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Ephesians

About this book
Chapter 1

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus. 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! 3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.⁠ 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. 11 In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory. 13 And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. 15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, will give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,⁠ 18 —since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened—so that you can know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength. 20 This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms 21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named,⁠ not only in this age but also in the one to come.⁠ 22 And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and gave him to the church as head over all things. 23 Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1QHa 17:23 and Ephesians 1:9

Dead Sea Scrolls, Prayers, Hymns, and Liturgy · New Testament

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Summary

The Dead Sea Scrolls and Ephesians both describe a hidden plan revealed by God at the right time. In the scrolls, this mystery concerns future restoration shown to the faithful. In Ephesians, it refers to God’s plan centered on Jesus, now revealed.

Passages

1QHa 17:23

Dead Sea Scrolls, Prayers, Hymns, and Liturgy · The Thanksgiving Hymns
21 to me. And you … […] my adversary prevails against me, as a stumbling block to … [… to] all 22 the men who make war [on me and to those who dispute with me, shame] of face and disgrace to those who grumble against me. 23 For you, my God, at the appointed time […] you plead my cause. For in the mystery of your wisdom you have reproved me, 24 and you hide the truth for the time […] its appointed time. And your reproof has become joy and gladness for me, 25 and my afflictions an [eternal] healing [and] everlasting [peace], and the contempt of my adversaries a crown of glory for me, and my stumbling eternal 26 might. For by your insight [you have made me know,] and in your glory my light has shone. For light out of darkness
150–100 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1QH

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.
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ephesians

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 ..."
Surip Stanislaus, “The Mystery of God in Ephesians 1:3-13,” LOGOS, Jurnal Filsafat-Teologi 2.1 (2003): 64–81.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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1QHa 17:23 and Ephesians 1:9

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