Tag: Representation
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Household: Household Code in Ephesians (Part 2)
Ephesians' opening portion of the household code deals with husbands and wives (5:21-33). It contains rich and compelling imagery that teaches unity between husband and wife, keeping with the theme of the rest of Ephesians. Remember that in Greco-Roman households, the paterfamilias ruled over his wife. The marriage arrangement was primarily a contractual agreement to…
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Household: “Head” in Colossians
Colossians is our next stop in investigating the "head" (kephale) metaphor in the New Testament. False teaching appears to be the impetus for writing Colossians. While the false teaching is not explicitly identified, it seems to have been some form of Gnostic heresy. Some elements refuted are ceremonialism, asceticism, angel worship, the deprecation of Christ,…
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Household: “Head” as Function, Representation, and Elevation, and the Centrality of Status
So what can we say about "head" as a metaphor in Greek? At least two things. First, "head" is not used to signify "rule over" or "have authority over," although it clearly is used on occasion with regard to people who rule and have authority. It sometimes is used to indicate a differential in these…