The seal in Ef 1:13
Carl W. Conrad
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Fri Oct 18 06:55:23 EDT 2002
Forwarded for George Somsel <Polycarp66 at aol.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 20:51:17 EDT
In a message dated 10/17/2002 5:48:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
gedson at hotlink.com.br writes:
>ESFRAGISQHTE TW PNEUMATI
>
>Excuse-me, my English is bad.Anyone of the illustrious masters has some
>commentary to make on Ef 1:13, in that it says repect to the time of the "
>were sealed" , if is immediate in the or not?
>
They say that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" so in spite of the
fact that I am not an "illustrious master" I will venture to answer.
I think what we have here is a dative of instrument or means. The sealing
is done BY MEANS OF the Spirit. If the sealing is done by means of the
Spirit, it would presumably be accomplished at the time of the reception of
the Holy Spirit. This would refer to the chrism which the newly received
member would receive at his baptism which was considered to put a mark upon
him. We have a reference to this in Rev. 7.2-8 which I will only quote in
part
2 KAI EIDON ALLON AGGELON ANABAINONTA APO ANATOLHS TOU hHLIOU EXONTA
SFRAGIDA QEOU ZWNTOS KAI EKRACEN FWNHi MEGALHi TOIS TESSARON AGGELOIS hOIS
EDOQH AUTOIS ADIKHSAI THN GHN KAI THN QALASSAN
3 LEGWN, ** "MH ADIKHSHTE THN GHN MHTE THN QALASSAN MHTE TA DENDRA AXRI
SFRAGISWMEN TOUS DOULOUS TOU QEOU hHMWN EPI METWPON AUTWN" **
4 KAI HKOUSA TON ARIQMON ** TWN ESFRAGISMENWN ** , hEKATON TESSARAKONTA
TESSARES XILIADES, ESFRAGISMENOI **
Irenaeus in his _Against Heresies_, Book V, Chapter 7 notes
1. But we do now receive a certain portion of His Spirit, tending towards
perfection, and preparing us for incorruption, being little by little
accustomed to receive and bear God, which aslo the apostle terms "an
earnest," that is, a part of the honour which has been promised us by God,
where he say in the Epistle to the Ephesians, "In which ye also having
heard to word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, believing in which we
have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of
our inheritance." This earnest, therefore, thus dwelling in us, renders us
spiritual ven now, and the mortal is swallowed up by immortality. "For
ye," he declares "are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that
the Spirit of God dwell in you."
Similarly, Theophilus of Antioch in a letter to Autolycus states
"and are you unwilling to be anointed with the oil of God? Wherefore we
are called Christians on this account, because we are anointed with the oil
of God."
gfsomsel
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