Another significant factor is the vast manuscript evidence. Some scholars claim that ignatius even speaks of paul as the author, when he says in his epistle to the ephesians. If such is truly the case, then paul wrote ephesians around 6163 a. We have been adopted to sonship, we have been chosen, forgiven and redeemed. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Specific instructions for christian living ephesians 4. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. The name paul appears in thirteen epistles, but is he the real author.
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. Pauline authorship of ephesians does not appear to have been doubted in the early church. The external evidence in favor of pauls authorship of ephesiansthat is, the testimony of the manuscript tradition and of ancient authorsis as strong as that of any of pauls undisputed letters. As ive preached through ephesians over the past two years, ive benefited from hoehner in many ways, and have read almost all of the. The above selection of evidence is only a sample so as to demonstrate to the reader that the early church was convinced of pauline authorship. It makes perfect sense that some of his letters differ in style and vocabulary usage. To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. Power and magic the concept of power in ephesians in light of its historical setting. There are, however, some texts that require careful thought to rightly interpret, namely. Style and genre in ephesians q m t qdonovan the authorship of ephesians is an increasingly open question in current discussion. Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians 3. In fact, pauline authorship was not questioned until the late 18 th century. Further, the early church universally accepted pauline authorship, and it wasnt until the late 18th and 19th century that it was challenged obrien, 4. Ephesians is written by the same author who seems not to be.
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. Pdf downlards niv ephesians 1 6 ephesians 1 new international version niv. Tenney the city of ephesus was one of the oldest of the settlements on the west coast of asia minor and was the leading city of the roman province of asia. The city of ephesus was a large commercial port city in asia minor present day turkey located at. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. This point is established by strong evidence, both internal and external. Stig hanson, the unity of the church, 69ff, merges his view of. The pastorals and ephesians seem to be generally agreed to not be the work of paul, in the same way that nobody. The book of ephesians was written to gods holy people in ephesus ephesians 1. However, this was probably a circular letter, intended for other churches in addition to the one in ephesus see notes on 1. The discussion of the authorship of ephesians hoehners work is thorough, clear, scholarly and faithful to a high view of the bible.
Paul had spent nearly three years in ephesus acts 19. In this weeks lesson we will look at this word finally. The general consensus is that these epistles were written during pauls imprisonment at rome cf. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1. Ephesians and colossians were probably composed at the same time in rome. Ephesus boasted international trade, a thriving silversmith guild, and a theater that seated 20,000 people. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. 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. It deals, however, not so much with a congregation in the city of ephesus in asia minor as with the worldwide church, the head of which is christ, the purpose of which is to be the instrument for making gods plan of salvation known throughout the universe eph 3.
The arguments which have been made against it since that time, as identified in obriens commentary, are as follows. The assignment of this destination was in accord with the evidence of the tr 1. This evidence is alleged to show not only that the author was not the. We highly recommend his lengthy treatment of authorship for anyone interested in this issue at a deeper level. Ephesians places the burden of proof on contrary hypotheses. It is thought that the epistle to the ephesians was a circular. And not translated in the niv, means dispensation, arrangement, or. Colossians, ephesians, philippians and philemon ibiblio. The same conclusion can be found for the cluster titus. The closings of both colossians and ephesians have 29 words that are almost exactly the same in greek there are two additional words in colossians. The inscription en ephesois omitted from the better manuscripts. Historical background in the beginning of the book of ephesians, paul specifically states that he is the author of the letter to ephesians, though the authenticity of pauls authorship has been questioned.
Pdf the name paul appears in epistles, but is he the real author. In ephesians, as elsewhere in the pauline corpus, christs body is a metaphor for the church, but. The argument of vocabulary seems plausible at best. The pauline authorship of ephesians was never questioned until the last century, when many modern critical scholars arrived at the conclusion that it was not pauline, or at least that it was only partially so. The book of ephesians is a letter from paul to christians at ephesus. Yet the book is rarely accepted in nonevangelical circles today. This is all speculation, of course, and scholars who hold to this theory of authorship usually are content to ascribe ephesians to pauls best disciple, by which they mean one who possessed the brilliance and eloquence to.
Erasmus was the first to doubt pauls authorship based on. Almost all christians believed in the pauline authorship of ephesiansuntil the nineteenth century. Edwards, arthur david 1982 an exegesis of ephesians 2. Nicnt the new international commentary on the new testament. Ephesians is one of pauls four prison epistles eph 3. Goodspeeds epochmaking book, the meaning of ephesians. The general theology of ephesians is direct, unambiguous, and presents no ideas or interpretations whose meanings are seriously contended. Theology and reading southwestern baptist theological. Ephesus was the third largest city in the roman empire population 250,000 in what is today the country of turkey. Ephesians, theology of definition and meaning bible. There is also the unanimous testimony of the early church and even heretics like marcion.
Vocabulary and stylealmost 100 words and phrases in ephesians are not found elsewhere in paul. For example, in ephesians, church is always singular, and it never refers to local gatherings of believers. This letter has been known traditionally as the epistle written to the saints at ephesus. This epistle is addressed to the saints at the church in ephesus, a prosperous port city in the roman province of asia minor. Finally, be strong in the lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians is the great pauline letter about the church. Ephesians towers over pauls thirteen known epistles in its exaltation of the glory of god and his grace toward the church. In acts 19 we read about pauls trip to ephesus and how the city was full. Mathison particularly commends hoehners treatment of the authorship of ephesians. Of the 779 extant copies of the pauline writings, 4 the authorship of ephesians is ascribed to no one other than the apostle paul. Authorship of ephesians at least three scenarios for authorship of ephesians are possible, and all three have attracted considerable support from interpreters in the modern era. 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. Ephesians was a circular letter intended for a number of churches. Pdf authorship of pauline epistles revisited researchgate.
The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1. He may not speak to you through every verse, but he will speak. 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. For more on pauline authorship see obrien frank thielman, ephesians, baker exegetical, and akin. Ephesians uses several pauline concepts in ways not present in the letters about which pauline authorship is not in doubt.
Ephesians appears in all the ancient collections of pauls writings, including those that. It was suggested that it was only a wordy repetition of colossians, and that. It is listed among pauls letters in the early manuscripts and cited as such by early christian authors such as irenaeus against heresies 5. Adopting the complete link to merge two clusters implies that all. Acts 19, but may have been intended as a circular letter to be read by neighboring churches.
See especially cl mitton, the epistle to the ephesians. Hoehner also probably gives the most robust defense of pauline authorship of ephesians of any commentary over 100 pages. Those who question pauls authorship normally rest their case on the. The essence of goodspeeds theory is that toward the end of the first century pauls letters were collected, and ephesians was written by. Authorship the pauline authorship of ephesians is clearly affirmed in the text 1. Letters romans, 1 and 2 corinthians, galatians, ephesians, philippians. Ephesians, 1 and 2 thessalonians, titus, 1 and 2 timothy. Irenaeus explicitly identifies paul as the author of ephesians, as does marcion.
Based on these results, a hierarchical clustering is then applied showing that four clusters can be derived, namely. Read ephesians prayerfully, objectively, thoughtfully, and attentively as you listen for god to speak. A common proposal is that paul wrote the letter to the colossians to deal with. Ephesians 1 is a beautiful introduction to how we have received every spiritual blessing in christ jesus. 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. Ephesians small group series lesson 1 introduction to. The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. 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.
It is the most detailed english commentary on the greek text of ephesians. 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. Overview of the book of ephesians reformed answers to. Simpson, commentary on the epistle to the epheeians. Ephesians, then, is similar to romans and, at the same time, dissimilar. When he does, record the verse number, what it is he seems to be saying to you and your response to him in this final step. Epaphras asked paul for advice on how to combat this merging of christianity, judaism.
Ephesians is one of four prison letters of paul in addition to colossians, philemon, and philippians. The church has been brought from death to life in christ. 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. Ephesians was written by the apostle paul a common proposal is that paul wrote the letter to the colossians to deal. Another has called it the alps of the new testament. Ephesians is written by the same author who seems not to be paul. Its origin is shrouded in antiquity, but it was a prominent settlement in the eighth century b.
Keith mathison says, in terms of sheer size and scope 960 pages, harold hoehners commentary on ephesians is the place to turn for those seeking a comprehensive conservative evangelical treatment of this epistle. Introduction to ephesians bible exposition commentary. Ephesians our blessings in christ importance this epistle was evidently addressed to the church in ephesus cf. When it comes to the authorship of ephesians, my stance at this point is that it is in fact written by paul as is stated in ephesians 1. Pierson called ephesians pauls thirdheaven epistle.