Ephesians 4:15
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
15 Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head,(A) Christ,[a]
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- 4:15–16 The head, Christ: cf. Col 1:18 and contrast 1 Cor 12:12–27 and Rom 12:4–5 where Christ is identified with the whole body, including the head. The imagery may derive from ancient views in medicine, the head coordinating and caring for the body, each ligament (perhaps the ministers of Eph 4:11) supporting the whole. But as at Eph 2:19–22, where the temple is depicted as a growing organism, there may also be the idea here of growing toward the capstone, Christ.
Psalm 8:7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
7 You have given him rule over the works of your hands,(A)
put all things at his feet:
Matthew 28:18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
18 [a](A)Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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- 28:18 All power…me: the Greek word here translated power is the same as that found in the LXX translation of Dn 7:13–14 where one “like a son of man” is given power and an everlasting kingdom by God. The risen Jesus here claims universal power, i.e., in heaven and on earth.
Colossians 1:18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
18 He is the head of the body, the church.[a]
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.(A)
Footnotes
- 1:18 Church: such a reference seemingly belongs under “redemption” in the following lines, not under the “creation” section of the hymn. Stoic thought sometimes referred to the world as “the body of Zeus.” Pauline usage is to speak of the church as the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12–27; Rom 12:4–5). Some think that the author of Colossians has inserted the reference to the church here so as to define “head of the body” in Paul’s customary way. See Col 1:24. Preeminent: when Christ was raised by God as firstborn from the dead (cf. Acts 26:23; Rev 1:5), he was placed over the community, the church, that he had brought into being, but he is also indicated as crown of the whole new creation, over all things. His further role is to reconcile all things (Col 1:20) for God or possibly “to himself.”
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