1QH 14

The Thanksgiving Hymns
Dead Sea Scrolls

I will be a stumbling-block to [those who swallow me up, and a snare to] all those who battle against me; [I will be for my enemies a] cause of shame, and a cause of disgrace to those who murmur against me. For Thou, O my God ... Thou wilt plead my cause; for it is according to the mystery of Thy wisdom that Thou hast rebuked me. Thou wilt conceal the truth until [its] time, [and righteousness] until its appointed moment. Thy rebuke shall become my joy and gladness, and my scourges shall turn to [eternal] healing and everlasting [peace]. The scorn of my enemies shall become a crown of glory, and my stumbling (shall change) to everlasting might. For in Thy ... and my light shall shine forth in Thy glory. For as a light from out of the darkness, so wilt Thou enlighten me.

Ephesians 1:9

New Testament

4 For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He did this by predestining us to adoption as his legal heirs through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will— 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. 9 He did this when he revealed to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ—the things in heaven and the things on earth.

 Notes and References

"... In the Qumran texts one generally finds rvz (mostly in the plural), and occasionally std (usually singular) with the sense of 'mystery'. The marvelous mysteries of God (1QH 4:27f; 1QpHab 7:8; 1QM 14:14), frequently qualified as mysteries of wisdom (1QH 9:23), of insight (1QH 13:13), of knowledge (1QS 4:6), of truth (1QH 9:18), refer to the created order (1QH 3:15-25), the preservation of Israel in the community of Qumran through the forgiveness of sins (CD 3:18f), as well as the last days ... In Ephesians, the 'mystery' lacks the eschatological element. In Ephesians 1:9 the 'mystery' is the realization of God's creative and saving will on a cosmic scale in the bringing together of all thing in Christ, which is then elaborated in Ephesians chapter 3. In Ephesians 3:3 the insight, granted by God, into the mystery of Christ, as in Col 1:26f, refers to the incorporation of Gentiles into the body of Christ, the Church (Ephesians 3:6). In Ephesians 5:31 the 'mystery' ecclesiologically refers to the bond between Christ and the Church ..."

Stanislaus, Surip The Mystery of God in Ephesians 1:3-13 (pp. 64-81) LOGOS, Jurnal Filsafat-Teologi Vol. 2 No. 1, 2003

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