RSV ~ Ephesians 1 Notes

Eph 1:1 | ISB Notes

Paul: Named as the sender of the letter. For a discussion of Pauline authorship, see introduction: Author and notes on Eph 3:8 and 6:20.

apostle of Christ: Paul was formally commissioned by Jesus to carry the gospel to “the Gentiles” and “the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15; cf. Rom 11:13-14).

the saints: i.e., those who are baptized and set apart to serve God (1 Cor 6:11). The majority of surviving manuscripts include the words “in Ephesus” in this verse, but they are lacking in some of the most ancient copies of the letter we possess (see textual note a). For the implications of this, see introduction: Destination.

Eph 1:2 | ISB Notes

Grace … and peace: A customary greeting in Paul’s letters (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; Gal 1:3).

Eph 1:2 | ISB Notes

Father: The preeminent title for God in Ephesians (1:3, 17; 2:18; 3:14; 4:6; 5:20; 6:23).

Eph 1:3-14 | ISB Notes

A panoramic view of salvation that stretches from the past (election, 1:4) to the present (adoption, 1:5) to the future (recapitulation, 1:10). Like an orchestral overture, it introduces many themes to be developed in subsequent chapters. Structurally, Paul has organized this benediction around the work of the Trinity (CCC 257-58). The Father chooses us (Eph 1:4), the Son redeems us (1:7), and the Holy Spirit seals us (1:13). Notice, too, that Paul celebrates blessings traditionally linked with Baptism, such as sonship (1:5), grace (1:6), forgiveness (1:7), and sealing (1:13). These 12 verses comprise only one sentence in the original Greek.

• Paul’s benediction follows the format of a Hebrew berakah, i.e., a prayer of blessing and praise to God in elevated language (1 Chron 29:1013; Tob 13:1-18; Dan 3:3-68) (CCC 1078, 2627).

Eph 1:3 | ISB Notes

in Christ: A description of our union with Jesus through grace. Similar expressions of incorporation punctuate the letter and culminate in Paul’s vision of Christ as the “head” of his mystical “body”, the Church (1:22-23; 2:16; 5:23).

the heavenly places: i.e., the spiritual realm where believers sit enthroned with Christ (1:20; 2:6) and where angels and demons move about unseen (3:10; 6:12). See note on Eph 2:6.

Eph 1:4 | ISB Notes

holy and blameless: The standard of spiritual perfection that God desires for his children (5:27; Col 1:22).

• Paul employs cultic terminology from the OT, where holy means “set apart” for the Lord and blameless means “unblemished” or “fit for sacrifice”. This recalls how animals were set apart for priestly inspection, and only those free of physical defects could be sacrificed to Yahweh (Lev 1:3, 10). These offerings were mere shadows of the Christian vocation to offer ourselves as holy and living sacrifices to the Father (Rom 12:1) (CCC 1426, 2807). See note on Eph 5:2.

Eph 1:5 | ISB Notes

He destined us: The Father predestined believers for divine adoption (1:4). This eternal decree springs from his love and unfolds in history as the elect are saved by grace (Gal 4:5) and eventually brought to glory (Rom 8:23). Because the doctrine of predestination holds together two mysteries, one of divine sovereignty and one of human freedom, it should be an incentive for Christians to confirm their election through works of righteousness (2 Pet 1:10), rather than an excuse for spiritual indifference or moral laxity. We cannot gain access to God’s hidden plan, but we do know the precepts he has revealed for our salvation (Deut 29:29). As with the election of Israel, God took no consideration of our merits or worthiness when he predetermined our adoption in Christ (Deut 7:7; Rom 9:10-11) (CCC 381, 600). See note on Rom 8:29.

• Predestination can have no other cause than the will of God alone. And the sole motive for God’s predestinating will is to communicate his divine goodness to others (St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Ephesians 1, 1).

Eph 1:7 | ISB Notes

redemption: Freedom purchased for a slave or prisoner by a ransom price. Christ redeemed us from sin and for divine sonship (Gal 4:5) at the expense of his own blood (Rev 5:9; CCC 517).

• Divine redemption is first displayed in the Bible in the Exodus (Ex 15:13; Deut 7:8). We participate in a new and spiritual Exodus when Christ rescues us from the bondage of guilt and the tyranny of the devil (Rom 6:15-18).

Eph 1:9 | ISB Notes

the mystery: A central theme in Ephesians, introduced here and developed more fully in 3:1-19.

See word study: at Eph 3:3.

Eph 1:12-13 | ISB Notes

Here and elsewhere Paul alternates between we and you. Among the options, (1) “we” could refer to Jewish Christians (us, 2:14), and “you” to Gentile Christians (2:11); or (2) “we” might refer to Christians known by Paul, and “you” to those unacquainted with Paul personally (1:15; 3:2); or (3)“we” might refer to believers long since converted (1:12), and “you” to more recent converts. None of these possibilities is mutually exclusive of another, so it is quite possible the groups in question fall into more than one category.

Eph 1:13 | ISB Notes

sealed: In the ancient world, seals were marks of ownership and protection (4:30; Ezek 9:4-6; Rev 7:4). Believers are divinely sealed by the Spirit. The Church Fathers employed this language to describe the indelible mark impressed upon the soul in Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders (CCC 698, 1272-74, 1296). See note on 2 Cor 1:22.

•In Pauline theology, Baptism does to the soul what circumcision did to body: it marks it with the sign and seal of the covenant (Rom 4:11). See note on Col 2:11.

Eph 1:14 | ISB Notes

guarantee: An expression derived from a Hebrew term meaning “pledge” or “down payment” (Gen 38:17-18). The Spirit received in Baptism (Acts 2:38) is thus a first installment of the fullness of God’s life and blessing we hope to possess in heaven (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; CCC 1107).

Eph 1:15 | ISB Notes

I have heard: The comment here and at 4:21 suggests that Paul has never met his intended readers in person.

Eph 1:18 | ISB Notes

your hearts: In bi

blical thinking, the heart is the center of the person, where thinking, willing, and feeling originate. See word study: Heart at Deut 30:6. enlightened: By the grace of faith in Christ (5:14). Early theologians described Baptism as the sacrament of “enlightenment” (CCC 1216).

Eph 1:20 | ISB Notes

sit at his right hand: A position of royal honor and sovereignty.

• Paul alludes to Ps 110:1, which describes the coronation and enthronement of the Messiah in heaven. Now reigning beside the Father, Christ wields authority to govern the cosmos (Mk 16:19; CCC 668). Psalm 110 is the most frequently cited passage of the OT in the NT (Mt 22:44; Acts 2:34-35; 1 Cor 15:25; Heb 1:13).

Eph 1:21 | ISB Notes

rule and authority and power: Names given in Jewish and Christian tradition to different choirs or orders of angels. They can refer to blessed angels or to demons who fell from their ranks (Eph 3:10; 6:12; Col 2:15; 1 Pet 3:22). Paul’s point is that God has elevated Christ far above all creation, including things visible and material as well as things invisible and spiritual (Col 1:16; CCC 331-36, 395).

• Catholic theologians have traditionally recognized nine choirs of angels arranged in three levels or hierarchies. The first consists of the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; the second of the Dominions, Authorities, and Powers; and

the third of the Rulers, Archangels, and common Angels. Theologians classify these angelic orders according to their divinely given tasks. this age: Jewish tradition distinguished between the present evil age and the coming messianic age. Just as Christ’s coming marked the transition from Old Covenant era to the New, so he will come again in glory to close the present age of history and open the future age of eternity (Mk 10:30; Lk 20:34-36).

Eph 1:22 | ISB Notes

under his feet: A position of subjection and defeat.

• Paul alludes to Ps 8:6, where David marvels that God crowned Adam and his descendants as rulers of his creation (Gen 1:26). Although this government was frustrated because of sin, Jesus reclaims Adam’s dominion over the visible world and extends it over the angelic realms as well (Heb 2:5-9). All will acknowledge Christ’s kingship when he subdues his last remaining enemies—the devil, the demons, and death. See note on 1 Cor 15:25-27.

• It is an awesome

fact that the whole power of creation will bow before a man, in whom is the divine Word (St. John Chr

ysostom, Homilies on Ephesians 3, 1). the head: Christ reigns supreme over the cosmos and the universal Church, which is his “body” (1:23). See word study: at Eph 5:23.

• God has set over all creation one and the same head, the incarnate Christ. That is, he has given to angels and men one and the same government (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians 1, 1).