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Eph_1:12. Causa finalis of the predestination to the Messianic κλῆρος :[103] in order that we might redound to the praise of His glory (actually, by our Messianic κληρονομία ), we who have beforehand placed our hope on Christ,—we Jewish-Christians, to whom Christ even before His appearing was the object of their hope. Only now, namely, from εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς onward, does Paul divide the subject of ἘΚΛΗΡΏΘ . and ΠΡΟΟΡΙΣΘΈΝΤΕς , which embraced the Christians generally, into its two constituent parts, the Jewish-Christians, whom he characterizes by ἡμᾶς … τοὺς προηλπικότας ἐν τῷ Χριετῷ , and the Gentile-Christians, whose destination to the same final aim—namely, εἰς τὸ εἶναι εἰς ἔπαινον κ . τ . λ .—he dwells on afterwards in Eph_1:13-14 (passing over to them by ἘΝ ᾯ ΚΑῚ ὙΜΕῖς ), and hence Eph_1:14 concludes with a repetition of ΕἸς ἜΠΑΙΝΟΝ Τῆς ΔΌΞΗς ΑὐΤΟῦ .[104]
ἩΜᾶς ] has emphasis, preparing the way for the subsequent introduction of ΚΑῚ ὙΜΕῖς .
ΤΟῪς ΠΡΟΗΛΠΙΚΌΤΑς ] quippe qui, etc. On προελπίζειν , to hope before, comp. Poseidippus in Athen. ix. p. 377 C. The προ does not transfer the hoping into the praescientia Dei (Jerome), nor has it a reference to the later hoping of the Gentiles (Beza, Piscator, Grotius, Boyd, Estius, Bengel, Michaelis, and others), since the hoping of the Gentiles is not subsequently expressed; nor is προηλπ . equivalent to the simple form (Morus, Bretschneider), which is not the case of any verb with προ ; but it applies to the fact that the Jews had the Old Testament prophecies, and hence already before Christ set their hope upon the Messiah (Rom_3:2; Rom_11:4; Act_3:25; Act_26:6 f., 22, Act_28:20, al.). So, correctly, Zöckler takes it, de vi ac notione vocab. ἐλπίς , 1856, p. 32 f. But de Wette, who (comp. Rückert, Holzhausen, Matthies, Bleek) denies the division—also unnoticed by Chrysostom and his successors—into Jewish and Gentile Christians (understanding ἩΜᾶς , generally, of the Christians, and ὑμεῖς , Eph_1:13, of the readers), takes προ in ΠΡΟΗΛΠ . as: before the Parousia. Comp. Theophylact: πρὶν ἢ ἐπιστῇ ὁ μέλλων αἰών . But in this way the ΠΡΟ would be without significance, while, as taken by us, it is characteristic. It is incorrect, too, that Eph_1:13 affirms nothing peculiar of the Gentile-Christians. As standing in contrast to the προηλπικότας εἶναι of the Jewish-Christians, what is said in Eph_1:13 serves precisely to characterize the Gentile-Christians. They, without having entertained that previous hope (Eph_2:12), have heard, believed, etc.
The usual construction, suggested of itself by the very sequence of the words, has been—after the example of Morus, Koppe, ed. 1, Flatt, and Matthies—departed from by Harless, followed by Olshausen, inasmuch as he regards εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης αὐτοῦ as an inserted clause [incisum]: “we who were predestined, etc., to be those—to the praise of His glory—who already before hoped in Christ.” In this way Paul would point to the reason, why the κλῆρος had first been assigned to the Jews. But (1) in that case ἘΚΛΗΡΏΘ . and ΠΡΟΟΡΙΣΘ . must already have applied specially to the Jewish-Christians, which no reader could guess and Paul, in order to his writing intelligibly, must have indicated, by putting it in some such way as: ἐν ᾧ ἡμεῖς ἐκληρώθημεν , οἱ προορισθέντες … εἰς τὸ εἶναι … τοὺς προηλπικότας κ . τ . λ . As the passage actually stands, the reader could find the Jewish-Christians designated only at Eph_1:12, not previously. (2) εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης αὐτοῦ has, in accordance with the context (see Eph_1:14; comp. also Eph_1:6), by no means the character of an incidental insertion, but the stress of defining the ultimate aim, and that not in respect of a pre-Christian state, but of the Christian one. This, however, only becomes suitably felt, when we read εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης αὐτοῦ together. (3) The predestination of God ( προορισθέντες ) is in the connection related not to a pre-Christian state, such as, according to Harless, the εἶναι τοὺς προηλπικότας ἐν τ . Χριετῷ would be, but to the realization of the Messianic blessedness (Eph_1:5). Comp. Rom_8:29; 1Co_2:7; as also Act_4:28. Lastly, (4) the objections taken by Harless to the usual connection of the words are not tenable. For (a) the symmetry of the two corresponding sentences in form and thought depends on the fact that in the case of both sections, the Jewish and the Gentile Christians, the glorifying of, God is brought into prominence as the final aim of their attaining to salvation, and hence Eph_1:14 also closes with εἰς ἔπαινον τ . δόξ . αὐτοῦ . (b) The repeated mention of the predestination on God’s part to salvation is solemn, not redundant; and the less so, inasmuch as the description of God as τὰ πάντα ἐνεργοῦντος is added. (c) The objection that we cannot tell why the apostle brings in that predestination only with regard to the προηλπικότες , while yet it manifestly applies also to the ἈΚΟΎΣΑΝΤΕς , is based on the misunderstanding, according to which ἘΚΛΗΡΏΘ . and ΠΡΟΟΡΙΣΘ . are already restricted to the Jewish-Christians; for the subject of these words is still the Christians without distinction,
Jewish and Gentile Christians,—so that the predestination of those and these is asserted. It is only at Eph_1:12 that the division of the subject begins, which is continued in
[103] Many others, including Flatt, Meier, Harless, have attached εἰς τὸ εἶναι to προορισθ . (predestined, to be, etc.); but this is not only not in keeping with the analogous εἰς ἔπαινον κ . τ . λ ., vv. 6 and 14, but also inappropriate, because προορισθ . did not yet refer specially to the Jewish-Christians.
[104] Thus what Paul dwells on in vv. 11–14 may be summarized thus: “In Christ we have really become partakers of the Messianic salvation, to which we were predestined by God, in order that we Jewish-Christians, and also you Gentile-Christians, should redound to the praise of His glory.”