Historical background on the book of ephesians

Ephesians historical background 950 words bartleby. Ephesus forms an appropriate background to the book of ephesians because of this citys fascination with magic and the occult acts 19. 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. Carver described the book of ephesians as the greatest piece of writing in all history and english poet samuel taylor coleridge called it the.

The full quote as outlined in the king james bible, is from paul the apostles letter to the ephesians 6. Read the short background information for ephesians below. The letter seems to have been written to the church that he founded in ephesus, and it seems that he intended for it to circulate around the churches in western asia minor present day turkey. The mood of colossians is argumentative and controversial, that of ephesians clam and peaceful. Date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad.

The others are philippians, colossians, and philemon. Ephesians introduction commentary commentary critical. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. Nay, the whole of gods truth is to be declared, and whatsoever we find in this book, that are we to state, and the keeping back of precious truth will be required of such as are guilty of it at the last great day. Niv ephesians was for jews and gentiles who comprise one church. Historical background ephesians the letter to the ephesians was written probably during pauls imprisonment in rome between 60 and 62 ad. It is interesting to note and observe that while the new testament often refers to the church, it does not speak of going to church.

The western text indicates that paul had the use of the building from 11 a. It was not necessarily written to the believers in the city of ephesus. Pauls first imprisonment in rome at which time he wrote ephesians it follows that this is a relatively young church even. Ephesians colossians philippians philemon paul remained in ephesus for nearly three years on his 3rd missionary journey. And well take time this evening, were going to look at the introduction of this little epistle and the salutation that we find in verses 1 and 2, were only going to look at these two verses because its important as we look at any book that we lay are historical and contextual foundations of the. The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new. Ephesians historical background we must understand ephesus if we want to understand the book of ephesians.

Purpose, background and structure posted on may 12, 2014 by matt dabbs 1 comment a few weeks ago, i started a wednesday night series on the book of. The city of ephesus was a large commercial port city in asia minor present day turkey located at the mouth of the cayster river near the aegean sea. Historical background ephesus was an ancient city whose origins are lost in the mists of antiquity. All tradition takes the epistle as being pauline until it was first disputed by erasmus fifteenth century and by later eighteenthtwentieth century critics. The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. Ephesus was a wealthy port city in the roman province of asia. The historical background of the book of ephesians 805. The book of ephesians is held in great reverence by both biblical scholars and lay people. The author claims to be paul in the body of the letter in 3. The historical background of the book of ephesians plays an important reality of what the author is intending in the writings.

All of this reading should enable you to write a 12 page section on the historical, cultural, and literary background of your passage. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our. The former is a letter of discussion and the latter is a letter of reflection. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the. Ephesians background information fbc seguin students.

Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. We therefore welcome all the more warmly the following contribution to the debate which is based on a paper given to the tsf group in oxford. Ephesians historical background for passage originally named ephesians. Ephesians chapters wonderfully expound the gospel while ephesians chapters 46 provide a clear picture of how those doctrines change our lives. Bruce, in his commentary on the book of acts, provides us with some interesting information on the school of tyrannus. Translate, according to the greek order, i beseech you, therefore seeing that such is your calling of. Ephesians 2 background information with maps and images. Tyrannus no doubt held his classes in the early morning. The letter abounds with statements in the first person d. The book of ephesians clearly leaves its mark among other bible books by displaying the powerful impact of the gospel of christ jesus in the individual and corporate life of believers.

Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to god. Unlike several of the other letters paul wrote, ephesians does not address any particular error or. Turn with me in your bibles to pauls epistle to the church at ephesus, the book of ephesians. Apostle paul explains the identity of the newcomers in christ both jews and gentiles having. If any say so then i charge him with being like the jesuit, who hides a part of what he believes. The indication is that the epistles to the colossians, philemon and the ephesians were carried to their destination by tychicus and onesimus cf. Introduction to colossians bible exposition commentary.

If such is truly the case, then paul wrote ephesians around 6163 a. Marcion included it in his canon, although under the title of laodiceans c. Two theories, besides the ordinary one, have been held on the question, to. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. The evidence here is negative rather than positive. Paul names himself as the author of the epistle to the ephesians ephesians 1. Colossians is somewhat tense to be more specific and concrete, while ephesians is more general and abstract. Ephesians 1 commentary spurgeons verse expositions of. Doing a historical background study is helpful in understanding the specific situation and setting of the author and the reader of biblical literature. During his third missionary journey in 5556 ad, he wrote corinthians, galatians and romans which all clearly defined the meaning and purpose of the cross. The book of ephesians is charged with weighty doctrines that reveal the glory of the. View essay historical background on the book of ephesians from bib 230a at colorado christian university. Julian colorado christian university ephesians historical background we must understand ephesus if we want to understand the book of ephesians. Ephesians towers over pauls thirteen known epistles in its exaltation of the glory of god and his grace toward the church.

The book of ephesians was written to gods holy people in ephesus ephesians 1. They were to the thessalonians and chiefly centered on jesus return. During this time he also wrote colossians and philemon. Audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus.

Paul probably wrote his letter to the ephesians while under house arrest in rome acts 28. Several of the early church writers site the book of ephesians, for example irenaeus and clement of alexandria both state that paul was its author. Its also important to discover the authors intended meaning of the text in order to interpret it. Public activity ceased in the cities of ionia for several hours at. 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. We can do this by learning the historical situation of the author and his reader. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. The author describes himself as one who has personally heard of the readers 1. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers. The general theology of ephesians is direct, unambiguous, and presents no ideas or interpretations whose meanings are seriously contended. There are, however, some texts that require careful thought to rightly interpret, namely. It was during this time that paul sat in rome undergoing his first roman imprisonment ephesians 3. Epistle to the ephesians study 1 historical context acts 19. This would further seem to suggest, as i have believed, that not only did paul write the book of colossians, but that he wrote colossians before writing the book of ephesians.

Some have argued that paul wrote colossians from ephesus or caesarea, but most of the evidence favors rome as the place where paul penned all the prison letters ephesians, colossians, philippians and philemon. This segment comes from the ephesians commentary published by koinonia house. Overview of the book of ephesians reformed answers to. The book of ephesians is about the letters of paul and how he overcame hardship by being faithful to god and following his commands. Introduction from the niv study bible go to ephesians. Arnolds book is one of the most influential dissertations written on ephesians in recent pauline studies. The church has been brought from death to life in christ. To analyze this letter fully, it is important to consider it in conjunction with colossians and in light of the jerusalem council recorded in acts 15. Arnold argues that the power language that fills the book of ephesians is connected to the local fears of the demonic powers associated with pagan idols in ephesus like the cult of artemis. Ignatius epistle to the ephesians, 12, which alludes to the frequent and affectionate mention made by paul of the christian state, privileges, and persons of the ephesians in his epistle. The temple and streets were lined with immoral goddess prostitutes. He also sent along the letter to the colossian church.

Intro to colossians biblica the international bible. It was a center of learning and was near several key land routes. Ephesians, colossians and philemon written at the same time. Background to the book of ephesians chuck missler youtube. To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. Author the apostle paul date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus. Carver described the book of ephesians as the greatest piece of. The book of ephesians clearly leaves its mark among other bible books by displaying the powerful impact of the gospel of christ jesus in the individual and. There is no guarantee that a specific passage will have important elements in each of these categories, but there will definitely be at least general historical, cultural, or literary aspects to your passage. Style and genre in ephesians q m t qdonovan the authorship of ephesians is an increasingly open question in current discussion. Ephesians bible study the christian church in the world. It was a large temple dedicated to a goddess named diana artemis. This helps explain pauls emphasis on the power of god over all heavenly authorities and on christs triumphant ascension as head over the church and over all things in this age and the next.

Written in 6162, when paul was a prisoner in rome cf. Throughout history, ephesus survived multiple attacks and changed. Keep a notebook handy with pencil to jot down questions, ideas and applications as you study ephesians. To really jump ahead in your study of ephesians, complete our how to study a book of the bible lesson using ephesians as your subject. 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. Paul is sending the slave onesimus back to his master philemon, in the care of tychicus. This story teaches an important lesson about the way the lord works and administers the gospel. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the. The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities. Ephesians, written around the same time as pauls epistle to the colossians, remains an important piece of historical evidence that also preserves some important doctrinal concepts. To the saints in ephesus, a the faithful in christ jesus. The letter opens with a sequence of statements about gods blessings, which are interspersed with a remarkable variety of expressions drawing attention to gods wisdom, forethought and purpose.