Allen, Thomas G. (1982) The Body of Christ concept in Ephesians

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Allen, Thomas G. (1982) The Body of Christ concept in Ephesians. PhD
thesis.

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THE BODY OF CHRIST CONCEPT IN EPHESIANS
BY
THOMAS G. ALLEN
fulfillment
Submitted in
partial
for the degree Ph. D.
of
in the Faculty Divinity
of
University Glasgow
of
1982
December,
ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I indebted to in Scotland
am numerous people the USA
and who
have
supported and encouraged methroughout this but
endeavor, who
for be
purposes of space cannot specifically named. Without the
to the libraries Memphis Theological
gracious access given me of
Seminary Southwestern Memphis the task finishing
and at of this
thesis in Brinkley, Arkansas have been difficult.
would extremely
But
special thanks due to Mrs. Annie Mae Lewis, the
are and staff of
the Harding
Graduate School Religion library in Memphis, Tennessee.
of
Without
their helpful difficult task have been
assistance a would all
but impossible.
I the friendship
must also acknowledge sustaining
Professor
of W. Larry Lacy Southwestern Memphis. informal
at
of
-Our
discussions
the broader issues have
on of religion and philosophy
hopefully helped to the trap "tunnel " Also de-
me avoid of vision.
serving is Professor, Ernest Best. I
my special gratitude my am
indebted
to his has been inspiration
work which an and guidepost,
and grateful for his to during
patience and willingness stay with me
the years in this has taken Last but least,
which work shape. not
I
owe my thanks and my heart to my wife, Teri. Not only did she type
and help proofread the but her love has the
manuscript, upheld me amid
ebb and flow of emotions that accompany Ph. D. work. To her this thesis
is dedicated,
iii
I
Tý) 6ý 8uvaU64) 6TEýp On6P6xn6PLOOOO
TEdLvTa TEOLficaL wv
I 6vepyouuývnv
l,, 86va4Lv
aCTo6Ue4-: a vooOUev xaT& Tfiv Tfiv
tv ýuUv, h 66Ea 6v txxXncCqL 6V XPLCT45 'ITIGOO
cL6Tr4) Tý xat
dLUAV.
CCQ n6GCLQ
T&c yeve&Q ToO aC&5vog TC3v (xC6v(jv,
(Eph iii 20-21)
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary
viii
....................................................
Principal Abbreviations
xi
.................................
0 ....
Introduction
1
..................................................
Purpose Method 1
and
.........................................
Exegetical Presuppositions 4
..................................
The Exegetical Question 10
...................................
CHAPTER I: THE UNITY OF HEAD AND BODY: EPH i 20-23 17
...........
Context 17
...................................................
Interrelation i 20-23 ii 1-10.
of and
essoo-99, -* ... *0019
The Believer's Exaltation Solidarity Christ 20
and with
....
Exegesis
27
..................................................
The Character the Pericope 27
of
...........................
Verse-by Verse Analysis 35
.................................
20 35
vs.
..................................................
21 38
vs.
..................................................
22 43
vs.
..................................................
Excursus: The Church txxXTjcrCoL 48
as
....................
Excursus: Christ the Cosmic Head 64
as
...................
23 77
vs.
..................................................
Excursus: The Context Meaning 92
and of TtXýpwjia
........
Conclusion
113
................................................
CHAPTER II: GENTILES AND JEWS IN ONE BODY: EPHii 16, iii 6 116
...
Eph ii 16 116
.................................................
The General Context 117
....................................
The Immediate Context 120
..................................
The Character the Pericope 121
of
........................
Verse by Verse Analysis 126
..............................
14 126
vs.
...............................................
15 131
vs.
...............................................
16 136
vs.
...............................................
17 138
vs.
...............................................
18 140
vs.
...............................................
A Survey the Interpretation tv ývL 142
of of
c6jia-rL
.....
Arguments for the Crucified Body Jesus 143
of
............
Arguments for the Church Body
150
........................
V
The Grammatical Position and Primary Point Reference
of
WW QMTL
Of 153
....................................
Eph iii 6
164
.................................................
iii 6 in Context
164
........................................
Mmn in the Context iii 6 167
of
.......................
Conclusion 175
................................................
CHAPTER III: UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE GROWING BODY:
EPH iv 1-16 (25) 178
..........................................
Context 178
...................................................
Exegesis 181
..................................................
The Character the Pericope
of
.......................... 9181
Excursus: The Confessional Character Eph iv 4-6... 182
of
Verse
by Verse Analysis 186
.................................
4 186
vs.
...................................................
5 192
vs.
...................................................
6 194
vs.
...................................................
7 195
vs.
...................................................
199
8
vs.
...................................................
201
9
vs.
...................................................
10 202
vs.
..................................................
11 204
vs.
..................................................
12 208
vs.
...................................................
13 213
vs.
..................................................
14 224
vs.
..................................................
15 226
vs.
..................................................
16 233
vs.
..................................................
Note &, %XýXcov (iv 25) 243
on
UýXn
...........................
Conclusion 244
.................................................
CHAPTER IV: THE BODY OF CHRIST AND THE BRIDE OF CHRIST:
EPH 22-33 251
v
...............................................
Context 251
...................................................
Excursus: The NT Haustafeln 252
.............................
The Ephesians Haustafel 256
.................................
Analysis
Eph 22-33 261
of v
...................................
Exegesis
262
..................................................
The Exhortation to Wives 262
................................
22
262
vs.
.............. ..................................
23
vs. 263
................................................
Excursus: Gen ii 24 Marriage
and 265
...................
24
vs.
278
................................................
vi
The Exhortation to the Husbands
280
.........................
25
vs. 280
................................................
26
vs. 282
................................................
27
284
vs.
................................................
Excursus: The Ephesian Nuptial Imagery 285
.............
28
296
vs.
................................................
29
298
vs.
..................................................
30 300
vs.
................................................
The Scripture Quotation, Its Significance
and
I--
Application 301
...........................................
31 301
vs.
................................................
32 303
vs.
................................................
33 308
vs.
................................................
Conclusion
309
................................................
90"'"99,315
Christ's Supremacy the Church's Unity 315
and
.................
The Church the Body Christ 320
as of
..........................
Underlying Characteristics 320
..............................
Specific Relations 323
.......................................
Further Observations Areas for Research 328
and
...............
APPENDIX A: CORPORATE PERSONALITY: TOWARDS A DEFINITION 332
......
APPENDIX B. 340
- E92MA
............................................
Man
340
and
..............
The Greek 340
World
.........................................
The Jewish 343
World
........................................
The New Testament 349
.......................................
World, Society, 354
EC)4a
and
.................................
Historical Overview 354
.....................................
Points
Departure 358
of
.....................................
Comparative Associdtions the Body 367
of
....................
Six Areas Special Concern 369
of
..............................
APPENDIX
C: rQMA XPIETOY in the Pauline Context 375
............
I Cor
vi 375
..........
I Cor 17
376
x
................................................
I Cor 29
xi 377
...............................................
I Cor 12-27
xii 377
...........................................
Rom 4-5
xii 379
...............................................
vii
NOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION 384
....................................
NOTES TO CHAPTER I 388
...........................................
NOTES TO CHAPTER II 423
..........................................
NOTES TO CHAPTER III 440
.........................................
461
NOTES TO CHAPTER IV
..........................................
482
NOTES TO THE CONCLUSION
......................................
482
NOTES TO APPENDIX A
..........................................
485
NOTES TO APPENDIX B
..........................................
495
NOTES TO APPENDIX C
..........................................
BIBLIOGRAPHY 498
.................................................
LXX,
*NOTE Citations; Apart from the NeK Testament and quotations
on
from the Loeb
Greek Latin
and translations of and authors are
Quotations the
Classical Library of
unless noted otherwise.
from the Soncino
Babylonian Talmud Midrash Rabba are cited
and
editions.
viii
SUMMARY
Research into the Body Christ in Ephesians has been
of concept
largely dominated by the the idea's
overriding question about origin
development in the Pauline Corpus. The to
conflicting answers
and
this larger problem as it pertains to Ephesians are often. the reflec-
the idea's in the letter.
tionof different exegetical pictures of use
It is this that forms the focus of our inquiry.
exegetical question
in Ephesians the Body Christ
We the where of concept
exegete passages
the idea's function in
in to use and
appears order unearth and clarify
to the
context, In so doing we hope to contribute modestly overall
the develop-
the letter to the problem of ortgtn and
understanding of and
the Body image,
ment of
Christ is to
Our that the Body of concept used
exegesis shows
Christ, i. the believers,
communicate the Church's twofold unity with-in e.
in Christ.
fellowship
Christ their with one another
solidarity with and
Especially in i 20-23 does the former to the fore. Christ is viewed
come
in is
as the New Adam a renewed cosmic order which man
who establishes
his
no longer subject to cosmic powers. As the special recipient of
benefits blessings the Church the New Adam's exalted life as
shares
and
idea Christ's the
his humanity. The of solidarity with
new underlying
Church is best in terms of Semitic corporate personality.
understood
Christ is functionally identified believers such that his personhood
with
for the Church's life its
the and unity,
supplies necessary conditions
body
corporate self-identity. Adapting the popular social-political meta-
phor to his own Semitic presuppositions, the author uses the Body of
Christ image to convey the God-willed unity of a person. The Body denotes
the Church the Christ's distinct
as corporate expression of person, whose
individual. is by the Head. If Christ be
and -function represented may
the Head things, it is the Church the
called of all still and not cosmos
i
that is his Body. The
unity of Head and Body distinguishes the Church
from the cosmos, defining the Church the
as special recipient of those
divine Christ's is
acts whereby cosmic rule established and his new
life
mediated.
The Church's in this life
participation new entails a profound
in the God's
the formerly
change constitution of people, and mystery
hidden, that Gentiles Jews
now revealed, shows as well as share the
blessings inaugurated by the Christ's In Eph ii 14-18
rule of peace.
iii 6, then, the fellowship Gentile Jewish believers is
and
of and
stressed. The that Christ betWeen Gentiles
peace establishes and
Jews
is the the between God
outward expression of peace established and
all men. Gentiles and Jews receive reconciliation as members of one and
the Body; both in the inheritance living to-
same and promise,
share
gether in the common life of the same Body. Here the idea of racial
solidarity is conflated with the idea of an organism governed by one
life principle. Again the source of this common life is the person of
Christ through the The the
who effects reconciliation cross. unity of
Body
their the Person is
members manifests corporately unity with who
this Body,
Christ.
It becomes in iv' 4-16 that does
clear such unity not entail a
'
stagnant sameness, but a living diversity. Christ gives different gifts
in different
that believer the to
measures so each might receive grace
God's Special that
serve and walk worthy of calling. gifts are given
through them Christ for that
might prepare others service so each may
work to build the bond between themselves
up and strengthen of unity
and with Christ. The final is that together the Body
aim all as of
Christ
might attain to a Full-grown Man, to grow into the corporate
person who is revealed in the function of the Head, Christ. Christ
as
Head is the Body in the function being
whole of the
source and goal of
its life and growth, Thus the inner unity of the Body depends its
on