and are incorporated with Christ and are made one body with Him (vv. 13 and 16).

3. Catholicity, for the Church embraces all nations (v. 14) and extends to all times (v. 20).

4. Apostolicity. It is founded on the Apostles (v, 20).

CHAPTER III

1. For this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles.

THESE words are intimately connected with the closing words of the last chapter. St. Paul had explained to the Ephesians that they were no longer strangers, but members of the one body of Christ; and now he proceeds, For this cause, (because you have been thus called into the Church) I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for (in behalf of) you Gentiles... bow my knees to the Father" to thank Him for so marvellous a grace, and begging for perseverance for you. There is a long parenthesis from after the first verse until verse 14, in which the words, for this cause are repeated and the verb given. Having reached the words for you Gentiles he suddenly breaks off, from the intensity of his feeling, and dwells enthusiastically on the immense benefit bestowed upon them by God in their vocation to the true faith.* A similar parenthesis is found in Romans v. 12-18.

* This view of the construction is adopted by Menochius, Cornelius à Lapide, and others. Natalis Alexander quotes Theodoretus for the

The prisoner of Jesus Christ, or the one bound for the sake of Jesus Christ. This Epistle was written from Rome, when St. Paul was in prison there; and he mentions his captivity as an appeal to the feelings of his hearers, and also as a circumstance most honourable to himself, because it was for the name of Jesus Christ, for it is the cause and not the mere fact of suffering that makes the martyr. As he wears his chain for Jesus Christ, he rejoices in it more than a king does in his crown. double reason for his sufferings.

He assigns a

(a) First, he suffers for the faith of Christ, as the prisoner of Jesus Christ, and he rejoices with thanksgiving, and "glorifies God in that Name" (1 Peter iv. 15, 16).

(b) Secondly, he suffers for the Church; so he adds "for the Gentiles," for he had lost his liberty, and was ornamented with a chain because of his zeal in preaching the word of salvation to the Gentiles. In another place he says, "I rejoice in my sufferings for you" (Col. i. 24).

same explanation. Van Steenkiste suggests that having said "the prisoner," the thought occurs that some, through prejudice, might mistrust his mission to the Gentiles, or might be tempted to despise his authority, and so he breaks off thus abruptly to enlarge on the reality of his mission.

DISPENSATION OF GRACE

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2-4. If yet (or, for as much as) you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me towards you: how that according to revelation, the mystery has been made known to me, as I have written above in a few words. As you reading may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.

you

The words translated if yet should not be understood to express doubt. The Greek words express none, but are equivalent to "for as much as " have heard and understood that the grace of being the Apostle of the Gentiles has been given to me. To each one, as the Apostle says later, grace is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ, and to me has been given that I should reap a spiritual harvest among you.

How that according to revelation. St. Paul here speaks of the exalted dignity he had received from God, and of the office of an Apostle, which implied the revelation of the mystery of the redemption, and he indicates how clear was the knowledge thus bestowed on his mind. Afterwards, in verse 13 he mentions the counter-balancing trials and tribulations by which his humility was preserved and his constancy tested. To show his apostolic dignity he states two things: first, the clear knowledge vouchsafed to him of various mysteries of God's Wisdom; secondly, the office of practically dispensing to others the fruit of these mysteries, as we see in verse 7 by the words, of which I am made a minister.

First, then, he declares the fact that when he was called to be an Apostle, God bestowed upon him a superhuman knowledge. This knowledge, coming from God, he implies to have been certain, full, and excellent.

(a) Certain, because it was not derived from any human source, nor dependent on any human mind, but it proceeded from divine revelation, and not from man; not through the teaching of the other Apostles (cf. Gal. i. 12).

(6) His knowledge was full and complete, because the Christian mysteries were fully revealed to him. From the few words I have written above, says the Apostle, you may judge how full is the knowledge that has been imparted to me.

Some rationalists, as De Wette, Renan, etc., contend that this self-glorification is unworthy of St. Paul; and use it as an objection to the authenticity of the Epistle. But all this is written by the Apostle, not from vainglory but for God's glory, in order that his mission might not be despised. This is an instance of the captious objections of such critics, who are rigorous enough in exacting valid reasons from Christians; but are content with any argument, however hollow, if it only seem to be against Christ. If this expression (v. 4) appears strange in the mouth of the humble St. Paul, we may for that very reason suppose that a forger, pretending to be St. Paul, would have avoided it.

(c) This revealed knowledge is excellent, because peculiar to the Apostles.