Tom points to 1 Cor. 2.6-8 to make his point on p. 1285. Here he is probably right that human rulers are meant, especially since the crucifixion by them is mentioned in vs.6. What is said of them however is that they are not in on the eschatological secret that Christ is the Lord of glory, otherwise they would not have crucified him. Now this implies that with more knowledge they would not have done what they did. In other words, they are not portrayed as being like the malevolent powers and principalities. And then there is the further point that this insider wisdom is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. Now Tom wants to translate this last phrase “who are being done away with” which would certainly make it comport better with what is elsewhere and later said about the principalities and powers. Now the participle in question is either a present participle in which case it literally means ‘who are passing away’ or if it is a present for a future it means ‘who will pass away or will be brought to nothing’. See the similar remark in 1 Cor. 7.31. ‘Is passing away’ or ‘will be brought to nothing’ is not the same as ‘are being done away with’. Here again we have the issue of the reading of too much future eschatology into the ‘already’ of present eschatology.
I agree that Paul can associate the heavenly powers and the earthly ones (see Col. 1.15-16) but he never tells us exactly what their relationship is. Should we assume that human rulers are the mere marionettes of the dark lords (as Tom suggests on pp.1287-88)? Should we assume they are in collusion with them? Should we assume that only sometimes are the human rulers under the control of such powers, or is it all the time?
These are all good questions, but what we certainly cannot do is make the mistake of Walter Wink that whereever we hear about powers and principalities Paul is simply referring to earthly rulers, even if they are clothed in heavenly attire. This absolutely makes no sense of the flat denial of that necessary connection in Ephes. 6. So, we are probably warranted in saying that Paul sees dark powers as sometimes controlling and guiding rulers, particularly wicked ones. But then there are other times, for example of which Isaiah spoke when he called Cyrus ‘God’s anointed one’ because he set God’s people free. The situation is complex, and we must avoid the temptation to resolve the issue either on the side of ‘the human rulers are all Satan’s minions’ or on the side that says Paul has simply demonized human authorities because he sees them as all wicked, i.e. there are no real supernatural powers. It should be noted as well, that Paul never uses the word Caesar or Emperor. In fact, he studiously avoids doing so (cf. the references in 1 Peter). Is this because he simply lumps all human rulers together (see p. 1286)? And it is simply reading way too much into Ephes. 1.20-22 to say that “the resurrection and ascension [is] the means by which Jesus has been installed as the one and only human to whom all things are now subject” (p. 1286). Not true de facto or de jure. He is above all human authorities and he is more powerful than all of them put together, but he has not yet eclipsed or defeated them all.
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