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This article argues that the washing that removes blemishes and wrinkles in Eph 5:26–27 is intelligible against wider ancient Graeco-Roman and early Christian conceptions of transformational waters. Ancient Mediterranean traditions tell of special waters that change human skin complexion, prolong life, and remove impairment. Ancient Graceo-Roman medicine indicates that for many women in the Mediterranean, blemishes such as freckles and wrinkles were non-ideal epidermal conditions that women tried to cover up and/or remove through various topical substances and applications. In light of this context, Christ's washing of the church can be viewed as a cosmetic hydrotherapy designed to remove undesirable blemishes and wrinkles and conform the body to an ideal youthful female complexion, which the author equates with holiness. Christ is the church's cosmetological kyrios , transforming his household into the ideal physique by washing them. The wider Mediterranean culture concerning women and transformative waters is not only background material that makes intelligible the bathing in Eph 5:26–27 but it shows the household code's participation in what Margaret MacDonald calls "ideologies of masculinities." Whatever cultural modifications or progressive advancements might be found in the household code, the Ephesian author's use of the metaphor of Christ washing the bride fundamentally enshrines the control a husband has over his wife's body. While the author of Ephesians portrays Christ's cosmetic hydrotherapy as dealing primarily with sin, because it is embedded within a wider discourse about gender, it is also a transformative water that reinforces and bends the gender of early Christian believers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quotation from Eph 5:18-19 contained in the general introduction to Ḥafṣ b. Albar al-Qūṭī's translation of the Book of Psalms (889 AD) seems to be a revision of an earlier version that should be dated to at least the middle of the ninth century. Obviously, this makes it necessary to reconsider the chronology of Mozarabic literary production, which would be earlier than what has been considered so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leading and equipping people for good deeds as a crucial part of parish ministry. The article examines the role that equipment for good works, as an integral part of church ministry, can play in revitalising and help congregations to grow. The investigation is conducted through an exegetical analysis of Ephesians 2, focusing on verse 10. The results of the study of Ephesians are then compared with other Scriptures where good works are mentioned. From this research, it becomes clear that good works do not play a role in the justification and salvation of believers, because it is solely the work of God’s undeserved grace. However, good works are an integral part of God’s purpose in his redemption of humanity. Humanity is not saved by good works but rather unto good works. According to Ephesians, good works serve to proclaim the greatness of God’s grace towards believers. God prepares the good works for believers. Believers are enabled to do good works through the gifts that Christ and the Spirit give them, and the equipment they receive through the special services. From the Gospels, it is evident that good works were a characteristic of Jesus’ mission, and therefore also the calling of his disciples. In the pastoral letters, good works are described as part of Christ’s purpose for which He acquired a people for Himself. The ultimate goal of equipping from the Word, is the ability to do good works. Therefore, good works testify to maturity in faith, reliability, and dedication. A lack of good works puts a question mark on someone’s faith. The conclusion from the research is that deliberate equipping of members to actively do good works, should be an integral part of church ministry. Each member of the congregation should be held responsible for using the opportunities that God creates for them, to do good works. The lack of a structured ministry of equipping members for distributing God’s grace by good works, can be a leading cause of stagnation and decline in congregations. Contribution: The article contributes to practical theological reflection on ministry in the church through in-depth exegetical analysis and comparison of Scripture with Scripture. The place of equipping for good works, which is often overlooked in reformed circles, is highlighted here.

For centuries, the authorship claims of certain New Testament epistles have been defended by postulating the use of a secretary. According to the amanuensis hypothesis, secretaries in the Greco-Roman world were afforded varying degrees of compositional freedom during the letter-writing process. Proponents of this view maintain that such a consideration invalidates the practice of making authenticity judgments based on the style or even content of a given letter. To better understand the merits and limitations of the amanuensis hypothesis, this article outlines its earliest formulations, traces the development of its evidential basis, and examines the various ways it has been applied within modern authorship debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major causes of juvenile delinquency almost anywhere in the world, including Nigeria, is abusive conditions in the homes. The abusive condition in the Nigerian situation is exacerbated by the authoritarian concept of the home. Children are usually seen as mere objects who are to obey their parents, especially the father who has an absolute power over his children. Christian parents too are guilty of being authoritarian and their favourite cliché is 'children, obey your parents'. This article aims at developing a theological guideline that would assist fathers in rearing their children from the biblical perspective via a socio-rhetorical study of Ephesians 6:4. It examines the rearing of children in the 1st century among the Jews and the Graeco-Romans -- the original recipients. Then, it compares the social condition of Nigeria with that of the 1st century Graeco-Roman. It concludes by stating that the key to understanding the verse is the phrase ..., a combination of ... and a present active imperative, which is used to prohibit actions already in progress. Thus, the verse becomes an appeal to fathers to stop exasperating their children. To achieve this, fathers should see their children as full- fledged human beings with a right to their opinions and decisions about their lives. Contribution: This article holds that rather than being treated as obedient objects to fathers in all things, children must be seen as human beings created with will, mind and intelligence and therefore be given a say in issues that concerns them and be disciplined in love and not harshly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates, primarily through a reading of key moments in Paul's pastoral intervention in the life of his congregations in Galatia, three theses. First, Paul believes that our living justly before God—our embodying righteousness and holiness ever more fully in our dispositions and practices in the hope that we will indeed stand blameless before God—is God's good purpose for us in Christ, who freed us from the penalty of sin, through the Spirit, who frees us from the power of sin. Second, Paul believes the Holy Spirit to play a significant role in God's drama of setting things right with us, in us, and among us. Indeed, the Spirit merits equal billing with the Son in this drama, rather than being relegated to a merely supporting role. Third, Paul believes that experiencing the Holy Spirit's work of what Protestant theologians typically call "sanctification"—this deliverance not only from sin's penalty but also from sin's power—is integral to experiencing the full salvation that is God's purpose for us in Christ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major causes of juvenile delinquency almost anywhere in the world, including Nigeria, is abusive conditions in the homes. The abusive condition in the Nigerian situation is exacerbated by the authoritarian concept of the home. Children are usually seen as mere objects who are to obey their parents, especially the father who has an absolute power over his children. Christian parents too are guilty of being authoritarian and their favourite cliché is ‘children, obey your parents’. This article aims at developing a theological guideline that would assist fathers in rearing their children from the biblical perspective via a socio-rhetorical study of Ephesians 6:4. It examines the rearing of children in the 1st century among the Jews and the Graeco-Romans – the original recipients. Then, it compares the social condition of Nigeria with that of the 1st century Graeco-Roman. It concludes by stating that the key to understanding the verse is the phrase μὴ παροργίζετε, a combination of μὴ and a present active imperative, which is used to prohibit actions already in progress. Thus, the verse becomes an appeal to fathers to stop exasperating their children. To achieve this, fathers should see their children as full-fledged human beings with a right to their opinions and decisions about their lives. Contribution: This article holds that rather than being treated as obedient objects to fathers in all things, children must be seen as human beings created with will, mind and intelligence and therefore be given a say in issues that concerns them and be disciplined in love and not harshly.

This article argues for a new interpretation of Ephesians based on its self-referentiality. Taking as my starting point the standard view that Eph 3:3–4 refers to the preceding portion of Ephesians, I explore how the text works rhetorically. I argue that in Ephesians 3:3–4 the author reflexively authorizes Ephesians as a revelatory text that provides privileged access to "the mystery" and to "Paul" as its mediator figure. Eph 3:3–4 thereby commends its readers to approach the epistle as textualized revelation. I advance this thesis through a contextual examination of Eph 3:2–13 with attention to three sets of comparanda. First, the Pesharim and Hodayot provide relevant witnesses to the textualization of revelation in early Judaism. Second, Quintilian's depiction of ideal reading and the reception of Eph 3:3–4 by Origen and Jerome provide an opportunity to reimagine the epistle in light of ancient readerly landscapes. Third, depictions of inspired individuals endowed with divinely granted "insight" provide a revelatory framework for understanding σύνεσις in Eph 3:4. To conclude, I suggest further avenues of research that the present interpretation of Ephesians might open, including light it sheds on Ephesians's pseudepigraphy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpretation of Ephesians and Colossians has often proceeded on the basis that the stance of the original authors and recipients towards Israel is supersessionist, i.e., that the church has entirely replaced or superseded Israel as the locus of divine scriptural promises. By contrast, this article presents a post-supersessionist reading of Ephesians and Colossians. The reading strategy seeks to read the letters as situated within the dynamics of the apostolic mission to proclaim the gospel of Jesus as the Jewish christos/messiah to the nations. This mission is envisaged in Acts as a priestly dynamic in which the blessings of salvation in the christos/messiah began within a distinctly Israelite original community and proceeded to the nations without necessarily negating Jewish distinctiveness. The reading highlights key instances of this Israel-centered missionary dynamic in Ephesians and Colossians. It also seeks to demonstrate how this dynamic helps to provide satisfactory answers to key exegetical questions in the letters. Furthermore, it offers alternative non-supersessionist readings of critical passages concerning circumcision, law, and Jewish identity in the two letters. The article is a distillation and summary of research in the author's previously published book Reading Ephesians and Colossians After Supersessionism: Christ's Mission through Israel to the Nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diaconate of the congregation - Considered anew. From the earliest times, the content given to the diaconate of the congregation varied greatly from denomination to denomination. Different methods and sources were used to determine the content and essence of the diaconate. This article attempts to look at the diaconate of the congregation from a new angle to determine what the diaconal task of the congregation can be. Use is made of previous exegetical work done by the author (2018) of this article. He exegeted specific texts in the New Testament in depth with the research question of what meaning possibility of the diacon words (diakoneo, diakonos, diakonia) the authors had in mind when using the words in those texts. These results are used in an attempt to establish what the diaconate can mean when it is built on the meaning contents of the deacon-words. The result is that new insights are exploited and practically applied to the diaconate. The conclusion of this article is that the deacons should work towards involving each member in the diaconate by guiding them to discover their gifts and to encourage them to use those gifts. The members undertake to do specific service work and to be held accountable for it. In this way, the congregation distributes the grace of God and the diaconate takes on a missionary character and God can work mightily through the diakonia of each member. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: An exegetical study of the New Testament informs the discussion and opens a dialogue between Practical Theology and Hermeneutics. The results of this research have implications for church polity. The outcome of the practical implementation of the results can be a field of study for pastoral counselling, psychology and sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new philological interpretation of the epigram by Meleager for Heraclitus (AP 7.79), with particular attention to the dialectal forms. From his grave, Heraclitus adfirms that he was the only one who found wisdom: in a heated argument between the dead and a passerby (possibly the poet himself), the philosopher declares that he always attacked with 'kicks' and 'barks' his fatherland Ephesus and his fellow citizens (including his parents) because they were all evil people and mad men. The passerby concludes that Heraclitus himself was a real Ephesian... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the semantic value of ἀλήθεια in Ephesians with special attention given to its polyvalent nature and its potentiality for communicating the notion of 'faithfulness' rather than 'truth'. First, an examination of instances of where ἀλήθεια indicates faithfulness in the lxx and the nt provides a broad hermeneutical viability for this enterprise. Second, a study of ἀλήθεια in Eph. 1:13; 4:21, 24, 25; 5:9; and 6:14 reveals a semantic shift in 5:9 and 6:14 wherein the author's exhortation centers not on doctrinal truth, but embodying faithfulness as a child of the light and as a defense against the Devil's schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Believers are told in Ephesians 6:11 to put on God's armour. In Isaiah 59:17, God himself puts on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation to come and fight for his people, and these are among the qualities identified as missing in the indictment against God's people in Isaiah 59:8-15. The article identifies other intertextual allusions to Isaiah in the other four items of armour, and explores the extent to which the other qualities represented by the pieces of equipment also draw on the description of the nation's plight in Isaiah 59. An awareness of these intertextual allusions suggests that putting on God's armour means enlisting in the spiritual struggle and going on the offensive by adopting a lifestyle marked by the qualities listed in Ephesians 6:14-17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text of Ephesians 6:10–20 reframes the sectors of what we know as ‘spiritual warfare’ to tackle demons that menace and disturb people’s daily life. Reading this text from an African perspective helps to understand the text as well as believers in Africa to efficiently use the proposed weapons. Contribution: An approach such as an intercultural criticism with the aid of a four-legged stool model in this research proved to be appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The erosion of traditional work roles which had been male biased has led to the increase of women in the workplace. Although a welcomed development, it has an attendant problem – a vacuum in the homestead. Consequently, families are filling this vacuum by employing various hands (houseboys and girls, maids and nannies) to handle the house chores in the absence of parents. Being part of the society and mostly affected by female personnel (as Islamic conservativeness is reducing female personnel), many Christian parents are now faced with the issue of relating properly with their ‘servants’ and vice versa. In fact, there are many cases of maltreatment of these helps and pampering their own children while the helps are overstretched, on the one hand, and cases of outrageous and negative behaviours on the part of the ‘servants’. This article is aimed at giving a biblical guideline on domestic workers and masters relationship via a socio-rhetorical reading of Ephesians 6:5–9. It examines the Graeco-Roman household codes between servants and masters and provides a comparative analysis of these ethical codes with the Nigerian situation to emphasise the contemporary relevance of the passage. Contributions: The article holds that rather than being treated as domestic workers, these servants should be treated as part of the family. They should be sent to school, properly clothed, and fed and treated equally with the children of the home. They are human beings created and loved by God before whom we are all equals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prayer in Ephesians 3:16–19 is filled with syntactical oddities and the portrayal of Christ's habitation in the readers' hearts (3:17) is also quite enigmatic. Does it describe the inception of Christ's habitation or his durative habitation? The grammar seems to imply it is a request for Christ to take up habitation (inceptive), while the context (e.g. 2:22) suggests they are already indwelt by Christ (durative). Many commentators favour the latter, though a minority favours the former. This article contributes to the literature on Ephesians 3:17 by employing verbal aspect theory to evaluate the cogency of the inceptive interpretation so as to shed some light on the enigma of Christ's habitation in this verse. We begin with a study of the structural and theological background to the problem. After that, we show the significance of verbal aspect for the Greek verbal system and demonstrate its operation with the tense-mood combinations found in this pericope. Through this, we show that the inceptive interpretation cannot be avoided. Last, we do a theological synthesis to establish the author's communicative purpose and in so doing shed light on the apparent contradiction between the context and grammar of Ephesians 3:17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The erosion of traditional work roles which had been male biased has led to the increase of women in the workplace. Although a welcomed development, it has an attendant problem – a vacuum in the homestead. Consequently, families are filling this vacuum by employing various hands (houseboys and girls, maids and nannies) to handle the house chores in the absence of parents. Being part of the society and mostly affected by female personnel (as Islamic conservativeness is reducing female personnel), many Christian parents are now faced with the issue of relating properly with their ‘servants’ and vice versa. In fact, there are many cases of maltreatment of these helps and pampering their own children while the helps are overstretched, on the one hand, and cases of outrageous and negative behaviours on the part of the ‘servants’. This article is aimed at giving a biblical guideline on domestic workers and masters relationship via a socio-rhetorical reading of Ephesians 6:5–9. It examines the Graeco-Roman household codes between servants and masters and provides a comparative analysis of these ethical codes with the Nigerian situation to emphasise the contemporary relevance of the passage. Contributions: The article holds that rather than being treated as domestic workers, these servants should be treated as part of the family. They should be sent to school, properly clothed, and fed and treated equally with the children of the home. They are human beings created and loved by God before whom we are all equals.

The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are gifts to the whole church. Every believer in Jesus Christ is part of the body of Christ, the temple of God, the household of the Father and the army of the Spirit. One of the main themes of the letter to the Ephesians is unification in Christ between Jews and Gentiles. The author concludes his letter in Ephesians 6:10 with the metaphor of the armour of God: ‘In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His might.’ (AMP). Our union with Christ, which should be reflected in our union with other believers, empower us to be strong in our fight against evil in this world. Unification cannot be complete if the value of each member is not acknowledged. Though roles may differ, the value of each member is measured by the price that Christ paid on the cross for our redemption. Equality unite; inequality divide. Equality for all members of Christ’s church is essential in the fight against evil powers like domination and inequality. The writer of Ephesians uses metaphors to convey the message of unification and equality, especially between Jews and Gentiles, in the newly formed first century church. Unfortunately the position of slaves, woman and children in the church are still subject to cultural norms and values of the time. The message of this letter should be filtered through the lens of patriarchy in the first century Mediterranean world. According to Osiek the whole Mediterranean society was patriarchal (2006:832). The metaphor of the Roman soldier’s armour is a male image used to describe a spiritual war in which all believers are involved. The equality in today’s society should not be limited by cultural first century boundaries, in Ephesians the fight against evil should be an example of the unification and equality of gender, ethnicity, social status and age groups. Contribution The metaphor of the armour of God describe the spiritual fight against evil powers and although the image of a male Roman soldier is used, the fight is not limited to male members of the church. Every believer is valuable enough that Christ died for him/her and therefore every believer should be equal in the army of God. The empowering strength of the Holy Spirit should bring equality and unity in the church.

The so-called 'disputed' Pauline letters - Ephesians and Colossians - are significantly different from the 'undisputed' Pauline letters. Since the beginning of the historical critical movement, it has been recognised that Ephesians and Colossians are more similar to each other than any other Pauline letter. Scholars debated about these letters' dependency upon each other, and many focussed on the similarities between Ephesians and Colossians. This article is an approach to contribute to the debate by comparing Ephesians and Colossians with regard to their characterisations of God. The attributes of God in these letters were interpreted within the letter structures as part of persuasion strategies, keeping in mind the socio-historical background and purpose of the letters. Where necessary, word studies were done. Finally, the attributes of God in Ephesians and Colossians were compared. It was concluded that these two letters were written each with a specific purpose in mind and that the attributes of God (as Father or Son or Holy Spirit) featured in these letters as shaped by the purpose. This article indicates that the similarities in the attributes of God do not speak louder than the differences and that these letters are unique in similarities as well as differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epistle to the Ephesians is regarded as a circular letter, yet it also contains two specific intercessory prayers (1:15-23; 3:14-21) in which the Trinity concept features persuasively. On the one side, this research tends to point out how the divine attribute of love relates to all three the divine persons in cooperation and how the trinity concept features in the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. On the other side, the article also aims to identify conceived spiritualities (lived experiences of the divine trinity) that the hearers (readers) could have perceived and experienced when hearing this prayer or even praying this prayer themselves. Methodologically, the 'hermeneutic research approach', as proposed and developed by Waaijman and Iser, has been deductively applied for the investigation in this research. Firstly, the dynamic and relational character of the trinitarian God is briefly discussed. Secondly, an exploration of the appearance and inclusion of trinitarianism in Ephesians has been conducted. Thirdly, the focus falls on trinitarian spirituality (the divine attribute of love) in Ephesians 3:14-21. Mechanisms proposed by Waaijman and Iser, which could foster spiritualities in the reading of texts, have been applied to Ephesians 3:14-21 to contribute towards a validation for a trinitarian spirituality of prayer. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This research challenges believers to experience divine presence in the reading of biblical texts, how the reader can become involved in the text. This spirituality will certainly prepare them to experience the divine involvement in their personal life every day. The magnificent methodology proposed by Waaijman has been applied to guide the believers in accomplishing this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called ‘disputed’ Pauline letters – Ephesians and Colossians – are significantly different from the ‘undisputed’ Pauline letters. Since the beginning of the historical critical movement, it has been recognised that Ephesians and Colossians are more similar to each other than any other Pauline letter. Scholars debated about these letters’ dependency upon each other, and many focussed on the similarities between Ephesians and Colossians. This article is an approach to contribute to the debate by comparing Ephesians and Colossians with regard to their characterisations of God. The attributes of God in these letters were interpreted within the letter structures as part of persuasion strategies, keeping in mind the socio-historical background and purpose of the letters. Where necessary, word studies were done. Finally, the attributes of God in Ephesians and Colossians were compared. It was concluded that these two letters were written each with a specific purpose in mind and that the attributes of God (as Father or Son or Holy Spirit) featured in these letters as shaped by the purpose. This article indicates that the similarities in the attributes of God do not speak louder than the differences and that these letters are unique in similarities as well as differences. Contribution: As New Testament Studies fit perfectly in the scope of In die Skriflig, this article on the attributes of God in Ephesians and Colossians is relevant. The research results reported in this manuscript, fill a theoretical research gap, as it offers a comparison between the attributes of God in Ephesians and Colossians and serves as a contribution to the debate on the similarities and differences between the two letters.

The text of Ephesians 6:10–20 reframes the sectors of what we know as ‘spiritual warfare’ to tackle demons that menace and disturb people’s daily life. Reading this text from an African perspective helps to understand the text as well as believers in Africa to efficiently use the proposed weapons. Contribution: An approach such as an intercultural criticism with the aid of a four-legged stool model in this research proved to be appropriate.

The epistle to the Ephesians is regarded as a circular letter, yet it also contains two specific intercessory prayers (1:15–23; 3:14–21) in which the Trinity concept features persuasively. On the one side, this research tends to point out how the divine attribute of love relates to all three the divine persons in cooperation and how the trinity concept features in the prayer in Ephesians 3:14–21. On the other side, the article also aims to identify conceived spiritualities (lived experiences of the divine trinity) that the hearers (readers) could have perceived and experienced when hearing this prayer or even praying this prayer themselves. Methodologically, the ‘hermeneutic research approach’, as proposed and developed by Waaijman and Iser, has been deductively applied for the investigation in this research. Firstly, the dynamic and relational character of the trinitarian God is briefly discussed. Secondly, an exploration of the appearance and inclusion of trinitarianism in Ephesians has been conducted. Thirdly, the focus falls on trinitarian spirituality (the divine attribute of love) in Ephesians 3:14–21. Mechanisms proposed by Waaijman and Iser, which could foster spiritualities in the reading of texts, have been applied to Ephesians 3:14–21 to contribute towards a validation for a trinitarian spirituality of prayer. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This research challenges believers to experience divine presence in the reading of biblical texts, how the reader can become involved in the text. This spirituality will certainly prepare them to experience the divine involvement in their personal life every day. The magnificent methodology proposed by Waaijman has been applied to guide the believers in accomplishing this.

South Africans live in a broken country where hatred leads to violence and destroys the relationships between people. The pertinent question here is: Is forgiveness between South Africans possible? This article is an attempt to understand 'forgiveness' in Ephesians, and to discuss the power of such forgiveness in a violent and broken South Africa. Ephesians 4:23 demands a change in the people's mindset in order to be able to, inter alia, be kind and compassionate when they forgive each other (Eph 4:32). This forgiveness means to take control as a believer and to use one's power as a Christian to forgive because God forgave us. We need to be the initiators of the transaction. Forgiveness is a 'means for imitating God', for 'carrying out God's plan', and 'enhancing one's relationship' with God. Forgiveness will restore relations; it is a gift to oneself and to others, to society, to one's country. Ephesians advises to no longer rehearse and re-think the memories of pain, to stop harbouring and nursing grudges, to stop playing the victim and perpetuating negative emotions associated with this rehearsing, and to break people's commitment to remain angry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Who is God according to the author of the letter to the Ephesians? What does this letter communicate about the character of God? Which attributes of God are specifically in focus in Ephesians? The focus of this article is the meaning and relevance of these characterisations of God in the letter structure, in the argumentation, in the rhetoric of the author and in the sociohistorical context of the author and readers. The method of interpretation includes word studies, the epistolographic structure, the argumentation, the socio-historical background and the persuasion strategies used in the letter. The author identifies and categorises all attributes of God in Ephesians within the structure of the letter and argumentation and shows how these contribute to the purpose of the letter. The author of Ephesians presents God as being in total control of the universe, willing to be mankind's Father and to equip them with wisdom and strength and gifts and blessings and he exhorts them to trust this God and imitate Him in their behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temple metaphor in Ephesians 2:11–22 as part of identity formation of the believing in-group. One of the basic human needs is to belong, feel accepted and be part of a group. During the first century people from different backgrounds believed in Jesus, consequently unity among believers became a challenge. The inclusive heart of God, the atonement of Christ and the Holy Spirit unites believers from different backgrounds and groups. This article examines spiritual unity as part of the believers’ identity as portrayed by the temple metaphor in Ephesians 2:11–22. Christians should acknowledge their differences, as the author of Ephesians clearly does, without causing division in the group. Identity formation is linked to group membership, therefore the identity of the early Christian group is examined, to determine the influence it still has on the present-day unity among believers. We divide our society into groups and tend to discriminate against those that are different from us. These phenomena were part of the social interaction of Christians in the first century. To better understand the social functioning of the ancient Mediterranean world, this article uses Social Identity Theory to identify and compare the groups in Ephesians. The Jews and Gentiles were the out-groups. In the context of the letter, Gentiles were Artemis-worshippers. The Christians formed the in-group. The identity of the out-groups, to which Christians previously belonged, should be considered to determine the identity of the in-group. The metaphor of the spiritual temple identifies believers as becoming part of the temple at the time of their conversion. Unlike the Jewish temple and the temple of Artemis, which were physical buildings with exclusive membership, the temple of the Holy Spirit is an inclusive unity of believers. The Jewish temple was part of the identity of the Jews, the Artemis temple gave identity to the city of Ephesus and the spiritual temple identifies the unity of the Christian in-group. The Christian-identity, whether in the first century or in contemporary society, is unifying and inclusive regardless of our differences. According to the author of Ephesians Christ-founded and Spirit-driven identity should determine Christian thinking and actions. Contribution: The temple of Artemis and the Jewish temple were places of religious, political, economic and social status and power. The temple of Ephesians 2, however, becomes a spiritual force to which every believer has access apart from political, economic, social, ethnic and gender status. Christian identity and unity are rooted in the redemptive work of Christ.

Interpretation of Ephesians and Colossians has often proceeded on the basis that the stance of the original authors and recipients towards Israel is supersessionist, i.e., that the church has entirely replaced or superseded Israel as the locus of divine scriptural promises. By contrast, this article presents a post-supersessionist reading of Ephesians and Colossians. The reading strategy seeks to read the letters as situated within the dynamics of the apostolic mission to proclaim the gospel of Jesus as the Jewish christos/messiah to the nations. This mission is envisaged in Acts as a priestly dynamic in which the blessings of salvation in the christos/messiah began within a distinctly Israelite original community and proceeded to the nations without necessarily negating Jewish distinctiveness. The reading highlights key instances of this Israel-centered missionary dynamic in Ephesians and Colossians. It also seeks to demonstrate how this dynamic helps to provide satisfactory answers to key exegetical questions in the letters. Furthermore, it offers alternative non-supersessionist readings of critical passages concerning circumcision, law, and Jewish identity in the two letters. The article is a distillation and summary of research in the author’s previously published book Reading Ephesians and Colossians After Supersessionism: Christ’s Mission through Israel to the Nations.

This study aims to shed light on the richness, essence, and range of πνεῦμα lexemes in Paul's correspondence to Christ followers in Western Asia Minor and Roman Philippi. I will endeavor to show the import of each occurrence of πνεῦμα or its cognate in these letters and provide a synthesis of the findings at the conclusion. It will become apparent that Paul does not have one consistent referent for πνεῦμα, either to the Holy Spirit or to other spiritual activities. The study will also show that Paul's use of πνεῦμα lexemes is predicated upon the occasion and provenance of the letter in question. The analysis begins with Ephesians due to its higher frequency and range of πνεῦμα usage compared to its five appearances in Philippians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africans live in a broken country where hatred leads to violence and destroys the relationships between people. The pertinent question here is: Is forgiveness between South Africans possible? This article is an attempt to understand ‘forgiveness’ in Ephesians, and to discuss the power of such forgiveness in a violent and broken South Africa. Ephesians 4:23 demands a change in the people’s mindset in order to be able to, inter alia, be kind and compassionate when they forgive each other (Eph 4:32). This forgiveness means to take control as a believer and to use one’s power as a Christian to forgive because God forgave us. We need to be the initiators of the transaction. Forgiveness is a ‘means for imitating God’, for ‘carrying out God’s plan’, and ‘enhancing one’s relationship’ with God. Forgiveness will restore relations; it is a gift to oneself and to others, to society, to one’s country. Ephesians advises to no longer rehearse and re-think the memories of pain, to stop harbouring and nursing grudges, to stop playing the victim and perpetuating negative emotions associated with this rehearsing, and to break people’s commitment to remain angry. Contribution: Ephesians aims to persuade believers that forgiveness is a choice to imitate God. Forgiveness is an act out of grace, kindness, and compassion.

Who is God according to the author of the letter to the Ephesians? What does this letter communicate about the character of God? Which attributes of God are specifically in focus in Ephesians? The focus of this article is the meaning and relevance of these characterisations of God in the letter structure, in the argumentation, in the rhetoric of the author and in the socio-historical context of the author and readers. The method of interpretation includes word studies, the epistolographic structure, the argumentation, the socio-historical background and the persuasion strategies used in the letter. The author identifies and categorises all attributes of God in Ephesians within the structure of the letter and argumentation and shows how these contribute to the purpose of the letter. The author of Ephesians presents God as being in total control of the universe, willing to be mankind’s Father and to equip them with wisdom and strength and gifts and blessings and he exhorts them to trust this God and imitate Him in their behaviour. Contribution: Although the attributes of God have been discussed by various scholars, this article is an attempt to not only identify the attributes of God in the letter to the Ephesians, but also to discuss the meaning and relevance of these in this letter.

Paul uses the word ἑνότης twice in Ephesians (4:3, 13), and quite strangely, those are the only two places where the feminine noun features in the whole of the New Testament. In the two passages where they appear, they both relate to invisible unity, the unity of the Spirit that produces a common faith and knowledge of the Son of God – εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Such unity suggests that ecumenism amongst Christian denominations is not only a possibility, it is also a necessity as far as we all profess one Christ. This unity is however far from ecclesiological unionism. Considering that the church appears weak from the outside when its diverse lines of doctrine, sacraments and ministerial ethics are emphasised. This suggests that a reasonable antidote would be the emphasis on the philosophy of unity amidst our diversity especially to the hearing of non-Christians. Contribution: This study makes firm the belief that Christianity is formed on divergent traditions that produced various strands of practices, which in turn produce different Christian sects and denominations, and a reverse is not possible. It then suggests a bonding in faith through the invisibility of henotic unity, which the pericope suggests. This will help the church to amass a stronger defence politically and structurally against rival religions and social organisations even in the midst of doctrinal differences.

Paul uses the word ἑνότης twice in Ephesians (4:3, 13), and quite strangely, those are the only two places where the feminine noun features in the whole of the New Testament. In the two passages where they appear, they both relate to invisible unity, the unity of the Spirit that produces a common faith and knowledge of the Son of God - εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Such unity suggests that ecumenism amongst Christian denominations is not only a possibility, it is also a necessity as far as we all profess one Christ. This unity is however far from ecclesiological unionism. Considering that the church appears weak from the outside when its diverse lines of doctrine, sacraments and ministerial ethics are emphasised. This suggests that a reasonable antidote would be the emphasis on the philosophy of unity amidst our diversity especially to the hearing of non-Christians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having as main interest to cover the lexicon that composes the notion of tolerance, the present reflection focuses on a New Testament stretch where the expression "supporting one another in love" is found, namely: Ephesians 4,1-6. The proposed reading takes place in two general dimensions: one, more focused on the text and its structure; and another, more interested in content analysis, seeking to unfold occasional flirtations with the anthropology of Marcel Mauss. On the one hand, attention will be paid to the establishment of the text, as well as to a proposal for exegesis. On the other hand, certain themes will be related to some Maussian motives: the credentials of the speaker; the defended moral aspects; the foundation of reciprocity; and the confession of faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central to Markus Barth's work as a New Testament exegete was the pursuit of an ever more responsible interpretation of the letters of the apostle Paul that combined rigorous historical and theological concerns into a form of "biblical theology." The culmination of this endeavour is unarguably his two-volume commentary on Ephesians. This essay explores the central claims advanced in that commentary with an especial focus on Barth's claim that Ephesians 2:11–22 represents a high point in Paul's witness concerning Jews and Gentiles. It goes on to demonstrate how Barth understood justification as the 'sociohistorical' outworking of God's reconciling act in Jesus Christ. It concludes by examining some of the consequences of Barth's contentions for orienting Christians toward the important task of Jewish-Christian relations in the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Epistle to Ephesians we find six occurrences of the term μυστήριον, a rendering of Aramaic רז or רזא. There are several points of view about the unitary use of μυστήριον in Ephesians. In this article I focus on the expression τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν (Eph 5:32), which can be more deeply appreciated through a comparison with some occurrences of רזא/רז in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q416 2ii 7b-2iv; 1QS 9:18b-19a; 1QS 11:3b-4a; 1QHa 16:6b-12; 1QpHab 7:4-5a; 1Q27 1i 1-8). Though we cannot find a perfect parallel in Second Temple apocalyptic literature, we can identify texts that may have inspired the author of Ephesians. The knowledge and contemplation of mystery show that human relationships are shaped on the relationship between God and mankind, according to God's eternal plan, as enclosed, for instance, in the רז נהיה of 4QInstruction. Moreover, like the Teacher of Righteousness, the author of Ephesians, too, knows and reveals the mystery of Scriptures and «ancient matters». [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]