Sunday, April 30, 2023

Constantine R. Campbell's Interpretation of Ephesians 2:20

 

The apostles and prophets are mentioned twice more in Ephesians (3:5; 4:11). Neither term is defined in the letter, and both have at least two possible interpretations. First, the “apostles” may refer to the so-called uppercase-A Apostles, namely the remaining original eleven plus Matthew (Acts 1:13-26), James the Lord’s brother (Gal 1:19), and Paul, who was sent by God to the gentiles (Acts 9:15; Rom 11:13; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:1). These Apostles were commissioned by Christ to carry forward his teaching by the inspiration of the Spirit (John 14:25-26; cf. Acts 2:42; 26:17). A second option is that the “apostles” refers to so-called lowercase-a apostles, such as Andronicus and Junia, who are possibly called “apostles” in Rom 16:7 (depending on how this verse is translated). Given, however, that there are only a few possible references to lowercase-a apostles in Paul’s writings (if we exclude the verse under consideration; cf. Rom 16:7; 1 Thess 2:7; 1 Cor 15:7), and that there is little in the present context to override the likely default meaning, “apostles” is best understood to refer to the uppercase-A Apostles, of which Paul is one (Eph 1:1). (Constantine R. Campbell, The Letter to the Ephesians [The Pillar New Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2023], 122)

 

A similar distinction may be made between “uppercase-P” Prophets and “lowercase-p” prophets. The former refers to the great prophets of Israelite history, especially those whose writings are preserved in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament), such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. The latter refers to prophets of the new covenant, such as Paul mentioned in 1 Cor 12:28-29 and 14:29-32. The major distinction between the two is that the former is a very select group, with great authority and perilous consequences for falsehood (Deut 13:1-5; Ezek 13:1-6), while the latter group appears to be broader with milder consequences for falsehood (1 Cor 14:29). In Ephesians, it is more likely the lowercase-p prophets in view, as 3:5 and 4:11 reveal. In 3:5, the mystery of Christ “is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” The temporal indicator “now”—along with reference to the Spirit—affirms the new covenant context of these prophets. Likewise, 4:11 puts prophets alongside other new covenant ministries such as apostles, evangelist, and pastor-teachers. Thus, in 2:20, “prophets” are new-covenant believers with the gift of prophecy, rather than the uppercase-P Prophets of the old covenant.

 

We may suppose that the function of the apostles and prophets differ according to the nature of their roles—assuming we have correctly understood to whom Paul refers here. Apostolic authority was, and remains, a fixed bedrock of the church’s understanding of Jesus and his ministry. But prophetic ministry addresses specific circumstances and occasions. It is “unfixed,” and in this way complements apostolic authority. Indeed, perhaps it is helpful to view prophetic ministry as the application of apostolic teaching to specific situations. If so, that would explain why it makes sense for “the apostles and prophets” to refer to uppercase-A Apostles while also referring to lowercase-p prophets, as argued above. (Ibid., 123)