Epistle to the Ephesians

Certain NT passages present challenges to the modern reader in regard to the their content and their implications for contemporary life. Two of these more difficult passages are the household codes of Ephesians and Colossians, which discuss the role of slaves in the early Christian households. These have come under significant scrutiny, particularly from more skeptical critics, as they appear to "endorse" slavery, or at the very least, indicate an archaic, irrelevant religion. The most pressing difficulty for the interpreter is "how can such instructions be reconciled with the liberating message of the cross?" The present paper seeks to engage this question. By locating the passages in their socio-historical setting, it will be suggested that Paul's advice to these slaves is in fact a radical challenge to reinterpret their present situation as an opportunity to worship Christ.

SUMMARY
This study traces some lines of theological-biblical and pastoral reflection on the ecclesial «ministry» of the Christian family, founded on the sacrament of the marriage. A Christian family becomes a «domestic Church» to the extent that the spouses, through their total, faithful, indissoluble and fruitful love, participate in Christ’s love and make it visible to their children, to the Christian community and also to those who no longer understand the «language» of the Church.

SOMMARIO
Il presente studio traccia alcune linee di riflessione teologico-biblica e pastorale sul «ministero» ecclesiale della famiglia cristiana, fondata sul sacramento del matrimonio. Una famiglia cristiana diventa una «Chiesa domestica» nella misura in cui gli sposi, con il loro amore totale, fedele, indissolubile e fecondo, prendono parte a quello di Cristo e lo rendono visibile ai figli, alla comunità cristiana e anche a coloro che non comprendono più la «lingua» della Chiesa.

Ephesians 2:11-22 is not only the heart of the book of Ephesians but is also central in understanding Pauline Christology and ecclesiology. Through an exegetical analysis of Ephesians 2:11-22, this article explores how the Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ have been reconciled to God and one another, thus creating one new community. The pericope situates Jesus at the center of this newfound unity and peace. Paul argues that the Gentiles were formerly separated from Christ and alienated from Israel (vv.11-12). But now, through the blood of Christ, they have been brought near (v.13) and united with the Jews into a new community. Consequently, the saved Gentiles and saved Jews are now fellow citizens and members of God's household (vv.19-22). The implication of this act of reconciliation is a peaceful and united church where alienation, cultural prejudices, disunity, and discord do not exist. Through Christ, there is peaceful coexistence and unity in the one new multiethnic community, the church.

Enfin, mes frères et soeurs, fortifiez-vous dans le Seigneur et dans sa force toute-puissante. Revêtez-vous de toutes les armes de Dieu afin de pouvoir tenir ferme contre les manoeuvres du diable. En effet, ce n'est pas contre l'homme que nous avons à lutter, mais contre les puissances, contre les autorités, contre les souverains de ce monde de ténèbres, contre les esprits du mal dans les lieux célestes. C'est pourquoi, prenez toutes les armes de Dieu afin de pouvoir résister dans le jour mauvais et tenir ferme après avoir tout surmonté. Tenez donc ferme : ayez autour de votre taille la vérité en guise de ceinture ; enfilez la cuirasse de la justice ; mettez comme chaussures à vos pieds le zèle pour annoncer l'Évangile de paix ; prenez en toute circonstance le bouclier de la foi, avec lequel vous pourrez éteindre toutes les flèches enflammées du mal ; faites aussi bon accueil au casque du salut et à l'épée de l'Esprit, c'est-à-dire la parole de Dieu. Faites en tout temps par l'Esprit toutes sortes de prières et de supplications. Veillez à cela avec une entière persévérance et en priant pour tous les saints. Priez pour moi afin que, lorsque j'ouvre la bouche, la parole me soit donnée pour faire connaître avec assurance le mystère de l'Évangile. C'est pour lui que je suis ambassadeur dans les chaînes. Priez que j'en parle avec assurance comme je dois le faire.

Published in Colloquium 48/1 2016, the article looks at Eph 5:21 to 6:9 arguing that the emphasis of Paul's household code falls on the Paterfamilias. This is argued on the basis that the household code moves from wives, children, and slaves to the paterfamilias as husband, father, and master. The code gives a renewed vision of what it means to be male shaped cruciformly.

Long, Fredrick J. “Ephesians: Paul’s Political Theology in Greco-Roman Political Context.” Pages 255–309 in Christian Origins and Classical Culture: Social and Literary Contexts for the New Testament. Edited by S. E. Porter and A. W. Pitts. The New Testament in its Hellenistic Context. Leiden: Brill, 2012.

The Greek text of Ephesians 1:1 features an amazing textual variation that centers on the destination of the letter, which location is found nowhere else throughout the book. Many of the earliest and best NT manuscripts display a complete absence of the prepositional phrase "in Ephesus", except for its later scribal insertion into the margin of a couple of them, leading to the need for the challenging task of successfully resolving the question of the variant's authenticity. This thesis explores the external evidence, then the internal evidence (both transcriptional and intrinsic probabilities), in an attempt to establish confidently whether the variant is indeed original, or actually spurious. A crucially foundational chapter on the praxes of textual criticism, with the aim of determining which praxis rises above the others as the most reliable method for solving textual variants, is included.

A. Perícopa 1. La perícopa está en el libro de Efesios el capitulo 2, delimitada entre los versos 11 al 22 1 B. Argumentos 1. Antes de la perícopa: Los versos antecedentes, Efesios 2:1 al 10, desarrollan el tema del perdón por la Gracia de Cristo.

The epistle to the Ephesians is considered one of the finest theological treatises in the New Testament. Its contents reveal the plan of the Father, expressed in a Trinitarian nature, to unite all as His chosen and root them in the knowledge of His love for them and what He has given them. Christ was sent as the enabler of this unification and those who have received His salvation have been granted a seat with Him in the heavenly places. The goal of this paper is to reveal distinctives of Ephesians despite its close association to Colossians. To do this, background of the writing, structure and theological issues will be examined.

Comentario exegético que expone la teología de la bendición (Berakhah - Eulogía) presentada y "cristificada" por el autor de la Epístola a los Efesios con dos fines: 1) considerar su relación con la historia de la teología; 2) dibujar algunas consideraciones sobre las implicaciones de la teología de la bendición sobre la desacralización de la visión secular del mundo, sobretodo en el ambito urbano actual. Al final, se propone una relectura del concepto de sacramentalidad del mundo, arraigado en el principio de bendición; una bendición que solamente encuentra en Cristo su principio de culminación porque tiene sus raíces en la creación.

This article examines the exegesis and history of exegesis of Eph. 4:11-12 to engage whether these verses allow for the popular interpretation of the theology and practice of “lay ministry.” “Lay ministry” is defined throughout the article as lay people who are not Called or ordained, but may be licensed by a district or congregation to publicly preach and administer Sacraments. The history of exegesis, as to why Eph. 4:11-12 has been used for lay ministry is shown, going back to the mid-20th century with the World Council of Churches, Markus Barth, and D. T. Niles. The popular Confessional Lutheran argument against lay ministry from Eph. 4:11-12 using the “comma” between key phrases, is looked at but ultimately challenged. However, a key argument against lay ministry is found exegetically analyzing the term καταρτισμὸν in Eph. 4:12, in which it is argued that the lay ministry popular interpretation has misunderstood and misinterpreted.

This journal article examines the use of the word "church" in Ephesians and determines that it refers to the universal church. The paper examines the Pauline metaphors and descriptions of the church in Ephesians: saints, the body of Christ, the fullness, one new man, citizens, the household of God, a holy temple, the whole family in heaven and earth, children and children of light, and the "bride of Christ."

The anarthrous construction "en pneumati" in Ephesians 5:18 presents an interesting dilemma for one seeking to interpret this prepositional phrase correctly in its context. Many have taken it to be "with the Spirit", signifying that the reader is commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, as the content of the filling. Others have taken the phrase as "by the Spirit", signifying that the reader is commanded to be filled with something (i.e. whatever the context would demand) by means of the Holy Spirit. Still fewer have interpreted the phrase to mean "in spirit", signifying that the author is instructing the reader to be filled (with whatever) in the realm of the spirit, as opposed to being filled in the realm of the flesh (i.e. by wine, to the point of drunkenness, which is dissipation). The present study is an attempt to solve this interpretive dilemma by thoroughly examining the many uses of the phrase in the LXX, the GNT, and most importantly in the book of Ephesians.

There are four ways in which the phrase ―θαζαξίζαο ηῷ ινπηξῷ ηνῦ ὕδαηνο ἐλ ῥήκαηη‖ has been interpreted by several scholars. These are the following: (1) baptism imagery, (2) redemption imagery, (3) cleansing by the Word, and (4) cleansing through the Holy Spirit. Due to the different interpretations that exist of the phrase ―θαζαξίζαο ηῷ ινπηξῷ ηνῦ ὕδαηνο ἐλ ῥήκαηη‖ in Eph 5:26, there were three objectives of this study. First, this study sought to understand the meaning of this phrase using historical-grammatical method of analysis. Second, an analysis of the broader context of the passage in the other significant passages, in the New Testament, and the Old Testament was conducted to understand the broader context of washing. Third, some implications were drawn of the findings of the study.
The meaning that was determined from the analysis of the passage was a cleansing imagery that points to Christ’s salvation and redemption, as proclaimed by the word God. This was consistent with the syntactical and the grammatical analysis, the context of the passage, and the context of Ephesians. Paul was seen to be comparing the sacrificial love of Christ towards the church, in His death, with the love that the husband’s should have for their wives. This expression was preferred above all the other interpretation.
The major contribution was also seen in the biblical context, where washing was used primarily as a metaphorical imagery of the cleansing that Christ gives, to those who believe in the New Testament. Second in the Old Testament, washing in relation to moral impurity was related to repentance and cleansing imagery as well. Though it was clear that no ablutions could cleanse one of their moral impurities, the washing that was effected by God upon believers was seen as having a cleansing effect to their moral iniquities. Furthermore, some texts suggested a messianic hope of this cleansing, which was to be fulfilled in Jesus. There were also some theological implications that were seen as the result of the study. These were in relation to some themes in soteriology, especially in relation to baptism. Second, some implications were seen in the roles of husband and wife.

This essay argues that the background of the temple, and particular priestly and levitical activities, explain the logic of Eph. 5.18-21. After setting this text in context and addressing various proposed backgrounds, the proposal of this essay is initially examined in relation to the imperative to be filled ἐν πνεύματι in 5.18, which I argue is a dative of content. After seeing how this fits within the temple themes of the letter, the immediate context is explored to show how similar motifs continue to emerge. In particular, the prohibition of drunkenness is seen in relation to the desire for priests to abstain from alcohol while serving in the temple. The worship that ensues in the first four participles (5.19-20) that are dependent on the imperative to be "filled" (5.18) are similarly seen to be inspired by priestly and levitical actions, since singing was primarily relegated to the temple setting and to a particular levitical office within the cult. This is then finally situated in relation to the subsequent Haustafel, which is also grammatically subordinated to the imperative in 5.18. The Haustafel contributes to this scene by highlighting how, in the domestic context of early Christian house churches, the gathering was believed to be sacred space in which the church was a temple made of priests who were filled with the Spirit and praised God. In such corporate settings of worship, drunkenness is not to be permitted.

Long, Fredrick J. “Ephesians: Paul’s Political Theology in Greco-Roman Political Context.” Pages 255–309 in Christian Origins and Classical Culture: Social and Literary Contexts for the New Testament. Edited by S. E. Porter and A. W. Pitts. The New Testament in its Hellenistic Context. Leiden: Brill, 2012.

Paul not only introduced ethical monotheism,  scriptural religion, and teleology  to the Roman world, he also pioneered the rich and fruitful universe of personal belief. He was the first to familiarize ‘Western’ minds with the emotional and intellectual universe that moderns call ‘individual consciousness and belief.’ This contribution has not received proper credit due to our intuitive inclusion of beliefs and values within the realm of religion and to our (modern) awareness of ‘individual belief.’

However, for first-century Romans, belief (i.e., the beliefs of individuals) was to a large extent an unknown and unappreciated component of the human cognitive and religious experience. Individual belief was of no concern to the Roman authorities, religious or secular. The focal point of Roman life, culture, and religion were actions and deeds—not the beliefs of individuals. Religion was largely cultic. To most Romans, religion was a ritual act of allegiance with few requirements or implications. Beliefs and values, so central to moderns, were part of philosophy, not of religion.

St. Augustine is considered by many to be the first existentialist of the Western tradition for his early investigation of inner consciousness. However, after studying Paul, I consider him to be the true precursor of the Western exploration of individual religious introspection.  Paul’s emphasis on individual belief must have been novel and empowering. Moreover, by gravitating to the Gentile world, Paul became one of the great trans-cultural figures.

By distilling the Jewish message to its essence and by choosing belief as the delivery vehicle, Paul designed one of the most effective campaigns in the history of trans-cultural theological transfers.  ‘Sola Fide’ (by belief alone), Paul’s doctrinal battle cry, turned out to be the perfect channel, the perfect vehicle for the penetration of the Roman cultural and psychological defenses for it ‘delivered’ the essence of Judaism to his target audience.

Individual belief, as understood by moderns, was an under-developed and consequently unprotected, dimension in Roman religious thought. By concentrating on belief, Paul fashioned an intellectual and religious Trojan horse that targeted an open flank in the Roman armor. Paul’s message did penetrate the Roman cultural and emotional defenses, without activating the defense mechanisms that protect sacred tenets. Paul’s emphasis on belief must have been revolutionary. The notion that the beliefs of every individual were the arena where the drama of salvation unfolded must have been exhilarating in a society where individual freedom, regardless of class, was very limited. Furthermore, the idea that individual belief not only mattered, but was ‘the’ essence of human existence and the only measure for salvation, must have been an inspiring insight. For the first time in Western history what each individual believed was crucial. We can only imagine the great impact that this encounter must have caused in the Roman mind.

On the other hand, Judaism was too alien, demanding, and idiosyncratic for most. ‘Selling’ Judaism to the Romans would have necessitated a multi-dimensional overhaul of Roman society and was destined to fail. Paul understood that Judaism’s customs and traditions were a stumbling block on the path to bringing the Pagan masses to righteousness.  Similar to the Muslim, Hindu, and Parsee religions, first-century Judaism was a wide-ranging worldview of prescriptions and regulations that governed the totality of individual and community life.  Although (mostly) respectful of Judaism and intrigued by it, most Romans would not embrace it.

My reading emphasizes Paul’s confrontation with fellow Jewish followers of Jesus and their Gentile sympathizers. What incenses Paul is the opposition of some among the founding fathers to his de-Judaized interpretation of Jesus’s legacy. What ‘they’ (the Jerusalem leadership and their Gentile sympathizers) ‘reject’ and ‘do not understand’ is not belief in Jesus, but Paul’s version of it. Contrary to the traditional view (Paul’s theology as grounded in his theological confrontation with establishment Judaism),  I see the integrity of the Jesus movement and its fidelity to Torah as the central issues at stake.  Since Paul was expecting an imminent second coming (Rom. 8:18) it seems that his ministry was not aimed at the creation of a new religion. Nonetheless, in retrospect, we can see that Paul’s ministry was the beginning of a new religion that developed ambivalent attitudes towards Jews and Judaism. Both may have been unintended. As to the Jewish dimension, I see no clash between the historical Paul and mainstream Judaism. Paul’s confrontation was with the Jewish leadership of the Jesus movement,  not with ‘external’ Jews.

Developing from Girolamo Zanchi’s exegetical labors through Ephesians, Spiritual Marriage draws readers into the rich theological of doctrine of union with Christ. Following the lead of the apostle Paul, Zanchi demonstrates how our earthly marriages fulfill their truest purpose by drawing our attention toward the spiritual marriage between Christ and His Church. By paying attention to the Genesis account of Adam’s marriage to Eve, to pertinent Old Testament laws, and to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, we begin to understand something of that higher and heavenly union. This new translation helps us better understand the great mystery of Christ and His bride.

Author: Christy Hemphill
Publisher: CBE International

The primary task when considering Paul's assertion, “the husband is the head of the wife,” should be discovering the meaning of this head-and-body metaphor, not arguing for an extended metaphorical sense of half of the metaphor.

Author: Gordon D. Fee
Publisher: CBE International

I begin this discourse with a disclaimer, since the title suggests far more than one can deliver in a limited amount of space. It suggests far more knowledge about this topic than I actually have—indeed, it is safe to say that there is much more that we don’t know about these things than we actually do. What I hope to do is to offer a few probings into the cultural background of this passage—which has become such a crux for people on both sides of the issue of whether there is a divinely ordained hierarchy in the life of the church and home, based on gender alone.

Kilala si Ignatio ng Antioquia bilang martir ng Kristiyanismo na maaaring namatay sa pagitan ng ika-90 at ika-110 taon pagkatapos ng kamatayan ni Kristo. Habang pinapadala siya sa Roma, dumaan siya sa iba't ibang lungsod ng Impiryo kung saan sumulat siya ng pitong liham sa mga tagong Iglesia; isa na dito ang liham niya sa mga Kristiyanong taga-Efeso.
Ang mga pangunahing tema ng mga sulat ni Ignatio ay may kinalaman sa pagsunod sa mga obispo at pari ng Iglesia at ang pananabik niya na maging martir. Maliban pa rito, isang hindi masyadong napapansing bahagi ng sulat ni Ignatio ang malinaw na pagtawag niyang Diyos kay Kristo. Iginigiit ng tagasalin na maaaring bahagi si Ignatio ng Johannine School na nagpapahayag ng katulad na paniniwala.

How was the relation between social identity and behavior norms constructed in the early Christ-movement? How did the Christ-believers in the early Christ-movement experience their identity “in Christ” as both causing and requiring certain behaviors?
The purpose of this study is twofold: First, I will discuss how the cognitive sciences can provide a theoretical framework to answer the questions above. The aim is to provide an analytical perspective, which is founded on cognitive research on how human minds handle identities and behavior norms. Second, I will apply this framework to the Pauline letter to the Ephesians in order to present a new understanding of the letter, particularly of the relation between identity and behavior norms as expressed in the text. In the analysis of Ephesians, I will also discuss the potential group dynamic effects of Ephesians, assuming hypothetically that its construction of identity and behavior norms was embraced by local communities of Christ-believers.

There is a lot of speculation between scholars on the authenticity of some Pauline letters. Some scholars are of the opinion that certain of the New Testament letters do not have Pauline authorship. Most of their arguments for doubting whether Paul was indeed the author or not rest mainly on factors such as tone, style and vocabulary.
Of the 13 New Testament letters written by Paul, 6 of them are argued not to be of Pauline authorship: 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus. This assignment will discuss the arguments given by Asumang (2010) against various objections