a personal unity, which Christ has brought to creation by becoming flesh. This thought fills the apostle. The institutions of society, as he regards them, pass over, as it were, into the men whom they have moulded; and the men into the one man, in whom they find their full corporate expression.
ktivsh/ ejn auJtw'/ eij" e{. k. a[.
]
That He might create the twain in Himself
, taking humanity to Him, and form them
into one new man.
St Paul speaks here of the two and not of both, in order to mark their separateness. By the assumption of human nature He gave ideally new life to all who share it (2 Cor. 5:17). In Him humanity, if we may so speak, gained its personality. This truth, so far as it is realised in the Church, finds expression in the words to the Galatians
pavnte" uJmei'" ei|"
(one man not
e{n
)
ejste; ejn Cristw'/
(Gal. 3:28).
For
ktivsh/ eij"
see Eph. 2:21
au[xei eij"
, vs. 22
sunoikodomei'sqe eij"
. The new man must be put on by those who are ideally included in him: Eph. 4:24 note. Every man can find his place in the divine whole.
poiw'n eijrhvnhn
] Comp. James 3:18.
16.
kai; ajpokatallavxh/
...]
and reconcile them both in one body to GOD through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.
Through the cross, using it as an altar (comp. Heb. 13:10 note), Christ offered Himself without spot to GOD (Heb. 9:14) and having taken humanity to Himself reconciled Jews and Gentiles united in one body to GOD. By His death he slew the enmity. In Him humanity bore the doom of sin, and the power of sin was abolished. The unity of humanity was gained by the Incarnation, the reconciliation of humanity to GOD by the Cross.
Jerome notices the error of the Latin Versions, which give
in semet ipso
reading
ejn auJtw'/
for
ejn aujtw'/
Comp. Col. 2:15.
ajpokat....ajpokteivna"
] The two acts are coincident.
For ajpokatallavssein see Col. 1:20 ajpokatallavxai ta; pavnta eij" aujtovn , vs. 21 f. uJma'"...ajpokathvllaxen ejn tw'/ swvmati th'" sarko;" aujtou' dia; tou' qanavtou . The use of the neuter pavnta will recal the remarkable Western reading in John 12:32 pavnta eJlkuvsw pro;" ejmautovn .
For
staurov"
compare 1 Cor. 1:17 f.; Gal. 5:11; 6:12, 14; Phil. 2:8; 3:18; Col. 1:20 2:14; Heb. 12:2 note. The double construction
dia; tou' staurou', ejn aujtw'/
is significant. In the former the Cross is the instrument which the Lord uses: in the latter it is, so to speak, the vehicle of His activity in which He is present. He as Crucified slew the enmity.
ajpokteivna"
] That which seemed to be defeat was victory. To men's eyes He was slain: in truth He slew.
17.
kai; ejlqwvn
...] When the work of reconciliation was accomplished, and the enmity slain, the fruit of victory was proclaimed to men:
and He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you that were far off and peace to them that were near.
ejlqwvn
] According to His promise (John 16:16 ff.; 14:18). At His first appearance among the disciples He gave a twofold greeting of Peace; and in the outpouring of the Spirit the Apostles at once recognised the presence of the Lord: Acts 3:26. The record of the Actsthe Gospel of the Spiritis the history of the extension of the message of peace to the whole world, beginning at Jerusalem and closing in Rome.
eujhggel. eijr
.] Cf. Eph. 6:15 note.
18. This message of Peace through the work of Christ is universally effective,
because it is through Him we both have our access
(
introduction
)
in one Spirit to the Father.
There is an impressive correspondence between the clauses which describe