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discouragement, eally witnessed to the greatness of the work which he had done (Eph. 3:13).

‘Yes,’ he says, ‘for your sakes, as indeed ye know, if—and it cannot be otherwise—ye heard, when the message of the Gospel came to you, what was my special commission, based on the revelation made to the apostles and prophets of Christ, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs with Jews of the Divine promise of redemption, a truth which it was specially given to me to proclaim, a truth which now at last discloses to the hosts of heaven through the Church GOD'S counsel of wisdom and love. Thus the sufferings which are due to the faithful fulfilment of my office are in fact your glory. My chains are the signs of my victory.’

Each part of the statement is developed under the influence of the Apostle's gratitude for the charge which he had received. His Gospel—that ‘the nations’ share equally with ‘the people’ in all Divine blessings,—was not gained by the experience of earlier generations, but given in due time by special revelation to appointed ministers. And he was enabled so to declare it as to set in full light before men the eternal counsel of GOD, that at last through the Church the powers of heaven might recognise GOD'S wisdom seen in the Incarnation of the Son in Whom believers can draw near to His presence.

In structure the passage may be compared with Eph. 1:3-14. The key words ‘mystery,’ ‘minister [of the Gospel],’ ‘the wisdom of GOD,’ suggest in succession fresh parentheses which are in essence overflowings of adoring thankfulness.

2. ei[ ge ...] if at least ye heard , and this is assumed: Eph. 4:21; Gal. 3:4; Col. 1:23 (2 Cor. 5:3). In such language I can see nothing inconsistent with St Paul having been the teacher of those to whom he is writing.
hjkouvsate ] Eph. 4:21; Gal. 1:13 f.: ye heard at the crisis when I declared to you the Divine message and you accepted it.
th;n oijk. t. c. ] St Paul does not say simply ‘of the grace of GOD which was given to me,’ but ‘of the noble responsibility which was laid upon me of administering the grace which was given to me in a new and unexpected way.’ It was exactly this characteristic of his preaching to which he wishes to call attention. th;n oijkonomivan ] V. dispensationem , V.L. dispositionem (as Eph. 3:9; Eph. 1:10). The image is natural and frequent. St Paul describes himself as ‘entrusted with a stewardship’ (1 Cor. 9:17), which he was bound to fulfil. Apostles were ‘ministers of Christ and stewards of GOD'S mysteries (revealed truths),’ which it was their duty to dispense faithfully (1 Cor. 4:1 f.). Comp. Tit. 1:7. This stewardship involved a wise and just dealing with the varied wealth of the Divine treasury (Matt. 13:52). All believers share in it, having severally gifts which they must minister to the body ( eij" eJautouv" ) as ‘good—generous ( kaloiv )—stewards of the manifold grace of GOD’ (1 Pet. 4:10).

Comp. Eph. 1:10 (note); Col. 1:25; 1 Tim. 1:4. th'" c. t. q. ] The ministry itself with all its glorious and awful issues was a favour—a grace—of GOD. The word cavri" is characteristically used of apostleship: Eph. 3:7, 8; 1 Cor. 3:10; Gal. 2:7 ff.; Rom. 1:5; 12:3; 15:15.

It is perhaps worthy of notice that cavrisma (1, 2 Cor.; Rom.; 1, 2 Tim.; 1 Pet.) is not found in the Epistle.
eij" uJma'" ] to bring unto you, to reach unto you. Comp. Eph. 1:19; Rom. 15:26.
3.
o{ti ...] how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery .... This
was the ground of St Paul's mission, that to him was communicated the central truth of the universality of the Gospel.


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