Ephesians: Expressing the Center of All Pauline Theology (Week 10 Handout 1) PDF

EPHESIANS: EXPRESSING OF THE CENTER OF ALL PAULINE THEOLOGY(!) (WK 10, HANDOUT 1) Although scholars debate the occasion and purpose of Ephesians (due to debating its authorship and dating), nevertheless careful observation of its internal features (and of its relat...

EPHESIANS: EXPRESSING OF THE CENTER OF ALL PAULINE THEOLOGY(!) (WK 10, HANDOUT 1) Although scholars debate the occasion and purpose of Ephesians (due to debating its authorship and dating), nevertheless careful observation of its internal features (and of its relationship to Colossians) reveals how this document wants to be interpreted. Ephesians was written by Paul at the same time as Philem-Col. It is an encyclical letter, meant to travel the Lycus Valley in an effort to protect the regional churches from the various ways in which they were threatened by the Colossian syncretistic heresy. Paul articulates how believers reign supreme with Christ over anti-Kingdom spiritual forces, which is evident in how believers prove the gospel true in their being God’s christocentric, eschatologically restored and unified humanity; therefore, Paul instructs, his audience are now to live in light of those truths. Contents: Critical Issues (esp. authorship) Literary Structure and Content Themes and Theology Reference: Extra Detail Regarding Authorship Debate I. Critical Issues BOTTOM LINE: Paul did write Ephesians; not just to the saints in Ephesus, but to the churches along the Lycus Valley; and wrote as an inoculation against the Colossian heresy that threatened to spread among communities of faith in the region A. authorship (cf. author’s first-person sg reference throughout, and self-identifies as Paul in 1:1; 3:8—but no indication of familiarity with a single, specific audience) 1. relative importance of the authorship debate author a. no matter what, even if the was not Paul himself, then was still a Paulinist—Paul’s earliest and first interpreter (cf. acceptance of Hebrews into the NT canon) ! like Colossians, unquestionably Pauline (even if deutero-Pauline/inauthentic) b. however, the earliest Christians did not knowingly accept pseudepigraphical documents – in Late Antiquity, pseudepigraphy was broadly acceptable in cases of clear intent (esp. given a literary intent); e.g. Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs – in general, otherwise seen as problematic and/or invalidating, often being a basis for rejection ! the early church used authorship as one metric for determining authority 2. basic reasons for challenging authentic authorship (see extra reference details, below): a. even more than in Colossians, Eph exhibits arguably un-Pauline literary and compositional style b. different theological emphases than Paul’s supposed standard interests, per the undisputed letters Page 1  – e.g. no mention of righteousization on the basis of trusting God directly in Jesus, vs. on the basis of trust expressed in Torah observance (Gal; Rom—although cf. Eph 2:8b–9) – the apparent intrusion of (over-)realized schatology ! some scholars interpret the absence of an expectation/emphasis of parousia in terms of an author writing after Jesus’ did not return during Paul’s lifetime ***Pause*** B. destination — Eph 1:1 1. the text: To the in-Colossae saints and believing brothers in Christ Col 1:2 τοῖς ἐν Κολοσσαῖς ἁγίοις καὶ πιστοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ To the saints, namely, to those who are [in Ephesus] and believers in Christ Jesus Eph 1:1 τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσιν [ἐν Ἐφέσῳ] καὶ πιστοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ " mss. evidence for Eph 1:1b: ‫ א‬A B D F G, etc.: “…to the saints to those being in Ephesus and believers…” P46 ‫ *א‬B* 6, etc. “…to the saints [to those being] ________ and believers…” 2. mss. evidence is close, but best evidence indicates the second variant is original (the one with the blank) " Ephesians as an encyclical letter: an epistle destined for a variety of locations in the region C. occasion 1. part of the odd writing style is the lack of a distinct body (see below), with little to no reference to occasion ! expected for an encyclical letter, which needs to be general enough to be relevant for multiple audiences 2. correspondences with content of Colossians indicates a correspondence of problems that need address—cf. esp.: – emphases on experienced spiritual oppression (powers and principalities) – christlike ethics (including household codes) D. the parsimonious account for all the data: Ephesians was written 1) by Paul, 2) to the churches in the Lycus Valley region, 3) in response to the threat of a spreading Colossian syncretistic heresy 1. only one author required a. style accounted for by: – Paul using a secretary/amanuensis – and perhaps Paul is teaching and preaching (more than writing, as in Col) b. style and composition (below) makes content more flexible, for multiple destinations c. makes best sense of autobiographical content, esp. Eph 3:1ff. (cf. 6:21ff.) Page 2  d. …and unless a scholar is operating with a hermeneutic of suspicion, it is very difficult to postulate why a later author would write in Paul’s name (! psuedonymity does not add anything to the content itself, esp. if a later unrelated historical setting is in mind) 2. fits the historical context of Philemon (and Colossians) — otherwise, Ephesians becomes nearly impossible to interpret 3. accepted as authentic by the unanimous testimony of early church (! + as per Colossians handout, the survival of Philem virtually requires the authenticity of Eph) 4. relevance of encyclical nature for the audience’s reception of content: a. different churches would struggle differently with the problem facing the region (Colossians is more precise/specific, since it only needs to address a single context) b. e.g. the theme of spiritual oppression: perhaps made worse by the Colossian heresy, but not caused by it! " how did the Christian communities in the Lycus Valley variously experience spiritual oppression? " and how does the message in Ephesians provide a practical solutions to their varied experiences? II. Literary Structure and Content of Ephesians A. general structure: 50% Indicative + 50% Imperative 1. Eph 1–3: despite struggling with who you are, this is who you are (! contra Hellenistic assumption that you are how you presently live) 2. chs. 4–6: therefore (4:1), do indeed now live as who you are – 1:1–2: Greetings – 1:3–3:21: ‘Body’ Pt. 1 A. starts with a berakah (= “blessing”): v. 3 “Blessed be God…” (1:3–14) 1. a single, looong, awkward sentence in Greek [! note the use of “us” language throughout = solidarity between author and audience, and meant for all believers] 2. berakah structure: a condensed, threefold, seven-point homily a. triple refrain of praise and glory b. prepositional phrases at the end of each bullet point, which are hinges that echo in the beginning of the next bullet point c. content: a non-exhaustive but overwhelming catalogue of some of God’s gifts to believers Page 3  Diagram: (v. 3) setup: “Blessed be God the father…who blessed us” with a rounded description of the relevant context: a) in Christ b) upon the heavenlies c) with every Spirit-ual blessing, i.e.: " the berakah itself: (v. 4) 1) just as he [God] blessed us in him [Christ? God?], making us holy and sinless…in love (v. 5) 2) in love he [God] chose us ahead of time for adoption-to-sonship…in the beloved one (v. 6) TO PRAISE THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE (vv. 7f.) 3) […the beloved one] in whom we have redemption…that abounds to us in all wisdom and insight (vv. 9f.) 4) in all wisdom and insight he [God] made known to us the mystery…summing up all things in Christ/in him (v. 11) 5) [in him] in whom we have also been called…according to God’s counsel (v. 12) FOR US TO BE…A PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE (v. 13) 6) [in him] in whom we have heard the word –and 7) [in him] in whom, trusting, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (v. 14) FOR THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY. B. NOW the Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:15–19[/23]) 1. letter flow from foregoing catalogue to this Prayer and thanksgiving: – v. 15 “For this reason” (= God’s blessings) + “and I having heard” of the audience’s faith and love – " given those 2 factors: v. 16 “I do not cease giving thanks…when praying” 2. prayer for a Spirit of wisdom and revelation to open “the eyes of your heart” to the super- surpassing riches of God’s glory/inheritance/power C. teaching on who the audience are, despite any possible confusion caused by their present experiences of spiritual oppression (and/or encroaching false teaching): recounting the audience’s story of salvation (1:20–2:22) 1. a hinge between Prayer and Thanksgiving, and what would normally be the start to the letter Body: the relevance of being in Christ for believers who suffer spiritual oppression (1:20–23) a. Paul recounts: God powerfully worked (past tense) through Christ b. christological soteriology: a description of Christ’s surpassing victory and authority: – seated (cf. Pss 8; 110) above all competing anti-Kingdom powers – including any that might oppress the audience (cf. Col 1:14–20) c. not just good for Christ, but for Paul’s audience: believers are seated together with Christ, their head (v.22b–23), so that they are likewise above—not beneath—the powers that they think are able to oppress them! Page 4  2. the audience and Paul’s—really, all believers’—story in salvation (2:1–22) a. first the audience’s redemption history—with an interjection (vv. 1–10) i. the non-Jewish audience’s default status: v. 1 “And you were dead” – cf. shifts between “you” (vv. 1–2, 8–9)… – and “we” = Jews (Paul and others) + non-Jews like the audience (vv. 3–7, 10) ii. Paul interjects: “we” were formerly like “you” iii. now: the audience (along with Paul and all other believes) are all ‘alive-together-with Christ’ (and exalted-together-with and seated-together-with) " vv. 8–10: God’s gift(/“gace”) of making the audience saved-ones, a gift activated on the basis of trust rather than Torah-observance b. the key to all Pauline theology (and pastoral writing): Paul’s non-Jewish audience as a paragon of the restoration of humanity (= the goal of God’s Kingdom, according to the gospel) (vv. 11–22) i. the non-Jews’ former legacy (formerly apart from Israel, Christ, God, etc., vv. 11f.) vs. “but now” as a result of the gospel and in-Christ identity (vv. 13–22) ii. the nations now “brought near” (Isa 57:19||Eph 2:13, 17) iii. the division aspect of the Torah-of-commanments-laden-with-ordinances ! Christ abolished the division aspect and made shalom (vv. 14ff.) – between believers and God – between Jewish and non-Jewish believers, to be jointly God’s people " through his one body, Christ creates them as “one new humanity” what are now Christ’s one body " and they are equally the temple of the Christ’s-and-God’s Spirit, with Christ as the corner- and/or capstone (vv. 21ff.) ! ch. 2 = the way Paul interprets the audience’s experienced identity proves that they are with Christ, above the spiritual forces by which they feel threatened (1:20–23) 3. Paul’s completion of the prayer from 1:15ff., given ch. 2 (3:1 + 14–19[/21]) a. 3:1 “Now, for this reason…” points back to ch. 2: resumes praying that… b. the audience would fully comprehend the truth of their story and christocentric identity, and therefore be able to live it out c. however(!), mention of “prisoner” (v. 1) prompts a digression, lest Paul’s location casts gospel, or on the audience because of their association with Paul and his gospel (= vv. 2–13) " instead: – the gospel is both a grace to Paul (not a prisoner, but a steward); and results in non- Jews like the audience participating in Israel’s heritage (vv. 2–7) Page 5  – Paul brings the gospel to the church (including the audience), who actively defeat the oppressing anti-Kingdom spiritual forces ! the gospel presently allows Paul’s audience to defeat the anti-Kingdom forces whose oppression is part of the letter occasion! – 4:1–6:17: ‘Body’ Pt. 2 A. the theological bases of ethics (= how believers treat/act toward other people, esp. one another): theocentric and christocentric unity (4:1–16) 1. the switch to exhortation (Imperative): “Therefore, I exhort you…walk…” (v. 1) 2. theology for ethics (vv. 1–6) a. a single Spirit requires a single body (vv. 1–3) b. a threefold, seven-point declaration (again) of the triune God’s relational nature as the paradigm for believers’ unity: economic proto-trinitarianism (vv. 4–6): (v. 4) one body ONE SPIRIT one hope of vocational calling(/“election”) (v. 5) ONE LORD/Kyrios one faith one baptism (v. 6) ONE GOD who is Father 3. diverse gifts of the Spirit for the sake of the body’s unity (vv. 7–16) a. the Spirit as the gift of Christ, who descended to this lower earth (competing textual variants) " post-resurrection ascended and returned in Spirit (= Ps 68:18f.) where his presence is his gift to his people (Eph 4:8ff.) b. various gifts (not exhaustive) for the “edification” of the body being “sinewed” together to be the perfect, full, mature body of Christ (vv. 11–16) 4. the ethics of being God’s community of faith: being godly (= christlike), rather than looking like not-Israel (4:17–5:21): – adopting the Colossian syncretism = having futile minds and believing falsehood – leads to not loving our neighbors 5. household code (German label used in scholarship: Haustafel) (5:22–6:9; cf. 3:18–4:1) NB #1: addressing just 4 parties (not 6): – not 3 pairs (husband and wife; father/parents and child; master and slave) – instead, the 1 pater familias (= head of household) and his relationships with the 3 categories of wife, (adult) children, and slaves(/servants) NB #2: Paul’s instructions are radical (almost dangerously unbalancing), given societal constraints: Page 6 – e.g. in second pairing, not just addressing the father, but democratically addressing mother and father (parents) together ! imposes upon Hellenistic norms the biblical value of Exod 20:12 – Paul cannot deconstruct the institution of the pater familias(/patriarchy) (or e.g. slavery) without fatally eroding Graeco-Roman society (and/or being charged as a revolutionary); HOWEVER… – he does push the envelope toward Christian values as far as possible: – most notably: Paul’s household codes are nearly the only ones to place obligations on the pater familias(!) rather than just listing his benefits, let alone in some cases focusing on his obligations a. the controlling grammar of Eph 5:1–21 – v. 1 verbs: imitate God & live in a loving manner ! followed by elaboration (vv. 1–17) – vv. 18–21 (a typical single, run-on sentence): a final, further elaboration – v. 18b controlling verb (Impv): “be filled with the Spirit” " followed by 3 illustrations (Ptc.s): speaking psalms and hymns (v. 19) always giving thanks (v. 20) “submitting to one another in reverence to Christ” (v. 21) " v. 21: a hinge—for the entire household code (vv. 22ff.), each pair of the pater familias + his social inferior are to mutually submit as a result of being Spirit filled (v. 18b) b. wives and husbands(/pater familiases) (5:22–33): – wives: unremarkable, standard Graeco-Roman expectations ! given christlike love, keep doing what is normal & refrain from using newfound freedom to upend familial norms – husbands (counter-culturally more extensive and onerous): a un-head “head” who serves and suffers on behalf c. children and fathers(/pater familiases) (6:1–4): – children: live within the society’s version of family in a biblical manner (with mothers elevated as equal parents with the pater familias) – fathers: prioritize discipleship (rather than e.g. typical familial gain) d. slaves and masters(/pater familiases) (vv. 5–9; for Col 3:18–4:1, picture Onesimus and Philemon in the same room…) – slaves: serve well because they are first Christ’s slave – masters: relate to slaves first and foremost as Christ’s fellow slaves 6. an overall description of believers’ basic identity: replica Yhwh-warriors (Eph 6:10–17) a. Isa 59:15b–21 (cf. 63:1–6): God as the Yhwh warrior Page 7  b. Eph 6:10ff.: Christ = God " Christ as Yhwh-warrior " audience’s christocentric identity (“little Christs”) = audience are little Yhwh-warriors c. victory over the powers = “the schemes of the devil” – 6:18–24: final greetings III. Themes and Theology of Ephesians (just to reiterate) A. the gospel in Christ: the Israelification of humanity 1. God’s goal (cf. 3:6) of having the nations(/“Gentiles”) reconciled with Jewish believers (after both were reconciled to God) 2. " New Creation and the new temple of the Spirit, and the unification of “one new humanity” and their reconciliation to God in Christ B. the defeat of the powers and the truth of the gospel/untruth of the Colossian syncretism (the core occasion of the letter): anti-Kingdom forces are real and potentially oppressive, but all of that happens beneath believers! 1. rejection of a non-Israelite dualistic view of the spiritual realm 2. the “mystery” of Christ: his supremacy and cosmic centrality 3. the audience’s identity as the church and Christ’s body, sharing his victory upon the heavenlies C. rejection of the Colossian syncretism (again): 1. maturity and true wisdom (rather than mere knowledge ! which is incorrect, in any case) 2. the true hidden counsel of God revealed in the mystery of Christ D. ethics and the community of faith: being God’s people means treating people the way God would do in your place—and treating others as God’s images 1. indicative and imperative: what/who you are is what you do; but you are believers even if you are temporarily not “doing” Christ following " be what you are 2. the unity of God, Christ and the Spirit " the unity of Christ’s body united and enlivened by God and Christ’s Spirit 3. household code: the inculturability of the gospel ! a gentle, gradual cultural revolution Page 8 Extra Reference: Further Detail on the Authorship Debate letter format makes evaluating differences from “typical Pauline style more difficult; as listed: – unusual body format (due to occasion) – at the same time, no explicit reference to occasion(s) (because an encyclical) – & textual variants in 1:1b " determining letter purpose from content & interpreting content in terms of provisional purpose becomes a recursive process further factors used in challenging the authenticity of Ephesians: A. arguably un-Pauline style (explicable by use of different amanuensis + approach that is more homiletic than didactic): – numerous run-on sentence, some very long—strung together with lots and lots of Ptc.s (1:3– 14; 1:15–19, etc.) – other syntactical distinctives (e.g. juxtaposition of Ptc.s; or linking Inf.s w/ Ptc.s) – the rhetorical technique of repeating related ideas in the process of developing a motif (e.g. mentioning God’s will, choice, pleasure and intentions in 1:3–11) B. purportedly un- and post-Pauline language: – 51 terms not found in undisputed Paulines – potentially anachronistic terminology (e.g. ungodly, 2:12; foolish, 5:15) – various expressions not found in undisputed Paulines (e.g. “spiritual blessing,” 1:3; “foundation of the world,” 1:4 ; “on the heavenlies,” cf. 12 Cor 5:1; etc., including 1:7, 9, 10, 13, 17; 2:1, 2, 3; 3:11; 4:20, 23; 5:1; 6:12) C. however, the 40 hapax legomena are within length-relative norms for other NT books D. the ongoing question of the relationship to Colossians (which was considered authentic for longer): given similarities, could the author of Ephesians be working from a copy of Col? [! if both are by Paul, then: yes, obviously] E. parallels to the undisputed Paulines ! if a genuine factor, then should that be interpreted as clever pseudepigraphy, or simply as evidence of shared authorship? –Eph 1:10 || Gal 4:4 (fullness of time) –Eph 3:8 || Rom 11:33; 12:3 (riches) –Eph 1:13–14; 4:30 || 2 Cor 1:22; Gal 3:14 (“Spirit of –Eph 4:11 || 1 Cor 12:28 (spiritual gifts lists) promise”) –Eph 4:17–19 || Rom 1:21ff. (Gentile sin lists) –Eph 1:21–22 || 1 Cor 15:24, 27 (subjected powers) –Eph 1:23; 4:4, 12, 16 || 1 Cor 12 (the body of Christ) –Eph 2:18 || Rom 3:24–28; 4:2 (access through Christ) –Eph 5:8, 10 || Rom 12:2 (knowing the Lord’s will) –Eph 2:20–22 || 1 Cor 3:6, 9–12, 16 (temple of Spirit) F. supposed differences in theological focus (however, righteousization on the basis of faith in Gal and Rom is absent in 1–2 Cor…): – focus on being raised with Christ (instead of the historical Jesus and the cross) – some interpreters argue the presence of a new contrast of grace vs. human effort (instead the standard Pauline contrast of grace vs. Torah observance) Page 9  – as mentioned, supposedly over-realized eschatology (focusing more on the anticipated not-yet, less on the already) – uses the term “church”/ekkleseia in reference to the church over a wide region (instead of local congregations—as might be expected in a later era where the church was more institutionalized) finally, a (bad) preemptive attack on the idea that use of an amanuensis explains stylistic quirks while preserving authorial authenticity: – there is no explicit mention of secretary being used + – there is no explicit personal autograph (which Paul does not always do); and no corresponding claim of authenticity via a personal autograph (e.g. change of handwriting for the original ms. of Gal 6:11) Page 10