Historical setting of the book of ephesians

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 some time. One of the apostle pauls books, 10th book of the new testament. Hoehner begins with a helpful introduction to the letter of ephesians in which he addresses issues of authorship, structure and genre, historical setting, purpose, and theology. Careful transliteration and translations of the greek, solid versebyverse exegesis, and interaction with contemporary scholarship offer unparalleled insight into the text. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. John macarthur preached versebyverse through the book of ephesians in a sixtyonepart series that lasted from january 1, 1978 until june 24, 1979. Paul wrote the book of ephesians, while he was imprisoned. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of second thessalonians in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. 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.

Feb 07, 2015 in order to explore the full richness of the book of ephesians, it is necessary to not only examine the literary text of the book, but to examine the historical cultural context of the book as well. Father, son, and spirit are seen in pauls epistle to the ephesians as operating from before the foundation of the world for the redemption of the church. Contrary to what is probably the majority opinion in current new testament scholarship, i think the ephesian letter is by paul. Paul went to the synagogue in ephesus and proclaimed christ, and was asked to stay on and teach further. The letter, traditionally attributed to the apostle paul, consists mainly of counsels to his younger colleague and delegate timothy regarding. This was about the same time he wrote ephesians and philemon.

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. A historical introduction to the early christian writings, remains the best source for basic information about the entire new testament. The former, which is narrated in the latter chapters of acts 1521. The concept of power in ephesians in light of its historical setting arnold, clinton e. The first epistle of paul to timothy, usually referred to simply as first timothy and often written 1 timothy, is one of three letters in the new testament of the bible often grouped together as the pastoral epistles, along with second timothy and titus. Do some background reading in order to understand better the epistles main contours and its historical and cultural setting. The concept of power in ephesians in light of its historical setting by. 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. 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. Its also important to discover the authors intended meaning of the text in order to interpret it. Ephesians is written to a group of believers whom paul served alongside aquila and. E phesians is one of the most encouraging books in the new testament. 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.

Jeremiah declared that such destruction happened because the people of israel had sinned and rebelled against the almighty god. One of four prison epistles, along with philippians, colossians, and philemon. If this is so, then the book was written to the churches in that reason. If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. 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. In the book of acts, the history of church at ephesus begins with the ministry of paul on his second missionary journey, as recorded in acts 18. In order to explore the full richness of the book of ephesians, it is necessary to not only examine the literary text of the book, but to examine the historicalcultural context of the book as well. He realized that christ came to unite himself with man, and unity was the core purpose of the book of ephesians.

Hoehner begins with a helpful introduction to the letter of ephesians in which he addresses issues of authorship, structure and genre, historical. Ephesians historical background 950 words bartleby. The western text indicates that paul had the use of the building from 11 a. Second, god has reconciled these saved individuals to each other, christ having broken down the barriers through his own death 2.

Paul, accompanied by priscilla and aquila, arrived in ephesus. The author of first timothy has been traditionally identified as the apostle paul. Mar 30, 2020 for example, if you knew that magic was an important practice in the firstcentury graecoroman world, which was used to protect oneself from evil spirits, and you were writing an exegetical paper on ephesians, you would probably want to consult ephesians, power, and magic. The author of the book of lamentations had experienced real, actual events that caused bereft of hope to his soul. Historical context for galatians by paul the core curriculum.

The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities. Ephesians offers general instruction in the truths of gods redemptive work in christ. Paul is sending the slave onesimus back to his master philemon, in the care of tychicus. Summary of the book of ephesians bible history online. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. This summary of the book of 2 corinthians provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 2 corinthians. In order to explore the full richness of the book of ephesians, it is necessary to not only examine the literary text of the book, but to examine the historical cultural context of the book as well. 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. Summary of the book of ephesians story of the bible. 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 concept of power in ephesians in light of its historical setting paperback october 1, 1992 by clinton e.

All tradition takes the epistle as being pauline until it was first disputed by erasmus fifteenth century and by later eighteenthtwentieth century critics. Historical context for the new testament the core curriculum. The book of ephesians is charged with weighty doctrines that reveal the glory of the triune god. The author of ephesians claims to be the apostle paul with. To analyze this letter fully, it is important to consider it in conjunction with colossians and in. The purpose of the epistle, and to whom it was written, are matters of. Some assumptions about ephesians itself and the role of this passage in this letter. This story teaches an important lesson about the way the lord works and administers the gospel. 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. He now brings his skill and experience to this commentary on ephesiansa commentary that no serious student can afford to ignore. 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 in the way we. During this time he also wrote colossians and philemon. 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. Having explained gods great goals for the church, paul proceeds to show the steps toward their fulfillment.

We will not be extensive here, but reading and meditation on acts 1920 and revelation 2. The city of ephesus was a large commercial port city. The book of ephesians was written to gods holy people in ephesus ephesians 1. Marcion included it in his canon, although under the title of laodiceans c. 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. Doing a historical background study is helpful in understanding the specific situation and setting of the author and the reader of biblical literature. Meticulously researched and comprehensive in scope, hoehners respected resource explores issues of authorship, structure, historical setting, purpose, and theology in pauls letter to the believers in ephesus.

Third, we will look at the historical and geographical setting of ancient asian minor to understand the world in which the letter would have been read. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. Ephesians an exegetical commentary dts book center. He also sent along the letter to the colossian church. Designed for pastors, students, and bible teachers, the zondervan exegetical commentary on the new testament examines the biblical text in its original context. The historical context a daily devotion for june 26, 2014 as we looked at the literary context yesterday, today the goal is to look at the historical context of colossians. The purpose of the book of ephesians was to warn the church elders about the false teachers that were teaching a false gospel and to maintain their first love that they held when they first became believers. He begins with a helpful introduction to the letter of ephesians in which he addresses issues of authorship, structure and genre, historical setting, purpose, and theology.

One of the seven wonders of the world was in ephesus. Of the innumerable commentaries and scholarly works dedicated to paul and his letters, exceptionally interesting and thoughtprovoking reflections can be found in. Pauls doctrine of the church shines in ephesians unlike any other epistle. Written in 6162, when paul was a prisoner in rome cf. It is stamped with his style and contains more autobiographical material than. Tyrannus no doubt held his classes in the early morning. For the past 30 years, harold hoehner has trained thousands of seminarians in the art of new testament exegesis. Bruce, in his commentary on the book of acts, provides us with some interesting information on the school of tyrannus. Believed to author the book of lamentations, prophet jeremiah had not only vividly narrated what happened to jerusalem but also detailed the very reasons jerusalem had to suffer its fate. He is named as the author of the letter in the text. While paul was in prison he had been thinking about his work as an apostle. The setting of the book of ephesians if we are going to properly understand the book of ephesians, we need to understand its immediate context. Just because paul visited a city, preached the gospel for weeks or even months, and founded a church by guiding converts to the faith, this did not protect the new church from scheming heretics.

The church of jesus christ is now the spiritual body of believers who represent christ on earth. At the end of the introduction, the author includes a detailed bibliography for further reading. 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. The historical setting of colossians bo reicke, 1973.

Book of second thessalonians overview insight for living. All three letters were sent with tychicus and onesimus. Audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus. Furthermore, i think the letter has to be kept in its historical context as a companion letter with colossians and philemon.

Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to god. Ligon duncan also preached a sixtyonepart series on ephesians beginning june 26, 2005 and. There seems to be little doubt that the historical setting of domitians reign gave rise to the book of revelation. First, god has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace 2. Access to society journal content varies across our titles. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. Aug 23, 2012 date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad. 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. To do so well first give a brief overview of the letter as a high flyover. Christ is lord over all of creation, including the.

Written by scholars who carefully attend to and build their interpretation on grammatical detail, literary context, rhetorical flow, theological nuance, and historical setting in their interpretation, the zecnt series is ideal for the. Ephesians colossians philippians philemon paul remained in ephesus for nearly three years on his 3rd missionary journey. Style and genre in ephesians q m t qdonovan the authorship of ephesians is an increasingly open question in current discussion. The former, which is narrated in the latter chapters of acts 1521, attempts to provide a holistic narrative to the. In the book of acts, the history of church at ephesus begins with the ministry of paul on his second missionary journey. Indeed, john himself suffered, and the seven churches to whom he write experienced trying times. In any case, we can be sure that paul was clarifying the teaching of christ, the church, salvation and sanctification for these saints. 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. For example, if you knew that magic was an important practice in the firstcentury graecoroman world, which was used to protect oneself from evil spirits, and you were writing an exegetical paper on ephesians, you would probably want to consult ephesians, power, and magic. Second, we will take a brief look at the question of authorship of ephesians. Paul wrote to expand the horizons of his readers, so that they might understand better the dimensions of gods eternal purpose and grace and come to. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 6061, around the same.

And i pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all. We can do this by learning the historical situation of the author and his reader. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. 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 mind.

Shaul shaaool, by gods will an emissary of the messiah yeshua. Apr 17, 2009 to do so well first give a brief overview of the letter as a high flyover. Public activity ceased in the cities of ionia for several hours at. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Julian colorado christian university ephesians historical background we must understand ephesus if we want to understand the book of ephesians. Examine the historical, cultural, and literary background.