Section 232
16Gk. ϰατὰ τòυ αἰѽυα τοῦ ϰóσμου τούτου, ϰατὰ τòν ᾂϱϰοντα τῆς ὲξουσίας το? α?ρος.
17The genitive τοῦ ϰóσμου τούτου might be taken as genitive of definition (“the age consisting of this world”) or as a qualifying genitive: “the age of this world” being “the age characterized by this godless world” (in contrast to the age to come, which will bear a different character).
18Cf. 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:12; 3:19; 7:31. But αιών is Paul’s preferred term, in keeping with his inherited schema of the two ages; John, on the other hand, habitually uses ϰóσμος of the world-order that is opposed to God (e.g., 1 John 2:15-17; 4:4-6).
19Gk. ὁ θεòς τοῦ αỉѽνος τούτου, no doubt identical with ὀ ἄρξων τοῦ ϰóσμου (τούτου) in John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 (cf. 1 John 5:19, ὁ ϰóσμος ὅλος ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ ϰεῖται).
20In the second century αỉών occurs in Valentinian and other gnostic systems to denote a divine entity or emanation (Irenaeus, Haer. 1.1.1, etc.). In Hermeticism it occurs as (inter alia) a divine hypostasis (e.g., C.H. 11.3, δύναμις δέ τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αỉών, ἔργον δὲ τοῦ αỉѽνος ὁ ϰóσμος).
21 As it is by R. Reitzenstein, Das iranische Erlosungsmysterium (Bonn, 1921), pp. 86 (n. 3), 235-36. The mystery concealed ἀπò τѽν αỉώνων was in due course manifested τοῖς αỉѽσιν, says Ignatius (Eph. 19.2), with more particular reference to the mystery (or mysteries) of the incarnation.
22Cf. Eph. 3:5, ỉτέραις γενεαῖς οὐϰ ἐγνωρίσθη (“in other generations it was not made known”).