Christ and the Church: Ephesians 4:8–10 as a Test of Theological Exegesis

Abstract

Historical criticism often lacks the information required to determine the meaning of a biblical text, requiring readers of Scripture to engage with other interpretive approaches. Using Ephesians 4:8–10 as an example, this article demonstrates how theological interpretation, by bracketing out historical questions and examining scriptural figures and typologies, brings coherence to texts where historical criticism falls short. The article compares historical-critical interpretations of Ephesians 4 with patristic and medieval readings. Where historical-critical scholars have been unable to discern the precise meaning of the text, pre-critical readers understood it as having multiple meanings, each one cohering within the unity of the gospel narrative. Using this insight, the article offers a theological interpretation of Eph. 4, unifying the various interpretations in their common reference to the gospel, depicted as a story of Christ’s humiliation and exaltation.