This is an interesting, but unnecessary expansion of the passage, in my
opinion. The two parts of the sentence balance each other.
ME MEQUSKESQE // PLHROUSQE
OINWi // EN PNEUMATI
The phrase EN hWi ESTIN ASWTIA interprets the opposition to drunkenness.
If one drinks wine, one may feel ecstatic [Dionysiac ecstasy, portrayed
vividly in many Greek vase paintings and in frescoes from Pompeii and
Herculaneum.). Christians are to avoid that, since one may confuse that
ecstasy with ecstatic utterance or song that comes from being filled with
the Apirit. Note that the odes in v. 19 are called PNEUMATIKAI, i.e.
inspired, borne by the Spirit, possibly even conveying the Spirit. One
should be QEOFORHTOS< not OIONOFORHTOS. See the useful comments in R.
Schnackenburg, EPHESIANS: A COMMENTARY . (Edinburgh: T & T Clark,
1991) 236-237.
Edgar Krentz, New Testament
emkrentz@mcs.com OR ***** NEW E-MAIL Address: ekrentz@lstc.edu
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