Difference between revisions of "Ephesians" - New World Encyclopedia
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==Author and audience== | ==Author and audience== | ||
| − | The first verse in the letter, according to later manuscripts, is: | + | 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. |
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| − | 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: | 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 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 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. | * 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.<ref> | + | There are four main theories in Biblical scholarship that address the problem of Pauline authorship.<ref>Markus Barth, Ephesians: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on Chapters 1-3 (New York: Doubleday and Company Inc., 1974), 38</ref> 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. | |
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==Place, date, and purpose of the writing of the letter== | ==Place, date, and purpose of the writing of the letter== | ||
Revision as of 22:38, 10 October 2007
Dan Fefferman
| New Testament |
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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.[1] 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
Ephesians contains:
- 1:1, 2. The greeting
- 1:3–2:10. A general description of the blessings that the gospel reveals. This includes the source of these blessings (Jesus Christ), the means by which they are attained, the reason they are given and their final result. The first part of this section (Eph 1:3–1:14) is one continuous sentence in the original Greek. It ends with a fervent prayer for the further spiritual enrichment of the Ephesians.
- 2:11–3:21. A description of the change in the spiritual position of Gentiles as a result of the work of Christ. It ends with an account of how Paul was selected and qualified to be an apostle to the Gentiles, in the hope that this will keep them from being dispirited and lead him to pray for them.
- 4:1–16. A chapter on unity in the midst of the diversity of gifts among believers.
- 4:17–6:10. Instructions about ordinary life
- 6:11–24. The imagery of spiritual warfare (including the metaphor of the Armor of God), the mission of Tychicus, and valedictory blessings.
Founding of the church at Ephesus
Paul's first and hurried visit for the space of three months to Ephesus is recorded in Acts 18:19–21. The work he began on this occasion was carried forward by Apollos (24–26) and Aquila and Priscilla. On his second visit early in the following year, he remained at Ephesus "three years," for he found it was the key to the western provinces of Asia Minor. Here "a great door and effectual" was opened to him (1 Cor 16:9), and the church was established and strengthened by his assiduous labours there (Acts 20:20, 31). From Ephesus the gospel spread abroad "almost throughout all Asia" (19:26). The word "mightily grew and prevailed" despite all the opposition and persecution he encountered.
On his last journey to Jerusalem, the apostle landed at Miletus and, summoning together the elders of the church from Ephesus, delivered to them his remarkable farewell charge (Acts 20:18–35), expecting to see them no more.
The following parallels between this epistle and the Milesian charge may be traced:
- Acts 20:19 = Eph 4:2. The phrase "lowliness of mind" occurs nowhere else.
- Acts 20:27 = Eph 1:11. The word "counsel," as denoting the divine plan, occurs only here and Heb 6:17.
- Acts 20:32 = Eph 3:20. The divine ability.
- Acts 20:32 = Eph 2:20. The building upon the foundation.
- Acts 20:32 = Eph 1:14, 18. "The inheritance of the saints."
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.[2] 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.
Place, date, and purpose of the writing of the letter
If we accept that Paul was the author, then it was probably written from Rome during Paul's first imprisonment (3:1; 4:1; 6:20), and probably soon after his arrival there 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 70-170.[3] In the latter case, the possible location of the authorship could have been within the church of Ephesus itself. Ignatius himself seemed to be very well versed in the epistle to the Ephesians, and mirrors many of his own thoughts in his own epistle to the Ephesians[4]
There seems to have been no special occasion for the writing of this letter, as already noted. Unlike his epistle to the Colossians, which was written to refute doctrines which had sprung up in that church, Paul's object in writing Ephesians was plainly not polemical.
Ephesians could have been written to sum up Paul's teaching to the church in Ephesus, or even to several churches he had founded in Asia Minor. The major theme in the letter is the Church and, in particular, its foundation in Christ as part of the will of the Father.
In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul writes from the point of view of justification by the imputed righteousness of Jesus; here he writes from the point of view specially of union with Christ, who is the head of the true church.
Theology
Ephesians is 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. Some who espouse a feminist theology have argued that submission is also included in the text because of verse 22, but this is unlikely since it would break the symmetry of wives' submission and husbands' love in the passage (cf also Col 3:18 written around the same time that speaks only to wives' submission). Contrastingly, 1Timothy 2:11-15 does not demand the same reciprocity present in the aforementioned verses and instead grants men authority over women. [citation needed]
See also
- Earlier Epistle to the Ephesians
Notes
- ↑ William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study: Revised Edition: The Letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians, (Edinburgh: Saint Adnrew Press, 1976) 61
- ↑ Markus Barth, Ephesians: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on Chapters 1-3 (New York: Doubleday and Company Inc., 1974), 38
- ↑ See Markus Barth, Ephesians: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on Chapters 1-3 (New York: Doubleday and Company Inc., 1974), 50
- ↑ See Markus Barth, Ephesians: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on Chapters 1–3 (New York: Doubleday and Company Inc., 1974), 50-51
External links
Online translations of the Epistle to the Ephesians:
- Ephesians at gospelhall.org
- Ephesians at Christ Notes (various versions)
Ephesians as a Play:
| Preceded by: Galatians |
Books of the Bible |
Succeeded by: Philippians |
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