108 gregory p. fewster
eph 1:22–23, christ is described as head over all things—potentially
another description of authority. However, as Howard and others are
quick to point out, christ’s headship is over all things and to the church/
body.68 When body and head are drawn together in a more inclusive
image, notions of authority or ruling are more difficult to sustain. christ
can be described as the “head” of the church primarily on the basis of
an established body metaphor; the “head” is a recognizable feature of
“bodies.” as a result, it is natural to assume a close connection between the
body and its head. the texts of ephesians and colossians firmly establish
christ as an integral member of the body, not an external other.69 ten-
sion remains as to how christ can be the head of his own body, yet this
tension is one that is maintained and validated to varying degrees in both
ephesians and colossians.
as lohse’s comment on the body motif in colossians indicates, there
is a tendency among some interpreters to view explicit head language as
an afterthought.70 However, the passages in colossians and ephesians
bring the two elements together in closer conjunction than a simple
add-on. understanding christ as a head seems to be the natural result
of reflection upon the body and its body parts. indeed, body parts can
be understood as spiritual gifts (as they are in romans 12 and 1 corinthi-
ans 12), and the latter half of ephesians demonstrates such a reflection.
it is within that interpretive move that christ’s role as head comes into
play. in eph 4:11–12, particular social functionaries (apostle, prophet, etc.)
are seen to be given (ἔδωκεν) to the church with an end to the building
up of the body. similarly, in eph 1:22–23, the head is given (ἔδωκεν) to
the church, which is further described as his body. in subsequent verses
(and paralleled in col 2:18–19), the relationship of the head to the body
is an organic one, where the body and head are tightly knit together and
from which growth occurs. christ—the head—functions as the locus of
68 see Howard, “Head/Body metaphors,” 353. Howard also suggest that in this instance,
the head terminology may fit better in relation to christ’s feet. cf. Peter t. o’Brien, The
Letter to the Ephesians (Pntc; grand rapids: eerdmans, 1999), 123, who emphasizes
the juxtaposition of head and body.
69 robinson suggests that the head must be seen “in the closest conjunction with His
body,” which does eliminate some of the separation delineated in other historical readings
(robinson, The Body, 66). However, his schema still does push the incorporation of christ
and the body in the same direction that i am proposing. note that robinson’s perspective
is dependent upon viewing the “body” as christ’s resurrection body.
70 lohse, Colossians and Philemon, 122. Best does not want to see christ as “overlord,” at
least in colossians; yet, his schema still places some sort of disjunction between the head
and body (see Best, One Body in Christ, 128).