Functional Teleology and the Coherence of Ephesians: A Comparative and Reception-Historical Approach

Eric Covington examines the way in which Ephesians coherently holds together cosmological, Christological, ecclesiological, and ethical elements within its vision of the early Christian way of life. He begins by investigating the extent to which the categories of functional teleology featured within ethical reflection in both Greco-Roman and early Jewish traditions. Next, he analyzes the letter's Auslegungsgeschichte, focusing on Thomas Aquinas' medieval commentary, to demonstrate how Ephesians has previously been interpreted through the lens of teleology. Finally, he turns to an historical-exegetical examination of Ephesians to demonstrate the way in which the letter uses the categories and concepts of functional teleology. He concludes that Ephesians identifies the appropriate way of life in light of an individual and ecclesial telos within God's ultimus finis for all of creation.