Ephesians 2:20

Ephesians 2:20. Built up upon the foundation. The figure naturally passes over into that of a house in which God dwells (Ephesians 2:22). The participle expresses the notion of a superstructure, in accordance with the mention of ‘the foundation.'

Of the apostles and prophets. The latter term refers to the New Testament prophets (comp. chaps. Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 4:11), since both the order of the words and the thought of the passage opposes a reference to Old Testament prophets. Some have taken ‘prophets' as identical with ‘apostles,' because the article is not repeated; but this is not conclusive. The ‘prophets' in the New Testament church were a distinct class of extraordinary teachers. Three explanations of the entire phrase are possible: (1.) The foundation consisting of the Apostles and prophets; (2.) the foundation belonging to them; (3.) the foundation laid by them, The first view avoids confusing the foundation and corner-stone, and presents no doctrinal difficulty; since in this living temple these persons might be properly regarded as the foundation. But the whole analogy of Scripture figures seems to be against it. The second takes Christ as the foundation; but this is against the specific mention of Him as corner-stone. The third points to the preaching of Christ by the Apostles, as the foundation, and is now the usual view. The only objection is that it represents those who are parts of the building as agents in laying the foundation; but they rested on it even while they laid it. Comp. 1 Corinthians 3:11.

Christ Jesus himself, etc. There is considerable variation in the manuscripts, but this is the better supported reading. The corner-stone unites the parts of the building and supports it as a whole, the most important stone. Comp. the references. Christ is thus termed, because ‘the historical living Christ, to whom all Christian faith and life refers, through Himself necessarily conditions the existence and permanence of every Christian community, just as the existence and firmness of a building is not possible without the corner-stone which holds together the entire edifice' (Meyer). Ephesians 2:21.

In whom; in Christ, not in the cornerstone, or foundation. Not through Him, but in Him, as the point of union and support.

Every building. The omission of the article in the Greek, by the best authorities, makes this the literal sense. Most commentators, however, think that ‘all the building' is the meaning, the article being dispensed with, as with proper names, in accordance with a tendency which is manifest in later usage. Certainly ‘every building' gives a very peculiar turn to the thought, where union with and in Christ has been the theme. ‘Building,' in any case, refers to an edifice in process of erection. ‘Every' would point to the separate Christian congregations, each of them growing in the same way, in the Personal Christ. Yet even when thus explained, the distributive sense seems harsh.

Fitly framed together is growing. The participle, as well as the verb, represents an action still going on, namely, that of fitting together the different parts. The word is derived from that translated ‘joints' in Hebrews 4:12, and occurs only here and in chap. Ephesians 4:16. In the latter passage the organism of a living body is referred to, and probably that idea should be included here, since this participle must be joined with ‘in whom.' The growth is both outward and inward, extensive and intensive, in numbers and in grace.

Unto a holy temple. The word is the more restricted one, applied to the ‘sanctuary.' Meyer insists that we should render ‘ the holy temple,' since the article might be omitted in speaking of so well-known an object; the Apostle, as a Jew, having in mind but one temple. If ‘every building' refers to each congregation of believers, then they are fitted together in their growth toward this end, of being one holy temple.

In the Lord, i.e., Christ, not God. Some take this as defining ‘holy' more closely; others join it with the verb, thus repeating ‘in whom.' It seems best to regard as a further definition of ‘holy temple,' added with a grammatical laxity characteristic of this Epistle in its use of such phrases (‘and it is a holy temple in the Lord, and in Him alone;' Ellicott).