Ephesians 1:17-23
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.(A) 18 May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones,(B) 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might,(C) 20 which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,(D) 21 far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.(E) 22 And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,(F) 23 which is his body,[a] the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.(G)
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- 1:23 His body: the church (Eph 1:22); cf. note on Col 1:18. Only in Ephesians and Colossians is Christ the head of the body, in contrast to the view in 1 Cor 12 and Rom 12:4–8 where Christ is equated with the entire body or community. Fullness: see note on Col 1:19. Some take the one who fills as God, others as Christ (cf. Eph 4:10). If in Christ “dwells the fullness of the deity bodily” (Col 2:9), then, as God “fills” Christ, Christ in turn fills the church and the believer (Eph 3:19; 5:18). But the difficult phrases here may also allow the church to be viewed as the “complement” of Christ who is “being filled” as God’s plan for the universe is carried out through the church (cf. Eph 3:9–10).
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