Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians
By Adam Clarke
()
About this ebook
Read more from Adam Clarke
Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 5, The Gospel According to St. Matthew Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, The Revelation of St. John the Divine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 5A, The Gospel According to St. Luke Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, First General Epistle of John Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Daniel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 6, Acts of the Apostles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Hosea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 6, The Gospel According to St. John Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Joel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, First General Epistle of Peter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Jonah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Philemon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Micah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Malachi Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Habakkuk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, General Epistle of James Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Amos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 5, The Gospel According to St. Mark Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, Second General Epistle of Peter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes
Related ebooks
Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 6, Acts of the Apostles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRomans: Worship in Hope of the Glory of God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Hosea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Nahum Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Habakkuk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Jonah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Amos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Micah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, General Epistle of James Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Daniel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Zechariah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 4, The Book of the Prophet Joel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Christ-Centered Home: A Story of Hope & Healing for Every Family in Every Situation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 8, First General Epistle of Peter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSearching for a Pastor the Presbyterian Way: A Roadmap for Pastor Nominating Committees Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmpowered by Joy: Reflections on Paul's Letter to the Philippians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 6, The Gospel According to St. John Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Holy Bible (World English Bible, Easy Navigation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Find Your People Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes - Adam Clarke
ADAM CLARKE’S BIBLE COMMENTARY IN 8 VOLUMES: VOLUME 7, EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE EPHESIANS
..................
Adam Clarke
SCRIPTURA PRESS
Thank you for reading. In the event that you appreciate this book, please consider sharing the good word(s) by leaving a review, or connect with the author.
This book is a work of nonfiction and is intended to be factually accurate.
All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.
Copyright © 2015 by Adam Clarke
Interior design by Pronoun
Distribution by Pronoun
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians
By
Adam Clarke
Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary in 8 Volumes: Volume 7, Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians
Published by Scriptura Press
New York City, NY
First published circa 1832
Copyright © Scriptura Press, 2015
All rights reserved
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
About Scriptura Press
Scriptura Press is a Christian company that makes Christian works available and affordable to all. We are a non-denominational publishing group that shares the teachings of the Scripture, whether in the form of sermons or histories of the Church.
PREFACE
..................
EPHESUS WAS A CITY OF Ionia, in Asia Minor, and once the metropolis of that part of the world. The ancient city was situated at the mouth of the river Cayster, on the shore of the AEgean Sea, about 50 miles south of Smyrna. The Ephesus in which St. Paul founded a Church, and which for a time flourished gloriously, was not the ancient Ephesus; for that was destroyed, and a new city of the same name was built by Lysimachus.
This most famous of all the Asiatic cities is now a miserable village, composed of mean huts formed out of the ruins of its once magnificent structures; and these huts are now the residence of about forty or fifty Turkish families, without a single Christian among them! For other particulars see the note on Acts 18:19.
It is, however, a doubt with many learned men, whether this epistle was sent to the Church at Ephesus. They think that the proper direction is, The Epistle of St. Paul to the Laodiceans; and suppose it to be the same which the apostle mentions, Colossians 4:16: When this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
Dr. Paley’s arguments in the affirmative are entitled to much regard.
"Although it does not appear to have ever been disputed that the epistle before us was written by St. Paul, yet it is well known that a doubt has long been entertained concerning the persons to whom it was addressed.
The question is founded partly in some ambiguity in the external evidence. Marcion, a heretic of the second century, as quoted by Tertullian, a father in the beginning of the third, calls it, The Epistle to the Laodiceans. From what we know of Marcion, his judgment is little to be relied upon; nor is it perfectly clear that Marcion was rightly understood by Tertullian. If, however, Marcion be brought to prove that some copies in his time gave en laodikeia in the superscription, his testimony, if it be truly interpreted, is not diminished by his heresy; for, as Grotius observes, ‘cur in ea re mentiretur nihil erat causae.’ The name en efesw, in Ephesus, in the first verse, upon which word singly depends the proof that the epistle was written to the Ephesians, is not read in all the manuscripts now extant. I admit, however, that the external evidence preponderates with a manifest excess on the side of the received reading. The objection therefore principally arises from the contents of the epistle itself, which, in many respects militate with the supposition that it was written to the Church of Ephesus. According to the history, St. Paul had passed two whole years at Ephesus, Acts 19:10. And in this point, viz. of St. Paul having preached for a considerable length of time at Ephesus, the history is confirmed by the two epistles to the Corinthians, and by the two epistles to Timothy: ‘I will tarry at Ephesus until pentecost;’ 1 Corinthians 16:8. ‘We would not have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia;’ 2 Corinthians 1:8. ‘As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia;’ 1 Timothy 1:3. ‘And in how many things he ministered to me at Ephesus thou knowest well;’ 2 Timothy 1:18. I adduce these testimonies because, had it been a competition of credit between the history and the epistle, I should have thought myself bound to have preferred the epistle. Now, every epistle which St. Paul wrote to Churches which he himself had founded, or which he had visited, abounds with references and appeals to what had passed during the time that he was present amongst them; whereas there is not a text in the Epistle to the Ephesians from which we can collect that he had ever been at Ephesus at all. The two epistles to the Corinthians, the Epistle to the Galatians, the Epistle to the Philippians, and the two Epistles to the Thessalonians, are of this class; and they are full of allusions to the apostle’s history, his reception, and his conduct whilst amongst them; the total want of which in the epistle before us is very difficult to account for, if it was in truth written to the Church of Ephesus, in which city he had resided for so long a time. This is the first and strongest objection. But farther, the Epistle to the Colossians was addressed to a Church in which St. Paul had never been, This we infer from the first verse of the second chapter: ‘For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.’ There could be no propriety in thus joining the Colossians and Laodiceans with those ‘who had not seen his face in the flesh,’ if they did not also belong to the same description. Now, his address to the Colossians, whom he had not visited, is precisely the same as his address to the Christians to whom he wrote in the epistle which we are now considering: ‘We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints;’ Colossians 1:3. Thus he speaks to the Christians, in the epistle before us, as follows: ‘Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you in my prayers; Ephesians 1:15. The terms of this address are observable. The words, ‘having heard of your faith and love,’ are the very words, we see, which he uses towards strangers; and it is not probable that he should employ the same in accosting a Church in which he had long exercised his ministry, and whose ‘faith and love’ he must have personally known. The Epistle to the Romans was written before St. Paul had been at Rome; and his address to them runs in the same strain with that just now quoted: ‘I thank my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world;’ Romans 1:8. Let us now see what was the form in which our apostle was accustomed to introduce his epistles, when he wrote to those with whom he was already acquainted. To the Corinthians it was this: ‘I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Christ Jesus;’ 1 Corinthians 1:4. To the Philippians: ‘I thank my God upon every remembrance of you;’ Philippians 1:3. To the Thessalonians: ‘We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love;’ 1 Thessalonians 1:3. To Timothy: ‘I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;’ 2 Timothy 1:3. In these quotations it is usually his remembrance, and never his hearing of them, which he makes the subject of his thankfulness to God.
As great difficulties stand in the way, supposing the epistle before us to have been written to the Church of Ephesus; so I think it probable that it is actually the epistle to the Laodiceans, referred to in the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians. The text which contains that reference is this: ‘When this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea;’ Colossians 4:16. The epistle from Laodicea was an epistle sent by St. Paul to that Church, and by them transmitted to Colosse. The two Churches were mutually to communicate the epistles they had received. This is the way in which the direction is explained by the greater part of commentators, and is the most probable sense that can be given to it. It is also probable that the epistle alluded to was an epistle which had been received by the Church of Laodicea lately. It appears, then, with a considerable degree of evidence, that there existed an epistle of St. Paul nearly of the same date with the Epistle to the Colossians, and an epistle directed to a Church (for such the Church of Laodicea was) in which St. Paul had never been. What has been observed concerning the epistle before us, shows that it answers perfectly to that character.
"Nor does the mistake seem very difficult to account for. Whoever inspects the map of Asia Minor will see, that a person proceeding from Rome to Laodicea would probably land at Ephesus, as the nearest frequented seaport in that direction. Might not Tychicus, then, in passing through Ephesus, communicate to the Christians of that place the letter with which he was charged? And might not copies of that letter be multiplied and preserved at Ephesus? Might not some of the copies drop the words of designation en th laodikeia, which it was of no consequence to an Ephesian to retain? Might not copies of the letter come out into the Christian Church at large from Ephesus; and might not this give occasion to a belief that the letter was written to that Church? And, lastly, might not this belief produce the error which we suppose to have crept into the inscription?
And it is remarkable that there seem to have been some ancient copies without the words of designation, either the words in Ephesus, or the words in Laodicea. St. Basil, a writer of the fourth century, speaking of the present epistle, has this very singular passage: ‘And writing to the Ephesians, as truly united to him who is through knowledge, he (Paul) calleth them in a peculiar sense such who are; saying, to the saints who are and (or even) the faithful in Christ Jesus; for so those before us have transmitted it, and we have found it in ancient copies.’ Dr. Mill interprets (and, notwithstanding some objections that have been made to him, in my opinion, rightly interprets) these words of Basil, as declaring that this father had seen certain copies of the epistle in which the words ‘in Ephesus’ were wanting. And the passage, I think, must be considered as Basil’s fanciful way of explaining what was really a corrupt and defective reading; for I do not believe it possible that the author of the epistle could have originally written agioiv toiv ousin, without any name of place to follow it.
It must be allowed that the arguments of Dr. Paley, the sum of which may be found in Wetstein, that this is the epistle to the Laodiceans, are both plausible and strong; and yet almost the whole of antiquity, with the exceptions which those learned men mention, is in favor of the epistle being sent originally to the Church at Ephesus. Puzzled with these two considerations, some critics have pointed out a middle way. They suppose that several copies of this epistle were directed to no particular Church, but were intended for all the Churches in Asia Minor; and that different copies might have different directions, from this circumstance, that St. Paul, in writing the first verse paulov apostolov ihsou cristou-toiv agioiv toiv ousin,