EPHESIANS 2:11-13

In reviewing my past posts, I found that I have yet to address these three little verses. I will try to redress that omission in this post. However, just to recap a bit before proceeding, I had previously come up with a symmetrical literary structure for Ephesians 2:11-22 based solely on key repeated words. The result, shown below in Figure 1 turned out to be practically identical to the proposal of Giavini, which is rejected by Hoehner due to its combination of mirror image and parallel elements. The latter scholar states, “It seems highly unlikely that any author would have purposely constructed such a complicated chiastic structure in mind.” But in rebuttal it should be pointed out that such mixed structures are actually found throughout the OT and NT.

                                           Figure 1: Verbal Repetitions in Ephesians 2:11-22

in the flesh (11)

        aliens (12a)

                strangers (12b)

                       Christ Jesus (13a)

                                far off...near (13b)

                                        peace (14a)

                                                   both groups (14b)

                                                           hostility (14c)

                                        peace (15)

                                                    both groups (16a)

                                                           hostility (16b)

                                        peace (17a)

                                far off (17b)

                                       peace (17c)

                                near (17d)

                strangers 19a)

        aliens (19b)

                        Christ Jesus (20)

in the Spirit (22)

In the first place, one can easily see that the presence of vv. 11-13 is quite necessary in achieving such symmetry. However, what is there to say concerning these particular three verses themselves?

Ephesians 2:11

“The uncircumcision [is] a derogatory label for Gentiles. The circumcision [denotes] the Jews, but often Jewish Christians who required all to obey the Mosaic law (Acts 10.45; Gal 2:.12; Col 4.11; cf. Phil 3.3).” (Maclean)

“In2:11 Paul may first have intended to speak only of the physical act and the visible bodily mark of circumcision, cf. Rom 2:28 – without meaning to give a depreciative or ironic undertone to his mention of the external physical rite. But just as in the OT and often in Paul, the comparison of the effect of the 'Spirit' (2:18) with the reality present in the 'flesh' (2:11) reveals that not all is well with the 'flesh.' Thus 'flesh' receives in 2:11 the same evil meaning as it has e.g. in Gal 3:3, 6:13; Eph 2:3.”

Ephesians 2:11-12

“Harpur writes: “Their deficiencies as Gentiles are marked in three pairs of statements. Physically they lacked the ancient sign of the covenant, and family ties with the promised Messiah. Politically they had no part in Israel's national or religious life. Spiritually they had no prospect or knowledge of the true God.”

Ephesians2:12

K. Barth continues: “It is possible that the Greek conjunction hoti, here translated by 'that' and treated as a resumption of the hoti in vs. 11, should be translated by 'because'; vs. 12 may not be a simple parallel or continuation of vs. 11, but rather a parenthesis interrupting (though supporting) the thought expressed in vss. 11 and 13; remember that you ex-Gentiles have now been brought near. In this case, the subject matter to be 'remembered' is the incorporation of the former aliens into Israel, rather than their past uncircumcision and strangership as such.”

Ephesians 2:12-13

Maclean points out that “You were...But now... [is] another contrast of old and new, forcused on the Gentiles' plight (cf. 2.1-5).”

Ephesians 2:13

“Recent English translations use the term near between 250 and 300 times. In the Bible the quality of being near is variously spatial, temporal and spiritual, and it is predominantly positive in meaning...The most evocative uses of the image of nearness are metaphoric and spiritual...The notion of physical / spiritual distance from God is...developed in several ways...To be far off can...signal being removed from God's blessing (Lk 16:23). But the reverse of being far from God becomes one of the Bible's most endearing images of redemption...This is what excited Paul as he wrote to the Gentile Ephesians: 'But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ' (Eph 2:13 RSV).” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

Thielman: “First, since virtually everyone who has examined Eph. 2:17 closely agrees that Paul alludes to Isa. 57:19 when he speaks of 'peace' to 'the far' and 'peace' to 'the near,' it seems most reasonable to see this text behind Paul's earlier use of the terms 'far' and 'near' in 2:13....If Paul already alludes to Isa. 57:19 in 2:13, ..then this prophetic text stands like a set of matching bookends at the beginning and the end of his claim in 2:14-16 that Christ, through his death, reconciled Gentiles and Jews to one another...Second, Paul's concern in 2:13, 17 for the coming of Gentiles into the boundaries of God's people captures a thought that is characteristic of Isaiah's theology...Isaiah frequently refers to a future influx of Gentiles to Jerusalem and to the temple to worship God...Although scholars frequently claim that the terms 'far' and 'near' in this passage [in Isaiah] refer to Jews within geographical Israel and to Jews of the Diaspora respectively,.' the broader context of of the passage indicates that a reference to the Gentiles probably at least stands in the background and may be the primary meaning of the text.”