It is a joy for me to get to review commentaries. There are so many out there that are packed with plenty of (usually!) good information, and I get to read them! But of course there is always the lingering question—do we need another commentary? Can I recommend people to spend more money on another commentary? Well, sometimes it isn’t so difficult.
First, Peter O’Brien’s former commentary on Ephesians was discontinued due to some unfortunate unintentional plagiarism. Constantine Campbell’s commentary fills that gap in the PNTC series (see Sigurd Geindheim’s Hebrews volume which comes out in November).
Second, this is a helpfully succinct commentary. Rather than being an oversized compendium surveying all that has been written on Ephesians so far, Campbell first worked through Ephesians on his own. He wrestled with the Greek text and tried to resolve various interpretive difficulties throughout the text. Only then, after working through the entire letter, did Campbell turn to other commentaries, monographs, articles, etc. that means that you get Campbell’s own insights on the text and not a regurgitation on the other seven commentaries you might already own (for you scholars or pastors). This also results in a shorter commentary.
While Campbell could easily have written more (see his longer Union with Christ and Hope of Glory [my review]), Campbell focuses on Paul’s theology and train of thought. After the introduction, the actual commentary on Ephesians covers only 266 pages. This is refreshing because it is actually possible to finish the commentary.
Authorship
In his introduction Campbell covers the matter of authorship. He counters the modern phenomenon of denying Pauline authorship. He shows how the theology of Ephesians fits with that of the so-called “authentic” Pauline letters. For example, Ephesians displays more inaugurates eschatology (the now and the not yet, see his comments on 6:10–17) than others admit. Regardless by language and syntax, we simply don’t have enough letters by Paul to say that Ephesians certainly was not written by Paul. Is it more likely that an imitator wrote a letter that agrees 95% with Paul’s style, or that Paul wrote a letter with 5% deviation from the style of the letter we still have today?
Campbell also seems to agree that for the first-century Greco-Roman, a letter written “in the name of a famous, long-dead figure” was not viewed as fraudulent. However, if Ephesians were intended as a circular letter, then it makes sense why Paul would exclude personal references. (Campbell has a section dealing with the textual witnesses on the lack of the words “in Ephesus” in 1:1.) Regarding the many similarities between Ephesians and Colossians, Campbell notes that authors are actually allowed(!) to borrow from their previous works. Amazing.
Campbell ends by noting that nothing in the letters hints at being written by someone other than Paul (10). Even scholars who deny Pauline authorship have to admit that it is extremely similar to Paul’s writings, while at the same time they are able to tell that Paul didn’t write the letter, even “though none of Paul’s contemporaries were able to do so” (10). A little bit of sarcasm against silly arguments goes a long way.
Recipients
Regarding the recipients, Campbell believes Ephesians was intended as a circular letter, which explains the lack of historical references. It t is possible that a blank space was left so that the intended addressee of each letter could be written in. One reason we may have the copy intended for Ephesus was because Ephesus was the metropolis for Western Asia Minor being the third largest city in the Roman Empire at that time.
Themes in Ephesians
Campbell surveys the influence of magic in Ephesus, as well as the setting and date for the letter and similarities and differences Ephesians shares with Colossians. He surveys 8 distinct themes in Ephesians which “make unique contributions” to the wider Pauline corpus. Within Ephesians, no theme stands on its own; all of them are interlocking. Yet they unfold logically as the letter progresses.
Union with Christ is a major theme which is central to the other 7 themes. This “metatheme” can be described through the terms union, participation, identification, and incorporation. As with the other themes, Campbell briefly summarized where me how this theme show up in Ephesians, helping you to grasp the concepts before diving further into the letter.
Greek Verbal Aspect
This is a semi-technical commentary. Campbell usually he sticks to the English text, but he does bring up Greek verbal aspect and word order when it will illuminate the passage.
In 2:5, Paul writes that God “made us alive.” Campbell (who has written a few books on Greek) observes, “The aorist does not always refer to the past” (90). A proper understanding of the aorist tense leads us to believe that Paul is speaking of a spiritual resurrection, “raised from spiritual death by virtue of their union with Christ” (90). This resolves two tensions that other commentators have struggled with: (1) Paul is speaking of a future resurrection from the dead having already happened (Lincoln), or (2) Paul is so sure of the future resurrection that he can speak of it as having happened in the past (Cohick). A spiritual resurrection and union with Christ makes more sense.
In 3:17, “in love” (ἐν ἀγάπῃ) is fronted in the participial clause ἐν ἀγάπῃ· ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι, which is “for the purpose of main clause emphasis” (154n24). The change in word order attracts extra attention. Moving “in love” to the front of the clause gives it prominence and highlights how we are “rooted and grounded.” See Campbell’s comments on 2:10 (100n99).
Campbell is easy to read and skillfully draws together texts within Ephesians, Paul’s letters, and the whole Bible (including inter-testamental literature) to fill out Paul’s thinking.
The Supremacy of Christ and Our Preordained Adoption
Regarding election and predestination, Campbell points is toward our position in Christ. God did elect for himself a people—a collective-of-individuals—in Christ. He did this before laying the foundations of the world, and he did it with the purpose of us being “holy and blameless before him in love” (1:4). We will one day stand before God in Christ because he loves us and is pleased with us. Why? We are predestined to be his adopted children.
God preordained that we would be in his family, and we receive this inheritance in Christ, or rather, we are located in the realm of Christ (56). Christ has been raised above all powers in heaven—both the good and the evil (64–65). Christ’s supremacy over everything is for our benefit as the church, his body. We have a promised inheritance (1:14), living in God’s presence in the whole world (Rom 4:13), and we can have all of this because Jesus conquered the competing authorities. God’s wisdom is made known to these cosmic powers through the church (3:10; 4:8–10). Just as mankind is given dominion over the world but is still presently awaiting its fulfillment (Ps 8:6; Eph 1:22), so has Christ been appointed as the pre-eminent one who will execute his will in full in the age to come.
Excursuses
There are three excursuses: the heavens (1:3, 10); grace and faith (2:8), and wives and husbands (5:21–33).
Grace and Faith (2:8)
Briefly, regarding grace and faith, Campbell summarizes the six types of gifts in John Barclay’s Paul and the Gift. He observes that the first five are seen in Paul’s language of gift/grace, certainly in Eph 2:1–10. We are not saved by grace apart from works only to do good works to impress God or to keep up our salvation. Instead, the Christ-gift which we have received should mold us into a community of believers who live out our new creation existence together. In our faith, we declare our allegiance and loyalty [] to God who rescued us “from slavery to sin and the evil powers” (105).
Wives and Husbands (5:21–33)
In 5:21 Paul writes that we are to submit to each other in Christ. The verb for “submit” is lacking in v22, and must be inferred from v21. Some interpret these verses to mean that while wives submit to their husbands (5:22), husbands are to submit to their wives (based on 5:21). Campbell disagrees with this “mutual submission” reading, and this is partially due to the asymmetry occurring in the rest of the household code section (children-parents, slaves-masters). But we live in a very different culture now, so surely these aspects don’t hold. Yet as Campbell notes, Paul ties the role between husbands and wives to Christ and the church. He writes, “If these roles are theologically derived from the church and Christ in a universal sense, how can they be dismissed for the sake of cultural context” (276)? That said, “there is no standard way to apply this in modern marriages today” (276). Nowadays, this submission may be visible only to the couple themselves as a “subtly expressed inner dynamic” (276). It will differ according to personalities types and sensibilities. What works for one couple might not work for another. Each couple needs to figure this out.
Recommended?
Campbell aimed to write a commentary that would be both useful and that folks would want to read. On both points he has succeeded. Scholars, and especially pastors, teachers, and students will enjoy this streamlined volume. Although it is a huge benefit to have commentaries that look under every stone, so to speak, it is also really nice to have commentaries that focus on teaching the point of the text. Whether you own O’Brien’s older volume, Campbell has written a worthy replacement. Highly recommended.
Lagniappe
- Series: Pillar New Testament Commentary
- Author: Constantine R. Campbell
- Paperback: 358 pages
- Publisher: Eerdmans Publishing (May 4, 2023)
- Related Reviews
- Luke — James Edwards
- Acts — David Peterson
- Second Corinthians — Mark Seifrid
- 2 Peter and Jude — Peter Davids
Buy it on Amazon or from Eerdmans Publishing
Review Disclosure: I received this book free from Eerdmans Publishing. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
spoiledmilks 