Re: eph 3:20

Steven Cox (scox@ns1.chinaonline.com.cn.net)
Sun, 20 Jul 1997 13:22:42 +0800

>On Wed, 16 Jul 1997 09:49:19 +0930 Andrew Kulikovsky
><anku@CelsiusTech.com.au> writes:
>Who does "Now to him" refer to in Eph 3:20?

...EIS PAN TO PLHRWMA TOU QEOU. *TWi DE* DUNAMENWi...
Is it possible that the TWi and DE have complimentary links
into the preceding sentence? - TWi seems to follow smoothly
from QEOU wheras DE marks a return to the sentence-head:
KAMPTW TA GONATA MOU PROS TON PATERA.

Also TWi would have to be the same as AUTWi in 21:
( EN THi EKKLHSIAi )
AUTWi H DOXA ( KAI ) EIS PASAS TAS GENEAS
( EN CRISTWi IHSOU )
This structure (and tail) seems to complete EX OU PASA PATRIA et
seq. which would again indicate TON PATERA (echo into GENEAS)

>Spirit (PNEUMA) is neuter). Also, the NIV inserts "his" when refering
>to the power at work within us - which is not in the Greek.

TWi would be unlikely to refer to DIA TOU PNEUMATOS AUTOU in 16
as this is an agent. Also destroys a nice parallelism with
KATA THN DUNAMIN THN ENERGOUMHNHN EN HMIN in 20. One explanation
why there is no AUTOU is because the emphasis here is not "his"
but "ours" (or more correctly "his, but working in us")

>>Andrew
>>Some people are so narrow-minded,
>> they can see through a key hole with both eyes
>>Others are so open-minded
>> their brain has fallen out.

(A nice modern variant on beams and splinters!!)

greek-questions@genesis.acu.edu

(This was cc-ed ... what/where is ACU?)

At 22:43 97/07/19 EDT, Jonathan K. Landon wrote:
>In the context in which the text appears, I would have to say that "TWI"
>refers to God the Father. Look at the block beginning with EPH 3:14 and
>ending with 21. This is a unified, Trinitarian prayer.
<snip>
>So you see, this is a profound Trinitarian statement, closing a
>Trininarian prayer on behalf of the Ephesians.

Uh-oh, sounds like the b-theology list! ;-)
I imagine this means that because Spirit and Christ are identified
in a doxology(?) in 20-21 that the unspecified TWi must be the
missing third person - the Father. (Forgive me if I'm misreading
you). But without wanting to be contentious I wonder if this isn't
circular reasoning? Is this passage really about the relationship
of Christ + Spirit + God in Nicean terms or is it a prayer about
Ephesians themselves rising to such heights INA PLHRWQHTE EIS PAN
TO PLHRWMA TOU QEOU. Paul's geometry in 20-21 is considerably
more complicated than a triangle:

20 **TWi** DE DUNAMENWi ------> KATA THN DUNAMIN THN ENERGOUMENEN
hUPER |
| |
PANTA POIEHSAI hUPEREKPERISSOU v
(hWN AITOUMEQA / hH NOOUMHN) <----- EN hHMIN

( EN THi EKKLHSIAi )
21 **AUTWi** H DOXA ( KAI ) EIS ---> PASAS TAS GENEAS
( EN CRISTWi IHSOU )