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A growing body of material explores and discusses As such, it is possible that advocates of family min- family ministry. A cursory review of this material istry leave themselves open to the charge that they are reveals that many exponents of family ministry tend ignoring or misunderstanding signi!cant developments to justify their stance primarily by appealing to Old that have taken place across the Testaments. For example, Testament texts. At my own college it could be argued from Mark 3:31-35 that any focus on 602,&93.##?@& Psalm 78 is a particular favorite: the family that was apparent from the Old Testament is ABC6CD&6?43#-/.-0& now set aside. Perhaps, in the kingdom of God, family E$//+F+&$G& :(+$/$F,H& He decreed statutes for Jacob boundaries become blurred or erased, like the boundar- 4+#*+4&-4& and established the law in ies between ethnic groups (Eph 2:19) and social posi- 6I-2+%.I&7+-0& Israel, which he commanded tions (Eph 6:8). Perhaps, when it comes to the matter -3&8$?3(J$#K4& E$//+F+&.0&9,20+,D&6?43#-/.-C& our forefathers to teach their of identifying potential leaders, attention is directed <-.4+2&.0&3(+&=0.3+2&L.0F2$%D& children, so that the next gen- toward family life (1 Tim 3:2-5) because families in the 602,&I-%+&3$&6?43#-/.-&3$&43?2,& eration would know them, even !rst century functioned like small businesses. erefore, -3&B$$#+&E$//+F+D&3(+0&3-?F(3& the children yet to be born, and business acumen and managerial skills—not necessarily .0&:-0M-0.-&J.3(&3(+&E#$44/.0K4& %.44.$0&$#F-0.M-3.$0&-02&-3&93C& they in turn would tell their household management—are the qualities that mark out >(./.@4&:(+$/$F.I-/&E$//+F+C&602,& children. en they would put individuals for leadership roles in the church. .4&%-##.+2&3$&L-3(,N&3(+,&(-*+& their trust in God and would There are significant and valuable studies that 3(#++&I(./2#+0O&6/+PD&E(#.4D&-02& 1 Q-%+4C&:(+,&-#+&%+%R+#4&$G&93C& not forget his deeds but would emphasize the importance of family as family. What >-?/P4&60F/.I-0&E(?#I(&.0&B+0-.D& keep his commands (verses has been lacking in many cases has been su"cient explo- 4$?3(+#0&9,20+,C 5-7). ration of the family in the New Testament. is article seeks to redress that lack by drawing on the letter to the Appeals to the New Testament are less frequent and Ephesians to suggest that family is still a primary organi- tend to be limited to the household codes and to zational unit in the kingdom of God. Ephesians 6 in particular.

! !"#$%&%$#$'( ") #'*# !"# ") (Geog. 14:1:6) . She was not only willing to keep her We will never fully understand Paul’s ministry in people safe but she was also able to help them. 7 She was Ephesus and his letter to its Christians unless we recog- worshipped as the “queen of heaven” who was “supreme nize that Ephesus was a major political center and the in power and place.” 8 e many-breasted goddess was hub of magical practice. It was in Ephesus that magical duly represented as wearing a necklace of zodiacal sym- books amounting to a staggering 50,000 days’ wages were bols to demonstrate her power and authority over the burned as evidence of a turning away from magical prac- forces of fate. This promise of power was claimed for tices to Christ the risen and ascended king (Acts 19:19). many of the deities worshipped in the mystery religions, Ephesus is also famous for a great number of magic spells but only Artemis is depicted as superior to astrological and incantations, which use the Ephesia Grammata— fate, able even to raise to life someone who had died. 9 magical terms which were thought to have special power e unsurpassed power attributed to her may help to ward o# demons. 2 As far as the socio-political climate to explain her popularity in a city that was a center is concerned, Ephesus was on the cusp of receiving the for magic. Artemis was goddess of the underworld 10 title and honor of being recognised as neokoros, home to and could be called on to exercise her authority even the emperor cult in the provinces of Asia. over demons. e Ephesia grammata were sometimes engraved on her image; magical papyri, which employ +,-./01#,2#3/4#5,664.. these letters, have been found using Artemis’ name or When the believers in Ephesus publicly burned their her various epithets. It seems clear that, at the time of magic books, they were repudiating their own previ- Paul, Artemis worship would have involved compo- ous involvement in magic. To understand Ephesians, nents that fell within the categories of Hellenistic magi- we need to consider what that involvement in “magic” cal practices. actually entailed. Given the prevalence of magical practice and belief Luke’s account of the book burning is sandwiched within the New Testament world 11 it is not surprising to between his accounts of the seven sons of Sceva (19:14- !nd it within popular expressions of Judaism. Neither 17) and the incident concerning the worship of Arte- should it surprise us to !nd that phylacteries, which had mis (19:23-41). It may be that these two passages are been originally ordained as tangible reminders of God’s arranged deliberately to help us to understand what sort word and promises (Deut 6:9; 11:18), were being worn of thing is being repudiated. We will examine !rst the as charms and talismans to protect against evil. 12 ere Artemis cult, which was focused on Ephesus, 3 and then was in fact a high regard for Jewish magic. Betz goes so return to the incident involving the sons of the Jewish far as to say that Jewish magic was “famous”. 13 chief priest. So we !nd a Roman proconsul in Paphos with a Jew- The goddess Artemis was said to have been born ish sorcerer amongst his retinue. In particular Jewish near the city of Ephesus. 4 She was, for that reason, the names for God and names of angels derived from Jewish natural choice for the patron deity of the city. 5 e city tradition regularly appear in magical texts and particu- was her temple keeper (Acts 19:35); in other words, the larly those concerned with exorcism. 14 Many amulets city as a whole recognized its right and privilege to pro- found in the region around Ephesus were found with tect and to administrate the temple and its services. distinctly Jewish elements on them; magic parapherna- The corollary is that the goddess was “Artemis of the lia at Pergamum bore the name of Solomon. 15 Ephesians” (Acts 19:28). She was concerned for the city, Artemis was, in some sense, perceived to be a protected forti!cations and ensured the city’s welfare. mother to the Ephesians. Certainly she was thought She could be depended on to do so as long as the city to be responsible for keeping them safe, and her many- continued to honor her. 6 breasted images presuppose that her power is displayed Strabo wrote that Artemis was so named because in some kind of a maternal way. Yet as long as we think she was able to make people artemeas —safe and sound of the background simply in terms of gods, angels, and

Y magic we will miss important dimensions of the text. he greets as he does in other places. is, together with the fact that some of the older and more reliable manu- +,-./01#,2#3/4#"714-,- scripts do not include the words “in Ephesus,” 19 has led Hellenistic magical practices focused on Artemis of some to suggest that the document we know as Eph- the Ephesians provide an important lens through which esians was originally written to be read by a number we ought to understand the background to Paul’s teaching of the Asian churches (as the Colossian Christians are in Ephesians. Yet there is a second lens that we also need asked to pass on their letter to the Laodiceans and to to bring matters into full focus: that of the imperial cult. make sure that they in turn get the letter which was sent Artemis worship was prominent in Ephesus, and to Laodicea, Col. 4:16). Later it became associated with many Ephesians revered her. Still, for all her greatness the Christian community at Ephesus, perhaps because and alleged power she, like they, was subject to the Ephesus was the principal city of the province, or per- Roman authorities. Epigraphic evidence from the !rst haps because they found it particularly helpful and century B.C. suggests that the needed so claimed it as their own. Regardless of the intended to authorize temple activities. We know from Tacitus audience, the kind of magical belief and practice that that, on one occasion at least, threatened to we have identi!ed at Ephesus was not con!ned to the act against the cult ( Annales 3:61). Closer to our period city itself but exerted its influence throughout the there is epigraphic evidence to suggest that Tiberius’s province. Likewise the clear and present danger posed threat was not an idle one. In the middle of the first by the establishment of emperor worship would be a century A.D., proconsuls were able to act both for and concern for all seven churches listed in Revelation. e against the Artemis cult. 16 At the end of the !rst century background work we have done in examining the situ- the six elders ( kouretes ) of the temple are all introduced ation at Ephesus will be seen to be directly relevant to with the designation philosebastoi (“emperor-lovers”) in the encouragement and challenge which Paul brings an attempt, it seems, to secure approval from the Roman his readers. authorities. 17 For all her epithets, for all the boasting Ben Witherington III has identified Ephesians as done on behalf of Artemis, it is the worship of the a homily rather than a letter. He means by this that emperor that was increasingly moving towards center its function is more to inform and to inspire than to stage throughout the !rst century A.D. instruct the recipients about how to deal with the Just before the beginning of the first century an problems that they face. He points in particular to the Augusteum was erected inside the temple of Artemis sections within the document that extol the value and to facilitate emperor worship there. 18 By the end of the virtues of what it means to be in Christ .20 He goes on to same century, marked at its beginning by Jesus’ birth discuss key characteristics of epideictic rhetoric and to and its end by the apostle John’s death, Ephesus had at show how they are featured in Ephesians. 21 He notes, for last won the right to host Emperor worship in its own example, how the author builds on the foundation that purposefully-constructed temple. In the Gospels it is the has been laid in chapters 1-3 to commend key behaviors Jewish leadership that is presented as posing a menace that are consistent with the values and perspectives that to Jesus’ mission. In Revelation emperor worship is the he outlined in the !rst half of the address. As such the major threat to an organized and public Christian pres- hearers are being asked to stand !rm in behaviors and ence in the Roman province of Asia. In Ephesians Paul practices to which they have already given themselves begins to meet and to counter that threat. and of which they have now been reminded, rather than being asked to change the way that they live. This is /4#84334-#3,#3/4#"1/4.09:. entirely consistent with identifying the sermon as epi- Paul’s correspondence to the Ephesians is fairly gen- deictic rhetoric. 22 eral in nature. Even though Paul spent more than three In Ephesians the audience is reminded of the honor years in the city we do not find lists of people whom and privilege that it is to be in Christ. More than that

WU they are reminded that since all of them—Jew and Gen- terms patera (“father”, last word of 3:14) and patria tile, slave and free—come to Christ by the same means (“family”, fourth word of 3:15). ey might also pick up on the basis of the same event and in doing so submit on the alliteration with patera , pasa and patria separated to the same Lord, there can only be one covenant com- by only two short particles ex and hou . But little is made munity. Walls and barriers, which previously divided of the verse and nothing is said about why the author disparate groups, are broken down and destroyed. “In might have included it, other than a suggestion that it him the whole building is joined together and rises to was simply a rhetorical $ourish. Witherington suggests become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too that it might be intended to subvert imperial cult rheto- are being built together to become a dwelling in which ric, but does not really develop this thought. It is an idea God lives by his Spirit” (Eph 2:21-22). that is worth pursuing. Paul ends the !rst part of his sermon with a prayer for the recipients that they might participate in all that "714-,-#9.# !"#$% !"$&!# God has called them to be and to do. e prayer, full Artemis, whose temple overlooked much of the of praise and adoration, is strongly reminiscent of the city, was presented and commended as a mother to way the homily began (1:3-14, 15-23). It begins in 3:1 the people of Ephesus. ere is a famous statue of her and is picked up again in 3:14, gradually building to a festooned with a number of gourd or balloon shaped climactic doxology (3:20-21). It gathers the audience objects which are commonly assumed to represent whose minds may have begun to wander, then excites breasts (!g. 1). It was she who kept the Ephesians safe. and motivates them press on. It is my desire to focus in Paul could have contrasted Artemis’s role as mother particular on a single line within the prayer, a line that with God’s role as father. Yet he has not pointed us to may seem like a “throw-away” which syntactically adds God as parent in this generic way. Nor has he raised almost nothing to the prayer but which theologically is the matter of fatherhood in general. e Greek word crucial: “from whom every family in heaven and upon patrotēs (“fatherhood”) would have worked just as well earth is named” (3:15). as patria (“family”). Paronomasia and alliteration would Comparison of the main English language versions still be present. Paul has chosen to develop the thought reveals a point of contention in translating the text. is of God as father more in terms of family than in terms is seen when we compare how the NIV and ESV deal of fatherhood .23 He does this even while there is another with the verse. in Ephesus who makes a similar claim. e emperor was NIV: !om whom his whole family in heaven and on also to be thought of as father. earth derives its name. ESV: !om whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. e di#erence lies in the way the translation teams have handled the adjective pasa. e adjective is used together with a noun patria “family.” e NIV transla- tion would be preferred if there were an article and if the Greek text read pasa hē patria . But there is no article. e verse simply reads pasa patria . e adjective is fol- lowed immediately by its noun. In examples like this, Figure 1, sketch of statue of Artemis in the Ephesus pasa used in combination with a noun but without an museum article, “every” is the best way to translate the term. Ephesus was one of a handful of centers across the Having decided upon the most helpful translation of Mediterranean basin where Roman coins were minted. the verse, commentaries will generally comment on the ese coins give us access to the some of the claims of word play, or paronomasia, involving the like-sounding those in power at the time. We know from the exchange

WT in Mark 12:13-17 that people were expected to know sian. e coin is typical of coins minted under any of what was on imperial coinage and to have considered the emperors in our list. He is presented as a man of both the imagery and inscription. Before the age of great military honour, symbolised by the crown of lau- printing or of electronic broadcasting media, claims and rel leaves around his head. 25 is is underscored by the counter-claims were made and spread widely through legend: IMP VESPAS AVG PM COS II the images presented and inscriptions embossed on TRP PP. imperial coinage. 24 IMP is a military title, , which identi!es On a denarius, minted in Ephesus during the reign as victorious military commander. CAESAR of (!g. 2), the emperor and his wife Agrippina is a title used by the emperors to signify their perceived sit comfortably on one side of the coin with Artemis on possession of supreme and ultimate authority. VESPAS the other. ere is no con$ict or antagonism between is an abbreviation for Vespasian. AUG is an honori!c Roman emperor and Greek god. Her presence of the title, , meant to show that Vespasian has the reverse side of the coin endorses Claudius and Agrip- full backing of the Roman senate. PM identi!es him as pina as the rightful rulers of Ephesus. ere is an appro- , the chief priest and principle media- priateness to their rule—but note too that there may be tor between people and the gods. COS II identi!es him a claim here suggesting that the emperor and his wife twice-elected as consul and TRP a tribunicia potestas , as exercise right and proper authority not only over the having a ’s power and authority over the people. citizens of Ephesus, but perhaps also over Artemis who Both refer to political o"ces and authority; he could is brought into a Roman orbit through the use of her convene or dissolve the Senate or even veto decisions he name, Diana. did not approve. It is the !nal PP, pater patriae , “father of the fatherland” that is our focus. As father of the fatherland, , Vespasian, and other emperors who bore that cognomen 26 present themselves as the family head of all Roman citizens and, by extension, of all who lived within the empire. Within Roman society, father was !rst of all a term denoting Figure 2, denarius from the reign of Claudius authority and rule. Father of the fatherland was not a term of endearment, but a reminder that Caesar was the By the time that Ephesians is written, Claudius is no one with ultimate authority and the one to whom all longer on the throne. Not only Emperor Nero but also owed a debt of loyalty. 27 e emperor was more than the later emperors Vespasian, , and address !gurehead of the empire; he was the one through whom the people of Ephesus through what is embossed on the gods bestowed and favor upon Rome and her their coins. All of them present themselves to the people empire. In short he was the principal benefactor, the one of Ephesus as PP , pater patriae . who ensured and maintained Rome’s superiority in the world. 28 Against that claim, Paul makes a counter-claim: that God is the father !om whom every family in heaven and upon earth is named .

;9<=P.#$,<:34-?$=907 As pater , the emperor had the same authority over Figure 3, denarius from the reign of Vespasian his subjects that Roman law gave to all fathers. Even when children had grown up to become adults, they On a denarius from Vespasian’s reign, for example, had no legal right to property and nor could they marry minted in Ephesus around the year 70, we see Vespa- without the approval of the paterfamilias . In identify-

W ing God as the father !om whom every family in heaven or even in rebellion when it comes to this truth, there is and on earth is named , Paul relativizes those imperial no family grouping whatsoever that does not owe praise claims. Through the title father of the fatherland , the and obedience to God; there are no family members state machinery reminded all within the empire of the whose lives ought not to be lived according to his pur- emperor’s claim over them. Yet Paul presents God as poses and for his glory and honor. having a more signi!cant claim, a higher claim. God the A significant aspect of the appeal of Artemis as Father is not just the household head of some families, patron deity was her supposed power and authority over but of every family . That every family is named from natural and supernatural forces and agencies. Although him means that it takes its direction from him. He is the she was presented as the one who could answer prayer, one to whom every family must answer. He is the one to the counter claim here is that God is pater patriae and whom they should look for life, for purpose, for dignity, that all families in heaven and on earth are named from counsel and for help. He is the one who ought to receive him. is means that it is God the father, not “Artemis their heartfelt responses of praise and of obedience. our mother,” who has the power to keep us safe. Moreo- e cognomen had either deliberately or inadvert- ver the father imagery reminds us that not only is he able ently dissected the empire. It threw emphasis on the to answer prayer (3:20), but that he is willing to do so. natural divisions within the people of the empire. Some were Roman citizens, others were not. Some of those %@;8%$A %'(B#*'C#@%(%B CD Roman citizens lived within the area that could be des- is prayer does not stand at the heart of Paul’s pre- ignated as “the fatherland”; others lived in provinces and sentation of his theology, but it nevertheless includes colonies scattered around the empire. If pater patriae signi!cant implications for our ministry practices. We identified the emperor as the principle authority fig- must take note of the way that the ESV has corrected a ure and as benefactor, then it also implied that some misreading of the text. If God is the father of “the whole had greater access to his ear than others. By contrast family” (as the NIV renders this text), the text might in Christ the barriers of race and culture that divide a indicate that inclusion in the church means that indi- people have been destroyed (2:11-14). God’s purpose in vidual family boundaries are lost in the collective which doing this was to create a new man, a new household, a is the church. It could be taken to imply that our roles united family of Jews and Gentiles, those who were near and responsibilities within our own families of origin and those who were far, all of whom have been brought have been abrogated. It might suggest that not only is together in Christ (2:14-22). In Christ, all have access there no distinction between Jew and Greek, but also to God. All are privileged in him. Social and cultural between Stewart and Petrovic, Garcia and Wu, Nguyen boundary markers that encourage us to think in terms and Stephanopoulos. It would imply that the church is of ‘us and them’, ‘have and have not’, are made of no con- our sole family, the context where fatherly, filial, and sequence in Christ. It is, a%er all, “for this reason” (3:1, fraternal responsibilities should be discharged. 14) that Paul prays to “God the Father.” But that is not the claim that Paul makes here. e implied claim in Ephesians 3:15 also surpasses Paul instead bends his knees to the Father “from the claims that the senators of Rome made for the whom every family in heaven and upon earth is named.” emperor when they conferred on him the title pater Families are important not just upon earth, as part of patriae —for God is the father of every family . He is the the context from which we who were far o# and those head of “every family in heaven and on earth.” ere is who were near have come to God in Christ; family rela- metonymy here. Heaven and earth are, in a sense, two tionships also have heavenly implications. extremes. In presenting God as the father from whom As those involved in children’s, youth and family every family “in heaven and on earth” is named, the ministry we must work with and not against the many writer is saying that there are no families that fall out- families who are represented in our ministries. ose side this group. ough some families may live unaware to whom we minister are !rst of all members of fami-

WW lies. It is here, in the context of their own families that !ourishing in the mid "rst century CE as evidenced their faith is especially to be worked out. 29 It is within by archaeological remains and (near) contemporary our homes that we all face the daily challenge of living records. #ose Archaeological remains include magic for Jesus. For the child from a non-Christian home it table, instruments and amulets from Pergamum and is important that we encourage him or her to honor additional amulets from Smyrna. Contemporary father and mother and not to undermine the author- records include several magical inscriptions found ity which is given to the parents. For adolescents who on papyri and pottery fragments (C. E. Arnold, are inclined to disengage from their families of origin, Ephesians: Power and Magic. The Concept of Power we should encourage them actively to contribute to the in Ephesians in Light of Its Historical Setting (Grand well-being of their families. To paraphrase another part Rapids: Baker, 1992) 16-17) as well as Rev 2:18-23. of Ephesians, not only when the parents are watching and 3 The priority of the temple at Ephesus was not com- to gain personal advantage but as a mark of your devotion pletely unchallenged. One Hellenistic inscription to Christ, do God’s will !om your heart (cf. Eph 6:6-8). tells an incident when ambassadors from the Eph- Having a leadership role does not allow us to treat esian temple were abused and sacred items were anyone as an isolated individual, unconnected to oth- de"led by the people of Sardis in what seems to be a ers. We cannot pretend that we are in a position to make dispute over authority. #e response of the Ephesian !rst demands, let alone exclusive demands, on time and authorities in sentencing forty-"ve o$enders to death energies. For the Christian family member, we ought to certainly seems like a response to a challenge to their go beyond Horace Bushnell who identi!ed their family authority. See P. Trebilco, “Asia,” !e Book of Acts in as “small church” and suggest that it is in fact #rst church . Its Greaco-Roman Setting BAFCS 2, ed. D.W.J. Gill Neither the children’s ministry nor the youth ministry and C. Gempf (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994) 331. should see itself as separate and detached from other 4 #is is the meaning of the image that fell from heaven aspects of a church’s overall ministry enterprise, which (Acts 19:35). includes those ministries that take place in and from 5 Arnold distinguishes between the goddess Artemis (= every Christian home. 30 Diana) of Classical Greek (Roman) mythology and Furthermore, since God is the father from whom Ephesian Artemis (26). So too do D. W. J. Gill and every family in heaven and upon earth is named, we B. W. Winter, “Acts and Roman Religion” in Gill cannot ignore the parents and other family members and Gempf, 88. of those individuals whom we might identify as our 6 #ere is a mid-second century inscription which pro- constituents, those with whom we are most actively vided for the continuance of sacrifices to Artemis involved. We cannot insist that our e#orts are taken up and festivals given in her honour so that “in this way entirely by our individual target group, while others bear with the improvement and honouring of the god- the responsibility for their parents or other caregivers. dess, our city will remain more illustrious and more We must learn to think more holistically, less in terms of blessed for all time” (Trebilco, 327). individuals and more in terms of every family in heaven 7 Trebilco (317) cites Achilles Tatius who says that she and on earth . listened to prayer. 8 Arnold, 21 ENDNOTES 9 Arnold, 21-22, Trebilco, 318 1 C. Osiek and D.L. Balch, Families in the New 10 Pliny says that there was an image of Hekate in the Testament World. Households and House Churches precinct of Artemis’s temple at Ephesus (Nat. hist. (Louisville: WJKP, 1997) is very helpful in 36.4.32) and that the bronze table found at Perga- identifying the place and function of the family and mum combined an image of Hekate with an epithet its relation to church. which is peculiar to Artemis (Arnold, 23). 2 In the region beyond Ephesus magical practices were 11 E. M. Yamauchi, “Magic in the Biblical World,” TB

WZ 34, 169. We need only to think of Samaria (Acts 8:9- that elsewhere God can be invoked as father without 24), Cyprus (Acts 13:6-12), Ephesus (Acts 19) and elaboration (1:3, 17; Col 1:12) again invites us to Malta (Acts 28:1-6) to be reminded of this point. A consider the signi"cance of the expanded use of this Hebrew horoscope found at Qumran (4Q186 ) may term in Eph. 3:14-15. be seen as an indication of just how pervasive magi- 24 Some are dismissive of the value of coins and their cal and astrological beliefs were in the "rst century. images and inscriptions for serious historical study. 12 Arnold, 55. R. Oster has presented a cogent defence of the dis- 13 Cited by Arnold, 31. cipline in “Numismatic Windows into the Social 14 F. F. Bruce, Book of the Acts (Grand Rapids: Eerd- World of Early Christianity: A Methodological mans, 1988) 368. Inquiry” JBL 101 (1982): 195-223. 15 In the first century Solomon had a reputation for 25 #e proper term for this is laureate ; recall how the spiritual power and authority; Josephus writes for term is still used for Nobel laureates and for poet a Roman audience that “God enabled him to learn laureates. that skill which expels demons” (Antiq. 8:45-49). See 26 #ose emperors who accepted the title were Augus- also Test.Sol. 7:1-8. tus, , Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, 16 G. H. R. Horsley, New Documents Illustrating Early Domitian, , , and . Christianity volume 4. A Review of the Greek Inscrip- 27 This is borne out in the writings of both Seneca tions and Papyri published in 1979 (Sydney: Mac- and Cassius Dio. See M. R. D’Angelo, “Abba and quarrie, 1987) 76. ‘Father’: Imperial #eology and the Jesus Traditions” 17 R.A. Kearsley, “#e Mystery of Artemis at Ephesus” JBL 111 (1992): 623. It is therefore apparent that in S.R. Llewelyn, New Documents Illustrating Early the cognomen is more than simply honori"c. Christianity volume 6. A review of Greek Inscriptions 28 J. H. Neyrey, “God, Benefactor, and Patron: The and Papyri published in 1980-81 (Sydney: Macquar- Major Cultural Model for Interpreting the Deity in rie, 1992) 196. Greco-Roman Antiquity” JSNT 27 (2005): 465-492; 18 Horsley, 76. D’Angelo, 611-30, especially 622-24. 19 #e early papyrus manuscript p46 as well as the orig- 29 #is is con"rmed in the encouragement given to the inal texts of the uncials (Siniaticus) and B (Vatica- Ephesian Christians about how to live in the reality nus) and the normally very reliable 1739 are missing of all that God has done for them in Christ. #at the phrase en Ephesō. #e phrase also seems to have instruction falls within the ‘household code’ which been absent from texts read by Origen and Basil. addresses men and women as husbands and wives, 20 Ben Witherington III, Letters to Philemon, the Colos- old and young as parents and children and the less sians and the Ephesians. A Socio-Rhetorical Com- and more privileged in society as slave and free. mentary on the Captivity Epistles (Grand Rapids: 30 See, for example, Mitali Perkins, Ambassador Families Eerdmans, 2007) 216-19. P. T. O’Brien, Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2005) . (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999) points out that there is no reason why a letter might not also have these epideictic concerns (51). Philemon, for exam- ple, can be seen as a letter with just that agenda. 21 Witherington, 219-23. 22 Witherington, 222-23. 23 The fact that Paul refers to God as father in Eph- esians more times than he does in Romans and 1Corinthians put together invites us to consider why he chooses to use it here. Furthermore, the fact

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