The transformative ethos of Ephesians 5:21-33 and its implications for a contemporary South African context

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The New Testament passage that treats the dynamics of the marriage relationship mostextensively is Ephesians 5:21-33. This passage is embedded in the Ephesian domesticcode, which employs a conventional form used widely in the first-century Mediterraneanworld and which consequently reflects a patriarchal hierarchy. Does this, however, imply thatEphesians is advocating a marriage relationship that is patriarchal and hierarchical, or doesthis passage point beyond the particular first-century cultural context to a loftier ideal?Scholars are today divided in their assessments of Ephesians 5:21-33. Some regard thepassage as a reactionary accommodation to the status quo, while others excuse this socialconformity as being necessitated by a struggle for survival in a hostile first-century world.This thesis seeks to re-read Ephesians 5:21-33 rhetorically against the background of thesocio-historical context of the first-century Mediterranean world and prevailing perspectiveson the status of women, domestic social structures, and marriage. It takes into considerationthe general rhetorical thrust of Ephesians as a whole, the particular way in which Ephesians5:21-33 is framed textually, as well as the structure, content and uniquely Christologicalcontext. Such a re-reading shows that the conventional household code of the first century isin fact infused with a radical transformative ethos which subtely, but significantly, challengesthe patriarchal hierarchy. For, it invites readers to step into a new, alternative reality inChrist, thereby entering a place of ongoing reorientation in their marriage relationships,embracing an attitude of mutual submission and other-centred service towards each otheramarriage relationship modeled on the relationship between Christ and the church.This points to the conclusion that it is this transformative ethos in Ephesians 5:21-33 that istransculturally normative rather than the first-century patriarchal hierarchy in which it isembedded. This has profound implications for pastoral ministry in present-day South Africa,for readers from more traditional backgrounds often read this passage as simply reinforcingthe patriarch ally hierarchical status quo, while readers from less traditional backgrounds maytend merely to dismiss it as archaic and irrelevant. In reality, the transformative ethos ofEphesians 5:21-33 provides an ongoing challenge to both authoritarian hierarchical marriagestructures on the one hand, and laissez faire egalitarian marriage relationships on the other,while holding out a compelling vision - a vision of a magnificent other-centred marriagepartnership under the lordship of Christ.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University