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Nazarene Commentary 2000©

21^st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures© –
21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures© [NCMM]

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

It is believed by many that Paul composed this letter from a Roman prison about 60/61 AD. (Ephesians 1:1; Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 4:1; Ephesians 6:20) It is clearly composed before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD for this would be a likely subject to mention in chapters 2 or 3.

The Ephesian church or ecclesia was the early product of the great missionary Paul. As a congregation it was to have a long history which two thousand years later has not concluded, as there are still Christians in that area. (Note Ephesus is the destination of one of the seven apocalyptic Christine epistles in Revelation.)

There are many similarities with the letter to the Colossians. Note the many cross references to this letter. One commentary states: “… out of 155 verses in (Ephesians), 78 are found in (Colossians) in varying degrees of identity.” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, edited by J. Orr, 1960, Volume II, page 959) Some think the letter mention at Colossians 4:16 is Ephesians.

There is an interesting reason why Paul may have written the Ephesians. It was a city filled with magical arts and there were Ephesian Letters with supposed magical powers. “(These Ephesian letters) seem to have consisted of certain combinations of letters or words, which, by being pronounced with certain intonations of voice, were believed to be effectual in expelling diseases, or evil spirits; or which, by being written on parchment and worn, were supposed to operate as amulets, or charms, to guard from evil spirits, or from danger. Thus Plutarch (Sympos. 7) says, ‘the magicians compel those who are possessed with a demon to recite and pronounce the Ephesian letters, in a certain order, by themselves.’” [Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Acts of the Apostles, by A. Barnes, 1858, page 264]

The Chester Beatty Papyrus No. 2 (P⁴⁶), thought to predate 200 AD has 86 pages out of a codex with Paul’s letters. Included is Ephesians, indicating was included among his epistles during that early period.

Irenaeus, 2nd century AD, quotes Ephesians 5:30: “As the blessed Paul says in the epistle to the Ephesians, that we are members of his body.” Clement of Alexandria, also in the second century quoted Ephesians 5:21: “Wherefore, also, in the epistle to the Ephesians he writes, ‘Be subject one to another in the fear of God.’” Origen, early in the third century quoted Ephesians 1:4: “But also the apostle in the epistle to the Ephesians, uses the same language when he says, ‘Who chose us before the foundation of the world.’”

In the Vatican, as well as in all other most valued manuscripts, the heading is The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians; in the Vatican the words at Ephesus, wanting in verse 1 in the body of the manuscript, are supplied in the margin; no manuscript is in existence which supplies these words by any other name; in the second century, at a time when there could have been no doubt about the facts, it is spoken of by the Fathers as “The Epistle to the Ephesians,” as though the matter was not under discussion; the remark of Paul in 1:15, about hearing of their faith, has an exact parallel in Philemon 5, and yet Philemon was his own convert (verse 19), and is entirely natural when we remember that several years had passed since he had last seen them; the absence of at Ephesus in a few manuscripts of the fourth century, and in the Vatican, as well as all other difficulties, can be explained without the necessity of denying that the Epistle was addressed to the Ephesians. Hence the great majority of critics have agreed in following the authority of existing manuscripts and of the ancient church in the statement that the Epistle was addressed to the great congregation founded by its writer in the capital of proconsular Asia, which had enjoyed his apostolic labors for a longer period than any other of which a record has come down to us.

The city of Ephesus, a Grecian city on the Asiatic coast almost exactly east of Athens, was a great commercial metropolis in the first century, and the capital of the Roman province which was called by the name of Asia. Its greatest distinction hitherto had been, not its commercial pre-eminence, but the splendid temple of Diana, which was counted one of the Seven Wonders of the world. The city lay upon the edge of a plain, which extended to the sea, and in its artificial harbor were seen the ships from all the ports of the eastern Mediterranean. In our times, half-buried ruins are the only relics of its former greatness. The only inhabitants I saw upon the site in 1889 were the occupants of two black tents, who were pasturing their flocks upon the alluvial plain. We can still, however, see the proofs of its former magnificence in the outlines of the great theater (Acts 19:29), and in the ruins of the temple of Diana (Acts 19:27). The [185] modern Turkish village of Agasalouk, a wretched hamlet, is nearly two miles distant from the site of the Ephesus of the times of Paul.

The Ephesian church was virtually founded by Paul. About the close of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19-21) he paused at Ephesus on his way to Jerusalem and preached in the Jewish synagogue. Leaving Priscilla and Aquila to follow up the impression which he had made, he went on, but returned on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1), at which time he spent about three years (Acts 20:31), preaching the gospel with a success which threatened to effect an entire revolution in the city and province (Acts 19:17-20), and finally stirred up the avaricious fears of certain trades which profited by the old superstitions to such an extent that a commotion was aroused which caused him to leave the city. Since that date he had not seen Ephesus, though he had met the elders of the church at Miletus when on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 20:17).

It is not possible to determine the date of this Epistle with exactness. It was written at a time when Paul was a prisoner (6:20), and hence must have been written either at Cæsarea or at Rome. Meyer inclines to the first place, but the general consensus of opinion is that it belongs to the group of the Epistles which were sent forth from his Roman prison. Tychicus was the messenger to whom, on the same journey, were entrusted both this (6:21) and the Epistle to Colosse (Col. 4:7).

It was probably written to meet certain difficulties which were arising in the church. It was asked why the imperfections of Judaism and the errors of the Gentile religions existed so many ages before the Gospel was revealed? Was the Gospel an afterthought of God? Probably the leading thought is that, “The church of Jesus Christ, in which Jew and Gentile are made one, is a creation of the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit, decreed from eternity, and destined for eternity.” In chapters 1-3, he shows the church was foreordained of God, that it had been redeemed, and that Jew and Gentile have been made one in Christ. In chapters 4-6, the Apostle enters upon a practical application, enforcing unity, love, newness of life, walking in the strength of the Lord, and the armor of God. [B. W. Johnson The People’s New Testament (1891)]

Researching Ephesians

Some consider Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to be among the premier books of the Bible for it contains the mystery of the eternal purpose of God as well as everything a Christian needs to know about how to please Him and maintain Church unity.

Key words in Ephesians: in (Greek en), peace, love (19 times – more than any other Pauline epistle), body, work, unity, oneness, heaven, charity, wisdom, hope, faith, and riches.

It is hoped this rendering of Ephesians with its notes may aid house church or discussion groups in their considerations of Bible books. We recommend one or more headings as the subject of a devotional Bible discussion using the material provided along with any other research to make Ephesians come alive. Doctrinal truths may be examined as well as making practical application in Christian living. Through out this study of Ephesians the subject of “unity” may be highlighted as an ongoing theme.

The original work on Ephesians contained two versions – one literal and one paraphrased. The paraphrased version is now available in Christian Scriptures 2001.