doubt the resemblance is due to the fact that the two epistles were written at the same time on kindred subjects to kindred Churches. In both epistles Tychicus is referred to in similar terms as the apostle's messenger; and they both bear to have been written by the apostle while he was a prisoner.1 From the occurrence of the significant word "also" in the parallel passage of this epistle,2 we may infer that it was written later than the other, although but a few days may have intervened-the closing verses of Colossians having been subsequently added.3 As might have been expected under the circumstances, the similarity between the two epistles does not extend to continuous passages, but is confined to single verses and occasional expressions such as would be likely to remain in the writer's memory and reappear in his language if he were writing a second time within a very short interval.4 giving thanks always for all things in 1 iv. 1: "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord"; vi. 19-22: "the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs, how I do, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts"; Col. iv. 3: mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds"; vers. 7-9: "All my affairs shall Tychicus make known unto you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord : whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our estate, and that he may comfort your hearts.' 2 See last note. "the 3 iv. 15-18: "Salute the brethren," &c. (quoted p. 165, note 3). 4 Attempts have been made to show that one of the epistles is a spurious imitation of the other, Colossians being generally regarded as the original. But a practical refutation of such views has been furnished by Holzmann-himself a believer only in a genuine nucleus of Colossians, which he supposes to have disappeared-when he points out seven passages in which Ephesians appears to be the original (Eph. i. 4-Col. i. 22; Eph. i. 6, 7=Col. i. 13, 14; Eph. iii. 3, 5, 9=Col. i. 26, ii. 2; Eph. iii. 17, 18, iv. 16, ii. 20=Col. i. 23, ii. 2, 7; Eph. iv. 16=Col. ii. 19; Eph. iv. 22-24-Col. iii. 9, 10; Eph. v. 19=Col. iii. 16); and an equal number of passages, in which the priority must be assigned to Colossians (Col. i. 1, 2=Eph. i. 1, 2; Col. i. 3-9=Eph. i. 15-18; Col. i. 5-Eph. i. 3, 12, 13; Col. i. 25-29 Eph. iii. 2, 7; Col. ii. 4-8-Eph. iv. 17-21; Col. iv. 5=Eph. v. 15, 16; Col. iv. 6- Eph. iv. 29). Add to this that in some respects the two epistles are widely different (see p. 183), and it will be seen that common authorship, as above stated, is the only reasonable explanation of the phenomena. Besides, as Dr. Salmon observes, such an unstudied digression as we find in Eph. iii.1-iv.1 ('anacolouthon') proves "that we have here, not the calm work of an imitator of another man's production, but the fervid utterances of an original writer, whom a rush of fresh thoughts occasionally carries away from what he had been about to say.' We have a remarkable token of the genuineness of this epistle, as of several others attributed to Paul, in the fact that while the writer dwells with great satisfaction on the admission of the Gentiles to the blessings of the Gospel, he expresses himself with regard to it in the language of a patriotic Jew, to whom this expansion of the Messiah's kingdom is a new and marvellous dispensation of divine providence. He speaks with the greatest reverence of the position and privileges of God's ancient people, showing that in a spiritual sense the Gentiles are now raised to an equality with them, and that, in this sense, the rite of circumcision, in particular, is realised in the hearts of all true Christians.1 This is a state of feeling which was most natural in a Jewishborn Christian like Paul, after the struggle against the bondage of the Law, in which he had himself taken a leading part, was practically over. For 1 ii. II-20: "Wherefore remember, that aforetime ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the twain one new man, so making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and he came and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh: for through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father. So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone"; iii. 1-9: the mystery of Christ; which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to wit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellowmembers of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which from all ages hath been hid in God who created all things." The same token of genuineness may be seen in other epistles of Paul, e.g. Col. ii. 11: "in whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ"; Phil. iii. 2, 3: "Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision: for we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh"; Gal. vi. 16: And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God"; Rom. ii. 28, 29: "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circum ... 2. The Readers. It is now generally agreed that this epistle was not addressed to the Church at Ephesus exclusively, but was of the nature of a circular-letter for the general use of the Churches of Proconsular Asia. In favour of this supposition are the facts (1) that the words "in Ephesus," in the opening verse, were absent from many of the ancient MSS. known to Basil (360 A.D.), and are wanting in the two oldest MSS. that have come down to us;1 (2) that no personal salutations are found in the epistle although Paul had laboured successfully for several years at Ephesus, forming many intimate friendships,2 nor any reference whatever to his experiences during that time; (3) that he writes as if the Christian graces of his readers were only known to him by report, and as if his apostleship to the Gentiles were only known to them by hearsay; (4) that the usual apostolic autograph is absent, owing, we may suppose, to copies of the epistle for the several Churches having to be made out in the course of the messengers' journeys or at the different places at which they had to be delivered.4 cision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." .and B א 1 τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῖς οὖσιν καὶ πιστοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, “to the saints which are also the faithful in Christ Jesus.' 2 Acts xx. 17-38: "Ye yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was with you all the time, serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews: how that I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house. Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears. 3i. 15, 16: "For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and which ye shew toward all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.' iv. 20, 21: "But ye did not so learn Christ; if so be that ye heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus." iii. 1-4: “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,—if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me to you-ward; how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ." Cf. Col. i. 4-9 (quoted p. 167, note 1). 4 The indirect form of the Benediction at the close of the epistle (vi. 23): "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith," is also a corroborative circumstance, being found nowhere else in Paul's epistles; cf. Col. iv. 18: "Grace be with you.' The great thought of the epistle, too, viz., the unity of the holy catholic There can be little doubt, indeed, that we have here the epistle referred to in the letter addressed to the Colossians, where the apostle directs them to read also "the epistle from Laodicea," and to send their own letter in exchange, for the benefit of the Christians there.1 Even before the middle of the second century we find a heretical writer (Marcion) giving this epistle the title To the Laodiceans.2 Yet it is evident that it could not have been specially addressed to Laodicea, as the apostle sends his salutations to "the brethren that are in Laodicea" through another channel.3 The difficulty is met by supposing that we have here a circular-letter of which Laodicea received a copy in common with other Churches of the province,—to be communicated to the neighbouring Church at Colossæ. The name of the Ephesian Church would naturally become associated with the epistle, owing to its being the leading Church of the district, probably receiving the first copy from Tychicus when he landed at its port on his way to Colossæ, and becoming the source of many later copies to Churches in other parts of the world. 3. Date and Place of Composition. At Rome, 62-63 A.D. (see pp. 151-5). 4. Character and Contents. It has been said by Coleridge that this is "one of the divinest compositions of man. It embraces every doctrine of Christianity; first, those doctrines peculiar to Christianity; secondly, those precepts common to it with Church, is eminently suitable for such a letter; and Asia Minor was rapidly becoming the leading province of Christendom; cf. Rev. i. 4: "John to the seven churches which are in Asia." This is not a recent theory. It was advocated by an English scholar (Archbishop Ussher), in the seventeenth century. 1 Col. iv. 16. 2 This we learn from Tertullian, who preferred, however, the common and traditional title, To the Ephesians"although he adds "nihil autem de titulis interest.' Epiphanius says of Marcion, "He has also portions of the epistle called To the Laodiceans; but the quotation that he gives from it is almost identical with a passage in our Ephesians " (viz. iv. 5, 6). 3 Col. iv. 15. natural religion." In its doctrinal part1 the epistle is distinguished by a tone of exultation which will not stoop to controversy, expressing itself in the flow of a sublime eloquence rather than in the form of a logical argument. Instead of labouring to demonstrate those truths, regarding the standing of the Gentiles and his own position as the apostle of the Gentiles, for which he had contended in his earlier epistles, the writer takes these things for granted and soars into far loftier regions-viewing the Gospel and the Church in relation not to time, but to eternity, not to the nations of the world, but to the universe at large. Here, as in Colossians, Paul recognises Christ as the appointed Head of the universe material as well as spiritual and sees in His atoning death the universal centre of divine providence. Here, as there, he is thrilled with a sense of joy not untouched with awe when he contemplates the great mystery of the divine will-the eternal purpose of God so long concealed, but now at length revealed and so far realised through his instrumentality, to wit, the destined union of Jew and Gentile in the mystical body of the risen and exalted Christ. In this union he sees the pledge and token of that universal gathering together in one of "all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth," that is to be the consummation of God's purposes in Christ. But, whereas in Colossians he dwells mainly on the person of Christ as the "fulness of the Godhead bodily," here he is impelled rather to the contemplation of the Church as "the body of Christ, the fulness of him that filleth all in all," and expatiates upon the ideal glory and 3 3 This is not the only difference between the two epistles. "The characteristic phrase, 'the heavenlies,' which occurs five times in Ephesians, does not occur once in Colossians. Five sections in Ephesians that which states the fore-ordained unity of the redeemed Universal Church (i. 3-14); that about living in a way worthy of this ideal unity (iv. 1-15); that which contrasts the deeds of darkness and light (v. 7-14); that about the mystery of Christian marriages (v. 22-33); and that about the Christian armour (vi. 10-17)— have no parallel in Colossians. Ephesians has seven Old Testament allusions, Colossians has only one. Again, Colossians is brief and logical, Ephesians more lyrical and diffuse. Colossians is St. Paul's 'argument, his process, his |