The triumph of God in Christ : divine warfare in the argument of Ephesians
Abstract
In this thesis I argue that the letter of Ephesians contains a coherent
argument and that this argument is animated by the ideology of divine warfare.
This ideological tool was utilized throughout the ancient world to assert and
defend the cosmic supremacy of national deities, and appears throughout the Old
Testament in texts that declare the exalted status of Yahweh over all other gods
and over the forces of chaos that threaten creation. This ideology is applied to
Ephesians with the result that what many regard as the central portion of the
letter-Ephesians 2--contains a complete cycle of this mythological pattern.
Here, within a context of praise and worship (1:1-19), the cosmic Lordship of
Christ is asserted (1:20-23) and the triumphs of God in Christ over the powers that
rule the present evil age are elaborated (2:1-22). God in Christ has triumphed over
the powers that hold humanity captive to death by raising believers to life and
seating them in the heavenlies with Christ. Further, Christ triumphs over the
powers and their divisive effects within humanity by creating a new unified
humanity that shares in the life of God in Christ by the Spirit. I then attempt to
demonstrate that reading Ephesians through this lens provides satisfying solutions
to a number of problems in subsequent sections of the letter. The
'autobiographical' remarks in Eph 3:2-13 are not intended as an apostolic defence,
but rather are an explanation of how Paul's imprisonment, which would appear to
be a devastating argument against the cosmic Lordship of Christ, actually serves
to epitomize and reinforce that exalted status. I also argue that the difficult
quotation of Psalm 68 in Eph 4:8 finds a satisfying solution through the
application of divine warfare ideology. Finally, I argue that this reading
demonstrates that the two halves of Ephesians are integrally related-that the
exhortatory portion is a call to the New Humanity to engage in divine warfare
against the evil powers, embodying the triumph of God in Christ in their corporate
life.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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