Sproul has himself written a very helpful introductory level commentary on it titled the purpose of god. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 6061, around the same time he wrote colossians and philemon, as he sent all three letters by the hand of tychicus, accompanied by onesimus ephesians 6. Paul probably wrote his letter to the ephesians while under house arrest in rome. The letter to the ephesian church is regarded as one of the masterworks of the nt, but it is also one of those books that the critics like to say wasnt authored by paul. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings and the verbal similarity of many parts to colossians, among other reasons, as grounds for doubting authorship by the apostle paul. This commentary admirably achieves the dual aims of the seriesacademic sophistication with pastoral sensitivity and accessibilitymaking it a useful tool for professors. Nineteenth and twentiethcentury scholarship questioned the authenticity of the letter, with many scholars suggesting that first timothy, along with second timothy and titus, are not the work of paul, but rather are unattributable christian writing. Ephesians towers over pauls thirteen known epistles in its exaltation of the glory of god and his grace toward the church. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to paul the apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as deuteropauline, that is, written in pauls name by a later author strongly influenced by pauls thought, probably by a loyal. Karl barth on the authorship of ephesians and colossians stephen. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes.
The letter has the most to say about the universal church and lacks the sort of specific problems which form the occasion for each of the previous letter of paul. Goodspeeds epochmaking book, the meaning of ephesians. Constantine campbell teaches how to interpret and preach the concepts communicated by paul to the church in ephesus. The letter states that it is from paul, writing from prison, however some commentators are not convinced due to its difference in style, different use of words such as church, and theological differences from other pauline letters. The actual author of first timothy has been traditionally identified as the apostle paul. As we continue in our faith from day to day, month to month, and year to year, the temptation to get comfortable will always exist. Many liberal american and european scholars have abandoned the pauline authorship of ephesians, although outstanding english and american scholars alike advocate its. Summary of the book of ephesians story of the bible.
This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of ephesians. Essay about letter to the ephesians 1186 words bartleby. The purpose of this essay is to explore the book of ephesians by commenting on critical issues, such as date, authorship, and setting, major theological themes, the purpose of the letter, and to offer an outline of the book itself. While early lists of new testament books, including marcions canon and the. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and the surrounding region c. Paul names himself as the author of the epistle to the ephesians ephesians 1. Apr 17, 2009 the pauline authorship of ephesians not only has the earliest attestation of any book of the nt but this attestation continued until the last two centuries. Introduction from the niv study bible go to ephesians. Life on doctrine a study in the book of ephesians power.
Most early writers spoke of the epistle as having been addressed to the ephesians. Some scholars claim that ignatius even speaks of paul as the author, when he says in his epistle to the ephesians. All tradition takes the epistle as being pauline until it was first disputed by erasmus. The city of ephesus was a large commercial port city in asia minor present day turkey located at. In fact it allegedly was not written for 100 years or more after jesus death, at which time. They early church was not only closer to the situation but also they were very astute in their judgment of genuine and fraudulent compositions.
Ephesians claims to be a letter from paul, yet a number of elements make it significantly different from pauline letters whose authorship is undisputed. Feb 07, 2015 the book of ephesians was written to gods holy people in ephesus ephesians 1. The authorship of ephesians the letter to the ephesian church is regarded as one of the masterworks of the nt, but it is also one of those books that the critics like to say wasnt authored by paul. A mere mention of some of the basic problems will suffice as a background against which to note the purpose and plan of the letter. This is a lengthy commentary on ephesians over 900 pages, but well worth the purchase. The intention of the letter to ephesus is to help them understand gods purpose for their lives, unity of the church, and the spiritual realm of the christian life. Paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the will of god, to gods holy people in ephesus, the faithful in christ jesus. According to the opening paragraph of the article for the book of ephesians on wikipedia, it is not universally held that ephesians was written by paul. Some scholars believe ephesians was a circular letter distributed to several early christian churches, which may explain why the reference to ephesus is missing from copies of some manuscripts. Objections to pauls authorship the first objections to pauls authorship of ephesians arose among scripture scholars in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century on the basis of internal evidence, that is, content that seemed inconsistent with pauls authorship. Best commentaries and books on ephesians logos bible.
Paul had discussions in the hall of tyrannus acts 19. Specific instructions for christian living ephesians 4. Because the name ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript, some scholars believe the letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated and read. Authorship of the pauline epistles project gutenberg self. These differences of vocabulary, christology, and ecclesiology, as well as its apparently generic occasion and audience, have led many modern scholars to conclude that the letter was written in.
The first verse in the letter identifies paul as its author. However, this was probably a circular letter, intended for other churches in addition to the one in ephesus see notes on 1. The letter is addressed to the church in the city of ephesus, capital of the roman province of asia asia minor, modern turkey. Works that argue for authorship by paul include markus barth, ephesians. It was written, according to the text, by paul the apostle and timothy to the church in colossae, a small phrygian city near laodicea and approximately 100 miles 160 km from ephesus in asia minor scholars have increasingly questioned pauls authorship and attributed the letter to an. A source on that site says, hoehner surveys 279 commentators from 1519 to 2001, finding 54% favor pauline authorship, 39% conclude against pauline authorship, and 7% remained uncertain. I recommend this volume to anyone who is not familiar with the basic themes of this epistle. It was written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of christ and to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. Praise for spiritual blessings in christ praise be to the god and father of our lord jesus christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in christ. The epistle of paul to the colossians, or simply colossians, is the twelfth book of the new testament. He is named as the author of the letter in the text. Ephesians 1 niv paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the.
All of the great themes of paul started in galatians, developed in romans, and are now expressed in ephesians in a wonderful summary fashion. She stated that paul did not write the book of ephesians. Issues of authorship, and the history the text are also covered in detail. While this book begins, paul, an apostle of christ jesus through the will of god, to the saints who are at ephesus, and the faithful in christ jesus 1. All three letters were sent with tychicus and onesimus. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 6061, around the same time he wrote colossians and philemon, as he sent all three letters by the hand of. The book is address by paul to the church at ephesus. The purpose and plan of ephesians preaching source. The book does parallel colossians and other pauline letters. This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of ephesians. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1.
Despite some objections, the overall evidence seems to weigh in favor of pauline. The book of ephesians is a letter written to the christians at ephesus. Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians 3. Grace and peace to you from god our father and the lord jesus christ. Ephesians places the burden of proof on contrary hypotheses. Scott, the epistles of paul to the colossians, to philemon and to the ephesians 1930 p. The hypostasis of the archons, written sometime in the third century, cites the same verse and attributes the book of ephesians to paul. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. The other prison epistles are the books of philippians, colossians, and philemon. Most books attribute the authorship to that of the apostle paul. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings and the verbal similarity of many parts to colossians, among other reasons, as grounds.
Paul baptized about twelve of john the baptists followers acts 19. Unlike other books like romans or 1 and 2 corinthians which are undisputedly pauline, it has been debated whether ephesians and colossians along with 2 thes. Campbell divides the book into logical sections and highlights the key themes and focal points of each passage, concluding each section with practical suggestions on how to preach the text. Therefore, prior to carefully exegeting ephesians, it is important to gain an understanding of the epistles authorship, its recipients, its historical background, and its themes and central message. The letter to the ephesian church is regarded as one of the masterworks of the nt, but it is also one of those books. It was a center of learning and was near several key land routes. The book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors, designed to ensure believers are living up to our heavenly calling. The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new testament. Nov 27, 2009 to deny pauline authorship of a book in the bible is to challenge its authority as scripture.
Finally, be strong in the lord and in his mighty power. While paul was in ephesus on his third missionary journey several remarkable things occurred. They are differences of emphasis, not substance and reflect logical trajectories in pauls thought e. Karl barth on the authorship of ephesians and colossians. It was written, according to the text, by paul the apostle and timothy to the church in colossae, a small phrygian city near laodicea and approximately 100 miles 160 km from ephesus in asia minor. Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the book of ephesians. Twice in this epistle paul referred to himself by name as the author of the book eph. Paul wrote ephesians while under house arrest as a prisoner in rome. Implications for canon, bulletin for biblical research 5 1995. As ive preached through ephesians over the past two years, ive benefited from hoehner in many ways, and have read almost all of the. Luke the physician, who may be the author of the gospel and acts, and who is said to have been. He defends a traditional view of pauline authorship, pointing out that the problems created by pseudonymity are quite difficult, perhaps more so than the problems associated with pauline authorship.
As god used romans to instigate the reformation, he will use ephesians to reunite splintered churches and christendom. Porter, pauline authorship and the pastoral epistles. Biblical scholars are divided over the authorship of ephesians and colossians. As with all becnt volumes, ephesians features the authors detailed interaction with the greek text. Unlike other books like romans or 1 and 2 corinthians which. I dont think opponents to pauline authorship come close to putting ephesians with the apocryphal books, so i cant deny its pauline authorship. Half of the teaching in this epistle relates to our standing in christ, and the remainder of it affects our condition. Some critics think that the book reflects aspects of vocabulary, style, and doctrine that differ from pauls writings. During this time he also wrote colossians and philemon.
The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. Yet the pauline authorship of ephesians has been greatly disputed in recent years. Best commentaries and books on ephesians logos bible software. The essence of goodspeeds theory is that toward the end of the first century pauls letters were collected, and ephesians was written by. Regardless of the many problems some modern scholars have with accepting paul as the author of ephesians, they. This does not have to be an argument against pauline authorship. Further, the differences between ephesians and other nondisputed pauline letters do not involve contradictions on the most critical readings. External evidence for pauline authorship of ephesians christian. The pauline epistles are the fourteen books in the new testament traditionally attributed to paul the apostle, although many dispute the anonymous epistle to the hebrews as being a pauline epistle there is nearly universal consensus in modern new testament scholarship on a core group of authentic pauline epistles whose authorship is rarely contested. Ephesians 1 1paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the will of god, to the saints who are in ephesus, and are faithfula in christ jesus.
The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to th e ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tent h boo k of the new testam ent. The pauline epistles are the fourteen books in the new testament traditionally attributed to paul the apostle, although many dispute the anonymous epistle to the hebrews as being a pauline epistle. This book has been called the crowning jewel, or capstone, of pauls theology. Barclay and others have suggested that ephesians was a circular letter william barclay, the letters to the galatians and ephesians, p. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. Hoehner also probably gives the most robust defense of pauline authorship of ephesians of any commentary over 100 pages. Milligan, saint pauls epistles to the thessalonians 1908 vi, ix, p.
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