1rav01r7u'

a 9 ava

Rel/30117 69 evde'

ws e’

xoipovv £ 29 7 0 epyov,

XX 5 3 xehevet 7 0 o rpar evya 7rav 7 as

wamhia s a vahafiovnxew 629 7 17V’Av7 a>

mav.

VI 15—17] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 2 15

e A x 1 a 1

up wV é N a A He e l q, Ka t GN AYC A

'

M G N O I T oN ew PA Ke. T fi c1 1

A IKA IO C YN H C, Ka t fir odno'

a p eumT ove n o Aa c e’

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11110 191 T O T e va rre A l o Y T H C e l P t-lN H C 7rt l) 011/a

A BI

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6 77 11117 01

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”Ka i

based on Isa. lix I7 3mmomimv 059 Haipaxa , Kai 7rep 1€067 0 trep 1

Ketfiahafav o wmp fov 317 i 7 69 “ (bahfiaIn our present passage the Apostlehas also drawn upon Isa. xi 4 3

1-07 65?

7 1111 h iya) 7 011 0 7 61107 09 0117 00,

cu

mfevp an d1a xu he’mv w i cks? a1rq m1

ew m duca tomivy (Two-

1161109 7 7111 0041011( 1137 013, Kai dhqda

’

q eihnp e’vm nheu

p69. On these passages is also foundedthe description of the Divine warriorin Wisd. V 18 : Nimlfw at navonh t

'

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{ fihov 11177 09,xal (inho‘

rronia u x7 1'

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15v11v, Ka i 77 6111960 17 0 1 xépvda

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dxarap afxm-ov 60 167 117 0.

15. éroqmm’

q] The word is usedin the for a stand or base : b utit is also found in the following passages

,PS. ix 38 (x 17)n

‘

7v e'

rocp am’av

7 519 xap81'

09 0177 6311 ”poo 7 91 059

0 011 (Heb.

‘ Thou wilt prepare (orestablish)their heart, Thou wilt causeThine ear to lxiv 10 (lxv 9)67 01

'

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a 9 7 7)v 7 p0¢ fiv ( 1157 6311, 37 1 0137 109

1; e'

7 01p am'

a a'

ou (comp. Wisd. xiii 12£ 39 e

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7 01p a0'

1'

av Na. 11 4 31!

mue'pa e7 01p a0 1'

a9 av7 0v. The Apostlemeans to express the readiness whichbelongs to the bearer of good tidings.He has in his mind Isa. Hi 7 mipeq u

059 03pa e’rrl 7 65v o

’

p e’wu

,159 176869 617117

y eh fop e’

vov dxm‘w 62101111779, Which inRom. x 15 he quotes in a formnearerto the Hebrew

,159 aipafmof 776869 7 13V

d ay-yeMCOp e

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vmv ci 'yaeci.

16. e’v 1780 111] For the variant e’n-l

araaw see the note on various readings.’E7rl m‘

un occurs in the description oftheRoman armour by Polybius (vi6171 de

‘

7780 1 7 0157 019 npoa emk oap ofivrmmep iwp 0 7 64161119 Themeaning

is,in any case, ‘ in add ition to all

’:

comp. Luke xvi 26 xal £11 1760 1 7 0157 019

11mg.»75111311 where there is thesame variant e’m’.dupeo

'

v] Comp. Polyh. vi 23 307 1

3’75 7rav01rh1

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37 ou

dup eds, 05 11811 17>\ 1i7 09 307 2 7 519 mp7 69 3m¢ avefa 9 7 6 313

11171109 77031311 rew dp o w' 6 Be‘

1161221111, 37 1xal w hom—7 111201. The scutumconSisted, as he tells us

,of two layers

of wood glued together and coveredfirst with linen and then with hide :it was bound with iron above and

below, and had an iron boss afli xedto it. The a

’om’

s, or 011/p ens, was a

round Shield,smaller and lighter.

nmpwp e’va afiéa ac] Wetstein gives

many examples of the use of flamingmissiles : they were often employedto destroy Siege-works

,as well as to

wound or discomfit individual soldiers.ThuC. ii 75 vrpoxahup p ara a

’

xe déppew

Kai B1¢ 9€pa9, (go re e’

p‘

yafoy e'

vow

ml 7 81 ffiha 11157 6 rrvpclxip ow

Bdhheo dme’v do cbaha

'

q 7 6 6311111. Liv.

xxi 8‘Phalarica erat Saguntinis mis

sile telumhastili ab iegno et caetero

tereti p raeterquam ad extremumunde ferrumexstab at : id, S

'

icut inpilo

,quadratumstuppa circumliga

bant lineb antque maxime,etiamsi haesisset in scuto nec penetrasset in corpus, pauoremfaciebat,quod cummediumaccensummitteretur conceptumque ipso motumulto maioremignemferret, armaomi tti cogeb at nudumque militemad insequentes ictus praeb eb at

’. The

exact expression occurs in Apollodor.s l. ii 5 de Hercule : rr

‘

pr 178111111

Baha’w Be

’

hemwenvpmp e’vow rivé‘yxamsv

For the absence fromsome

2 16 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [VI 18—20

I A I

T H N n e pme cb a Aa na n T O T c oo T l o Y 865610 66 , 11011 T l—l NI A 1 Q, c a A

M AXA IPA N 7 0 1 TTN GYM A T O C, 0 60 7 111 p uma 6 6 0 1,183101

I I I

77 a0 719 771000 6117019 10 11 36110 6019, 7rp00 evxo1161/01 6 11 77 01117 1

A 3 Imap? 611 77 11615110 7 1, 11012 eis 0 117 0 a’f

ypvn'

vovu7 69 611 7 7 010 11I I I e I

7rpo0 1cap 7 ep110 61 x0 1 36110 61 7 01117 0111 7 0111 017 10111,19

c a A ( I

8 0A I a 3 I A I

Ka t u7rep 611011, 11101 1101 0 11 h og/09 EV 0 1101561 7 011 0 7 0

11017 09 11011, 611 7rapp110 1'

a 7 v 1'

0 011 7 0 [1110 7 11111011 7 011

efla f

y'

yehw v2°1577 610 011 713060 3611111 611 a hv0 61, wa 611 01117 13

n appn0 1a 0 w110 1 1119 361 116 Aa a t.

texts of the article before 7re7ti 1psee the note on various readings.

I7. See I Thess.v 8 and Isa. lix 17, quoted above. Tb

0 1117 75p 101/ i s found in Luke i i 30, iii 6,and in St Paul’s speech in Acts xxviii28 in each cas e it comes di rectly orindirectly fromthe Lxx.

3151117 111] is here equivalent to Rd1367 6 : comp. Luke ii 28, xvi 6 f., xxii 17(66 15151161109 0 07 1

'

7p 10v).

p dx01pav 7 06 77 11515110 7 09] Thephrase is accounted for by Isa. xi 4

(quoted above), though the actualwords do not there occur.156110 06017] For 156110 see the note

on v 26. Comp. Isa. xi 4 R670)

7 06 07 61107 09 0 137 06, and Heb. iv 12

{ 1311 yap 6 hc’ry09 7 017 06017 1107. £vepy1

‘

19

Ka i 7 011057 6p09 1i7re’

p 7730011 p dxmpav8107 011011,I8. 7rp00 e11xi

‘

19] For the connexionof this with the 1517110 61m

“

) compareI Tim. iv. 5 d‘yuifermyap 8121 71157 011

9609 1107. 6117 615561119.86150 61119] This word is joined With

rrpoa evxri, for the sake of fulness of

expression : see Phil. iv. 6,1 Tim. ii 1,

v 5.EV 77 116151107 1]

‘ in the see thenote on v 18.

129 067 6] Comp. Rom. xiii 6 62:

0137 6 7 057 0 7rp00K0p 7 6p01'

31/7 69.

dypvmofiw w ]’A and ypn

yop eiv are both used in the Lxx to

render we,‘ to keep awake ’

,

‘to

Watch’. Comp. Mark xm33 Bke’m-

re

35 yprryop6'

1

'

7 6 01311, xiv 38

ypqyop e'

i ‘re Kai 77p00 615x60'66 : Luke

xxi 36 dypvnue'

ire 7ra 117‘

1 1100003 866

1161101 : and the parallel passage Col.iv 2 7 g wpoo evxy 7rpocrxap 7 6p 6 17 6, ypq‘

yop ov117 6s‘ £11 611 6vxap 107 1q.

The verb i s common

,b ut no independent reference

for the noun is given.

19. mi 157re‘

p 61108] The changefromv71

'

6p 1f to 157re'

p helps to mark theintroduction of the special request :b ut there i s no real difference of

meaning,as may be seen fromthe

parallel, Col. iv 3, wp oa evxop evoc 51101101Wf p l. 15111311,K67 0: Comp. 001. i v 3 7110

6606 dz1an 1511711 fiépav 7 06 7167 011,and Ps. 1 (li) I7 7 81 x61

'

7\17 p ov (ix/01'

7 0 0 7 6110 p ov a’uayyeke?

a'

ou.

p vo'rrjpwv] Comp. 001. iv 3 f. Rakfi

001. 7 6 p vcrrfipwv 7 013 xp 10'

7 017,81’3 ml

8686110 1, 7110 ¢ a116p050 01 a 137 0 (59 36?

kakfiom. For p vo fi ipwv see i 9, and

the references there given. For the

absence fromsome texts of 7 01? d ay

yeMov see the note on various readings.20. ”p ea

-361501] Comp. 2 Cor. v 20157 6p Xpw

‘

rofi 013

11 7rp 60/36150116 11.

e’u c

‘

zkzia a ] Comp. Acts xxvm20

GZV€K€V ydp 7fis' 371711809 7 013

a vow 7 0 157 1711 77 6p 1'

1<6 111111, 2 Tim. i. 16

7 1311 511110 131 0131:

2 1— 24.

‘ Tychicus Will tell you

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 18 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

9603 116110 19 1577 6yp<i¢ 17)117196v 7 39a’

¢ 9ap0 1'

a9 dkkérpwv 11157 6 7 179 paxapui

7 177 09 dv01'

11610v a1irt§ 7711300777 6: 771

'

iv

36 7 3 ¢ v7lé7 7 61v 0 157 03 311va116v0v 73v

1167 3 11a 1<ap 167 177 a 7rep‘

1 c 157 3v

365012 : and Plutarch, A r i sti des 6, 7 3

96'

1

'

ov 7 p 10 i 30116? 31a¢ 6p 61v, d¢ 9ap0 faKai 3vv1i1161 Kai (ip 67fi. They are likewise used b y the Stoics of the 11601109 ;Chrysippus ap . Plut. Moral. 42 5 D,mix 1711101 0 7 0177 0v (sc. the 7 677 09

in Which the 11301109 is situated)011v6 1'

p-ye09a1 7rp3s 7 311 310110111

‘

7v Ka i c iovei

3¢ 60p0 £av z and b y the Epicureans oftheir atoms. [Comp thetitle ofPhilo’streatise, I

'

Iep l 1i¢ 9ap0 ia9 Kd011ou.]In the Greek Old Testament 21'

(1190117 09 occurs twice : Wisd. xi i 1 7 3

y3p d¢ 9ap7 6v 0 011 60 7 1v 611

77 30 111, xviii 4 7 3 d¢ 9aprov v6110v (11189 .

The same writer in two notable passages connects the a¢ aapoza grantedto men with the d¢ 6ap 0 ia of God’sown nature : i i 23 f. 57 1 3 9639 6117 10 6117 3v 1

’1'

v9p 01770v d¢ 9ap 0 1'

11, Ka i 6ZK3va

7 739 i31'

a9 23137 117 09 (17. l. 6131157 777 09)67701

'

170 6v a157 6v °

(119151119 36 6111361011961107 09 620fik9ev 619 7 3v x60 110v,Vi 18 f. 3767717 36 7 17

'

p 170 19 v311111v 0157 39

(se. 7 139 77po0oxr‘

1 36 vo'

1m1vBeBa i010 19 1i¢ 9ap0 ia 9, 1i¢ 9ap0 ia 366

’

yy39

6Zva1. 77016? 96017. The only other examples are found in 4 Mace. (ofmenwho pass to an immortal life), ix 22

130 77 6p 7711pl. 1167 00xr1110 7 1g’15116vo9 629

1i¢ 9ap 0 1fav, xvn 12 15930967 6 1 y3p 7 67 6cip67 1

i1 31

’1577011011179 30x1p d§ov0 a 7 3 v

'

1'

1<09

6’v d¢ 9ap0 ia 6

’v (an?) 7705111xpov1

'

c‘o. Sym

machus used the word in the title of

Ps. lxxiv (lxxv), 677 111131109 77 6p i d¢ 9ap~0 1

'

a9 41031169 (LXX 111)So far then themeaning of21’c90117 09

i s clear, and there i s no

tendency to confuse it with 1111114001The latter adjective occurs

once in the LXX: Esther i i 2 { 177 176157 07 155 Ba0 1516

'

i Kopci0 1a 3¢ 90pa 11033 7 125(comp 17. 3 110p 1i0 ta 77ap96v11<3 Kakc

‘

z

In the New Testament we find5111190117 09 used of God, Rom. i 23filflafav 7 3v 33§av 7 013 dq59dp7 011 9601?

[VI 24

3001161107 1 611161109 ¢ 90p 7 017 dv9p ai7rov,

I Tim. i 17 1i¢ 91ip 7 1p ciop07 1p 1115110) 96153and of the dead after resurrection,I Cor. XV 52 6

’

y6p917'

0 0117 01 c’1'

qb90p 7 01.

It is also used as an epithet of0 7 611101109 (1 Cor. ix xhqpovoiu

'

a

(I Pet. i and 0 7rop 1i (i b . 23 comp.

iii The substantive occurs inI Cor. XV 42 0 716 1

'

p 67 01 ¢ 90p1§,67 611167 0 1 611 d¢ 9ap 0 fg, 50 01336 1; ¢ 90p3

d¢ 9ap0 1'

a11 xhqpow p d , 53 362 y3p7 3 ¢ 90p 7 311 7 0137 0 6113150 0090 1 d¢ 9ap~

1101 7 3 911177 311 7 087 0 6113150 0090 1

It occurs again in Rom.

ii 7 7 079 1109’1511011011311 6pyon 6109017

3641011 110i 7 11113

111 11011i¢ 90p0 i011 ( 177 0170 111,{ 10311 0216111011, 2 Tim. i Io 1107 0p

‘

y150 0117 09

11611 7 311 961107 011, (3107 10 0117 09 36 { 10311

1101d¢ 90p0 fav 313 7 06 6v’0yy67 u

'

0v. (InTit. u 7 it has been interpolated afterd¢ 90p f011, 0 6111167 117 0,

—having comein probably as a marginal gloss on

In all these passages there can be nodoubt as to themeaning of a

’cbaapm

’a.

If { on} 021611109 is the life-principlewhich is already at work, dosap aza isthe condi tion of immortality whichwill crown it in the future.The use of the word in the epistles

of Ignatius deserves a special con

sideration, if only because we find inRom. 7 the expression ci'yc

im)swap-ms.

In Ep h. 15 f. Ignatius is speaking of

false teaching and false living as destructive of the ‘ temples’ofGod

,with

an allusion to 1 Cor. iii 17 ci’7 11 7 311

110311 7 013 96017 ¢ 961p 6 1, He declares that of 02x0¢ 96p01, those whoviolate God’s house, forfeit the kingdomof God. If this b e so for thebodily temple, stillmore does it holdof those who ‘ violate the

faith of God by evil teaching ’. Theyand their hearers are defiled and shallgo into the unquenchable fire. Heproceeds : A L3 7 067 0 p 15p011 61 043611 6e

7 139 1161303 179 0137 017 3 1115p 109, 7110 711163;6xk7ln0 1

'

0d¢ 90p0 1'

011. He is playingupon the two senses of 1111961

’

p 6w,

physical destruction and moral corruption : but that the sense of in

VI 24] EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

corruptibility or immortality prodominates when the word 1i¢ 0ap0 £a isintroduced is shewn by the contrasted

7 39 of the devil,

who would carry us away ‘ fromtheli fe which i s the goal set before us’

7 01? 77p 0116 1116'

1100 The phrasehas a noteworthy parallel in Iren. iiiI I 8waw ax39611 77 1160117 0 9 7 311 1i¢ 90p0 1

'

011

a’vafamvpoiiwm7 039 3119pai17 0v9 (of

the four Gospels): comp. i 4 I and i 6 I ;the metaphor being perhaps derivedfromthe Xp 10 7 01

'

3 61310310 and the 30113611 { 1039 629 { 10311 of 2 Cor. ii 15 f.In Magn. 6 we have 629 7 1577011

3130x311 3¢ 9ap0 f09, but the contextdoes not throw fresh light on themean ing of the word. P hi lad . 9 7 3

36 613079161 1011 a

’

771ip 7 10p 1i 313900recalls 2 Tim. i 10. In Trall. I I

311 311 3 110p1739 037 1311 3¢ 90p7 09 standsin contrast with 110p 77311

In Rom. 7 we have 03x 7 130133¢ 90p39 followed by 773110 961 10 7 3 0310037 03

, 3 607 111 dyém; 3¢ 90p7 09. Inthis pas sage we have a combinationof the ideas which ap

pear separam

in T7 011. 8 6 11 0 130 011

Kp 107 ou, andEp h. 20 6110 3117 011 10113117 69,0 6 0 7 111 (Pap/1 011011 0901100 10 9, 0 117 13 07 09

7 011 113 317 090116 111 0333 { 311 611 130011

Kp 10 7 c§ 313 770117 39. [Comp. Clem.

AleX. P aed . i 47 3 1i¢ 9apBoth the and

the 1id>9ap0 fa of Ignatius are liftedout of themerely physical region bythe newmeaning given to ‘ life’by theGospel : b ut the words retain theirpr0per signification in the highersphere, and still mean freedomfromdeath and fromdissolution.

is not confused with aaoopza or

1i3ta¢ 90pfa , so as to denote freedomfrommoral corruptness.I cannot point to any passage in

the writers of the second century inwhich 3¢ 90p 7 09 and d¢ 9ap 0 ia are usedof moral incorruptness, though thewords are common enough in theusual sense of immortality (see Athenag. do Res. passim). On the otherhand asoop o. occurs in a well-known

2 19

passage of Justin (A10. i 15, comp.1i

311iq590p 01 i b id .

Since, however, 1366 1711111 and gbGopéexpress the physical andmoral ideaswhich are negatived in 3¢ Gap0 £a andsasopza respectively, it was quitepossible that cigbeapm

’a should come

to be regarded as denoting not onlythe indi ssolubility of eternal life

, butalso thepuritywhich Christian thoughtnecessarily connected with eternal life.And thismay explain the uncertaintywhich attends Origen’s use of the

word in some passages. Thus in histreatise on Prayer, 2 1

,we read 7 3

316¢ 90pp 6'

110 3p‘

y0 3 33‘yov9 3 1103110 7 0,7 077 61113 m‘

yxa'vovra 110 i. 67700777 7 0, 7 39

1i <j>90p0 ia9 190137 1110 7 017 11np 1'

au. Heseems again to play on two possiblesenses of d¢ 60p0 £a in 0. Gels. iii 60

,

where our present passage is referredtO : 36 1101 3 Xdp 19 7 017 96017

1167 3 773117 1011 7 1311 1311 1i¢ 9ap 0 f0 37107715117 1011 7 311 31330 1107\0v 7 3311 7 39 1i 9a v0 0 1

'

a 9

110931137 1011, 307 19 37 1139’01311311011

‘ci7r3

flaw-39 111500119

’(the words of Celsus),

33713 1101 7 1311 330 7 7 3111011 6310 1 1101/afodp apmp drcov 90pp 1311 11116109111,In his Commentary (on this

verse) Origen combats an extremeview which interpreted a

’

qssapaza as

implying stri ct virginity. He doesnot reply, as he might have replied,that in Scripture d¢ 90p0 1

’a is always

used of immortality ; but he suggeststhat is predicable of any sin,80 that d¢ 9ap0 ia might be implyingabsolute freedom from sin of anykind : 1307 6 7 039 7 311 1115p 1011

31111311’I1)001

'

311 Xp 107 311 d¢ 90p0 fg7 039 7730 179 (iy ap7 1

'

a 9 377 6xo116'

110v9. The

later Greek commentators also interpret d¢ 9ap0 1

’a in this place of

incorruptness of life. The Latincommentators, who had i n incorrupti one to interpret, sometimes preferredto explain it of soundness of doctrine,b ut with equally little justificationfromthe earlier literature.How then are the words to be

understood ? It has been proposedto connect themwith 3X1ip 19, so that

2 20 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [VI 24

the Apostle’s final prayer should bean invocation ofX1ip 19 d¢ 90p010, i .e.

of grace together with that blessedimmortality which is the crowninggift of grace. But thi s cannot beregarded as a natural expansion ofhis accustomed formula, even if thedi sposition of the sentence be not

fatal to this interpretation. It isbetter to keep the words 611 dq690p0 1

'

0closely With 7 1311 0y0 77 10117 1011 7 311 11v 11

3111311 11700011 Xp 107 311, to render them‘in incorrup tz

’

bi lz’

ty’and to explain

them as meaning ‘i n that endless

and unbroken li fe in which love hastriM phed overdeath and dissolution

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2 2 2 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Favor. The distinctivemeaning then ofxépu as representing if} in the historicalab le esti books of the Old Testament is the favour which an inferior finds in the eyesmati onby a

of hi s superi or. It 18 to be noted that 80mmxapw i s here correlati ve tosup erior. eép e

'

iv xcipw . It does notmean ‘to favour ’, b ut to cause to be favoured’

by another. It thus differs altogether fromthe true Greek phrase 508m;xcipw ,

to grant a favour’.In the Psalms the word occurs twice only : xliv (xlv)2 e

’

gexéa; [15]xdpw c

’v xez

’heo w G ov, lxxxiii (lxxxiv)I I xdpw xal 866m! 6150-6 1. In each case

it renders l”, which has acquired a certain extension ofmeaning.

Proverbs In Proverbs we find it 2 1 times,the plural being occasionally used.

Thrice it renders hi t), whi ch is commonly represented by a idom’a . The

accep ta generalmeaning is favour or acceptance in a wide sense,as the condition

b il i ty With of a happy and successful life. Such xalp cs is as a rule the accompanimentSigma of wealth and high station : b ut God gives it as a reward of humility, iii 34

rarrewoi c 86°

813 100 111 xdpwl.

In Ecclesiastes xa'

zpw is used twice for It}, and again the sense is wide.It is remarkable that in Isaiah, Jeremiah and (wi th few exceptions)

the Prophets generally xdpu‘ is not found at all. The exceptions are

three passages in Zechariah (always for 1D), iv 7 , vi 14 and xii IOfi vefip a xdpvros

'

Ka i o ixrzpp ofi) Dan. i 9 Kai xa'

pw (DU?)guana t op Kal oixrecpp ov and Ezek. X11 24, the

adverbial phrase “ p69 xdpw.

Wi sdom In the Wisdombooks we find, as we might expect, a more extendedliterature : use of the word : and the sense which corresponds with it} appears side

by side with various Greek usages . It is specially noteworthy that twice‘mercy ’. we have the combination xcipcc Ka i a eos

‘ [e’v] Toff e

’xhexra

’

i g afiroi’

) (Wisd.

iii 9, ivEnoch With this last expression we may compare Enoch v 7, 8 Ka i. 7 o 301111

Wlfih ro'

i g 2'

o 11x39 Kai xcip cs Ka i 8019150 17 111. ro'

is‘ e’xhsxro

'

i s‘

96135“

‘ hght’and

(i 1.‘

peace’ Ka t x p 9.

The N. T . It appears fromthe foregoing investigation that the New Testament25323; 11 writers inherited a wealth ofmeanings for the word xa

’

n

both (a) the purely Greek signi fications, which were familiar to all who usedGreek the Greek language, b ut which to some extent fell into the background, in$1

55? consequence of the appropriation of the word to a specially Chri stian useuses (6) the significations which the word had acquired through its use by

$13.

‘

,

the the Greek translators of the O ld Testament to representessmg

come,Of the latter significations the most important was that which we find

quent on in the latest books, namely, the favour of God, or rather the blessed condiDiVine

,tion of human life which resulted fromthe Divine favour—a sense in which

favour the word came,as we have seen, to range with such spiritual blessings as

31 109, (Ixa3s and elp riw).

1 Thi s phrase needs to be cons idered allowancemust be made for themorein the light of what has been said of independentuse ofxdptswithouta term601711111 xdpw évaw c

’

ov (see Gataker of relation in the later Old TestamentCi nnas, ed. Lond. 1651 , p . go b ut li terature.

ON XAP lZ AND XAPITOYN. 2 23

Turning now to the New Testament, we observe that the word is not Distri bufound in the Gospels of St Matthew and St Mark ; but that it occurs in “011 111 1119every other book, with the exception of the First and Third Epistles ofgag

es.

St John1. We may consider first those writers whose phraseology is ingeneral most remote fromthat of St Paul.In St John’s Gospel xcip ts‘ is found only in the Prologue : i 14 1716a St John’s

Xdp i ros Ka i 3K 7 01? wkqpaip a‘roc ad'

roii wdw es c’hdfiop ev mi Gospel :

xdpw dw i r; xdp ts Ka i 15 dkrfdeta dtd'

Ir)1roi)Xpw'

ro i}

These verses are closely connected and ofi‘

er a single emphatic presenta mogue.

tion of xdp ts'

as a blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ. Grace and

truth together stand in contrast to the law as given through Moses.A fulness of grace and truth pertains to ‘ the Word made flesh ’. Out

of that fulness we all have received : we have received ‘ grace for gracethat the gift in usmay correspond ’

wi th the source of the gift in Him.

The only other occurrences of the word in the Johannine writings do Othernot help us to interpret the words of the Prologue. In 2 John 3 we have Johanninemerely the greeting xdp ts, 27mg, eZprjw; (comp. the Pastoral Epistles). In b °°ks°

the Apocalypse we have the salutation xép i s Ka i elpfiw; 611-6 6 1311

, and

the closing benediction, 15xdp i s f or? Kvp i'

ov 1170 06 Xp i o'

rofi 1111-21 7 6» dy icov,

in each case Pauline phrases with a peculiarmodification.The Epistle of St James contains the word only (iv 6)in an allusion to St James.

and a quotation fromProv. i i i 34 (see above).In Jude 4 we read rfiv 7 05 6606 xdpvra p erartde

'

vres 129 do e'

ityei av. This St Jude.

formof the accusative is not found elsewhere in the New Testament,except in Acts xxiv 27. Kcip a does not occur in the opening salutationof the epistle (21 109 1511211 Kai eipq

'm; Kai dydm) nhqevvda'

q). It is observablethat the whole of the phrase above quoted, with the exception of the worddeal-yam, is absent fromthe parallel passage, 2 Pet. ii I ff. In 2 Peter, 2 St Peter.however

,we have the salutation xcip cs‘ Ka i eiprfm) ”Knew/96137, and in

iii 18 the injunction afigduer e 86311 xdp tn Ka i 7 11160 11. 7 06 Kvp i'

ov 75111311.We now come to the Lucan books, in the latter of which at any rate St Luke

’s

we shal l be prepared to find tokens of the direct influence of St Paul. In G051391

Luke i 30 the angelic salutation Xaipe, Kexap trwp e'

vq is followed by 16pmOpening19 a urel Hebrai stic ex ression. In ii 0 we read Chap tef s’

.

yap xapw napa " 9 “1” p y p.

4 Hebrai sti cof the Child Jesus, Xdpw 9ec i)fin 371

3adrd : and In 11 52

’Iq1rovs wpoeKom'

evuse.

Tfi a odu'

a Kai fihtm’

a Ka i xdp i n 1rap 1i 91123 Ka i duapain‘

ors (comp. I Sam. 11 26

To wa iddp i ou Zap ovr‘

fll e’n

'

opei ie'

ro p eyahvvdp euov Kai dyadév, Kai nerd Kvp t'

ov

Kai nerd dvepaSn-mv). The phraseology of the first two chapters of St Luke

’sGospel is largely derived fromthe historical books of the Old Testamentand these uses of xdp ts‘ are characteristically Old Testament uses. In iv 22 ,édadp afov 37ri 1

'o hdyocs‘rfis xdpvros

‘

,we have another obvious Later on ,

Hebraism. But the remaining examples of the word give us purely23ggs

1 No account i s here taken of ex the Vulgate and the Boha iric. For a

amp les of xdpw used adverbially with confusion between the same words seea geni tive. In 3 John 4 p ecforépav Tobit vi i I7 xctpw a wl ‘

rfis Mi a-ms a ov

f atie 015K é‘xw xapdv, i t seems im 7 1161 119 [xapdv Ecclus. xxx 16xdpw

poss ible to accep t the reading xdpw , N1, xapdv NzABC.

whi ch i s found in B, a few cursives ,

2 24

The Acts

EPISTLE TO -THE EPHESIANS.

Greek usages : 1r01'a 15v Xdp ts'

e’or

ri'

v; (vi 32 , 33, in)3X“ Xdpw 7 153 806A?37 1 31701970 1 11 rd Btaraxee

'

w a ; (XVIIIn the A cts we find in the earlier chapters clear instances of the Old

Hebrai stic Testament use of xcip tg : ii 47 3Xow es xdpw 1rpos 37lov“

rev hadv, vii IO

USES.

The new

Chri stianmeaning

in con

nexion

with therecep ti onof the

Genti les.

St Paul

developes

the term

to express

the freenessand uni

versalityof the

Gospel.

Hi sappropria

tion of theword in

33101161! aura? xdpw Ka i o o¢ iav évaw iov (Papaai, vii 46 efip ev Xdpw 31115711 011

7 017 0106. Perhaps we should add to these iv 33 xdp ts re p sych ” 7711 c’1ri

wdw as a i r and vi 8 Er€¢ avos 13s nhrjp rys‘ xdp tros Kai dvvdp ecog 311

Te'pa '

ra, b ut it is possible that we have here a distinctively Christianuse of the word. Of purely Greek usages we have xdp t'ra Karaee

’

aeac inxxiv 2 7, and xdpw Karade

'

a'daz. in xxv 9 ; also a irozip evoc xdpw Ka'

r’mire?) in

xxv 3 (comp. the use ofXap lfeaeac in xxv 1 1,

But there is another clas s of passages in the Acts in which Xtip ts‘ isfound in a new and Christian sense. The first of these is xi 23, wherewe read of St Barnabas at Antioch, 28151: Tip; xdpw rip ; 7 08 06017 e

’

xa'

p q.

The emphatic formof the expression helps tomark the introduction of thenew phrase : and itmay be observed that, wherever throughout the bookthe word occurs in this sense

,it is (with the single exception of xviii 2 7)

followed by a defining genitive. The passages are the followingxiii 43 wpoo p e

'

vew 177 xdp tfl 7 017 6108,

xiv 3 Kvp t'

tp p aprvpoiivn 7 155 Roy ? 1779 xdp vros'

adrofi,26 5061) rjcrav napadedone

’

voz f f] xdp in rai) 96017,

xv I I 81a 7 739 xdp rros‘rof: Kvp iov

’Iq1roi3mow M eij i/at KaO

’

rpon'

ov 115115 001,

40 flapadofiei s f f) xa'

pm 7 06 Kvp iov,

xviii 2 7 ovveBcikero wok?) 7 029 nemared o'

w 8131 f t}: Xap vros‘

,

XX 24 Btap aprdpaadac To efiay'

ye'

htov ‘rfis xdp tros TOD 6108

,

32 napar iflep at Kvp c'

cp Kai 7 123 ho‘

ycp Ti): xa'

p t'ros aurofz.

It is noteworthy that this use of xcip ts belongs to the narratives whichdeal with the extension of the Gospel to the Gentiles : see especially xv I I .The surprisingmercy of God, by which those who had been wholly outsidethe privileged circlewere now the recipients of the Divine favour, seemsto have called for a new and impressive name whichmight be the watchword of the larger dispensation.Although it is not probable that the introduction of Xdp tf into the

Christian vocabulary was due to St Paul, yet there can be li ttle doubtthat the new and special use of it which we have just noted was closelyconnected with his missionary efforts

,and that he did more than any one

to develope the meaning of xépcg as a theological term. To him, forexample, we owe the emphasis on the f reeness of the Divine favourwhi ch is marked by the contrast of xdp ts with dghet p a,

‘ debt’, and

with gp‘

yov in the sense of meritorious ‘work ’; and the emphasis on

the universali ty of the Divine favour,which included Genti les as well as

Jews, in contrast to the law’which was the discipline of Israel.Moreover he seems in some sense to have appropriated the word, as

though he had a peculiar claimand ti tle to its use. The first of his epistlesopens and closes with an invocation of xcip ts

‘ upon his readers : and everyconnexi on subsequent epistle follows the precedent thus set. In 2 Thess. iii 17 f. b ewi th hi s declares that thismay be regarded as his sign-manual, authenticating as it

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2 26 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Christians was a signal witness to the fellowship into which the Gentileshad been brought by grace. It was a proof that grace was being con

tinually given to those who made this return of grace. St Paul playson the senses of the word with great delight in this connexion : v. 4 n

‘

w

xdpw Kai rip ! Kowcom'

av rfis 810K0m'

as Tfis 629 7 08: dy iovs : 77. 6 629

151169 Ka i rdu xdpw 7 01511711 : v. 7 iva Ka i radry rjj xdp i-r i 7r6p 10

'

o'

615111'

6

27. 9 yw ai

a Kere ydp rip ! xdpw 7 017 Kvp iov 1511131! v. 19 631

177 xdpvn ra iny f f} 81aK0vovp 6'

vy 15111311 : ix. 8 80110s 86‘

0 0609 vrdaav

xdpw 7r6p 10'

0'

680'

a 1 629 17. 14 671 1710001511e 15nd: 81d r ip ; 1511-6d h

hova av xdpw To?) 9106 e’m’ The play on words was a truly Greek

one : comp. Soph. Aj ax 52 2 xdp ts xdpw ydp 607 111 15n'

K'rova’1i61

'

.

Gal. i 6 p 67 a7 1'

061r06 Lind 7 08 Kaite'

aavros‘151169 61; xdp vrc Xpurroi} et

’s

grepov GGGWG’ALOV.

Gal. v 4 Kampyrj01rr6 61rd Xpw 'roii 071-w eg 61! izow 81K0101

’

30’06,‘rfis Xcip i ros

éfa réaare. You have separated yourselves fromthat which was yourone ground of hope.Col. i 6 dd)

’77: rip e

'

pas 15K0151ra 'r6 Kai 61767 11107 6 rip) xdpw 7 017 06013 61;

1211791113. Thi s is again in connexion with the declaration of the uni

versal scope and fruitfulness of the Gospel.See al so Eph. ii 5—9, and the exposition.

The ed A review of these passages makes it impossible to doubt that St Paul’s1111381011 use of xdp ts

‘ is dominated by the thought of the admission of the Gentiles(

Gf

edizl

iies to the privileges which had been peculiar to Israel Grace was given todominates the Gentiles through his ministry : grace was given to himfor hisministryhi s use of to them. The flexibility of the word enables himto use it in this twofoldthe WOTd manner. The Divine favour had included the Gentiles in the circle of

privilege : the Divine favour had commissioned himto be i ts herald forthe proclamation of that inclus ion.

Th is i s in This being so,we recognise the fitness with which St Luke

,the com

harmony panion of St Paul and the historian of his mission, uses the new name121

1511

21,t rtwith peculiar reference to the proclamation and the reception of the

oftheActS.universal Gospel among the Gentiles .

Later It is unnecessary to follow the history of the word into the Pastoralh i story of Epistles

,where it is somewhatmore widely used (comp. 2 Tim. ii I , Tit. iii

the word . though its specially Pauline usage may be illustrated by Tit. ii 1 1 ; orinto the Epistle to the Hebrews

,where the reference is quite general ;

or into 1 Peter, which adopts so much of the phraseology of St Paul’sepistles. As the first great controversy of Christianity passed out of

sight,terminology which had been framed with peculiar reference to it

became widened and generalised ; and the word‘ grace ’in particular lost

its early association, while it remai ned in the new Christian vocabularyand was destined,more especially in its Latin equivalent grati a, to be thewatchword of a very difl

'

erent and scarcely less tremendous struggle.

2 . XAPITOYN

Variously 2 . Closely connected with St Paul’s use of xap tg is his incidental useexp lained. on one occas ion only of the word xupu-oov (Eph. i Its meaning both

there and in Luke i 28,the only other occurrence of the word in the New

Testament,has been variously

’

exp lained.

ON XAP IZ AND XAPITOYN. 227

The verb xap c-roiiv properly signi fies ‘to endue with xépw

’: and its Itsmean

meaning accordingly varies wi th the meaning of xdp ts‘

. Thus fromXtipts' variesin the sense of

‘ gracefulness of form’(compare Horn. 0d. ii 12 060'

7r60' i17v

W

i

l thd

that

8’

0

1’ipa r 1§ ye xdpw Kare

'

xevev we have the meaning ‘ to endueWIth beauty ’: Niceph. P rogymn. ii 2 (ed. Wall . 1 429)Mdppav (0150 19 11611 usages6’

Xd p ir100'

6v eis p oq riuz comp. Ecclus. ix 8, in the formin which it is t to endue

quoted by Clem. Alex. P aed . iii 1 1 83 dndo rpq lrov 81°

f ew 1211-6 With‘

yvva i s Kexap trwp e'mys‘ (Lxx. ezip d bov). Again, fromthe sense of

‘ grar beauty,’

ciousness ofmanner ’we have the meaning ‘to endue with graciousness’: or

‘

WithEcclus. xviii 17 , LO, is not a word better than a gift? And both are 5223

19118

with a gracious man (n d pd 1l’u8p i Kexap trwp évm): a fool will upbraid

ungraciously (exapzmmy.

The above are Greek usages. A Hebraistic use, of

‘ being caused to Hebrai sticfind favour’in the eyes ofmen

,is seen in Ps.

-Aristeas Ep . ad P hi iocr.

1189

(cd. Hody, Oxf. 1705, p. xxv ; Swete’s Introd . to LXX p. 558 l. 4 in

answer to the question,How one may despise enemies—Homes s pa

mivra s‘ 1i i/0p 107r0vs‘651mm» Kai Karepyaadp evos

' (Midas, hdyov 013067109 dv 6'

xo i sn

rd 86 Kexap 1r130'0ac 7rp89 n dvras civ0p co

'

rrovs‘

,Kai Kahdv eihq¢ 6va t 7rapd

06017 ro17r’607 1 Kpdrw

'

rovl.

In Luke i 28 the salutation Xa '

i pe, Kexap trwp e'm), 15 K15p 109 an d 0 017 St Luke

gives rise to the unuttered inqui ry noran‘ds 6297 5 sw a g-pas 05mg and the

angel proceeds : Mr) ¢ oBO17, Map i da, edpes‘

ydp xdpw napd r 1§ (comp.

Gen. vi Thus Kexap trwp e'

vq is explained in an Old Testament sense as 11 11 0 T

7; 66p01717 a Xdpw n apd rd"

) 0613 : and the meaning of xap 1r017v accordingly is11 1v1ne y

to endue Wlth grace ’ in the sense of the Divme favourz. Th i s was favoured 1,

doubtless the meaning intended to be conveyed by the Latin renderinggratia p lena, though it has proved as amatter of hi story to be somewhatambiguous3. Similarly the Peshito has { hoa al

vdub . Unfortunately

the Old Syriac (sin and cu)fails us at this point. Aphrahat (Wright 180, 2)and Ephraim00mm. i n B iatess. (Moes. 49)both omit the word in question,and read Peace to thee, blessed among women "1.

The Latin Version (practically the

same in both i ts forms)has : ‘ dedits is in omni opere gratiamEp i phanius (Haer. lxix 15 86

Memo-i3s a'

vvéa'

ei 611 0601? Kexa p i r w

ué vo s fipufira 013

rafrra , dlthoi Ka i roer ;

1 A few further examp les ofxaptroiivmay here be noted :In Test. P atri arch. Joseph 1 , we

have 611 daeevela 13am! 6 fixpto'

ros

ér eaxé¢ ar6 ,u.6

° eu qtvhaxfi mi 8awrhp éxap irwa

'é [16. Thi s is of coursean allusion to Matt. xxv 36, and exaplrware i s probably borrowed directlyfromEph . i 6 ; the word being used

simp ly in the sense of ‘ bestowed graceupon me’: it i s paralleled in the context by indmyae, éqtéhafe, dvfi‘

ya‘

ye,

fihevdépwae, 61901501706, 8160pe1/16 , r ape

t eae, a w e, ovum/6117706 , éppuo'

aro,

ii i /woe, as well as by é1rea'

Ké1I/aro.

Hermas Sim. ix 24 3 6 05V Kuptos

113d r iyv dnhornr a aur c'

bv Ka i r ad ar

vnr zérm'

a , enhfidvuev mired: év ro'

is

K61r01s ré‘

wxetpt'

bv a t’rrc

'

bv, Kai éxa p lr w

0'

6 v eu r acy ,r pdfet 11137 6311.

dmérepov,2 In the Ap oca lyp se of the Virgin

(James Ap ocr. Anecd. I, 1 15 ii .) the

Blessed Virgin is constantly spoken ofand even addressed as i] Kexap irwpém.

3 Ambiguity almost necessari ly arosewhen grati a came to have as its predominantmeaning a sp iritual power

of help towards right living.

4 Not unconnected with thi s mayb e the confused reading of the Latinof Codex Bezae : ‘ habe benedi cta dfi

—s

tecum benedicta tu intermulieres.’

15— 2

2 28

St Paul

i s emphasising h isown word

xdpts

‘enduedus withgrace

Versions.Peshito.

Latin.

A various

Chrysoatom’s ihterp reta

tion

p lays

on the

various

senses ofxdpts andi ts deri

vatives,

EPISTLE TO “

THE EPHESIANS.

In interpreting St Paul’s meaning in Eph. i 6,623 gn aw ov 86509 7 739

xdp tros adr017 59 6xap 1'

r100'

611 finds rq'

i fiyarrqnéwp, it is important to bearlnmind that he is emphasising hi s own word xcip ts. And wemust comparecertain other places in which a substantive is followed by its cognate verb :Eph. i 19 Kard rr)r1 évfipynKev (where he is thus led to a somewhat unusual use of e

’vepye

’

iv : see the detached note on that word): ii 481d r1)v nokhr

‘

w dyd'n

'

qv adr017 7311 75710917 70 6 11 winds : iv 1 rijs Khrja ews 896’K7lrl

'

017r 6 : 2 Cor. i 4 81d rfis napaKltria ews'

179 n apaKahmin60a adro i. Thesense appears to be

,His grace whereby He hath endued us with grace ’.

This is amore emphatic way of saying, His grace which He hath bestowedon us

’: it does not differ materially fromthe subsequent phrase of v. 8

,

His grace which He hathmade to abound toward us ’.The Peshito version seems to recognise thismeaning of the passage in

its rendering m 4 : om,

‘which He poured on us’. The Lati nversion

,however

,renders : ‘

grati ae suae in qua gratificaui t nos’. The

verb ‘

gratifico’appears to have been coined for this occasion. The com

ment of Pelagius on the verse gives the meaning which was probablypresent to the translator’s mind : In qua gratia gratos fecit nos sibiin Christo ’. The interpretation was perhaps the natural issue of thecorruption of 159 into 811 5, which is found in D2 G3 and later authoritiesand is probably a scribe’s grammatical emendation. The relative i s is tobe explained by attraction to the case of its antecedent

, as in 2 Cor. i 4,quoted above. It is simplest to suppose that it stands for 17 there appearsto be no warrant for a cognate accusative, i1x1 éxap i

’ma ev.

Chrysostom’s interpretation of 6xap 1'

r100'

611 is marked by a determination to compass every meaning of the word. In the first instancehe notes quite briefly (Field p. 1 10 F): 013K0i311 ei eis' ro17ro 6

’

Xd p ir100'

611, 629

611-away 806179 7 59 xdp tros afirofi,Kai iva Gi ff” 19711 xdpw aJr017, n6

'

1110nev

atirf}. Here it would seemas though he took 6xap1'

r100'

ev rjn175 as simplymeaning ‘ endued us with grace ’; in that grace, he urges

,we ought

to abide. But presently it occurs to him(111 B) to contras t e’

xap frwo ev

with 6xap iaar0. Thus he says : O13K eirreu ‘

fis’ a‘6’

xap ir100'

611

finds “ rovre'

arw ,013 n011011 dnaprqndrmv a

’mjl ilafev d Ka i 67rep da r 0v 9

e’r o c

’

qo e. He gives as an illustration the restoration of an aged and

diseased beggar to youth, strength and beauty (the old Greek idea of

xdp i s) 013mm6&150'

K170'

611 rjndiv rr)11 di vxfiu, Kai 11076711 Kai Kai e’1re

'

p a 0'

r 0 11 finds: én txdp i r a s 671015717 6 Ka i av’rcji 710061110159.

He then quotes ‘ The king shall desire thy beauty ’(Ps . xlv He isthen led off by the phrase Kexapmone

’va firina—ra to speak of the ‘ gracious

ness of speech ’which marks the Christian : odxi xa p i ev 6Kei r10 rd 1ra18i011

eivac'

(banev, 37r6p . d11 nerd rfis r017 c oinarog 13pmmi 77071t 5X!) r iyv c’v

r o i s‘ princ e-1 xdp w ; r01017roi GZO'

LV o i xa p te'

orr ep o v rcfwnqnér 1011 1311 d7rora1r1ro

'

ne0a rq7 8101301 19, 1511 a vvraa a dne0a rd; xpw réi ;b utmi sses rfig anohoy ias

‘

G’KGIW] ? rfis‘ rrp ?) rox7 hovrp017, rfis nerd rd hovrpdv; But

St Paul’s

meaning.

in all this he is wilfuny going back fromSt Paul’s use of xcip ts, and

introducing the sense of charmof formor of speech which belonged toxap tr01711 in non-bibli cal writers.

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2 30 EPISTLE TO T HE EPHESIANS.

comp. Zech. x11 10 K w at £11" ad'rov Kori-Grey air e

’1r’

ci-yam)AQ] 1.

3. In the New Testament we find 6 ri'yafmp e'vos in Eph. i 6, the passagewhich has given occasion for thi s investigation.

‘

0 dya'n

'

rrrds' is used, both di rectly and indirectly

,of our Lord in the

Gospels.

(1) At the Baptism:

Mark i 1 1 S i; 62d utos‘ y ou 0 dy amrrog, £11 0 01evdomya a.

Matt. 1ii 17 o5rds earw o v ios you 0 ayamrros‘ , i v (5 608010700 .

Luke i ii 2 2 as in St Mark, b ut with a notable Western’

variant2.

(2) At the TransfigurationMark ix 7 057 69 3011 1} 6 vids you (i a

’

yamrrds‘.Matt. xvii 5 051-69 5 UltiS‘ you (i dyamyrdc, i v (5 6 13861010 0.

Luke ix 35 017

7 69 301 11! 6 vitis you (i A l fi e

Comp. 2 Pet. i 17‘

0 v io'

s'

y ou 6 dyamyros 057 69

(3) Indirectly, in the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen.

Mark xi i 6 gmgua e GV, viov ci ‘yamrrov.

Luke xx I3 we'mlrco roll v idv y ou 7 011 ci ‘yamyrdv.

St Matthew has no parallel to this clause.If the third of these examples stood alone, it would be natural to

interpret it in accordance with the Greek idiomreferred to above : anda close parallel might be found in Tobit iii 10 (N text), 1110 inrfipxev

du-ya’myp But it is difficult to separate its interpretation from

that of 6 v i i : you 6 dyamyrég, which is twice applied directly to our Lord.

Of this three renderings are possible

(1) Thou art My only Son ’,

(2) Thou art My beloved Son ’,

(3)‘ Thou art My Son

,the beloved ’.

The first of these renderings is vigorously championed by Daniel Heins ius,Exerci tt. ad N. T. p. 94 (ed. Cantab r. 1640)on Mark i 1 1. The second isfami liar to us in our English Bible

,and in St Mark at least it suggests

out (Two Dissert. p. 49 n .)that fromhi s comment we can see that he foundthe Word y oVO‘

yGVfi in hi s text.

The usage belongs to classical Greekfromthe time of Homer : see 0d . i i

365, iv 72 7, 817, and comp . I l. vi

400 f. Fromprose wri ters we mayci te Demosth . Mi d ias p . 567 06

,un

‘

yr

Ntmfipa ‘

ros oih'ws 6 7 00 Na dou 6 dya

wmos r ats, and Xenoph. Cyrop . iv

6 2 .dpn yevewiaKox/Ta 7 0v ti pw'

rov

1ra'

i6a rev dyamrrov. Aristotle shewsan interesting extension of the usage,when in referring to the lea: ta li oni s

he points out (Rhet. i 7) that thepenalty of ‘

an eye for an eye’ b e

comes unfair when a man has lost

one eye already ; for then he is deprived of hi s only organ of vi sion(dvawmév d¢ zipnmt

1 Wemay note that in Prov. iv 3"

NJ: is represented by dyambw os.

Thi s word i s used of Chri st in Just.D i a l. 93 dw ehov éKe

'

ivov 7 6V oi‘yamb,uevov 611

"

ad‘

rofi f or? Kvplov Kai 0608

b ut there i t stands for themore usualfiy amp évov.

2 Ti6sy ou £1015, c3'mofip epov y e

'

yéw nxci

o'

e (D a b c fromP s. i i 7 .

3 Thi s is the reading of xBLE syrs in

armsah b oh a. It i s undoubtedly tob e preferred to that of ACD syr

‘ml>ellh

b c vg, which have 6 ai'yamrrés wi th StMark.

THE BELOVED. 231

itself as the most obvious translation. Yet there is some reason for supposing that the third interpretation was that which presented itself to theminds both of St Matthew and of St Luke.

St Matthew assimilates the utterances at the Baptismand the Trans b ut s. d isfiguration , writing in each case 067 6: e

’a rw 6 ui6s‘ you 6 631077177 69, 31: (6 tinct ti tle,

6 1366K170'

a. It is possible that the right punctuation of this sentence is3StMat'

that which is suggested in the margin of the text of Westcott and Hortew’

at Matt. iii 17 : 067 69 6 uids‘ y ou, 6 a’

yamyrc’n‘ i v (6 £ 1366q

'

a. For inMatt. xi i 18 we find a remarkable change introduced in a quotation fromIsa. xlii I . The Hebrew and the Lxx of thi s passage are as follows :

"

131 2025”199 in

any: w e

A a

IaKoBB 6flats y ou, dw chrflf oya c ad'

rou'

Iapank 6 3101610169 y ou, ”p oo 0137 61! 15 1111005you.

But St Matthew has1601) 6 flai r y ou 611 fip e

’rw a

'

6 (b an-177 69 y ou 6u 6 13861070 611 6druxri you.

There is no justification for rendering ”TU? otherwise than as‘My

Elect’l

. It would seemtherefore that St Matthew,in substituting ‘ My

Beloved,’has been influenced by the twice repeated phrase of his Gospel

6 dyan e’

v cf) e686xqo a : and it follows that he regarded 6 6yam;r6s~asa distinct title and not as an epithet of 6 ui6s y ou.

St Luke, by his substitution of 6 e’Kkeke-yye

’

vos for 6 dyamrr69 (ix and to

appears likewise to indicate that the latter was regarded as a title by itself, St Lukefor which the former was practically an equivalent.It is worthy of note that the Old Syriac version, in every instance and in the

(except one)in which i ts testimony is preserved to us,renders 6 vi69 y ou old !

Syri&0

6 67 0 17 717 6: by p . u zmo My Son and My Beloved’: the conju nction ver81°n °

being inserted tomake it clear that the titles are distinct2.It is further to be urged on behalf of this interpretation that the words The twocl 6 u26s~y ou of the Voice at the Baptismaccording to St Mark di rectly fi ll

fiio

fis,m at 1

I I .

1 Thi s passage, Isa. xln 1 , i s ex mentators. Thus in Harnack’s notep licitly referred to the Messiah in theTargum, which renders it thus : NHunnmfi ’nl nmnwpx isn’t/73 “my“ 10 0H”: BeholdMy servantMessiahI wi ll uphold himMine elect, in whomMy Word i s well-pleased

Curi ously enough the Latin translation of this which i s given in the

Polyglots of L e Jay and Walton hasd i lectasmeus as the rendering of ”Tn:The mi stake i s perhap s due to a te

memb rance of the Vulgate in Matt.xi i 18. However i tmay have originated, it i s time that i t was correctedfor i t has mi sled a series of com

on 7 45 fiyarnye‘uq) in E1). Barn. i i i 6

we read : ‘Nomen erat Messiae apud

Iudaeos ex Ies. 42 , r repeti tum’

,with

references to L ii cke, E inl. in d i e Ap ok.

edi t. 11 p. 281 n. 2 , and Langen, Das

Judenthum i n P aléist. Z . Chri sti

p . 162 , 42 7 . Hilgenfeld in h is edi tionof Ep . Barn. carri es on the tradi tion.

2 So in Matt. i i i 17 (sin cu), Lukei ii 2 2 (sin : cu vocat), Matt. xvii 5(cu : sin vaca t), Luke ix 35 (cu : sin

( a=\“ 1: =6 For

Mark i 1 1 we have no evidence. The

one excep tion i s Mark ix 7 (sincu uacat).

232 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

reproduce the language of Ps. 11 7, The Lord hath said untome,Thou ar t

My Son’. If therefore wemay suppose that ‘ the Beloved’and ‘ the Elect’

were interchangeable titles in the religious phraseology of the time,we

have in the Voice a combination of Ps. i i 7 with Isa. xlii I , and‘ the Son’

who is set as King upon the holy hi ll of Sion i s identified with ‘ the Servantof Jehovah’; so that in the Divine intimation of the Messiahshi p the ideasof triumph and suffering are fromthe outset linked together.4. In the early Christian literature outside the New Testament we

“wri ts?” frequently find 6 riyamlye

’uos used absolutely of Christ ; and also 6 7i3la

ye'

uos r ats, a combinati on whi ch recalls Isa. xliv 2 . The former occursW “ ab thrice in the Epistle of Barnabas : iii 6 6 ha6s‘ 61! firoiyaa eu 31! t3j/am)solutely : yc

'

ucp 0137 06, iv 3 6 deo auw e‘ryq u 7 069 Kazp o6s Ka i 7 69 wiy e

'

pas, iva

7 0x61!” 6 ri'yarmy éuos a ti ‘rofi Ka l i nt 7 611 t p ouoy iav iffy, iv 8 auuerp iBr) 067 1311

6 iva 15 7 017 fiyamyy e'

uou 1170 08 €VKaraa ¢ payw 0fj 629 Kap61'

av

See also Ignat. S ing/m inscr. e’Kt a ia 06017 narp6s Kai 7 017 fiyamj

ye'

vou Iqaou Xpurroii : A cta Theclae I nau‘

ra rd 716-ytu rou Kup c'

ou. . .Kal TfisKa t 7 779 G VGO

'

TGO'

GG H‘ TO'

U qyamyeo

vov GYX'

UKGU’GV CUTOUC, KC “. 7 0

yeyahe'

ia

Tou xpw'rou

1 ' Cleth. P aedag. i 6 2 5 avr iKa ‘

youvBamKoy e’um

'

7 155 Kup i cp (in oupava'

iu e’n-qxno

'

eu <1)q yap'

rus qyavrqy euou Yio'

s you er. 06

(i ‘yamyrcis, £ 7 16 0'

17'

y epou‘

ye‘

ye’uq a o

'

s.

‘

0 67 amr6g is used throughout the apocryphal A scensi on of Isa iah, as“ WWW“ though it were a recognised appellation of the Messiah : and although it

is there due to a Christian hand, it not improbably represents a traditional

We find the combination 6 fiyaq y e’uoc r a i : in Clem. Rom. lix 2

, 3 : and

6 67 am6s nut: in Ep . ad D iogn. 8, and, as a liturgical formula, in .Mart.P olyo. l 4, A cta Theolae 24. In Herm. S im. ix 12 5 we have rou uiou

a1irou rov qyamyyéuov 1571 a 17'rou : comp. S im. v 2 6 7 611 v i6u aurou 7 61!

67 0717 77 611.

A number of references to ri'yamyy e'

uos‘ and a

’

yaqmréc in the Ap ostoli cConsti tuti ons are brought together by Harnack in his note on Ep . Barn.

iii 6. Specially to be observed are v 19 (Lag. p. 152 , l. 14)wire 611/aura ;7 611 ciyamyr6u 7 017 66017, 6u éfieKe

'

vma'

au, whi ch shews that the 67 011-777 69 OfZech. xi i 10 was interpreted of Christ : and v 20 (Lag. p. 153, l. wherethe title of Ps. xliv (xlv)936i; zine

‘

p rai} dyamrrof) is similarly explained(comp. Jerome Commentar ioli in P ss.

, Anecd. Mareds. iii pt. 1,and

Corderius Catena in P ss. ad

Summary. The case then for regarding ‘ the Beloved’as a Messianic title in use

among the Jews in New Testament timesmay be stated thus.I . ‘ The Beloved ’ (6 q

’

yan-

qye’

uos Lxx)is used in the Old Testamentas a title of Israel. It is easy to suppose that, just as the titles ‘

the

Servant ’and ‘ the Elect ’were transferred fromIsrael to the Messiah as

Israel’s representative,so also the title the Beloved would become a title

of the Messiah .

1 In Iren . i 10 1 (Mass .)we read : Kat contain a reference to Eph . i 10

“riyvt’voapxov cl: robs ofipavocs dudkmbw duaxegbakaau

'

io'

aodac To it i s pro

7 08 h amyévou Xpw rofi’In0

’oii 7 017 bable that 6 fiyan‘

ny évos was directlyKvptov 75111311 : b ut, as the next words suggested by Eph . i 6.

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234

Hi story of

the word.

1. Its deri

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

On the meaning of yua'

wip tov in the New Testament.

The history of the word yuo -nip cov is curious and instructive. Startingwith a technical signi fication in pagan religion, the word passes througha neutral phase in which the original metaphor has ceased to be felt

,and

in the end is adopted as a technical termof the Christian religion. Thefact that it ends as it began in signifying a religious rite readily suggeststhat it was borrowed by Christianity directly frompaganism. With certainlimitations thismay be true. That the Chri stian Sacraments of Baptismand the Eucharist were called yuo~n§p 1a is probably due, in part at least,to the fact that the word was in common use for rites to which theseSacraments seemed to present some parallels. But

,if so

,it is certain

that the borrowing process was considerably facilitated by the use of

yvm‘

vfp tou which is found in the New Testament ; and that use, as weshall see

,has no direct connexion with the original technical sense of

the word.

1. We find in the classical Greek writers a group of words—yuc'

ca,

vation and1160

-1779, yuo

-n ipwu—all of which are technical terms : ‘ to initiate ’,

‘one

classi caluse.

Later use.

2 . Usageofthe Greek0. T.

Lxx of

Daniel.

who is initiated’,‘ that into which he is initiated ’. Of the derivation of

yuc’ca nothing certain can be sai d. It has often been stated that the root

is to be found in y6w. But y tia as‘means with the eyes shut’; and though

the word is sometimes used by transference also of shutting the mouth,it is always necessary that the word mouth ’ should be expressly addedin order to give this meaning. We cannot be certai n therefore—thoughin itself it is not improbable—that the first meaning of the word is oneof secrecy. Wemust be content to say that in usage yuorép cou signifiesa religious rite which it i s profanity to reveal.In later Greek the word was used metaphorically of that which may

not be revealed, a secret of any kind l . Thus we have a line of Menander(insert. yuafl

'

yp tdu 0'

ou y r)Karec'

n'

ys 60119 :‘ tell not thy secret to

a friend2 . The word is not used by the Lxx in translating any Hebrew word of

the canonical books of the O ld Testament. But in the Greek of Dan. ii,where the original is Aramaic

,it i s used eight times 2 to render N11, a word

borrowed fromPersian and found in Syriac as 4 114 -1. It is here usedin reference to Neb uchadnezzar’s dreamand its interpretation by Daniel :

1 In Plato Theaet. I56A the word has a passage whi ch has fallen out of

not lost i ts originalmeaning at all, as the LXX by homoeoteleuton, b ut i s preis shewn b y dy énros in the context. served in Theodotion’s version.

2 We may add to these Dan. iv 6

THE MEANING OF MYZTHP ION. 2 3”

the ‘mystery ’ was revealed to Daniel by the God who alone reveals‘mysteries ’. The word ‘ secret’seems fully to represent the meaning.

In the remaining books of the Greek Old Testament we have the 0. T.

following examples of the use of the word1PTOb it xi i 7 yuan ip tou Bamhe

’

cos Kah6u Kp 151[/at, 7 6 66 gpya To?) deoust ernum .»6118650 9 (repeated in c. 1

Judith ii 2 3967 0 y er’0137 6311 7 6 yua

‘

nip tou Ti): Boukfis adro i) (whenNeb uchadnezzar summons his servants and chiefmen).

2 Mace. xiii 2 1 wpoariy‘

yetheu 6e’7 6 yum-

75pm(of Rhodocus, who ‘ disclosed the secrets to the enemy).Wisd. ii 2 2 Kai 013K é

'

v o'

au yum-75pm 6606, 01566 11 10 661! 73717710 011

60 161-777 09 (of those who put the righteous to torture and deaththeirmalice blinded

Wisd. vi 22 66 301W 0 0¢ ia mi 77639 dnayyeha'

i,

Kai 013K 671-01:p uy'

iu yua‘rfip ta .

Wisd. xiv 15 yuo‘

rrip ta Kai reke'rci c (Of heathen mysteries : comp.y 150

'

ras‘ 0t60'

0u in x11

Wisd. xiv 23 i)yap rmuoctduovs 7 67167 69 6 si

cfna yum-6pm(again ofheathenmysteries).Ecclus. iii 18 1rpcie0

'

w dWOKalhin'

ret 7 6 yu0'

1'

7ip 1a 0137 013 [Rmz not inN*ABC}

Ecclus. xxii 22 yuo'

rnp iou cinomhti xlf ecos Kai nhnyfis 60711'

as (of thethings which break friendship).

CEcclus. xxvii 16 o dWOKahun'

rwv yum-

6pm 677 167160 611 m'

o'

rw (andsimilarly with the same verb in on. 17,

In the other Greek translators of the Old Testament we have occa Othersioual exammes of the use of the word. fre

e

s;Job xv s

‘Hast thou heard the secret of God ?’ So A .V . : Heb.9"

"HDJTI.

R.V . Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God mary. Or,‘Dost thou hearken in the council ?’

Lxx i) 0'

15ura '

yy a Kup z'

ov ciKrfiKoa s‘ ; Symm. Theod. yuo'

rq'

p tou.

Ps. xxiv (xxv) I4 Lxx Kparac'

wy a Kup tos 1 1311 (poBouy e'

uwu adv-611.

Theod. Quint. yuo'

fi fp tou.

Prov. xi 13‘a talebearer revealeth secrets’; Lxx cit/6p 613171610009

drroxahum-ct Bounds e

’u 0

'

uve6p 1'

c9. Symm. yuo'

rripcou.Prov. xx 19 (not in Lxx): the same words. Theod. yuo

‘nip tov.Isa. xxiv 16 b is (not in LXX): 7 6 y uan ip t6u y ou e

’

yot b is. A .V .

‘Myleanness !my leanness !’

We see fromthese examples (I)that the word yum-ripwuwas the natural The wordword to use in speaking of any secret, whether of the secret plan of a cam2

3

11

118

823

13;paign or of a secret between a man and his friend. It is but sparingly y e

used of a Divine secret : it may be that the earlier translators of the Oldand found

Testament purposely avoided the word on account of its heathen associawi th tin-o

tions. We seemoreover (2)that its natural counterpart is found in words Kareem” .

1 Of cognate words we may note : yuan s yep 601-12 7 73: 1 017 06017 emu-7 7511179,

y vor 3 Mace. ii i 10‘she i s privy to the mysteries of the

yuo-n s, of Wi sdom, in Wi sd. vi i i 4 knowledge of God

’.

236 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

like (inoxakuwrew and sw amps ,words which are equally applicable to all

senses of yum-15pm».3 Later

3. An important link between the usage of the Greek Old TestamentApocry and the usage of the New Testament is found in the later Jewish Apo

cryphal li terature. Thus, wemay note the followi ng examples fromtheBook of Enoch :

viii 3 (ap ud Syncell.)of Azazel and hi s companions : n th/reg 067 01

fipgaw o duaxakdn‘

r ew rd y um-15pmrat

’

s yumufiu 067 6311.

ix 6 (Gizeh fragm.) 366kw0’5u 7 6 yuo

'

rfip ta 7 017 ai o'

iuos 7 6.

espeue: so in x 7, xvi 3 ter, of the same matters l .4. In the New Testament, apart fromthe Pauline Epistles, the word is

only found in one passage of the Synoptic Gospels (with its parallels)andfour times in the Apocalypse.Mark iv 1 1 6y i

'

u T6 yum‘

rip cou 66607 01. 7 69 Ba a theias 7 017 0601? (Matt. Luke{ zy

'

iu 666mm7 1113110 1 7 6 yum-vipw Tfis Bamkd a s 7 017 6601? [Matt 7 1311 oupauciivJ).

‘ The secret ’ of the kingdomwas revealed to the di sciples,while the

multitudes heard only the parables which contained b ut at the same timcconcealed it.Ap OC. i 20 T6 y uav rip tou 7 6311 6717 6 do répwu

In this place the word yua‘

rrip tov follows immediately after the words6 y e

’hha y iveo fiac ysrd 7 0 17-m. These words and yua'nip tou itself are printed

in small uncials in the text of Westcott and Hort, with a reference toDan. ii 29. Whether a direct allusion to the Book of Daniel was intendedby the writermay be doubted. The sense of yuornip tou in Dan . ii appearsto be quite general ; whereas here we seemto have an instance of the

use of the word in a somewhat special sense,as either the meaning

underlying an external symbol, or even the symbol itself. See below on

Apoc. xvii 5, 7.Apoc. x 7 Kal. 37 .715q T6 MYC

‘

n—‘lPION To? 169 a iqw éhw ev T0"{ C

éay'

ro? Aoy’AoYC TO?C n pocb r

’rrac.

With thi s wemust compare Amos iii 7 (Lxx)£611 y r) waccec'

av

7rp6s 7 069 606710119 067 01? 7 069 wpoqhi‘

ras (l'

llD “53 DN Here W6 find thatyuo

-nip zov, which apparently had been avoided by the Lxx, has now becomethe natural word for the Divine secret ’.Apoc. xvii 5, 7 Ka i i n). 7 6 ye

'

rcun'

ou ati‘rfis 6uoya ye'

ypayy e'

vov, y um‘

vip tou,BA -

y(6 e’

pa'

i 7 6 yua'nipw u 7 179 ‘

yuua tK6s Kai To?) a fou. Thename Babylon is itself a yuo

-n ip tov, that is, a symbol contai ning a secret

meaning. In the second place the yuo-nip tov is rather themeaning of thesymbol

,as in i 20.

Pauline 5. We now come to the Pauli ne Epistles. The earliest example weEPISfleS° meet with is an isolated one. The word is used in describing the opera

LeThe

o

r

f

nys tions of the Antichrist in 2 Thess. ii 7 . The Man of Iniquity is to be

inifiui ty ’ revealed (dwoxakucpdj), v. At present however there is 1-6 Kare

’

xou—eis

eas emee: '

aa’

11'

u qva t aurou eu f tp curou Katpcp To yap y vmp tou r) cuep‘

yevrtu

1 The Greek fragments of the Book Aethi op ic text, see Amri ch Mysteri enof Enoch are reprinted in the last wesen, p . 144, notes : i t occurs severalvolume of Dr Swete

’s manual edi ti on times in connexion with ‘ the Tablets

of the Sep tuagint (ed. 2 , For of Heaven ’.references to theword ‘mystery’in the

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2 38 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

One more example is found in the same epistle (1 Cor. xv of the

change at the Second Coming : i 606 yuan ip tou uy iu hiy a). This maybe compared wi th the use of the word in the latter part of the Bookof Enoch .

‘ Thi s In Rom. xi 2 5 the problemof the unbelief of Israel,which accords

mystery ’. with ancient prophecy and in some strange way is bound up with‘mercy’

to the Gentiles,i s spoken of as a Divine secret : es yep uya s

d66h¢ 01'

,7 6 yumfip tou n oip ooms y e

'

pouc

‘ Themys In Rom. xvi 2 5, 26 we have agai n the characteristically Paul ine use

1913”p ar Of the word : Ka '

rd a t mlf w yum-

np c'

ov xp o'

uow ai

wm'ots a ea t'

yryy éuou,excellence.

66‘

111711,616 7 6 ypacpo

'

iu 7rp0<bq7 iKo7u Kar’677 17 01

761! 7 06 aiwm'ou0601} 629 énaKofiu 629 ndw a 7 6 yuwpw de

’

w o s. Thi s i s thesecret of secrets

,the eternal secret now at last revealed in the Christian

Church.This last passage shews that the use of the word which we find in the

Epistles to the Colossians and the Ephesians is no new one. The Mysteryp ar excellence has a special reference to the Gentiles. In fact it is nothingless than the inclusion of the Gentiles as well as the Jews in a commonhuman hOpe in Christ. So in Col i 26, 2 7 we read : 7 6 yuon ip cou 7 6

6170K6v yy 6'

uou 6176 7 131! ai aiuwu Kai 6776 7 651! ya wnin g— 11171: 66 6

’cpavep05617

7 079 67 5019 0137 06,06: 77961 170 611 6 9669 yuwp io

'

ac 7 1'

7 6 77710177 03 7 179 6651797 06 yuo

‘mp iou 7 0157 0u 611 7 079 601160 111, 6’607 111 Xp107 69 e

’u 1iy

'

iv, 6 61 7129 7 779

665179.‘Christ in you Gentiles —that is the great surprise. None could

have foreseen or imagined it. It was God’s secret. He has disclosedit to us.

In 001. 11 2 the same thought is carried on in the words,eZs 677 1

’

v c

7 017 yu0'

7 17p 1'

ou 7 017 196017,Xp 10

'

7 017, 31: eio iv 776117 “ o i 6770'

aupol 7 579 a ocpiasKai yuaia etos 67ro

'

xpucpoc. Here ‘ the mystery of God ’ is Christ as the

treasury of the hidden wisdomwhich it is granted themto know.

In Col. iv 3 the Apostle bids thempray that he may have OpportunityXahfio a t 7 6 yua

'nip tou 7 017 c o'

ro i},61’6ml 6666yat, iua (pavepa

i

o'

co a1i7 6 (69

66? y e hahfiaat.In the Epistle to the Ephesians the word occurs five times in this same

sense. We need b ut cite the passages here.i. 9, 10 yvcop laas fiy iu 7 6 yumfipwv 7 017 66hg§y a7 os 0137 017

,Ka7 d 61360K1

'

au

0137 06 7rp06'

667 0 611 067 173 629 oc’Kouoy iau 7 08 nkqpa

i

ya‘ros 7 0711 Kcupé

’

w,duaKe

ha taia aa éa t 7 6 776u7 a 611 xpw'

np.iii 3—6 Kara cin-omikmlrw 6

’

yuwp 1'

0'017 yoz 7 6 yu0

'

7 15p10v, Kaflai s n poéypaxjrae’u o

’h iycp, 1rp6s 6 66110006 dua ‘

yw oia koures 1106001 761: 0'

15u60'

1'

v you 61»

yump icp 7 06 xpcm'

ofz, 6 6'

7 6’

p a19 013K 6711p q 7 02; v ic’

i s 7 0711 (iv

Hpain'

wu (69 111711 677 6160669567; 7 079 67 5019 cinoa rcikocs a 137 013 Ka i np odni‘rats 6’u

m'euyan ,eiuat 7 6 aux/1010710116710 Ka i 0'

15u0'

wy a Ka i 0'

uuy 6'

7 oxa 7 779 gnawe

N'

as G’V

’Ir)0

'

017 616 7 017 6 1ia-y‘

y6h i0u.

i i i 9 Kai (pa nic-a t 7 1

'

s 17¢

o iKovoy c'

a 7 017 yuo'mp iou 7 01) 6770K6Kpuyy 6

'

v0u 6776

7 071! aiaiuwu 611 6662; 7 6mix/7 0 K7 1'

0'

au7 1.

vi 19 n appno'

t'

q yucup t'

o'

at 7 6 yuo'

n ip tou 7 017 66ayy 67u'

0u 677 6p 06 7rp 6

056150) 6’u (3 150-6 1.

The Mystery,then

,on which St Paul delights to dwell is the unification

THE MEANING OF MYZTHPION. 239

of humanity in the Christ, the new human hope, a hope for allmen of allcondi tions, a hope not formen only b ut even for the universe .The word nvafi ipwu occurs once more in the Epistle to the Ephesians

,‘ Thi s

and in a sense somewhat different fromany which we have hithertomystery’.considered. In Eph. V 32 we read 7 6 p.uonfpwv 7 067 0 p e

'

ya e’on

'

v, e

’

ya‘)

36 66340 629 c cr7 6p Kai £29 e’xxhqcn

'

av. St Paul has cited the primaevalordinance of Marriage, which closes with the enigmatic words Kat é’crow ac

o i 6150 d ; mipxa This saying is true,he seems to say, of earthlymarriage ; b ut it has a yet higher signification. The ancient ordinance

is not merely a divinely constituted law of human life ; it has a secretmeaning. It is a nwm'pwu, and the p vcmipwv is amighty one.

I declareit in reference to Christ and to the Church. I say no more of it now :b ut I bid you see to it that in common life each one of you is true to itsfirst and plainest meaning, for the sake of the deeper meaning that lieshid in Christ.The sense in which the word here occursmay be illustrated fromlater A symbol,

writers . Justin Martyr, for example, uses it somewhat in the same way 01’ i ts

.

when he speaks for instance (Tryp ho 44)of certain commands of themeamng.

Mosaic law as being given eZs p vmrip tov 7 06 Xp t0'

7 0i3 : or,again

,when he

says of the Paschal lamb Tryp ho 40) 7 6 p vonfip zov O5V 7 05 771101367 01)7 157707 6p 7 08 Xpun oi). The Paschal rite contained a secret

,not to be

revealed till Christ came. Thus 7 6 p va rripwv i s practically a symbol ora type, with stress laid upon the secrecy of itsmeaning until it comes tobe fulfilled.We have still to consider two passages in the Pastoral Epistles. In Themys

1 Tim. iii 9 we read that a deacon is to hold 7 6 p va'

n ip tov 7 179 m'

ov ecos138W?f the

c’v Kafiap ij 0

‘

vvez6150'

ec. It is not required of him, as of the bishop, that he

fal th

should be Bcoaxn xés. Hence no secret lore can hemeant : he is not thedepositary of a secret tradi tion, as the words might have seemed to implyhad they been spoken of the bishop. The phrase in its context can onlyrefer to such elementary and fundamental knowledge as any servant of theChurchmust necessarily have.In the same chapter (6 . 16)we read : Kai (inohoyovp e

'

vws p e’

ya 30 7 21» 7 6‘ Themys

etia eBet'

as p vcrm'pwv : and the words are followed by what appears to “317,

Of

be a quotation froma Christian hymn. The epithet ‘ great ’,which i s here goalmess

applied to ‘ the mystery of godliness ’, is the same as in Eph. v 32 . Itrefers to the importance, not to the obscurity, of themystery (see the noteon that passage). But the use of this epithet is the only point of contactin the expression with the phraseology of St Paul : for the word a icre

’

Beza

belongs to the peculiar vocabulary of these as compared with the otherPauline epistles.In both these instances the word p vcmipcov appears to have a more Amore

general meaning than it has elsewhere in St Paul’s writings. The sumof 891181231

the Chri stian faith seems to be referred to under this term. It is perhapsmeamng.

a natural expansion of what we have seen to be the characteristicallyPauline use of the word, when the special thought of the inclusion of theGentile world in the Purpose of God has ceased to be a novel and en

grossing truth. But whether such an expansion can be thought of as

240 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

directly due to the Apostle himself i s a part of the di fficult problemof

the literary history of these epistles.We have found, then, no connexion between the New Testament use

of the word ‘mystery’and its popular rel igious signification as a sacredrite

,which the initiated are pledged to preserve inviolably secret. Not

until the word has passed into common parlance as‘a secret’of any kind

does it find a place in biblical phraseology. The New Testament writersfind the word in ordinary use in this colourless sense, and they start itupon a new career by appropriating it to the great truths of the Christianreligion

,whi ch could not have become known to men except by Divine

disclosure or revelation. A mystery in this sense is not a thing whichmust be kept secret. On the contrary, it is a secret whi ch God wills tomake known and has charged His Apostles to declare to those who haveears to hear it.

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242

Galen .

St Paul.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

phor Of the ‘Open door’compare 2 Cor. n 12, CO1. iv 3. In Philem. 6, Smog

1; Kowrow'

a 7 179 17 t'

0'

7 6059 (rov 6’V6p

‘

yr’

19 yévqn u , it means ‘ productive of dueresult’

,and in Heb. iv 12

, { 73v ydp 6 ko'

yos 7 06 0605 Kai e’uep

-yr)s

Kai 7 0p ai7 6p09 ti17 6’

p 1760-0» pdxatpav dimop ov, it again seems tomean ‘efi

’ec

tive b ut perhaps the word was chosen with a special reference to (efor e

’uepy6g and e

’vepye

'

iv are used of activi ty as the characteristic s ign of

life1 alive and active’.

2 . The substantive éue’p-ya a is employed by Aristotle in a technicalsense in his famous contrast between ‘ potentially’ and ‘

actually ’

We have it too in the N icomachean Ethi cs in the definition Of7 6 dvdp aimvou 67 00611, Which is declared to,

be 4610039 G’Vép

‘

ye‘

ta Ka7’dp 67 7

’

1v

e’u Big) " i s ? (i 6 15, p. 1098, and in thi s connexion a contrast isdrawn between éve’pya a and

It is interesting to compare with this the definition of the terminphysiology as given by Galen

,de natural. facultt. i 2 , 4, 5. He distin

guishes carefully 6p ‘

yov‘ result’

,évépya a

‘action productive Of é’py ov

’

, and‘force productive of

In the Greek Old Testament the word occurs only in Wisdomand

in 2 and 3 Maccabees. It is used twice Of the Operations of nature,Wisd. vii I7, xiii 4 ; once in the phrase 06x 6

’v6p7 6 1

'

a,‘ not by force

of arms’(xviii and again in the notable description OfWisdomas the60017 7 p0v ciq iOcorov 7 739 7 053 960i} évepyefa s (vii It is used in 2 Macc. iii29, 3 Macc. iv 2 1

,v 12

,28

, Of amiraculous interposition Of Divine power.The instances last quoted suggest that already the way was being

prepared for that limitation of the word to a superhuman activity whichwe noted at the outset as characterising its use in the New Testament.St Paul

,who alone uses the word, has it five times expressly Of the

exercise of Divine power (Eph. i 19, iii 7 ; Phil. iii 2 1 ; COL i 29, iiIn Eph. iv 16 it is used in the phrase xa7

’évépyetav, without an express

reference indeed to God, b ut Of the building Of the Body Of the Christ ;

so that thi s can hardly be regarded as an excepti on.

On the other hand it occurs twice of an evi l acti vity. In the description of the incarnation Of iniquity

,which is to parody the work of Christ

and to claimDivine honours,we have the expression, of} 307 11: 15wapovo l

’a

xar’6’V6

'

p'

yetav 7 06 Sarava. Alread y the Apostle has said, 7 6 ydp yum-15pm)!

1767; e’w pye

’

irat dvop t'

as z and lower down he adds,Of those who are to

be deceived by the signs and wonders Of this false Chri st (amn io n ml7 6

'

paaw a ti7 0'

i 9 6 9669 6’v6py6cau wh iz/779 629 7 6 77 10 7 660 0;

(1737 669 t assel. This‘working Of error ’

,which makes men believe the

1 In Xenophon Memorab . i 4 4 we

have { 63a 6,143d 7 8 Kai évepy d, in

Wi sd . xv 1 1 we read87 c fryvéna

'

ev 7 6V arkdaaw a

contrast wi th the e“ld c

’

iqipova'

. 7 6 mxldrama of sculp tors or painters. Compare also Athan . de incam. 30 62 yap

vexpés y evcp evos oni Oév évepy ei‘

v

driven -a t 7? 11639, et

’7rep 061: 607 W

évep‘

yd‘

w [80. 6Xpw 'rés] , vexpof) 15L6v

607 ; 7 067 0, «167 69 7 069 évep yofiw as xal

{ Gyms 7 739 évep‘

yelas 1mm,In

rea l 7 bai ép w eéaavra 0177 93 tpvxhu évemofiaar

[ca l éaqfivmia'

aw a 117 60110.mum.

The passage which underlies thi s is,of course, Gen. i i 7 arseni c

-ne

'

er 619 7 6

r pccwr ov «167 06 17W £20739, xal é'yévero

6 dwfipww'

os etc 3011t { 60am

ENEN"

EIN AND ITS COGNATES. 243

false pretender (who is‘ the lie’, as Christ is ‘

the is itself a

judgment Of God. We may compare the lying spirit’ sent forth fromGod to deceive Ahab

,1 Kings xxii 2 1— 2 3.

3. The verb éuepye’

iv,after the general analogy Of denomi natives in -60

, 3. The

means primarily ‘ to be at work ’,‘ to work’(intrans ), and is accordingly vefb “ 6P

the opposite of dpye‘

i v. So Aristotle freely employs the word in connexion gm“

ntranspWi th hi s spec1al sense of evep

'

yeta . Polybius,whose use Of the word 18 for tive.

the most part somewhat peculi ar, has this first and most natural meaningin a passage in which he prophesies the filling up Of inland seas : iv 40 4,“6 110607 79 7 6 61)7 139 067 139 7 d£eco9 716pl 7 069 7 677009, Kal. 7 631) a in

'

cov 7 139 6’

yxai

(7 6019 éuepyoévmv Ka7 d 7 6 o-vvexe

’

g. We may compare also Philo,de leg.

alley . iii 28 (Mangey,p . 104)67 av flap ofia a [80. 15xapd] dp aamp la w

But indeed the usage is too common to need illustration.

A further stage Ofmeaning i s used when the verb is followed by an Transiaccusative which defines the result of the activity. Then fromthe in tive.

transitive use Of ‘ to work ’we get a transitive use. There appears to beno example Of this in Aristotle : b ut instances are ci ted fromDiodorus

Siculus and Plutarch, and it i s common in later Greek. In Philo, de

ui t. contemp l. (M. p. the meaning is scarcely different fromthat of7rp67 7 6w : 6 yap c fi ow es

'

0'

7 061'

0t9 6’V O

'

Kd’rcpand this is Often the case in other writers. So far as I am

aware,the accusative always expresses that which is worked ’, and never

‘ that which is made to work ’. That is to say, e’vepyeiv does not seemever

to mean ‘ to render e’vepy éu

’,in the sense Of ‘

to bring into activity ’.Thus

,though Polybius uses again and again such expressions as évepyfiPolybius.

77 0t015p 6v0t 76V 6gb060v (xi 23 and 6’

V6p-y60

'

7 6'

pav dflocfia t'

vova'

t flav

;Laxt'

av (xvi I4 he does not use 6’

v6p7 6'

iv as equivalent to 6’1/6p

'

y6v

wocei adaz. In the one place where this might seemat first sight to behis meaning (xxv n I 12 6

’v6py6

'

iv 6’77 6

'

7 a5av 7 029 6pxovm. O'

vp p axt'

av)thi s interpretation cannot be accepted in view Of the strong meaning(‘assiduous energetic’

,

‘ vigorous which e’vepyés (459) invariably has in

this writer. We must therefore render the words, to effect the alliance ’.

We come now to the Greek Old Testament. In the intransitive sense Greek6’v6p7 6

'

i v is found in Num. vii i 24 in B,as the substitute for a somewhat O'T

troublesome phrase Of the original, which AF attempt to represent byRetmvpye

'

iv h6t7 ovp'

yt'

av e’u 6pyot9. It occurs again in Wisd. xv I I (quoted

already) and xvi 17 61) 7 c§ 176117 0 afievmivn 17601 1 71667011 éwip-yet 7 6 m7p .

The transitive sense is found in Isa. xli 4, 7 a’s émipyqo-e Kat 677 0670 6 7 a i37 a ;

in Prov. xxi 6 6 6’V6p

‘

yc5v a avp fap ara yhaia a y xlr6v66'

i,and m i 12 6

’V6p7 6?

‘

yc’zp 7 ai cit/Opt dyaeci.

In the New Testament éuepy ei v comes,apart fromSt Paul’s epistles, Gosp els:

only in Mark vi 14 (Matt. xiv 2)616 7 067 0 e’vepyofiaw a i Ovvdmw 0137 65, Intramu

where the connexion Of the word withmiraculous powers is to be noted.

me‘

In St Paul we find the intransitive use in three passages. The first St Paulis Gal. ii 8, 6 ydp 6v6py150

'

09 He'

rpcp 629 617 007 076111 7 179 wep t7 0p 779 6111587 170 61! iiirt

e

mnm.

Kai e’

p ol 629 7 6 69W), He that wrought for Peter’

, etc. The connexmn Ofe’vepyei u

with miraculous interpositions, which we have already observed,and which will be further illustrated below,may justify us in interpreting

16— 2

244 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

this passage, in which St Paul is defending his apostolic position,in the

light of 2 Cor. xi i 1 1 f.,06661: y6p 60 7 6

'

p 710'

a 7 6311 617 6p7u'

0v 62

1602 06661: elp w 7 6 7 06 61700-7 6600 K07 6 1p7 60'617 611 611 176077

O'

qp et'

ow [7 6] Kai 7 6'

p00'w Ka i BUVCi O

'

LV. Compare also [Mark]xvi 20 7 06 l6v ov avvepyofiv7 09 ml 7 61: 667 01; 6630 10 17117 09 616 7 65V 61rax0

Kovéoév mv myp ec’cov

,Acts xiv 3, xv 12

, Heb. 11 4. In any case wemustavoid the mistake of the Authorised Version, which renders ‘ He thatwrought effectually in same was mighty in me ’. We cannotattribute to St Paul the construction G

'

VGPYGIV 7 w f in the sense of ei

vep

7 621; é’u 7m,

though i t may have come in at a later period through a

confusion,with 6 6717 6050 60 1, which is a compound verb l . In Eph. ii 2

we have the intrans itive use again in 7 06 771166007 0: 7 06 m'iv 6’vep

'

y06w o9

i n 7 079 02029 7 179 In Phil. ii 13 we have 7 6 66660: 1607. 7 6 6’Vep

where the word is exceptionally used Of human activity, as we havealready noted, and is introduced as a kind Of echo Of the preceding 6

The transitive sense occurs in the passage just cited,Phil. 11 13 6

0666 111 also in Gal. iii 5 6 6’1/6p

-yc5v 6vv6p et9 61} and

in a specially instructive passage, 1 Cor. x11 6—11,6tatp e

'

0'

a 9 e’uepyqndmv

GiO‘ iV,ml 6 067 69 6669, 6 6

’1z6p

‘

yc3v 7 6 776127 0 66 évep'

yq'

p a7 0

66 7 067 0 «Every/61~7 6 61) Ka i 7 6 067 6 711166110 . Here again

the reference is to miraculous powers. In Eph. i 1 1 we have K07 6 7rp6

960 0! 7 06 7 6 Exam/0617 09 K0 7 6 7611 1300661! 7 06 6666110 7 09 067 06,where

we must render ‘who worketh all things ’: for we are not justified in

supposing that it can mean ‘who setteth all things in operation

’: the

thought Of ‘moving the universe ’, expressed in Heb. i 3 by cpép cov 7 6

7 63 firip an 7 739 067 06,must not be introduced here. Simi

larly in Eph. i 19, Ka7 6 éve'

pyetav 7 06 Kp67 0v9 7 139 2070509 067 06 61!évripyqxev £11 7 65 xp ta

‘

rq'

i e’

ya’

p ac 067 6» 16 7 k , we must render ‘according to

the He hath wrought ’. If the original ismore emphaticthan such a rendering may seemto imply, this is due chiefly to St Paul’sgeneral attribution Of e’vepy ei u and e

’uépy eca to Divine operation.

4. We now come to the point Of chief di fficulty, the use andmeaningof 6

’1/6p7 62060 1.

Fromthe meaning Of‘ e’vepyeiu c. accus .

,

‘ to work,effect

,do we

readily get a passive use,

e’vepye

‘

i oreat,

‘to be wrought

,effected

,done ’.

Thus Polybius uses it of a war‘ being waged ’: in i 13 5 he says that,

contemporaneously with certain wars between the Romans and theCarthaginians, n0p6 7 029

"

E667 0 “! 0 0 60116110669 110606116 110 ; e’yqp

-ye

‘

imcomp. Joseph. A ntt. xv 5 3. Again

,in ix 12 3 he uses 7 63V

61: xatpq'

i e’vepyovp e

’vwv as a variant upon his previous phrase 7 6311

66600 Kat 06V 16m 77p07 7 0p 6'

vwv : and in ix 13 9 he lays stress on a,

1 In Athenag. Supp li c. 10 we have is adequately exp lained as dativus

an app arent, b ut perhap s only ap commodi . A more doubtful looki ngp arent, instance Of such a construction instance is Clement. Ham. vi i 1 1 x02

116 57 01 1011 067 6 7 6 évep‘

yoiiv 7 o?s éx 7 067 0 6p ap7 61'ovat véa'

ovs évep‘

ye'

c’

v

¢ wv00m7rpo¢n7 ucc39 67 101, 17 1169110 661107 04 .

pom? eluat (pa/t en 7 06 0606. The dative

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EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

(4) 2 Cor. iv 12 630-7 6 6 66110 7 09 611 75i 61161171677 0 1, 1; 66 { an}611 1511711.

(5) Gal. V 6 6666 61’

6V6py0vp 6m.

(6) Rom. Vi i 5 f. 7 6 7706751107 0 7 03V dp apn cfiv 7 6 616 7 08 11611011 6mp-y6'i7 o611 7 079 116660 111 75116311 629 7 6 160p770<j>0p 770 01 601167 69

:

vvvl. 66

Kamp ‘

yfi6rmev(7) 001. i 29 629 6 160

i

. 16077 103 dymm§6p 6v09 1607 6 7 1311 6’116

'

p7 6 10v 0137 06 7 1511

6v6pyovp e'

q 611 61101611 BUVép GL

(8) Eph. iii 20 1607 6 T1)” 6151101111) 7 611 6’V6pyovp 6

'

vqu 611 1511211.

In approaching the consideration of these passages we aremet by thedictum

,which has received the sanction of L ightfoot

l,that e

’vepy 620 601 is

alwaysmiddle, ‘ never passive in St Paul’. It is difficult to reconcile thisjudgment with the observed fact that h em/£ 0 60 1 is never used by St Paulof persons

,while e

’vepyeiv is always so used. If the words be respectively

passive and acti ve,this distinction is perfectly natural : b ut there seems

no reason why the middle should be specially applicable to things incontrast to personsz. Moreover

,so far as I amaware

,there is no trace

of a middle in any other writer. The aorist where we find i t is alwaysThe one passage of Polybius which appeared to offer an

example to the contrary,ii 6 7 1607 677617501 1607. (1363011 6

’u6py170

'6116v01 7 079

7 219 770p061'

09 0216060 1,is now emended with certainty by the substitution

of 6V6p'

y00 6116v01, which at once restores the proper construction of thedative and gives back a well recognised idi om.

If then we decide that in St Paul as elsewhere 6vepy6'

1

'

0'6a 1 i s passive, we

have to ask whether that sense of the passive of which we have alreadyfound examples, ‘

to be carried out,effected

,done ’

,will give a satisfactory

sense in the passages before us.

The very first of themrefuses this interpretation. The D ivinemessageof the Gospel (6 7 013 6ec i?)6116117 677 01 611 77 10 7 660110 01. St Paul’smeaning here appears to be ‘ is made operative ’, ‘ is made to produce itsappropriate result ’: another writer would probably have given us e

’uepye

’

i,

‘ is operative ’; b ut St Paul prefers the passive, the agent implied beingGod 6 6vepy03v. The Gospel is not allowed to lie idle and unproductive :it is transmuted into action : the Thessalonians share the sufferings whichare everywhere its characteristic accompaniment.Similarly in the 770p ci166710

'

19 ismade effective only by fellowshi p inthe sufferings of the Gospel : and the thought in (4)is closely allied.

In whereas the evil spirit may be said e’vepyei u (Eph. i i the

p v0'

7 17'

p 10v 7 779 61101150 9, the counterpart of the p vo'

nfpw v 7 06 xp 10'

7 0i'

1,i s said

to be set in operation ’.In (5)the sense appears to be : ‘ faith ismade operative through love’,

without which i t fai ls of its action (aim/603. With a like interpretation (6)presents no special difficulty.In (7)and especially when compared with Eph. i 19 1601

-21 n‘

pz e’ve’

p

1 See hi s note on Gal. v 6. 7 014161177 here as pass ive, though unli ke2 Compare Greg. Naz . Or. 31 B (i St Paul he thinks of a human agency :

559 D) 1602 cl 6116117 610, évep'

yn6fio'

e7'

01 Strom. i 4 (p . 318)77 1139 01516 6119601 617 0

57760147 4, 015K 6116117 750 61, 16012 61100 7 13 66167 601,61160 b 7 6111 71107 111 616 7 739

évep‘

yn6fix101 77 015067 0 1. 676777793 Clement of Alexandria took évep

ENEPI’

EIN AND ITS COGNATES. 247

yam/ " fix: évripyqxev mot , we again find the passive appropriately used.

St Paul says 15 éve'

p'

yeta e’vepye

'

ira t, not because he regards Godas 6 e

’vepy é v.

It is to b e observed that in actual meaning e’vepy e

'

iv and guepye'

ioeat

come nearly to the same thing. Only the passive serves to remind us thatthe Operation i s not self-originated . The powers ‘ work’indeed ; but theyaremad e to work ’.The passage in St James’s Epistle (V 16 1m“ ; Zaxéa 86370 19 ducafov James v

e’uepyovp e

’m)is notoriously d ifficult. We must not hasti ly transfer to this 16~

writer a usage which so far as we know is peculiar to St Paul. Yet itis at least possible that here too e

’vepyovp e

’uq means ‘

set in Operation ’byDivine agency.

In later times e’uepy e

'

i v was used in the sense of ‘ to inspire’,whether the Later use

inspiration was Divine or Satanic. But this usage has no d irect bearing fo’E‘ i

t

r'

l

on themeaning of the word in the New Testament. SP1“ 10“

248 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

On the meaning of éwtrv o-te.

1. The word e’fl

'fv ms i s not found in Greek writers before the timeof Alexander the Great. ’

Emywa$crxew,however

,is used occasionally by

almost all writers . Thus in Homer, 0d . xxiv 2 16 when Odysseusproposes to reveal himself to hi s father, he says

adrc‘

xp e’

ycb flarpos‘

fretp rfa oy a t fip er e’

pow ,

a? Re,

pf e’myuaiy Ka i gbpcio v erac d Gakp o

'

i O'

w,

Kev dyvozficn wokbv xpovou dp cb i s‘ e’év'

ra.

If he discern me and read me with his eyes,

Or know me not,so long I amaway.

Again,in 0d. xviii 30 beggar Irus challenges Odysseus to fight

himin the presence of the sui tors :{ Go at W V

,7m ”dz/r es: e

’m'

yvoiwm Ka l 0736

p ap vap e'

vovr 11739 3'

31V 015 vearre’

p cp a’vdp l p dxoco ;

‘ that these may know us,how we fight ’: that they may discern which is

the betterman of the two.

In A esch. Ag. 1596 if. it i s used of Thyestes at the banquetmink, (i 'yvoc

'

q RaBa‘

w

30 6mBopdv c’

z'

Bpw-rov

,ais‘ 6p€l s3 ye

’ua .

Kan-ea"

e’myvobs gpyov or} xara c

'

owov

c‘gpwfev, mu)»

Here,as in 0d . xxiv 2 16 i ii

,it i s used in contrast with swam

,

‘ not recognising ’

,

‘ not d iscerning’.In Soph. Aj . 18 f. we have

Ka i Vfiv éwéyvcos'

63 p’811" (ix/3p) OUO

'

y'fl/Gz

Bdo w xvxhofim"

,Afar/n o axea cbdp cp.

‘And now thou hast discerned aright that I amhunting to and fro on

the trail of a foeman ’ so Jeb b,who says in a note : e

’7re

’

yvcos with p artic.

(xvxkofiw’

)of the act observed , as Xen. Cyr. 8. 1. 33 e’m’

v g 8’am ofiagm

oz’z’re 6p7 tg

’6p evov” .oiz'

re Xa t'

p ov'

ra

Soph. El. 1296 f.8’

37m): wimp (re p r)’myvo§o em¢

¢m8pc§ Wpoo aifrcp.

And look that ourmother read not thy secret in thy radi ant face’ Jeb b,

Iwith a note : detect’: the dative i s instrumental ”.

In Thucydides there are two distinct usages of the word. The firstis the same as that which we have already noticed : e.g. i 132 : 7rapa7rmqo dp evos tram p ?) e

’myucp"

, i.e. that the receiver

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2 50 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

which we have Hebrew originals.D’tlbgs11333 (Prov. ii 5, Hos. iv 1, vi 6, the only places where thision seems to occur). The fourth occurrence of the noun i s again(iv where in the same verse np a i s rendered first by «

ymscn s'

byBesides these passages we have only 2 Macc. ix 1 1

,etc e

’n-{yvmew

0.6e 6q p riafl'

yt,‘ to come to knowledge under the scourge of God’.

Symmachus used the word in Ps. lxxi i (lxxiii)1 1, Is there knowledge in theMost where the Hebrew i s h im, and the Lxx have 7 11650 19.It may b e worth whi le to add that in Wisdomwe have vya

‘

So-w 06 06

twice,but ém’yvcomc does not occur at al l. —In Ecclesiasticus also we have

7 11650 19 Rup t'

au,but i s not found.

Thus we learn from the Greek O. T. nothing more than that theword was coming into use

,and that it was employed in a familiar passage

of Hosea, the first part of which i s cited in the N. T. ;‘ I desiredmercy, and

not sacrifice ; and the knowledge of God more than burnt ofi'

erings’(Hos.

vi

3. In Schweighauser’s index to Polybius e

’mywé e xew appears as

occurring eight times. It regularly means ‘ to di scover’ or ‘di scern ’:

once it i s coupled With p (19s (i i i 32 8, e’m-ywfivat Kai naes

'

iu); three timesit is strengthened by a cquii s. The noun e

’m’yvcomg occurs twice (i ii 7 6,31 In each case the historian is defending the study of general historyas contrasted wi thmore narratives of particular wars. In the latter placehe speaks of ‘

the knowledge of past events ’, n

‘

yu ra’

iv wap eq veémv 3111'

v aw, using in the context two parallel phrases, n)” rcfiv Wp oye

'

yovdrwv

e’wzmfip qv and rfis 7 03V wp oyeyovo

'

r cov tin-Op iny'

a ecos. In iii 7 6 he says thata statesman cannot d ispense with ‘ knowledge’of this kind

,m?»wpoa pq

p e’msu e

’m-yvoie ews. There i s no indication whatever that any strongmeaning,

such as full or advanced knowledge,was attached to the word.

4. We now come to the New Testament. In the Gospels and Actse’myvaicrxew i s found in the sense of ‘ perceiving’

,

‘di scerning’

,

‘recogni sing’,

just as in class ical authors. It is interesting to compare Matt. xi 2 7,e’myw aia xet rev v iov, punk , With the parallel in Luke x. 2 2

,01381529 yw aimcec 1 1's

e’crrw 6 v ids‘ , In Luke i 4, iva e

’myvcfi s' wep i <5” xamxédr): how-w r iyv

do c/xikecau, we have the word used with good effect to ind icate the discernment of a particular point in regard to thi ngs already known.In St Paul’s Epistles we find both the verb and the noun. In Rom. i 32

we have : 071-we; To Scxap a f or? 6606 Which is to be comparedwith v. 2 1

, as . yvém-eg res é eév. The d ifference

,if there b e one, is that

e’myvévreg i s more naturally used of knowledge of a particular point. InI Cor. xiv 37, e

’mywmo xe’

rw a ypddxo up ?» 31 1. xvp c'

ov e’o-r iv Ezra-07V}, and

2 Cor. xii i 5, amixmwaio xe're éavrobg 31 1’Ir; <roi39 Xpw

'

ros e’v uni t} ; it is

again used of discerning or recognising a special quality. It i s used ofthe recognition of persons in 1 Cor. xvi 18

, e’myw aie xe-re 05V rots row érovs,

and in 2 Cor. Vi 9, (59 ci‘yvoozip evot Kai. e’mywwo xdp evoc (comp. the passages

1 In 1 Kings vi i i 4 er tv a g stands in Esther [xvi 6] i t i s a variant of R“

for 11173 in AB,b ut B has 7 7 6303 ,

and for ez’rv yoeuvnv.

THE MEANING OF ETTIFNQCIC. 2 51

cited above,Hom. 0d. xxiv 2 16 ff. Aesch. A g. 1596 i ii). In 001. i 6 f., i5sfip e

’

pa s fixation “ Kai e’néyvmre my xdpw 05 017 e

’v dhqdd d medi c e

’

p dGere there may b e a suggestion of discriminating and recognisingas true : we have ‘

ywaimcew ” i” xdpw in 2 Cor. vi i i 9, Gal. i i 9. So too inI Tim. iv 3, e

’n

'

e'

yvcoxom (ihq'

eetav.

There remain two remarkable passages in which St Paul plays on Plays onywaicrxew and its compounds. 2 Cor. i I3, 013 yup 370mypdcjmp ev 15v

the word.(DOV i) 3 dvaywaicrxere 13 mi. e

’mywaicrxe‘re, amigo) 83 31 1. 3009 re’

hovs‘ e’m

yuaio ea'de

,xaGa

‘

Jc Ka i éné-yucore dm‘

) ne'

p ovs‘

, 31 1. Kav'

xmua e’o-

p e‘

y

mess ep Ka i 15114311. The last part of this is plain enough : ‘

ye haverecognised us, in part at any rate, as being a glory to you, as you are

to us ’. With the former part we may compare i i i 2 ‘

ye are our epistle,

ywwoxop e’mKai the full-sounding word being placed

second. 80 here the sound of the words has no doubt influenced theselection : ‘

ye read and recognise’. But we cannot say that e’mywaie xew

refers to a full knowledge of any kind,especially as it is subsequently

joined with cim‘

) p e'

povs‘

.

In 1 Cor. xiii the Apostle compares wate rs, as a spiritual gift,with 11} 00311

dydn-

q. I‘

vcfims is after all in our present condition but partial ; e’x p e

‘

povs‘ b l

'

I

iiitmn

yep yweie xouev : the partial is transient, and di sappears on the arrival offla k

yww'

the perfect. 80 the child gives way to the man. We now see mirroredimages which suggest the truth of things : we shall then see

‘face to

face ’. The words recall the promise of God that He would speakto Moses ‘mouth to mouth ’ and not a imyp c

'

zrwv (Num. xi i alsoDeut. xxxiv IO

,Mcocrfis

‘

,by 75

'

v Krip tos'azirov 1rp60 co170v Karc

‘

z 1rp60'

co1rov

and Ex. xxxiii 1 1,

‘ The Lord spake unto Moses face to face,as a man

speaketh unto his friend ’. St Paul continues : 5pmywm’a xw e

’x p épovs

‘

,

83 e’myvaio op at xada

‘

i s‘

Ka i évre-yvaicrdnv. The thought of fuller knowledgewhich is here given i s expressed, not by the change fromywaimca) to itscompound

,but by the contrast with p e

‘povs and by the defining clause

introduced by xadaSs l . We see thi s at once if we try to cut the sentenceshort

,and read only : dpfl ‘

ywai

crxms’ic p e

'

povs‘

,175

7 6 86‘

e’m'

yvaicroya z: thi swould b e unmeaning for there is no ground for supposing that it couldmean by itself

,

‘ then shall I fully know ’. It is probable that e

’fltyvaio op a t

is introduced because évreyuaie eqv (of knowledge of a person)is to follow.

At the same time wemay admi t that the full-sounding word is purposelychosen to heighten the effect at the close. That no higher kind of knowledge is implied in the compound word is seen when we compare Gal. IV 9,yvdvr es

' 96017, 11670101; 83 7 11010 65117 69 15176 6608.

The only remaining instance of the verb in the N. T. is in 2 Pet. 11 2 1 In 1 Peter.

xp eirrov yc‘

zp fix: mimi c p r)éneyuwxe’va t rip : 686V 1739 OLKaLOO

'

liWIS‘ i)e

’myvofzawliflOO‘

Tpé'

tll ‘a tThe noun e

’n

'

t'

yvcocn s is freely used by St Paul. It is generally followed ,£7

5333as wemight expect

,by a genitive of the object : thus, asse

s s, Rom. i i i 20

: wi th gemof God or Christ, Eph. i 17, iv 13, 001. i 10 (cf. 2 Pet. 1 2, 3,

8, T

o” i ti ya of the

Gehfip aros‘ adrofi, 001. i 9 ; 7 013 p vampfov rail 6 COL 11 2 ; chuda as‘

,Ob j eCt ;

1 So quite correctly Euthymius Ziga at’m‘

w(se. 1 6V 0e6v)r xéov'

yap‘xab’c

‘

os

benus ad Zoc ‘1'61'

e dé ér cyvafi

cop ac’

Ka i ér ey y cbafinv’Te1r>séov dnkoz.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

1 Tim. 11 4, 2 Tim. 11 2 5, iii 7, Tit. i 1 (cf. Heb . x s aw s. assess,

Phi lem. 6. We do indeed find 7 11130 1; similarly used of God and of Christ

(2 Cor. x 5, Phil. i i i but e’m’yvmms had the advantage of avoiding the

ambigui ty as to whether the following genitive was objective or subjective(asmRom. xi 33, a) 30909 “ .yvaie ewg aces). Accordi ngly as a rule 7 11130 1: isused where knowledgemthe abstract 18 spoken of, but

’Gfli ‘yVQ O

'

u‘ where the

special object of the knowledge 1s to b e expressed .

Rom. i 28, 013K e’

Boxfp aO'

av f or 66611 gxew $11 émyvaio a , i s no exceptionto this rule. In Rom. x 2

, { fihov 66013 3Xov0'w

,cikh

’013 xar

’e’fli ‘v cn v

,the

wordmay perhaps suggest the idea of discernment : as also in Phi l. i 9,‘ that

your love may abound more and more e’v é

’myvaia a 1<a‘

1 vi'

d aZc q'

e a ,

etc 16 Bomp éfew and in 001. i ii 10 f.

,

‘putting on the new man,which is renewed GZS‘ swiv aw Km"

eixdva xr ia'

aw os:

a131'6v,311011 O13K

2111”

Emmi; 1c. where there is no contrast with any imperfect knowledge,but the knowledge referred to may perhaps b e specially the d iscernmentand recognition of the abolition of the old distinctions of race and condition . But perhaps it is unnecessary to search for any particular subtiltyofmeaning in the word.

5. This long investigation has been necessitated by the determinationof commentators to interpret én iv cm as a fuller and more perfect kindof 7 11130 19. Thus Grotius on Eph. i 17 says : e

’

v iv mg proprie estmai orexacti orque cogni ti o a remark which he repeats on 001. i 9. In dealinghowever with e

’

7r1'v a s cip aprtas in Rom. i i i 20 he is more cautious,

and says . idemquod 31111317 19, aut paulo amp lius’. Among themodems Fritzsche (on Rom. i Alford

,Elli cott and Lightfoot take the

same view. Lightfoot comments on the word twice (Phi l. i 9 and 001. iAt the latter place he says : The compound e

’m’v ms is an advance upon7 11180 13, denoting a larger and more thorough knowledge ’. He cites infavour of this view Justin Martyr Tryp h. 3 (p. 2 2 1 30 1 111

17 wap éxova a avréiv 11311 a vdpam'fucov Kc 1 ra w defray 7 11130 1111,6 11

-a ra 1 179 rovrcov

06167 777 09 Kc 1 (Sumac-1511775: emyvcomv ; The context of this passage requires tob e carefully cons idered. In the preced ing sentences Justin has been di scussing the nature of philosophy : it is, he says, the science of the existentand the knowledge of the true ’ (13111 0 1151117 30 7 1 7 05 3117 09 Ka i dhqdofis

Hi s interlocutor objects that 311-101-6111; has di fferentmeaningsit means one kind of thing when applied to generalship

,seamanship or

medicine ; another in regard to things human and divine. And then heasks (in the words already cited):

‘Is there an 311-101 which affords

a knowledge (7 11130 19) of the actual things human and divine,and after

that a knowledge (e’vriyvmms) of the divineness and righteousness of

these same things ?’ Here the di stinction (i f we are to press for one)i s between a knowledge which reveals to us the things themselves

, anda knowledge which discerns certain quali ties of those things.

1 Justin i s here emp loying a current Wendland’s edi tion i i i 88. Comp .

defini tion of 00115111 . See Phi lo de con also 4 Mace. i 16, e oqbfa. rolvvv

gressa (Mangey i 530)d ocpia as é1r1a'

rfi éarly 7 1165019 015l ml dvdpwr'lvwv 7rpa7

111711 Below Ka i dv0pw1rlvwv Ka i 7 61V 7 01511011 min or.

air lwv, and the references given in

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2 54 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

C

e’w t

'

yvcocn s' mi ro i) Kat oZKeiwmc Kat n wp bs a iir c

‘

w ci‘yciwq Kat 35011010)c

1161117 ( tori. 7 081-011 0131: wp c

'

iirov e’w1 ‘

yvc3va 1 1153 { no-01161119 b

'm'

cos‘ (anti:

wapaxehetierat, by ov’bets‘ e

’wuyw ai a xe c 62 117)6 11569 Kat 3

5

(i v 6 v i i): dwoxa

hiw'

‘

e'

we11'

a To p e’

yedos‘

ow'rfipos‘ p 61

"

e’xei vov xat r ip ) Ka wd'rqra 7 139

xdpu'

os‘

11 1196 311. It i s noticeable that e’wi ‘v ms comes in for the first

time in contrast to typ e s The first requirement for the true life ise’mv

‘

uaa It is quite clear therefore that e’wfyucocm here is not a fuller

ormore advanced knowledge.

Eus. H. E . vi 11 6,a passage in a letter of Alexander of Jerusalemto

the Antiochenes, which was brought to themby Clement of Alexandria.

Alexander speaks of Clement as 111/8s évap e’rov Kat b oxip ov, 3p i

’crre xat

mi e’myvaie ee ée. This is rendered by Rufinus u i rumi n omni bus

uirtuti bus p robatissimum, quemnosti s eti amuos et eo amp li as cognos

cetis l . This no doubt gives the general sense well enough. But the

contrast in the Greek is between elfie'

vmand and not,b e it

noted, between 7 111150 e and e’mywaie xew . The meaning appears to b e

‘

ye know himby name, and ye shall now get to know himin person ’: ‘

ye

have heard of h im,and ye shall nowmake his acquaintance ’. There is no

reason for supposing that the Antiochenes had ever seen Clement up tothis time : otherwise we might seek to explain e

’m-yvaie ee ée as

‘

ye shallrecognise himas such as I have described him

So far then as we are to distinguish between W6 0 1: and e’wi-v cn s,

we may say that 7 11130 19 is the wider word and expresses ‘ knowledge’inthe fullest sense : éw iyvcoms is knowledge directed towards a particularobject, perceivi ng, discerning, recogni singzz but it is not knowledge in theabstract : that is 7 11130 11. It follows that the genitive after 7 11630 1: may b eeither subjective or objective : but the genitive after denotes theobject of the knowledge.

1 So Jerome (de ni ri s i ll. 38)11i di d not suggest a fuller or furtheri llustremci p robatum, quem quoque knowledge El yap p i; raérbv éefl.

sci tis ci mine p lenius recognoscetis . wen s Gem? [cal éwl-v o'

w 0606 dM’6

2 Origen’s comment on Eph . i 17 éwwwu’wxwv oiovel drawwpli

’

ec 6 wdkcu.

(Cramer, p . 130)presses the sense of £1620; éwehéhna'

ro, 8001‘ év éwvyvh

i

aa’

‘ recognition’, in accordance with a 7 1110111 1111 06017 wdhmfideaav 1161-61 " 61

favourite View of hi s. It i s worth te bwfp‘wnafiflcovrau xa l éwwrpagtfiaow ai

cording, i f only as shewi ng that to wpbs K6p1ov wi w a. r t). wépara T its

himat any rate the word 611-17 1111101:

THE MEANING or HAHPQMA. 255

On the meaning of wkojpwp a .

The precise meaning of the word wkfipmp a has been amatter ofmuch Thecontroversy among biblical critics. It was discussed at great length by “19017 Of

C. F. A Fritzsche in his commentary on Romans vol. ii pp. 469Frl tZSChe

and to himsub sequent writers are in the main indebted for their illustrations fromGreek literature. Fritzsche’s long note was drawn fromhimby the statement of Storr and writers who followed him

,that whry

’

p copa

always has an acti ve sense in the New Testament. He, on the contrary, nouns instarts with the assertion that substanti ves in -

p.a have a p assive sense.

“

it“ have aHe admits a few cases in which wkvipwp a has an active sense : such as

pass”?sense,

Eurlp . Tread. 823

Aaop ebdv'

n e wa i,

v os‘ gXGLS‘

KuMKa wwhrjpwp a, Kathie-ray harpa

'

av'

and Phi lo de A br. 46 (Mangey, 11 where faith toward God is calledwapnydpqp a Biov, whfipwp a q ov

'

a

'

iv e’hm’bmv. But he insists that in such

cases wkfipmp a means ‘the filling ’or ‘ fulfilling’

,and not ‘ that which fills ’

(comp lendi acti onem,non i d quad comp let). He then proceeds to show

that the fundamental sense of whfipwp a is a p assi ve sense.

But we must note carefully what he means when he thus speaks of ‘ i d quo

a ‘

p assi ve sense ’. In ordinary parlance we understand by the p assivesense of whripwpta,

‘ that which i s filled’ (i d quod comp letamest); but of p6 ur

this Fritzsche has only one plausible example to offer, viz. wkqp eip a-ra,

as used in naval warfare as an equivalent of ‘ ships’(to this we shall returnpresently). He himself

,however, uses the expression ‘

p assive sense’tocover instances in which whfipwp a means that with which a thing is filled

’

(id quo res comp letar s. comp leta est). Thi s extension of phraseologyenables him

,wi th a little straining, to find an underlying p assi ve significa

tion in all instances of the use of wilq'

pmp a, apart fromthose which he hasalready noted as exceptions.Lightfoot

,in his commentary on Colossians (pp. 2 57 discusses Light

the word wkvjp cep a afresh, and deals (1)with its fundamental significa iiitt

igi smtion ; (2)with its use in the New Testament ; (3)with its employmentas a technical term by heretical sects. At the outset he recognisesthe confusion which Fritzsche produced by his unjustifiable use of the

expression ‘

p assi ve sense ’. Thus he says : He apparently cons1ders thathe has surmounted the di fficulties involved in Storr’s view, for he speaksof this last [i d quo res imp letur] as a passive sense, though in fact 1t ls

nothingmore than i d quod imp let expressed in other words’.

2 56 EPISTLE TO' THE EPHESIANS.

Lightfoot, accordi ngly, starting with the same postulate of the p assivesignification of all verbal substantives in -

p.a , undertakes to find a genuinep assi ve sense underlying those instances in which Fritzsche had interpretedwkfipwp a as id quo res imp letur.

‘ Substantives in he says,

‘ formedthe result fromthe perfect passive

,appear always to have a passive sense. They

Of the may denote an abstract notion or a concrete thing ; they may signify the

$3

31? action itself regarded as complete, or the product of the action ; but inverb : any case they give the result of the agency involved in the correspondi ng

verb ’.Lightfoot appears to have correctly diagnosed the formations in 1111,

when he says,

‘they give the result of the agency involved in the correSponding verb

’. It is, however, unfortunate that, in hi s desire to b e loyal

to what he speaks of as a ‘ lexical rule’,he insists that ‘ in all cases

the word i s strictly passive ’. For the maintenance of this positioninvolves again an extension of the term‘ passive ’

,not indeed so violent

as Fri tzsche’s,but yet unfami liar and easily leading to misconceptions.

Thus,to take one instance, wemay allow that Kaihv/La i s in the first place

the result of‘ hindering ’, i e.

‘ hindrance ’. But when the ‘ hindrance ’ i sthought of not merely as an abstract idea

,but as a concrete thing, it has

come to mean ‘ that which hinders ’; that is to say, it has acqui red inusage what we should naturally call an acti ve s ignification. And yet the

theory in question demands that Kaihvp a , the result of the agency of theverb w h i ch

,shall b e strictly p assi ve

’.

Di ffi culty The strai ts to which Lightfoot is put by this theorymay b e illustratedOf this

,fromhis interpretation of the word wképcopa in Mark ii 2 1, the saying

{gsazel

i about the new patch on the old garment. The true text of St Mark atthis point is somewhat rough, but not really obscure : N0 man sewetha piece of new (or undressed) cloth on an old garment ; a? 86 1115, a

’1’

pe1

whvfp coua dw’0131 013

,To Kawov waha toi}. Our old translators rendered

whfipwy a ,‘the piece that filled i t up ’; taking whépwp a in the sense of

‘the supplement ’. It cannot b e denied that this gives an admirablemeaning in this place. Perhaps a stricter writer would have said ciuawhrfpa p a , for a

’vawkqpofiv seems to difier fromwhnpofiv in the same way as

‘ tofill up ’d iffers from‘

to fill ’ it suggests the supply of a deficiency, ratherthan the fill ing of what is qui te empty to start with Apart fromthis

,

which is perhaps somewhat of a refinement, we might render the wordsliterally : ‘

the supplement taketh therefrom,to w i t

,the newfromthe old

But Lightfoot boldly refuses the obvi ous explanation,and

,insisting on hi s

theory, interprets Tswhfipmp a as‘the completeness which results fromthe

patch ’ ‘the completeness takes away fromthe garment, the new com

p leteness of the old garment ’. We must hesitate long before we dissentfromthe interpretations of so great an exposi tor : but we are sorely temptedto ask if there is not a nearer way to the truth than this.

The.

To return : if we are to have a theory to cover all these formationsPM?“ ve in -

p a, i t seems wisest to abandon altogether the traditional rule ‘ that

$211

5; if}.

substantives in q i a have a p assi ve sense’

,and adopt in i ts place the wi der

si sted on .rule ‘ that they give the result of the agency of the corresponding verb

’.

Thi s result may b e thought of as primari ly an abstract idea. But it is

a common phenomenon in language that words denoting abstract i deas have

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2 58

p assive,

andactive.

UsagesometImeswavers.

Forms inalso

vary inmeaning.

The use of

whfipwua,

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

result of ‘ breaking’,

‘ a fragment’. But it is qui te possible that thisresult should b e followed by a substantive in the genitive case

, so as toexpress the same relation as would b e expressed i f the correspondingverb were followed by that substantive in the accus ative case. Thusornamentumdomus would express the same relation as ornare domum:

and Kaihvp a“rfis e

’wtxa p iio ecos, as xmhziew e

’wtxeipqaw . When this is

the case,the word may fairly b e said to have an active sense. In Latin

we have such instances as solamen, leuamen, nutr imen,momen (=mouimen), and many others ; most of themhaving fuller forms, perhaps as arule later, in -mentum.

Wemay conveniently classify the Greek words of thi s formation in -

p.a1'

under three heads(1) Where the verb i s intransitive, and accordingly there i s nothing

transitive about the corresponding substantive : as dy aimcrp a, a’1’v1yp a ,

dhafovevp a ,dhp a, dp dpmp a, Bi drevua, ye’haa p a , Katixqp a.

(2) Where the verb i s transitive, and the substantive corresponds tothe object of the verb, and thus may rightly b e said to have a p assi vesense : as dw ehpa , dydp aa

'

p a , dyvpp a, air-

qua , drove-

p a, dp apa, ye’w qp a.

(3) Where the verb i s transitive, and the substantive is no longer theobject of the verb, but the object can b e expressed as a genitive followingthe substantive : as dykci

'

iop a , dv'

p a, dyp evp a , ddp ow'

pa, a iaipqp a ,M ala ya ,dym,

ci p vyp a, civcicrew '

p a , E'

V85 1'yua , fidvo p a , p ip qp a , axiop a. Why shouldnot these b e called active ?

It is important to notice that in distingui shing between classes (2)and(3)usage is our only guide : there i s nothing whatever in the nature of the

formation which points us in one di rection rather than in another. A s

amatter of factmany words osci llate between the twomeanings .

”

Ayakp a,

for example, may b e the object ‘ honoured ’ (as dydkp ara or that‘which gives honour ’to the object (as dyahp a 861mm): c spa may b e thefood eaten ’or the canker that eats : fiéemua , the cattle that are fed, orthe food that feeds them: but it is seldomthat bothmeanings are thusretained together.If the forms in -

p ar perplex us by their apparent inconsistency, theforms in -e 1 are scarcely less unsteady. They ought properly to remainin the abstract region to whi ch they certainly belong ; but they are veryunwilling inmany cases to b e so limited. They choose to descend into theconcrete, and in doing so they often coincide with the corresponding formsin -

p ar Thus in practice we find that rags and rdyp a can both mean‘ a rank ’; s pas ; and wpayp a ,

‘ a deed ’; 3118611519 and E’v8e1yp a ,

‘ a proof’;e’

paimms‘ and e’

paimp a, ‘ a question ’. The starting-points of the two setsof words are different : the forms in -0 1 denote the action in p rocess ; theforms in -

p.a 1' the action in result. In the first instance always

,in the

second sometimes, the primarymeaning is an abstract one ; and so long asthe abstract meaning is retained the d istinction between the two sets of

words is clear enough. When however the abstract gives way to theconcrete

,the distinction often disappears.

We have said enough on these two formations in general to clearthe way for a consideration of the word wkq

'

p cop a , which has sufferedhitherto fromthe loyalty of its expositors to a grammatical canon against

THE MEANING or TTAHPQMA. 2 59

which it was determined to rebel. We may first examine some of the as a nauexamples ordinari ly cited . We begin with two nautical usages of the 11031191111 ;word.

‘Na imwhqpofiv, or wkqp otcrdm, i s ‘to man a ship ’

,or ‘ to get itmanned ’ and the result of such action in either case is wképmp a, which

has the concrete meaning of ‘ a crew’. That whfipwp a sometimesmeans

the ship’, as being ‘the thing filled ’with men

,i s not a strictly accurate

statement. For in the passages cited (Lucian, Ver. Hi st. ii 37, 38, andPolyb . i 49) the literal meaning is ‘ crews ’; though ‘ to fight with twocrews ’(dwo 8150 wkq udmv pdxea

'dai) i s only another way of saying,‘to

fight with two ships ’. The other nautical use of wkfip e p a for a ship’s‘

lading’or ‘ cargo ’ i s again a perfectly natural use of the word when it

is concrete. To say that in these two instances wh ipwua does notmean‘

that with whi ch the ship is filled’ is to make a statement difficult tomaintain : and it is not easy to see what is gained bymaintaining it.There is a whole class of instances in which the word whtipwua has as a

‘ fulla somewhat stronger sense, viz. that of ‘

the full complement ’. Thus in comp leAristid' 07' Xi v P° 353 (B ind )we have wif e adrdpxets

' 30 60601. whrjp cop a £1169ment

o ixeiov or p arei ip aros wapaaxe'

o da i,i .e. enough to put it at full strength. So

whripwp a 8p ax6s‘ (Eccles . iv 6)means ‘ a handful ’; whripwp a O

‘

v idos‘ ,‘ a

basketful ’1. In these cases the ‘ fulness ’ spoken of is a complement’inthe sense of entirety : it is strictly a fulness in exchange for emptiness’.Another shade ofmeaningmay b e i llustrated by the well-known passage as

‘ thatof Aristotle, in which he is cri ticising Plato’s Rep ub lic (A rist. P oli t. iv Wl tll out

The simlest conceivable formof a cit S tes had said must contain sixp 37? Gem

1 th1ng 15kinds of artisans or labourers—weaver

,husbandman

,shoemaker

,bui lder, incom

smith, herdsman ; and in addition to these, to make up a city, youmust Flete’

have amerchant and a retail dealer. These together —to use Ari stotle’swords formthe p leroma of a city in its simplest stage ’ rafim wail/Ta

y iverac whrjpwna rfis wpaims wdhews‘ . If you have all these elements present,then your extremely simple city i s complete. They are i ts p leroma. Withthemyou can have a ci ty, without themyou cannot. Nothing less thanthese canmake a city, qud city, complete.

Thi s last example is of special interest in view of St Paul’s use of Eph

wkrjpwp a in Eph . i 23, where the Church i s spoken of as that withoutwhich in a certain sense the Christ Himself is incomplete. For thetheological import of the word, however, reference must b e made to theexposi tion, pp. 42 87 100 f. The present note is confined to its

p hilological signification.

1 Comp . Mark vi i i 20 : wbawv c ¢ vp£~ we can b ut say that on no theory of

31011 whnpcbuara Khacud'

rwv ijpare ;‘How the meaning of whnpcbuara could i t

many b asketfuls of fragments took ye ever have been tolerab le to a Greekup ?

’ ‘Basketful s’ i s a harsh p lural ; ear. If St Mark wrote i t so, the

b ut St Mark’s Greek i s certainly not other Evangeli sts were fully justifiedless harsh. As to Mark vi 43,ml fipav in altering i t, even though the laterxhdcuara addexa Kogblvwv whnpcbuara, copyi sts were not.

1 7—2

260 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

On the word a vvapuok oyeiv.

The history of this word i s of sufficient interest to deserve a specialnote ; and its investigation wi ll incidentally throw some fresh light onone of St Paul’s favouritemetaphors .

The materials for our knowledge of the methods of construction of

large public bui ldings in Greece have been greatly increased of late bythe publication of a series of inscriptions. The most important of theseare the contracts for the quarrying and preparing of stones for sacredbuildings at Eleus is in the fourth century n o. (CIA iv 1054 b if), and thecontracts for the construction of an immense temple of Zeus at Leb adeiain Boeotia, a work which was never brought to completion1. The latterare printed in CIG,

GS i 3073, and also with amost instructive commentaryin E. Fabricius de archi tazt. Graeca they appear to belong to thesecond century B.c.The Leb adean inscription opens with a di rection to the contractor to

have the whole of the contract carved on tablets whi ch were to b e set upin the sacred enclosure”. It proceeds to state that, if the contractor b eguilty of fraudulently putting in bad work or of any breachof the regulations, he shall be fined and later on we finda similar penalty attached to negligence on the part of the workmen. The

payment is to b e made by instalments,a portion being reserved until the

work has been finally passed after careful examination by the vaowow i and

the dpxcre'

xrmv : Kat crvw ehe'

a'

a s‘ aka» gpyau, bray damp aa dfi, Kama

Tb e’wLGe

'

xarov nwohercpeév.

We cannot fail to b e reminded of St Paul’s words in 1 Cor. iii 10 i ii : his

d octor a pxu'

e'm'

co v 617 16t 69mm, 517010: Be e'

wo1xodop e1. 3xacrros 38 filtswe

'

rco wc e’womobop ev 661101 101: yap 570101) ovdets dw arac fieivmwapct r im

Ke i p evo v, 59 801 111 fine-0139 Xp ro

'

rés °62 Be

’7 1: e

’woutodop ei e

’wt dep éhw v

xpvmov,cipyvp tov, kidovs

‘

1 11110119, k a, xop rov, xahdp qv, e

'

xcim'

ov To gp y a u

(pavepov y ema erm,7) yap que

'

pa dqhaia ev 31 1 311 v t dwoxahuw‘

reral, Kat

smimou 1'

o ep°

yov owow v 301 111 7 0 mp av1'

o BOKLp G O’GL. 67 1 11109 T?) gpyov

p s i/6 1 o e’womoBop qa ev, 71 10 00 1! hnp df er a v 6 1 1 11109 7 0 epyov Karaxan

'

a erar,

{ wruoflrfo e'r a u

1 Compare Pansan . ix 39 4 7 087 011

d1a 7 6 [167 6903 1?Kat 7 13V wohéuwvTb dhhewdhhnhov dcpeixaaw 131116117 011.

2 Fab ri cius estimates that theremust have b een at least 16 of thesetab lets, and that theymust have contained altogether not less thanletters ; and these dealt only wi th a

small fraction of the whole building.The payment was reckoned at the rateof a stater drachmas) and threeobols for the cutting of a thousandletters. Thi s p reliminary work was

to b e done within ten days fromthe

first advance of money to the con

tractor.

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2 62

The ter

mination

used widely b y falseanalogy.

Varioussenses ofapubs.

Used bySextusEmp iricus,

and in anep i gram.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

with the xavm’v,was uniformly red. With this compare Euri p . H.F. 945

d p a l (poivu u xavo'mKat 7 1511019 ripp oap e

’va. The names given in the ln

scrip tions to the processes of polishing and of testing respectively wererp tp p arohoy eiv and p 17lrv

-ye

‘

i v. These terms are not found in literature :no doubt they were simply masons’words ; and it i s possible that thetermination -7\oy e211)was due to a false analogy with the familiar A160

It i s clear at any rate that the originalmeaning of the terminationhas completely d isappeared in these compounds. An other word of thesame order is atqcpokoy eiv, of working in mosaic : see Tobit xii i 17 a t

whareiat q uhlup Kat dvdpaxi Kat “019 i n Eovdxtp c oho

7 176150 0111 “ If this were shewn to b e an early word,we should incline

to give the termination its full meaning in the first instance,and then to

suppose the whole word transferred fromthe selecting of the pieces of

mosaic to their setting : but it may quite well b e regarded as formedmerely by analogy

,like 1

'

p 1p p a1'

oho'

yei v and pmrohoy eiv.

It i s reasonable to believe that in dpp ohoy eiv we have yet another ofthese formations due to analogy : for the termination cannot in this casehave ever had its proper force. If this b e so, the exact technicalmeaning of épp és ceases to b e of moment for the understanding of the

verb. Probably cipp ég meant first a ‘ fitting’,then the joint or juncture

where one stone was fitted to another,and then, in the sense in which

we have already had it, the side of the stone whi ch i s worked so as to

fit wi th the corresponding side of another stone. In CIA iv 1o54f it

appears to b e the juncture of two drums of a column : for there eachépp és is to have two 81171671111 (dowel-holes)and one bronze w67109 (dowel):so that it seems that the 81171-67111: must b e one in the lower drumand

one in the upper. Compare Ecclus. xxvn 2 as cipp a‘

Su M1910»

wayrja era t wda a ahos.‘

App okoyeiv, then, represents the whole of the elaborate process bywhich stones are fitted together : the preparation of the surfaces

,i h

cluding the cutting, rubbing and testing ; the preparation of the dowelsand dowel-holes, and finally the fixing of the dowels with molten lead.

The word is a rare one ; but the two examples of it which are cited are

both of interest1. Sextus Emp iricus, speaking of the weakness of divination fromthe signs of the Zodiac

,says (M. v To83min -

a w xvp 1ai1'

a 1'

011,

gnam'

ou 1 1311 { whitey 013 avvexe’

s' 301 1 0138

’die-wep fip p oh oynp e

’vo v

1123 wpo s'

curc i} Kat p ed’ mire O

'

vvfiw'

rar, 11178671169 w aft w1w1'o150779 dumwie emc, xxx

-A. The other example is a beautiful epigram of Philip ofThessalonica in the Anthology (Anth. P al. vi i on a monument raisedto a stonemason’s b oy by h is own father’s hands.

Aa1‘ 15wos’Aya61ivop 1 wa18t davdm'

t

xep o tv di fvpa‘

i s ripp otto'

yqa e 1'

a'

chou.aia

'

i we'

rp ov 3116111011, 311 013K e’xo

'

ha ilre a idqpos,(DOV 151-6107 wvx1

'

vo1s' d pvmrey yop evos.A I p 0 a 0

(pew (r'

rrfltq ¢ 61p evcp rem/(pr; p ew ,Kewos 111 e11ry

°

”0117 10 a1

' 61] R'

ds w p cpr) xa p ewe K6 1 011.

1 The word occurs , b ut p erhap s not Comm. in Ap oca l. c. 65 11177 77 51 1)newindependently of St Paul, in Andreas dpuohoy e

’

irau

THE MEANING OF CYNAPMOAOI‘

EIN. 263

In dear remembrance of a son

A father cut and set this stoneNo chisel-mark the marble bears,Its surface yielded to his tears.L ie on himlightly

, stone, and heWill know hi s father’s masonry.

The compound o'vvapp ohoyei v is not found apart fromSt Paul. He The com

uses it both in this passage and in iv 16, where he applies it to the p oundstructure of the body. Such an application was easy

,as cipp ég was also

verb onlyused of the joints of the body (4Mace. x 5, Hebr. iv but the word

mStp aul '

was probably only chosen because it had been previously used in itspr0per sense, and because the Apostle delighted in combining the architectural and physiological metaphors, as when in the context he twicespeaks of ‘ the building of the body’(on. 13, In the parallel passagein Colossians (ii 19) his language is different, as there has been noemployment of themetaphor of building.

264 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

I I

On wwpwa te and wnpwa ce.

In Eph. iv 18 the word mipaxn c has been uniformly interpreted as

blindness ’in the Latin, Syriac and Armenian versions , and, with perhapsbut one exception (Geneva 1557, in the English versions, unti lthe revision of 1881, in which it is rendered

‘hardening’. The word and itscognate verbmopoou deserve a fuller investigation than they have hi thertoreceived. We shall consider 1)their derivation and history, (2)their usein the New Testament, (3)their interpretation in early versions and commentaries, (4)the confusion ofmopoiiv, naip cocn s With wqpofiv,mjpwms, (5)theuse ofmpas and its derivates to denote ‘ blindness’.

1;Deriva I . Il é pos (in MSS frequently 7r6por)or M00: n

'

aipwoc (flopwor)i s a kind

iiizl

ioand

ofmarble, top hus. Theophras tus L ap . 7 thus describes it : 7ropas~6 M609,ry .

gnome “up"

Xp oip ar t Ka i. f f} rt? IIap icp, rr‘

yv 83 Kov¢onrra pox/oww v

7 05 vro'

pov. Aristotle speaks of stalactites as atmipmo i e’v rots mmha c'ozg

Hopos (Meteor . 4, In themedical writersmiipoc is used for (a)a node or b onyin

,

medical formation on the joints, (b)a callus, or ossification which serves as amortarwn ters' to unite the portions of a fractured bone. But it is not used, apparently,

in the wider sense of the Latin callumormllus,for a callosity or hardening

of the flesh : that in Greek is rv'

h ). p oov accordingly signifies (a)topetrify ; as in a quotation fromP isis in Suidas, rc‘zs liquioa s armp ofim-a Kai

o ¢ iyyow a Ndaida rp émp : (b)to cover Wi th a callus ; Diosc. i 112 mi ra ‘

yp a

mopo'

i,to. 86 rd dvmipw'

ramopo'

i in this technical sense mopoiiv and 3711 1110p ofiv and their derivatives are common in themedical writers : otherwisemopofmis exceedingly rare.

There i s a further development ofmeaning to deaden or dull, ofwhich I have only been able to find one independent example outsidebiblical Greek. Athenaeus (xi i 549)cites a passage ofNymphi s of Heraclea,in which mopooodac is used to express the insensibility of the flesh byreason of excessive fat. Dionysius the tyrant of Heraclea 15m)mocha: xa i‘rfis‘ Rae

,

rjpi e'

pav ddq¢ ayfas amen, 61repa apmjo-a s. He would fall into a coma

tose condition, and his physicians could only rouse himby pricking himWith long needles : p e

'

xpc p e‘

v adv rwog timl 7 139 n emapwy e'mys‘ 31: mi) O

'

Te’

a‘

rog

o apxos 06x e’ven

'

o iel. rrju ai'

o dqaw'

( Z 82 1rpos‘

Toy xadapov 7 61701, vj Bel ow;dteheofio a E

'

Huye, Tore Buryet'

pero. Aelian, V. H ix I3, tells the same story,paraphrasing as follows : 13»8

’dpa f ofi'

ro e’mp ehér c

're'p ate 3p c'

iv,301 3 61) 3M; dad

7 739 wrencop cop e'mjc Kai rpoarov f wd cihhorp ia s 0 137 08 a apxog dceipn

'

ev rj Behdwy,6708 e

’xe

‘

ivés ‘

ye é’xa ro new 8m¢ ép cov It is clear that the likeness to a

stone,which Aslian introduces to explain what was probably an unfamili ar

use of mopoi‘

zcreac,refers not in the least to the hardness of the flesh—for

the needlecould pass through i t but to its deadness or insensibi lity.

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266 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Let their eyes b e darkened that theymay not see’. It is here to b e notedthat the one thought which i s common to the two passages used to illustratethe waipwms is the ‘

eyes that see not ’. Thus again the meaning is,

‘ theywere rendered obtuse or intellectually blind ’: and they were blinded’i sa more appropriate translation than ‘ they were hardened ’. In 2 5 the

context throws no light on themeaning. ThemSpmcn s e’x ne

’

paug reproducesthe thought of 7 : part of Israel suffers fromit : ‘ the election ’ i s againreferred to in v. 28.

(4) Eph. iv 18 Bad r r‘

yv 7raip cocrw rag xapdiae adra'

iv.

The Gentiles are described as‘darkened in their understanding (c

’c-xo

mp e’

voz rfj Bmvoiq), being aliens fromthe - life of God because of theignorance that is in themby reason of the mSpwo-w of their heart

’

,071-wag

cimykynxéres: e'

avrods‘ 1rap e’

8coxav r?) da ekyeigz The whole thought ofthe passage is parallel with that of Rom. i 2 1 and there are severalcoincidences of language. The ‘ darkening of the understanding’and the‘fl

'

aip ooms of the heart ’may b e compared with the words e’o xon

’o dq 75

cimiverog av’rcfiu xapBZa. Here the deadness or insensibility of the heart

stands between the darkening of the understand ing and the loss of feelingormoral sense which produces despair or recklessness. Moral blindness,not contumacy

,i s meant. ‘ Hardness ’might perhaps b e allowed as a

rendering, if we could secure that it should not b e misunderstood in thesense of o xhnpoxapdt

'

a,

‘stubbornness ’. Hardening’ is a specially mi s

leading translation : it is not the process, but the result, which i s inquestion— intellectual obtuseness

,not the steeling of the w ill .

(5) Mark 1i i 5 orvvhv'n'

ovp evog 6 77 i rf] wwpda'

ecm9 Kapdiae .anro w.

Before healing theman with the withered hand, our Lord asks, ‘ Is itlawful on the sabbath day to do good

,or to do evil ?’ When the Pharisees

were si lent,‘He looked round on themwith anger, being grieved at the

mépwmg of their heart’. The context is not decisive as between themean

ings moral obtuseness or blindness and wi lful hardness. Nor do thesynoptic parallels help us : Luke (vi 10)simply drops the clause ; Matt.(xi i 10)drops rathermore, and inserts newmattet'.

(6) Mark vi 52 6703 a» 15xapdc'

a adv-(By wmwpcop e’

w).

When our Lord had come to the di sciples walking on the water,

‘ theywere exceedingly amazed in themselves ; for they understood not concerning (or in the matter of)the loaves ; but their heart wasHere the interpretation hardened’seems needlessly severe : the point isthat they could not understand. Luke omits the incident : Matt. (xiv 33)substitutes ‘And they that were in the boat worshi pped himsaying

,Truly

thou art the Son of God ’.(7) Mark viii I7 wewmpwy e

'mv 3x61 ? r ip) Kapdt'av tip d'

w

When the d isciples had forgotten to take bread andmi sunderstood our

Lord’s reference to the leaven, Jesus said,‘Why reason ye because ye have

no bread ? Do ye not yet perceive nor understand ? Have ye your heartHaving eyes see ye not, and having ears hear ye not ? and

do ye not remember . 7’ Here the close connexion with ‘

the unseeingeye

’ favours the interpretation ‘moral blindness ’. Indeed ‘ hardness ’

suggests a wilful obstinacy, which could scarcely b emplace either here or

in vi 52 . Luke has not the incident : Matt. (xvi 9)drops the clause.

Eph . iv 18.

ON TTQ PQ CIC AND lTHPQC IC.

(8) John X11 40 rerfidflwxev adrcSv rots (ictdahp oii s' Ka i { naip coa ev adréiu St John.

r iyv xapdt'

av. John xi i

For this cause they could not believe,because that Esaias sai th again

He hath blinded their eyes, and e’vraip coa ev their heart, that theymay not

see with their eyes and perceive (vorja coow)with their heart’

,etc. This is

a loose citation of Isa. vi 10, according neither with the Lxx nor with the

Hebrew. LXX { flaxdvdq ydp 17'

Kapdc'

a rai) kaoii rodr ov, Ka i. roi s‘ ai rriv 0137 651!

Bap éws‘ fixovo av, Kai rods: d¢ 6ahp ods e

’xcip p vo av, p 75wore i

'

dcoow roi s' dctdahp o'

i g

Ka i roi g eic' iu dxoda cocrw Kai rjj Kandig O'

vvéiow Heb . Make the heartof this people fat ’, etc.

Wemust note the parallelsrer iidbhmxev Zva p i)78mm!

e’n

‘

aipwo ev Zita p i) p atio-wowHmp oov here denotes the obscuration of the intellect as e Shoi

'mdenotesthe obscuration of the sight. If e’fl'

aip coo ev is intended in any way to reproduce the verb ‘

to make fat ’, then ‘ dulness ’ or ‘ deadness ’rather than‘ hardness ’ is the idea which would b e suggested

,and we have a close

parallel with the passage quoted above fromNymphis ap . A tlwnaeum.

The above examination of the contexts in which waip coms‘ i s spoken of Contextsappears to shew that o b tuseness

,or a dulling of the faculty of perception s

u

ggest

equivalent tomoral blindness,always gives an apprOpriate sense. On the 0 use“

ness ’orother hand the context never deci sively favours the meani ng ‘ hardness’,moraland thismeaning seems sometimes quite out of place. b lindness.

3. We pass on to consider the meaning assigned by early translators 3.Versionsand commentators $

1

51$338(1) 2 Cor. 111. 14.

(a)VerLatin,sed ob tusa

’

sunt seiwus eorum. sions.Syriac

4 m m o‘mx dw-fi ‘they were blinded in their

minds ’1 (the same verb renders e’rzicjiawa ev in iv

Armenian 2,

‘but theirminds were blinded (cf. ivSo too Ephr.

,adding ‘

and they were not able to look upon themysterieswhich were in their law ’

.

(2) Rom. xi 7 .

Latin,excaeca ti aunt.

Syriac che s t ‘were blinded ’.

Armenian, ‘were blinded So Ephr.

‘with b lindness they were blindedfor a time etc.

(3) Rom. xi 2 5.Latin

,obtusz

'

o Amb rst. Hi lar.Amb r. Aug.

Syriac (pesh dm’h ax .

‘ blindness of heart’.

Armenian, blindness1 According to another reading Syri ac (see Euthaliana ,

Texts and

(ed. L ee)‘ their mnds were b linded’ Studies, i i i 3 72

.

For the same

tary , written in Syriac, b ut p reserved3 I note the Armenian version b eqto us only 1n Armeni an.

cause i t often afford evidence of Old

268 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

(4) Eph. iv 18.

Latin,caecz

’

tas.

Syriac.gmzal molde d ; ‘ blindness of their heart ’

Armenian,blindness ’(‘ of their

Ephr.,‘blindness (‘ of theirminds

(5) Mark iii 5.Latin

,ccwcz

'

tas a b e f q vg.

cmortua corda c (d)fi'

i r.

Syriac omz al di ed-us : deadness of their heart ’.M

(pesh. d mfl mom ‘ hardness of their heart ’.Armenian, ‘ blindness(6) Mark vi 52 .

Latin, obcaecatumf vg.

obtusuma b c d i r (if contusum).Syriac (sin), i n;

‘ blind’.

g m (used for e’mzxziveq Matt. xiii 15, Acts xxvi ii 2 7)

fattened’, and so‘stupid

Armenian, stupefied as with deep sleep .

(7) Mark vii i 17.Latin

,caecatumf vg.

obtusum-a)a b c d if i.Syriac (sin), am ‘ blinded ’.

( a n‘ hard ’.

Armenian, stupefied’as with amazement.

(8) John xi i 40.

Latin,indurau i t a b e f if q vg.

D rervctkwxev avra wmy Kapdtav omitting the interd excaecauit corumcor vening words.

hebetaui t Vig. Taps.Syriac cam-4 ‘they have darkened ’(=o

-xon

’

fmelsewhere).

(sin cu defective.)Armenian, stup efied

’as w i th amazement.

In the greatmajority of cases the Latin interpretation i s either caeci tasor ob tusio. On the second of these words something needs to b e said.

Obtunderemeans to beat and so to blunt (e.g. the edge of a sword). Theni t is applied metaphorically : ‘

aciemoculorumob tundi t’Plin. ;

‘ob tundit

auditum’Flin. ;‘multa quae acuant mentem,multa quae ob tundant’Cic.

‘ob tundat eneruetque aegritudinem Oic. Obtusus is similarly usedmihi autemnonmodo ad sap ientiamcacci ui demur, sed ad ea ipsa

,quae

aliqua ex parte cerni uideantur, heb etes et ob tusi Cic. ; so often of sight :and also of hearing,

‘ob tusae aures ’: and of the mind

,

‘sensus oculorum

atque auriumheb etes, uigor animi obtusus So again the adverb : crocodili in aqua ob tusius uident

,in termacutissime ’ Solin. Amb rosiaster’s

comment on 2 Cor. i ii 14 well illustrates the force of ob tusi : ‘ quae ob tus ioinfidelitatis causa ob uenit : ideo conuersis ad fidemacui tur aciesmentis, utui deant diuini luminis splendorem’. Ob tusus i s the Opposite of acutus.

There i s no idea of ‘ hardness ’in the word. Obtusz'

o therefore was admir

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270 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

discutere a semetipso caecitatemcordi s, et eleuatis coulis suis Christumuerumlumen aspicere

’, etc.

In Gen. hem. vii 6 (Ru. 11 commenting on Gen. xxi 19,‘ God

opened her eyes ’,he quotes Rom. xi 2 5 and says

,

‘ i sta est ergo caecz'

tas

asp e n-19] in Agar, quae secundumcarnemgeuni t z quae tamdiu in ea

permanet, donec uelamen literae auferatur p er euangeliumdei et uideat

aquamuiuam. nunc enimiacent Iudaei circa ipsumputeum, sed oculicorumclausi sunt aperti ergo sunt oculi nostri

,et d e litera legis

uelamen ab latumest’.

In L evi t. hem. i I (Ru. 11 after quoting 2 Cor. i i i 16,he says

,‘ ipse igitur nobis dominus, ipse sanctus spiri tus dep recandus est, ut omnemnebulamomnemque caliginem, quae peccatorumsordib us concreta uisumnostri cordis ob scurat, auferre d ignetur

’

, etc.

In all these passages it would seemthat not only the translator,but

also Origen himself, interpreted n aipwms in the sense of‘ blindness ’. I can

find but one passage that looks in another direction ; but it does not

disprove our view of his ord inary use of the word.

In Exod . hem. vi 9 (Ru. ii 149 commenting on Ex. xv. 16 chi-oxi da

Gfirwa av, 3a): dv nap e’

kdy 6 had: 0'

ov, he says (quoting Rom. xi 2 5)‘caecitas

enimex p arte contigi t i n Israel secundumcarnem,donec

p leni tudo genti umsub introz'

ret : cumenimplenitudo gentiumsub intra

uerit, tunc etiamomnis Israel, qui per incredulitatis duritiamfactus fueratsieut Iapis, saluab itur

’.

This comment shows that Origen recognised the derivation of mipwmsfrommSp og, a kind of stone

,and that upon occas ion he was prepared to

play upon it ; but it does not prove that he would ordinari ly have taken ittomean hardness’.

Chrysostom. Cramer ca tena i n J o. xi l 40 mix 6 as; e’mipma ev adré

‘

w

rip) Kapdi'

av rods de’ dvarpdfzrovs rvcthwde'

vras zind roi)dcafidhov.

Hem. vl l in 2 Cor. (ed. Ben. x 483 f.) 15 ydp naipmaw yvaip qs‘

e’a r iv

r a I 3 a A w z a r

avaw finrov Ka t av p ovos'

emu Ka t ev ry v a sa s:ov dza v a ea

gKGtTO [80. rd Kcikvp p a] dkhd di d r r’

)v rodra wwaxi irqra Ka i o'

apKzKr’

pf yuaip qv.

Hem. xii i i n Ep hes. (xi 96)dn d rou'rou r; naipwmg, (ind rmirov rj O'

Korop rjm;rfis di avo ias. da r t ydp (b a rds: Mimi/aura :

e’aKor iada i , drav o i dctdahnoi da deve

'

i s'

(do-w : (i a-9611679 dé ‘

yivoura t i)xvp a'

iv e’mppofi nompcfiv fiedp a ros‘ nhnp p zipa.

care) Kai e’vra iida, drau ii n ohhr

’

] dim) ra'iuBiwrtKa'Sv npayp drwu rd dwpart v

31110 1507) rfig dravoias, e’u O

'

Korcda'

a y ivera t. Ka i Kaddn'

ep 31! 58amKard3600119 Kelp evmrdu filmy 013K dv dvmdeiqp ev dpdv, did -mp rwds' 8¢a¢ pdyp aros

a n t ] 3 I t! or a a a h A

rov nohhov avwdev GWtKGLp é llOU vdaros 'ovrco Ka t w row ogbeahp ow 7 779

dtavoias‘ y ivera t naipwms Kapdia s‘ , rovre'

a'

rw a’vaw dnm

'

a,drau p qdeis rw

’

yy xlrvxrjvI I I I I Q l

Karaa eiy (poBos‘ mopmms de ovdap odev yw era t ant 7) mmavaw dvymas

"

rofiro dta¢ pdrra rods 1r6povs‘ drau ydp fiefip a n emryds s is gua a vvdyqrat rdrrov,

ve dv y ivera i rd p e’

kos‘ Kai. civac'

crdrrrov.

Here he is trying to get at the meaning of a word which puzzles him.

He fancies that it is derived frommSpos, and denotes an obstruction of

the pores,producing insensibility. We shall see in a moment that the

word was often writtenmip cocm: indeed in Cramer’s Catena, which quotesan earlier part of Chrysostom’s comment at this place, it is so spelt.

ON nn pnc lc AND TTHPQCIC. 27 1

On the other hand it is to b e noted that in commenting on Heb . i i i 12he says (xl i 63 fin d ydp omhnpdrqros rj time

-r ia y iverav Kai Kadd‘n’ep rd

n ewmpwne’

va ra'

iv awpdrmv Kai O'

t pd O13K ei'

Ka ra i : ra'iz/ iarpcfw xep a i'

v,odra

Ka i. a i xlf vxai a i O'

t pvvdei a a t 013K eiKov re? hd'

yq) ro i)6606.

Among later Greek commentators we find occasional references to Later(T

O

KMPOKQPMG in oonnexion with the passages in which waip cocn s‘ is men commen

tioned : but the i nterpretation ‘ insensibi lity’or ‘moral blindness’is gene tators.

rallymaintained.

4 Instead Of mop oi'

w and mip cocm we have the variants mypofiv and 4. Con

mjpwcn s in the following lass 1 fusion in

Mark i i i 5.

MSS'

viii 17. D (nenij’

pmp evq 82°

C).John xl i 40. R [ I p

ew “ (Did. de tr in. i 19)[11 had at first G’flqposmo é vP.

59 (these three have n e'mjmev).

Rom. xi 7 .

This confusionmay b e taken as corroborative evidence of the fact whichwe have already learned fromthe versions that rraip coaw was very commouly regarded as equivalent to ‘ blindness ameaning at which mipwmralso had arrived froma very d ifferent starting-point3.

5. a ds and n ewnpwp e’

uos signi fy ‘maimed ’ or ‘ defective ’ in some 5° 1177969,

member of the body, eye or ear,hand or foot. Frequently the member 25

013

522?is defined

,asmthe epigram, Anthol. Palat. ix 11 1 7177d 6 pet! ym

’ow, 6 8

’.fi imed »

ap op p aa t.

Butmypds and i ts derivatives, when used absolutely in the later Greek but usedliterature, very frequently denote

‘ blindness ’. This was fully recogni sed $189 fof

by the Old lexicographers (e.g. Suidae myp és 6 flax/7 697 00 1, p ?) but it“ma

1 Forms in r op or 7ropp are alsofound : Mark i i i 5 in P hu rl ”

; vi 52 in

XI‘ al ; vi i i 1 7 in P ; Rom. xi 2 5 in L

a l p auc ; Eph . iv 18 in P 1 7 Cramerw kSo too in Job xvi i 7 (referred to ab ove),whi le ti c-“A have r enfipwvrac, somecursives have n ewdpwura t .

2 In connexion wi th cod. R it shouldb e noted that the Shep herd of Hermashas two allusions to these Gospelp assages, Mand. iv 2 1 , xi i 4 4 ; in the

former of these N reads n ernpw‘

rat for

wei raipwra t, at the latter i t i s not ex

tant. [Of the Latin versions of the

S hep herd the Vulgata or Old Latinhas obturatumest

,the Palatine cacae

ca tamest, in Maud. iv 2 1 ; in Maud .

x i i 4 4 the Vulgata has ob tusumest,

whi le the Palatine i s defective.]I insert at thi s point two curiosities

( I)in Acts v 3 R" reads di c rl émjpwaev

d aaravds rrjv Kapdlav aov ; and there

may b e some connexion b etween thi svariant and themore widesp read one

ér elpaaev, tentaui t : (2)at John xvi 6(7)h im; ner hfip e

—V i}; i rnr Kapdlau)

Ti schendorf notes ‘go 7re1ru

'

1p ev

(Obduravi t, ut xi i I owe to DrSkeat the following information : the

Gothic in b oth p laces has gadaub i da ,

‘ hath deafened’ (Goth. daub-s=Eng.

in Mark i i i 5, vii i 17 (vi 52vacat) the same root i s used :

‘ the

root-sense of “ deaf”

seems to b e

“stopped up —well expressed in Eng.

by dumb or dummy, and in Gk b y

which is radically the sameword as deaf and dumb3 The two words are b rought to

gether in the comment of EuthymiusZigab enus on Eph. iv 18 mr

'

ipwa i s a:Q

Kat duaw dnata Kapdlas n‘mipwa i s rob

di oparmoi) rfis ¢ vx69, 6 r npo’

c‘

émppor’

)

7ra0c3u Kat r hhmwpa fidovcfiv.

2 72 EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS.

'

appears to have somewhat fallen out of sight in recent times. It may b ewell therefore to give some passages by way of establishing this usage.

Plutarch Timol. 37 $817 wp eafidrep or (Bu dwqpfihdvdn1-7)v eira rehe

'

cos'

c’

n‘

rjp aidq p er" dM‘

yov (and, lower down,mjp coo-i s‘ and nempwy évos).Id. Isi s 55 he

'

yovaw dr i ro i)a'

o u Vi v p e’

v gndrafe Vi i” d’e’

fieha’wKare

’mev

d Tvcjxdv rdu o’

dJGahp dv, eira T l?) rjh i'

tp 71'd 719077 611 p e

’v a imrrdp evor

Ka rd nijva p ei'ma'w rfic a ekrjmyc,mjpwaw de

’

rr)»gKkenlrw,

Philo de somnus i 5 013 navrcin'

aaw cit efs Kai mjp ol yeydvap ev, (DOVgxop ev s in (

i

n

Lucian ck dome 28,29

”Hi nes Zara ; n)»mjp coaw of Orion who i s

Justin Martyr Tryp h. 12 a. yap rd Jan m’

ctp axra i , o i 6¢ Gakp oin emjpwura i , Kai n emixvra i ri Kapdi

'

a .

Ibi d. 33 rd dé ai ra 15110311 7re

'

9i)paKra i Kai a i Kapdi'

ai nemjpcovra i [in marg.

codicis nenoipwvra i ].Id. Ap ol. i 2 2 xwhodg Ka i nap ahvrmodg Ka i e

’K yeverfis dy i ei s

'

nmot e'

va i adrdu Kai ve Ods dveyeipa i . Here wemust obviously readmypcriswith the Older editors. Compare Tryp h. 69 rods: e

’K yeverfig Kai Kard T7711

06pmmypozis‘ , where the context requires themeaning ‘ blind’. SO too we

have in the Clementine Homilies xix 2 2 nep i ro i} c’K yeverfis mp0?) Ka i

duafihedmp e’

vov, and in A post. Const. v 7, I7 (Lagarde 137, 1 1) rc§ e’K

yew-m)cmp4): The expression comes ultimately fromJohn ix 1 rvgbkdu e

’x

‘

yeverfir.The ancient homily

,.called the Second Epistle of Clement

,c. 1

,offers

an example of the same confusion between mypo's‘ and wompds. q oi dures'

n“

; di avm’

q is the readi ng of cod. A ,and is supported by the Syri ac rendering

‘ blind ’: but cod. C has 1rou77poi . Lightfoot renders,‘maimed in our

understanding’,and cites Arist. E th. Nic. i 10 roi s w)n empwp e'uow npdg

cipmiv (where, however, wemypwp e'

uos may quite well mean ‘ blinded and

Ptolemaeus ad F lor. (in Ep iphan. Haer. xxxiii 3, p. 2 17) [1 7)pdvov 7 6 r ijs‘

druxijs 5mm(ihkd Kai rd ro ii a aip arog nempmp e'vwv. The context,however

,

in the Homily appears decisive in favour of ‘blinded ’: for the nextsentence proceeds : cip arip coaw 01

3V wep t/( s inew ; Kai rora tirrj s

‘

(ixktios' ‘

yép ovreg

c’v rjj dpda et, dueBAéJ/ap ev Compare Acts of SS. Nereus andAchi lles (Wirth, Leipsic, 1890) c. 2 1 7117d div di d arpocrevxfis Ti}: Acne

rM as‘ dve

’

Bheflrev.

Clem. Alex. P rotrep t. c. 10 124 dp p cira w p e’v O13V 6mjpwa'

w Kai T i): 3mm):rj Kaicpwa

'

ts.

Celsus ap . Orig. c. Gels. iii 77 a ir i da'da i rods 65d Bke'

n'

ovras‘

air wean/i co

p évovs‘

.

Id. i b i d. vi 66 Kohdfea dai r7’

7v (3'

t Ka i Bhdn'

rea dai Kai vop i'

fewmp ofia da t.Euseb . II. E . ix 8 I Ka rd c v d¢ 9akp t3v di acbepdvrwg e

’n

' i nhei a'

rov ywdp evov

(rd ro'

anna)p vp iovs' da ovs‘ dvdpa s

‘ dp a yvvaufi Kai 7raw 'i rmp ods a’n

'

eipycifer o

i b id . ix 10 15mlpdu adrdv cidu'

qa'

w .

Chrys. Hem. vi i n Ep h. (on Eph. i i i 2 : Of St Paul’s conversion)ml 7 6A R flmpma a i rep (been eKew cp rcp arroppqrcp.

Thi s0

Certain words or special usages of words are sometimes found in themeamng early literature of a language, and more particularly in its poetry, and are

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274 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

mrd O'

O‘

U Kai dp eraudqrov Kapdi'

av dqa avp i'

fets‘ a eavrq'

i dp‘

ywjv : compare Actsxix 9 ais de

’ rmss‘ e’mchqp i ivovro Kai rjrrei'

dovvl .

If hardness does not always suggest to an English ear unbendingnessor obstinacy

,its other meaning of unfeelingness or cruelty (for we com

monly regard the heart as the seat of the emotions?)i s equally removedfromthe sense of n aip coms.

‘ hardness’ For these reasons ‘ hardness ’cannot, I think, b e regarded as other thani smis amisleading rendering of r aipmms z and

‘ hardening’ is Open to thel eadmg : further objection that i t lays a quite unnecessary stress on the process,

whereas the result is really in question.‘ b lind ‘ Blindness of heart’ comes nearer to the meaning than ‘ hardness ofDess

’sives heart ’; and

‘ their minds were blinded ’ is far more intelligible in i tsthe sense

, context than ‘ their minds were hardened ’. The objection to it is thatb ut varies it introduces an ali en metaphor. ‘Deadness’

,however, is open to a like

‘

themeta objection ; and ‘ dullness ’is too weak. ‘Numbness’and ‘ b enumbed ’arephor' not for us biblical words

,nor would they quite suit some of the contexts

,

but they might b e useful marginal alternatives. On the whole, therefore,it would seembest to adopt ‘ blindness ’and ‘ bli nded’as being the leastmisleading renderings and in John xii 40 to say,

‘He hath blinded theireyes and darkened their hearts

Ancient The length of this discussion may perhaps b e jus tified by a referenceint? rp re to the unproved statements which are found in Grimm’s Lexi con (ed.

$3251

301: Thayer), such as mopdm (rapes, hard skin, a hardening, induration)b e lightly to cover wi th a thi ck ski n

,to harden by coveri ng w i th a callus

’,

‘7rai

rejected. p'

l-S‘

Kapdi’a s [hardening of heart], of stubbornness, obduracy’. The

note in Sanday and Headlam, Romans, p. 314, is more careful, but yetcontains the explanation that ‘ a covering has grown over the heart ’

,and

throws doubt on the usage of mp6: to which I have called attention(‘ perhaps occasionally used of My object has been to investigate a very rare word, the ancient interpretation of which appears tome to have been too lightly thrown aside.

1 It is interesting to note in our

Li tany the peti tions for deliverance(1)

‘ from all b li ndness of heart ’,(2)

‘ fromhardness of heart, and con

tempt of thy word and commandment ’: the latter i s shewn by the

context to rep resent o'

KAnpoxapdta,whi le the former doubtless corresponds

to n cipwa i s rns Kapdlas.2 Compare Burus’a lines in h i s

‘Ep istle to a Young Friend’

I waive the quantumof the sin ,

The hazard of concealin’:

But och,it hardens a

’wi thin,

And petrifies the feelin’.

EPISTOLARY PHRASES. 275

On some current ep istolary p hrases.

During the last ten years immense accessions have beenmade to our Recentknowledge of the life and language of the Greek-speaking inhabitants of dimmer? "Egypt in the centuries immediately preceding and following the Christian Of Papyn '

era. The publication of the Berlin series of papyri began in 1895 and hasbeen steadi ly continued ever since1. Simultaneously scholars in our own

country and elsewhere have been busy in discovery and transcription. N0 Privatepart of thi s rich material has a greater human interest than the private corresp‘m'

letters which pas sed betweenmaster and servant,parent and child

,friend

dence

and friend, in those far off days. The dry soi l of Egypt has preserved themfromthe fate which everywhere else overtakes correspondence intended toserve but amomentary purpose and wholly destitute of literarymerit. To importantthe historian who desires to give a picture of the life of a people these to. the.

simple documents are of unparalleled interest. To the palaeographer theyhl swmm’

offer specimens of handwriting, often precisely dated and generally assignt

t fi‘

lieoi

able with certainty to a limited period, which bid fair to efl'

ect a revolutiongr

in his study. To the student of the New Testament they Open a new store and the

house of illustrativematerial : they shew himto what an extent the writers b i b licalof

‘the Epistles’stood half-way between the literary and non-literary styles

of their day ; and, together with the mass of similar documents—leases,receipts, wills, petitions, and so forth—which the great papyrus-finds haveplaced at our d isposal

,they forman unexpected andmost welcome source

fromwhich hemay draw illustrations of the biblical vocabulary ".I have called attention in the exposition (pp. 37 f.)to a phrase which The i llus

frequently occurs in St Paul’s letters and which receives illustration from113 11011 Ofthis epistolary correspondence ; and, although the Epistle to the Ephesians

NJ "

0 0 p hrasesfromi ts excepti onally 1mpersonal character offers few p omts of contact fromwith the documents in question, I take this Opportunity to drawtogether p apyrussome interesting phrases which they offer to us

,in the hope that other letters“

workers may b e induced to labour more systematically in a new andfruitful field.

1 Aegyp tt’

sche Urkunden aus den

honi glz‘

chen Museen zu Berlin,Grie

chi sche Urkunden (three volumes):transcrib ed b yWi lcken ,Kreb s, Viereck,etc. These are cited b elow as B .P .

Berli n Papyri). The other collectionsp rincipally drawn upon are : GreekP ap yri chi efly P tolema i c, edited byB . P .Grenfell TheOxyrhynchusP ap yri (two volumes), edi ted by B . P .

18— 2

Grenfell and A . S. Hunt (1898Fag/12mtowns and thei r P ap yri , edi tedby Grenfell, Hunt and D. G. Hogarth

2 Professor G. Adolf Dei ssmann ledthe way in h i s B i belstudi en (1895)andNeue B i belstudi en b ut new

material i s b eing rap idly added to thestores upon which he drew.

276 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

I shall begin by givi ng one or two specimens of letters,more or less

complete ; and I shall then confinemy attention to particular phrases.’A 1ri

'

cov’E 7ri 6 co r " r a

’ '

a) nkeia'

ra a i'

ei v

i

p x‘ Q fla p t x

tkvp“

I a

Hp o p er naw a y edxop a i a'

e vy i awe i v Kai di a navr os‘epwpi e

'

vov evrvxei u

nerd rfis ddehctfis‘ p ov Ka i rfis‘ Gvyarpds‘

am’ “

9 Ka i ro i’

; ddehdmii you. edxap i aréi

r t? Kvp i'

tp Eep cimdi dr i p ov Ki vdvvei ia'

avros'

s i s: ddhaa a au 301 00 6 . 61306009 dreA 7 I I I A a A

ei aqhdov Gi g Mqanvovg, ghafia Bi ar i Kov n apa Ka i a ap og xpva ovs TpGi S‘

,Ka i Kahcos

not s’

a'rw . s

’

pa ra'

i a s 0311,Kri p te

'

p ov n arrjp , yp ci ilzov [.i Ol. e’mar o'h i ov, np a

’

irov ne’v

nep i rds‘ a cornp i'

as‘a ou

,dedrep ou nep i rijs r cSv ddskcfié v p ov, rp i

'

rov iva 0 01:

A

rrpoaKwnia c-i rr’

yv Xe’

p av, dr i pi e e’rra i

'

deva as‘ Kakw s, Kai e’K rourou e

’hrri

'

fw raxd

7rpOKdiJ/a i 7 631! 066511 dehdurcov. dim-ac ai Kam’rawa wohhd Ka i rode ddehcjmds‘ p ov

Kai Eepnvi'

hhav Ka i rods (pihovs' y ou. 37“ d 0 01. rd 696m»you did EtiKr ijp ovos.A A

sa r i de' you dvoi i a Avra wi s Mdrfi p os‘ . e’

ppwa da i 0'

s eiixop ai .

Keurvp i'

a’AdqvoviK17.

There 1s a postscript written sideways to the left :’A <n rc

i

§e-ra i

’a e Eep ijuos

‘

d r017’A'

yadoi3 Tod wv d rai)I‘alOta wi'

ov

This i s a letter to his father froma young soldier who has had a roughpassage

l. It was written in the second century A.D.,

and is exceptionallyfree frommistakes of grammar and spelling. The b oy has had a goodeducation and i s duly grateful to his father. He seems to have taken anew name on entering uponmi litary service.

’Av-rit>mi~ i s an abbreviation

for ’Avraimos*, as ddd is for ddd v. I have read i rpomixlf a i z in place of

Viereck’s the papyrus has 7rp0K00'

a i (probably intended for7rp0Kdmrai). Compare Ga l . i 14 7rp oe

'

K07rrov e’u r ip Iovda i apq

'

i tin e’

p noM ods

ovvqh i Ki aSra g 31» re? ye’ve i [.i ov : Luke 11 52

’Ina oi39 7rp oe

’

K01rrev rfi a octi'

aKai

nki xi'

q.

”E i remlra is the epistolary aorist ; ‘ I amsending’.

3 l l A A AAvra wi os' Mafi i i og EaBi

'

vy r” ddehd)” nAei ara xa i'

p ew .

I'

Ip o 11611 71611e ei’

ixop a i'

(re dy i a i'

vew ,Ka i

’

ya’> ydp adrds dyi a i

'

vw, pm'

av

a ou irow i ip evos'

i rapd role e’vddde 96073 3. e

’Kopua cipiqv 311 e

’ma rdlt i ov napd’Ae vei

'

1/ov roii avmrohei'rov 15116311 Kai e’m‘

yvozis‘

O'

e e’

ppwp e’mv Ma il e

’

Xa'

pqu’

KaiA a A A

"yin di d dgbopm’yv mix d a) O

'

OL yp cixlra i nep i rt] : a corqp i'

as y ou Ka i ra wA -'I R I f I

sp e w. a 0'

1ra0‘

ai Maéip ov nohha Ka i Ko'n'

pqv rov K v p ov. a an'

afera i (re 1)

avpfii dg you Adcti di'

a Kai Mdfinos (re edxona i .

This i s written by the same hand as the preceding4. The soldier b oywrites his new name. He has apparentlymarried and settled down.

I I A r A r

Taa ovxap iw Nether)”

r ip adeh¢ qit

rroldta xai p ei ir.

l I f

IIpd p e’v n arro w GUXOPLG L O

'

a l. vy i a i vei v, Ka i r o rrpoaKw/np a (rov 110m) napaan I I

r ip Kvp i'

cp Eapdmdi . y i'

v'

Ke dr i dedwKa Hrohep a i'

ov Kahapi ea'

i ra aovrak i a'

p araa a 7 2 v s a a r orm9 oiKia s eis‘ rd q qrp i ov. ev ow 77 0070779 yp adrov p Oi n ep i mc mum“

on

A A r 1 I 3 Ar i'

E'

rrpafac. Kai rdu cipc ova rov Eap am'

a wos‘

napaKAos' dedcoKa avrcp. Ka i

A A A A n

ypévlf ov p 01. nep ims drrai

ypaqbns. e i WOLGLS‘ rr’

w dvroyp acbrlv e’

no Kahws ‘fl'

O lGLS‘

1 B . P . 42 3. I have omitted the 2 I have since found thatDei ssmannb rackets b y which the Berlin editors has also suggested thi s reading.

indi cate letters supp lied where the 3 Kreb s b egins the new sentence withpapyrus i s i llegi b le, and I have slightly ,

uy iav and p uts no stop after Oeofs.vari ed the punctuati on.

4 B . P . 632 .

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278

2 . Op eningsentence.

cal form.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

nhe'

i

’

or a xa i'

p ei v with vari ous additions. St Paul has a modification of the

usual Hebrew formula : see the note on Eph. i 1 .

Another introductory formoccasionally occurs, in which the imperativeis used. Thus in B .P . 435 we have : Xa

'

ip s , Odahep i ave'

,7rapd rod cidehcboi:

and in B .P . 82 1 Xa'

ip e, Ktip i é y oumi

rep’

d i O'

Kos'O

'

e’

dandfoyail. Compare

with these Origen’s letter to Gregory, preserved in the P hi local i'

a (c. xiii),Kalp e c

’v Kiip i é y ou a rrovda i drare Kai aidea'

iyai

rare v ie I‘

pnydp i e, n apd

and Ep . B arn. 1 Ku i'

p ers, uioi Ka i Guyare'

pes, i v dvdyar i Kup i'

ou rai)

ci-yamja avros' rip as‘ e’v eiprjvy

2.

2 . Three of the letters which we have given above begin after theaddress with the words rrpd y dv 7rdvrcov edxoyai 0

'

s dy i a i'

vei v. With this wemay compare 3 John 2 dyamyre

'

,n ep i ndvrwv edxoya i O

'

e edodoiia da i Ka i

dymivew,Kadds etiodoi ira i O'

ou rj druxrf. Although no variant is recorded, it isd ifficult at first to resist the suspicion that rrpd ndvrcov was what the writerintended to say3 : but on further examination of the passage it would seemthat wept mivrcov i s required to give the proper balance to the clauseintroduced by Kadc

i

g. We have here at any rate an example of theappropriation of a well-known formula, with a particular modification ofit in a Spiritual d irection.The commonest formula of this kind in the second and third centuries A.D.

runs as follows

d (ye’v)1rdvrwv edxoya i

'

0'

s u'yi a i'

vei v, (Ka i)rd i rpoc i ivnyd 0

'

ou 770665 (Kado

{ Kdarnv rjy e'

pav)rrapd rd) KUp i'

cp Sapc'm'

i di : B .P . 333, 384, 601, 62 5, 7 14, 775,843 ; and, wi th the addi tion of yerd c v a

'

cbv mivrcov after i i‘yi a i'

vei v, 276 ;with the addition of mi

7 029 cruvvaoi s deoi s4, 385, 845. The first clausestands alone in 602 , 815 and, with y erd ra

’

Sv a a3v ndvrwv, in 814.

Other variations are : i rpd i ravrds‘ ei’

ixoya i'

ire dy i a i'

ve i v, in 38; Kai

didmivrco[v] edxoy ai'

a'

a i dyei a i'

ve i v, in 846 : rrpd c v dha v e

’

pp dia da i'

o'

e

a’ixoya i yerd ra

'

Sv a d v rrdvrcov Kai did rravrds ire etiruxe'

i

'

v in 164.A d ifferent formula occurs in 811 (between 98 and 103 A D ), ne

‘

v

vrcivrcov i ivayKai ov di’e’ma

'

rohfis'

0'

s dando ea'dai Ka i rd a’

BdO'

Kavra do iiva i : andin 824 (dated 55/56 A.D. by Zeretelé), 7rpd y e

’

v mivrcov civayKa i'

wv rj‘yna dyqvdid 0

'

s da nda aa da i .

1 Add to these FayfimP ap . 129,Xa

'

i‘

pe, Kupi e r i y i ir’n

'

are : P . 1 12 ,

Xa lpow, Kupla. you Zepqvla r apd.

Heroaelp i os.2 Prob ab ly not independent of thi s

i s the Opening of the ao-called ‘Apostoli c Church Order ’ (the ’

E7ri roy 2’

7

dpwv): Xaiper e, vloi Ka i dwarépes, év

dvbyar i Kvplou’Incofi Xpiaroi).

3 It i s however to b e noted thatin B . P . 885 Schub art restores the

text thus : Oéoxrwflosrqfi (parting xa lpeiv.] IIepi r dvrw[vefixoyal 0

'

s fryi alvei vJThi s i s a p apyrus of cent. 11 fromtheFayum. Now in nos. 884, 886 we

have letters fromTheocti stus to the

same Apollonius (app arently): b ut ineach the instructions b egin immedi ately after the word xalpew . Thi s i sthe case also in B . P . 48 wri tten toApollonius b y Cylindra s and addressedon th e verso Geomia'

rov :

comp . letters written to him byChaeremon B . P . 248, 249, 531 . It i sp rob ab le therefore that Schub art i s notjustified in offering the supp lementefixop al 0

'

s frycatvew .

4 In B . P . 82 7we have 7 6wpoaxévnud0

'

ou 7rapd A2 7 43 Kaalcp : comp . 38

7rapé. 1rda'

t 7 029 0602‘

s.

5 Perhap sma r avrés was intended .

EPISTOLARY PHRASES. 279

It is curious to find the phrase 1rp o‘

y év mi vrwv at the end of a letterl ,as we do in 0x. P . 294 : 7rpd y éu mi l/raw a eavrof) e

’my e’kou elv

’flycaz'

vng.

e’rrwmmrofiz Anyqrpouv Kai Acop c

'

a wa rdu 7rare'pa . 3ppwa o. This letter isdated 2 2 A. D. Simi larly ia P . 292 (A .D. 2 5)quoted above, 7rpd ee

mix/rear frycac'

vew (re eiixoyaz cifiaa'

Kdvrws rd d'

pw ra 7rpcirrcov. E'

ppwo-o.

As we go back to an earlier period we find a difference in formula. An earlierThus Grenfell gives us a letter of the second century fromthe Thebaid typ ewhich Opens thus : [62] 3ppcoo

'

a t e’

ppaiyeda dé Ka i auroi. Kal Kal’Aqbpodun

'

aml.15Guyci

‘mp Ka i. 75wac O'

Kr)Ka i. r; dvycirnp aurfis‘ (Greek P ap yri A papyrusof the Ptolemaic period published by Mahafi

'

y has, xcip ts‘ ro'

i s' Gea’

i s 7mm)sluytac

'

vezr frycac'

vet Be‘

Ka i Am ds' : and another, Kaha'

ic florets ci zi‘yca t'

vets'

uyzac'

va) Ka i aurés‘ . I assume that another which he cites as deciphered byMr Sayce is of the same date : here we read, Kaka

'

Ss wozei s eZzppcoo ac Kal rd

Rom-d omKard yvaiyqv e’a rr

’w e

’

ppaiy eda 86‘

Kai riy e'

i s‘ (F linders P etr i eP ap yri ,

CunninghamMemoirs of Roy. Irish Acad. viii pp. 78 So in a lettercited by Deissmann (B i belstudi en pp. 209, 2 10)fromL and . P ap . 42, datedJuly 24, 172 B .C. : el e

’

ppwy e’vq) rdhha Kard Miyou fina l/rd, ei

'

qv dv air ro'

i s' 6601

'

s

a ixoy ém) dtareha'

i . Kai min)8’dyiawov Kal rd wacdc

'

ov Kat of. 311 07a mix/res,O

'

oi) dw wavrds yvefav nocouy evoc.

3.Thi s last formula, y va’av woceio dac, is of special interest, inasmuch as 3

‘Mfl king

it occurs several times in St Paul’s epistles. I have already cited anmentmn"

example of its use in a letter of the second century A.D., written by an

educated hand (B . P . The passages in St Paul are as follows

9a?) fi dvrore wept mi l/ra w uya'

iv yuec’av 1 Thess.

A A a, 1 2 .

riy cfw1770 08Xpw'

rouzyflpoadeu roii 9606 Kai. war-

pd: fiy a w, eZdor es'

,

Lightfoot in commenting on thi s passage3 (Notes on Ep i stles of St

P aul, pp. 9 f.)decides to punctuate afterWestcott and Hort

punctuatebefor

eit

.

Another uncertai nty 18 the constructlon of syn-

poo dev

roz‘

)secswhich Lightfoot joins with the words immediately preceding

and notwi thyvqy oveuovreg.

It would seemthat St Paul first used a phrasewhich was fami liar in epistolary correspondence, and that then out

of

yua’av wowéy evoz, in its ordinary se

nse of makingmention’in prayer, grewthe fuller clause r017 660i}, whether th emeans‘remembering your work,’etc., or

‘ remembering before God your work,’etc.,

in the sense ofmaking it the subject of d irectintercession or thanksglvmg.

Rom. i 9 f. Mc'

zp-rvg

‘

ycip y o i e’arw (i ddtahefmms‘ yvec

’av

'

ziy a'

iv Rom. i 9 f.

frowfiyac 7rdvror e e’rri r c'iv wpoa euxéiv y ou deéy evos ei

’mos 531)nore‘

euodwdna oyat

e’v rd} dehfiy ar t roi}06017 610621! 7rpds ziy c

'

i s‘ .

Here again the punctuation i s uncertain. Lightfoot places thestop

afterwocoi

‘

zya t,Westcott and Hort after y ou. Wemay note the additi on o

f

spay after yveiav (comp. yvet'

av am; in Philem. it is added in the i nferi or

texts of 1 Thess. i 2 and Eph. i 16.

3 To the few illustrations of elia

mu collected by Lightfootmay nowb e addedmany others fromthe papyri :e.g. B .P . 423 (ci ted above).

1 Comp .James v 12 7rpd r dvrwv

ddeh¢ oi y ou, y 7‘

7 dymi

ere.

2 Comp . Ox. P . 293 (a n. em.

O'

Ko'

rrofi as 15d KaZ r dvra s rob s év ol’

c .

280 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Phi lem.4f. Philem. 4f. Eti

xapw ra'

i rq'

i 9643 y oumivror e y 1:6 t'

au 0 ou wowuy evog ra'

iv

0 po0 6vxc3v you, dKoucou 0 ou 17 Kow com'a rfis mf0r6c69 0 ou

évepyfis ye’

vqrar,

A s Lightfoot points out, the mention’ here 1nvolves the idea of

intercession on behalf of Phi lemon, and so introduces the 30 0 9 KJ'JL

’

Eph . i 16. Eph. i 16 013 wauoy a t a ixapw rciiv ufl'

e’

p ziy éiu y veiav 7rozouy 6vos~

rciiv

0 po0 6uxa'

iv y ou, 7110 (i 6669Phfl 1 3~ In Phil. i 3 the same phrase i s in the Apostle’s mind, but he varies hi s

expression : Euxapw ra'

i rd"

) 966 you 601 f f}yuet'

a uyo'

ivmirrore 6’u 0 601)

86170 61. you uvrep.

wdvrwu vy o w y erd xapas‘ rnv 36770 0: 1roto15y 6vos K.r .h.

2 Tim i 3 In 2 Tim. 1 3 the variation of phraseology 1s very noteworthy : Xdp6X0) rq

’

i Geq'

i,(5 harpeuco (in-d 77007 6 q 61; Kadapg

'

i 0vv618750 6c, air cidcahez'm'

cos

6x00 rdu wep l 0 013 y vet'

av e’u ra '

i s‘ 86750 60 131 y ou, v rdg Kal. fiy e’

pas 6’0mot903u 0 6

y 6ywyy 6'

vos'

0 ou ra'

iv daKpua w, K.r .h. The word y vez'

ameets us but oncemore in the New Testament l z I Thess. iii 6 3m6X6r6 yvec

'

au fiy o’

iv

mix/rare 6’m1rodoi3vr69 riyds 286211, Kafié‘n

'

ep Kai fiy 6'

i s‘ uy ds‘

.

As no clear examme appears to have been cited hitherto for the use ofy vet

’au wozeio daz in reference to prayer, itmay b e interesting to quote the

account of the prayer of Tantalus preserved in Athenaeus vi i 14 (p . 281 b):C

O 7 0131) rr)u rciiv’Arp 6¢8(3v 0 01150“ Kcidodov rig t éy a /ov aurdv he

'

ya vi'

d rods960i}? Kal 0vv8carp c

'

Bom-a éfioumfas rvxe'

i v wapd rou And: a i fi i0 a09al. drou6’7rc9uy 6

'

i°rdu 7rpds

‘

rd: dflohau0 6w 6711150 e BtaKet'

y 6vov, un'

e‘

p a tircfw re

rourwv y vec'

av 7rou§0 a0 t9a t Ka i roi) ( 771: rdu aurdv rp ci'n

'

ov mi : 96029 :

o is‘

dyavaK117'

0avra rdu A c’a rdu y e

‘

v euxfiv ci rror ehe'

0 a1. Bcd rdu

II . Closing II . We pass now fromthe Openi ng of the letter to its close.

1. Themost striking parallel with the Pauline epistles is found in theexchange of salutations. There are three formulae : (1) ‘ I greetA

3

; (2)ci0 1rd0 at,‘ I ask you to greet A. onmy behalf’; (3)h arem,

‘B.

sends a greeting to A throughmeOf the first we have but a single example in the New Testament

,and

this does not proceed fromthe author of the epistle, but fromhis

amanuensis. In Rom. xvi 2 1 in the midst of a series of salutations, of

-OVTa t), we read :’A07rd{ oya¢ uyas dya

d

Te'

prcos‘ 6 ypdxlf as

‘

r1‘

7v 6m0rokr’

1u 61:

Kup t'

q).

After the Epistle to the Romans the richest in salutations is the Epistleto the Colossians : Col. iv. l o th uy ii s

'’Ap ¢

'

0rapxo9 6 w umxydl wrdsyou, Ka i Md os

‘ 6 (i i/du ds: Bapucifia, (0 6p l 05 6’hcifier6 610 0d 6311! 61 637 Wpds

uyfis 8650096 aur tiv)Ka i’Iq0 o

'

us 6h6-y6y 6vos uyds‘’E1ra<j>p ds

5 uyfis Acud (i Zarpds‘ 5 dyamgrds' Ka i Aqyfi s :

(10 7160 00 96

rous e’u Aaodtm'a ddehcpoug Kai. Nuy cbav Ka i rr)v Kar

’ofxov aurfir

Many parallels to this listmight b e offered fromthe papyri, but sufficienthave been already given in the letters above cited.

1 Mvfiy '

q i s found only in 2 Pet. i 15 variant rat‘s y vela ts for rai : xpeiacs in

01rov6c'

w'

w 66 ml éKciO'

rore exew 15d Rom. x11 13, see Sanday and Headlamy erd rfiv éyfiv 65060? rv

‘

p' rourwv yvfiymr Romans, ad loo.r ocewb’ou. For the curious Western

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EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

(the same phrase i s repeated at the end of the letter). It occurs also inB . P . 348, 596 829 830, 844 b i s (a n. 848. The

construction with the participle is by far themost common.In a similar sense 68 woujo ew is used : B . P . 248, 597 P .

113, 294 (a n. but this i s less common .

We have an example of this formula in 3 John 6, ode Kal e: 0 01750 6197rp00 6

'

y \lras dficos rob 6606. The past tense occurs to express gratitude inPhil. iv 14, 71't Kahdi s 60 0050 01 6 0 uVKowawr§0 avr69 y ou rji HMxpet : comp. ActsX 33 0 15r6 Kahc

'

i s' 60 0670“ wapayevdyevos.

2 . A similar formula i s wapaxako‘

i 0 6 , of which itmay sufii ce to quotetwo examples inwhich 816precedes : B . P . 164 8rdwapaxako

‘

i 0131! ohm-re z

P . 292 (C. A .D. 2 5)dtd wap aKaha'

i 0 6 y 6rd 0 60 179 dumiy ems' 6X6“) adrdu

0uv60ray 6'

vov. In B . P . 814 we have similarly 051-09 e’

pmra‘

i 0 6 adv,

y rirqp , 0 6min : wpds' 6y6' and in P . 294 (A D. 2 2)sp an de’

0 6 K0).

In 2 Cor. 11 8 we have : dtd 7rapaKa7tc3 ziw Kup <30 at 62: d u’rdy dycirmv

comp. Acts xxvii 34 asnap axaAcBdyas y erakafieiv rp octfis. A glance at theconcordance will shew how common is the phrase wapaKaha

'

i 031! spas inthe epistles of the New Testament. ’

Epcor&v is also used, though less froquently, in similar cases : e.g. 2 John 5 Kat vii i: 6

’

p a rdi 0 6, Kup t'

a. Both verbsoccur in Phil. iv 2 f. Edodt'av napaKahcb Kai Euvruxqv nap aKat rd adrd

(ppovefu Kup t'

q). val 6’

parra'

5 mi ymiaw 0uvfu‘

y6, 0uvhad vou adra'

is‘,As in the papyri

,we find sometimes the interjectional use of the

phrase,and sometimes the construction with the infinitive.

3. Just as Kaho'

i s and napaKahc'

S 0 6 are circumlocutions whichsoften the introduction of an order or help to urge a requestl , so the wayis prepared for a piece of news by the prefixes ‘

ywaia Kew 0 6 667k.» or

yz'morxe. The former i s by far themore frequent. Its regular use is to opena letter, after the introductory greeting : B . P . 261 I‘ 6waSO K6w 0 6 967m)

,6’

ycd

Kai Ozi

ahep t'

a,

6’du

r

Hp oi s r6'

Ky, euxdy eda 61 9621; wp ds 0 6 (here it standsoutside the construction): 385 1

‘6wai0 K6w 0 6 667m) 31 1. ydw; Zy

‘

t 602

Fl t/050 K“! 0 6 967m) 37 1. emfihude wpdg 6’

y 6’Eouxds, he

'

yc w dr t’Ay6p a0dv y ou rd

y e’

p os‘

roi) 61 6651109 : 815 I‘6tv60 Ktv 0 6 (96700

,rdu 61n 0rokriv 0 ou ghafia (again

outside the construction). In 822 it is curiously disconnected : I‘waimcw967m), y r)y 67\170drco 0 01. 77 6p

’t rdiv 0 tr t 3v °

65pm! yeopydu, For furtherexamples see B . P . 815, 816, 824, 827, 843, 844, 845, 846.

On the other hand, y ivwo xe generally occurs in the body of the letter,

though sometimes it comes at the beginning, as in B . P . 625 I‘

a'

vcomce,

cidehcbé, 6Khnpa$971v 629 rd Boumilua : and in Oz . P . 295 (A.D. 35)I‘

t'

vw0K6 drt

2 67“:v A dd»; (586 wécbeuye. We find it in the Ptolemai c peri od in the twopapyri published by Mahafi'

y (CunninghamMemoirs vi i i pp. 78,

y iuw0K6 de’Kai. dr t and (with a participle) y t

'

vm0 K6 de’ y e 6Xovra

For further examples see B . P . 164, 814 b is, 845, Fay. P . 1 17 bis

(A D.

To the former phrase we have a parallel in Phi l. i 12 , which practicallybegins the letter, though a long thanksgiving precedes it : l‘waicncew 86

‘

sp as

1 In Modern Greek r apamxe corresponds to our word ‘

p lease’.

EPISTOLARY PHRASES. 283

Bou'

hoyat, dBeMpoZ, an rd Kar’6’

y é K.r .h. Wemay also compare Rom.i 13

mi 667W) de’ dy ii s‘ (i ddupoc'

,dr t 71

'o t 7rp0606yqu 6’M96

'

iu 7rpds° dyds ,

this expression is a favourite with St Paul, and it opens, after a

doxology,"

hi s second letter to the Corinthians (i comp.also 661 0) 86

‘

(ydp)uyds‘ 65861102 in I Cor. xi 3, Col. ii 1.The latter phrase i s well represented in Heb . xii i 23 Pwoia xere raw

cideMfidv riya'

iu T tydeeov dwohfi uy e’vov. Other examples might b e given,

but they are of a didactic character and not statements of ordinary

4. Satisfaction finds expression in the terms 6’

xcipnv and May e’

xcipqv : 4, Ex.

as in B . P . 332 6Xdpqu Koy t0 ay 6'm; ‘

ypa'

yyara dr t Kal eb : 8260 056177 6 632 (given 1319?sabove)Ka i 671230 0159 0 6 6

’

ppmy 6'

v17v Maxi 6xdpqv. We may also compare azatl sfac

fragment of a letter (2nd cent. quoted by Deissmann (B i belstud i enmn'

p. L and . P . 43 mvdavoyémyavflciva v 0 6 A2y157rr ta yp ciyyara ow exdpqv

0 02 Kal 6’

y aurf] dr tIn Phil. iv 10 we read : i

Exdpnv de’61! Kup t

'

cp y e‘

ydhms' grt 77817 7ror6

dveddhe-re rd tin-Ep 6’

yo1'

3 ¢ p ov62u And we have the strengthened phrase in2 John 4

’Excipqv May dr t edq a 6

’K rcfwr6

'

Kva w0ou 7r6p t7rarouvrwu 61»(22019629,and in 3 John 3

’Excip17u ydp Mar 6pxoy 6

'

va w ddehcpé v Kai yaprupouvrcou 0 ou

777 dhqdetq.

5. Another formof expressing satisfaction is the use of the phrase 5. Ex

xcip ts ro'

i s' 66029 or the like. Thus in B .P . 843 we have, P tvai0 K6w 0 6 667W.) 1119881118

drt xdp ts 7 029 06079 i yqv 62s Fay. P . 124 ciMd roi s 0601's 6’0r iv

xdp tg drt odd6y t'

a 6’0r iv npdhqydrts‘ fiy e

’

i v y67 6v17y 6'

w). A letter of the

Ptolemaic period (CunninghamMem. vi i i p. 78)begins : xdp tr rots: 9602971

'

o 62uyta t'

vew . In P . 1 13 we have : Xcipw 6xco 06029 7130 0! 7 21/050 v

dr t K.r .k .

Xé

p ts rcp"

6643 is frequent in St Paul’s letters : xc

i

pw é’

xm7 43 6643 is foundonly in 2 Tim. i 3 ; comp. 1 Tim. i 12 Xcipw 6350 f t?) 6rdvuay ai0aur i y 6 Xp’Ir;0 o ii.

ness.

IV . In conclus ion, a few phrases may be noted, which, though not IY. Va

specially connected with the epistolary style of writing, are of interest as 11 0“ N-T~hr i l

illustrating the language of the New Testament. imiiiid.

1. Td Kar’6’

y6. P . 120 (4th century) d’

xp ts dv 0 03: rd Kar’1. Té. xar

’

a lyal cin-or t

'

da tra t, et inf ra rd Kara 06 dtoc’KrI0 ov 059 7rp 6

'

7rou 6’0rc

'

u, y r) re

'

heov 5116’

dvarpan'

a'

iyw : W en-f: P . (Ptolemaic) 15 rd Kafl'

fiydg dtegdyayeiv].

Comp. A cts xxiv 2 2 dta-yvco'

00ya t rd Kad’dyds

‘

, Eph. vi 1 1 2m86

Kai dy ei s rd Kar’e’

y e'

,Phi l. i 12 rd Kar

’6’

y6’

ydhhov 629 7rp0Ko7rr’

w roii 6da-yy6ht'

ou

ab ihudev, Col. iv 7 rd Kar’6’

y6mix/ra yywp20 6t tiy i'

v TuXtKos‘

.

2 .

”Hdv) 7ror 6

'

. B . P . 164 dtd 7rapaKa>xc5 O5V (fifhrare, fida 7ror6 0 620 02 2 .

”

Hon

adrdv rod 417 dwdhhafiov adv 0 6aurdv tin'd wax/rd: y 6r6ai

pou, 2m6877 7 01-g.

7ror6 ciy e'

p ty vog Kai rd e’

yd y 6r6cop t'

dta 7787) 710 7 6 ruxdv 0X5 : P:237

vi i 1 1 (a petition)6’7rt

'

0x6w r6 adrdv 17877 0 0rd 604010 6 yoz, 7rp6r6pov y ev cos

a a r I 9 7 a l 1civdyou Karoxqs

'

xdpw ,vuv de

’7rp0<j>a0 6¢ voyou ovdeu aurgo 7rpo0 77Kovros

‘

1 On the techni cal terms y eréwpos Grenfell and Hunt, Ox. P . u p p . 18o fi

and Kan-ox?) in these extracts see 142 ff.

284 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Comp. Rom. i 10 866y 6v05‘ 62 710 9 77817 7ror6 613080 6150 oy at 6’v rq

’

i Behriy ar t

rob 9606 61 961) 77pd9 dy ds, Phil. iv 10 6X¢ipqv 86 6’v Kup t

'

qo y e'

ycikms~drt 7787] worddv69¢i>x6r6 rduzre

’

p 6y oi3 60’

Kat 6¢ p ov6i r6 fiKatp 62006

3. 2uva2p 6tv Rd'

yov. B . P . 775 6'

q 9 dv ye’

voy e 6’K

'

2Ka i 0uvcipwy 6v ltd-you

P . 113 dr t 680mmadrq’

i dfihmmiv yoc, i'

va 0 uvdp coyat adrq'

i hd'yov Fay. P .

109 dr t 0 uvfipya t 7\6~yov ra’

i 7rarp’t Ka i h6ho¢woypd¢ 17K6 y 6 Kai dnoxdv 067m

Rafié‘

v.

Comp . Matt. xvi ii 23 dvdpaimp Ba0 th6i ds‘ 15067070 6v 0uvdpa tMi‘

you y 6rd rciiv

douhwv a tirob °(ipgay e

'

vou 86 adrou ouvaipetv 7rp o01§x017 6 is‘ adrq'

i d¢ 6t7léfi 1$

yvp t'

wv rahdvrwv,xxv 19 0uva t

'

p 6t hdyov yer’adro

'

iv.

4. Kéyxlrcos' 6X6w . P ar . P ap . 18 Kdyufwc 6x0 Kai rd ”577t y ou Kai.

Me‘has l . The same phrase is ci ted fromArrian 17497302. d i es. i i i 10 13, drau

o 2arpd$ Kdyxlrwg 6X6 t9 (comp. i i 18Comp. John iv 52 6

’7rudero adv rdv a

i

pav 7rap’adréiv e

’u f] Koydrdrepov

5. NvKrds 5. NUKrds Ka i riy e'

pa s. B . P . 246 (2/3 cent. A D.)dr t v rds‘ Kai. viyépa s” 12 7

c

72141004 3 : évru‘

yxcivw N? 96623 u7re‘

p dy éivz.

Comp. 1 Thess. i i i 10 W KTdS‘ Kai riy e'

pas 60 6p 6K77 6p t00 ou 866y 6vOt 629 rd

286'

iv uyc'

iv rd 7rp60a>7rov, 1 Tim. v 5 7rpo0y 6'

v61. ra i : 86150 60 tv Kai. rai : 7rpo0 6uxa'

i s

w a s. Ka i. fiy e’

pa s, andmany other passages.q .1 The letter i s given by Dei ssmann , 771" ad dlKatov 7 dp abrfiv hu7r200al. 7repl

B i belst. p . 2 15, who has noted the obdevbs' fixow a 7 dp 67 1 hum Comp .

parallel . He however cites i t thus 1 Cor. xvi 10 saw 56 th ey Tty bb eos,Ka i rdv 771-r ov (sic)y ou. The emendation fihér er e fva. dcpéflws y évnra t 7rpds

is fairly obvious. y ?) 7 19 obv aurdv éfoudevfiom. In Phil.2 In the same letter we read : Kat i i 28 we have the word dkvvrbrepos.

7rep2'

Epy ¢6vns yehnadrw uyZv 0 6379 dhwros

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286 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

iv 16 aurou] 6curou, with considerable support.23 n?)mm

S

ya-n ] pr. W B alone (except for the uncertain testimony of

a version).24 6

’v860 a09at] 6v8v0 a096 B*

,with Nand some others ; but probably

it i s an itacism.

32 7 21160 66 86] om. 86 B, with considerable support : moreover DQ‘G3read ouv.

any] qyw B : see the Special note.

v 17 rob Kup t'

ou] + q B alone.19 enacts] pr. W B.

7rv6uya rtKai s‘ ] om. B . On this and the preceding variant see the

special note.

20’1170 oii Xpw rou] RT) 717 B alone.

23 60rtv Kayak ; 607 W B.

24 M d air] om. a): B.

31 rdu nare’

pa Kai rdu yqrépa] 7ra repa Kat yqr6pa B, With D2*G3 .32 629 rdu 6

’KKixq0 iav] om. a s B.

Vi I 6’v Kup t

'

tp] om. B, with DZ*O3 .

2 e’o-r‘

w] om. B, wi th 46.

7 civ9pai7row] av9pwmo B, with slight support.

10 6’v8uvayob096] 8uvayou096 B, with 17 and Origen, cat. in commentary.

12 fiy i v] uy tv B,wi th D

2*G3 etc.

16 rd 71'

67rupmy 6'

va] om. ra B,with D2*G3 .

I9 rod om. B, with G3 V ictoria.

20 6’vmin i ] auro B alone.

2. The divergences fromR are as followsi 1 Xp t0 roi33 170 05385 Yr? N see the special note.

[e’v 1 06047] om. N" : see Special note.

3 rod Kup t'

ou fiy o‘

iv] rov 5 Kat 0 0 117pOs'

nymv hi " alone.

5 edito‘

yfi0 as‘riyds] om. qyas

' N alone.

7 2xoyev] 60xoy 6 v N", with G3* and some support fromversions.

14 d 6’0r tv] 09 60 rtv N, With D2 etc.

rbs om.ms" N,with 17 35.

15 dydflqv] om. R see the special note.

18 rbs' 865179 rfis q povoy t

'

a s‘] 1179 Khnpovoy i a s‘ 7 179 N alone.

20 6’vfip ‘

yqK6v] empyqo-ev N, withmost authorities against AB.

11 4 6p e’xe’ct] om. w as" alone.

7 N*(alone)omits this verse through komoeoteleuton.

10 adrob] 917 N" alone.

18 82’ad'

s-ob ] + 01. ay ¢ 0r 6p02 W 6 14 N" alone

, p er errorem, 82’c urou

having ended the column and page. It would seemthereforethat the length of the line in the archetype is represented byexomeNTHa ocare N, which was at firstmissed.

20 adroii Xp t0 rou1b

111005] rou i f}K"

.

1 rod Xpw'

r ob’Ir)0 oi3] om. Iu0 ou R

",with D2

*G3 etc.

9 «Eu 7 43 0643] rco 96 N"

. This was Marcion’s readi ng (Tert. 0. Marc.

v

NOTE ON VARIOUS READINGS. 287

6’v 7 93 Xp t0rc§ 7 770 061om. rep N

*,with D

2 etc.

iii/109mi 66909] 30909 Kat udro9 N, with A etc.

e’u Kup t

'

tp] w xc) R, with aeth.Kai 680 K6v] om. Ka t N"

, withmany authorities.6v860 a09at] 6v8u0a0 96 95, with B* and others.8tKato0 15vy Kai d0 td‘nyr t] o0 tor7rrt Ka t 8tKato0uv1; N

" alone : butAmb rst has i n ueri tate et i ustz

‘

tia.

dit696 tav 6Ka0 ro9] 6Ka0 ro9 aiuy96tav N" alone.

y erd rod 7190701011] 7rpo9 rov 0 7t770 t0vN" alone : Lucifer has ad p roximum.

x6p 0 iv] pr t8ta t9 N*, wi th AD2G3 etc. : see the special note.

6x77] exqrat 15" alone : comp. Clem371 i'va 6'e 6.

2 eas y] 17w R : see the special note.

7rp o0¢ 0pdv Ka i 9u0 £av] 9u0 tav Ka t 7rpo0 cpopav N alone.

Kai ywpohoy t'

a] 7)ympohoy ta N" , with AD,*G3 etc.dtd ra fzra ydp ] om. yap g

-Xalone.

96’

hnya] (pp ovqy a N" alone.

rod Kup t'

ou riy c'

iv] om. qywv it alone.

a i yuva’

iK69] + u7rora00 609to0av N see the special note.

adrd9 0wr1’

7p] aur09 o 0 0 1-

up N", with A 17 etc.

adrds 6aurqi] auro9 aura) g i t alone.

r t rc'

Sv rocodr cov] om. 17 rt N" alone.

d¢ 60\0u0 tv Ka i o i d'

v8p 69] om. Kat a etc.

0 05ya ra] reKva N" alone.

rdv 6'

auroi3 0d a] r17v 0 apKa aurou N" alone.

7rpd9 rdv ‘

yuva'

i Ka adrob] 7 7)yuva t N" : see the Special note.

i t a—7 779] b is som'

p tumN" alone.

(in-Adm” r?)9 Kap8t'

a9] om.m9 N etc.

37 1 n O‘

TOS‘ div r t 71005017] or t 6av 0 0070 7) 6Kd O

‘

TOS‘ N alone.

Ka i adrdiv] Ka t 6aurc0v N" alone : see the Special note.

Otipavot9] oupavms , wi th some others.6’v Kup t

'

cp] 6v r co E ; N" , wi th 91 .

iva yO t 80913] wa 8097) y ot N‘X' alone.

6’vmin?) 7rappq0 td0wy at] 7rapp170 ta0 a>yat 6v aura) N alone.

628?)r6 Kai dy ei S‘] Kat uy et9 t81rr6 N, wi thmany others.

7rt0 rd9 8tdKov09] om. 8taKovo9 N" alone.

3. If the combination sB represents a line of textual tradition whichaThe

i s of great importance here as elsewhere in the New Testament, on the L iiie

xio

ground that i ts readings are usually justified by internal considerations, codices.scarcely less interest attaches to another line of tradition commonly Spokenof as the Western text

,

’because it ismainly attested for us by two GraccoLatin codices D, and G3 . D2 is Codex Claromontanus (cent. vi), and isthus indicated to di stingui sh it fromD,

Codex Bezae of the Gospels andActs. G3 i s Codex B oerneri anus (cent. ix), and was once part of the samecodex as A (Sangallenst

'

s)of the Gospels1.

1 E2 is a copy of D2 , and F2 i s pro text i s concerned. Accordingly I have

b ab ly a copy of G3 SO far as its Greek not ci ted th e evidence of En .

288

Variants‘

mD2orG

3.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

At the beginning of the history of each of these codices a Greek textand an Old Latin text have been brought together in the same volume

,and

a process of assimi lation has begun, partly of the Greek to the Latin andpartly also of the Latin to the Greek. If we had the immed iate parent ofeither of these codi ces we should probably find corrections of thi s natureintroduced in themargin or in the text itself. Thus it may have been inthe immediate ancestor of G3 that in Eph. iv 15 q OeJom-eg 86‘ was changedinto a’xfieemv 86wowfivres, because the correspondi ng Latin was ueri ta temautemfacz

’

entes. The like process had already been taking place in thecodex fromwhich D2

and G3 are ultimately descended . For most of theobvious Latinisations are common to themboth . Thus in 11 1 1 tin'd T i)?heyoy e

'

vmwep troyfis‘6’v 0 apKi xetpon

'

ouirou was rightly rendered ab ea quae

diei tur ci rcumci sio i n came manafacta : but an ignorant scribe tookmanufacta as the ablative agreeing with came

, and accordingly we find inD2G3 the strange reading 6

’v 0 apKi xetpowotrirqi . Another example i s ii 20,

where the true read ing is dxpoywma iov. The Latin rendering for ‘ cornerstone ’was angulam

’

e lap is (summus angular is lap is, Jerome): hence wefind in D2G3 that M901; i s added after d o

‘

ywvta t'

ou.

Besides this process, by which the Greek texts of these codi ces havebeen considerably affected in detail, wemay distinguish another element ofmodi fication whichmay b e called the interpretative element. Thus in ii 5,in the parenthetical sentence Xdp t-n

'

6’o~re 0 60m0y 6

'

v0t,we find prefixed to

xcip tr t the relative pronoun mi

,which brings it into the construction of the

main sentence : 05 r?)Xdp tfl. D2, 05 Xtip tr t G3 . As cuius i s found at thispoint in the Old Latin

,it i s possible that the inserted pronoun i s due to

the Latin translator, and has subsequently passed over'

to the Greek text.The simi lar clause in i i 8

,rfi ydp xdp tr t

'

e’0re 0 60 w0y6v0t, i s changed in D2

into ri) ydp adroi}Xtip tr t 0 60w0y6'

v0t 6’0y 6

'

v. The change to the first personis due to the e

’

ct’

ayes of the previous verse,and to the e

’crye

‘

v of u. 10 : the

65eas t of u. 8 had also passed into 65 fiyo’

iv,probably at an earlier stage

,

for it has a wider attestation. Another interesting example is the completion of the broken sentence in iii 1 by the ad dition in D,

of 7rp 60B€15co afterra

’

Sv 6’9vc3v : a small group of cursives add Kexavxfiyat froma simi larmotive.

More serious is the change in i i i 2 1,where in the true text glory is ascribed

to God 6’v rf} Kai e

’uXp to

'

rq'

i’Ir)0 ob . Thewords in this order appeared

so startling that in one group of MSS (KLP)Ka i was dropped, so as to givethe sense ‘ in the Church by Christ Jesus ’ In D

," G3 the order is

boldly reversed (e’u 723 E} Ka

i

f f; e’KxMo iq); and they are supported by Am

b rosiaster and Victorinus. It is probable that to thi s classwe should assignthe addi tion of vicgi aemaafter 61: fiyamyy e

’

vcp in i 6 : but it is to b e notedthat this reading has a wide attestation and is undoubtedly very early

8D° vg"Odd V ictorin Amb rst Pelag etc. ; also Ephraimin his com

mentary, preserved in Armenian, has ‘ in Hi s Son

Other interesting readi ngs belonging to one or both of these codices areii 15 Karap-yri0 a9] Karapr t0 a 9 DQ

" alone.

iii 12 6’v 77 677 029750 64 6v rm6h6u96pw9qvat D2

*alone (not unconnected with

the rendering of 7rapp170 t'

av by li bertatemVictorin Amb rst).20 amp miura wotfio at] om. 071

-6p D2G3, with vg Amb rst etc.

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290 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Wemay note at the outset that Lucifer’s text at this point i s foundword for word in Codex Claromontanus (dz), the only difference being thatthere we have the order sanguinemet carnem’

, which i s probably theresult of correction by the Greek of the codex.

nobis . Cyprian and the Vulgate give the true reading. But nobis i sread by g3m(the Sp eculum,

a Spanish text), Prisci llian and Amb ros iaster.Tertullian, however, Hi lary and Ambrose have ‘nobis’. The Greek evi

dence i s remarkable fromthe fact that B deserts its usual company. ‘

Hy’

i v

i s found in NAc KLP 17 etc., supported by Clement and Origen and theGreek writers generally also by b ob armsyr(hkl).

‘

Yy iv is found in BD,*

G,and some cursives : besides the Latin support already cited

,it is sup

ported by the Gothic and the Aethiop ic versions, and by the Syriac Peshi to,which doubtless gives us here the Old Syriac reading, as we gather fromEphraim’s Commentary.

It is quite possible that the variation has ari sen independently indifferent quarters, for in Greek it i s among the commonest confus ions. Itserves however admirably as an illustration of the grouping of our Lati nauthorities.Sed aduersus (or contra)p otestates. A single clause seems in the oldest

Latin to have represented 7rpd9 rds tipxc'

ts, 7rpd9 rd9 6’

50u0 t'

a9 (or Ka i 6’

50u0 t'

a 9)of the Greek text. Itmay b e that p ri ncip es was being consciously reservedto b e used in the following clause (0pd9 rod9 Ko0yOKp tirop a9): for there i s noGreek evidence for the omission of s pa. rd9 t

i

pxti s‘

. Yet dzmLucif Hil(ed. Vienn. p. 489)have the single clause although they use

‘ rectores’(Hilmund i p otentes)in the later clause. It is noteworthy that d2 i s not in thiscase brought into conformity with the Greek (11-pa. rd9 cipxds Kai igovm

'

as)of D2.

On the renderings of Ko0y0Kpdrop a9 see further in the commentary ad

LUCIFER COD . AMIATINUS

propter hoc indui te p rOp terea accip ite ar propterea accip i te ar

tota arma, ut possi tis ma dei , ut possitis resi s ma dei , ut possi tis resi eresistere in di e nequi s tere in die malo

, in tere in di emalo et omnisimo , a t cumomnia p er omni bus perfecti stare, b us perfecti stare. state

feceri tis stetis adcincti praecincti lumbos ues ergo succincti lumboslumbos uestros in ueri tros in ueritate. uestros in ueri tate.

tate.

Lucifer agrees with dz, except that the latter has omnibus Open s inplace of ‘ in omnibus perfecti and stetis for stare’.indu i te. Som induite uos ’.tota arma. The omission of

‘ dei’by the best MSS of the Testimonia

i s confirmed by Q9. lviii 8. It is interesting to note in connexion with‘ tota arma ’ that Jerome ad loo. says ‘

omnia hoc enimsonat

r ayon-Ma,non ut in Latino Simpliciter arma translata sunt ’. Yet Cod.

Amiat. gives us ‘ arma ’, and the Clementine Vulgate armaturamnequ i ssimo. In 0. 16 ‘

nequi ssimi ’retains its place in the later recenS1ons.

cumomnia p erfeceri tis. It is strange that this excellent rendering wasnotmaintained : see the commentary ad loo.

NOTE ON VARIOUS READINGS.

accincti . This corresponds to the reading of D,*G3 0rfir6for a f fix/av o

-rfire adv. In mwe find ‘

estote’, or

according to some MSS

stare, estote’. The Vulgate shews correction by a better Greek text.

CYPRIAN

induentes lori camiustiti ae et calciati p edes inpraep aratione euangeli i

p aci s, in omni bus adsu

mentes scutumfidei , in

quo p ossiti s omnia igni tai acula nequi ssimi extinguere, et galeamsaluti s

et gladiamsp iri tus, quiest sermo dei .

LUCIFER

induentes lori camiustitiae et calciati pedes inp raeparati one euangeli i

p aci s, in omni bus adsumentes scutumfidei

,in

quo possi ti s omnia iacula.nequi ssimi candenti a exstinguere, et galeamsa

luti s etgladiumsp iritus,quod est uerbumdei .

con. AM ATINUS

et induti lori ca ius

ti tias et calciati p edes inp raeparatione euangelii

pacis , in omni bus sumentes scutumfidei

, in quo

p ossiti s omnia tela ne

qui ssimi ignea extin

guere ; et galeamsaluti s

adsumi te et gladiumSp i

ritus, quod est uerbum

dei .

Lucifer agrees with d,, except that the latter has salutarls for ‘Salutis’

(comp. Tert. 0. Marc. iiiigni ta. Tertul lian in an allusion (ut sup ra)has

‘ omnia diaboli ignita.tela’ candentia

’is found inm.

adsumi te : supplied in the Vulgate,to correspond with aégaaee whi ch

is omitted by D2*G3 .sermo characteristic of the Cyprianic text : comp. Tert. u i sup ra .

The text ofVigilius Tap sensis (Africa, 0. 484)is of sufficient interest tob e given in full (de tr in. xii

, Chifflet, 1664, p. 313)‘Propterea suscip ite tota arma dei

,ut possitis resistere in diemaligno

et cumomnia p erfeceri tis state cincti lumbos in ueritate, et cal ciate calciati)pedes in praeparatione euangeli i pacis : sup er iza omnia accip i entes

scutumfidei,et galeamsalutari s accip i te, et gladiumspiritus

,quod est

uerb umdeiComp. 0. Var imadumi i i 24, p. 457 :

‘ In omni bus adsumentes scutumfidei

,in quo possitis omnia iacula nequissimi candentia exstinguere,

.

et

galcamsaluti s et gladiumspiritus, quod est uerb umdei This agrees Wi thLucifer. The variety of text is worth noting in connexion with the question of the authorship of these treatisesl .

291

The following readings deserve attention either for their own importance Specialor as throwing light on the history of the text. The authorities cited are

selected as a rule fromthe app aratus of Tischendorf or Tregelles, and thecitations have been to a large extent verified, and sometimes corrected andamplified.

i 1 xpucro? iHco?.

Amb rst Pel°°d z i 1Xp117m BD P 17 syr (t )b oh vg (am)Or‘mt0 roi3 NAG3K

2

L etc. syr (pesh)armvg (rural)Eph (arma)t orm1mm

1 On the authorshi p of the de trini Athanasius extant only in thi s Latmrate see Journ. of Th. St. i 126 ff., version See also the note on the

592 ff : it i s suggested that ‘Book xi i text of vi 16, b elow, I). 303

i s p rob ab ly a genuine work of St

19— 2

readingsof interest.

292 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

It is not easy to decide between these readings. The full title ‘Our

Lord Jesus Christ’would help to stereotype the order ‘Jesus Christ’. Thisorder in itself is perhaps themore natural, especially in Syriac, ‘Jesus theMessiah’: the Peshito has it even in the last words of this verse. A Oopyistwould b e more likely to change Xp t0rd9

’Ir)0 oi39 into

’Iq0oi39 Xp tor ds than

vi ce uersd.

B persistently has Xp tm-oi}’1qo oi) in the openings of the Ep istles : it is

Often deserted by N, and once by all uncials. This factmay suggest thepossibi lity of a revision on principle. In this particular place it appears asif the scribe of B began to writeWW, but corrected himself in time. Yet

the support which B here has makes it hazardous to depart fromit. Itis otherwise in u. 5, where B stands alone in giving the same reversalof order.

i 1 TOTO ci rfO IC TOTO OYC IN [éN

i 1 [év The case for the omission of i v’E¢ e

’

o cp has been SO clearly stated by1398 093} recent critics 1, that it will suffice to present the main evidence in the

briefest form, to call attention to a recent addition to it, and to set asidesome supposed evidence which breaks down upon examination.

1 . Not in 1. The words were not in the text used by Origen [1 A D. This isOri gen’s conclusively shewn by his endeavour to explain r0

'

i 9 ov as an independenttex" phrase. In Cramer’s Catena ad loc. we read

86'

(ppm:’E7ri yd v

’E¢ 60 t

'

wv edp oy ev Ket'

y 6vov rd TOTC drTO IC

TOTO C i e l : Ka i (prodyw ,62 yd 7rp o0K6 iy 6vov r t

’TOTC drlO IC TOTC

0?C l2,r i ddvarat 0 77ya t

'

v61v. dpa adv 63 y ri, (307 7 6p 6’v rq

'

i T 5689 dvoyd (pqa tv'

h ic A t I d t I A I

6aurov o q yar tfwv M0 0 6 1 ro QN,ourw9 O t y6r6xovr6 9 rou duro9 y tvovra t

x I 3 A ‘9 9

OVTGS‘

,KahouyevOt o iov6i 6K rov y r)ewat 629 rd 6 tva t KJ

'JL S

Evi dence This comment is no doubt referred to by St Basil [1 A.D. 379] in theOf following extract, at the close of which he declares that the words c

’v

were wanting in the older copies in his own day :’A7\7\d Kai ro

'

i 9 677 t0 r6M 0 v, 059 30 17010 9 rjvmy e'

vow rq‘

i dvr t dt’

6myvoi0 60 9, dura s adrod9 idtafdvrws' aivdya0 6v, 6 i7raiv'

ToTC drfO IC ToTC

o?c | Kai mOToTO éN XPICTQ’

IHOO?. Odrmyc‘

zp Ka i of s pafiyé v napa

86805Ka0 t, Ka i rjy ei s 6’v ro'

i s nahatoi s' rdv a’vr typdcpcov edp i ay 6v (Basil. contra

B anom. ii

2 . Evi 2 . The words e’v were originally absent fromx and B ; and

dence Of they are marked for omission by the corrector of the cursive 67 in theMSS “1367 ° Imperial Library at V ienna (cod. gr. theol.Fresh An interesting addition to the documentary evidence for the omission518313

1

1

1

521? has been made by E. von der Goltz,who has published an account of

Athos.1 See Lightfoot B i b li cal E ssays ri riw c rd TOTO oi c l.

PP 377 fi n Westcott and Hort Intro 3 Origen’s comment i s reproduced .

duction to N.Tn Notes 011 8616017 read in an Ob scure way by St Jerome, whoings’ad .loc., Hort P rolegg. to Romans p rob ab ly was unaware of any omi ssionand Ep hesi ans PP. 8611 , T . K. Ab b ott in the text, and therefore fai led toEp hmamPP i ff understand the dri ft of the exp lana

3 Perhap s we should read TOTO tion.

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294 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

861186

and as

down,we may well conclude

the process of transcription. Even if we conjecturally substitute fi delesfor fideli bus, and render,

‘ to the saints who are faithful in Ephesus’, wecannot say that V ictorinus is giving us a direct citation as contrasted withamere allusion. For 1za in the sentence before us does not refer to thewords sanctis

, etc., but to the preceding phrase P aulus ap ostolas IesuChri sti p er voluntatemdei , whi ch V ictorinus has just told us were alsoused in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. So that the passage runs :‘But when he says these (same)words to the sai nts who are fai thful atEphesus

,what is added ? In Chri stJesus ’. The position of Ep hesi is thus

accounted for by the emphas is thrown upon it for the purpose of contrastwith the Corinthian Church. It seems clear then that no evidence of avariation of reading can b e drawn fromVictorinus.ii. Lightfoot suggests that AMBROSIASTEBmay not have had Ep hesi in

hi s text : (I)because ‘the commentary ignores the word Ep hesi altogether’:

(2)because his note suggests that he, or an earlier writer whose note headopts, had in hismind rai : dyiats

‘

rai : 0170 131 Kaimo rals, Which he regardedasmeaning the sai nts who are also fai thful’.But

, in regard to (I), a similar omission of the locali ty occurs in thecorresponding notes on the Epistles to the Galatians and to the Colossians :and generally the author’s comments on corresponding phrases are di rectedto bringing out themeaning of the word ‘

saints ’and its connexion withChrist Jesus ’. Moreover the text, as given in the Vetas Ed i ti o of Ambrose,after citing a. 1 runs thus

Solita more scri b it : Apostolamenimse esse Chri sti Jesu dei uoluntatetestatur : Sanctis et fideli bus in Chri sta Jesu qui sunt Ep hesi . Non solumfidelibus scri b i t : sed et sanctis : ut tune uere fideles sint si fuerint sancti inChrista Jesu. Bona enimui ta tunc p rodest ac credi tur sancta si sub nomineChri sti habeatur : ali oquin contaminatio cri t z quia ad ini uriamprofici t creatoris.

The Benedictine edition (and hence Migne, fromwhich Lightfootquotes) omits the words Sancti s et fideli bus in Christa J esu qui sunt

Ep hesi . In the quoted text of a. I as given in both edi tions the

corresponding words are as follows : Sancti s omni bus gui sunt Ep hesi ,et fideli bus in Christa Jesu. The variation is noteworthy. On internalgrounds it would seemto belong to the commentator ; but in that case hedoes not ignore the word Ep hesi .With regard to we should b e more ready to admi t the cogency

of the argument if the comment ran : non solumsanctis scr ib i t,sed

et fideli bus.

iii. SEDULIUS SCOTUS, a. compiler of the eighth or ni nth century, wri tes(Migne, P . L . ci ii

Sancti s. Non omni busEphesus, sed hi s qui credunt in Chri sta. E tfideli bus .

Omnes sancti fideles sunt, non omnes fideles sancti Qui sunt in ChristaIesu. Plures fideles sunt, sed non in Christa, etc.

NOTE ON VARIOUS READINGS. 295

Lightfoot lays no stress on the omission ofEp hesi . ‘But’, he says,

‘the

position of qui sunt i s striking. It would seemas though some transcriber,finding the reading sancti s qui sunt etfi deli bus in Chri sta Jesu in hiscopy and stumbling at the order, had transposed the words so as to readsanctis ci fidelibus qui sunt in Chri sta Jesu. This altered readingmayhave been before Sedulius, or some earlier writer whomhe copies’.Fortunately we have some information as to the source which Sedulius A parallel

was drawing fromat this point. The Commentary on the Pauline Epistles, i t}‘ Iirima

‘

which i s falsely attributed to Primasius,may or may not b e earlier thanSlug

the work of Sedulius. At any rate the following passage fromit is worthquoting as a parallel1

Saneti s omni bus qui sunt Ep hesi . Omni s sanctus fideli s, non omnis fideli ssanctus . Bap tizati s fideli b us sine fideliter seruanti bus sanctitatem: catechumeni s qui b eb ent fidem, quia credunt, sed non b eb ent sanctitatem. E tfideli busin Chri sta Iesu. Qui lici tis utuntur. Grati a etc.

The Commentary of Pelagius, printed in Vallarsi’s edi tion of St Jerome The(xi, pars iii), seems to lie behind both the preceding extracts. It runs source

rob ab lythus i)

s PelaOmni bus sane ti s. Omnes sancti fideles, non omnes fideles sancti . Quia gins,

possunt etiamcatechumeni ex ea quad Chri sta credunt fideles dici non tamensancti sunt, quia non per b apti smumsanctificati . Siue sic intelli gendum, quad

scri b at fideliter semanti bus gratiamsanctitati s. Qui sunt Ep hesi , etfideli bus who readi n Chri sta Iesu. Non omni bus Ephesi i s, sed hi s qui credunt in Chri sta.

‘Ephesi’.

Gratia etc.

i l s Kai "

rim e ic rrtiNTAO TO?C ci rfoyc.

We mus t consider this passage in connexion wi th the parallels to i 15 xazT i)»b e found in the two other epistles which were carried by the same [th i r ty]messenger.i.Eph. i 15 ciKoéa a 9 rhu Kad

’zip c

'

i9 m'

a rw 63} Kvp c'

tp’Iqa

'

ai) Kai rhu

[ch/6171711] 629 mim'

a 9 ayiou9.

ii. Col. i 4 ciKoua'

ax/res'r ip!m

'

a'rw fip é v e

’u Xp ta

'

rcp Eva-oi)Ka i riyv dycivmv

[hr 3x67 6] 639mix/7 a 9 rob s: dy i

'

ov9.

iii . Philem. 5 ciKoria w a ov d‘ydnnv Ka i rip} m'

aT w 3X6¢ 9 629 [17. l.

1rpO9] rOv Klip tov’Iqa o§vmi 629mix/7 a9 7 0139 (57 10119.

In (i)we have the following readingsEph . i 15 .

(1) mi r ip 629 miw a9 7 069 67 50119 W‘ABP I7 Or

‘mm9 Cyrm“ 603Aug

(dep raed. ss. xix

(2) Ka i rfiv dyci rrqv 629 77 . (i . D2*G3.

(3) mi rfiv dydmv rip! 629 7r. ( i . N°D2°KL al p ler Chrys Thdrt

Damal.

The Latin, Syriac, Bohairic and Gothic Versionsmay b e claimed

1 In the edi ti o p rincep s ( 1537)p . 333. ascrib e i t to a Gallic wri ter : i t i s

On thi s Commentary see Haussleiter closely related to the Commentary of

in Zahn’s Forschungen zur Geschi chte Remigius.d .NTli chenKanans iv 24 if. He would

296 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

either for (2)or for and so also V ictorinb is Amb rst Aug (E10.ccxvii 28)al.

(4) mi 629mivra9 7 013 9 ayious‘ ci'ycimv 6 cursives,the Catena text

and Cyri°h 833.

001. i 4. In (11)B stands alone in omitting i311 fixer-e without giving any substitute.It thus presents a reading difficult at first sight fromthe grammarian’spoint of Vi ew,

but qui te in accord with Pauline usage. The position of e’v

xpmcgs 3 170 06 after fl ia ‘rw in the same verse is a parallel ; and other

examples are given in the note on Eph. i 15. As the article was likelyto b e inserted by scribes, we may claimthe reading of D2

°KL (n‘

wdydvmvn ip)as indirectly supporting B ; and the insertion of in; gxere may b eregarded as another way ofmeeting the difficulty, and as perhaps suggestedby 131! 3X6 t9 in iii.

Phi lem. 5. In (i i i)scribes who took 51: E'

Xm as exclus ively referring to T ip! m'

a‘

rw

found a difficulty in the phrase 771011 1! 3x60) 629 mix/7 a 9 7 013

9 ci ‘yiovi‘

, andaccordi ngly D2 with many cursives, the Syriac, Armenian and AethiOp icVersions, invert the order and read n)»m

'

a‘

rw Kai 7 731! dyémv. But the

difficulty is really non-existent for 7 131! (i‘ycin'

qv Kai n‘

w flie r-w are alikeincluded in i,» 23 3 19, and the order offers an example of the grammaticalfigure called chiasmus : see Lightfoot ad lac.

Internal We now return to consider the readings of If external authority beevi dence alone considered, we cannot refuse to accept But internal evidence is

strongly adverse to it. We cannot give m'

a mthemeaning of ‘ loyalty ’or7 72 ‘ trustworthiness’

,in view of the parallels in the other epistles : and we

have no example of such an expression as faith towards all the sai nts’;for

,as we have seen, Philem. 5 cannot be regarded as sach. Moreover

we expect fromthe two parallels that we should find amention of love atthi s point in the Epistle to the Ephesians.

The argu. It has been urged that the fact that St Paul writes 7 73” K06’lipaf

ment,

frpminstead of n‘

wm'

a'rw prepares us for an unusual collocation ; and that

”d o,UM “ the contrast involved is between 7 131! Kae

’ and 17311 629 1rdvra 9 r013

9

ay iav9 (Hort). But Dr T. K Abbott has shewn (ad lac.)that Kad’

in such a connexion is by no means unusual in late r Greek. He citesAelian, V. II. ii 12 r} Kc-r

’a i n

‘

w ap es, Diod. Sic. i 65 15 Ka ram‘v dpxfiv6716015 0 19 (laying down the government); and, in the New Testament,Acts XVII 28 7 631) m9’ xvi ii 15 rayon 7 017 my 15p 1

'

i 9, xxvi 3ramKara ’

Iav8a iov9 301311. Accordingly me’ aria—n u i n Ta? Kvp i'

cpis not appreciably d ifferent fromTip! 15114311 TC? Kvp i

'

cpwhich would closely correspond with Co]. i 4.

The con If in spite of the authorities which support it we reject there canStmffion be no doubt that (2)must b e the reading of our choice. For we then haveI ?" “7

132; a close parallel to Col. i 4, when that passage has been purged of accrechglgges ,

tions. Moreover the same phrase has in each epistle given occasion forthe alterations of scribes ; and (3) and (4)are seen to b e alternativemethods of escaping fromthe construction r ip : ci-ycimyu GZS‘ mix/7 a9 7 01

3

9

c‘

ryc'

ovs. Thi s construction is, however, as we have seen,frequent in

St Paul’s writings. Accordi ngly we may claimthe evidence of (3)and

(4)as practically supporting of whi ch they are Obvious modifications :

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298 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

iii 18 y'

xyoc KAl Bi eoc.

Themain evidence is as followsmi 56609 BCD2G3P 17 and other cursives, together with all

versions (exc.186609 Kai NAKL andmany cursives, Orig Eus Chrys etc.

The exception of the Harklean Syriac i s due to the correction byGreek MSS of the earlier Syriac reading. The Peshito had the curiousorder Kai 136909 Kai pfiKa9 Kai whé‘

ros,and Ephraim’s commentary

attests this for the Old Syriac .

Origen in his commentary undoubtedly accepted the readi ng 661909Kai although incidentally he speaks of the Cross as having both511m9 and 315009. We find also 56609 Kai i t “ in Ham. i n Jerem. xviii 2(Ru. iii The text of von der Goltz’s Athos MS has 36609 Kai

But a note in themargin says that Kai 186609 was read in the text ofthe Oopy of Origen’s commentary

,though he himself in his comment had

,861909 mi 5 09.

The interpretation of such evidence is uncertain. If, as in the reading

las t discussed , we suppose that B has admitted a Western element, theclaimof the reading of SA Orig (66609 ml is very strong. I havehowever printed mi 66009 in deference to the judgment of Westcottand Hart.

iv '

9 KATéBH.

This is the readi ng of N*AC*D2G3 17But wpa

‘

Sq-ou is added in N°BC°KLP andmost cursives. The versionsare divided : d2g3 agree with their Greek, and there i s no addition in sahb oh neth. On the other hand wpé rov is attested by f vg (though not, apparrently, by the original scribe of Codex Amiatinus): also by syr goth arm.

Ephraim’s comment is a strange one,and it leaves us uncertain whether

the Old Syriac had the addition or not ‘Now that which ascended whatis it (saith he)but the body, which descended by means of death intoHades ? for that i s the lower region of the earth ’.The Latin translator of Irenaeus has no addition (M. p. but it

must b e remembered that this is the case with the Latins generally withthe exception of Amb rosiaster.

Clement (exc. Theod .,P. 979)has no addi tion. It is noteworthy that he

ends the sentence with Ka rt/8:7, and continues thus : 6 KaraBd9 0 137 69 e’a rw

629 rd Karai'rara rfi9 yi n Kai duaBa9 1571-6d 7 1311 odpaucfw.

Origen,though he does not make this transposition, recogni ses the

same connexion of thought : i n Joann. xix 2 1m21-6 E29 re Karairara 769

7 179 a KaraBd9, 051-69 607 1 Kai duafici9 : comp. xix 20 mi ‘

yap 629 rd Karair 6pa

(sic)p e’

pq 1439 769 6 KaraBa'

9, K.f .h. These passages throw no light on Origen’sreading in regard to 7rpc3r0v : nor does the passage cited fromthe Latin ofhis commentary on Ezekiel (Ru. iii nor agai n the incidental citation inCatena p. 162 . Jerome’s commentary however in its text has no addition,and thismay perhaps b e an indi cation of Origen’s text at this point.The strangest point about thi s read ing is the company in which B

finds itself.

NOTE ON VARIOUS READINGS. 299

iv 17 medi a KAl T3. éeNH.

A small group of uncials wi th many cursives read mesa Kai 7 d how-aiv 17 Ta30m; so also syr goth arm; but not the Old Syriac as

attested by Ephraim’s commentary.

The addition is of an interpretative character.

iv 28 TATC xePClN TO drasow.

This i s the reading ofNcB . Other read ings are

7 6 a’

yaeaa 7 029 X6pa'

t'

u L,many cursives, and the text of the CatenaOrig).7 ai 9 idiaw X6pa iv 7 6 dyado

’v N*AD2G3 and some cursives.

7 6 dyadi w ra'

i 9 idiaw xep a'

i'

v K and some cursives.rd a

’

yadév P 17 cod Laur 184 (v. der Goltz, p. This is supported bymand by Clem. Al ex. (P. 308, The comment of Origenwould not require any other reading than this.

The versions do not give usmuch help in a reading of this kind.

iv 29 n pdc OlKoAOM i‘

i N Tfic xpefac.

We find the remarkable substitution of 1710 7 60 9 for xpa’a9 in D,*G3 46. iv 29 7 739

A d aed ificati onemfidei i s the almost universal reading in Latin codices 70061“and fathers. Jerome ad lac. says

,Pro eo autemquad nos posuimus ad

aed ificati onemop p ortuni tati s, hoc est quod dicitur Greece 1779 xp ei’a9, in

Latinis cod icibus propter euphoniammutauit interpres et p osui t ad aedificationemfid ei ’. Jerome’s rendering i s found in Codd. Amiatinus andFuldensis (the latter having op p ortuni tati s fidei), but it has not succeededin displac ing the older Latin rendering in the ordinary Vulgate MSS .The only Greek patristic evidence cited for 1110-rem is Greg. Nyss. i n Clement

’s

Ecclesi ast. Vii 6 (Migne p . Basi l Regg. pp . alibi. It is how readi ne

ever to be noted that, although in Clem. Alex. Strom. i 18 90 (P. 37 1)we have 7rpO9 oiKOO

‘

ap r‘

W 7 69 xpei'

a9, yet in the opening sentence of theP aedagogus we have the expression 929 olxocop r

‘

yvm'

a'

7 6c09.

It has been suggested to me that the reading of D2* and Iren. Haer. Comp .

(p raef. ad init.)in 1 Tim. i 4 should b e borne in mind in the consideration 1 Timi 4.

Of this variant : p dhhav i)aiKadapfiu 96017 Tip! 1ri'

a'

r 6 i (D2° has oiKodap iav

the true reading being olKOvop iav).

1571-6‘

15 (311. Nhas 15 -c3v.

[

Thi

sreading in ii; 32may b e considered by i tself. B has the support ofD2 (but not dz)KL : but the same combination reads fip i

‘

v alsomtheparallel

passage, Col. i i i . 13, where B goes with the other uncrals in readmg an d .

The context would admit of iniu, but i p iv is themore natural : and i t i s

supported by SAGaP (the cursives and the versions are dmded).

300

of a letter,emu/ance“

Furtherchange,émy/aua'

a s

7 06

xpwmfi.

v 15 d i

Bibs Tries.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

The readings in v 2must b e considered together. We can hardly allowa change of the pronoun in the two clauses coupled by Ka i . The evidence

spas N*ABP , i t s: s

oD2G3xL

spa B, i v sAD2G3KLP .

In Modern Greek 6p e’

i 9 and 1571659 are indistinguishable in sound, andthis was probably the case when our MSS were written, for the scribesperpetually confuse them. The context usually settles the question : butwhere either willmake good sense, it i s difficult to come to a decision. On

the whole wemay b e satisfied to read the pronoun of the second personthroughout this passage.

t Iv 14 émcbay'

ce l CO ! 0 XPICTOC .

By the change of a. single letter we get the reading e’mqf azia a 0 01. 15

xp ta'fl is. I have already given (p. 1 19)a passage fromJerome ad loc. , in

which he tells of a preacher who quoted the text as follows : ‘Surge Adamqui dormi s, ci exsurge amorta is, et non ut legimus e

’mcpa iia a 0 01 Kpm-rés,id est orietur ti b i Chri stus, sed e

’malza i a a ,id est cominget te Chri stus ’.

There seems to b e no Greek evidence to corroborate this. For thoughCramer’s Catena ad loc.

,p. 196, l. 31, has 6

’11

'

11Ira1ia'

6t 0 0; 6 Xp 107 69, thisappears to b e but a copyist’s error : the extract is fromChrysostomad loc.

,

and Field’s ap p ara tus (p. 2 79) shews that several scribes have writtene’mxlra iia a for e

’mgba ii

a a . In Latin however we find continget te Christus inthe old Roman edition of Amb rosiaster ad loc.

,and in Augustine on Ps. iii

6 (ed . Ben. iv ii b).If this reading is due to ameremistake, there is another which involves

conscious al teration,viz. 6

’1mlra150'

6 t9 7 017 xpco-roi}. It i s found in Cod . Clara

montanus (D2), the Latin side of which has continges Chri stum. It wasknown to Chrysostom: indeed it probably stood in the MS which he wasusing for his commentary. For though

,according to Field’s text and

app aratus , in the first place in which he quotes the verse he gives us

e’mcpa i o' ec 0 01 6xp taT ds‘ , yet a few lines lower down hi s comment runs thus :Kai (baa

-i, 7 06 xpw

'

rofi o i 36 (paa'w c at 6 xp i a

'

rdr

M op Be‘

7 067 6 6’0

'

7 L. This comment i s farmore natural if the text of theCatena be right

,which gives in the first place 6

’1rnll a150 6 19 7 05 xpw

‘rofi.

Continges Chri stumis found in V ictorinus ad loc.,and in some MSS of

Amb rosiaster : also in the Latin translator of Origen (Ru. ii 400, i i iRuricius, ep p . li b. ii 1 1, gives alternative readings :

‘et continges Chri stum

siue i nluminab i t te Chri stus ’. Moreover Paul inus of Nola, ep . xxxii 20,

has : ‘Surge inquit qui dermis, et erigere amortuis, ci adtinges Chri stum’

comp. ep . ix 2,

‘

quamuis iamdudumci di xeritis : Erige te a morta is,at

v 15 BAén eTe O?N i KPIBQO n d‘

ac n epmaveTTe.

This is the reading of W‘B,17 and other cursives , Or” : and the order

is supported by the Bohairic version, which however reads a’dehdmi after

d t 39.

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302 EPISTLE To THE EPHESIANS.

v 2 7 TNA TTAPACT T—ic l-j ay

’

TOO écvrcfi.

V 2 7 913b For 0137 69 we find a rin‘

pz in D2°K andmany cursives : also in Chrysostom.

“mi" But here again the sense is obvious ly weakened by the change.

v 30 67 1 MéAH éOM éN To? Odi M ATOO Afro?.

SO the words stand without addition in N*AB 17 and in van derGoltz’s Athos 118. This last piece of evidence confirms the View thatOrigen knew of no addi tion (Ru. i i i We have further evidence fromthe Bohairi c and Aethi Op ic versions, and fromMethod ius (Symp os . 54,Jahn p.

But the greatmass of authorities add the words e’x 7 139 a

'

apKO9 0 137 013 Ka i

e’K 7 0311 607 60 11 0 131-06, Irenaeus read themand commented on them(Mass.

v. 2 3, p. They are derived fromGen. ii 23, T087 0 111311 607 0811 e’x 7 1311

007 61011 p ov Kai 6’K 7 fi9 0 0pK69 11011, the verse which immediately precedes

that which St Paul goes on to quote,For this cause shal l aman leave,’etc.

It is not impossible that St Paul should himself havemade this adaptationas a preliminary to his quotation : but the strength of the evidence againstthe words justifies us in regarding themas an early gloss

v 3 1 n pOO T i‘

i N rYNaTKc. ay’

7 07.

In Gen. 11 24 the evidence for the Lxx is as follows

71p69 yvvaixa 0131-017, DE andmost cursives, supported by Origen inhi s comment on Eph. v 31.

7 3}yvva 1Ki a 1i'

roi'

1,A and some cursives.

Unfortunately the evidence of SB i s wanting.

The passage is thrice quoted in the New Testament.In Matth. xix 5 the reading i s 7 5 yvmuxi 0 137 013 in almost all authorities

In Mark X 7 the whole clause Ka i wpoaKohhq0rj0 67 a1 1rp09 rr)11 yvva'

iKa 0137 06

is wanting in NB. For the MSS which have this clause the evidence i s7rp69 yvvaiKa 0 137 06

,DXI‘II

7 5 yvvatKi a 1i7 08, ACLN

In Eph. V 31 themain evidence i s17p09

‘

yvva'

iKa 0137 017, R°BD2

¢KL

7 5)yvva i Ki a 137 01'

3 N" (om. a 137 013)AD2*G3 I7

Origen (Cat. ad loc.)expressly states that St Paul omitted the clause of

the LXX 77p00 K0hh170150 67 01 rrpO9 yvva'

iKa a137 01'

3. In a. Cels. iv 49 hequotes

,as from St Paul

, ye’

ypama l. yap 37 1 6'

116K6 11 7 0157 011

511011011709 7 611 77a7 6'

pa Kai 11i77 6'

pa Ka i wpoaKohhn0r§0 6Ta t 77p69 yw aiKa

0137 013,Kai 6001170 1 of 8150 629 0 6Kpa TOp va

'

rrip tov 7 087 0 p éya

Here however he i s quoting loosely frommemory,as i s shewn by his giving

gueu p 7 ov'

7 0v for St Paul’s 6117 i 7 0157 0v. Again in Comm. in Matth. t. xviic. 34 he first quotes, as it seems, fromthe Lxx

,and then adds St Paul’s

words : but he does not give a continuous quotation fromSt Paul. Thesetwo passag es therefore are not really inconsistent with his statement as tothe omission of the clause by St Paul.

NOTE ON VARIOUS READINGS. 303

It appears that fromMarcion’s text of the epistle the clause was alsoabsent. For Tertullian 0. Marc. v 18 cites the passage thus : Propter hanc(a l. hoc)relinquet homo patremetmatrem, et crunt duo in carne una.

sacramentumhoemagnumest’ hanc’would seemto refer to

comp . 0. Marc. iii 5 Suggerens Ephesi is quod in primordio de hominepraedicatumest reli cturo patremet matrem

, et futuris duob us in unamcarnem, id se in Chri stumet ecclesiamagnoscere

’. Ep iphanius in a con

fused note (a. haer. xlii, schol. 3 in Ephes , p. 373) corroborates this

It is remarkable that the only evidence of Greek MSS for omission of

the clause is that which we have already noticed in Mark x 7.

vi 9 KAl afrd mKa i y'

MQ N.

This i s the best reading in itself,and it has the strongest authority

,being vi 9 Ka i

supported by N* (6av7 .)ABD2*P 17 vg. g

fitfiv Ka i

The Latin of Clarom. (dz)has et uestrumip sorum,and ‘ in consequence W‘W ‘

of this the second Ka i of the Greek is dropped by the corrector : so that weget the reading Ka i 0177 0311 D2

0, which is also found in G3.

Cyprian, Testim. iii 73, has ci uestrumet ip sorum(om. et 2°

cod. Monac.)t his corresponds to Kai 15111311 Kai min-311 N" (6mm)L.

The reading of the Textus Recep tus Kai 15111311 0131-1311 has but very slight

support.

vi 10 To? Aomo?.

This is read by R*AB 17, and is supported by the true text of Cramer’s vi 10 T OG

Catena ad loc.,which at this point almost certai nly represents Origen (see homo??

J ourn. of 7 71. St. iiiA s 7 6 hourdv, or hoard» alone, is frequent in St Paul

’s epistles, we are

not surprised to find the variant 7 6 710171611 in N°D2G3 and many otherauthorities.

vi 16 nacm.

The preposition 611 is given by sBP Cramer’s Catena ad.

loe. supports2

16this reading in its text, although ChrysostomfromwhomIt

.

Is quoti ng at N

it”

this point has e’m’. The Latin rendering is in omni bus, wrth the rarest b rl mum'

exceptions.

On the other hand 1760 111 i s found in AD2G3KL and many otherauthori ties. Amb rosiaster has sup er hi s omni bus. In Book xii of the

de trini tate, ascribed to V igi lius of Thapsus, we find the renderi ng sup er

haec omni a (Chifiiet p. This Book, however, accord ing to a recenttheory i s a Latin translation of a Greek treatise (see references in the not

e

on p. 291 above, see also p. 269 In 0. Varimad . 111 24Vigi lius has the

usual rendering i n omni bus .

304 EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

vi 16 TA n enYPwM e'

Ne .

The definite article is omitted in BD2*G3 . The combination is interesting, but it may be merely accidental. Origen has the article in hiscomment in the Catena, and In his comm. in Exod .

, Ru. ii 126. In hiscomm. i n Joann. xxxi i 2 (R1I. iv 406)the article is present, but a littlelower down (p. though Delarue has it. Huet and Brooke omit it. Inthe passages cited by Tregelles (Ru. i 266 and i n P rov. Mai 12)we haveonly allusions fromwhich no argument can b e drawn.

vi 19 TO MYOTri PION To? ev’

arreAfoy.

vi 19 7 0 The omission of by BG3 is supported by V ictorinus. In

11007 75111011 Tert. 0.Marc. v 18 we have the phrase constanti ammanifestand i sacrafyifif

r menti in ap ertione or is, which points to the same omission.

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306 INDEX OF

07 0110607 7 6 17 , ii i 507 01106113019, i 17, i i i 301 01107 0660006111

, i i 16

01 0117 617 610, 11 16

0656116111, ii 2 1,iv 15

065770 19, iv 16067 69 (cmp h ), i i 14, iv 10 f.

, v 23 , 2 7

50009, i i i 18

0017 7 10110, iv 5fi0016610 7 00 xp 107 01

’

1‘

1101 0600, v 506609, vi 16

1860011111010, iv 3 1

fl6611'6111' 1 139, v 15,801166) (7 06 066751107 09

7 611606

, i ii 5, 2 1

7 110111136111, i 9, i i i 3 , 5 , 10, vi 19, 2 1

7 1113019, i i i 197 61107 0 110110 7 6111, i i i 147 011623, Vi 1

6677019, vi 18

66011109, i ii 1, iv 1

6éxe0001 (11 vi 1 761030609, iv 2 7, vi 1 1

6100731101 (7 69 11 12

6101101110 , iv 1 2

6101101109, ii i 7, vi 2 161011010 , i i 3, iv 1861600110610 , iv 1461660110601, iv 1 1

616001160001 (67 iv 2 1

61110109, Vi 16111010061117, iv 24, v 9, vi 14616, i i 1 1 , i ii 13, iv 8, 2 5, v 14667 1107 0 , ii 15

INDEX OF GREEK WORDS. 307

607011 iv 1 2 ; 6070 n 9 f. , v 1 1

66 7 11160001, vi 3

6 1507 1661011, i 13 , i ii 6, vi 15, 19

66607 60 , i 3

6611010 , vi 7

66011607x1109, iv 32 1107 01

66x0p107 6'

1‘

11, i 16, v 20

{ 1015 (7 06 iv 18

13611160, iv 13

776109, iv 26

finépa' 011-0607 111606109, iv 30 ; r ovnpof,

v 16, vi 13

00617 6111, v 2906611110 (06017 , xvplov), i 1 ,

v 1 7 , vi 6 ; 7 0 06615007 0 ,

061166109, i i 20

0611661060001, i i i 17

i i i 13

0111169, iv 31

0upe6s, vi : 6

011010 , v 2

0161102, vi 14

t6109, [iv v 2 2

’In0069

° 061606 10 611 7 121’I1)006, iv 2 1

’I0pa7i6, i i 12

10x69, i 19, vi 10

K000p£§6111, v 26

1100131111, i 20

11011169 61101111177 09, 11 15, iv 24 0011710011060 ,iv 2

i 10 , 11 12 , v 16, vi 18 p axpoxpémos, VI 3

1101160 , iv 311101100116111 7 611 xp107 611, IV 20

1106670001, iv 1, 4110717 6116000“

N 17

11011117 6111 7 61 7 61107 0 , i ii 14W I7

xap610 , i 18, 111 17 , iv 18, v i 9, vi 5, 2 2

xapr bs 7 06 95107 61, v 91607 6: i) xa0

’7 107 11, i 15 ; 7 31 xar

’

£116, vi 2 1 ; at xa0’8110

, v 33

xa7 afia£ve1v, iv 9 f.

11117 06064) i 4.

xa7 a6apfldve00a1, i i i 18

1107 06617 6111, v 3 1

11117 11117 611, iv 13

xa7 ap‘

ye1v, 11 15

1107 0717 10061, iv 12

1107 9 1167 1011, i 4

xa7 ep‘

ydf'

ea0a1, vi 13

KGTOLKGW , 111 17

KWfiP‘OV’ ll 2 1

xavx000a1, 11 9xcvol 667 01, v 6

1 22 , iv 15 , v 23

x6v6wvl§ea0a 1, iv 14

xouli'

ew , vi 8

1107 1611, iv 28

xoauoxpdmpes, vi 12

xdapws, i 4, i i 2 , 12

xpa7 a1ofiat0a1, 111 16

xpdros (7 fis laxvos i 19, vi 10

xpav-y'é, iv 31

xpvqbfy, v 12

117 111111, i i 10, 15, 111 9, iv 24

kuflla , iv 14

x6p1os" év xvpfqa, i i 2 1, iv 1, 17 , v 8,

vi 1, 10, 2 1 ; £11 xvpfq.’7 17000, i 15

xvp167 ns, i 2 1

667 05, vi 19 ; rfis 0617011113, i 13 ; 011 111161,

iv 29 ; xevoi‘

: 667 019, v 6

6011761" 02 6017 01, i i 3 ; [7 11 6011 6. 801117,

iv 7 006017 06, Vi 10

6ovrp6u, v 26

666111, 11 14.

6vr ei‘

v, iv 30

308 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS.

110x0 1p0 , vi 17

0000510 , iv 14, vi 1 1

116060 1160001, v 18

141603, iv 25, v 30

Mpos, iv 16 ; 7 0 1107 167 6110

116067 01x0v, 11 14

1167 061661101, iv 28

W P” : iv 7: I3, 16

lu l‘flfl i‘, V I

11106211, v 29

11116100 7 01620001, i 16. C

11va e1t1, 11 1 1

11007 15701011, i 9, i ii 3 f., 9, v 32 , VI 19

W POM‘

Y‘G: v 4

0063, n 2 1

rexp61, i 20, 11 1, 5, v 14

10511103 , iv 14

rocfv, ii i 4, 20

7 6110: (7 630 67 7 061311 60 11 15

V0v06010 , vi 47 003, iv 17, 23

féras, 11 12 , 19

01116201 (7 017 11 1901110501115, i i 2 1, iv 1 2 , 16, 290111000010, i 10, i i i 2 , 902003, v 18

67 6617 01, i ii 3611000 , i 2 1, v 20

6110110360001, i 2 1, i i i 15, v 36M , i i 3, iv 31, v 6

6707 1360001, iv 26

00167 113, iv 24

617105603, v 2

60¢ 6s, vi 14

ofipavol, i 10, i i i 15 , iv 10 , Vi 9v 28

“006110600610 , vi 6

7 733 110116101, i 18

1 0 16610, vi 47 060101 00070101705 , iv 2 2

1 0617, vi 12

17 011027660 , vi 1 1 , I3r avovpy la , iv 14

11'

0p06166v0 1, iv 19, v 2 , 2 5

17 0p0 11066211, iv 1 , vi 2 2

i 7 , 11 I , 517 011107 01101, v 2 7170p011103, 11 1917 0110117 8610, vi 4

iv 26

0 0717177001 , i i i 12 , vi 19wappn0 10g

’

60001,vi 20

7 03’ 7 000 02110001115, i i 2 1 ; 1707 1110,i i i 15 ; at 170117 63, iv 13 ; 7 0 170117 0 ,

i 10 f., 23, m9, i v 10 , 15 , v 13 ;

611 1700111, i 23, iv 6, vi 16

17 0-79771 i 2 f. , 17, i i 18, 111 14,

iv 6, v 20, vi 2317 07 1110, 111 151100603, i 1 , m 1

0 0660001, i 16

17 67 010170 13, 111 12

111-6051

6

11000001, vi 14

7 601160506010, vi 177 67011707 6211, i i 2 , 10, iv 1 , 17 , v 2 ,

8,15

1 61110 0171013, i 14

77 6p100666111, i 80 .

17 67017 01113, 11 1 1

17 6p1¢ ép60001, iv 14

17 111pla , iv 3 1

7 107 666111, i 13 , 1917107 13, i 15, i i 8, 111 12 , 1 7, iv 5, 13,vi 16, 2 3

7710 7 63, i 1, vi 2 1

17661117, iv 14

17660116117 03, v 51766006560 , iv 19, v 3

1r677p01’

1‘

r, i 2 3, i ii 19, iv 10, v 18

1761570111110 , i 10, 23, i ii 19, iv 13

1761701011, 0, iv 2 5

176060103, ii 4

176007 03, i 7; 18, 11 7, 111 8, 16

17 1161700'

7 733 617 07 7 66103 7 007 1011, i 13 ;

7 007 1011 7 017 0609, iv 30 ; 007 06 (sc.

111 16 ; 0011110 3 1102

i 17 ; 7 0011003 15111311, iv 2 3 ; 611 W GGM ,

11 18, iv 4 ; 61167 713 7 00 112166110 7 03,

iv 3 ; 611 17 11615110 7 1, 11 2 2 , 111 5, v 18,

vi 18 ; 110x01p0 7 017 17 11615110 7 03, vi 1 7 ;

7 017 17 11615110 7 03 7 06 11011 61160706117 03 611

7 023 111023 7 733 017 610603, i i 2

1 116 000 7 11163, i 3, v 19 ; 7 0, 17116 01107 010,

vi 12

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310 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS.

x0p13‘

60001,iv 32

xdpw , 7 0117 00, i i i I , 14.

x0p13, i 2 , 6 f. , ii 5 , 7 f., vi (6006200 ,

i i i 2 , 7 f., iv 7 ; 110. xdp w

0110150110111, iv 29

7507117 001 , i 6

xe1p , iv 28 1111666111, v 19

x61p01701‘m'

o3, 11 1 1 30061163 , v 19

331610 , iv 28 ; 0111060111111 7 133 xp6103 , 11166603, iv 2 5iv 29 31111741? 611 t/zvxfis, vi 6

m07 63 , iv 32

3501707 67 173, i i 7 (135751 V 19

Xp107 63’ év 7 43 70010743, i IO , 1 2 ,

611 7 03 90110 7 431 0009 7 03 111/p1171

i i i 1 1 ; Xpq'

i , i 3 , iv

Kpm-réi 1 17006, i 1, 11 6 f.,

i i i 6, 2 1 ; xwpl3 Xp wroii , 11

INDEX OF

Adoption, 2 7‘

f. , 143

agapae, 12 2Amb rosiaster, 143, 172 , 268, 30 1

Roman edition of, 294, 300

Anthology , ep igramof Philip of Thessalonica, 262 f.

Anti och, Church in , 5, 55aori st,meaning and rendering of, 142 ,

190, 195, 205 ep istolary , 167, 2 17 ,2 76

ap ostles and p rophets, 69, 77 f., 97 f.,

Aristotle, on 00517, 186 ; 7401117716211, 187 ;

6 1’17 p017 6610 , 197 ; 611607610 , 242 fi . ;

176177110110 , 259Armenian version , evi dence for Old

Syriac, 2 14, 267 11.arti cle : qualifying phrase added without art. , i 15 n.

, 11 1 1 , ij i 4 n. , iV I ;

anarthrous sub st. with further definition

,ii i 1 1 n.,

iv 14, 16 n. art.

with first only of related terms,v 5 n . art. wi th the second of twonouns, v 2 3 n.

Ascension of Isaiah , on evi l sp irits,154 seven heavens, 180 ; the Be

loved , 2 32Ascension of our Lord, 24, 96, 1 79 f.atonement redemption through b lood,

29 ; b lood of a covenant, 62 f.reconciliation, 65 f.

Bap ti sm, 178, 206 f. ; confession at,

1 2 5, 206 f. ; origin of b aptismalcreed , 207 ; Voice at the Baptism,2 30 f.

Beloved, th e, 28 ; detached note on,

2 29 fi .

SUBJECTS.

Body, of Chri st, the Church, 41 fl.

fulfilling Him, 43 f., 87 i , 100 f. ;

quotationsfromClement, 140 Origenand Chrysostom, 45 ; one b ody , 65 f.,93 f. ; fellow-members of concor

porate 78 ; growth of, 102 131,

183, 188 ; bui lding of, 99, 182 , 188 ;Chri st theHead of, 41 fi ., 103, 1243

the Saviour of, 124 f. ; lying i s a sinagainst, .1 10 f. ‘ in a b odily way ’,88 the b ody ofHisflesh 88, 161

bui lding,metaphor derived from, 67fi .

1 12 f. bui lding and growth, 71 , 99,1 13, 182 , 188 ; rooted and founded,85 f. of Greek temp les, 260 fi.

Calvary , legend of, 1 19 n.

Chri st the rendering of Messiah 6;

with and wi thout the article, 2 2 , 32 ;the titles ‘Christ ’and Jesus’, 2 3 f.,107 ;

‘ Christ’and ‘ the Lord ’, 72 ,90 ; Chri st’and ‘ the Son of God

’,

100 ;‘ in Chri st’, 2 2 fi . , 32 f., 5 7 f. ;

‘without Christ ’, 56 f. , 158 ; Chri stin us, 85 ; to

‘ learn Chri st ’, 106,

190 ; the kingdomof, 1 17 the fear

of, 123, 12 7, 209 ; see also Body ,Fulness, Mystery

Church , the, 80, 89, 124 its relati onto Chri st, see Body, Fulness : thehousehold of God, 67 ; God

’s house,

68 f. ; God’s temp le, 71 f. ; Christ

’s

ecclesi a , 68 f.

Clement of Alexandria, on the Church ,

Colossians, Ep istle to , p assagesdi scussed , (i 24) 44, (1 26 f.)2 38,

(i i 9)88, (11 13 f.) 153

3 12

Corinthians, FirstEp istle to passagesdi scussed, (i i 1 ff.)2 37, (11 6, 8)154,(i i i 9) 165, (i ii 10 fi .) 260 f. , (1111 6)152 , (xi i i) 251. Second Ep i stle to,12 2 ; i ts Opening , 18 passages discussed , (i 13)2 5 1, (i 2 1)147 , (i i i 14)265, (v 1) 165, (v 19) 195, (vi ii 1)2 25 f.

corner-stone,68 f., 163 f.

Dative, of defini tion, i i 1 n. ; of time,

Didache, date and value of, 98 n. on

apostles and prophets, 98 ; list ofwarnings, 112 n . parallels quotedfrom, 176, 200 , 2 1 1 f.

di spensati on , 32 , 144 f.

Elect , the : see detached note on‘The

Beloved’, 2 29 fi .

election : the p rincip le of selecti on,2 5 ff the ultimate purpose of, 33 3 .

English versions : early , i 1 1 , 2 3, iv

16 ; 70, 132 n. , 264. A. V 1 1 1, 23,

i i 9, 20, i i i 15, 2 1, iv 2 1 , 24, 32 ,

v 13, 26, vi 4, 6 ; 57 , 92 , 99, 1 18,120 n. , 132 , 136. R. V. , i 1 1 ; 76,

264Ephesians , Ep istle to : a circularletter, 1 1 omi ssion of ‘ in Ephesus ’,1 1 f. and note on variants, 292 EL ;ab sence of salutati ons, 12 ; analysisof, 13 f. ; summary of, 130 f.

EphraimSyrus,commentary preservedin Armenian, 142 f. , 145, 148, 152 ,2 14, 267 n. , 288, 290 , 293, 298 f.

ep i stolary phrases, 37 f. opening salutati ons , 141 detached note on

,

2 75 ff.

Esdras, Second (Fourth): parallelsquoted from, 39 n. , 48

Fatherhood of God , 2 7 f. , 38, 83 fi

93 f‘ : 174flesh : of Chri st, 63 f. ; ‘ the b ody of

His fiesh ’, 88, 161 ;‘ in the fiesh

’,

56, 72 ;‘one fiesh ’

, 1 26 ;‘ b lood

and flesh ’, 2 13Fritzsche notes on d aoxla , 144 ; emf.wow s, 2 52 ; arMpwaa, 2 55

fulness , 87 ff. ; of the times , 32 , 39n. ;

INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

of Chri st, 42 ff. , 100 f. of God, of

the Dei ty , 88 f. ; detached note on

r hfipwp a , 2 55 fi .

Inscripti ons : temp le-b arrier, 60 , 160 ;

on b ui lding , 164, 260 fi .

Galatians, Ep i stle to : passages di scussed , (i i 7 , 9)75, (11 2 0)108, 183,

(i i 8)243 f., (v 6)246Galen : see Medical wri tersGenti les : use of the term, 157 f. , 189

p rob lemof their inclus ion , 5 f. , 35 f. ,55 f. ; former condi tion of

, 56 fi .,

6o i . , 105 f. ; new pos ition of, 58, 62 ,67 , 78 f.

grace : opening salutation, 141 closingformula, 137 , 2 17 St Paul’s use ofthe term

, 28, 5 1 f. , 75 f. , 95 ; to‘ give grace ’, 1 13, 193 f. ; grace of

speech, 1 16, 198 f. ; detached noteon xdpcs, 2 2 1 f.

Heb raisti c phrases sons of 49, 156,

168 ;‘

purpose of the ages ’, 80 ;inheri tance’, 1 16 ; walking’, 153 ;heavens’, 180 ; know of a suretyI99

Hippocrates : see Medical wri tershumi lity , a new virtue, 91

James , Ep i stle of : passages di scussed,(iv 6)2 23, (v 12)2 79 n., (v 16)247

Jerome his commentary onEphes iansmainly fromOrigen , 143, 147 , 162 ,

17 1 f., 173, 196, 198 f., 297 f. h is

revision of the Vulgate, 147, 289 ;

vari ous readings or renderings, 78

(concorporales), 147 (p ignus), 164and 288 (summus angulari s lap i s),17 1 f. (p roposi tum), 174 (paternitates), 177 (in ecclesia), 193 and 299

(opportunitatis), 208 (propter hoc),290 (tota arma); on a legend of

Calvary , 1 19 n. ; on b i shop s , 1 2 3 ;

on the Gospel acc. to the Heb rews,194 ; on Clement, 2 54 n on Jer.

vi 26 (dyamos), 2 29 n . ; on Job

xvi i 7 (r er ofipwvrat), 265 n .

Jerusalem,conference at, 8 ; see

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 14

heritance ’, 35 f. ; meaning of, 38 f. ,

49, 66, 72 , 78, 92 f‘uni ty of the

Sp i ri t ’, 92 f. the Sp iri t and th e

corporate li fe, 1 13 ; ‘ fi lled wi th theSp iri t ’, 12 1 f. ;

‘ the sword of the

Sp iri t ’, 135 f. ; see 717 166112

sp iritual powers, 41 , 49, 132 f.Stephen, teaching of St, 3 f.

Temp le, descrip tion of the, 59 ; in

scri b ed b arrier i h the, 60 , 160 ;

sub structures of the, 69 ; naos and

hieron, 7 1 bui lding of Greektemp les, 260 f.

Testaments of the xi i Patriarchs,quoted, 154, 195, 2 2 7 n .

Thessaloni ans , First Ep i stle to : pas

sages di scussed , (i 2 f.)2 79, (ii 13 f.)

INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

246, Second Ep istle to : p assagesdi scussed, (i 1 1)182 , (i 1 2 , i i 16)2 2 5 ,

(i i 7) 209, (11 7 fi .)2 36f., 2 42 , 246,

(i i i 1 7)137Tychicus, 12 f. , 136 f.

Vi gi lius of Thap sus : authorship of de

trin. xi i , 269, 291 , 303

CAMBRIDGE : PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, IL A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Unity, St Paul’s efforts on b ehalf of,7 it , 55 ;

‘ the one’and ‘ themany ’

of Greek phi losophy, 32 ; uni ty of

mankind in Chri st, 52 f., 65, 91,94 ab olition of di stinction b etweenGenti le and Jew

, 55 f. , 59 64 ;‘ the uni ty of the Spi ri t ’, 92 f. unityin diversity , 95 f. ; the uni ty of thefai th 99 : see also Body , Man