Introduction To Ephesians Series

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS—THE SUPREME LETTER

By common consent the Letter to the Ephesians ranks very high in the devotional and theological literature of the Christian Church. It has been called The Queen of the Epistles" and rightly so. Many would hold that it is indeed the highest reach of New Testament thought. Coleridge said of Ephesians that it was "the divinest composition of man.” He went on: "It embraces first, those doctrines peculiar to Christianity, and, then, those precepts common with it in natural religion." Ephesians clearly has a place all its own in the Pauline correspondence.

And yet there are certain very real problems connected with it. These problems are not the product of the minds of over-critical scholars, but are plain for all to see. When, however, these problems are solved, Ephesians becomes a greater letter than ever and shines with an even more radiant light.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE WRITING OF EPHESIANS

Before we turn to the doubtful things, let us set down the certainties. First, Ephesians was clearly written when Paul was in prison. He calls himself "a prisoner for Christ" (3:1); it is as “a prisoner for the Lord" that he beseeches them (4:1); he is “an ambassador in chains" (6:20). It was in prison, and very near to the end, that Paul wrote Ephesians. Second, Ephesians has clearly a close connection with

Colossians. It would seem that Tychicus was the bearer of both these letters. In Colossians Paul says that Tychicus will tell them all about his affairs. Further, there is a close resemblance that between the substance of the two letters, so close that more than 55 verses in the two letters are verbatim the same. Either, as Coleridge held, Colossians is what might be called “the overflow" of Ephesians, or Ephesians is a greater version of Colossians. We shall in the end come to see that it this resemblance which gives us the clue to the unique place of Ephesians among the letters of Paul.

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Ephesians Colossians Topic

1:1-2 1:1-2 Introduction

1:7 1:14, 20 Redemption, forgiveness

1:10 1:20 All-inclusive Christ

1:15-17 1:3-4, 9-10 Intercession for the readers

1:18 1:27 Riches of glorious inheritance

1:21-22 1:16-18 Christ's domain

2:5 2:13 You he made alive

2:12-13 1:21-22 Aliens brought near

2:15 2:14 Abolishing the commandments

3:1 1:24 Paul, the prisoner

3:2-3 1:25-26 Divine mystery made known to Paul

3:7 1:23, 25 Paul, minister of the universal gospel

3:8-9 1:27 Paul to make known the mystery to all

4:1 1:10 Lead a life worthy of your calling

4:2 3:12-13 With all lowliness, meekness, patience fore-bearing one another

4:15-16 2:19 Christ unites members of the Church

4:22-32 3:5-10, 12 Put off old nature and put on new nature

5:3-6 3:5-9 No immorality among you

5:15 4:5 Walk wisely and make the most of time

5:19-20 3:16-17 Sing songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, giving thanks to God

5:21-6:9 3:18-4:1 Household Duties: husbands, wives, children, parents, slaves, masters

6:18-20 4:2-3 Paul the prisoner exhorts persistence in prayer

6:21-22 4:7-8 Tychicus sent to inform church about Paul and to encourage them

THE PROBLEM

So, then, it is certain that Ephesians was written when Paul was in prison for the faith and that it has in some way closest possible connection with Colossians. The problem emerges when we begin to examine the question of to whom Ephesians was written. In the ancient days letters were written on rolls of papyrus. When finished, they were tied with thread, and, if they were specially private or important, the knots in the thread were then sealed. But it was seldom that any address was written on them, for the very simple reason that, for the ordinary individual, there was no postal system. There was a government post, but it was available only for official and imperial correspondence and not for the ordinary person. Letters in those days were delivered by hand and therefore no address was necessary. So the titles of the New Testament letters are not part of the original letters at all. They were inserted

afterwards when the letters were collected and published for all the Church to read. When we study Ephesians closely, we find it in the last degree unlikely that it was written to the church at Ephesus. There are internal reasons for arriving at that conclusion. (a) The letter was written to Gentiles. The recipients were "Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants

of promise" (2:11). Paul urges them “no longer to live as the Gentiles do" (4:17). The fact that they were Gentiles did not of itself mean that the letter could not have been written to Ephesus; but it is a fact to note.