THE CORNERSTONE SEMINARY

EPHESIANS 1:8-10: THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH UNTO THE UNIFICATION OF THE COSMOS

By Matthew Hauck

BL 503 Greek Exegesis III Brian Shealy June 16, 2009

Vallejo, California

Table of ContentsIntroduction ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Background and Context...................................................................................................................... 2 Authorship ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Recipients ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Date and Location ............................................................................................................................ 6 Occasion.......................................................................................................................................... 6 Purpose............................................................................................................................................ 7 Themes ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Outline ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Context of Ephesians 1:8-10 ............................................................................................................ 9 Diagram .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Grammatical and Lexical Analysis..................................................................................................... 10 Ephesians 1:8................................................................................................................................. 10 Ephesians 1:9................................................................................................................................. 11 Ephesians 1:10 ............................................................................................................................... 20 Translation ........................................................................................................................................ 30 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Sermon Outline ................................................................................................................................. 32 Bibliography...................................................................................................................................... 33

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Introduction Peter O'Brien begins his introductory section on the central message of Ephesians with these words: Cosmic reconciliation and unity in Christ are the central message of Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.1 He goes on to say that this truth begins first to emerge in Ephesians 1:9-10. Frank Thielman, in his Theology of the New Testament, has recognized this same fact, and stated it more thoroughly in particular connection to the church, in the form of two major themes: (1) the eventual unification of the universe because of the death, resurrection, and heavenly session of Christ, and (2) the responsibility of the church to proclaim by its own unity this ultimate goal of God.2 Thielman refers to the plan under discussion in Ephesians 1:9-10 as the chief theological concern of first half of the letter.3 This has been recognized by others as well. 4 It is my contention that Ephesians 1:9-10 is the theological core of the book of Ephesians, and that the central message of the book is the connection of this (mystery) as it relates to the church and to the cosmos, all the created order. The present unity in the church is both the initial stage and also the model of the future reality. I hope by the end of this study to make this clear. Background and Context Authorship The authorship of Ephesians is the first of two hotly debated topics in the study of this letter. Though the letter itself claims twice to have been written by Paul (1:1, 3:1), this is not1 2

Peter T. O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1999), 58.

Frank Thielman, Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 394.3 4

Ibid., 395.

D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 491.

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sufficient to satisfy the demands of some critics. Carson and Moo wisely advise, Any letter coming down from antiquity should be held to be by the author it mentions unless there is strong evidence to the contrary.5 The argument against Pauline authorship centers around three points: 1) style, 2) vocabulary, and 3) theology. As Hiebert says, disregarding the external evidence, the attacks have been launched solely on internal grounds.6 Nevertheless, it must be shown that these claims are indeed not strong evidence to the contrary. First, they claim that the style of writing in Ephesians is not Paul's style. While it is true that the style of Ephesians is different than other styles, this does not mean someone else wrote it. Surely, someone as educated as Paul must be allowed some room for flexibility and versatility. Ephesians is largely regarded as the most lofty and the most deep of all the New Testament writings. It seems fitting on writing such material to alter one's style accordingly. Others are also right to note that a pseudonymous writer would try his best to emulate the one whose name he is writing under, rather than try to be creative. Second, they claim that the vocabulary of Ephesians does not match Paul's normal vocabulary. In fact, there are forty-two words used in Ephesians used nowhere else in the Bible, and over eighty not found in the rest of the Pauline corpus.7 Hiebert comments, however, that practically the same phenomena occur in the accepted Pauline epistles. 8 Carson and Moo cite research that there are an average of 4.6 such words [i.e. hapax legomona] to the page, which is

5 6

Ibid., 480.

D. Edmond Hiebert, The Pauline Epistles, An Introduction to the New Testament 2 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), 257.7 8

Ibid. Ibid.

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in line with the figures for other letters (5.6 in 2 Corinthians, and 6.2 in Philippians). 9 This argument can also take on a slightly different flavor, that Ephesians uses different synonyms for Paul's regular words. Paul had both the vocabulary and the right to use different words, and possibly even the occasion, granting a special subject matter was at hand. Third, they claim the theology of Ephesians does not match with the rest of Pauline theology, namely a supposed realized eschatology, and the cosmic function of the church. Carson and Moo cite Lincoln as having demonstrated how much futurist eschatology surfaces in Ephesians.10 As for the fact of Ephesians' teaching on the cosmic function of the church, it is admitted that this does not occur in Paul's other letters, besides to a degree in Colossians, and even in the rest of the New Testament at that. However, Paul's frequent claim in Ephesians that this mystery was revealed by God must force us to allow room for development both in what exactly what had been revealed to Paul about this mystery, and also in how much he himself understood it. Over against these claims, we have the direct claim of Ephesians to be written by Paul. There are indeed Pauline tendencies in the letter, as well as Pauline themes. It should be regarded as authentic and written the apostle Paul himself. Recipients If authorship if the first, then the identity of the recipients of this letter is the second major focal point of discussion of this letter with regard to introduction. It is often noted the generally personal character of all Paul's letters. Hiebert categorically says, Ephesians is the

9

Carson and Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 483. Ibid., 482.

10

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most impersonal of all the Pauline epistles. 11 A quick comparison of Ephesians with, say, 1 Thessalonians, will elucidate this fact. Paul does not greet individuals; he even seems to be somewhat distant from those to whom he is writing. (1:15, 3:2) This fact might make us wonder whether or not Paul wrote it to the Ephesians, especially when combined with our understanding from Acts that Paul spent three years serving in Ephesus, and we can see in Acts 20 at his last meeting with the Ephesians elders his tender care and love for them. The difficulty of the problem is compounded by the textual variant in Ephesians 1:1, with in Ephesus being absent from the best manuscripts.12 Thus, some argue, Paul did not write this letter to the Ephesians, but intended it as a circular letter to be read by all the churches. While deciding whether the in Ephesus reading is original or not is beyond the scope of this paper and ability of this writer, a few observations can be repeated in support of this reading. First, there is no other reading than in Ephesus. If it was left blank, as some suppose, to be filled in by the respective church that the copy belonged to, we would expect to find manuscripts with other names filled in, which we do not. Marcion had apparently changed the title to To the Laodiceans, but did not do so for textual reasons and he only changed the title, not the text. This would seem to be a strange practice anyway, asking people to add their location to the word of God, and probably also forgets that these copies were not mass-produced, like a form with blanks to fill in, but were hand-copied one at a time. Second, with the exception of Marcion, the title has always been To the Ephesians. Hiebert argues that, though the title was not inspired, the tradition for the received title . . . reaches back to about seventy years or so of the actual

11 12

Hiebert, The Pauline Epistles, 253. Carson and Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 488.

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time of its composition.13 So, it should not be dismissed flippantly. Third, Paul's comments in 1:15 and 6:21-22 seem to be directed toward a specific group of people. Fourth, it is observed that personal greetings are not the best measure of whether or not Paul knew the congregation he is writing to; they are found the most in Romans, a church which Paul had never been to, and they are absent from Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Thessalonians, churches with which Paul was intimately involved. The traditional view that Ephesus was the intended recipient of the letter seems to be the best. It is the simplest and provides no great difficulties. Paul sent it to them with the intent that it would be generally applicable to a larger group and thus omitted personal references. Surely he had the same thing in mind for other epistles which were more personal and directed toward specific locations. Galatians, though written on a crisis occasion, surely has a very broad application to the whole church. We need not deem the letter circular to conclude it had a wide readership. Ephesians, having no particular occasion or purpose, but being a letter of general instruction, lacks such personal marks, but it was written to a church he cared much for, knowing and intending others would benefit as well. Date and Location Paul mentions three times that he is a prisoner. (3:1, 4:1, 6:20) Tychicus was to bear both this letter and Colossians to their destinations (Col 4:7-8; Eph 6:21-22), and thus were likely written at the same time. Ephesians, then, is among the Prison Epistles, written during his first Roman imprisonment, which Hiebert dates at the summer of AD 62. 14 Occasion13 14

Hiebert, The Pauline Epistles, 260. Ibid., 265.

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There is no indicated occasion for the writing of Ephesians. It seems as though Paul simply chose to write it! Anything beyond this is speculation. Hiebert, however, offers an insightful suggestion. He suggests that Paul first wrote Colossians, which quite clearly is a response to false teaching. Colossians was a crisis epistle to solve an urgent problem. As Paul was thinking and writing on these topics, he chose to expand upon them in the letter to the Ephesians. The Colossian conflict revealed to Paul the need for a fuller statement of God's program for the universe as it centers in Christ in His relationship to the Church.15 Carson and Moo seem to hint at a similar thought in saying, Ephesians is not so much a copy of parts of Colossians as a development of it.16 Purpose Just as the occasion is unknown so is the purpose unknown. The only purpose we can know for certain is to teach. Ephesians is meant to teach truth and to apply that truth to life. Themes As stated in the introduction above, the main themes are unity in the church and the related cosmic reconciliation which were accomplished in Christ. Truly these two are but one theme. According to O'Brien, it first emerges in Ephesians 1:9-10. It is the primary subject in 2:11-22, and 3:1-13. The force of the therefore in 4:1 is founded on the deep instruction on the church's fundamental and essential unity in the first half of the book, and it is no coincidence that Paul begins his exhortation with an exhortation to unity. Because of the cosmic reconciliation we have in Christ as the universal church, let us be sure to know maintain this unity in the local church.15 16

Ibid. Carson and Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 481.

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Yet, when F. F. Bruce can say that Ephesians is the quintessence of Paulinism, we must realize we are dealing here with generalizations. 17 There is indeed much theology in this book. This one theme picked out is an attempt to capture the whole in its essence. Outline I. II. a) b) c) d) e) f) III. a) b) c) d) e) f) IV. a)17

Salutation (1:1-2) The Basis of Unity (1:3-3:21) Praise for the Divine plan of salvation (1:3-14) Prayer for understanding (1:15-23) Individual reconciliation by grace (2:1-10) Corporate reconciliation in the one new body (2:11-22) Explanation of the mystery's relation to the church (3:1-13) Prayer for growth (3:14-21) The Practice of Unity (4:1-6:22) The call to walk in unity (4:1-6) Unity by the exercise of gifts (4:1-16) Unity by distinction from Gentiles (4:17-32) Unity by a forgiving love and an exposing light (5:1-14) Unity by the Spirit's filling (5:15-6:9) Unity by standing strong against the powers (6:10-20) Conclusion (6:21-24) Closing words (6:21-22)

F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984), 229.

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b)

Benediction (6:23-24)

Context of Ephesians 1:8-10 Ephesians 1:8-10 falls in introductory praise section and serves as that section's climax: praise for the Divine plan of salvation, not only in its parts but as a whole, and not only for the present experience of it, but for its future consummation. Diagram

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Grammatical and Lexical Analysis8

, , 9

, 10 , , . Ephesians 1:8 . Genitive of attraction from the accusative case (attracted to its antecedent ), as the direct object of the verb . 18 It is usually the accusative case that is assimilated into another oblique case. Thus the accusative may be attracted into the genitive. 19 What God lavished upon us is the grace spoken of in verse 7the grace of redemption by Jesus' blood. . Constative aorist. Describes the action in summary fashion.20 . Basic idea of involving extension toward a goal/place. He lavished his grace in our direction, toward us. [syn] . To what does this prepositional phrase refer? And how is being used here? View 1: God's own wisdom in acting Pro 1: This definition for seems natural as an indicator of manner. (i.e. marker denoting kind and manner, esp. functioning as an auxiliary in periphrasis for adverbs21)18

Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002),

210. A. T Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, 3rd ed. (New York: Hodder & Stoughton, George H. Doran company, 1919), 716. He references this verse as an example. Daniel B Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 557.20 19

10

-

Con 1: Hoehner: The use of with an anarthrous abstract would be unfitting of God's wisdom (connotes every kind of wisdom of God), which could imply that God's wisdom is incomplete.22

View 2: The wisdom he imparts to believers Pro 1: Context is about believers coming to know God's mystery, thus requiring wisdom and insight.23 Pro 2: In verse 17 he prays that they may be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation.24 Pro 3: Col 1:9 could be a parallel passage where he prays that they may be filled with these gifts. 25 Con 1: This takes an uncommon view of : along with. (Bruce calls this the comitative use.26) Conclusion: View 2 has better contextual support. (Though the use of is less common, this seems acceptable due to the elastic nature of this preposition, of which BDAG gives the disclaimer, a strictly systematic treatment is impossible.) When God caused his grace to abound toward us, so also did he abound wisdom and insight toward us that we might understand the mystery of which Paul turns to next. Ephesians 1:9Frederick W Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. "", #11.22 23 24 25 26 21

Hoehner, Ephesians, 212. Ibid. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, 260. Ibid. Ibid., 260n67.

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. Aorist participle connected to aorist main verb, thus signifying contemporaneous action not antecedent action. But when the aorist participle is related to an aorist main verb, the participle will often be contemporaneous (or simultaneous) to the action of the main verb.27 [syn] What is the exact adverbial use of this participle? View 1: Temporal participle only Con 1: Temporal participle is the default bucket category for all participles which cannot otherwise be categorized. If possible, find a more specific category. 28 View 2: Participle of means The participle of means defines or explains the action of the controlling verb. 29 God lavished his grace on us by means of making known to us the mystery of his will. Pro 1: It makes sense, especially taken in a more epexegetical sense, defining the lavishing of grace by the making known of the mystery. 30 Conclusion: View 2. God lavished his grace upon us along with wisdom and insight, in that he made known to us the mystery of his will. Said another way, God made known the mystery of his will to us, and in so doing he lavished grace on us. Note the close connection that is made with the events of Christ's life. The lavishing of grace toward us in Christ's work on the cross is the lavishing of grace in making known the mystery. The revelation of the mystery of God's plan of salvation in Christ is objectively revealed in the cross. O'Brien comments, . . . it is through Jesus' saving work that the revelation27 28 29 30

Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 624. Ibid. Ibid., 629. Ibid.

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of the mystery's content has come about (1:7-9). . .31 See also below on . This observation will influence our decision on . . [lex] What does this word mean? Common definition: Something once hidden and now revealed, a secret now open. In this sense it is applied to the Divine plan of redemption as a whole. 32 BDAG provides something similar: The unmanifested or private counsel of God.33 Saucy provides an in-depth study of the various origins and uses of this word.34 The earliest known usage was as a Greek religious term denoting secret rites or teachings known only to the initiates.35 The Jewish apocalyptic writings, beginning with Daniel, refer to mysteries as God's counsels destined finally to be disclosed. 36 Dan. uses the word in a very definite theological sense, that of 'eschatological secret,' the vision of what God has decreed shall take place in the future (Dan 2:28).37 It is now generally agreed that the NT usage is to be found in the Semitic meaning, rather than the Greek mystery religions. 38 Thus the basic idea of a 'secret'something which had previously been hidden, but now is made knownhas come to be the generally accepted meaning of the term 'mystery' in the31 32 33 34

O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, 114. W. Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Greek Testament (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1897), 258. Danker, BDAG, s.v. "".

Robert L. Saucy, The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism: The Interface Between Dispensational & Non-Dispensational Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993), 145-153.35 36

Ibid., 145.

Gerhard Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1964), 4:816. Colin Brown, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology for Macintosh (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Interactive, 1999), s.v. "", OT 2.38 37

Saucy, Progressive Dispensationalism, 146.

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New Testament.39 He goes on to say there are three basic types of mysteries found in the NT: 1) hidden meaning found in symbols and types, 2) divine secrets conveyed to designated persons, and 3) the divine plan of salvation now revealed in Christ. 40 We will limit our discussion here to type (3). Further, there are two kinds of hiddenness and revelation with regard to the third type of mystery above. 1) Something may be called a mystery if its truth has never been the subject of objective revelation.41 An example of this type of mystery is 1Co 15:51. 2) Something may be called a mystery, and thus hidden, in the sense that its truth has not yet been realized. 42 This second type of hiddenness entails two dimensions: a) it has not yet been realized in God's historical plan of salvation; b) even when it came about in history, the Spirit must enlighten the heart to see and understand.43 (cf. Matt 13:16-17) This is against the traditional dispensational view that mystery means not only that it hadn't been realized in history, but that there was absolutely no revelation about it prior to its realization in history. When we see the broad use of mystery, however, we see that some aspects about it were prophesied about in the OT. Romans 16:25-26 is particularly difficult for this view of the mystery, since it cannot explain how the mystery might be manifested and made known through the Scriptures of the prophets! The hiddenness does not mean it was unknown completely, but that it had not happened yet, and what had been made known was not understood

39 40 41 42 43

Ibid. Ibid., 147. Ibid., 148. Ibid., 150. Ibid., 151.

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or realized. This is not to do away with the whole system of dispensationalism, but simply to modify it in better accord with the biblical text. In the broadest sense, then, the word mystery is used in the NT to refer to the Divine plan of redemption as a whole. It is a mystery in the sense that, until the coming of Christ, the plan was prophesied about, but it was not yet actualized, nor was it understood fully. The events of Christ's life, death, resurrection and ascension revealed this mystery in one sense. We have seen this above already. But still, many did not understand this and so they killed and rejected Christ. (1Co 2:7-8) It took still a further revelation to the holy apostles and prophets (Eph 3:5) in order to understand its meaning and the full implications of it. Therefore, when Ephesians 3:6 defines the mystery as the Gentiles' full participation in Messianic salvation on equal footing with the Jews, equal members of one body, it must be understood that this is not the entirety of the mystery. It is one aspect of it, or rather, a major implication of it for the present time, but it is not the entirety of it. Ephesians 3:6 is the present outworking of the mystery in the church. Thus, Saucy says, the present working of mystery in Ephesians 3 in the constitution of the church is the initial stage in the realization of the divine plan of salvation in Christ, which is the comprehensive mystery of God. 44 If the present union of Jew and Gentile in the church is the present outworking and not the final fulfillment of the mystery, what is the final stage / full realization of the mystery? What is the end of the divine plan of salvation? Eph 1:10 provides the answer, with also a reference to the mystery: a full, comprehensive, overarching unity in Christ of all things, i.e. not just the church. It is clear, then, how the words mystery in 1:10 and 3:6 are connected, and why Saucy

44

Ibid., 166.

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can call 3:6 the initial stagebecause 1:10 is the culmination and the universal extension of what is now being actualized in the church. This connection between these two uses of is crucial to understanding both this passage and the message of Ephesians. . Objective Genitive.45 The mystery is what he willed. Some say genitive of apposition, but likely not so. does not define a general category which particularizes or explains. . Possessive Genitive. It is God's will. . Connected to . A marker of norm of similarity or homogeneity and further, to introduce the norm which governs someth.46 It is God's which provides the standard and governs the apportioning of wisdom and making known of the mystery when his grace was lavished on us. . [lex] Good pleasure or gracious will? Does it emphasize his will / intent? Or does it emphasize his pleasure / favor? Something to note: is not a classical word. It is almost completely restricted to Jewish and Christian literature, and occurs for the first time in the Greek Bible. 47 This gives strong precedence to the Hebrew original and the OT data in general. According to NIDNTT, in the OT this underlying Hebrew word often translated into denotes a passionate and positive volition. 48 He says later, In Eph. 1:5, 9, 11 eudokia

45 46 47 48

Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 258; Hoehner, Ephesians, 214. Danker, BDAG, s.v. "", 5.a. Kittel, TDNT, 2:742. Brown, NIDNTT, s.v. "", OT 1.a.

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is synonymous with thelema or boule, will, and prothesis, design, plan, purpose. . . . God's free grace is the central point of the statements.49 According to TDNT, it has a two-pronged meaning: a) God's grace or favor, b) God's will; or again, a) divine good pleasure, or b) divine ordination or resolve. 50 In Pauline literature, TDNT concludes, It is more than the determinate will and counsel as such. It is the content of this counsel as the free good-pleasure which, grounded in God alone and influenced by none else, is His gracious resolution to save. And, In all the descriptions of the divine will, the strongest expression is found in .51 Spicq, commenting on verse 5, says, The emphasis is not so much on lovealthough that is the supreme explanationas on the absolute freedom of the divine decision.52 In all these descriptions, there is a recurring emphasis that this word refers to a decision or plan of God which is both 1) free and 2) something he takes much pleasure in. It speaks of the will or plan of God in such a way so as to emphasize God's self-determining liberty to do his desire, that the Lord does what he pleases. (cf. Psa 135:6) Suggested (dynamic) translation: pleasureful will / passionate resolve What exactly is the content of his ? What did he take pleasure in? It was God's free and sovereign pleasure to make known the mystery because it was this sovereign pleasure that governed the making known of the mystery (see above). Thus, he is pleased in, and thereby planned, both a) the mystery itself, and b) the making known of it.

49 50 51 52

Ibid., s.v. "", NT 3.d. Kittel, TDNT, 2:743. Ibid., 2:747. Ceslas Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 1994), s.v.

"".

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. Relative pronoun; refers back to , functions as the direct object of . Hendriksen says this clause further defines this good pleasure. 53 This relative clause offers a further explanation of what God's is: it is that which God resolved upon. . [lex] Does this mean purpose or display? View 1: God purposed or planned his Pro 1: Fits usage of BDAG for this category (middle voice, has infinitive following) Pro 2: Fits Eph 1:3-14 context with all its emphasis (with -- words) on God's eternal counsel, especially so in verses 8-10. Pro 3: Romans 1:13 provides a better parallel syntactically than does Rom 3:25 (the two other uses of the term), and thus the meaning here is more likely to be that of Rom 1:13 than of Rom 3:25. Pro 4: The noun form (in Paul) refers to the primal decision of God whereby the saving event in Christ and the resultant way of the community to eschatological glorifying are established and set in motion. 54 This seems to be the more dominant usage. View 2: God displayed / set forth publicly his Pro 1: The context does seem to indicate that the content of the mystery was in part revealed in Christ himself. (cf. comment below on and comment above on )

William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Ephesians (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1967), 85.54

53

Kittel, TDNT, 8:166.

18

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Con 1: most likely not referring to God's pleasure / favor, but has strong overtones of purpose and intent, the meaning being not that God is letting us in on his plan, but is actually effecting his plan.

-

Con 2: It seems more connected with what follows that God purposed the unveiling of the mystery rather than to say that he publicly displayed his favor. The former is effectual, bringing about the future administration spoken of in v. 10.

Conclusion: View 1. To borrow Lincoln's words, this refers to God's eternal intent and pretemporal resolve.55 God made known to us the mystery of his will, and this making known was governed by his free good pleasure, his sovereign will, which he resolved upon a long time ago in Christ. If it sounds strange to purpose a good pleasure, then let it be remembered what the good pleasure in this context is. The good pleasure of God was to make known the mystery. So, to say God purposed his is virtually equivalent to saying God purposed the making known of the mystery. To sum up: 1) God decreed a plan of salvation (i.e. the mystery); 2) God planned [] to make known the mystery; 3) God was pleased to do so, which pleasure can include both (1) and (2). . in Christ. He purposed the making known of the mystery in Christ. To say God purposed in Christ to make the mystery known is almost equivalent to saying he made known the mystery in Christ. See comment by O'Brien above on it was largely in the events of Christ's life that this revelation took place. This fits well with Saucy's analysis of the meaning of

55

Andrew T. Lincoln, Ephesians, Word Biblical Commentary 42 (Dallas Tex.: Word Books, 1990), 31.

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, that it largely means hidden in the sense of not having been realized yet and does not necessarily mean something completely unknown. In these words, we see that the administration which is the goal of the mystery has already begun in some sense (Christ having come), but is nonetheless essentially a future administration. Ephesians 1:10 . What is the meaning of here? View 1: Temporal (at / in) Pro 1: The prepositional phrase includes a time phrase (the fullness of the times) Con 1: The time phrase is modifying , which is more properly the object of the preposition. View 2: Purpose (for / unto) Pro 1: It is preceded by a series of verbs on purpose, and is directly connected to , which is likely to be understood as expressing purpose. (Hoehner, however, sees this as redundancy. 56) View 3: Reference (with reference to) Con 1: Too general and undefined, with more specific options available. Seems almost to be semantically equivalent to the temporal use. Conclusion: View 2 fits best with the context so heavily emphasizing God's purpose without having yet said what the purpose is. The clause finally tells us what that purpose is. [syn] To what is connected?

56

Hoehner, Ephesians, 217.

20

It is connected to in v. 9. God purposed his good pleasure (i.e. the making known of the mystery) unto / for the . However, based on comments above, we can again see how similar this is to viewing the as connected to . The goal of the decision to make known the mystery is the same as the goal of the making known of the mystery. We might even be able to take it one step further: the goal of making known the mystery is the actual effecting of the mystery. Thus, in telling us the goal of making known the mystery, we are also getting a glimpse into what the content of the mystery is. The goal of making known the mystery is an . He made known the mystery for an during the fullness of the times, to which we proceed next. . [lex] What does this word mean? View 1: Plan of salvation57 BDAG strongly claims, Also in the linguistically difficult passage 1:10 . certainly refers to the plan of salvation which God is bringing to reality through Christ, in the fullness of the times. 58 Con 1: O'Brien says this is a technical meaning it has in the second century. 59

View 2: Activity of an administrator. Spicq provides an excellent survey of first-century usage. It refers to the activity and work of an (steward), who had a considerable amount of freedom and power in discharging his duties of household management. In the first century,57 58 59

Kittel, TDNT, 5:152; Brown, NIDNTT, s.v. "", NT 2. Danker, BDAG, s.v. "", 2.b. O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, 113; cf. also Lincoln, Ephesians, 32.

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oikonomia means the management of a household (oikos), the administration of a city (polis), the running of the world (kosmos), and, in a religious sense, the governing of the universe by God.60 O'Brien says it means God's 'ordering, arranging or implementing' the mystery, his secret purpose.61 He quotes Robinson in saying it refers to the manner in which [i.e. not the content of] the purpose of God is being worked out in human history.62 Likewise, Lightfoot calls it the system or method of administration. 63 Conclusion: View 2. All the lexicons / dictionaries are behind one view and all the commentators are behind the other! However, relevant data seems to be lacking for view 1, and view 2 seems to have better support and make better sense. God planned the revealing of the mystery for the purpose of a future arrangement. The NIV's rendering to be put into effect seems too loose a rendering and it obscures part of the meaning. It leaves out the possibility of a progressive actualization of the mystery, in part now in the church, and fully in the future in the whole cosmos. It should not be thought of as unto the implementation of the mystery, but rather as, unto an administration, i.e. a new world order and arrangement. . Attributed Genitive describing . It is not just any time but the full time. .

60 61 62

Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, s.v. "". O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, 113.

J. Armitage Robinson, St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, 2nd ed. (London: Macmillan and co., limited, 1928), 145.63

J. B. Lightfoot, Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1957), s.v. Eph 1:10.

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[syn] What use of the genitive? View 1: Genitive of time. Indicates the time during which the administration will happen. Pro 1: The word tends toward this view since it is a word of time

View 2: Objective Genitive. Indicates what is being administered: the times themselves. God is ordering and setting when the fullness of time will be. 64 Pro 1: The word is a verbal noun which usually leads to a verbal genitive. 65 Con 1: It seems better to say the times are fixed (i.e. in the past) instead of being managed / arranged (i.e. in the present or future). (cf. Acts 1:7) Con 2: The following context seems to explain better what the content of this administration is better than fullness of times does. Conclusion: View 1. The time during which is the fullness of the times. [lex] When is the fullness of the times? View 1: The present gospel age Pro 1: This seems to find parallel in passages like Mark 1:15 and Gal 4:4 Con 1: Gal 4:4 might not be a good parallel as it might seem at first glance. 1) It has not . 2) It has a singular and here we have a plural. When these two observations are taken together we may conclude that, It seems that in Galatians the

Lincoln, Ephesians, 32. That is, if I have interpreted him correctly. He says "That which is being administered is, literally, the fullness of the times.". Richard A. Young, Intermediate New Testament Greek: A Linguistic and Exegetical Approach (Nashville, Tenn: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 29.65

64

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fullness of time speaks of a particular point of time in history. . . . In Ephesians the plural appears to point to the fullness or totality of the times or epochs of history. 66 View 2: The future consummation at the return of Christ Pro 1: Ephesians does not have a completely realized eschatology. 67 o The near context of 1:21 which has a very realized view of the cosmos, still speaks of the age to come o Evil angelic powers still have some control, but that control is limited to now and the evil day (2:2, 6:13) o The present age is still considered evil (5:16) Pro 2: The phrase fullness of the times is apocalyptic terminology. 68

Conclusion: View 2 is preferable. Mark 1:15 is a strong parallel, but the character of the evil age cannot truly be reconciled with the all-encompassing unity spoken about here in 1:10. It just hasn't happened fully yet. . Middle voice. Robertson says it is a causative middle, but that this is not due to the voice, but to the verb itself (--).69 This would mean that the subject has something done for or to himself or herself. 70 This summing up is something God has done for himself. This phrase might point to the cross-work of Christ as the active agent, once more highlighting the objective accomplishment in the events of Christ's life, that the Father might be glorified in the Son.66 67 68

Hoehner, Ephesians, 219. O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, 114n109. Lincoln, Ephesians, 32; O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, 113. cf. Acts 1:7, 1Th 5:1, Dan 2:21, Robertson, Grammar, 809. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 423.

Qumran...69 70

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[lex] What does this word mean? View 1: To bring something to a main point / To sum up.71 It means the summing up and bringing together of the diverse elements of the cosmos in Christ as the focal point. 72 Lightfoot expands on this: Thus the whole compound involves the idea of unity effected out of diversity, and later, Thus the expression implies the entire harmony of the universe, which shall no longer contain alien and discordant elements, but of which all the parts shall find their centre and bond of union in Christ. 73 This word does not have an idea of subjection, but rather of focus. As some mention, there seems also to be implicit the idea of renewal in the process of summing up, but does not appear to be very prominent. Pro 1: This is the standard use of the term (cf. Rom 13:9)

View 2: To subject under Christ as head 74 Pro 1: Ephesians talks about Christ as the head (1:22) Pro 2: To bring the diverse elements into union there must be someone to head it up75 However, being a focal head does not require the idea of subjection involved in head as he means it, and as later references to Christ as mean. Con 1: This word is not derived from (head), but from (main point, summary). It might be argued that comes from , but the

71 72 73 74 75

O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, 111. Lincoln, Ephesians, 33. Lightfoot, Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul, s.v. Eph 1:10. Kittel, TDNT, 3:682. Hoehner, Ephesians, 220.

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fact remains that these words have different meanings. Wherever comes from, it does not mean head and it does not carry the idea of subjection. Con 2: It is precarious to define a word by a different and later context solely on the basis of similar sounding etymologies. 76 Though, one might argue Paul is using a play on words of some sort, which may be true. Con 3: I am suspicious of Hoehner's comment: Hence, all three [unite, head up, renew] elements need to be brought into focus.77 It should mean unite or head up, but not both. This seems to be something like what Barr has called illegitimate totality transfer.78 Conclusion: View 1 is the best attested use. View 2 is claimed as possible, but no evidence is shown to support such a usage. This is speaking of a (renewed) unity out of diversity, an entire harmony centered in Christ. [syn] What type of infinitive is this? One thing is clear about this infinitive is that it is complementary in some sense. Whether we label it as complementary, appositional, or epexegetical, they are all saying the same thing: the infinitive is being used to provide further explication of some other term. The label differs based on whether it is explaining a verb (complementary) or not (appositional or epexegetical, with only a minor difference separating these two). The syntactical question, then, is this: Which word is explaining?

76 77 78

Lincoln, Ephesians, 33. Hoehner, Ephesians, 221.

Walter C Kaiser, Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1981), 142-43; cf. also D. A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies, 2nd ed. (Carlisle, U.K: Paternoster, 1996), 60-61.

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View 1: Appositional to . This explains the content of the mystery. 79 Lincoln argues:In particular it should be recognized that the long prepositional expression

. . . qualifies the aorist participle with its notion of making known themystery and that the formulation beginning with the aorist middle infinitive

, which then follows, is appositional to and explanatory of the earlier .80 Pro 1: The punctuation of the UBS4 has commas surrounding the prepositional expression he mentions, which might indicate it is parenthetical. Pro 2: If the mystery is not defined with these words, then it is not defined at all in this context. (However, see comment above on which argues that the goal of revealing the mystery is, in fact, the mystery itself.) Con 1: There is a large distance in between the two things claimed to be appositional. (However, the punctuation might minimize this objection.) View 2: Appositional to . This explains the content of God's good pleasure. 81 Alford sees a different parenthesis than Lincoln: . . . having been logically parenthetical.82 Con 1: It makes more sense to divide the parenthesis to include the prepositional phrase of which is a part.79 80 81 82

Lincoln, Ephesians, 30; O'Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, 110. Lincoln, Ephesians, 30. Alford takes this view, cited in Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 260. Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, 4th ed. (London: Rivingtons, 1865), 3:76.

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-

Con 2: This view seems to limit the to the contents of the plan, whereas the is pictured in verse 9 as what governs the making known of the mystery. The is the free good pleasure of God which has decided to make his plan known; it is further back, deeper, than this view allows by placing it on the surface.

View 3: Appositional to . This explains what the administration is. 83 Pro 1: The infinitive does seem to describe a type of administration. The system or method by which God is going to manage or order his household in that future day is the summing up all things in Christ. Pro 2: This has the advantages of closest proximity and greatest simplicity.

View 4: Complimentary with . This explains what God purposed; He purposed to sum up all things in Christ.84 Pro 1: fits into the category of words that take a complementary infinitive. Wallace says, The key to this [complementary] infinitive use is the helper verb. 85 Con 1: There is a prepositional phrase separating verb and infinitive complement, which is uncommon for verbal complements. (Though the complement need not always immediately follow, cf. 1Ti 2:12) Con 2: The verb already has a direct object. I have not found any other examples of verbs that take a complement and a direct object, and though it may be possible, it is at least awkward.

83 84 85

Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 260. Hoehner, Ephesians, 216. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 598.

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View 5: Purpose or Result of . The end goal / intended result of this purposing is to sum up all things in him. 86 Pro 1: This is possibly not excluded by the previous views and could be more of a nuance of one of those views rather than being its own view. (Hoehner says, This [complementary] construction borders on purpose.87 Nicoll also adds, It is that [epexegetical] inf., however, in the particular aspect of consequence or contemplated result.88) Con 1: The purpose was already given (possibly) with the clause. It is better to leave the purpose element in the clause and allow the infinitival phrase derive its element of purpose by nature of the fact it is explaining a purpose clause. Conclusion: View 3 seems to keep all the strings in best tension and fit the overall flow of the passage. The administration / new order which is the goal of making known the mystery is the summing up of all things in Christ. The new order which will come about at the fullness of the times is an ordering of all the universe, a complete harmony, with Christ as the focal point. . Probably should be the Christ. Nicoll says, the introduction of the article indicating that the term has its official sense here. . . . The article does not seem to be attached to the term after a prep. unless some special point is in view. 89 As Wallace says, There is no need for the article to be used to make the object of a preposition definite. 90Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, 261-2; Georg Benedikt Winer, A Grammar of the Idioms of the Greek Language of the New Testament (Philadelphia: H. Hooker, 1840), 38.3. Winer says it expresses "the design or object".87 88 89 90 86

Hoehner, Ephesians, 216n2. Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 260. Ibid., 261. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 247.

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. . . Substantiver use of the article. Robertson says the use of the article here is with prepositional phrases. 91 This seems to be Wallace's substantiver category, in which, The article can turn almost any part of speech into a noun. 92 Translation8

, , 9

, 10 , , . . . . which [grace] he caused to abound toward us along with all wisdom and insight, in making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his pleasureful will, which he decided on in Christ, the goal of this being an administration during the fullness of the times, namely, to bring all things into unity in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earthin him. Summary God has decreed a plan of salvation, called here the mystery of his will, which he has now made known. This making known was governed by and in line with his eternal counsel (), his sovereign good pleasure which he resolved upon () in eternity past. The end and goal () of this design (both of the mystery and of making it known) is a new order (), a new administration, which is explained further as the summing up () and uniting of all things in Christ.

91 92

Robertson, Grammar, 766. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, 231.

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When God lavished grace in purchasing our redemption through Jesus' blood, he also made known the mystery to us. Thus it was through the work of Christ that the mystery was manifested and revealed, though it was also revealed by the Spirit (Eph 3:5). The term mystery broadly means God's plan of salvation. This passage reveals that the end goal of this salvation will be a future administration where all things are ordered under and focused around Christ. Ephesians later tells us Christ is himself the head of all things, and will be the head of this new order as well. Ephesians later tells us also that the mystery has direct relevance to the church. It even goes so far as to define the mystery as the union of Jews and Gentiles in one body in the church with equal benefits in salvation (Eph 3:6). It also says that Christ is the head of the church. By connecting these two passages (1:8-10 and 3:6ff.), we can see the central message of the book of Ephesians. Both speak of the mystery, both speak of a unity in Christ, but one of them is current and partial, the other is future and comprehensive. Thus we can see that the present age is the initial stage of the coming reality, and not just that, it is actually the model for the future reality. The new order of the universe has begun already in the church and awaits its final accomplishment at the fullness of the times, decisively so in the millennial kingdom, and eternally so in the new heavens and the new earth. This is what Ephesians is about, A united church as a model for a unified universe.93

93

Thielman, Theology of the New Testament, 407.

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Sermon Outline Title: God's Eternal Plan for the Heavens and the Earth Three facts about God's eternal plan for the heavens and the earth: I. II. III. God has an eternal plan for the heavens and the earth God has chosen to reveal this plan to us because he delights in it God's plan is to unite all things in Christ, and has begun this plan in the church

Application: Live in unity to reflect your identity and the church's destiny Prioritize to make sure your plans are in line with God's plan Take comfort in knowing God is in charge

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BibliographyAlford, Henry. The Greek Testament. 4th ed. London: Rivingtons, 1865. Brown, Colin, ed. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology for Macintosh. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Interactive, 1999. Bruce, F. F. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984. Carson, D. A. Exegetical Fallacies. 2nd ed. Carlisle, U.K: Paternoster, 1996. Carson, D. A., and Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. Danker, Frederick W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1967. Hiebert, D. Edmond. The Pauline Epistles. An Introduction to the New Testament 2. Chicago: Moody Press, 1981. Hoehner, Harold W. Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002. Kaiser, Walter C. Toward an Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1981. Kittel, Gerhard, ed. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 10 vols. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1964. Lightfoot, J. B. Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1957. Lincoln, Andrew T. Ephesians. Word Biblical Commentary 42. Dallas Tex.: Word Books, 1990. Nicoll, W. Robertson, ed. The Expositor's Greek Testament. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1897. O'Brien, Peter T. The Letter to the Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1999. Robertson, A. T. A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research. 3rd ed. New York: Hodder & Stoughton, George H. Doran company, 1919. Robinson, J. Armitage. St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan and co., limited, 1928. Saucy, Robert L. The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism, MI: Zondervan, 1993. Spicq, Ceslas. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. 3 vols. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 1994. Thielman, Frank. Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996. Winer, Georg Benedikt. A Grammar of the Idioms of the Greek Language of the New Testament. Philadelphia: H. Hooker, 1840. Young, Richard A. Intermediate New Testament Greek: A Linguistic and Exegetical Approach. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman & Holman, 1994. 33