P. Derek Overfield PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

It is not possible to deny that in
both 1:3 and 2:5f the dynamic interpretation is present,
but equally, as our investigation has shown, the wellknown
concept of incorporation is also present and is
of major significance in the interpretation of the
author.
It is hardly coincidental that the relationship
between Christ and the believer is most evident
in passages that have as their focus the thought that
Christ is ascended since it is precisely by virtue
of this new, exalted position of Christ that the
believer can understand that he also has been exalted
and is victorious though he is still engaged in battle.
The unity between Christ and the believer
which is inherent in the !y Xp"O"t~
relationship in
the verses that we have mentioned is also expressed in
the use of such compound forms as
( 2 : 5), (Tl.weyd pw ( 2: 6), o-vvy-a.e C~
(2:19),
(2:22),
(2:6)
(2:21, 4:16),
(3:6), and
~~~ (3:6), all of which are quite rare words in
the NT. 67 In 2:5f it is the actual unity between
believer and Christ that is the concern of the author;
so complete is the unity that aspects of Christ's
resurrection and ascension are transferred to the
believer.
In the remaining references the theme is
more practical, the unity of Jew and Gentile in one
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