Ephesians

Dan Fefferman

Described by William Barclay as the "Queen of the Epistles," the Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New Testament. Paul is traditionally said to have written the letter while he was in prison in Rome (around 63 C.E.). This would be about the same time as the Epistle to the Colossians (which in many points it resembles) and the Epistle to Philemon. More recently, however, biblical scholars have questioned the authorship of the letter, and suggest a much later date for its origin.

Purpose

Ephesians does not seem to have originated in any special circumstances related to a particular church, but is simply a letter springing from the author's concern for the church in general. It is an indication of his desire that Christians should be fully instructed in proper doctrine and practice. Unlike Romans, which is an exposition by Paul of the Gospel of salvation, Ephesians is concerned mainly with matters of ecclesiology—the doctrine of the church itself.

A number of theories have been presented regarding its purpose. Some view it as a circular letter sent to a number of churches, of which Ephesus was one. Indeed, in the second century, at least one source (the heretic Marcion) referred to it as a letter to the Laodicians. Many contemporary scholars see it not as the direct work of Paul himself, but as a compilation of authentic Pauline texts edited and combined with the writing of a later writer to address the needs of the post-Pauline Christian communities. Some theologians see the main purpose of Ephesians is to foster the unity of the church, especially between Jewish and Gentile believers. A number of passages also demonstrate a concern for ethical issues.

Ephesians' form is unlike any other "letter" in the New Testament canon. Indeed, it may not have originally been a letter at all, but rather a treatise, to which a traditional epistulary greet was added.

Outline

After a brief greater, the author blesses the readers. A strong sense of predestination is implied by the statement: "He chose us in him (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." (1:4) The section from 1:3 to 1:14 is one continuous sentence in the original Greek emphasizing the theme of Christ's eternity and God's plan from the beginning of time to adopt mankind as his sons by means of redemption through Christ's blood.

In the section from 2:11 to 3:21, the change in the spiritual position of Gentile as a result of the work of Christ is described. Such believers were once involved in the "ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air," but by God's grace they have been saved—"not by works, so that no one can boast." Yet, Christs are "created in Christ Jesus to do good works." Although formerly excluded from citizenship in Israel, Christians are "no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household." The ends with an account of how Paul was selected and qualified to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

Chapter four begins with an appeal to unity in the midst of the diversity of gifts among believers: "There is one body and one Spirit..one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (4:4-6) Echoing First Corinthians, the writer refers to a diversity of offices inspired by Chhist: "It was he who gave some some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers." However, true Christians must not live as the Gentiles do. Such people are corrupted by the deceitful desires of the "old self." Christians are "to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Anger particularly leads to sin, thus: "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry," but manifest kindness and forgiveness to one's Christian brothers.

The author now turns to moral and practical matters. "There must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity." (5:3) Member of the church must not become drunk, for this leads to sexual sin. They should instead be filled instead with the Holy Spirit. They should fill their lives with music: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Wives must submit to their husbands, because the "husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church." Husbands are to love their wives, making them pure as Christ sanctified the church (5:25-27). Children must obey their parents, and slaves must obey their masters, but fathers must treat their sons kindly and masters should not abuse their slaves (6:1-9).

Finally, the author calls upon the imagery of spiritual warfare, including the metaphor of putting on the "whole armor of God." The letter closes with a reference to a certain Tychicus, who will "tell you everything," followed by a closing benediction.

Author and audience

The first verse in the letter, according to later manuscripts, is: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus." (Eph 1:1 NIV) Hence the letter would in this case explicitly designate the Ephesian church as its recipient and Paul as its writer.

However, there are a few problems with this:

• The earliest and best known manuscripts omit the words "in Ephesus," rendering the phrase simply as "to the saints ... the faithful in Christ Jesus" (NIV alternative translation).
• The letter lacks any references to people in Ephesus, or any events Paul experienced there.
• The literary style and vocabulary a different from Paul's, and certain themes are developed in ways that do not conform with recognized Pauline letters.
• The author grants the senior apostles an honor a authority which other Pauline letters do not.
• Phrases such as "ever since I heard about your faith" (1:15 NIV) seem to indicate that the writer has no firsthand knowledge of his audience. Yet the book of Acts records that Paul spent a significant amount of time with the church in Ephesus, and in fact was one of its founders.

There are four main theories in Biblical scholarship that address the problem of Pauline authorship. The first agrees with the traditional view that the epistle is written by Paul to the Ephesians or that it was a treatise written by Paul and sent with slight variations to several churches. The second theory suggests that part or sections of Ephesians were dictated by Paul but that either his scribe or another author later edited the work into its present form. A third theory rejects Paul as the author altogether, holding that a later author—one who certainly admired Paul and was quite familiar with his writing—penned the letter instead. Final, a number of analysts simply admit that there a lack of conclusive evidence consist and that it best simply to accept that we do not know who wrote the letter.

Date and occasion

If Paul was the author, then Ephesians was probably written from Rome during Paul's imprisonment there (3:1; 4:1; 6:20), and probably soon after his arrival in the year 62, four years after he had parted with the Ephesian elders at Miletus. However, scholars who dispute Paul's authorship date the letter anywhere between 70-140 C.E. The fact that the document concerns itself with the issue of community with Israel indicates a point in time where the Christian audience had begun to lose its sense of connection to the Jewish tradition from which it had sprung.

There seems to have been no special occasion for the writing of this letter. No particular heresy is targeted. A number a issues in the life of the church are dealt with but not in opposition to specific behaviors that are mentioned in the letter itself. Some suggest that Ephesians could have been written to summarize Paul's teaching to the churches he had founded in Asia Minor.

Theology

Although the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ remains a theme in Ephesians, it receives less prominence than Christ's exaltation and enthronement. As in some of the recognized Pauline epistles, salvation is brought about through baptism into the church, which is Christ's body. The church is the "fullness" of Christ and was God's purpose from the beginning of creation. It is in the church that Christ reigns and where the Spirit dwells, and it is there as well that the mystery of God's will is revealed to the prophets and apostles. Salvation appears to be an event accomplished in the past (2:5-10), rather than a work in progress. There is little if any awareness of the Second Coming. Ephesians is also notable for its treatment of women. Ephesians 5:21 commands not only that women should submit to their husbands but that husbands should love their wives.

See also

• Earlier Epistle to the Ephesians

External links

Online translations of the Epistle to the Ephesians:

• Ephesians at gospelhall.org
• Ephesians at Christ Notes (various versions)

Ephesians as a Play:

• The Text of Ephesians Performed as a One-Man-Show

Preceded by: Galatians

Books of the Bible

Succeeded by: Philippians

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