A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ephesians 9781472555991

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ESSAY I THE CHURCH A. Wikenhanser, Die Kirche als der mystische Leib Christi nach dem Apostel Paulus, Munster, 1937; G. Eichholz, 'Der Ursprung der Kirche', EvT (1937) 255-75; Thornton, Common Life; N. A. Dahl, Das Yolk Gottes, Oslo, 1941; G. Johnston, The Doctrine of the Church in the New Testament, Cambridge, 1943; L. Malevez, 'L'Eglise, corps du Christ: sens et provenance de l'expression chez Saint Paul', RSR 32 (1944) 27-94; J. Bover, '''In aedificationem corporis Christi": Eph 4.12', Es,tudios Biblicos 3 (1944) 313-42; Hanson; L. Cerfaux, La Theologie de I'Eglise suivant saint Paul, Paris, 1948; Schlier and Wamach; O. Perels, 'Kirche und Welt nach dem Epheser- und Kolosserbrief', TLZ 76 (1951) 391-400; Best, One Body; H. Schlier, 'Die Kirche nach dem Brief an die Epheser' and 'Die Einheit der Kirche im Denken des Apostels Paulus' in Schlier, Die Zeit der Kirche,

Freiburg i. Br., 1956, 159-86, 287-99; P. Benoit, 'Corps, tete et plerome dans les Epit:res de la captivite, RB 63 (1956) 5-44; S. F. B. Bedale, 'The Theology of the Church' in Cross, Studies, 64-75; K. Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.2, Edinburgh, 1958, 614-41; C. Keams, 'The Church the Body of Christ according to St Paul' (Part 3), Irish Ecclesiastical Record 91 (1959) 1-15, 313-27; M. Barth, Israel und die Kirche im Brief des Paulus an die Epheser, Munich, 1959; R. Schnackenburg, 'Gestalt und Wesen der Kirche nach dem Epheserbrief', Catholica 15 (1961) 104-20 (= Schriften zum Neuen Testament, Munich, 1971,268-87); P. S. Minear, Images of the Church in the New Testament, London, 1961; B. M. Ahem, 'The Christian's Union with the Body of Christ in Cor, Gal, and Rom', CBQ 23 (1961) 199-209; E. Schweizer, 'The Church as the Missionary Body of Christ', NTS 8 (196112) 1-11; M. Barth, 'The Church according to the Epistle to the Ephesians', The Ecumenical Dialogue at Cornell, Sept 60-Sept 62, 7-49; id. 'Conversion and Conversation. Israel and the Church in Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians', Int 17 (1963) 3-24; C. F. Mooney, 'Paul's Vision of the Chursh in "Ephesians"', Ser 15 (1963) 33-43; Roels; P. Benoit, 'L'unite de l'Eglise selon l'epit:re aux EpMsiens', AnBib 17-18, Rome, 1963, I, 57-77; P.-A. Harle, 'Le Saint-Esprit et l'Eglise chez saint Paul', VCaro, 19 (1965) 13-29; LOwe; R. Schnackenburg, The Church in the New Testament, New York, 1965; H. Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology (E1'), Gray.d Rapids, 1975 (originally 1966), 327-95, 429-86; P. Benoit, 'L'Eglise corps du Christ', Populus Dei. II Ecclesia (FS A. Ottaviani), Rome, 1969,971-1028; N. Koulomzine, 'Images of the Church in Saint Paul's Epistles', St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 14 (1970) 5-27; J. Gnilka, 'Das Kirchenmodell des Epheserbriefes', BZ 15 (1971) 161-84; I. H. Marshall, 'The Biblical Use of the Word "Ekklesia"', ExpT 84 (1972-3) 359-64; J. L. Houlden, 'Christ and Church in Ephesians', SE 6 (=TU 112) 267-73; J. Ernst, 'From the Local Community to the Great

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ESSAY I

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Church', BTB 6 (1976) 237-57; K. Berger, 'Volkversammlung und Gemeinde Gottes', ZTK73 (1976) 167-207; C. F. D. Moule, The Origin of Christology, Cambridge, 1977, 69-89; K. Kertelge, 'Offene Fragen zum Thema "Geistliches Amt" und das neutestamentliche Verstiindnis von der "Repraesentatio Christi" " Die Kirche des Anfangs (FS H. Schiirmann, ed.. R. Schnackenburg, J. Ernst, J. Wanke), Leipzig, 1978, 583-605; R. Schnackenburg, 'L'idee de "Corps du Christ" dans la lettre aux Ephesiens; perspective pour notre temps', Paul de Tarse. Apotre du notre temps (ed. L. De Lorenzi), Rome, 1979,665-85; R. Banks, Paul's Idea of Community, Exeter, 1980; J. Gnilka, 'Das Akkulturationsproblem nach dem Epheserund Kolosserbrief', Fede e cultura alta luce della Bibbia (ed. 1. D. Barthelemy), Turin, 1981, 235-47; R. Y. K. Fung, 'Some Pauline Pictures of the Church', EvQ 53 (1981) 89-107; D. Guthrie, New Testament Theology, Leicester, 1981, 742ff; T. G. Allen; Schnackenburg,,293-31O, ~21-31; F. Grob, 'L'image du corps et de la tete dans l'Epitre aux Ephesiens', ETR 58 (1983) 491-500; C. van Engen, 'The Holy Catholic Church - on the Road through Ephesians', RejR 37 (1984) 187-201; E. P. Clowney, 'Interpreting the Biblical Models of the Church', Biblical Interpretation of the Church (ed. D. A. Carson), Exeter, 1984, 64-109; F. Mussner, 'Was ist die Kirche?', and F. Schroger, 'Zur kosmischen Ekklesiologie des Epheserbriefes', both in Diener in Eurer Mitte (FS Antonius Hofmann), Passau, 1984, 82-90 and 110-23; J. L. Breed, 'The Church as the "Body of Christ": A Pauline Analogy', Theology Review (NEST) 6 (1985) 9-32; F.-J. Steinmetz, 'Jenseits der Mauem und Zaune', GuL 59 (1986) 202-14; Reynier, 112-24, 173-94; G. L. O. R. Yorke, The Church as the Body of Christ in the Pauline Corpus - A Re-examination, Lanhan, 1991; B. Prete, 'L'ecclesiologia della Lettera agli Efesini', Saccra Doctrina 37 (1992) 133-95; J. Roloff, Die Kirche im Neuen Testament, Gottingen, 1993,222-49; Schrnithals, 155-81; A. Lindemann, 'Die Kirche als Leib', ZTK 92 (1995) 140ff.

1.1. The rise of the ecumenical movement has led in recent years to a deeper study of the teaching on the church in Ephesians. It is not inappropriate then to summarise that teaching. Many commentators indeed hold this to be the central theme of the letter. The word f,t'X.A'IlOia is used more regularly in it (nine times) in proportion to its size than in any of the other Paulines, with the possible exception of 1 Corinthians (twenty-two times). In secular Greek the word indicates an assembly and in the LXX it is applied to Israel as the people of God. Judaism used two words, E'X.'X.A'IlOLa and ouvaYffiY~, either of which the Christians might have applied to their groups; they chose the former, perhaps because the Jews already used the latter of their gatherings. The Christians used their word in three ways referring to (a) the local Christian community in a town, (b) Christian gatherings in a house, (c) the whole group of Christians in all parts of the world. 1.2. The discussion of the nature of the church may be approached from either the sociological angle or the theological. To adopt the former would lead to an examination inter alia of the church in

ESSAY II MORAL TEACHING

L. H. Marshall, The Challenge of New Testament Ethics, London, 1947, 217ff; M. S. Enslin, The Ethics of Paul, Nashville, 1957; W. Lillie, Studies in New Testament Ethics, Edinburgh, 1961; V. P. Furnish, Theology and Ethics in Paul, Nashville, 1968; J. L. Houlden, Ethics and the New Testament, Hannondsworth, 1973,231-44; Fischer, 147-72; J. T. Sanders, Ethics in the New Testament, London, 1975, 68-81; Halter, 227-86, 384-409; G. Strecker, 'Strukturen einer neutestamentlichen Ethik:', ZTK 75 (1978), 117-46; J. Gnilka, 'Das Akkulturationsproblem nach dem Epheserund Kolosserbrief', Fede e cultura aUa luce della Bibbia (ed. J. D. Barthelemy), Turin, 1981, 235-47; W. Schrage, Ethik des Neuen Testaments, Gottingen, 1982; K. Miiller, 'Die Haustafel des Kolosserbriefes und das antike Frauenthema. Eine kritische Riickschau auf alte Ergebnisse', Die Frau im Urchristentum (ed. G. Dautzenberg, H. Merldein, K. Miiller), Freiburg, Basel, Vienna, 1983; R. N. Longenecker, New Testament Social Ethics for Today, Grand Rapids, 1984; R. Schnackenburg, Die sittliche BotschaJt des Neuen Testaments, Freiburg, Basel, Vienna (2nd edn), 1986, vol. 2, 84-95; S. Schulz, Neutestamentliche Ethik, ZUrich, 1987, 571-88; MacDonald, 86ff; U. Luz, 'Uberlegungen zum Epheserbrief und seiner Pariinese', Neues Testament und Ethik (FS R. Schnackenburg, ed. H. Merldein), Freiburg, Basel, Vienna, 1989, 376-96; E. Lohse, Theological Ethics of the New Testament, Minneapolis, 1991, 146ff; Best, 'Types of Existence'.

1. AE sets out his moral teaching no more systematically than any other NT writer. While the ethical teaching of many sections of other letters is generally, but not always, clearly determined by the situation of their readers as a response to their particular problems, it is difficult to discern the particular situation, if any, to which AE was responding. Yet, while the sequences of injunctions in Rom 12.9ff and 1 Th 5. 14ff are difficult to tie in with the main themes of those letters, the apparently similarly haphazard sequence of Eph 4.25-5.2 does go along with the letter's central theological message concerning the nature and unity of the church, and the same is true of almost all the remaining moral teaching in the letter. The sequence of Mk 9.33-50 is held together by catchwords because it was originally oral teaching; Eph 4.25-5.2 is held together by its content relating to life within the church. If the paraenesis of Ephesians cannot easily be related to the particular situations of its intended readers, this accords with the general nature of the letter. 642