Answer

1.   Introduction

In explaining the relationship between Jesus and the Church and the theological foundation for Christianity, Paul’s understanding is indispensable. Paul concisely pronounces the connection between Christ’s ascension and the descriptions underscored in the Old Testament. This is seen when he alludes to Psalms 68 while elucidating Ephesians 4:8. Christ’s death on the cross liberated the Christians from the bondage of sin while His ascension affirms the victory that Christians have over the devil and sin[1]. While writing to the Ephesians, Paul upholds the biblical foundation of the concept of the Trinity and the Holy Spirit since the Holy Spirit was to convey gifts that bestow Christians with consecration as far as the law. This paper will critically analyse the article entitled “Paul’s Contextual and Imaginative use of Psalms 68 in explaining Ephesians 4:8”by Lunde and Dunne[2].

2.   Brief Summary

Currently, Jonathan Lunde is a professor of Theological and biblical Studies at Biola University after teaching for seven years at Trinity College in Illinois. Dunne Antony is a Ph. D candidate at the University of St. Andrews. In their article, Dunne and Lunde present the connection between Ephesians 4:8 and Psalm 68. They begin by recounting the history of the affiliation between the Israelites and God and the Early Church on the perspective of Ephesians 4:8 and Psalms 68. The word employment in Ephesian 4:8 can be connected to Paul’s relationship to the Christian or Jewish interpretations of Psalm 68. According to them, Paul depended upon the Christian renditions of Psalm 68 in its use in Ephesians 4:8. Lunde and Dunne make succinct debate about these two interpretations. The Christian interpretation is sustained by the point that Paul cited Psalm 68 during the infant phases of the early church at a time when unison of the Spirit was essential[3]. Paul reiterated that the unity may only be attained through the exercising of the different gifts given to the church by Christ. Paul further made an important alteration to the quote from the Psalmist’s perception of you “received” to “he gave.” to understand the relevance of Ephesians 4:8 to the gifts of the Holy Spirit given by Jesus to the first century church[4]. The Jewish tradition renditions of Psalm 68 depended upon Moses’ journeys up and down Mount Sinai which affirm that Moses “received” the commandment as opposed to the “he gave” perception. Additionally, the Trinity concept is introduced in the article since the sending of the Holy Spirit was done by Jesus while he was seated on the right hand side of God. Paul employed a Christ-Yahweh comparison, thus Ephesians 4:8 must be understood with regard to the fulfilment of the great activities of Yahweh pronounced in Psalm 68.

3.   Critical interaction With the Author’s Work

In their article “Paul’s Contextual and Imaginative use of Psalms 68 in explaining Ephesians 4:8”, Dunne and Lunde have concisely elucidated Jesus’s accomplishment of the prophecies pronounced in the Old Testament. The article has a wide comprehensive coverage from the Israelites’ history, the groundwork of the first century church to the actions after the death of Jesus Christ. From the work by Dunne and Lunde, it is adducible that Paul cited Psalm 68 to clarify how Jesus has accomplished the actions of Yahweh.

Dunne and Lunde take a very orderly methodology while developing the Jesus-Yahweh model. To begin with, they explain the undertakings of Yahweh in aiding in the Israelites’ victory over their adversaries and safeguarding their welfares. Secondly, they explain how Jesus accomplished the undertakings of Yahweh pronounced in Psalms 68[5]. Through this approach, they attain their objective in the thesis to reinforce the minority interpretation that Paul himself was answerable for the citation in Ephesians 4:8 to explicate the significance of unity in Spirit.

The article further provides stronger evidence in support of the author’s thesis. The strength of the article arises from the orderly approach whereby the Jewish renditions of Psalms 68 is first clarified and then an elucidation of the accomplishments of Jesus follows[6]. Dunne and Lunde have reinforced their evidence extensively by exegetical Scriptural usage and the use of articles from prominent authorities in theology. Dunne and Lunde give a detailed explanation of Ephesians 4:8 holistically so that readers can easily capture the perspective in which Psalms 68 was cited[7]. This makes it quite hard to point great weaknesses of the article except if one is concerned with the old-fashioned Jewish doctrines in which Jesus is not acknowledged as God’s Son. Nonetheless, Dunne and Lunde failed to succinctly explain the main concepts like how Jesus accomplished Psalms 68. The author’s thus made certain portions of the article reasonably longwinded with very difficult allusions for easy apprehension by students. Nevertheless, these disorganizations are mild enough not distract the attention of any interested reader since the authors have properly argued their thesis.

4.   Conclusion

The paper has satisfactorily evaluated Paul’s Contextual and Imaginative use of Psalms 68 in explaining Ephesians 4:8 by Lunde and Dunne. Lunde and Dunne have concisely explained the Jesus-Yahweh model and introduced readers to the appreciation of the affiliation between the Old and New Testaments. While very many people have wondered why Paul had to allude to Psalms 68, Lunde and Dunne have concluded that Paul cited Psalms 68 to explain the significance of unity in Spirit among the Ephesians. The article thus gives a sound clarification of Jesus’s life both in heaven and on earth and can be employed in the development of thesis about the antediluvian life of Jesus and life of Jews

[1] Mouton, Elna. 2014. “‘Ascended Far Above All the Heavens’: Rhetorical Functioning of Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8-10? Original Research”. HTS: Theological Studies. 70, no. 1: 1-9.

[2] Williams, David T. 2011. “‘He Is the Image and Glory of God, but Woman…’ (1 Cor 11:7): ‘unveiling’ the Understanding of the Imago Dei: General”. Scriptura: International Journal of Bible, Religion and Theology in Southern Africa. 108: 314-325.

[3] Williams, David T. 2011. “‘He Is the Image and Glory of God, but Woman…’ (1 Cor 11:7): ‘unveiling’ the Understanding of the Imago Dei: General”. Scriptura: International Journal of Bible, Religion and Theology in Southern Africa. 108: 314-325.

[4] Lunde, J. M., & Dunne, J. A. PAUL’S CREATIVE AND CONTEXTUAL USE OF PSALM 68 IN EPHESIANS 4: 8. The Westminster theological journal, 74(1), 99-117, 2012

[5] Beale, G. K. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation. Baker Books, 2012

[6] Williams, David T. 2011. “‘He Is the Image and Glory of God, but Woman…’ (1 Cor 11:7): ‘unveiling’ the Understanding of the Imago Dei: General”. Scriptura: International Journal of Bible, Religion and Theology in Southern Africa. 108: 314-325.

[7] References

Beale, G. K. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation. Baker Books, 2012