Ephesians 3:3

ὄτι. R.V. ‘how that,’ dependent on ἠκούσατε. It may be ‘because,’ or ‘seeing that,’ defining the grace given.

κατὰ�. St Paul was certain that the knowledge of the truth which he preached had come to him by a direct Divine illumination (Galatians 1:12; Galatians 1:16). He is not, however, here (as in Gal.) laying stress on the fact to vindicate his independence of the original Apostles. The revelation which had been granted to him was no badge of distinction from the rest, but rather a link uniting him to them, for they also showed the same illumination (cf. Ephesians 3:5).

τὸ μυστήριον, Ephesians 3:4; Ephesians 3:9. See on Ephesians 1:9.

καθὼς προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ. ‘As I have written above in brief,’ or ‘as I put forth publicly in a concise form.’ The reference is probably to the statement which follows in Ephesians 3:6, though it might refer to the section Ephesians 2:11-22, in which the same thought is written out at greater length. The epistolary aorist can refer to the passage on which the writer is actually engaged. The next clause which implies that the statement is put out as a standard of reference suggests that προγράφω implies as in Galatians 3:1 a public announcement.