| The Berean Expositor
Volume 34 - Page 49 of 261 Index | Zoom | |
Paul uses me once of himself in Hebrews, namely in 11: 32, where he says, "the
time would fail me to tell, etc." which, once again, has no bearing upon the theme of
the epistle.
Paul uses moi four times in Ephesians, each occasion having reference to the
ministry of the mystery, which was his peculiar trust (Eph. 3: 2, 3, 7; 6: 19).
Paul uses moi of himself once in Hebrews, namely at 13: 6, when he says that
he would not fear "what man shall do unto me", which has no ground for comparison
with Eph. 3: 2, 3, 7, or 6: 19.
In Ephesians Paul uses mou, "my prayers"; "my knowledge"; "my tribulations
for you"; "me knees"; "my brethren"; "my mouth" (Eph. 1: 16; 3: 4, 13, 14;
6: 10 & 19).
Paul never uses mou of himself in the epistle to the Hebrews.
Here is internal evidence that Paul was personally and intentionally identified with the
calling which we associate with Ephesians, but that he was not an apostle or a minister of
the calling of the Hebrew Christians, to whom the epistle to the Hebrews was written.
To make this clear, and to feel the force of its evidence, the reader should not be
satisfied merely to peruse the analysis set out above, but should turn to every reference
which it contains. If he does, the one fact will emerge that constitutes the first fact that
we note in this series of comparative studies, namely, that the inclusion of the name
"Paul" and the inclusion of the title "apostle", together with the claims asserted and
confirmed by the use of the personal pronoun "I", "to me", etc., already listed, form an
integral part of the testimony of the epistle to the Ephesians, proving beyond
contradiction that Paul was the minister of the Church of the One Body, the prisoner of
Jesus Christ for the Gentiles, and steward of the dispensation of the Mystery.
The intentional and inspired omission of both name and office from the epistle to the
Hebrews, as surely indicates that Paul had no place in the calling covered by the epistle to
the Hebrews, but that, by the grace of God, he had been permitted to write to his
"kinsmen according to the flesh" (Rom. 9: 1-3) a word of exhortation, urging them to
leave the elements of religion, and to go on unto perfection.