Ephesians 4:1-16
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- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- "Spiritual Growth," Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit.
- Comparative texts about Baptism: Water & Spirit from DSS, Josephus, Babylonian Talmud. At (Rutgers University Dept of Religion) Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus companion to the historical study of Christian texts.
- Chapter VI, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Ignatius of Antioch (c.110). (Longer version only - 4th cent interpolation.)
- Chapter IV, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians, Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110). (Longer Version only - 4th cent interpolation)
- II.II.5, II.XX.3, III.XIX.3, III.XXI.6, IV.XX.2, IV.XXII.1, IV.XXXII.1, V.XVIII.2, V.XXXI.1, V.XXXI.2, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- Chapter XII, Chapter XV, On Baptism, Tertullian (c. 198)
- I.5, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- I.1, I.8, IV.21, VI.11, VI.13, VII.2, VII.11, VII.14, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- Chapter XIV, The Prescription of Heretics, Tertullian (c. 200)
- Chapter II, On The Veiling of Virgins, Tertullian (c. 205)
- Chapter VII, Chapter X, Exhortation to Chastity, Tertullian (c. 210)
- V.8, V.10, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 212)
- Chapter XXX, Against Praxeas, Tertullian (c. 213)
- I.VI.2, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
- I.5, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Origen. (c.228)
- X.20, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Philocalia [anthology of Origen prepared by St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen], Origen. (c.230)
- I.XXXV, V.XVIII, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
- X.3, XIII.26, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
- On the Unity of the Church, Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250)
- Epistle LI -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
- Epistle LXXIV -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 256)
- On the Advantage of Patience -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 256)
- Deposition of Arius, Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 321-322.
- Commentary by St. John Chrysostom: Homily VIII, Homily IX, Homily X, Homily XI.
- From the Geneva Notes.
- "Another part of the epistle, containing precepts of the Christian life, the sum of which is this, that every man behave himself as it is fitting for so excellent a grace of God."
- From
Matthew Henry's
Commentary.
- "Nothing is pressed more earnestly in the Scriptures, than to walk as becomes those called to Christ's kingdom and glory."
- From
Wesley's
Notes.
- "The bond of peace is love."
- Of The Church
(Eph 4:1-6). Sermon by John Wesley.
- "The catholic or universal Church is, all the persons in the universe whom God hath so called out of the world as to entitle them to the preceding character; as to be "one body," united by "one spirit;" having "one faith, one hope, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in them all.""
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "lowliness--In classic Greek, the meaning is meanness of spirit: the Gospel has elevated the word to express a Christian grace, namely, the esteeming of ourselves small, inasmuch as we are so; the thinking truly, and because truly, therefore lowlily, of ourselves [TRENCH]."
- From The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- "The Unity commanded has a basis in seven unities which existed in the church, and should exist in all ages."
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
-
Commentary,
Ephesians 4:1-16, Susan Hylen, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
- "In Ephesians, unity is not the same as uniformity."
-
"First
Thoughts on Year B Epistle Passages in the Lectionary,"
Pentecost 9, William
Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
- "Ministries exist for the sake of ministry, not for their own sake. The ministry of all is about living out the life and love which constituted us in the first place and keeps us going together."
-
-
- "...the Apostle Paul is clear that the body without the appointment of particular gifts will be fragmented ? divided and cannot reach its ultimate end in Christ Jesus."
- "Being Ideal Readers," "Putting It All Together," Tim Bulkeley, 5 Minute Bible (podcast).
-
-
- "As Christians, we are joined together, responsible for one another?s Christian walk and well-being."
-
- "Practicing Wholeness," "Thinking and Practicing Reconciliation": The Ephesians Texts for Pentecost 8-14, Ronald Olson, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1997.
- Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16, Reconciled in Christ: Ministry in Light of Ephesians, Wendell W. Frerichs, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1988.
- "The Unity of the Spirit," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
"Heresy, Diversity and Grace," Ronald Goetz, The Christian Century, 1997. At Religion Online.
-
"It would seem that the only belief system immune to the abuse of power is the belief system which has never been politically implemented."
-
- "The
Unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-6)," by J. Hampton Keathley III at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "Unity is living and vital. It is not mechanical. It is not a coalition or an amalgamation."
- "
'One Baptism' in Ephesians 4:5," by Hampton Keathley IV at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "If the Spirit is understood as being the instrument and Christ is actually the one who baptizes, then Spirit baptism is actually Christ?s baptism, and consequently, there is no conflict with the trinitarian grouping of verses 4-6 and with the contents of verse 5 (particularly a reference to Spirit-baptism) being associated with the second person of the Trinity. Perhaps alleviation of this conflict will open the door for consideration of the other reasons that this might indeed be a reference to Spirit baptism."
-
Commentary,
Ephesians 4:1-16, Susan Hylen, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
- Articles & Background:
-
"Called through Relationship," Elizabeth Newman, (other resources at)
"Vocation," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2004.
- "Our vocation is a gift, not something we decide after assessing our skills and talents."
-
"Networks and Exchanges: Ephesians 4:7-16 and the Community Function of
Teachers," Peter W. Gosnell, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2000.
- "Ultimately, this investigation de-emphasizes Ephesians 4:7-16 as an expression of post-Pauline ecclesiastical practices or leadership structures."
- "The Plutonium of Hieapolis and the Descent of Christ into the 'Lowermost Parts of the Earth' (Ephesians 4:9)," L.J. Kreitzer in Biblica 79 (1998). Abstract.
- "Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry," Faith and Order Paper No. 111. World Council of Churches, 1982. Theological and practical commentary.
- "Towards Sharing the One Faith," Faith and Order Paper No. 113. World Council of Churches, 1996. A study/discussion guide on the Nicene Creed.
- "No Clergy or Laity: All Christians are Ministers in the Body of Christ," John Vooys, Direction, 1991.
-
"What
is a Pastor? Examining the Biblical Job Description of the "PoimenaV"
of Ephesians 4:11," Keith
Schooley, Quodlibet Online Journal, 2000.
- "How much more effective might the Church be if all those who are called to teach the word of God were able to do the same thing?"
-
"The
Wild Bird Who Heals: Recovering the Spirit in Nature,"
Mark I.
Wallace, Swarthmore College. Theology Today, 1993.
- "At a time when the earth is at risk, could we say that the special unity the Spirit seeks to engender today is the unity forged by the erasure of ego boundaries between the human self and the nonhuman other?"
-
"The
Disunity of the Church and the Credibility of the Gospel,"
Bruce D. Marshall, St Olaf College. Theology Today, 1993.
- "Identifying such an ecumenical doctrinal consensus will not by itself unify the divided churches, and there are many other tasks to which theology must attend. But if there is no such consensus, then the gospel is false, and all other theological projects are, in the nature of the case, quite useless."
-
"Called through Relationship," Elizabeth Newman, (other resources at)
"Vocation," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2004.
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Albright, W.F., "A Catalogue of Early
Hebrew Lyric Poems (Ps 68)," Hebrew Union College Annual,
1950/51.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Ballenger, Isam E., "Ephesians 4:16,"
Interpretation, 1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Charlesworth, James H., "Revealing
the Genius of Biblical Authors: Symbology, Archaeology, and Theology,"
Communio Viatorum, 2004. (Section on this text begins on p. 133.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Ballenger, Isam E., "Between Text and Sermon: Ephesians 4:1-16," Interpretation,
1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials -
Berding, Kenneth,
"Confusing Word and Concept in 'Spiritual Gifts': Have We Forgotten James
Bar's Exhortations?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,
2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Booys, John,
"No Clergy or Laity: All Christians Are Ministers in the Body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:11-13," Direction, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Butting, Klara,
"Pauline Variations on Genesis 2.24: Speaking of the Body of Christ in the
Context of the Discussion of Lifestyles," Journal for the Study of
the New Testament, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Dockery, David S.,
"Ephesians 4:1-6,"
Review and Expositor, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Everding, H. Edward, Clarence H. Snelling,
Jr., and Mary M. Wilcox, "A Shaping Vision of Community for Teaching in an Individualistic World:
Ephesians 4:1-16 and Developmental Interpretation," Religious
Education, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Frerichs, Wendell W., "Reconciled in
Christ: Ministry in Light of Ephesians," Word & World, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Goetz, Ronald, "Heresy, Diversity and
Grace," The Christian Century, 1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Gombis, Timothy G., "Cosmic Lordship
and Divine Gift-Giving: Psalm 68 in Ephesians 4:8," Novum Testamentum,
2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Gordon, T. David, "'Equipping'
Ministry in Ephesians 4,"
Journal of the Evangelical
Theological Society, 1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hamann, Henry Paul, "The Translation
of Ephesians 4:12, a Necessary Revision," Concordia Journal,
1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Harris, W. Hall,
"The Ascent and Descent of Christ in Ephesians 4:9-10,"
Bibliotheca
Sacra, 1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Herrmann, Erik H., "Homiletical Helps
on LW Series B," Concordia Journal, 2006. (Section on this text
begins on p. 318)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Jolivet, Ira, "The Ethical
Instructions in Ephesians as the Unwritten Statutes and Ordinances of
God's New Temple in Ezekiel," Restoration Quarterly, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Kipp, Judith G., "Of Sunbeams and Spiders,"
Brethren Life and Thought, 1993. (Reflection)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Loscalzo, Craig, "Ephesians 4:1-16,"
Review & Expositor, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Olson, Ronald, "'Thinking and
Practicing Reconciliation': The Ephesians Texts for Pentecost 8-14,"
Word & World, 1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Page, Sydney H.T., "Whose Ministry? A Re-Appraisal of Ephesians 4:12," Novum Testamentum,
2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Pitts, R.D., "Christian Unity: An Exposition of
Ephesians 4:1-16," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,
1982.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Rubinkiewicz, Richard, "Psalm 68:19 (= Eph. 4:8):
Another Textual Tradition or Targum?" Novum Testamentum, 1975.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Schaper, Gary, "Homiletical Helps on
LW Series B," Concordia Journal, 2006. (Section on this text
begins on p. 316)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Smith, Gary V., "Paul's Use of Psalm 68:18 in
Ephesians 4:8," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,
1975.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Stroble, Paul, "Joined at the Heart,"
The Christian Century, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Strauss, Richard L.,
"Like Christ: An Exposition of Ephesians 4:13,"
Bibliotheca Sacra,
1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Taylor, Richard A., "The Use of Psalm 68:18 in
Ephesians 4:8 in Light of Ancient Versions," Bibliotheca Sacra,
1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Van Engen, Charles, "Toward a Theology of Mission Partnerships,"
Missiology, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Verbrugge, Verlyn D., "Christian Unity: An Exposition
of Ephesians 4:1-16," Calvin Theological Journal, 1983.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Vooys, John, "No Clergy or Laity: All Christians Are
Ministers in the Body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11-13," Direction,
1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - White, L. Michael, "Social Authority in the House
Church Setting and Ephesians 4:1-16," Restoration Quarterly,
1987.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Albright, W.F., "A Catalogue of Early
Hebrew Lyric Poems (Ps 68)," Hebrew Union College Annual,
1950/51.
- Sermons:
- "Calling, Identity and Bliss," Dr. James W. Fowler, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1996.
- "Double Standards," from a series of sermons on the book of Ephesians by Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Washington.
- "Keeping the Peace," Rev. Sarah Buteux, Cambridge Swedenborg Chapel, Cambridge, MA.
- "Gifts," the Rev. Dr. Francis H. Wade, Day 1, 1997.
- With Children:
- "The Holy Spirit Brings Many Gifts to Us," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- Drama:
- "Unity Tableau," Faye Ruddenkalu, dramatix.
- "No Church in Churchville," Raymond J. Lombardi, dramatix. (Royalty required.)
- "The Health Centre," Trevor Fletcher, dramatix.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Ephesians 4:5, 7, 9, 11. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
- At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of Ephesians
