| Ephesians 1 | |
|---|---|
 A fragment showing Ephesians 1:11-13 on Papyrus 92 from ca. AD 300. | |
| Book | Epistle to the Ephesians |
| Category | Pauline epistles |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 10 |
Ephesians 1 is the first chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.
Text
The original text is written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 23 verses.
Some most ancient manuscripts containing this chapter are:
- Papyrus 46 (ca. AD 200)
- Papyrus 92 (ca. AD 300; extant: verses 11-13,19-21)
- Codex Vaticanus (AD 325-350)
- Codex Sinaiticus (AD 330-360)
- Codex Alexandrinus (ca. AD 400-440)
- Codex Claromontanus (ca. AD 550)
Verse 1
- Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
While most English translations indicate that the letter was addressed to "the saints who are in Ephesus", the words "in Ephesus" do not appear in the best and earliest manuscripts of the letter. See the section on the place, date, and purpose of the writing of the letter in the article on Epistle to the Ephesians for more details.
Verse 2
- Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.[2]
Verse 13
- In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,[3]
- "In Him you also trusted" (KJV: "In whom ye also trusted"): The same promise, grace and privileges belonged to all that God called, both the believing Jews and the Gentile believers in Ephesus, whom Paul particularly addresses; as they were interested in the same Christ, and were heirs of the same inheritance.[4] Codex Alexandrinus alone reads "we" (ημεις), instead of "you".[5][a]
- "The word of truth" here refers to "the Gospel of your salvation"; it is a phrase used by the Jews for "sublime and heavenly doctrine."[4] Paul uses it to denote the "declaration and publication of salvation by Christ", in which they believed after hearing it.[4]
- "You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise": this is to be understood as the action of the Spirit who confirms, certifies, and assures the believers of their interest in God's favor, and in the blessings of grace, of every kind, and their right and title to the heavenly glory (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:22), and the seal is not circumcision, nor baptism, nor the Holy Communion/Lord's supper, nor even the graces of the Spirit, but the Spirit himself, who witnesses the truth of these things to the spirits of believers, and as a "spirit of promise" – because this is the Spirit promised by Father and Christ, and who was sent by them – the Holy Spirit seals or certifies believers about the truth of the things above, by opening and applying a word of promise to them, leaving a greater impress of holiness upon the soul, and engages more to acts of holiness.[4]
- This cannot be the same as the Father's sealing his people in election, with the seal of his foreknowledge (2 Timothy 2:19) for that is before faith, and is within himself, not on them, and is different from the Spirit's work. For the same reasons it cannot be the Son's affection to the people, setting them as a seal on his arm and heart (Song of Solomon 8:6), or his asserting his property in them, as well as the security and protection of them (Song of Solomon 4:12; Revelation 7:3). Neither can it be the Spirit's finishing and completing his own work of grace upon the soul (Romans 15:28) for this was not yet done on these believing Ephesians, nor the confirming of the Gospel and the believers in it, by the extraordinary effusion of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, or by his extraordinary works which attended the ministry of the word, to the establishing of it, and the faith of men in it, since these were not common to believers, whereas the believing Ephesians, in common, were sealed; and the Spirit of God continues still as a sealer of his people, as an earnest pledge of their inheritance until the day of redemption comes.[4]
Verse 14
- ... who or which is the guarantee of our inheritance.
Some early versions read ὅ ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν whereas others read ὅς ἐστιν ἀρραβὼν.[7]
Verse 16
- I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.
Bengel suggests that "Paul made mention of all the churches in his prayers" (or at least of all the churches with which he was associated) as is similarly stated in Colossians 1:3 and 1:9.[8]
Old Testament references
New Testament references
See also
- Ephesus
- Jesus Christ
- Paul of Tarsus
- Other related Bible parts: 2 Corinthians 1, Ephesians 2
Notes
- ^ Corrector 2a of Codex Sinaiticus also wrote "we" (ημεις) to correct the original "you" (υμις), but then another corrector (2b) corrected back to "you" (υμεις), which is the exact word found in all other Greek manuscripts.[6]
References
- ^ Ephesians 1:1
- ^ Ephesians 1:2
- ^ Ephesians 1:13 NKJV
- ^ a b c d e John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, - Ephesians 1:13
- ^ Cowper, B. H. (1860). Codex Alexandrinus. Η ΚΑΙΝΗ ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ. Novum Testamentum Graece. Ex Antiquissimo Codice Alexandrino a C. G. Woide (PDF). London: Williams & Norgate. p. 404. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2010.
((cite book)): Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Image of the manuscript and transcript of Codex Sinaiticus, Ephesians 1:13 - www.CodexSinaticus.org accessed March 30, 2019
- ^ Greek texts at biblehub.com, accessed 5 February 2018
- ^ Bengel, Gnomon of the New Testament on Ephesians 1, accessed 6 February 2018
- ^ a b Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 838. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
External links
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