10.1515@9783110436860-004

3 Μυστήριον and the Deuteropauline MysterySchema of RevelationPart 1 Ephesians and Colossians

31 Introduction

The objectives in this chapter and the next are twofold The first is to continue tomap the use of μυστήριον in the Pauline corpus now in the so-called deutero-pauline letters Many basic features of μυστήριον remain consistent in these let-ters Most notable among these is that μυστήριον now exclusively in the singu-lar repeatedly signals the existence of some previously hidden but newlyrevealed reality Therefore rather than naming sources of incomprehensionμυστήριον continues to identify a recent divine disclosure that while perhapsunforeseen and extraordinary is nonetheless plainly stated and comprehensibleto the Christian to whom it has been revealedsup1 There are some critical differen-ces that emerge as well differences that bind these texts to each other while atthe same time setting them apart from the undisputed letters Most notableamong these is the consistent and emphatic historical configuring of the hid-denrevealed binary and the attendant bifurcation of time into contrastingeras of concealment and disclosure To continue the cartographical metaphorif the map that emerged in the previous chapter could be described as somethinglike a random grouping of assorted locales in a city and so the samples are scat-tered and diverse but share commonalities and are by and large contiguous thepicture that emerges from these disputed letters is more like a single neighbor-hood in that city Hence the new instances coalesce within the previously estab-lished margins but are so densely interconnected with each other that they are

That it is plainly stated and rationally understood does not entail that it is exhaustivelycomprehended or appreciated Even Paul after disclosing the mystery regarding the Gentilesrsquoand Israelrsquos ultimate salvation in Rom remains in wonder ldquoO the depth of the riches andwisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable are his judgments and inscrutable his waysrdquo() As Steven D Boyer ldquoThe Logic of Mysteryrdquo RelS () ndash notes ldquoA reve-lational mysteryhellipcan be known without forfeiting its status as a mystery It may be lsquoknownrsquo butit is never lsquosolvedrsquohellip Instead it is known precisely as a mystery Prior to its being made known itmight not have been a mystery at all it might not have risen even to the status of an lsquoun-answered questionrsquo might not have been the faintest blip on my epistemological radar screenYet when it is revealed it is revealed as a mystery the depths have been discovered and they aresimultaneously discovered to be too deep to penetraterdquo ()

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clearly distinguishable from the previous samples joining together to form a dis-tinct pattern

The second objective of this chapter is to trace the contours and inner work-ings of this new patternwhich is to say to trace the common terms and rule-gov-erned variation that define this deuteropauline mystery discourse As the keycomponents of this pattern emerge it will be important also to consider its rhet-orical and theological effects as well as the comprehensive reconception of his-tory and Godrsquos eternal purposes that it entails This new historical conceptionwill prove critical for the investigation of μυστήριον in subsequent chaptersand for appreciating many early Christian approaches to divine revelation

32 Colossians

In deference to the critical consensus that Colossians was composed prior toEphesians and perhaps even served as its literary model I treat Colossiansfirst even though for current purposes I am uncommitted to Colossianrsquos prioritysup2While agreements and disagreements with Ephesians will be noted I postponeany detailed examination of the significance of the variances with Ephesiansuntil we examine that letter

321 Colossians 124ndash25

The word μυστήριον occurs three times in Col 124ndash25 and is integral to the prin-cipal statements of this portion of the letter Structurally these verses can begrouped into two adjacent sections 124ndash29 and 21ndash5 The first section beginsin v 24 with Paulrsquos expression of joy in suffering on behalf of the church a state-ment further supplemented by a series of relative clauses in vv 25ndash29 In the sec-ond section Paul again refers to his apostolic ἀγών but now by relating his mis-sionary travails to the wellbeing and ongoing fidelity of the churchsup3 Since the

For more on the potential literary dependency of Colossians on the other Pauline letters seeesp Outi Leppauml The Making of Colossians A Study on the Formation and Purpose of a Deutero-Pauline Letter (Publications of the Finnish Exegetical Society Goumlttingen Vandenhoeck amp Ru-precht ) For more detailed and specific proposals regarding the structural organization of these twosections see Jean-Noeumll Aletti Saint Paul Eacutepitre aux Colossiens (EBib Paris Gabalda) ndash John Paul Heil Colossians Encouragement to Walk in All Wisdom as HolyOnes in Christ (SBLECL Atlanta Society of Biblical Literature ) ndash The extend-

70 3 Μυστήριον and the Deuteropauline Mystery Schema of Revelation (Part 1)



various assertions in this passage unfold in tightly connected clauses that mutu-ally inform one another a detailed analysis of the whole is needed

Verse 24 which introduces the first section has become one of the most con-troversial statements in the entire Pauline corpus⁴

νῦν χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασινὑπὲρ ὑμῶν

καὶ ἀνταναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦἐν τῇ σαρκί μουὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ

ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία

Now I rejoice in the sufferings on behalf of you and complete what is lacking from the af-flictions of Christ in my flesh on behalf of his body which is the church

Read in isolation Paulrsquos claim that his own sufferings compensate for some de-ficiency in the afflictions of Christ could be taken as contradicting other clearstatements in Colossians (and the rest of the Pauline corpus as well) regardingthe exclusive sufficiency of Christrsquos passion and death (see esp Col 113ndash22213ndash 14)⁵ Rightly suspicious of such a reading modern scholars frequently im-port ideas foreign to Colossians or even the other Pauline letters in order to avoidit ndash such as a treasury of merit earned by saints and martyrs⁶ or an established

ed chiasm outlined by Heil is convincing but it does not contribute significantly to the interpre-tation of these verses Heilrsquos organization does however exhibit the frequent resumption of lan-guage and themes through ndash and the importance of treating the passage as a whole On the reception history of this verse see the excellent study by Jacob Kremer Was an denLeiden Christi noch mangelt Eine interpretationsgeschichtliche und exegetische Untersuchungzu Kol b (BBB Bonn Peter Hanstein ) The confidence of Philipp Vielhauer Geschichte der urchristlichen Literatur Einleitung in dasNeue Testament die Apokryphen und die Apostolischen Vaumlter (BerlinNew York de Gruyter) on this matter is characteristic of many scholars particularly those who question the in-tegrity of Colossians ldquoDieser Gedanke die lsquoTruumlbsale Christirsquo ndash und dh nichts anderes als seineHeilstat ndash seien unvollstaumlndig und muumlssten durch den Apostel komplettiert werden der Ge-danke vom Apostel als dem Christus prolongatus widerspricht der Kreuzestheologie des Paulusund kann nicht von ihm stammenrdquo () This proposition though frequently voiced is rarely seriously considered in recent scholar-ship For the predictable but now rarely valid Protestant critique of this position see John Cal-vinrsquos commentary on this verse For the debate on this issue among an earlier generation of Prot-estant and Catholic scholars see the discussions in JB Lightfoot Saint Paulrsquos Epistles to theColossians and to Philemon (LondonNew York Macmillan ) ndash TK Abbott TheEpistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians (ICC Edinburgh TampT Clark ) ndash

32 Colossians 71



ledger of messianic tribulations⁷ or a mystical union with Christ⁸ A simpler andmore contextually sensitive solution (and one that has the support of the earliestancient interpreters)⁹ is to approach the relation of Christrsquos afflictions and Paulrsquosvicarious sufferings in terms of Paulrsquos apostolic self-understanding and mission-ary task Read in this way the shortage in question is not related to the atoningwork of Christ but rather to the apostolic imperative to extend to all humanitythe riches accrued by Christ (127) The afflictions (θλίψες) then are not thoseof Christ per se but rather as the word order indicates they are ldquothe afflictionsof Christ in my (that is Paulrsquos) fleshrdquo The θλίψες then are the Christ-like suffer-ings (παθήματα) that Paul is destined to enduresup1⁰ Paulrsquos sufferings on behalf ofthe Colossians in 124a and ldquothe afflictions of Christ in my fleshrdquo on behalf of thechurch in 124b should therefore be equatedsup1sup1 The phrase τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶνθλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου thus refers to the fact that the redemptiveaccomplishment of Christrsquos afflictions is yet to be announced to ldquoevery humanrdquo

This hypothesis which nowhere else emerges in Paulrsquos letters is especially prominent in re-cent scholarship Jerry L Sumney ldquolsquoI Fill Up What Is Lacking in the Afflictions of Christrsquordquo CBQ () ndash provides an inventory of the scholars who uphold this position ( n )See also his critique of it () as well as the criticism of Markus Barth and Helmut BlankeColossians A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (AB B New York Double-day ) ndash As Kremer Was an den Leiden ndash has shown this view is relativelynew being first proposed by Johann Albrecth Bengel The most influential statement of this view is Adolf Deissmann Paulus Eine kultur- und reli-gionsgeschichtliche Skizze (Tuumlbingen Mohr Siebeck ) Among other problems with it is thefact that as Dunn Colossians points out the ldquolsquomystical union with Christrsquohellipleaves unexplainedthe lsquolack in Christrsquos afflictionsrsquordquo () See Kremer Was an den Leiden ndash Also helpful is John Reumann ldquoColossians (lsquoWhat is Lacking in the Afflictions of Christrsquo) History of Exegesis and Ecumenical AdvancerdquoCurTM () ndash Other early advocates of this type of reading include ChrysostomTheodoret Severian Augustine and Ambrosiaster Scholars frequently note that θλῖψις is nowhere else applied to Christ and is instead usuallyassociated with Christians As Andrew Perriman ldquoThe Pattern of Christrsquos Sufferings Colossians and Philippians ndashrdquo TynBul () ndash points out ldquothis need only reflectthe fact that the sufferings have been transferred from Christ to Paulrdquo ( n ) He points to Thess as similarly associating θλῖψις with Christ and extending that association to the expe-rience of Christians The full phrase τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου particularly the syntactical po-sitioning of ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου is critical for this understanding and often ignored by interpretersAs Aletti Eacutepitre aux Colossiens recommends ldquoIl faut en effet scrupuleusement respecter lrsquoordredes lexegravemes et lire ensemble la seacutequence lsquoce qui manqueacute aux tribulations du Christ en machairrsquordquo ()




(128) To ldquocompleterdquo or ldquodistributerdquosup1sup2 what is lacking is to dispense to the worldldquothe wealth of gloryrdquo and ldquothe treasures of wisdom and knowledgerdquo that havebeen credited to humanity in Christ (127 22ndash3)sup1sup3 The deficit in these afflictionsremains only because there is missionary work still to accomplishsup1⁴ As for whatsuch a proposition means in soteriological terms Pokornyacute states the matter elo-quently

Der Apostel kaumlmpft und leidet damit die Menschen ldquoerkennenrdquo dass ihr Heil in JesusChristus schon vollendet ist damit sie im Glauben an der schon vollendeten Versoumlhnungteilnehmen koumlnnenhellip Der abwesende Apostel kaumlmpft und leidet fuumlr die Adressatendamit sie erkennen dass sie im Glauben schon die Auferstehung und das neue Lebenhabenhellip Das was noch ldquoausstehtrdquo ist die menschliche Aufnahme des schon vollendetenHeilssup1⁵

Theodore of Mopsuestia (ca 350ndash428) who is among the earliest extant com-mentators on this verse states roughly the same

What was it that was lacking (προσλεῖπον) For you by learning what things were achieved(κατορθωθέντα) for you by him to receive the promise concerning them It would not bepossible in any way for this to come about without toils and afflictions So for these things

Barth and Blanke Colossians translate ἀνταναπληρόω as ldquorepayrdquo Although I would endorsea translation that highlights the fiscal sense of this word I do not think ldquorepaymentrdquo is the cor-rect idea Rather than re-paying something in filling up Christrsquos afflictions in his own apostolicministry Paul is instead announcing the new credit that has been vouchsafed by Christ He is inother words distributing a gift rather than returning something owed As Paul routinely points out in his letters the work of bringing the gospel to all the nationsnecessarily entails participation in Christ-like suffering (see ia Cor ndash) Thus EduardSchweizer The Letter to the Colossians A Commentary (trans Andrew Chester MinneapolisAugsburg Publishing House []) while noting that this interpretation is supportedby the majority of ancient commentators writes ldquoOn the one hand there is the suffering ofJesus which brings about reconciliation that is the cosmic event of the death of Jesus Onthe other hand there is the suffering which is still lacking that is suffering which is connectedwith the proclamation or in particular with the Gentile mission and the further growth of thecommunityrdquo (ndash) So also R McL Wilson A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Colossians and Philemon(ICC LondonNew York TampT Clark ) writes ldquoThe reference then is to Paulrsquos personal con-tribution (ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου) made for the sake of Christrsquos body which is the churchhellip What islacking still to be completed is then not the atoning sacrifice of Christ but Paulrsquos own sharein the sufferings that must be faced in the present age before the dawn of the new erardquo () Petr Pokornyacute Der Brief des Paulus an die Kolosser (THKNT Berlin Evangelische Verlag-sanstalt )

32 Colossians 73



Paul suffers going about preaching to all what has been accomplished (τὰκατορθωθέντα)sup1⁶

In presenting this reading of 124 I have tried to use the language of economy andfinance since Paul also throughout 124ndash25 associates the mystery that is beingpresented to humanity with fiscal imagery ldquothe economy of Godrdquo (125) ldquotheriches of the gloryrdquo (127) ldquoall the riches of the assurance of understandingrdquo(22) and ldquothe treasures of wisdom and knowledgerdquo (23)sup1⁷ Such imagery contin-ues in v 25 as Paul begins to articulate his apostolic self-understanding by dis-cussing his appointment as ldquoa manager according to the economy of Godrdquo(διάκονοςsup1⁸ κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ θεοῦ)sup1⁹ He states that this responsibilitywas given to him for the sake of his readers and in order ldquoto fulfill the wordof Godrdquo

As was discussed in the previous chapter John Goodrich has demonstratedthat whatever the particular form of employment (and there could be many) theusual duties of οἰκονόμοι ndash and so the οἰκονομία entrusted to them ndash ldquoprimarilyand consistently included the administration of public finances particularly thepayment of community expensesrdquosup2⁰ Paulrsquos use of οἰκονομία is then probably al-ways in some sense ldquoeconomicalrdquo even if metaphorically so In addition toGoodrich Giorgio Agamben has also shown that although with Paul ldquothe termoikonomia is transposed into a theological fieldrdquo we should not ldquoassume a theo-

This slightly modified translation is from Theodore of Mopsuestia The Commentaries on theMinor Epistles of Paul (trans Rowan A Greer SBLWGRW Atlanta Society of Biblical Liter-ature ) ndash Integrating with the whole of ndash is I submit crucial and yet all too often over-looked by interpreters Thus Reumann ldquoColossians rdquo remarks ldquoIt is surprising in the longhistory of interpretation how rarely has been treated in conjunction with ndash and theagōn motifhellip Paulrsquos ministry ( ) in Godrsquos oikonomiahellipincludes the apostlersquos struggles( ) lsquofor yoursquo (in Colossae and those in Laodicea and others )rdquo Cf Col On this term see esp John N Collins ldquoA Monocultural Usage διακον- words inClassical Hellenistic and Patristic Sourcesrdquo VC () ndash Diakonia Re-interpretingthe Ancient Sources (New York Oxford University Press ) Correcting longstanding assump-tions Collins shows that διακον- terminology among Christian writers is as elsewhere ldquoformallanguagerdquo that has ldquono basic meaningrdquo such as ldquoservice at a tablerdquo Moreover it does not nec-essarily indicate low status although it does imply ldquothe carrying out of a commission from aperson or institution ndash with whatever level of authority or power this requiresrdquo (ldquoA MonoculturalUsagerdquo ndash) A διάκονος from God presumably obtains a degree of authority I take the κατά as indicating reference or respect Cf the parallel expression in Eph John K Goodrich Paul as an Administrator of God in Corinthians (SNTSMS CambridgeCambridge University Press ) ndash




logical sense that is not necessitated by the textrdquosup2sup1 Agamben contends that evenin the case of Paul the denotation of the term still remains within the sphere offinancessup2sup2 He recommends translating οἰκονομία in Col 125 as ldquofiduciarydutyrdquosup2sup3 rightly insisting that any attempt to read something like a ldquodivine planof salvationrdquo into Paulrsquos use of the term as many scholars do anachronisticallypresses later theological developments upon Paulrsquos usage

Additional information about the οἰκονομία that has been assigned to Paul isprovided in the next verse which also contains the first occurrence of μυστήριονin the letter

hellipτὸ μυστήριοντὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον

ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶννῦν δὲ

ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦhellip

hellipthe mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but now isdisclosed to his saintshellip

With this appositional clause Paul identifies ldquothe word of Godrdquo as a previouslyhidden but recently manifested mystery Since τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ is the princi-pal responsibility of Paulrsquos οἰκονομία the μυστήριον is therefore also to beviewed as fundamental to the οἰκονομία allocated to Paul and so likewise a mat-ter of ldquoeconomyrdquo (cf 1 Cor 41) As in 1 Cor 27 ἀποκρύπτω appears in the form of

Giorgio Agamben The Kingdom and the Glory For a Theological Genealogy of Economy andGovernment (trans Lorenzo Chiesa with Matteo Mandarini Stanford Stanford University Press) see also ndash Agamben The Kingdom and the Glory In his use of the terms ldquosenserdquo and ldquodenotationrdquoAgamben is presumably following Gottlob Fregersquos logical (and then linguistic) distinction be-tween Sinn and Bedeutung According to Frege we should differentiate what a sign refers to(for example the number ) and how it refers to it ( + or ndash) Frege labels the latterSinn and the former Bedeutung The key point is that different Sinne can refer to a single Bedeu-tung and so signs such as = or ldquoisrdquo may be preceded by different terms and still refer to identicalBedeutungen In the case of οἰκονομία Agamben is interested in tracing the ldquogradual analogicalextension of its denotation (Bedeutung)rdquo () He contends that ldquo[i]n truth there is no theolog-ical lsquosensersquo of the term [οἰκονομία] but first of all a displacement of its denotation onto the theo-logical fieldwhich is progressively misunderstood and perceived as a new meaningrdquo () In thecase of Paul Agamben argues that the Sinn and Bedeutung of οἰκονομία still reside within thecontext of economy particularly fiduciary responsibility In contemporary linguistics it shouldbe noted the terms Sinn and Bedeutung are usually translated into English as ldquosenserdquo and ldquoref-erencerdquo Agamben The Kingdom and the Glory

32 Colossians 75



a perfect passive participle In 1 Cor 2 however the form is feminine becausewhat ldquohas been hiddenrdquo (ἀποκεκρυμμένην) is ldquothe wisdom of Godrdquo (θεοῦσοφίαν) being spoken ldquoin a mysteryrdquo In Col 126 it is the mystery itself that isbeing described as previously hidden Also like 1 Cor 27ndash8 this mystery is char-acterized as having been concealed from some αἰών But there is a key differ-ence In 1 Cor 28 the concealment is applied to personal agents whetherhuman or personified or both ldquothe rulers of this agerdquo (ἄρχοντες τοῦ αἰῶνοςτούτου) In Col 126 concealment ldquofrom the agesrdquo is not personal but rather tem-poralsup2⁴ Thus in Col 126 it is not an entity associated with the current age but theages themselves and the humans who lived in them (γενεαί) that have been pre-vented from knowing the mysterysup2⁵ This is not to deny that there is a temporaldimension in 1 Cor 26ndash 16 temporality is always in question when revelation isunder discussion It is simply to point out that whereas the accent in 1 Cor 26ndash8is on the interpersonal arrangement of the hiddenrevealed binary (ldquofrom therulers of this agerdquo) in Colossians 124ndash26 the stress is explicitly on the chrono-logical dynamic (ldquofrom the ages and generationsrdquo) The emphasis on temporalitycontinues with the description of the revelation ldquobut now it is disclosed to Godrsquossaintsrdquo (νῦν δὲ ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ)sup2⁶ This use of the eschatologicalνῦν (as it is sometimes called)sup2⁷ in an emphatic first position to describe the pres-ent timing of the revelation along with the use of φανερόω to characterize it andthe correlation of the revelation with the saints are common features in many ofthe deuteropauline mystery schema passages as well as in other more generalstatements of revelation (such as 2 Tim 19ndash 10 and Titus 12ndash3)sup2⁸

In the following verse Paul uses another relative clause to clarify Godrsquos rea-sons for making known the previously hidden mystery to the saints

Though strictly speaking indefinite I take this expression as indicating that the mystery hasbeen hidden by God from creation since the time of creation and thus as eternally hidden byGod Cf John See also Cor Eph Tim Titus The αἰῶνες and γενεαί arenot therefore to be read as heavenly powers or hypostases That concealment from humans is in view is made clear in the parallel passage in Eph (ὃἑτέραις γενεαῖς οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων) I take the ἅγιοι to refer to all believers ( ) For a discussion of alternativepossibilities see Markus NA Bockmuehl Revelation and Mystery in Ancient Judaism and Pau-line Christianity (WUNT Tuumlbingen Mohr Siebeck ) ndash Even if a restrictedgroup of Christians is in view the hiddenness is still being arranged primarily in chronologicalas opposed to interpersonal terms Besides the passages discussed in this chapter see also Rom for this use of νῦν (νυνὶ δὲχωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται) which similarly brings together νῦν and φανερόω Outside of Paul see also Peter ndash




hellipοἷς ἠθέλησεν ὁ θεὸς γνωρίσαιτί τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου

ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσινὅ ἐστιν Χριστὸς

ἐν ὑμῖνἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξηςhellipsup2⁹

hellipto whom God wanted to make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mysteryamong the Gentiles which is Christ in you the hope of gloryhellip

Godrsquos long hidden mystery is here defined as ldquothe riches of gloryrdquo for the Gen-tilessup3⁰ In other mystery passages the Gentiles are repeatedly singled out as theprimary recipients of Godrsquos newly manifested μυστήριον As for the associationof μυστήριον with τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης in Ephesians the πλοῦτος of God is re-lated to subjects such as redemption and forgiveness (17) inheritance (118) sal-vation (25ndash8) the gospel (37ndash8) and spiritual strengthening (316) In Col 127however ldquothe wealth of the glory of this mysteryrdquosup3sup1 is correlated with the λόγοντοῦ θεοῦ of v 25 and then the presence of Christ among the Gentiles in v 27b Tobest appreciate the deployment of μυστήριον here it is important to attend to thefull progression in vv 25ndash27which is compactly interconnected by the repetitionof relative clauses First Paul describes his responsibility to distribute the λόγοντοῦ θεοῦ (125) Second the λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ is described as a previously hiddenbut now manifested μυστήριον (126) Third the μυστήριον and the λόγον τοῦθεοῦ are then further characterized as τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης (127) Finallythis newly disclosed wealth is defined as Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν and ldquothe hope ofgloryrdquosup3sup2 These correlations all contribute to the definition of the μυστήριονRather than some abstract ldquoplanrdquo the previously hidden mystery is insteadbeing envisioned both as a treasury of wealth that has been credited to the Gen-

Cf the parallel in Eph Cf ndash where ldquothe strength of his gloryrdquo is associated with ldquoinheritancerdquo (κλῆρος) Cfalso Rom where ldquothe riches of his gloryrdquo is similarly associated with knowledge (ἵνα γνω-ρίσῃ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ) As for the relationship between πλοῦτος and μυστήριον Abbott Ephesians and Colossiansis correct that ldquothe lsquomysteryrsquo is not something distinct from the riches of the glory of it those towhom the former is revealed are made acquainted with the latterrdquo () There is much debate about whether the phrase ἐν ὑμῖν should be taken in a participatorysense (ldquoChrist in yourdquo) or a spatial sense (ldquoChrist among yourdquo) Reading ἐν ὑμῖν in parallel withἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν the spatial sense seems more likely Either way I agree with Bockmuehl Reve-lation and Mystery ldquoAlthough one rendering tends to bear out a more mystical and the other amore objective slant the question is perhaps less important than is sometimes assumed each ofthe two emphases is consistent with Paulrsquos thought and in light of the other can be said to obtainat least by implicationrdquo ()

32 Colossians 77



tiles through Christ and also a message that Paul has been commissioned to pro-claimsup3sup3 The equations in these verses all flow out of Paulrsquos initial self-descrip-tion in 125a as ldquoan administrator according to the economy of Godrdquo The lan-guage of economy and wealth thus unite the whole progression attracting theaccompanying language into that thematic register

In 128 Paul offers additional details regarding his missionary praxis He de-scribes Christ as the subject of his preaching (καταγγέλλω) teaching (διδάσκω)and admonition (νουθετέω) and then emphasizes the universal scope of his mis-sionsup3⁴ His message about the wealth of Christ accrued for the Gentiles is intend-ed ldquofor every personrdquo (πάντα ἄνθρωπον) and the objective is ldquoto present everyperson (πάντα ἄνθρωπον) as τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷrdquo The use of τέλειος in this con-text is reminiscent of the τέλειοι in 1 Cor 26 whom Paul singled out as the ex-clusive recipients of the hidden wisdom being spoken ἐν μυστηρίῳ There ishowever another important but often overlooked discrepancy between 1 Cor26ndash7 and Col 126ndash28Whereas being τέλειος is the condition for being spokento in the 1 Corinthians passage becoming τέλειος is the goal of Paulrsquos mysteryproclamation in Colossians Furthermore instead of restricting the discussionof σοφία to those who are already τέλειος as in 1 Cor 26ndash7 in Col 126ndash28all humanity is to be instructed ldquoin all wisdomrdquo (ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ) in order thatthey might all be presented as τέλειος The precondition of Paulrsquos mysteryspeech in 1 Cor 2 is thus now redefined as the purpose of that speech here inCol 1 This reversal of the status of the τέλειος person with respect to Paulrsquospreaching as well as the place of σοφία in that preaching is quite conspicuousand made all the more evident by the threefold repetition of πάντα ἄνθρωπονsup3⁵

Notice also the chiasm in A ὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης B τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ἐν τοῖςἔθνεσιν Brsquo ὅ ἐστιν Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν Arsquo ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης As the middle lines indicate Christis also equated with the mystery This equation becomes explicit in and This inciden-tally is also the pinnacle of Heilrsquos proposed extended chiasm There are impressive parallels be-tween this application of μυστήριον to Christ and the very similar correlation with Enochrsquos Sonof Man See Raymond E Brown The Semitic Background of the Term lsquoMysteryrsquo in the New Testa-ment (Philadelphia Fortress Press ) ndash He now uses the plural likely indicating that this should be the practice of any apostolicenvoy such as the one that first ministered in Colossae () As Eduard Lohse Colossiansand Philemon (trans W R Poehlmann and R J Karris Hermeneia Philadelphia FortressPress ) observes the verbs διδάσκω and νουθετέω are frequently paired See the numer-ous examples he cites ( n ) Thus Lohse Colossians states ldquoThree times lsquoevery manrsquo (πάντα ἄνθρωπον) is referred to asthe recipient of the apostolic admonition in order to stress the truly ecumenical character of theapostolic message which is proclaimed in all the worldrdquo () He then correctly notes ldquoThissharply contradicts any attempt to limit the teaching of wisdom to only a small circle of ini-tiatesrdquo ( n ) Is not Cor ndash seemingly such an attempt




There is also potentially a different nuance in the use of τέλειος in Col 128sup3⁶As many interpreters have noted a concern for something akin to cultic mysterypractices (or forms of popular pagan devotion) seems pronounced in this lettersup3⁷There are for instance good reasons for supposing that the ldquophilosophyrdquo beingcombatted in Col 2 was related to some variety of mystery practice and that someColossian Christians ldquocontinued to embrace certain aspects of mystery cult beliefand practicerdquosup3⁸ Given these circumstances the reference to becoming τέλειοςsup3⁹especially when placed alongside the three occurrences of μυστήριον in Col126ndash22 perhaps deliberately invokes existing forms of cultic devotion If thisis the case then Paulrsquos stated desire to present every person as ldquoan initiate inChristrdquo (τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ)⁴⁰ would not be about pedagogical progress towardmaturity (or ldquoperfectionrdquo) as translations and interpretations usually supposebut rather about the intiatory rite of baptism particularly as it is described in211ndash 13 To present all humanity as τέλειος would thus be to present all human-ity as having been fully inducted by ritual washing into Christrsquos resurrection(22)⁴sup1 It is important to point out that such a reworking of mystery initiationdoes not relegate Christ to just another foreign deity and the Christian assemblyto just another cultic community The consistent use of the singular μυστήριον is

Cf Col See esp Clinton E Arnold The Colossian Syncretism The Interface between Christianity andFolk Belief at Colossae (WUNT Tuumlbingen Mohr Siebeck ) ndash Arnold The Colossian Syncretism Recall that this is a technical term for an initiate in the Mysteries BDAG recommends this sense for τέλειος in There may be further parallels with mystery practices on this matter As Marcel Simon ldquoThereligionsgeschichtliche Schule Fifty Years Laterrdquo RelS () ndash has pointed out ldquoTheChristian Baptism as well as the Lordrsquos Supper are rooted in Jewish ritual practicehellip But once alldue qualifications have been made regarding the views of the religionsgeschichtliche Schulethere subsists an element which Judaism is unable to account for the idea of salvation mysti-cally achieved through the baptismal rite by appropriation of or identification with the fateof a Saviour who died and rose againrdquo () A similar idea does perhaps appear in the myster-ies of Isis See for instance the account of Luciusrsquo initiation in Apuleius Metam ndashPerhaps a comparable species of this practice persisted in Colossae or was known by the authorof this letter It should be noted that Simonrsquos remark regarding participation in a dying and ris-ing savior is not as likely a feature in the Mysteries as was once supposed See esp Jonathan ZSmith ldquoDying and Rising Godsrdquo ER ndash It is still the case however that Luciusrsquo initia-tion is described as being ldquoperformed in the manner of a voluntary death and the attainment ofsalvationrdquo (ad instar voluntariae mortis et precariae salutis celebrari) (Metam ) and as anexperience in which he approached ldquothe boundary of deathrdquo (confinium mortis) and ldquocame faceto face with the gods below and the gods aboverdquo (deos inferos et deos superos accessi coram)()

32 Colossians 79



significant in this regard it names Christ as the mystery not one among many⁴sup2The assertion that Christ is the mystery par excellence would also provide impor-tant preparation for Paulrsquos subsequent condemnation in Col 2 of the shadowyphilosophy and human traditions that were severing the Colossian Christiansfrom Christ Hence Paulrsquos appropriation of popular cultic terminology wouldbe part and parcel of his strategy to christianize available religious vocabularyand in so doing to submit all of creation to Christ ldquothe head of every ruleand authorityrdquo (210)

The final occurrence of μυστήριον in this section is in 22 Having reaffirmedhis fervent labor on behalf of the church (129ndash21) Paul reiterates in 22ndash3 thepurpose of his many struggles so that the Colossians the Laodiceans and allpeople who have not seen his face will be encouraged and united realizingthey have ldquoall the wealth of the certainty of understanding for knowledge ofthe mystery of God which is Christ in whom all the treasures of wisdom andknowledge are hiddenrdquo This statement fitting as a conclusion to the sectioncondenses the major themes of the preceding verses Paul again correlatesμυστήριον with knowledge (cf 127) and albeit awkwardly with Christ⁴sup3 Healso again describes his apostolic mission in financial terms restating hishope that all people will come to know the πλοῦτος and θησαυροί that havebeen credited to them by Christ It is difficult to say much about the cumbersomephrase πλοῦτος τῆς πληροφορίας τῆς συνέσεως mostly because the word πλη-ροφορία is rare It is at least worth pointing out that the corresponding verb πλη-ροφορέω is commonly used in fiscal contexts such as when a creditor seeks torecover money ldquoin fullrdquo or a debtor seeks to pay what is owed ldquoin fullrdquo⁴⁴ Thephrase ldquohidden treasures of wisdom and knowledgerdquo conjoins conventional ter-minology from passages such as Isa 336 453 and other Jewish wisdom tradi-tions⁴⁵ Somewhat ambiguous is the place or more likely the person in whomthese treasures are hidden because it is not initially clear to whom or what ἐνᾧ refers⁴⁶ Since Christ has already been identified with the riches and the

Christrsquos preeminence was already emphasized in ndash For a presentation of the complex textual problems here see esp Lohse Colossians ndashThe array of textual variation related to the apparent appositional phrase τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦθεοῦ Χριστοῦ would seem to indicate that many scribes also found it inelegant See LSJ I MM Prov ndash Sir ndash Wis ndash Bar Bar En ndash Cf also Rom The relative pronoun could of course be neuter and thus have μυστήριον as its antecedentBut as Bockmuehl Revelation and Mystery notes this correlation ldquowould effect a malapropismour earlier results suggest that the lsquotreasuresrsquo can hardly be hidden in a lsquomysteryrsquo since the for-mer are instances of the latterrdquo ()




newly manifest mystery and since he is the nearest antecedent Christ is almostcertainly the person in whom these epistemological treasures are hidden But no-tice that although he is a person of concealment he is also the person in whomsuch treasures are made manifest As Schweizer puts it ldquoThe main pointhellipis thatthese treasures of wisdom remain lsquohiddenrsquo in the very act of their being dis-closed that is they elude all human efforts to grasp them It is God alonewho can freely bestow themhellip Thus Christ remains as it were the subject ofall our knowingrdquo⁴⁷

Finally in the conclusion to this section (24ndash5) Paulrsquos descriptions ofChrist as Godrsquos newly disclosed mystery and the ultimate source of knowledgeand understanding are presented as motivations for the Colossians to resist de-ceptive arguments (24) and to persist in fidelity to Christ (25) The repeatedfocus on mystery and knowledge and the application of these subjects to the Co-lossiansrsquo behavior is then not incidental Paulrsquos emphasis on these themes is de-signed to prepare the way for his subsequent attack in 28ndash23 on the so-calledColossian heresy a movement that promoted epistemological notions Pauljudged counterfeit (hence the focus on wisdom and knowledge) and may haveinvolved customs associated with local cults (hence the focus on mystery andthe true path to becoming τέλειος)⁴⁸


The final use of μυστήριον in this letter comes in 43ndash4 and contributes littlemore to the preceding analysis than a further demonstration of the importanceof the term for this author⁴⁹

Schweizer Colossians So Joachim Gnilka Der Kolosserbrief (HTKNT Freiburg Herder ) explains ldquoIst diealttestamentliche Weisheit als der Hintergrundhellipzu sehen so muss als seine Besonderheit dieantihaumlretische Spitze wahrgenommen werdenrdquo () Even Brown The Semitic Backgroundwho is ever eager to promote Jewish parallels concedes ldquoAlthough what is said about the mys-tery of Christ to the Colossians is explicable against the background of the Semitic concept ofmystery and has parallels in previous Pauline passages it is not impossible that the mystery ter-minology of this letter is meant to counter the Colossian heretics who had reshaped Christianityin the image of a mystery cultrdquo () As James DG Dunn The Epistles to Colossians and to Philemon (NIGTC Grand Rapids Eerd-mans ) puts it mystery ldquowas certainly a primary theme of the letter itself (ndash )so the request at this point is a way of reinforcing the emphasis of the letterrdquo ()

32 Colossians 81



hellipπροσευχόμενοι ἅμα καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ἵνα ὁ θεὸς ἀνοίξῃ ἡμῖν θύραν τοῦ λόγου λαλῆσαι τὸμυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ δι᾽ ὃ καὶ δέδεμαι ἵνα φανερώσω αὐτὸ ὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι⁵⁰

hellippraying also at the same time for us that God may open for us a door for the word tospeak the mystery of Christ for which also I have been bound in order that I should man-ifest it as I am bound to speak

Once again μυστήριον is linked to Paulrsquos missionary endeavors and preachingand again it is correlated with the verb φανερόω (cf 126) Here howeverPaul identifies himself as the instrument of revelation which is not explicitlystated in 126⁵sup1 The idea that the mystery is manifested through proclamationand often ldquospeakingrdquo (λαλέω) is frequently expressed in other Pauline mysterypassages⁵sup2 The full phrase ldquomystery of Christrdquo⁵sup3 evokes all the descriptions andidentifications associated with μυστήριον in 124ndash25 Thus the mystery of Christthat Paul wishes to continue to make manifest denotes ldquothe word of Godrdquo (125)ldquothe riches of the glory among the Gentilesrdquo (127) ldquothe hope of gloryrdquo (127) andldquothe treasures of wisdom and knowledgerdquo (23) Given the consistent conjoiningof μυστήριον with Christ in the three previous mystery passages the descriptionldquomystery of Christrdquo in 43 is an apt phrase

The most difficult issue here is the relation of the expression δι᾽ ὃ καὶ δέδεμαιto the rest of the statement As printed Paulrsquos apparent imprisonment which iswhat δέδεμαι is usually taken to indicate is being characterized as a conse-quence of his mystery proclamation he is bound because he has been speakingabout the mystery of Christ Paul is therefore asking the Colossian Christians topray for his release so that he might continue to speak the mystery which is whathe is also ldquoboundrdquo (δεῖ) to do Bockmuehl ndash preceded by critics such as Wettsteinand Griesbach and early readers such as Chrysostom and Photius ndash has notedthat the phrase δι᾽ ὃ καὶ δέδεμαι can also be printed as διὸ καὶ δέδεμαι⁵⁴ Readthis way Paul would be not be asking the Colossians to pray for his releasebut instead to pray that even his imprisonment would manifest the μυστήριοντοῦ Χριστοῦ Thus Bockmuehl offers the following paraphrase

Cf the parallel expression in Eph ndash One might assume that the agent of revelation in is God especially given that in thevery next verse Paul states that God ldquowanted to make known what are the riches of the gloryof this mysteryrdquo () This may indeed be the case but the fact remains that Paul has beenchosen as Godrsquos designated administrator and so is a facilitator of this divine disclosure(ndash) See Cor Eph Cf Eph Markus Bockmuehl ldquoA Note on the Text of Colossians rdquo JTS () ndash




And pray that God may open for us an opportunity for proclamation so that we may speakforth the mystery of Christ For it is to this end that I have been imprisoned in order that Imight manifest it as indeed I am obliged to do⁵⁵

This alternative reading introduces a ldquoconceptual connection between the apos-tlersquos physical bonds and his obligation to speak the word of Christrdquo thus hischains may be seen as ldquoillustrative indeed as symbolic of his ministry he isbound to speakrdquo⁵⁶ The point then becomes ldquonot simply that Paul is bound forthe sake of the mystery of Christ but that in fact his preaching and his verybonds constitute his manifestation of the mysteryrdquo⁵⁷ Bockmuehl also points toa possible chiasm involving the verbs λαλέω and δέω which potentially reinfor-ces the idea that the condition of imprisonment is itself a vehicle for apostolicproclamation

λαλῆσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ διὸ καὶ δέδεμαιἵνα φανερώσω αὐτὸὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι

A decision on the textual matter is difficult but Bockmuehlrsquos proposal certainlydeserves a place in any critical apparatus And as for viewing Paulrsquos imprison-ment as itself an instrument for demonstrating the mystery of Christ even if itis not to be found in this passage it is certainly in keeping with Paulrsquos self-un-derstanding (see my reading of 1 Cor 21ndash5 in the previous chapter)

323 Conclusion

Before turning to Ephesians it will be helpful to summarize some of the key find-ings in this examination of μυστήριον in Colossians particularly as they relate tothe preceding chapter In terms of continuity with the undisputed letters the fol-lowing features are noteworthy1) In agreement with most of the undisputed mystery passages Colossians like

all the other deuteropauline letters exclusively uses the singular form of thenoun Given the preference for the plural in Hellenistic and early Jewishsources the prominence of the singular in Paul is a distinctive feature

Bockmuehl ldquoA Note on the Text of Colossians rdquo Bockmuehl ldquoA Note on the Text of Colossians rdquo ndashWe do find similar ideas else-where in Paul (see esp Phil ndash Tim ) Bockmuehl ldquoA Note on the Text of Colossians rdquo

32 Colossians 83



2) As in the undisputed letters the μυστήριον under Paulrsquos stewardship in Col124ndash25 and 43 (cf 125 1 Cor 41) is expressed especially in the apostlersquosmissionary preaching Thus the mystery is usually something proclaimedspoken or otherwise communicated and hence has definite and expressi-ble content

3) Like most of the undisputed passages μυστήριον in Colossians in no wayinsinuates something like a cryptic teaching or impenetrable doctrineHence there is nothing deeply inscrutable about the basic content of thenewly disclosed mystery Although it is elaborated and nuanced in variousways in Col 124ndash25 and 43 the mystery essentially refers to the redemptivebenefits secured by Christ specifically for the Gentiles⁵⁸

Alongside these mostly general parallels however there exist also a number ofkey developments distinctive emphases and even discontinuities1) While not exactly an unprecedented development the repeated conjunction

of μυστήριον with Christ in Colossians sets it apart from the assorted myster-ies that are recounted in the undisputed letters The union of μυστήριον andChrist is an important and shared characteristic of the deuteropauline let-ters

2) Also characteristic of Colossians and the other deuteropauline letters is therecurrent association of μυστήριον with the benefits of Christ specifically forthe GentilesWhile also not necessarily unprecedented (cf Rom 1125) it dif-ferentiates the deuteropauline texts from the undisputed letters and bindsthem together

3) Another such characteristic is the prevalence of economic language in rela-tion to μυστήριον I have argued that financial motifs pervade 124ndash25 andthat the mystery in this passage is deliberately presented as a form of sym-bolic capital entrusted to Paul His apostolic οἰκονομία is thus the responsi-bility to distribute these already secured assets to their designated beneficia-ries the Gentiles While this emphasis is perhaps anticipated albeit in anundeveloped form by 1 Cor 41 it is developed in some detail in the Colos-sians and Ephesians mystery passages

Again that the mystery is not inscrutable does not entail that it is exhaustively known orappreciated On this feature of ldquorevelational mysteriesrdquo see Boyer ldquoThe Logic of Mysteryrdquondash As Boyer explains ldquo[W]hen thoughtful religious people talk about mystery they seemto mean a dimensional depth of reality that calls for a rationality that is both logical andmore than logical Knowledge of this mystery is genuine rational knowledge but it also involvesa penetration into or a participation in a depthhellip Clarity is important but the goal is not merelyto clarify or to organizerdquo ()




4) I have already identified some of the discontinuities between the use ofμυστήριον in Col 1 and specifically 1 Cor 26ndash7 Principal among these isthat whereas becoming τέλειος is the objective of mystery proclamation inCol 1 that status is presented as a prerequisite for such instruction in 1Cor 26ndash7 Also in contrast to 1 Cor 26ndash7 ldquowisdomrdquo instruction is not a sub-ject that should be reserved exclusively for the τέλειοι Instead the Paul ofColossians instructs ldquoall peoplerdquo ldquoin all wisdomrdquo (ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ) in thehopes that they might become τέλειοι (128)

5) Finally and perhaps most significantly in Col 126 we encounter the firstclear systemization of the historically structured ndash or ldquoonce hidden now re-vealedrdquo ndash deuteropauline mystery schema of revelationWhile there are cer-tainly general instances in the undisputed letters of the ldquoonce hidden nowrevealedrdquo chronological arrangement this historical schema is nowhere stat-ed so plainly in those letters

33 Ephesians

In Ephesians we find the most detailed uses of μυστήριον in the Pauline corpusAnd though the uses of the term are diverse it is still employed consistentlythroughout the letter in relation to the recent revelation of Godrsquos pretemporalplans for unity in the cosmos ndash whether that unity be the unity of the cosmos(19ndash 10) the solidarity of Jews and Gentiles (32ndash 12 619ndash20) or the onenessof the church and Christ (531ndash32) Many of the main characteristics and em-phases that accompanied the use of mystery in Colossians are similarly invokedin Ephesians Especially noteworthy are (1) the chronological arrangement ofthe hiddenrevealed binary and the key terminology of the deuteropauline mys-tery schema (2) the prominent correlation of the newly revealed mystery withthe redemption of the Gentiles and (3) the use of financial imagery for describ-ing the ldquovaluerdquo of the mystery for the Gentiles

Before beginning I should say more about the relationship between Ephesi-ans and Colossians It is commonly acknowledged that much of the mystery ma-terial in Ephesians reiterates often verbatim language from Colossians Much ofthe material also develops key terminology and motifs from Colossians in newways which makes the question of the relationship of Ephesians and Colossiansall the more important While some sort of literary dependency of Ephesians onColossians is usually presumed⁵⁹ there remain important challenges to this con-

The evidence for this has been evaluated in multiple places See esp C Leslie Mitton The

33 Ephesians 85



sensus⁶⁰ In dealing with this issue it is necessary to clarify what is meant byldquodependencerdquo in this instance Does it mean meticulous extraction and rework-ing or conscious recollection without concern for exactitude or perhaps evensubliminal influence While I am persuaded that the author of Ephesians doesknow and in some sense ldquodependsrdquo on Colossians I presume an unstructuredand ad hoc form of reliance Therefore while I view Ephesians as often expand-ing or restating key themes from Colossians and so routinely reworking or reap-plying its language I do not think this occurs in any systematic or especiallyscrupulous fashion⁶sup1

331 Ephesians 19

Ephesians 19 lies near the center of what is often described (and sometimesderided)⁶sup2 as a complex yet intricately unified concatenation of doxological ma-terial running from vv 3ndash 14⁶sup3 There have been varying approaches to the struc-ture of this unit and numerous hypotheses regarding its generic classification⁶⁴but scholars now generally agree that the passage should be read as a wholeand most treat it as an extended eulogy of some sort (or quite often a Jewishberakah)⁶⁵ I am not interested in establishing a grand structure for this passage

Epistle to the Ephesians Its Authorship Origin and Purpose (Oxford Clarendon Press ) ndash Michael Gese Das Vermaumlchtnis des Apostels Die Rezeption der paulinischen Theologie imEpheserbrief (WUNT Tuumlbingen Mohr Siebeck ) ndash Esp E Best ldquoWho Used Whom The Relationship of Ephesians and Colossiansrdquo NTS

() ndash So also Mitton Ephesians similarly concludes ldquoThe borrowing is exceedingly free There isnothing mechanical about it It is not at all the kind of borrowing that can be associated with awriter who has a document open in front of him as he writes and laboriously incorporates sec-tions from it into his own workhellip His acquaintance with Colossians is not dependent on what hereads in a document but it is a familiarity which has become part of his own mental equipmentrdquo(ndash ) Eduard Norden Agnostos Theos Untersuchungen zur Formengeschichte religioumlser Rede (Leip-zigBerlinTeubner ) refers to it as ldquodas monstroumlseste Satzkonglomeratrdquo () For the large body of literature on this passage see the bibliography provided by E BestA Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ephesians (ICC LondonNew York TampT Clark ) See esp the inventory of approaches discussed by Andrew T Lincoln Ephesians (WBC Dallas Word Books ) ndash The most prominent stylistic features uniting this unit include the repetition of εἰς ἔπαινονδόξης ( ) key aorist participles (esp εὐλογήσας [v ] προορίσας [v ] and γνωρίσας[v ]) multiple relative pronouns and ἐν phrases




I am simply concerned with how the various parts of the discourse relate to andcontribute to ldquothe mystery of Godrsquos willrdquo in 19 But since the announcement ofthe μυστήριον in v 9 and the description of its content in v 10 are often regardedas ldquothe peak to which the eulogy has been building uprdquo⁶⁶ and ldquothe intellectualsummitrdquo⁶⁷ of the entire section vv 9ndash 10 should be appreciated in relation totheir larger context

The section begins in v 3a with Paulrsquos opening eulogy ldquoblessed (εὐλογητός)is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christrdquo This introductory avowal of Godrsquosblessedness is the fundamental proposition that each subsequent proposition inthe discourse substantiates The first corroborative proposition is presented in v3b where immediately following Paulrsquos blessing God is acclaimed as ldquothe onewho blessed us (ὁ εὐλογήσας) in (ἐν) every spiritual blessing in (ἐν) the heavenlyplaces in Christ (ἐν Χριστῷ)rdquo Although the temporal relationship between Paulrsquosblessing of God and Godrsquos blessing of ldquousrdquo is not stated explicitly it becomesclear from what follows that Paul is praising Godrsquos pretemporal election of hu-manity in Christ It is therefore Godrsquos blessing of humanity (v 3b) that precedesand provokes Paulrsquos own acclamation of God (v 3a) The primacy of divine actionndash that is that God acts benevolently on behalf of humanity prior to any humanresponse ndash is reiterated in the next two verses as Paul further specifies the na-ture of Godrsquos blessing God blessed us ldquoinsofar as he chose us (καθὼς ἐξελέξατοἡμᾶς) before the foundation of the world to be holy and unblemished before himin love predestining us for adoption (προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν)⁶⁸ throughJesus Christ for himself according to the pleasure of his will (κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαντοῦ θελήματος αὐτου)rdquo⁶⁹ Paul explains in v 6a Godrsquos purpose in electing hu-manity for adoption ldquofor the praise of his own glorious gracerdquo He then inv 6b explains the person in whom Godrsquos grace has been bestowed upon human-ity ldquoin the Beloved Onerdquo (ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένω)⁷⁰ As the preceding and subsequentἐν constructions make plain⁷sup1 the Beloved One who brings χάρις to humanity isChrist the same Christ who has already been identified as the mediator of bless-ing election and predestination In v 7 Paul further identifies Christ (specifical-

Best Ephesians Best Ephesians n Paul will go on to connect this adoption (υἱοθεσία) with redemption (ἀπολύτρωσις) in v This association also occurs in Rom (υἱοθεσίαἀπολύτρωσις) and Gal (υἱοθεσίαἐξαγοράζω) The προορίσας in this verse qualifies the ἐξελέξατο in D F G et al add υἱῶ αὐτοῦ to τῷ ἠγαπημένω which is a good interpretation but dubious ontext-critical terms I take these ἐν phrases as indicating location (and so participatory union) not instrumen-tality The instrument of redemption in v is Christrsquos blood

33 Ephesians 87



ly his blood) as the instrument of human redemption and the forgiveness oftransgressions⁷sup2 In vv 7ndash8 Paul characterizes redemption additionally as the ex-tension of divine χάρις specifically describing this χάρις as ldquothe wealth of hisgrace which he lavished on us in all wisdom and insightrdquo (τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς χάρι-τος αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει) Given some ofthe patterns we have already observed in 1 Cor 2 and Col 1 this mention of a pro-vision of riches related to wisdom and cognition supplies an appropriate segueinto the revealed μυστήριον in v 9 and then the additional description of thisμυστήριον as an οἰκονομία assigned to Christ in v 10 It is worth pointing outthat Paul returns to the images of wisdom knowledge revelation and ldquothe glo-rious wealth of inheritancerdquo (ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τῆς κληρονομίας) in vv 17ndash 18which form the opening remarks in his prayer for the Ephesians⁷sup3 The nexus ofdivine revelation and the endowment of riches is therefore as in Colossians 1 amatter of particular emphasis at the very outset of this letter

To summarize the text thus far in vv 3ndash8 Paul has developed his initial as-cription of blessing to God by variously illustrating the primacy of Godrsquos actionson behalf of humanity in Christ Whether viewed within any of the assorted ru-brics of election predestination adoption redemption the forgiveness of tres-passes or the generous endowment of wealth and wisdom the consistent em-phasis in these verses is on Godrsquos pretemporal determination to blesshumanity in Christ⁷⁴ Since the μυστήριον in v 9 is woven into these various de-scriptions of humanityrsquos predestined status by way of the aorist participle γνω-ρίσας the mystery is clearly related to this pretemporal divine plan for humanityBut this plan is here widened to involve much more than the blessing of human-ity alone

hellipγνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦκατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ

ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ

Cf Col The ldquobloodrdquo here is a synecdoche for Christrsquos death See esp Eph (ἐν τῷαἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ) and Col (διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτου) Cf also Rom Cor ndash The language of πλοῦτος is prominent in this letter (see ) and as in Col and it is closely associated with Godrsquos newly revealed μυστήριον in both chs and The term πλοῦτος is otherwise rare only appearing x in the undisputed letters Especially rel-evant for the usage in Ephesians and Colossians are Rom (τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ) (πλοῦτος κόσμουhellipπλοῦτος ἐθνῶν) and especially (Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίαςκαὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ) Notice that there is not any mention of just what the ldquoproblemrdquo is ndash that is the reason whyhumanity is in need of redemption and forgiveness




εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶνἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ

τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς οὐρανοῖςκαὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐν αὐτῷ

hellipmaking known to us the mystery of his will which he set forth in him [Christ] according tohis good pleasure for the administration of the fullness of the times to unify all things inChrist the things in the heavens and the things on the earth in him

Paul here supplies a third aorist participle (γνωρίσας)⁷⁵ to articulate in greaterdetail his opening claims in v 3a⁷⁶ As with the other verbs and participles inthis section God is the subject and accordingly the agent who has made themystery known The mystery itself is specifically qualified as ldquothe mystery ofhis willrdquo (τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ)⁷⁷ Paul previously described thepredestination of humanity as ldquoaccording to the good pleasure of his will (τοῦθελήματος αὐτοῦ)rdquo (v 5)⁷⁸ and as there the θέλημα in v 9 concerns the pretem-poral election of humanity As Paul explains in vv 9b-10 however Godrsquos pretem-poral design encompasses more than just humans God also purposed a new ar-rangement for the fullness of the times by setting forth in Christ an οἰκονομία ldquotounify (or to concentrate or to condense or to summarize) all things in Christrdquo(ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστω)⁷⁹ Whatever the precise nuanceof ἀνακεφαλαιόω⁸⁰ the key point is that Godrsquos long established μυστήριον hasbeen to incorporate all created reality in Christ and this μυστήριον has now

This verb (γνωρίζω) is commonly used in the deuteropauline mystery schema Cf Romndash Eph Col We can either read this participle as modifying ἐξελέξατο in v or we can take it in relationto the nearer verb ἐπερίσσευσεν in the previous verse If read with ἐξελέξατο the disclosure ofthe mystery is somehow epiphenomenal of Godrsquos election The problem with such an associationis that Godrsquos act of election is described like the προορίσας in v as a singular and decisive actin the pretemporal past whereas the disclosure of the mystery is presented as something thathas recently occurred If however the phrase is read with the immediately preceding ἐπερίσσευ-σεν then the disclosed mystery becomes commensurate with ldquothe riches of gracerdquo that God haslavishly poured out on humanity The association of a revealed μυστήριον with the provision ofπλοῦτος is supported by Col ndash which similarly correlates the revealed mystery with thedisclosure (γνωρίσαι) of ldquothe wealth of the glory of this mysteryrdquo The genitive τοῦ θελήματος is perhaps best characterized as epexegetical (ldquothe mysterywhich is his willrdquo) Cf also κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ in v Cf of course the οἰκονομία in Col and then Eph This verb is usually found in rhetorical contexts where it refers to the summing up or draw-ing together of the various points of an argument

33 Ephesians 89



been made known by God to humanity⁸sup1 The previously established mystery ofGodrsquos will is therefore every bit as much about the destiny of the cosmos as it isabout the destiny of humans and it is worth pointing out that while such a uni-versal conception of Christrsquos preeminence is not necessarily unique in the Pau-line corpus the application of the term μυστήριον to the cosmic unification ofcreation is⁸sup2

The next two verses (vv 11ndash 12) essentially reaffirm previous statements re-garding Godrsquos predetermined plan (προορισθέντες)⁸sup3 and ldquothe council of hiswillrdquo (κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ)⁸⁴ In the final two verses(vv 13ndash 14) Paul pivots away from the status of humanity in Christ and turnsto the role of the Holy Spirit He again uses vocabulary of finance in relationto humanityrsquos redemption describing the Spirit as a pledge of inheritance (ἀρρα-βὼν τῆς κληρονομίας ἡμῶν)⁸⁵ given to Christians ldquofor the redemption of the pos-sessionrdquo (εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῆς περιποιήσεως)⁸⁶ Thus with these concludingverses of his eulogy Paul reinforces the idea that humanity and Christ remainat the center of Godrsquos eternally planned but recently disclosed mystery tounify the cosmos in Christ

332 Ephesians 32ndash13

Ephesians 32ndash13 represents the lengthiest and most detailed development ofμυστήριον and the accompanying hiddenrevealed schema in the Pauline cor-pus This passage is usually characterized as a digression (although whetheror not it is a proper digressio is disputed)⁸⁷ which ostensibly interrupts thefirst half of a prayer in 31 (τούτου χάρινhellip) and its resumption in v 14 (τούτουχάρινhellip) The unit can be separated into two sections of six verses eachvv 2ndash7 and vv 8ndash 13⁸⁸ The first section is framed by verbal repetition

Cf Eph ndash See Bockmuehl Revelation and Mystery Cf Cf In support of the translation ldquopledgerdquo by which I mean something along the lines of an of-fering of a security see Yon-Gyong Kwon ldquoAρραβών as Pledge in Second Corinthiansrdquo NTS () ndash I take the περιποίησις to refer to humanity who is thus Godrsquos rightful possession and adopt-ed heir Cf the usage in Peter See esp Best Ephesians ndash There are other more detailed ways in which interpreters have structured these verses and Iam in no way doggedly committed to this particular arrangement though I do find it heuristi-




v 2 τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοιv 7 διάκονος κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι

The focus in this first section is on the earthly revelation of the mystery to humanauthorities to Paul himself (vv 2ndash4) and then to other ldquoholy apostles and proph-etsrdquo (v 5) The second section is bracketed by expressions of Paulrsquos lowly status(v 8) and suffering (v 13)⁸⁹ The focus in the second section also shifts Ratherthan on the revelation of the mystery to Paul and other human emissaries thefocus is on Paulrsquos own role as a witness to the mystery (vv 8ndash9) and then onthe role of the church in this regard (v 10) The objective of both Paul and thechurch is to make ldquothe administration of the mysteryrdquo (ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστη-ρίου) manifest to the entire created order even to the rulers and authorities inthe heavenly places (vv 9ndash 10) Thus whereas vv 2ndash7 describe the individual rev-elation of the mystery to human leaders on earth vv 8ndash13 emphasize the cosmicdisclosure of the mystery to every person and being in the universe It is worthpointing out however that whether the disclosure occurs terrestrially to humansor celestially to cosmic powers the revealed mystery in both halves of this dis-course remains concentrated on the benefits of Christ for the Gentiles (vv 6 8)

Before turning to vv 2ndash 13 I should say a brief word about 31 Paulrsquos char-acterization of his imprisonment as on behalf of the Gentiles might be perceivedas an odd prelude to a discourse highlighting onersquos exceptional status as a priv-ileged recipient and representative of a newly revealed divine mystery At theconclusion to the mystery digression in v 13 however Paul again returns tohis lowly status but there he encourages his readers not to be dispirited byhis sufferings on behalf of them for these are in fact their glory Hence Paulovertly juxtaposes suffering and glory in v 13 in order to redefine the latter bythe former The same can be said of the juxtaposition of his imprisonment in31 with the lengthy account of his commission to proclaim the mystery of Christvv 2ndash13 And so when 31 is reconsidered in light of the subsequent discourse itappears as though even the dishonor of incarceration cannot revoke Paulrsquos ex-ceptional status as a διάκονος of a divine οἰκονομία⁹⁰ The focus on the Gentiles

cally useful For an analysis of alternative approaches see Chantal Reynier Eacutevangile et MystegravereLes enjeux theacuteologiques de lrsquoeacutepicirctre aux Eacutepheacutesiens (LD Paris Cerf ) ndash Verse also recommences the thought of v and prepares the way for Paulrsquos prayer invv ndash As Aaron Sherwood ldquoPaulrsquos Imprisonment as the Glory of the Ethnē A Discourse Analysis ofEphesians ndashrdquo BBR () ndash puts it ldquoPaulrsquos concern for the digression is thathis audience would wrongly understand his apostleship in terms of his imprisonment and so he

33 Ephesians 91



in 31 is also significant Just as Paulrsquos imprisonment and sufferings are on behalfof the Gentiles and for their glory (v 13) so also the mystery entrusted to Paul invv 2ndash 13 specifically concerns the Gentiles Once again we see the connection be-tween Paulrsquos self-understanding as an apostle to the Gentiles and his vocationalcharge as a herald of Godrsquos mystery

Turning to the discourse itself Paul opens the digression in vv 2ndash4 by re-minding his readers of the previous report they received regarding the μυστήριονthat was made known to him via revelation⁹sup1 It is not exactly clear what he isreferring to (a previous letter previous statements some previous teaching)and outside of his earlier remarks on the mystery in 19ndash 10 the extent of theirknowledge remains uncertain⁹sup2 Paul first mentions an administration of divinegrace that was given to him for his readers in v 2 (τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτοςτοῦ θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς) and then in v 4 he specifically characterizesthis administration assigned to him as his ldquoinsight in the mystery of Christrdquo (τὴνσύνεσίν μου ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστου)⁹sup3 The association of οἰκονομία withμυστήριον was already seen in 19ndash 10 We also observed the correlation ofthese terms is Col 125ndash26 which refers to a divine administration entrusted toPaul (τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι) It is therefore no surprise tofind Paul again using administrative (or we might say ldquoeconomicrdquo) terminologyto characterize his fiduciary responsibility over the mystery for the Gentiles Alsofamiliar is the direct correlation of μυστήριον with Christ which is inferable fromCol 127 and stated plainly in Col 22 and 43 As in those passages the mysteryunder discussion can be equated with Christ because Christ has become themeans of Gentile inclusion his body the site in which Jew and Gentile becomeone (211ndash22) Notice however that the genitive expression ldquomystery of Christrdquois not equivalent to ldquothe mystery of Godrsquos willrdquo in 19 Whereas ldquothe mystery ofGodrsquos willrdquo names the source from which the mystery itself derives the ldquomysteryof Christrdquo names the person in whom that mystery is accomplished

takes pains instead to interpret his imprisonment in terms of his apostleship Otherwise his rolein Godrsquos eschatological plan could have been subverted and viewed as shamefulrdquo () The εἴ γε formulation at the beginning of this verse is rare (cf the usage in ) It is how-ever also used in Col which is interesting in terms of the literary relationship between theCol and Eph discourses Decisions on this matter depend on a host of prior judgments about authorship authenticitydate of composition and so on Cf the association of σύνεσις and μυστήριον in Col There Paul wants his readers to haveinsight into the mystery of Christ The term σύνεσις here as in other contexts appears to connotedivinely enabled insight such as was supplied to Daniel See esp Dan Dan (Th)ndash




In v 3 Paul recounts how the mystery was made known to him via revela-tion κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον The noun ἀποκάλυψις(cf 117) is extremely rare prior to Paul yet it appears some thirteen times inhis corpus⁹⁴ The most similar use of this noun is in Rom 1625 where μυστήριονis again aligned with it (κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν)⁹⁵ The verb γνωρίζω which appearsagain in relation to μυστήριον in vv 5 and 10 and then in 619 is similarly relatedto the disclosure of a μυστήριον in Rom 1626 as it is in Col 127 and Eph 19Weshould avoid trying to be too precise in describing just what sort of epistemolog-ical or phenomenological process is in view here though it must be admittedthat a communicative encounter with God would seem to be required⁹⁶ As forthe μυστήριον of Gentile inclusion which is the focus of these verses it seemsto me most likely that in the case of the historical Paul such an exceptional dis-closure was not comprehended in its totality during some singular moment ofdirect inspiration such as a Damascus road epiphany but rather that it was de-veloped and articulated through sustained processes of reflection and mission-ary experience⁹⁷ It is also possible however that a post-Pauline author of Ephe-

On this terminology see Morton Smith ldquoOn the History of ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΠΤΩ andΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΙΣrdquo in Apocalypticism in the Mediterranean World and the Near East Proceedingsof the International Colloquium on Apocalypticism Uppsala August ndash (ed DavidHellholm Tuumlbingen Mohr Siebeck ) ndash Most comparable to the Pauline usage hereis Luke (φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν) The noun is related to μυστήριον in Sir (μυστη-ρίου ἀποκαλύψεως) but the reference there is simply to a friendrsquos betrayal of personal secretsThe only place in the Greek Bible where the term is used in translation is Sam where itrenders the Hebrew הורע (ldquonakednessrdquo) Cf also κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν in Gal which seems to indicate an instantaneous (or ldquocharis-maticrdquo) disclosure See the discussion of this passage in Dieter Luumlhrmann Das Offenbarungsver-staumlndnis bei Paulus und in paulinischen Gemeinden (WMANT Neukirchen-Vluyen Neukirch-ener Verlag ) ndash For an interesting comparison of Gal and Eph see HelmutMerklein Das kirchliche Amt nach dem Epheserbrief (SANT Muumlnchen Koumlsel ) ndash This matter is of course again all the more complicated by questions regarding the author-ship and authenticity of this letter Cf the reflections of Best Ephesians ndash Also important is Bestrsquos ldquoThe Revelation toEvangelize the Gentilesrdquo JTS () ndash esp I find the comments of WilliamWrede Paul (trans Edward Lummis Eugene OR Wipf and Stock []) especially in-structive on this matter ldquoIf we go by [Paulrsquos] account this consciousness of vocation was felt inits fullness from the beginning The very moment of his conversion had shown him that he wasordained not simply to apostolate but to the apostolate of the Gentiles But this looks like aslight self-deception From a psychological point of view the perception at such a momentof so specific a vocation is hardly comprehensible The perspective of memory is apt to foreshort-en and bring together events which were originally separate if only there is some intrinsic con-nection between themrdquo () For a more detailed exegetical analysis of the evolutions in Paulrsquos

33 Ephesians 93



sians presumed otherwise⁹⁸ Whatever the actual circumstances may have beenthe claim in v 3 is clear in its emphasis the mystery was revealed to Paul by di-vine initiative

In the final three verses of this first section Paul submits two additional factsabout the mystery that was revealed to him (vv 5ndash6) and then reaffirms his di-vinely appointed status (v 7) Paul first describes the mystery as having beenconcealed from humanity in previous ages but presently revealed to holy apos-tles and prophets by the Spirit Paulrsquos statement in v 5 presents a nicely struc-tured juxtaposition indicating when (former generations) in what sense (cogni-tively) and from whom (humanity) the mystery was concealed (v 5a) and thenwhen (now) in what sense (by revelation) and to whom (holy apostles andprophets) it has been disclosed (v 5b)

A which in other generations A ὃ ἑτέραις γενεαῖςB was not made known B οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη

C to the sons of humanity C τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων

Arsquo as now Arsquo ὡς νῦνBrsquo it has been revealed by the Spirit Brsquo ἀπεκαλύφθηhellipἐν πνεύματι

Crsquo to his holy apostles and prophets Crsquo τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶπροφήταις

In Col 126 the mystery was described as hidden from both ldquothe ages and the gen-erationsrdquo (ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν) In Eph 3 Paul instead refersfirst to the concealment from the ldquogenerationsrdquo in v 5 and then later to the con-cealment from the ldquoagesrdquo (ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων) in v 9 Thus in Eph 3 the ldquoages andgenerationsrdquo pair is uncoupled and its parts relocated to separate sections of thediscourse Given the distinct emphases of these two sections this rearrangementis appropriate In keeping with the focus of vv 2ndash7 the attention in v 5 is delib-

missionary practice and self-understanding see Douglas A Campbell The Deliverance of GodAn Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul (Grand Rapids Eerdmans ) ndashSee also Campbellrsquos ldquoGalatians Evidence of an Early Law-observant Mission by PaulrdquoNTS () ndash I find the conclusions of Best ldquoThe Revelation to Evangelize the Gentilesrdquo judicious ldquoTheanarthrous noun in κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν may refer to a particular act of revelation but more prob-ably distinguishes how Paul believed or more correctly how the writer of Ephesians believedthat Paul came to his viewhellip he was not told by others the veil was not lifted from his eyesas he read the Old Testament he did not deduce it by human reason from general principleshellipThese things of course may have influenced Paul without him realizing it What is said is thathe obtained knowledge by a direct and personal communication from God We do not need todiscuss how this took place The aorist ἐγνωρίσθη suggests an event in the past but gives no in-dication as to its duration or daterdquo ()




erately on the previous eras of human history in which the mystery of Christ wasunknowable But why was it previously concealed from humanity The text doesnot say but it does not appear to have been due to any enduring shortcoming inthose previous generations The text simply states that it was not ldquomade knownrdquo(ἐγνωρίσθη) because it had not ldquobeen revealedrdquo (ἀπεκαλύφθη) As Eph 19 al-ready made plain it is Godrsquos prerogative to divulge the mystery of his will⁹⁹and so apart from divine disclosure the mystery remains veiled But anotherquestion now arises was it previously veiled in an absolute sense This questionis complicated by the ὡς νῦν formulation which could be taken as indicating arelative or comparative difference between the previous age and the current ageThat is perhaps the mystery was not made known then ldquoas nowrdquo in the sensethat it was then known in part by humanity but now fully or then known byjust some among humanity but not by allsup1⁰⁰ Despite this possibility it seemsmore likely that an absolute contrast is again being affirmed as appears to bethe case in the other Pauline mystery passages This would be to take the ὡςνῦν as descriptive and hence as differentiating in unconditional terms the previ-ous generations of concealment and the current era of revelationsup1⁰sup1 And so inthe case of the οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθηἀπεκαλύφθη juxtaposition that which was notknown in earlier generations was not in any way accessible to the humanmind It was as v 9 describes it ldquohiddenrdquo without qualification

Paul designates ldquothe holy apostles and prophetsrdquo as the principal recipientsof this revelation and the Spirit (ἐν πνεύματι) as the medium of disclosuresup1⁰sup2

The necessity of divine disclosure is also plainly stated in Col ndash Origen for instance argues that Israelrsquos prophets since they were wise men (quoting Prov) understood the mysteries they spoke even though they concealed them Thus the mys-tery was not known then ldquoas nowrdquo in the sense that it was only known by the prophets whothen communicated it in concealed form For Origenrsquos reading of Eph see Ronald EHeine ldquoRecovering Origenrsquos Commentary on Ephesians from Jeromerdquo JTS () ndash ndash See also Origenrsquos Comm Rom The importance of contrasting eras is critical as is the fact that the νῦν corresponds to thecurrent era and not just a singular point in time (A νυνί as in Rom might better capturethis) As Merklein Das kirchliche Amt comments ldquoMit νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη ist sicherlich nicht einhistorisches Datum angesprochen Doch ist damit nicht jeder historische Bezug ausgeschlossenInsofern naumlmlich das νῦν den geschichtlichen Aspekt des Heilsbereiches Kirche meint ist esauch historisch einzuordnen im Kreuz Christi hat Kirche und νῦν den historisches Ausgang-spunkt Damit hat auch die Offenbarung an Apostel und Propheten ihren historischen Rahmenrdquo() There are multiple syntactical issues in these expressions that cannot be discussed here Isimply note that my decision to read τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ προφήταις as delimitingtwo groups (apostles and prophets) and ἐν πνεύματι in relation to verb ἀπεκαλύφθη are in linewith the majority of commentators

33 Ephesians 95



While Paul later describes himself as laboring to make the mystery known toevery human (vv 8ndash9) here as Lincoln notes ldquothe narrowing of the recipientsof revelationhellipto a particular group is strikingrdquo and likely reflects ldquothe authorrsquosalready expressed interest in the foundational role of the apostles and prophetsin the Church (cf 220)rdquosup1⁰sup3 Such a narrowing of authority to apostles and proph-ets may indeed from a certain perspective be striking but this passage also ex-pands responsibility for the mystery beyond Paul in ways not specifically statedby any other mystery passage Insofar as the mystery is defined in vv 6ndash8 interms of the Gentile mission the claim that other apostles have likewise beenconfronted by God with the revelation of Gentile inclusion provides implicitapostolic corroboration for Paulrsquos missionary endeavors among the nations ndashan observation that becomes all the more intriguing when read in light of atext like Gal 2sup1⁰⁴ Finally the association of πνεῦμα with revelation appeared pre-viously in 117 (πνεῦμα ἀποκαλύψεως) and the Spiritrsquos role in disclosing myster-ies is frequently described elsewheresup1⁰⁵ Indeed the association of a revealedmystery with pneumatic illumination is typical

Although Paul freely refers to the μυστήριον made known to him in vv 3ndash5it is not until v 6 that he describes its precise content

hellipεἶναι τὰ ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα καὶ σύσσωμα καὶ συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦδιὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίουhellip

hellipfor the Gentiles to be co-heirs co-members and co-partakers of the promise in ChristJesus through the Gospelhellip

The triad of adjectival συν- compounds exhibits the key components of theμυστήριον ldquothe Gentiles are co-heirs (συγκληρονόμα) co-members of thebody (σύσσωμα) and co-partakers of the promise (συμμέτοχα)rdquosup1⁰⁶ While the as-sociation of the newly revealed mystery with the Gentiles is a recurrent feature in

Lincoln Ephesians Once again what one makes of these observations depends in large part on the question ofthe authenticity and authorship of this letter See esp Dan (Th) ndash Cor Cf also the Spiritrsquos role in Eph As Sigurd Grindheim ldquoWhat the OT Prophets Did Not Know The Mystery of the Church inEph ndashrdquo Bib () ndash points out ldquoThe fact the Gentiles are included in thedivine promise is nothing newhellipand Paul elsewhere stresses how the salvation of the Gentilesis in accordance with the promises of God in the Old Testamentrdquo the question that remainstherefore is ldquowhat was previously unknown about the mystery in Eph rdquo () While I donot necessarily agree with some specifics in his answer to this question I think Grindheim iscorrect that ldquothe mystery [in Eph ] can be referred to as previously unknown because ofthe unexpected manner in which the Gentiles are savedrdquo ()




the deuteropauline mystery schema this passage is unique in its specific empha-sis on the coequal status of the Gentiles alongside Israelsup1⁰⁷ The identity of Israelmust of course be inferred here but given the preceding context of 211ndash22such an inference is uncomplicated The first aspect of the mystery is that theGentiles have become ldquoco-heirsrdquo (συγκληρονόμα)sup1⁰⁸ and thus in Christ nowstand as rightful beneficiaries of Godrsquos inheritance Paul previously referred tothe inheritance (κληρονομία) that awaits the saints in 114 and 18 Though it isnot spelled out explicitly this announcement of the Gentilesrsquo status as heirs ofa divine inheritance is seemingly why Paul refers to his missionary commission-ing as an οἰκονομία in v 2 and also as an assignment to preach to the Gentilesldquothe inexhaustible wealth of Christrdquo in v 8 The second fact of the mystery is thatthe Gentiles are now joined in one body with Israel (σύσσωμα)sup1⁰⁹ Images ofunity and oneness were variously presented in 211ndash22 with somatic unitybeing especially prominent (vv 13ndash 16) And as those verses make clear thebody in which Jew and Gentile are joined together is that of Christ Finally themystery also includes the fact that the Gentiles are equal participants in thepromise (συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας) The content of the promise is not statedbut it likely refers to the ldquocovenants of promiserdquo mentioned in 212 and thus in-dicates that the Gentiles also enjoy all the advantages of Godrsquos ancient covenan-tal pledges

In concluding this statement of the mysteryrsquos content Paul adds two addi-tional qualifications First the site of Jew and Gentile unity is ldquoin ChristJesusrdquo (ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ) And second this unity is brought about ldquothroughthe gospelrdquo (διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου) The ἐν Χριστῷ expression has become a famil-iar refrain in the letter Here it marks the location in which the three συν- expres-sions occur and so the person in whom Jew and Gentile are united The termεὐαγγέλιον only appears three other times in the letter Especially importanthowever are 113 where Paul explains that in Christ ldquothe gospel of salvationrdquois heard and 619 where he asks for prayers that he might have occasion andboldness ldquoto make known the mystery of the gospelrdquo (γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον

It is important to point out that this unity occurs in a new entity As Lincoln Ephesianswrites ldquo[Paul] is not celebrating the relationship of Gentiles with Israel or the Jewish peopleas suchhellip [T]he writer views the Church as a new entity which transcends old divisions and cat-egories and what for him is at the heart of Godrsquos disclosure is that the Gentiles are an essentialconstituent of this new entityrdquo () This compounded form also appears in Rom but in a different sense This compound term is perhaps coined by Paul

33 Ephesians 97



τοῦ εὐαγγελίου)sup1sup1⁰ It would seem then that the mystery of Gentile inclusionwhich is synonymous with their salvation occurs ldquothrough the gospelrdquo insofaras the gospel itself proclaims that mystery The mystery is synonymous with gos-pel just as the gospel is synonymous Christ

In the final verse of this opening section (v 7) Paul returns to the subject ofhis divine commissioning He refers to himself as a διάκονος of the mystery andslightly altering his claim in v 2 he notes that his divinely appointed status isldquoaccording to the gift of the grace of Godrdquo (κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος τοῦθεοῦ) Such an expression again indicates the extent to which the apostlersquos affili-ation with the mystery of Christ is being envisioned as a fiduciary obligation atheme only amplified in the ensuing verses

Economic vocabulary continues to gather alongside the mystery motif in thesecond part of the discourse (Eph 38ndash 13) Paul states again in v 8 that to him(ldquoto the least of all the saintsrdquo) a χάρις has been entrusted This χάρις assigned toPaul is ldquoto announce to the Gentiles the good news about the inexhaustiblewealth of Christrdquo (τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὸ ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτος τοῦΧριστοῦ)sup1sup1sup1 I have thus far translated the χάρις given to Paul very generally asa ldquogracerdquo but perhaps a more tangible (or monetary) image is in view First itis important to notice that the previous uses of χάρις in this passage are in im-mediate proximity to economic terminology as Paul speaks of ldquothe administra-tion of gracerdquo (τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος) that was given to him in v 2 and ldquothegift of gracerdquo (τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος) that was given to him in v 7 The associ-ation of χάρις with material benefits is in fact one that recurs throughout the let-ter ldquothe wealth of his gracerdquo (τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ) (17) ldquothe immeas-urable wealth of his gracerdquo (τὸ ὑπερβάλλον πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ) (27)ldquothe grace was given according the measure of Christrsquos giftrdquo (ἐδόθη ἡ χάριςκατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Χριστου) (47) It is therefore unsurprising thatthe χάρις assigned to Paul in v 8 is characterized as a calling to publicize theextraordinary riches that have been credited to the Gentiles by Christ The corre-lation of χάρις with financial benefits is itself unsurprising since it is typical inthe broader cultural contexts of benefaction and wealth managementsup1sup1sup2 More-

The only other instance is where Paul refers to feet secured with ldquothe gospel ofpeacerdquo For a similar correlation of πλοῦτος and ἀνεξιχνίαστος (and in proximity to μυστήριον) seeRom See esp James R Harrison Paulrsquos Language of Grace in its Graeco-Roman Context (WUNT Tuumlbingen Mohr Siebeck ) As Harrison amply demonstrates the idea that χάρις hassome basic ldquotheological senserdquo is patently false The term is most frequently used in ordinarycontexts of benefaction Also helpful is Zeba A Crookrsquos Reconceptualising Conversion Patron-




over Paul himself uses the term in this way when referring to the Jerusalem col-lection in 1 Cor 163 and 2 Cor 8ndash9sup1sup1sup3 We also find it used in a monetary sense inother general discussions of οἰκονομία such as in Philodemusrsquo important trea-tise on this subject In his characterization of the wise οἰκονόμος Philodemuswrites ldquoThe wealth (π[λοῦ]τος) that he has will not bring him trouble nor tothe extent that it does trouble him will it do so more than it will render the ben-efits back (τὰς χάριτας [ἀ]ποδώσει)rdquo (On Property Management 1934ndash46)sup1sup1⁴Other examples of χάρις connoting tangible beneficence could be easily multi-pliedsup1sup1⁵ but one especially suggestive instance comes from Ephesus itself inan inscription discovered in 1958 The monument reads ldquoBy means of [t]he[favou]r (χαριτ[ι]) of Caesar August[us] from the sacred reven[ues] (εκ τωνιερων προσο[δων]) [w]hich he himself [gave] freely (εχαρι[σατο]) to the goddessa road was laid under the procons[ul] Sextos Appoleiosrdquosup1sup1⁶ As Harrison remarkswith his ascent to power Augustus began to style himself as ldquothe iconic exampleof beneficencerdquo and so this ldquoinscription represents another instance of the Augu-stan lsquoage of gracersquordquosup1sup1⁷ Given the similar correlation of χάρις with fiscal terminol-ogy throughout Ephesians it would seem that the χάρις assigned to Paul to pro-claim in Eph 3 should be viewed at least in some sense as an alternative form ofredemptive capital that has been secured for the Gentiles by the God of Israelsup1sup1⁸This then is precisely why Paulrsquos missionary task is an οἰκονομία to publicize thefact of Godrsquos beneficencesup1sup1⁹

age Loyalty and Conversion in the Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean (BZNW BerlinNew York de Gruyter ) esp ndash See Cor ndash See also the discussion on these passages in Harri-son Paulrsquos Language of Grace ndash See the recent text translation and notes provided by Voula Tsouna Philodemus On Prop-erty Management (WGRW Atlanta Society of Biblical Literature ) As Crook Reconceptualising Conversion explains ldquoThe term χάρις occurs in numerous set-tingshellipin which it clearly means benefaction or favour and refers to the conferral or reception ofsomething concreterdquo () furthermore ldquothe meaning of concrete benefaction is far more com-mon a usage than χάρις as a generous dispositionrdquo () See the text and discussion in JR Harrison ldquoThe lsquogracersquo of Augustus paves a Street atEphesusrdquo in NewDocs () ndash Harrison ldquoThe lsquogracersquo of Augustusrdquo For a similar reading of the χάρις in this passage as ldquosoteriological wealthrdquo see HarrisonPaulrsquos Language of Grace ndash Harrison contends that the language here would have had apolemical edge in the context of local mystery and cultic practices in Asia Minor particularly asthey are represented in magical papyri Thus the use of χάρις in Ephesians is perhaps ldquodirectedagainst the influence that magic and the Artemis cult wielded in Ephesus and throughout theprovince of Asiardquo () Recall that this agrees with my reading of Col ndash

33 Ephesians 99



In the next verse Paul defines himself in his vocation as a courier of Christrsquosχάρις also as a herald of ldquothe administration of the mysteryrdquo (v 9) Whereas therevelation from God in vv 2ndash7 was limited to Paul and then the apostles andprophets Paulrsquos own work of revelation is ldquoto enlighten allrdquo (φωτίσαι πάντας)meaning not just apostles and prophetssup1sup2⁰ The verb φωτίζω occurs one othertime in this letter where Paul prays that his readers will be enlightened (πεφω-τισμένους) so as to recognize ldquothe wealth of the glory of Godrsquos inheritancerdquo(118) Insofar as the content of the revelation is ldquothe administration of the mys-teryrdquo (ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου) the enlightenment in question in 39 is corre-spondingly fiscal While elsewhere the relationship between οἰκονομία andμυστήριον is only indirectly coordinated there is no need to characterize thephrase ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου as ldquopatently a contradictionrdquosup1sup2sup1 of Paulrsquosother formulations In v 2 as in Col 125 the divine οἰκονομία given to Paul refersto his commission as an administrator of Godrsquos μυστήριον Here in v 9 howeverPaul further explains the content of this οἰκονομία It is the οἰκονομία ldquoof themystery which has been hidden from the ages by the God who created all thingsrdquo(ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ θεῷ τῷτὰ πάντα κτίσαντι) Thus the οἰκονομία from God is the οἰκονομία of the mystery

While mystery is similarly coordinated with the perfect passive participle ofἀποκρύπτω in 1 Cor 27 (τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην) the formulation here in v 9 ismost similar to that of Col 126 (τὸ μυστήριον τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώ-νων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν) As mentioned above Paul appears to have reservedthe temporal portion of the Colossian concealment schema (ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων)for this pointsup1sup2sup2 having already dealt with the generational half in v 5 Andagain its placement here is fitting since Paul shifts the addressees of revelationin this section beyond humans to the whole cosmos (v 10) and then affirms thatthis all occurs according to Godrsquos eternal plan ndash a ldquoplan of the agesrdquo (πρόθεσιντῶν αἰώνων) as he characterizes it in v 11 But something has been added to theColossian 126 expression as well In Eph 39 Paul describes the mystery as hav-ing been hidden from the ages ldquoby the God who created all thingsrdquo (ἐν τῷ θεῷ

The πάντας here is textually uncertain but has early (P) and widespread support Cf alsothe threefold repetition of πάντα ἄνθρωπον Col A cosmic extension of the mystery is ofcourse plainly stated in Eph but it is unclear whether the πάντας here in should betaken as indicating all people or as in all reality So Agamben The Kingdom and the Glory That the αἰῶνες here potentially refer to heavenly beings (as in gnostic aeons) while intri-guing in light of the contrast with the rulers and authorities in v is unlikely See the discus-sion in Hoehner Ephesians ndash Cf the ostensibly temporal use of αἰών in Eph




τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι)sup1sup2sup3 The intended effect of the additional appellative is pre-sumably to underscore a point that Paul has already stressed and will again re-turn to the mystery though long hidden has always remained integral to thecreator Godrsquos eternal purposes

Whereas v 9 relates how the mystery has been hidden v 10 explains Godrsquosrationale for keeping it hidden in order that it would be made known now theldquonowrdquo referring to the era inaugurated by Christ the era as 110 puts it of ldquothefullness of the timesrdquosup1sup2⁴ In explaining this Paul also specifies the addressees(ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις) instrument (διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας) and precise con-tent (ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ) of the new disclosure

hellipἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡπολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ θεοῦhellip

hellipin order that the manifold wisdom of God should be made known now through thechurch to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly placeshellip

Once again new revelation is conveyed with a form of γνωρίζω (cf Rom 1625ndash26 Eph 19 33 5 619 Col 127) and the present timing of the revelation is in-dicated by the particle νῦν (cf Rom 1625ndash26 Col 126) There are howeversome interesting variations in this expression Despite its syntactical proximityit is not ldquothe administration of the mysteryrdquo that is to be made known to theheavenly rulers but rather despite its syntactical deferral ldquothe manifold wisdom

The expression ἐν τῷ θεῷ could of course just as easily be taken as locative (ldquoin theGodhelliprdquo) but the contrast with Godrsquos agency in revelation ( ) suggests Godrsquos instrumen-tality in concealment as well Nevertheless whether the emphasis is on God as the place wherethe mystery has been hidden or the agent who has hidden it the implications seems identical There is it must be admitted much debate about how the ἵνα should be connected withwhat precedes it Most recent interpreters read it with all that follows from the ἐδόθη in v or with one or both of the infinitive expressions in vv (εὐαγγελίσασθαι) and (φωτίσαι)Read in either way the accent is on the evangelistic assignment given to Paul and then thechurchrsquos witness to the powers Paul was given this assignment in order that the churchwould witness to the powers But as Abbott Ephesians and Colossians observes since ldquoγνωρι-σθῇ is directly opposed to ἀποκεκρ and νῦν to ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων the most natural interpretationis that the secret or mystery was concealed in former times in order that now the wisdom of Godmight be manifested in its fulfilmentrdquo () Read in this way the accent is on the previous era ofconcealment and the current era of revelation God previously concealed the administration ofthe mystery in order that now in the current era of Christ the wisdom of God should be madeknown Or as Theodore of Mopsuestia writes ldquoFor this was concealed from all in this way be-cause it was destined to be dispensed through Christ so that neither the rulers not the author-itieshellipcould have first known the things that were to comerdquo (Ad Ephesios [trans Greer])

33 Ephesians 101



of Godrdquosup1sup2⁵ While the σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ in this instance is certainly interrelatedwith the mystery under discussion in the previous versessup1sup2⁶ this shift to wisdomis significant Rulers (ἄρχοντες) are also mentioned in relation to the wisdom ofGod spoken ldquoin a mysteryrdquo in 1 Cor 27ndash8 but there the rulers are designated assubjects whose ignorance (οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντωνhellipἔγνωκεν) of Godrsquos wisdom isvital to its manifestation a point crucial to the logic of those verses In Eph310 by contrast the rulers are marked as subjects for whom knowledge (γνωρι-σθῇhellipταῖς ἀρχαῖς) of Godrsquos wisdom is intended This is a striking revision of therationale in 1 Cor 2sup1sup2⁷ This verse also differs from the other mystery passages inthat the church is designated as a vehicle through which the heavenly authoritiesare instructed The text gives no indication as to how the church makes Godrsquoswisdom known to the heavenly powerssup1sup2⁸ but insofar as the churchrsquos witnessin this regard abets ldquothe administration of the mysteryrdquo this represents an im-portant democratization of mystery proclamation That is while vv 2ndash9 seemto restrict responsibility for the mystery of Christ to Paul and other ecclesial au-thorities v 10 clearly invests the entire church with some role even if simply thatof a witness in making the newly revealed mystery of Gentile inclusion known Itis also worth pointing out that since the content of the mystery ndash which is to saythe product of Godrsquos manifold wisdom ndash remains concentrated on the unifiedcommunity of Jew and Gentile the churchrsquos part in exhibiting this wisdom tothe heavenly powers in some sense prefigures the comprehensive ends ofGodrsquos mystery as described in 19ndash 10 In other words as it embodies unified di-versity the church anticipates the ultimate destiny of the cosmos which is theunification of all things in Christ

The final three verses bring the discourse to its close As in the conclusion tothe letterrsquos opening eulogy so in 311 Paul locates the new revelation in Godrsquos

I take it that ldquothe inexhaustible wealth of Christrdquo (v ) ldquothe administration of the mysteryrdquo(v ) and ldquothe manifold wisdom of Godrdquo (v ) are all more or less synonymous As Chrys C Caragounis The Ephesian Mysterion Meaning and Content (ConBNT LundGleerup ) puts it ldquoThe mysterion is shaped by Godrsquos wisdom it is a product of it At thesame time Godrsquos wisdom is reflected and revealed in the mysterionrdquo () Cf Ign Eph which seems to adapt the Cor ndash tradition It seems to me most likely that the church is being envisioned as a material witness toGodrsquos newly revealed and multifarious wisdom As Peter T OrsquoBrien The Letter to the Ephesians(Pillar Grand Rapids Eerdmans ) writes the phrase διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ldquosignifies that thevery existence of the new multiracial community in which Jews and Gentiles have been broughttogether in unity in the one body is the manifestation of Godrsquos richly diverse wisdom Its pres-ence is the means by which God himself discloses to the powers his own richly diverse wisdomrdquo()




ldquoeternal purposerdquo (κατὰ πρόθεσιν τῶν αἰώνων)sup1sup2⁹ and then designates Christ asthe specific mediator of that plansup1sup3⁰ Paul thus insists again that the recent rev-elation of Godrsquos wisdom is not a reaction to shifting circumstances It is ratherthe long-planned manifestation of the pretemporal design to unify creation ndashand Jews and Gentiles in particular ndash in Christ

333 Ephesians 532

This passage appears at the conclusion of the first main section of the Haustafeln(vv 22ndash33) which concerns husbands and wives The mystery statement in v 32aimmediately follows the quotation of Gen 224 (v 31)sup1sup3sup1 and immediately pre-cedes its interpretive gloss (v 32b)

ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος [τὸν] πατέρα καὶ [τὴν] μητέρα καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸςτὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίνmiddot ἐγὼδὲ λέγω εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν

ldquoFor this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and thetwo will be one fleshrdquo This mystery is great and I am speaking about Christ and thechurch

Although the citation of Gen 224 lacks an introductory formula it is nonethelessan extended and easily identifiable quotation which flows appropriately fromwhat precedes itsup1sup3sup2 The μυστήριον in v 32 is linked to the citation by the neuterdemonstrative pronoun τοῦτο which refers ldquothis mysteryrdquo back to the remarkabout a man and a woman becoming one fleshsup1sup3sup3 But ldquothis mysteryrdquo is also ex-plicated by the supplemental gloss in v 32bwhich is introduced by the emphatic

See (κατὰ πρόθεσιν τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργοῦντος) Cf also Tim (κατὰ ἰδίαν πρόθε-σινhellipτὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων) Notice how Paul again resumes the refrain of ἐν phrases ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳἡμῶν The only major departures from the Septuagintal traditions are the initial ἀντὶ τούτουwhich is conventionally rendered ἕνεκεν τούτου and the absence of the pronoun αὐτοῦwhich is found after both πατέρα and μητέρα In other words in context it needs no introduction because the ἀντὶ τούτου appropriatelylinks it with the preceding Cf the use of this text in Cor and the focus on the ldquoone fleshrdquoaspect of the quotation in Matt ndash Mark ndash Admittedly the τοῦτο could be read as pointing forward to v b as it does for instance in but we would then expect some sort of conjunction separating vv and The contras-tive (or explanatory) δέ dividing v would also be odd on such a reading

33 Ephesians 103



ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς (ldquobut I am referring tohelliprdquo)sup1sup3⁴ Therefore by bridging the citationand its explanation the μυστήριον is related to both as they themselves are like-wise being related to each other The mystery is then neither just the one-fleshhuman relationship described in Gen 224 nor just the reference to Christ andthe church in v 32b which on its own is undefined The mystery is what emergeswhen the two are superimposed Thus the mystery is that Christ and the churchlike the man and woman of Gen 2 have also become a singular bodysup1sup3⁵ Put inhermeneutical termssup1sup3⁶ the mystery is what we might call the christo-ecclesialmeaning that Paul is evoking with the words of Gen 224sup1sup3⁷ Whether allegoricallyplayful or a serious demonstration of inspired spiritual exegesis (or something inbetween) what Paul is offering is nonetheless a new interpretation of thosescriptural wordssup1sup3⁸ But why does he label this interpretation a mystery If μυστή-ριον is being used here as elsewhere in Paul then it is not meant to signify thatthe unification of Christ and the church is some inscrutable or particularly mys-terious propositionsup1sup3⁹ Rather it marks this unification as somehow previouslyhidden and yet now revealed So where was it hidden and how is it revealedThe most likely answer in this context is that it was hidden in Gen 224 whichnow when read in light of the Christ who loved and gave himself for the church

Interestingly the very same ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω expression is used verbatim by the Matthean Jesusin his famous antitheses (ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθηhellipἐγὼ δὲ λέγω) See Matt It appears nowhere else in the New Testament or LXX For a similar use of λέγω εἰς see Acts As Heinrich Schlier Der Brief an die Epheser Ein Kommentar (Duumlsseldorf Patmos )puts it ldquoΤὸ μυστήριον meint in V nicht das Geheimnis der Schriftstelle als solcher aber auchnicht das Geheimnis der Ehe als solcher sondern den in der Schriftstelle angedeuteten Vorgangder ja ein Typos auf Christus und die Ekklesia istrdquo () This is not to suggest that there is some sort of hermeneutical ldquomethodrdquo at work here AsBest Ephesians remarks ldquoIt is probably best not to fit what [the author of Ephesians] is sayinginto some given hermeneutical method or some predetermined dogmatic pattern but simply toview him as providing a scriptural basis and theological justification for the drawing together ofthe husband-wife relation and the Christ-church relationhellip He uses the word lsquomysteryrsquo with itssense of a secret now revealed because he believes what he says is not something which he hasthought up on his own but comes from Godrdquo () To be clear the words of Gen alone are not the mystery It can be said that those wordscontain (or conceal) the mystery but they can only be called a mystery insofar as they are inter-preted in accordance with the Christ-church reality As Lincoln Ephesians notes ldquoThe emphatic ἐγὼ and the particle δέ in v b make clearthat the writer is stressing that this particular interpretation of Gen as a reference to theprofound mystery of the union between Christ and the church is his ownrdquo () Almost all interpreters acknowledge this One recent exception is Frank Thielman Ephesi-ans (BECNT Grand Rapids Baker ) who insists that the mystery here is ldquoespeciallyrdquo andldquounusually mysteriousrdquo (ndash)




so that she might be presented as holy to him (vv 25ndash27) is newly perceived todisclose it To be clear this is not to suggest that an especially clever reader priorto Christ could get from Gen 224 the interpretation being attributed to it It is tosay that for the author of Eph 532 at least Gen 224 is now read as prefiguringChrist and the church because the new reality revealed by Christ has created thisnew hermeneutical possibility Although this passage is generally acknowledgedto be without parallel in the Pauline corpus it is not necessarily an outrightanomaly We observed in the previous chapter how in passages like Rom1125ndash27 and 1 Cor 1551ndash57 Jewish scripture can be creatively reapplied andso reread when appropriated in light of a newly revealed mystery We shallalso observe in Rom 1625ndash26 the straightforward hermeneutical claim thatthe prophetic scriptures now newly disclose a previously concealed mysterysup1⁴⁰As we shall discover in later chapters this hermeneutical use of the hiddenre-vealed mystery schema becomes the most common use of mystery terminologyin subsequent Christian authorssup1⁴sup1

The specific application of μυστήριον here in Eph 5 to the unity of Christ andthe church is in keeping with its earlier usage where unity whether cosmic (as in19) or interpersonal (as in 32ndash8) is the focussup1⁴sup2 Thus once again in Ephesiansthe newly revealed mystery concerns reconciliation in Christ As for the charac-terization of this mystery as ldquogreatrdquo if the μυστήριον indeed marks something aspreviously hidden but now revealed then the predicate adjective μέγα is not at-tributing any heightened obscurity to the mystery It is instead emphasizing itsimmense importance or profunditysup1⁴sup3

Cf again QpHab ndash which is an excellent example of scripture concealing and thenrevealing important mysteries This was already noted by Brown The Semitic Background ndash So Lincoln Ephesians observes ldquoDifferent aspects of this mystery can be highlighted ac-cording to the contexthellip and in chap it has a particular focus in the coming together in Christof Jews and Gentiles in the one Church It is most likely then that here in the term has thesame Christ-event in view highlighting the aspect of it which has been central in this passagenamely the intimate union between Christ and his Churchrdquo () Cf the similar construction in Tim (μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον) As JArmitage Robinson St Paulrsquos Epistle to the Ephesians (d ed LondonNew York Macmillan) explains ldquoThe Apostle does not mean that the complete union of husband and wifeas lsquoone fleshrsquohellipis a very mysterious thing hard to be understood In English we can speak oflsquoa great mysteryrsquo in this sense using the epithet lsquogreatrsquo simply to emphasise or heighten theword to which it is attached as in the familiar phrases lsquoa great inconveniencersquo lsquoa great pityrsquoBut the corresponding word in Greek is not so used it retains its proper meaning of magnitudeor importancerdquo ()

33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619

The final occurrence of μυστήριον in this letter comes at its conclusion as Paulasks for prayers that he would have boldness ldquoto make known the mystery of thegospelrdquo (γνωρίσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου)sup1⁴⁴ This verse and the next arenoticeably similar to Col 43ndash4 where Paul asks for prayers that God wouldldquoopen a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christrdquo Here in Eph 619 how-ever Paul asks that a λόγος be given to him ldquoin the opening of my mouthrdquo (ἵναμοι δοθῇ λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματός μου)sup1⁴⁵ In both passages Paul refers tohis imprisonment on behalf of the mystery (ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει [Eph620] δι᾽ ὃ καὶ δέδεμαι [Col 43]) and to his obligation to speak about the mystery(ὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι [Eph 620 Col 44]) Perhaps the most notable distinctive inEph 619ndash20 is Paulrsquos stated desire to make known the mystery ldquowith boldnessrdquoor ldquowith opennessrdquo (ἐν παρρησίᾳ)sup1⁴⁶ It should be noted that the very suggestionthat the mystery of the gospel be announced with such openness ndash or ldquopublici-tyrdquo as παρρησία could also be translated ndash is a surprising proposition since inthe ancient world divine μυστήρια were almost by definition supposed to beshrouded by initiates bound by an oath of silence

The function of the genitive in the phrase τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου isdifficult to define with precision is it subjective (ldquothe gospel that announcesthe mysteryrdquo) or objective (ldquothe mystery about the gospelrdquo) or partitive (ldquothemystery which is part of the gospelrdquo) or epexegetical (ldquothe mystery that is thegospelrdquo) In 36 the content of the mystery which is the unity that characterizesJews and Gentiles is described as being realized διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Thus what-ever their precise relationship the terms μυστήριον and εὐαγγέλιον are intimate-ly related as is μυστήριον and Χριστός (cf 34) and they are both appropriatelyapplied to Paulrsquos proclamation of the new unity of Israel and the Gentiles in thebody of Christsup1⁴⁷ As for this proclamation apparently it has become the cause of

The qualifier τοῦ εὐαγγελίου is omitted in B F G b m et al As Schlier Der Brief an die Epheser emphasizes the ldquoopened mouthrdquo is a common biblicalexpression especially for prophetic inspiration Thus he contends ldquoBei ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματόςμου denkt der Apostel also wahrscheinlich im Sinn dieser alttestamentlichen Wendungen darandass Gott ihm den Mund oumlffnen moumlgen zum Verkuumlndigen des pneumatischen Wortes Gottes undzwar so dass er ihm dieses sein Wort geben moumlgerdquo () Cf the ἐν αὐτῷ παρρησιάσωμαι in v The verb παρρησιάζομαι which is otherwise rare isfrequently applied to Paulrsquos preaching in Acts (see cf also Thess ) As Brown The Semitic Background notes ldquoThe two phrases lsquoof Christrsquo and lsquoof the gospelrsquoare only different aspects of the same basic reality because the gospel announces the mysterywhich is salvation for all in Christrdquo () SimilarlyWerner Bieder ldquoDas Geheimnis des Christus




Paulrsquos imprisonment In v 20 he describes himself in something of an oxymor-on as ldquoan ambassador in chainsrdquo (πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει)sup1⁴⁸ on behalf of the mys-tery The mystery discourse in 32ndash13 was also preceded by a reminder of Paulrsquosincarceration in 31 and then concluded with a reference to his vicarious suffer-ing in v 13 The necessity of Paulrsquos sufferings and his responsibility for mysteryproclamation is similarly indicated in Col 124ndash26 Exactly why this mystery sofrequently lands him in bondage and distress is never stated but the correlationis a consistent and prominent theme in Ephesians and Colossians Insofar as theheart of the Pauline gospel is the convicted and crucified messiah then presum-ably the living witness of the apostle in chains is an opportune complement tothe gospel itself

34 Conclusion

Although μυστήριον is applied in Ephesians to matters as comprehensive as thedestiny of the universe and to matters as specific as the benefits that the Gentilesnow share with Jews the term still orbits in every instance around the theme ofunification in Christ This newly revealed mystery of unification in Christ is pre-sented in the letter as a previously hidden divine plan that has been recently dis-closed to world although to and through Paul in particular Paul himself there-fore now serves as a specially chosen administrator of this mystery having beencommissioned by God with the task of proclaiming the surpassing wealth of thismystery to the world and to the Gentiles in particular The similarities with Co-lossians are thus quite apparent

While incongruities between Ephesians and Colossians are for the most partrare the distinctive emphases in Ephesians are once again worth pointing out insummary form To begin with the comprehensive mystery that comes at the out-set of Ephesians in 19ndash10 is probably the most obvious development in the let-ter There is certainly no other mystery in the Pauline corpus that is so universalin scope But such a development could be viewed as an elaboration of what isalready implied in Col 115ndash20 As for the lengthy Eph 3 discourse the most no-table variations with Colossians are (1) the expansion of special revelation be-

nach dem Epheserbriefrdquo Theologische Zeitschrift () ndash suggests that all threegenitive constructions with μυστήριον ndash ldquoof Godrsquos willrdquo () ldquoof Christrdquo () and ldquoof the gos-pelrdquo () ndash when read together present a helpful summary of the content of the mystery ldquoEsgeht bei diesem Geheimnis allgemein gesagt um den goumlttlichen Willen der auf Christus bezo-gen ist und im Evangelium verkuumlndigt wirdrdquo () Cf the use of πρεσβεύω in Cor

34 Conclusion 107



yond Paul to other apostles and prophets (v 5) (2) the precise details of the mys-tery described in v 6 and in particular the stress on unity between Jews andGentiles (as opposed to Gentile inclusion alone which is what is presented inColossians)sup1⁴⁹ (3) the addition of the church as an agent involved in makingthe mystery known (v 10) and (4) the imperative to make the mystery knownnot only to humans but also to ldquothe rulers and authorities in the heavenly pla-cesrdquo (v 10) As for elsewhere in the letter while the usage in 531ndash32 is uniqueinsofar as it specifically correlates μυστήριον with the interpretation of scriptureit is not without some precedent in the Pauline corpus and the usage in 619ndash20appears to be very similar to the statement in Col 43ndash4

Especially noteworthy are the ways in which Ephesians like Colossianspresents an account of the newly revealed mystery that differs from what isfound in the undisputed Paulines particularly 1 Cor 2 Most significant is theway in which the mystery schema in Ephesians as in Colossians takes up thelanguage of hiddenness from 1 Cor 27 (again using the perfect passive participleof ἀποκρύτω) but arranges the hiddenrevealed binary in an explicitly temporalfashion Thus in Eph 35 the mystery is described as unknown ldquoin other genera-tionsrdquo but revealed ldquonowrdquo Then in 39 ldquothe administration of the mysteryrdquo is de-scribed as ldquohaving been hidden from the agesrdquo but made known ldquonowrdquo so thatthrough it the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places might come to com-prehend ldquothe manifold wisdom of Godrdquo Knowledge of the mystery in Ephesiansis as in Colossians thoroughly democratized Paulrsquos objective is to make themystery known to ldquoall peoplerdquo even to the rulers and authorities in heavenlyplaces Therefore whereas in 1 Cor 2 the wisdom of God spoken ldquoin a mysteryrdquois reserved for specific groups of people (τέλειοι) and in addition is purposeful-ly concealed from ldquothe rulers of this agerdquo in Eph 3 Paulrsquos desire is to announcethe mystery to all people (v 9) and to make the wisdom of God associated with itknown especially to ldquothe rulers and authorities in the heavenly placesrdquo (v 10) Inother words whereas in 1 Cor 2 Godrsquos mystery is restricted to some people andGodrsquos wisdom is hidden from ἄρχοντες in Eph 3 Godrsquos mystery is envisioned

Bockmuehl Revelation and Mystery emphasizes this point ldquoHere in Eph the centralmystery of Christ is now the fact lsquothat the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members ofthe body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospelrsquo This of courseis by no means to deny that the salvation of both Gentiles and Jews was a central feature ofPaulrsquos gospel from the beginning but simply to point out that it seems here to have becomea fully acceptable definition of the lsquomystery of Christrsquo Nevertheless it would not be correct toconsider that this notion of the incorporation of the Gentiles is an innovationhellip We are merelydealing with a change in emphasis seconded by a concomitant shifthellipin the presentation of thegospel viz from a christological (Gal ) to an ecclesiological focusrdquo ()




for all people and Godrsquos wisdom is intended for ἄρχοντεςWhile these seemingdiscrepancies need not necessarily be flattened to outright contradictions theyare nonetheless intriguing modifications and I maintain further evidence ofthe distinct deuteropauline codification of a Pauline mystery discourse

As for the implications of this discourse we shall continue to chart its effectsin the next chapter It is perhaps most important now simply to emphasize againthe particular historical consciousness that undergirds it Just as the mysteryschema entails a specific understanding of the workings and designs of revela-tion it entails equally a specific understanding of the workings and designs ofhistory By dividing history into adjacent eras ndash the previous era of hiddennessand the current era of disclosure ndash the deuteropauline mystery schema situatesthe advent of Christ as the determinative event upon which these two eras hingeand as the determinative revelation that reconfigures how reality in both eras isperceived (and re-perceived) As this chapter has demonstrated the consequen-ces of this new historical consciousness are varied and profound ranging fromthe theological (Col 125ndash27) through to the eschatological (Eph 19ndash 10) the ec-clesial (Eph 35ndash10) and the hermeneutical (Eph 531ndash32) Ensuing appropria-tions and adaptations of this apocalyptic historical consciousness will be thesubject of the remainder of this study

34 Conclusion 109



clearly distinguishable from the previous samples joining together to form a dis-tinct pattern

The second objective of this chapter is to trace the contours and inner work-ings of this new patternwhich is to say to trace the common terms and rule-gov-erned variation that define this deuteropauline mystery discourse As the keycomponents of this pattern emerge it will be important also to consider its rhet-orical and theological effects as well as the comprehensive reconception of his-tory and Godrsquos eternal purposes that it entails This new historical conceptionwill prove critical for the investigation of μυστήριον in subsequent chaptersand for appreciating many early Christian approaches to divine revelation

32 Colossians

In deference to the critical consensus that Colossians was composed prior toEphesians and perhaps even served as its literary model I treat Colossiansfirst even though for current purposes I am uncommitted to Colossianrsquos prioritysup2While agreements and disagreements with Ephesians will be noted I postponeany detailed examination of the significance of the variances with Ephesiansuntil we examine that letter


The word μυστήριον occurs three times in Col 124ndash25 and is integral to the prin-cipal statements of this portion of the letter Structurally these verses can begrouped into two adjacent sections 124ndash29 and 21ndash5 The first section beginsin v 24 with Paulrsquos expression of joy in suffering on behalf of the church a state-ment further supplemented by a series of relative clauses in vv 25ndash29 In the sec-ond section Paul again refers to his apostolic ἀγών but now by relating his mis-sionary travails to the wellbeing and ongoing fidelity of the churchsup3 Since the

For more on the potential literary dependency of Colossians on the other Pauline letters seeesp Outi Leppauml The Making of Colossians A Study on the Formation and Purpose of a Deutero-Pauline Letter (Publications of the Finnish Exegetical Society Goumlttingen Vandenhoeck amp Ru-precht ) For more detailed and specific proposals regarding the structural organization of these twosections see Jean-Noeumll Aletti Saint Paul Eacutepitre aux Colossiens (EBib Paris Gabalda) ndash John Paul Heil Colossians Encouragement to Walk in All Wisdom as HolyOnes in Christ (SBLECL Atlanta Society of Biblical Literature ) ndash The extend-












32 Colossians 71













32 Colossians 73


















32 Colossians 75















32 Colossians 77











32 Colossians 79














32 Colossians 81















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109











32 Colossians 71













32 Colossians 73


















32 Colossians 75















32 Colossians 77











32 Colossians 79














32 Colossians 81















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109













32 Colossians 73


















32 Colossians 75















32 Colossians 77











32 Colossians 79














32 Colossians 81















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109


















32 Colossians 75















32 Colossians 77











32 Colossians 79














32 Colossians 81















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109















32 Colossians 77











32 Colossians 79














32 Colossians 81















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109











32 Colossians 79














32 Colossians 81















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109














32 Colossians 81















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109















323 Conclusion




32 Colossians 83















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109















33 Ephesians




33 Ephesians 85




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109




331 Ephesians 19










33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109






33 Ephesians 87
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109
















33 Ephesians 89















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109















33 Ephesians 91











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109











33 Ephesians 93

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109

















33 Ephesians 95















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109















33 Ephesians 97












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109












33 Ephesians 99















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109















33 Ephesians 101










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109










333 Ephesians 532






33 Ephesians 103











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109











33 Ephesians 105



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109



334 Ephesians 619








34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109




34 Conclusion




34 Conclusion 107











34 Conclusion 109











34 Conclusion 109



10.1515@9783110436860-004

Documents

logic of mystery

new pattern

previous chapter

previous samples

undisputed letters

tinct pattern

pauline corpus

new instances