EPHESIANS - Week 1
Everything is not always as it seems. Those of you who have followed these reflections will have come to terms with that by now!
This week, we’ve started to read ‘Ephesians’.
Some people will say this is the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.
Others will say that this is possibly, or probably, not Paul’s writing and it doesn’t actually say who it’s to.
For the most part, the theological themes that are raised as we read through Ephesians are of interest, irrespective of the authorship or intended recipients. That said, the name of Paul carries a lot of weight in Christian theology, so it is worth distinguishing between those texts that are thought to be authentically written by Paul and those that might have been written in his name.
Emily mentioned in her Ephesians 1 talk (catch up here) that this first chapter is jam packed with big topics and statements. Each verse could have entire books dedicated to unpacking their meaning and implications. We will come on to some of those in this reflection, in particular so that we can revisit them again as they pop back up later in this text.
Let us, however, start with that context question. I’ll outline the traditional view, then the challenges to that, and then you can see what makes sense to you.
Traditionally, it is thought that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church community in Ephesus, with whom he was close. Ephesus was a busy city which served as a hub for Paul’s missionary activity in the Asia Minor region (Acts 18-19). The city was heavily influenced by Greco-Roman culture, with a significant Jewish population coexisting alongside Gentiles. It is thought that perhaps Paul wrote to the church between 60-62 CE (or AD) whilst he was imprisoned in Rome (Acts 28:16-31). The writer describes themself as;
"I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles" (Eph. 3:1).
"I am an ambassador in chains" (Eph. 6:20).
We know that Paul had a relationship with the church in Ephesus, and we know he was in the habit of writing to churches, so it is fair to consider that Paul might have written to the Ephesians.
While our versions of this text largely begin with ‘To the saints who are in Ephesus’, you might have a pesky footnote saying ‘some ancient authorities lack in Ephesus’. This is because some of the earliest manuscripts we have for Ephesians don’t specify a geographic location.
The reason that many claim this is a letter to the Ephesian church, and to possibly add in that location to the first chapter itself, is that the themes are closely linked to the cultural context of first century Ephesus.
The Ephesian society was pluralistic, with a mix of pagan rituals, magic practices (Acts 19:19), and Jewish traditions. Worship of Artemis dominated, but there was also emperor worship and other mystery religions. Christianity posed a direct challenge to the idolatry and magic prevalent in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41, where the silversmiths rioted due to the threat to their trade).
Ephesians emphasizes the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church, breaking down social and religious barriers. The letter also highlights the spiritual battle against unseen powers (Eph. 6:10-18), reflecting the context of spiritual practices and occultism in Ephesus. Ephesians encourages believers to live out their new identity in Christ, rejecting the corrupt practices of their culture
It is, then, reasonable to believe that due to the theological content of ‘Ephesians’, it could be understood that this was a letter to the church community in Ephesus.
There are, as mentioned, challenges to these understandings.
First is that potential lack of a location mentioned. If this was addressed simply ‘to the saints…’, then it could be that this was a general letter to several churches, with broad, fundamental theological points to make. That would still make sense with the content of the letter.
The challenge to genuine Pauline authorship is rooted in the use of language.
There are thirteen books in our New Testament which are traditionally attributed to Paul. Of these, seven are considered authentic, three are widely considered to have been written in his name ( 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus), and three are debated (2 Thessalonians, Colossians and Ephesians).
The point is that there is a large sample of Paul’s writing, so scholars can identify what is typical for Paul’s language, style and theology, and what is out of the ordinary.
Ephesians uses certain key terms which do not appear anywhere else in the letters most confidently thought to have been Paul’s writing. “Heavenly places” (used five times), “Dividing wall” and “Fellow citizen” are all unique to Ephesians.
Furthermore, some characteristic terms that Paul uses elsewhere seem to be given new meanings in Ephesians. Church for instance, is used as a universal rather than just a local community. Other terms which are used lots in other Pauline texts, like Jews or Justification are not used at all.
These things, plus some theological differences (like the emphasis of salvation in the present) result in many scholars arguing that Ephesians was Pseudonymous, or written in Paul’s name by another – possibly a Jewish-Christian admirer of Paul who wanted to apply Paul’s teachings and thought to the life of the church in the late first century.
So, make of that what you will! As you read this letter, think about whether it matters to you whether this is actually the Apostle Paul writing and his thoughts and teachings, or not…
Whoever wrote this, and whoever it was intended for, the first chapter pulls no punches! This comes out of the gate with clear purpose and definite theological positions.
Pre-destination, adoption, redemption, grace, inheritance and identity.
Plenty to get your teeth sunk into! I remember being taught that when you’re writing an essay or thesis, you need to start off by showing the reader where you’re going and highlighting key points early. The author definitely did that.
Lots of this lays a foundation for what the text goes on to address. It makes sense to set out your mindset to begin, and then this informs how we can read the rest of the letter.
Each week, we’ll dig deep in Ephesians 2-6 and the key themes that appear within them, and we can then return to chapter 1 to see how they connect up.
One final thing, however, to mention as we start looking at Ephesians is something that I’ve never noticed before. There are a large number of significant similarities between Ephesians and Colossians (both contested authorship). There are, then, a number of interpretations for why that might be, ranging from a defence of Pauline authorship in the consistency between these two letters, to the idea that these two could be have been written by the same other person, or that one of them influenced the other. For now, I’ll just leave you with the points of comparison for your delectation! If you get 10 minutes this week, get two bibles side by side and flick through these;
Eph 1:1-2 and Col 1:1-2
Eph 1:15-16 and Col 1:3, 4:9
Eph 5:6 and Col 3:6
Eph 5:18-20 and Col 3:16-17
Eph 5:22 and Col 3:18
Eph 5:25 and Col 3:19
Eph 6:1 and Col 3:20
Eph 6:5-9 and 3:22-25, 4:1
Eph 6:18-20 and Col 4:2-4
Eph 6:21-22 and Col 4:7-8