Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 44:2 (NA 1993)
Article: The Concept Of The Holy Spirit In Ephesians I
Author: Archie W. D. Hui

TynBul 44:2 (1993) p. 379

The Concept Of The Holy Spirit In Ephesians I 1

Archie W.D. Hui

I. Some Recent Studies On Ephesians

Alongside the long-running debate on Ephesians’ authenticity or pseudonymity, there has been a steady stream of studies on various themes of the epistle by scholars of both persuasions. These include J.C. Kirby’s study of baptism and Pentecost, H. Merklein’s study of church office, A. Lindemann’s (and, almost a decade later, H.E. Lona’s) study of eschatology, C.C. Caragounis’ study of mystery, T.G. Allen’s study of the body of Christ, E. Penner’s study of enthronement, K. Usami’s study of church unity, and more recently C.E. Arnold’s study of power and magic.

II. J. Adai’s Contribution

To this list, we should add J. Adai’s Der Heilige Geist als Gegenwart Gottes in den einzelnen Christen, in der Kirche und in der Welt: Studien zur Pneumatologie des Epheserbriefes (1985). This study of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians is significant because it differs from earlier works (such as those by N.Q. Hamilton, C.H. Pinnock, D. Hill, J.D.G. Dunn, and G.T. Montague) in that it treats Ephesians’ pneumatology in its own right and not simply as a part of Pauline pneumatology and tradition, thus advancing scholarship a stage further.

Adai’s perception is that Ephesians reflects a deutero- Pauline pneumatology. Furthermore, not only is its pneumatology influenced by Paul and his tradition, but it also. developed at times in the Lucan direction. These developments could be conveniently summarised under four major headings.

1. The Spirit And Christ

In contrast to Paul who closely links the Spirit with Christ, in Ephesians the Spirit is more independent of Christ as may be

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seen in the triadic references to God the Father, Christ Jesus the Lord, and the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:3, 13, 2:18, 4:4-6).

2. The Spirit And Eschatology

In contrast to Paul who understands the presence of the Spirit as the sign or mark of eschatological end-time, Ephesians (not unlike Acts) understands the coming of the Spirit as the beginning of a new era of salvation with little attention paid to the end or parousia (Eph. 1:13-14, 2:18, 22, 4:3-4, 30