a spirit of wisdom and revelation (1:17). by revelation was made known unto me the mystery (3:2). as now it was revealed ( ajpekaluvfqh ) unto His holy apostles and prophets
(3:5).
Knowledge and Wisdom.
The importance of Knowledge and Wisdom appears from the passages of the Epistle in which one or more of the words gnw'si", ejpivgnwsi" [ v. note on 1:17], sofiva, frovnhsi" , or corresponding verbs or adjectives occur.
In addition to, and through the accomplishment of, his office of evangelising the Gentiles it was given to St Paul to bring to light what is the dispensation of the mystery which from all ages has been hid in God Who created all thingshid, I say, to the intent that now to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly order may be made known ( gnwrivsqh/ ) through the Church the manifold wisdom ( hJ polupoivkilo" sofiva ) of God (3:9 f.).
And his thanksgiving (1:16) for the faith of the readers of the Epistle is combined with prayer that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowledge ( ejpignwvsei ) of Him (1:17).
jEpivgnwsi"
recurs 4:13: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge
of the Son of God (
v. inf. s.v. Faith
).
In all wisdom and prudence (1:8) is the phrase (parallel to Col. 1:9
ejn pavsh/ sofiva/ k. sunevsei pneumatikh'/
) describing the manner in which the grace of God was manifested in those on whom it was bestowed. Wisdom deals with principles: prudence with action. Through these gifts believers are enabled to trace (
a
) the connexion between successive revelations which He made by divers portions and in divers manners, all leading up to the final revelation in His Son, (
b
) the complete and harmonious fulfilment of His earthly work in His Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, followed by the descent of the Holy Spirit, (
g
) the signs of God's counsel in the training of the nations and in the slow realisation of manifold lessons of the Gospel in post-Christian history.
Frovnhsi"
occurs in N.T. only here and Lk. 1:17; but
frovnimo"
frequently, viz. (
a
) in Pauline Epistles: 1 Cor. 4:10, 10:15, 2 Cor. 11:19, Rom. 11:25, 12:16; (
b
) in Synoptic Gospels, Matt. 7:24, 10:16, 22:45, 25:2, 4, 8, 9, Lk. 12:42, 16:8.
/While in Eph. 1:16 ff. the Apostle's prayer began with the thought of personal enlightenment, his prayer in 3:16 ff. begins with the thought of personal strengthening, but a strengthening which shall issue in fuller knowledge (3:18 f.) that ye may be strong
to apprehend
(
katalabevsqai
) with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
to know
(
gnw'nai
) the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge
, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God. [
Gnw'si"
here only in Eph.; Col. 2:3, Phil. 3:8.]
The other passages are: Eph. 5:15: Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise ( sovfoi ).
5:17: For this reason be not foolish, but understand ( sunivete ) what the will of the Lord is.