Kevin's Kommentary: Life of Paul - Paul's Letter to Ephesians

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Life of Paul - Paul's Letter to Ephesians

Life of Paul - Letter to the Ephesians

Series on the Life of Paul

Possible Date: 61 to 63

Scripture: Ephesians

NOTE: Paul wrote all four books while in Rome as a prisoner. Ephesians is believed to have been delivered by Tychicus.

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THE "PRISON LETTERS" TO THE EPHESIANS

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

This letter was also to be delivered by Tychicus, but more is needed to know about its intended destination. Because there is some textural evidence that it was written to the church in Ephesus, the writing has been regarded traditionally as Paul's letter to the Ephesians. That would certainly be consistent with the direction of teachers travel from Rome to Colossae, and of course, Paul is no stranger to the Ephesians. But because there are no personal greetings (as might be expected, since the believers in the church there were well-known to Paul), it may be that the letter is one for the general circulation of all the churches throughout the region.

Although the first verse in most manuscripts of this letter reads “To the saints who are in Ephesus,” other early copies lack the words “in Ephesus.” The letter also does not follow Paul’s usual practice of including personal greetings to many friends in the city to which he wrote. Whatever its intended destination, the message is universal. Paul writes about the holy relationship between Christ and the church and the practical results, which that knowledge ought to bring into the lives of individual Christians. He begins by summarizing how God's eternal plan is revealed through Christ, then proceeds to teach various lessons regarding the church, personal righteousness, earthly relationships, and the Christian's relationship with God.

Ephesians is closely related to Colossians. No other two letters are so similar as these, either in outline and outlook or in general theme. Half of the verses in Ephesians contain expressions identical to those in Colossians. It is as though Paul wrote Colossians first to meet some special needs of the church there, and then felt that a letter to be circulated among all the churches in Asia Minor ought to elaborate on some of the Colossian themes. The similarities could suggest that both letters were written at about the same time, being composed during Paul’s Caesarean or Roman imprisonments.

Ephesus was a chief city on the west coast of Asia Minor, situated at the mouth of the Cayster River. Paul visited the city on the return part of his second missionary journey, staying only briefly (Acts 18:19–21). He returned on his third journey to spend more than two years strengthening the church (Acts 19). The letter to the Ephesians was also intended to strengthen them, making them more conscious of their oneness in Christ.

Notes to think about: One 2nd-century writer even cites this letter by the title “To the Laodiceans.” It may be that Paul sent copies of this letter to a number of churches in the region, either supplying the name of each city in the opening greeting or leaving the destination out if the copy was to circulate to several churches.

As is the case with Colossians, there are doubts whether Paul actually wrote the letter to the Ephesians. Like Colossians, the language and theological development in Ephesians is more elaborate than that found in Paul’s earlier letters. The tremendous similarities between these two letters lead some to conclude that Ephesians was actually based on Colossians. Some have even suggested that Ephesians may have been written as a kind of introduction to Paul’s theology by an associate who was collecting Paul’s letters in the years after his death.

NIV Study Bible Intro: Ephesians

https://youtu.be/arzdOjeC-yY