Constables notes on ephesians 2020 edition for some interpreters, the reference in 2 timothy 4. The intention of the letter to ephesus is to help them understand gods purpose for their lives, unity of the church, and the spiritual realm of the christian life. Its origin has customarily been credited to paul the apostle however, beginning in 1792, this has been tested as deuteropauline, that is, composed in pauls name by a later creator. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include.
To deny pauline authorship of a book in the bible is to challenge its authority as scripture. In this light we should outline a few basic issues about the use of scribes, and their affects on composition. 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. The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an. 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. The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. A brief outline enables us to understand the whole book.
The supreme oddity of ephesians, and the attempt to completely remove paul from any but postmortem. The argument against ephesians authenticity, however, rests exclusively on internal evidence, for as even kummel admits, without question ephesians was extraordinarily well attested in the early church. The essence of goodspeeds theory is that toward the end of the first century pauls letters were collected, and ephesians was written by. Specific instructions for christian living ephesians 4. I dont think opponents to pauline authorship come close to putting ephesians with the apocryphal books, so i cant deny its pauline authorship. The pauline authorship of ephesians not only has the earliest attestation of any book of the nt but this attestation continued until the last two centuries. Life on doctrine introduction to the book of ephesians. The purpose of this essay is to explore the book of ephesians by commenting on critical issues, such as date, authorship, and setting, major theological themes, the purpose of the letter, and to offer an outline of the book itself.
Outline of pauls letter to the ephesians an introduction to the letter. Nov 27, 2009 to deny pauline authorship of a book in the bible is to challenge its authority as scripture. The book of ephesians is a letter written to the christians at ephesus. 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. If such is truly the case, then paul wrote ephesians around 6163 a. Unlike other books like romans or 1 and 2 corinthians which are undisputedly pauline, it has been debated whether ephesians and colossians along with 2 thes.
Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians 3. The author except for the pastorals, ephesians has the worst. This is an issue we will take up when we address the authorship of that letter. Its authorship, origin and purpose, published in 1951, in which he basically agreed with goodspeeds hypothesis. The fundamental principles of grace and mans responsibility to abide by gods laws are thoroughly revealed in the old testament. A rather workable outline employed by summers is built upon the word redemption. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the book of ephesians. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. As one begins to read the letter to the ephesians, he is intrigued not only by the many topics that the letter mentions, but also the fact that there are some major differences between this book and pauls other writings. Ephesians in the picture study bible the book of ephesians. The indication is that the epistles to the colossians, philemon and the ephesians were carried to their destination by tychicus and onesimus cf. Summary of the book of ephesians story of the bible. The book of ephesians was very likely written between a.
He covers historical background in a section on ephesus and paul in acts. Prior to writing his epistle to the ephesians in 6061 ad, paul had an established. The ephesians exegetical guide to the greek new testament is an indispensable resource for the intermediate greek student. The purpose and plan of ephesians preaching source. Answering bible contradictions, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to paul the apostle but starting.
A more extensive outline after this one helps understand how the many parts form the whole. Date, authorship, setting, theological themes, the purpose and the outline. Pastor steven cole sermons ephesians pastor steven. The author of the book of ephesus was the apostle paul. Ephesians executable outline study resources blue letter bible.
The church has been brought from death to life in christ. Some people dont think this is any argument at all, but to me it is. It was written, according to the text, by paul the apostle and timothy to the church in colossae, a small phrygian city near laodicea and approximately 100 miles 160 km from ephesus in asia minor scholars have increasingly questioned pauls authorship and attributed the letter to an. When he discusses authorship, he doesnt completely dismiss the possibility that paul wrote the letter as we might have expected in.
However, the similarities between ephesians and colossians have led most scholars to. The book of ephesians outline as shown below from the wycliffe bible commentary. The church has long accepted that paul was the author of the letter to the ephesians. The author except for the pastorals, ephesians has the worst credentials for authenticity, in critical circles, among all of pauls epistles. In this article well be looking at the arguments offered on both sides. The author, if he was not paul himself has carried the apostles thinking to its. The book of ephesians survey and outline introduces, through with maps, outlines.
The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an introduction and outline authorship. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. Ephesians essays essays and papers online mega essays. The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1. The epistle of paul to the colossians, or simply colossians, is the twelfth book of the new testament. 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. Research key questions regarding the background of the book authorship, composition, purpose, etc. 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. To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. The style of writing is clearly pauls, he begins with his customary personal greetings and words of thanks, and addresses issues of doctrine, as with the rest of his letters. While this book begins, paul, an apostle of christ jesus through the will of god, to the saints who are at ephesus, and the faithful in christ jesus 1. I think this is mistaken and i find the arguments in favor of pseudonymity to be seriously unconvincing. May 22, 2012 the scholarly consensus on the authorship of ephesians is that paul did not write it.
Most early writers spoke of the epistle as having been addressed to the ephesians. An analysis of the critical issues of the book of ephesians. Abbott, the epistles to the ephesians and the colossians the international critical commentary. The book is address by paul to the church at ephesus.
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. He does explain his view of the argument 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. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 60 61, around the same time he wrote colossians and philemon, as he sent all. Most books attribute the authorship to that of the apostle paul. The letter was hand delivered by tychicus ephesians 6. So those are some of the arguments used against the pauline authorship of the book of ephesians. Some liberal critics have attempted to raise doubts, yet the authorship of the book is solidly established both by the clear statement in the book itself and by the records of the early uninspired christian writers. It was written, according to the text, by paul the apostle and timothy to the church in colossae, a small phrygian city near laodicea and approximately 100 miles 160 km from ephesus in asia minor. 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. The general letters the book of the twelve, or the minor prophets intro to genesis intro to. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1.
The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing. Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of god. 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 the saints in ephesus, a the faithful in christ jesus. The scholarly consensus on the authorship of ephesians is that paul did not write it. The author most nt scholars accept the genuineness of colossians, though it has been assailed on critical grounds from some circles. Understanding the book of ephesians and bible study guide.
Ephesians places the burden of proof on contrary hypotheses. Besides using it in studying through ephesians in greek, this guide is also a great tool for growing in skills of syntactical and exegetical analysis choose a passage, work through the syntax, do your own exegetical work. Baur 1845 and the tubingen school, colossians has found itself outside the pale of undisputed pauline books. They early church was not only closer to the situation but also they were very astute in their judgment of genuine and fraudulent compositions.
The burden of proof to me is always on whoever is saying that its not what it says it is. The purpose of this essay is to explore the book of ephesians by comme. As is typical with pauline authorship, his allusions to the old testament are. Finally, be strong in the lord and in his mighty power. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings. Call gods people to live in light of our heavenly calling in christ jesus. There has been some debate about whether this book was written to the ephesians or was a circular letter to various churches, because not all manuscripts include the words in ephesus. Overview of the book of ephesians third millennium ministries. Goodspeeds epochmaking book, the meaning of ephesians. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and the surrounding region c. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. Karl barth on the authorship of ephesians and colossians. Ephesus was the most important city in western asia minor now turkey. Overview of the book of ephesians reformed answers to.
When he discusses authorship, he doesnt completely dismiss the possibility that paul wrote the letter as we might have expected in this series. The book of ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one solid irremovable form. This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of ephesians. 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. An outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. Essay about letter to the ephesians 1186 words bartleby. The epistle to the ephesians, additionally called the letter to the ephesians and frequently abbreviated to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new testament. Peter williamson contributed the volume on ephesians for the catholic commentary on sacred scripture. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings and the verbal similarity of many parts to colossians, among other reasons, as grounds. Biblical scholars are divided over the authorship of ephesians and colossians. It isnt easy, however, to find sane discussions of this issue. One of the chief reasons has to do with the use of certain words and phrases that are taken to. The hypostasis of the archons, written sometime in the third century, cites the same verse and attributes the book of ephesians to paul. Book of ephesians outline free online bible study lessons.
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