Ecclesiology of the Epistle to the Ephesians 1:22b-23

Mateusz Nycz


Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego, Wydział Teologiczny (Poland)

Abstract

The epistle to the Ephesians is seen as an ecclesiological scripture among the exegetes. It contains a rather systematic interpretation of what the Church is, what her role and attitude to Christ is. The sentence from Ephesians 1: 22b-23 may pass as the most important passage for the entire ecclesiology of the Letter to the Ephesians.This short passage causes many interpretative difficulties at the grammat-ical level, such as: interpretation of the term pleroume,nou as active or passive par-ticiple, function of the terms evkklesi,a, pa/j and auvtou/ in the syntax and the role of the expression u`pe.r pa,nta in the sentence. In addition, it is necessary to properly read the meaning of the term plh,rwma.The title text has been subjected to grammatical and lexicographical anal-ysis. Such way of analysis allowed for a proper reading of the attitude of Christ to the Church – Christ fills the Church (and not the reverse as it might be judged by a cursory morphological analysis) and only He is the head of the Church. He fills the whole Church of the fruits of his passion, death and resurrection.


Keywords:

Ephesians, Ecclesiology, Church, Fullness, Head, Body

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Published
2018-10-14

Cited by

Nycz, M. (2018). Ecclesiology of the Epistle to the Ephesians 1:22b-23. Warsaw Theological Studies, 31(3), 46–63. https://doi.org/10.30439/WST.2018.3.3

Authors

Mateusz Nycz 

Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego, Wydział Teologiczny Poland

Ks. mgr lic. Mateusz NYCZ – kapłan Archidiecezji Warszawskiej, doktorant Wydziału Teologicznego Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego (teologia biblijna). W 2014 r. uzyskał tytuł zawodowy magistra teologii na Uniwersytecie Papieskim Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, a w 2017 r. stopień naukowy licencjata w zakresie teologii biblijnej. Posługuje jako wikariusz w parafii pw. Dzieciątka Jezus w Warszawie.



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