26 Cf. οἱ ἐπουϱάνιοι in 1 Cor. 15:48.
21Compare the Jewish grace before eating: “Blessed art thou, O LORD our God, King of the universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth” (Mishnah Berakhoth 6.1), and indeed all eighteen of the blessings in the ’Amidah of the synagogue service.
22In these two NT texts (and others) the construction with the definite article and the participle (ὁ παϱαϰαλѽν . . . , ὁ . . . ἀναγεννήσας) is equivalent to an adjective clause.
23Gk. ὁ εὐλήγσας (article with participle; cf. preceding note). God may be the subject of εὐλογέω (as here) or the object (as in 1 Cor. 14:16; cf. the passive force of εὐογητός at the beginning of this sentence).
24The incorporative ἐν Xϱισῷ (the blessings about to be listed cannot be enjoyed apart from Christ). For the argument that in Ephesians ἐν Xϱιστῷ “is no longer the formula of incorporation into Christ, but has become the formula of God’s activity through Christ” see J. A. Allan, “The ‘In Christ’ Formula in Ephesians,” NTS 5 (1958-59), 54-62.
25Gk. ἐν τοῖς ἐπουϱανίοις (cf. Eph. 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12). See A. T. Lincoln, “A Re-examination of ‘the Heavenlies’ in Ephesians,” NTS 19 (1972-73), 468-83.
26Cf. οἱ ἐπουϱάνιοι in 1 Cor. 15:48.