Chosen in Christ: The Opening Word of Ephesians (Ephesians 1:1) | Harold W. Hoehner

Deep Dive into On Ephesians 1:1 by Harold W. HoehnerThe provided text offers a detailed exegetical commentary on the opening verses of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, focusing on christological titles, a major textual variant, and the theological significance of Paul's greeting.Initially, the author examines Paul's use of the names Jesus and Christ. While Paul originally tried to convince Jewish audiences that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah, he presented Jesus Christ directly as the Savior to Gentile audiences after facing Jewish rejection. In Paul's writings, Christ functions inseparably as both a title and a proper name for God's anointed, serving as the unifying figure for all believers.The text then thoroughly investigates the textual problem in Ephesians 1:1 regarding the phrase "in Ephesus." A few early Alexandrian manuscripts omit the phrase, but external evidence from diverse geographical regions, including Western and Byzantine text-types, overwhelmingly supports its inclusion. Internally, omitting the phrase creates a shorter reading but results in a difficult and grammatically awkward construction. The author rejects the popular theory that Ephesians was an encyclical letter meant to be passed around with a blank space left for the recipient's city, pointing out that no extant manuscripts feature a blank space or any alternative city name. Consequently, the author concludes that both internal and external evidence affirm that the phrase belongs in the text.Finally, the commentary explores Paul's distinctive greeting of "grace to you and peace" in Ephesians 1:2. Paul intentionally modified the traditional Greek greeting of "rejoice" and the customary Jewish blessing of "mercy and peace" to form a uniquely Christian introduction. "Grace" signifies God's undeserved favor in providing salvation and spiritual enablement, effectively summarizing the entire gospel. "Peace" reflects the Hebrew concept of shalom, conveying a broad sense of comprehensive well-being.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730