The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (217 page)

2:11 the uncircumcision:
A Jewish epithet for Gentiles, who were excluded from the covenant and blessings God gave to Israel in ages past (2:12; Rom 9:4-5).
in the flesh:
Circumcision of the foreskin was a procedure done by human hands as a sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:9-14). This is in contrast to the circumcision of the heart, which Christ performs without human hands in the waters of Baptism (Rom 2:28-29; Col 2:11-12). 
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2:14 he is our peace:
The peace of Christ is not worldly tranquillity but a spiritual peace rooted in our reconciliation with the Father (Jn 14:27; Rom 5:1; CCC 2305). See word study:
Peace
at Col 3:15.
dividing wall:
Paul alludes to a wall in the Jerusalem Temple that separated the outer court of the Gentiles from the inner courts, where Israel alone could pray and sacrifice. Gates leading into the inner precincts were posted with signs warning that Gentile trespassers would face the death penalty. For Paul, this wall of separation represents the OT theology of separation that required Israel to insulate itself from the idolatry and immorality of the nations (Lev 20:26). Christ dismantled this barricade when, having fulfilled the Law to perfection, he abolished the legal precepts (2:15) that set Israel apart from the Gentiles (e.g., circumcision, animal sacrifice, dietary laws, festival days). As a result, the age when Jew and Gentile were divided has given way to the messianic age, when all nations are united in Christ (Rom 15:7-12; Gal 3:28). 
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2:17 far off . . . near:
Signifies spiritual distance from God. •Paul is paraphrasing Is 57:19, where peace is proclaimed both to Israel, the people nearest the Lord, and to the Gentiles, the people of distant lands who once lived far from God. 
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2:18 access:
The way to the Father passes through Christ (3:11-12). Perhaps Paul is contrasting Jesus with the veil of the Temple, which, in the old economy, greatly restricted access to the Lord. The interpretation is not certain, but Temple imagery fills the surrounding context, and elsewhere links are forged between Christ and the sanctuary veil (Mk 15:37-38; Heb 10:19-20). 
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Word Study

Mystery
(
Eph 3:3
)

Mystērion
(Gk.): "mystery" or "secret". The term is used six times in Ephesians and 22 times in the rest of the NT. Like Jesus, who revealed the mysteries of his kingdom through parables (Mt 13:11; Mk 4:11), Paul often teaches his readers about the hidden plan of God now manifest in the reign of Christ (Rom 16:25; 1 Cor 15:51; Eph 5:32; Col 2:2; 1 Tim 3:16). The most likely background for this notion is the Book of Daniel, where "mystery" (Aramaic raz) appears eight times in a single chapter (Dan 2:18-19, 27-30, 47). Here the mystery is described in a dream to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who envisioned a huge statue of a human body that symbolized the great empires of the earth. Though the king himself was the "head" (Dan 2:38) of the statue who received his empire from the Lord (Dan 2:37), Daniel went on to describe how the statue would be destroyed and replaced by the messianic kingdom of God. This is the mystery of the kingdom revealed in Ephesians (Eph 1:9; 3:4, 9). It is the mystery of another body, the Church, with its head, Jesus Christ (CCC 772, 1066).

2:19 members:
I.e., family members by virtue of divine adoption (1:5; Gal 4:5). 
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2:20 apostles and prophets:
The foundation stones of the universal Church, here viewed as a spiritual temple (1 Pet 2:4-8). Both fulfilled the unrepeatable mission of establishing Christ's kingdom in the world for all time. For other references to NT prophets, see Eph 4:11, Acts 13:1, and 1 Cor 12:28 (see also CCC 857).
cornerstone:
The first stone set in place when beginning construction on a new building, in this case a temple. It served as the square to line up the rest of the structure and was part of the foundation at the base of the edifice. The honored position of the cornerstone is a fitting description of Christ's role as the immovable foundation of the Church (1 Cor 3:11). Some prefer to visualize Christ as the keystone that holds together a Roman archway, but cornerstones are generally foundation stones in Semitic architecture (Job 38:6; Jer 51:26). • The term used here for cornerstone is found only in Is 28:16 in the Greek OT. Jewish tradition expressed in the Aramaic
Targum of Isaiah
viewed this stone as a symbol of the messianic "king" of Israel. 
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2:21 a holy temple:
The Church is a spiritual sanctuary that is living and inclusive. Its foundation is Christ, his apostles, and the early Christian prophets (2:20); its walls are believers from every nation fitted and bonded together by grace (2:22); and its holiness comes from the sanctifying presence of the Spirit who dwells within (2:22) (CCC 756, 797). 
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3:1 Paul, a prisoner:
Probably in Rome, possibly under house arrest (Acts 28:16, 30). 
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3:2 stewardship:
The administrative tasks of a servant in charge of the household and finances of his master. Paul is a steward of divine mysteries (1 Cor 4:1) chosen to manage the household affairs of the Church (1 Tim 3:15). The grace of God has come to him on its way to others—the "Gentiles" and the "sons of Israel" (Acts 9:15). 
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3:3 written briefly:
Points back to earlier comments about the mystery revealed in Christ (1:9-10) and the salvation of the Gentiles (2:11-22). 
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3:6 Gentiles are fellow heirs:
The OT revealed
that
the nations would be blessed, but it remained unclear
how
this would take place (Gen 22:16-18; Sir 44:21; Is 49:6; Zech 2:11). It was also not clear before the proclamation of the gospel whether the Gentiles would be saved on an equal footing with Israel (Gal 3:28; Col 3:11). 
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3:8 I am the very least:
Paul is overcome by a sense of unworthiness and overawed that God could transform a sinner like himself into a servant of the gospel (1 Cor 15:9; 1 Tim 1:15). 
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3:10 through the Church:
Christ continues to teach, heal, and save the world through his mystical body. This mystery was once hidden from the angels (1 Pet 1:12) but is now manifest for the
principalities
and
powers
to look on and learn the plan of salvation. To the blessed angels, it is a glorious vision of an ever-expanding family; to the demons, it is a frightful spectacle of their own achievements toppling over with the triumph of the gospel. Elsewhere Paul portrays the Church as a pillar that upholds the truth for all to see (1 Tim 3:15). See note on 1:21. 
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3:14 bow my knees:
Kneeling is a gesture of submission and worship (Ps 95:6; Acts 20:36). It is a way of expressing through the body the inner attitude of the heart (CCC 2702-3). 
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3:15 family:
The term (Gk.
patria
) refers to a group of related individuals who trace their origin to a common father or forefather and is linguistically related to the word "Father" (Gk.
pater
) in the preceding verse. Because God is the supreme Father of men and angels, his life-giving Paternity is the reality of which created fatherhood and family life are only a reflection (CCC 239, 2214). 
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3:18 breadth . . . length . . . height . . . depth:
Many connect these dimensions with the limitless scope of Christ's love, which surpasses understanding (3:19). Others see a reference to the untraceable vastness of God and his wisdom (Job 11:7-9) or to the cubic proportions of the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:16). • The four dimensions are the four extensions of the Cross. By height is meant heaven, by depth the underworld, by length and breadth the cosmic order in between. In each of these realms, devotion to the Lord is rendered (St. Gregory of Nyssa,
On the Three Days
). 
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3:20 more abundantly:
God can accomplish things far beyond expectation if only we pray with faith (Jas 1:6-8) and remove from our lives the hindrances of sin (Ps 66:18; 1 Pet 3:7). 
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4:1-6:20
Paul completes his doctrinal exposition (chaps. 13) with moral exhortation (chaps. 4-6). The first half of the letter thus works in tandem with the second, showing how the standards of Christian belief are inseparable from the standards of Christian behavior (CCC 1971). 
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4:3 unity of the Spirit:
The towering theme of 4:1-16 and of the letter in general. Because believers are baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13), their union is displayed in the oneness of their faith (creed), life (code), and sacramental worship (cult). The Church is equipped to preserve this unity through the hierarchical leadership appointed by Christ (Eph 4:11-12). Paul's vision of a unified Church mirrors that of Jesus in Jn 17:6-26 (CCC 172-73, 814). 
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4:7 given to each:
Every baptized believer is given spiritual gifts or charisms to be exercised for the good of the Church (1 Cor 12:4-11; 1 Pet 4:10). In this context, Paul focuses on the varied graces connected with ecclesiastical offices (Eph 4:11) (CCC 913). 
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4:8 When he ascended:
A reference to Ps 68:18. Although the wording of Paul's citation differs from both the Hebrew and Greek versions of this text known to us, it approximates other renditions of the psalm in Aramaic and Syriac. • Psalm 68 celebrates the triumphal procession of biblical history, when Israel, filing out of Egypt behind Yahweh, was led on its march to the summit of Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. The victories won by the Lord along the way earned him the right to distribute gifts and spoils of war to the Israelites. For Paul, the psalm points forward to the ascent of Jesus into the heavenly Jerusalem after disarming the forces of evil on the Cross (Col 2:15). The Church began to share in this victory when Christ poured out the gifts of the Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2:33). 
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