Ephesians
The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, usually referred to
simply as Ephesians, is the tenth book of the New Testament.
Its authorship has traditionally been credited to Paul, but it
is now widely accepted by critical scholarship to be "deutero-
Pauline," that is, written in Paul's name by a later author
strongly influenced by Paul's thought.[1][2][2][3][3][4] Bible
scholar Raymond E. Brown asserts that about 80% of critical
scholarship judges that Paul did not write Ephesians.[5]:p.47,
and Perrin and Duling[6] say that of six authoritative
scholarly references, "four of the six decide for
pseudonymity, and the other two (PCB and JBC) recognize the
difficulties in maintaining Pauline authorship. Indeed, the
difficulties are insurmountable."...
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesians...
LITERATURE
I. Authenticity.
1. External Evidence:
None of the epistles which are ascribed to Paul have a
stronger chain of evidence to their early and continued use
than that which we know as the Epistle to the Ephesians.
Leaving for the moment the question of the relation of Eph
to other New Testament writings, we find that it not only
colors the phraseology of the Apostolic Fathers, but is
actually quoted. In Clement of Rome (circa 95 AD) the
connection with Ephesians might be due to some common
liturgical form in xlvi.6 (compare Eph 4:6); though the
resemblance is so close that we must feel that our epistle
was known to Clement both here and in lxiv (compare Eph 1:3-
4); xxxviii (compare Eph 5:21); xxxvi (compare Eph 4:18);
lix (compare Eph 1:18; 4:18). Ignatius (died 115) shows
numerous points of contact with Ephesians, especially in his
Epistle to the Ephesians. In chap. xii we read: "Ye are
associates and fellow students of the mysteries with Paul,
who in every letter makes mention of you in Christ Jesus."
It is difficult to decide the exact meaning of the phrase
"every letter," but in spite of the opinion of many scholars
that it must be rendered "in all his epistle," i.e. in every
part of his epistle, it is safer to take it as an
exaggeration, "in all his epistles," justified to some
extent in the fact that besides Ephesians, Paul does mention
the Ephesian Christians in Rom (16:5); 1 Cor (15:32;
16:8,19); 2 Cor (1:8 f); 1 Tim (1:3) and 2 Tim (1:18). In
the opening address the connection with Eph 1:3-6 is too
close to be accidental. There are echoes of our epistle in
chap. i (Eph 6:1); ix (Eph 2:20-22); xviii (oikonomia, Eph
1:10); xx (Eph 2:18; 4:24); and in Ignat. ad Polyc. v we
have close identity with Eph 5:25 and less certain
connection with Eph 4:2, and in vi with Eph 6:13-17. The
Epistle of Polycarp in two passages shows verbal agreement
with Eph: in chap. i with Eph 1:8, and in xii with Eph 4:26,
where we have (the Greek is missing here) ut his scripturis
dictum est. Hermas speaks of the grief of the Holy Spirit in
such a way as to suggest Ephesians (Mand. X, ii; compare Eph
4:30). Sim. IX, xiii, shows a knowledge of Eph 4:3-6, and
possibly of 5:26 and 1:13. In the Didache (4) we find a
parallel to Eph 6:5: "Servants submit yourselves to your
masters." In Barnabas there are two or three turns of phrase
that are possibly due to Ephesians. There is a slightly
stronger connection between II Clement and Ephesians,
especially in chap. xiv, where we have the Ephesian figure
of the church as the body of Christ, and the relation
between them referred to in terms of husband and wife...
Link: https://bible-history.com/isbe/E/EPHESIA...
was written by the apostle St. Paul during his first captivity
at Rome, Ac 28:16 apparently immediately after he had written
the Epistle to the Colossians [COLOSSIANS, EPISTLE TO], and
during that period (perhaps the early part of A.D. 62) when
his imprisonment had not assumed the severer character which
seems to have marked its close. This epistle was addressed to
the Christian church at Ephesus. [EPHESUS] Its contents may be
divided into two portions, the first mainly doctrinal, ch. 1-
3, the second hortatory and practical.
Link: https://bible-history.com/smiths/E/Ephes...
was written by Paul at Rome about the same time as that to
the
Colossians, which in many points it resembles.
Contents of. The Epistle to the Colossians is mainly
polemical, designed to refute certain theosophic
errors that had
crept into the church there. That to the Ephesians
does not seem
to have originated in any special circumstances, but
is simply a
letter springing from Paul's love to the church
there, and
indicative of his earnest desire that they should be
fully
instructed in the profound doctrines of the gospel.
It contains
(1) the salutation (1:1, 2); (2) a general
description of the
blessings the gospel reveals, as to their source,
means by which
they are attained, purpose for which they are
bestowed, and
their final result, with a fervent prayer for the
further
spiritual enrichment of the Ephesians (1:3-2:10);
(3) "a record
of that marked change in spiritual position which
the Gentile
believers now possessed, ending with an account of
the writer's
selection to and qualification for the apostolate of
heathendom,
a fact so considered as to keep them from being
dispirited, and
to lead him to pray for enlarged spiritual
benefactions on his
absent sympathizers" (2:12-3:21); (4) a chapter on
unity as
undisturbed by diversity of gifts (4:1-16); (5)
special
injunctions bearing on ordinary life (4:17-6:10);
(6) the
imagery of a spiritual warfare, mission of Tychicus,
and
valedictory blessing (6:11-24).
Planting of the church at Ephesus. Paul's first and
hurried
visit for the space of three months to Ephesus is
recorded in
Acts 18:19-21. The work he began on this occasion
was carried
forward by Apollos (24-26) and Aquila and Priscilla.
On his
second visit, early in the following year, he
remained at
Ephesus "three years," for he found it was the key
to the
western provinces of Asia Minor. Here "a great door
and
effectual" was opened to him (1 Cor. 16:9), and the
church was
established and strengthened by his assiduous
labours there
(Acts 20:20, 31). From Ephesus as a centre the
gospel spread
abroad "almost throughout all Asia" (19:26). The
word "mightily
grew and prevailed" despite all the opposition and
persecution
he encountered...
Link: https://bible-history.com/eastons/E/Ephe...
By Paul, as Ephesians 1:1; Ephesians 3:1 prove. So Irenaeus,
Haer. 5:2-3; 1:8, 5; Clemens Alex., Strom. 4:65, Paed. 1:8;
Origen, Celsus 4:211. Quoted by Valentinus A.D. 120,
Ephesians 3:14-18, as we know from Hippolytus, Refut.
Haeres., p. 193. Polycarp, Epistle to Phil., 12, witnesses
to its canonicity. So Tertullian, Adv. Marcion, 5:17,
Ignatius, Ephesians 12, refers to Paul's affectionate
mention of the Christian privileges of the Ephesians in his
epistle. Paul, in Colossians 4:16, charges the Colossians to
read his epistle to the Laodiceans, and to cause his epistle
to the Colossians to be read in the church of Laodicea,
whereby he can hardly mean his Epistle to the Ephesians, for
the resemblance between the two epistles, Ephesians and
Colossians, would render such interchange of reading almost
unnecessary.
His greetings sent through the Colossians to the
Laodiceans are incompatible with the idea that he wrote an
epistle to the Laodiceans at the same time and by the same
bearer, Tychicus (the bearer of both epistles, Ephesians and
Colossians), for the apostle would then have sent the
greetings directly in the letter to the party saluted,
instead of indirectly in his letter to the Colossians. The
epistle to Laodicea was evidently before that to Colosse.
Ussher supposed that the Epistle to the Ephesians was an
encyclical letter, headed as in manuscripts of Sinaiticus
and Vaticanus, "To the saints that are ... and to the
faithful," the name of each church being inserted in the
copy sent to it; and that its being sent to Ephesus first
occasioned its being entitled the Epistle to the Ephesians.
But the words "at Ephesus" (Ephesians 1:1) occur in the very
ancient Alexandrinus manuscript and the Vulgate version.
The omission was subsequently made when read to
other churches in order to generalize its character. Its
internal spirit aims at one set of persons, coexisting in
one place, as one body, and under the same circumstances.
Moreover, there is no intimation, as in 2 Corinthians and
Galatians, that it is encyclical and comprising all the
churches of that region. After having spent so long time in
Ephesus, Paul would hardly fail to write an epistle
especially applying to the church there. For personal
matters he refers the Ephesians to Tychicus its bearer
(Ephesians 6:21-22); his engrossing theme being the
interest...
Link: https://bible-history.com/faussets/E/Eph...
