190 sigurd grindheim
to the gentiles. Moreover, the primary referent of the “reconciliation” in
rom 11:15 is not the reconciliation between Jews and gentiles, but Christ’s
reconciliation of human beings with god. neither is the time difference
between the reconciliatory work of Christ and the resulting new recon-
ciled state as clearly reflected in romans as it is in ephesians. we note,
however, that Christ’s reconciliation is described in terms of its effects for
the church and the incorporation of gentiles into israel. Moreover, the
term “mystery” is used for god’s plan of bringing salvation to the gentiles
and subsequently to israel. the description of the mystery in romans pre-
pares for the vision in ephesians.
the differences are probably best explained as a result of the different
purposes of the letters. J. Paul sampley uses the expression “identity for-
mation” to explain the aim of ephesians.38 the ecclesiological focus of the
description of Christ’s work that we have seen in rom 11:11–36; gal 3:25–29,
is amplified in ephesians in order to educate the addressees about their
status in Christ. if Clinton arnold is correct that a main purpose of ephe-
sians is to help the readers gain an adequate understanding of the “powers”
and their subjugation under Christ,39 then this ecclesiological focus would
serve to explain that the headship of Christ and the resulting reconcilia-
tion is already manifest in the church. this manifestation in turn serves
as an announcement of the effects of Christ’s work to the “powers” (3:10).
according to some scholars, however, “mystery” has now become a tech-
nical term for the gospel. whereas the undisputed letters used “gospel” as
the technical term for the content of the apostolic preaching, ephesians
uses “mystery.” Merklein observes that in the undisputed letters, verbs of
speaking and hearing are typically used with “gospel” as the object (1 Cor
9:14; 15:1; 2 Cor 11:4, 7; gal 1:11, 12; 2:2; 1 thess 2:2). in ephesians, this is no
longer the case; “mystery” is used instead (1:9; 3:3, 5; 6:19).40 Merklein has
made too much of this evidence, however. in 1 Cor 2:6–7 Paul says that
he speaks god’s wisdom in a mystery, an expression that refers to the
38 sampley, “ephesians,” 23. similarly, lincoln, Ephesians, lxxv; o’Brien, Ephesians, 57;
Macdonald, Colossians and Ephesians, 22; Minna shkul, Reading Ephesians: Exploring
Social Entrepreneurship in the Text (lnts 408; london: t&t Clark, 2009).
39 Clinton e. arnold, Ephesians: Power and Magic: The Concept of Power in Ephesians
in Light of Its Historical Setting (sntsMs 63; Cambridge: Cambridge university Press,
1989), 167.
40 Merklein, Das kirchliche Amt, 203–204. similarly, gese, Das Vermächtnis, 237; ulrich
luz, “der Brief an die epheser,” in Jürgen Becker and ulrich luz, Die Briefe an die Galater,
Epheser und Kolosser (ntd 8/1; göttingen: Vandenhoeck & ruprecht, 1998), 144.