05_Biblica_1_A_Ferda_Layout 1 30/01/13 13:17 Pagina 579 “SEALED” WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT (EPH 1,13-14) AND CIRCUMCISION 579 * * * To briefly recap: it was noted in the second section that AE brings to the fore the contrast between Jew and Gentile with the shift in pro- noun usage (v. 13), and that the structure of vv. 13-14 resembles an early Christian “missionary-report”. The bringing together of Jew and Gentile in the common experience of the Spirit looks forward to the rest of the epistle in which Jew/Gentile unity is one of the most per- sistent themes 71. It was then noted that the connection between Spirit reception (v. 13) and future promises of inheritance and redemption (v. 14) is probably informed by circumcision also called a “seal”. The final section bolstered the point with observations drawn from paral- lels in early Christian texts, parallels in the proselytization of Gentiles by Jews, historical circumstances in the Ephesian community, the ter- minology in 1,14 and the rest of the epistle, and the sociological study of new religious movements. In sum, then, it can be regarded as highly probable that “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” takes on the role of circumcision in order to mark out God’s “possession” and assure the hearers of God’s future blessings. Department of Religious Studies Tucker S. FERDA University of Pittsburgh 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA SUMMARY Most studies of Eph 1’s “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” have tried to articulate the Christian ritual or experience that the sealing metaphor describes, such as baptism, confirmation, charismatic gifts, etc. This article, however, refocuses on the theological logic of vv. 13-14 to argue that, re- gardless of the Christian rite described, the author here explicates that rite by referring to circumcision with the use of the verb “sealed”. The argument includes the insight that the description of “sealed” in Eph 1,13-14 corre- sponds to other texts that describe circumcision as a final step in Jewish proselytism. On the unity theme, see J.H. HOULDEN, Paul’s Letters from Prison (Bal- 71 timore, MD 1970) 238; Barth, Ephesians, 143; LINCOLN, Ephesians, 265; MACDONALD, Colossians and Ephesians, 206; J.A. BARNARD, “Unity in Christ: The Purpose of Ephesians”, ExpTim 120 (2009) 171. © Gregorian Biblical Press 2012 - Tutti i diritti riservati