Wednesday, April 6, 2022

A. Van Roon on the Prophets and Apostles Mentioned in Ephesians 2:20; 3:5; 4:11

  

We assume that the apostles and prophets were envisaged as foundations by virtue of their specific activity, which consisted of revealing the message entrusted to them. They were regarded as a foundation on the basis of what they had to say and said, rather than for their personal attributes.

 

The prophets mentioned in 2:20 could be the O.T. prophets. In support of this assumption. . . . However, in 3:5 and 4:11, there is renewed talk of prophets. In these places, they are again mentioned in one breath with the apostles. It is evident that the author quite definitely has the prophets of the New Testament era in mind here. An obvious deduction must be that these same prophets should be borne in mind in connection with 2:20 since it would be fairly inexplicable if there were no correspondence within such as short span as from 2:20 to 3:5.

 

Therefore, taking for granted that both pronouncements pertain to the same source of reference, we are able to define the message which has been entrusted to the apostles and prophets which give them the function of a foundation, in greater detail. The content of the message is intimately related to the mystery mentioned in 3:5. (A. Van Roon, The Authenticity of Ephesians [Supplements to Novum Testamentum 39; Leiden: Brill, 1974], 356-57)

 

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