It was written around 60ad during pauls house arrest in rome. 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 largest and most trusted library of audio sermons from conservative churches and ministries worldwide. The letter states that it is from paul, writing from prison, however some commentators are not convinced due to its difference in style, different use of words such as church, and theological differences from other pauline letters. Clement followed this preface with the full text of ephesians 4. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Sprouls work, the following are five of the most helpful commentaries on the book of ephesians. This summary of the book of galatians provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of galatians.
Specific instructions for christian living ephesians 4. 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. I admit, however, that the external evidence preponderates with a manifest excess on the side of the received reading. Ephesians places the burden of proof on contrary hypotheses. The old testament books of the minor prophets bear the authors names as well. Ephesus was the chief city of the coastal area of asia minor. The four new testament gospels were penned by matthew, mark, luke, and john. The name, in ephesus, in the first verse, upon which word singly depends the proof that the epistle was written to the ephesians, is not read in all the manuscripts now extant. The epistle of paul to the colossians, or simply colossians, is the twelfth book of the new testament. The epistle to the ephesians is the most mystical of pauls epistles. Nevertheless, it is a question with at least some relevance to interpreting the books.
However, this was probably a circular letter, intended for other churches. As god used romans to instigate the reformation, he will use ephesians to reunite splintered churches and christendom. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ephesians tyndale new testament commentaries book 10. This book has been called the crowning jewel, or capstone, of pauls theology. Further, the differences between ephesians and other nondisputed pauline letters do not involve contradictions on the most critical readings. Similarly, tertullian, who wrote at the very beginning of the third century, had this to say in his work against marcion book 5, chapter 17. I dont think opponents to pauline authorship come close to putting ephesians with the apocryphal books, so i cant deny its pauline authorship.
The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. Oct 14, 2017 the book of psalms, commonly referred to simply as psalms or the psalms, is the first book of the ketuvim writings, the third section of the hebrew bible, and a book of the christian old. For a collection of focused courses that will deepen your familiarity with pauls prodigious new testament writing, see the mobile ed. In this article well be looking at the arguments offered on both sides. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to paul the apostle but starting. He defends a traditional view of pauline authorship, pointing out that the problems created by pseudonymity are quite difficult, perhaps more so than the problems associated with pauline authorship. Colossians and ephesians present a different problem. The letter is addressed to the church in the city of ephesus, capital of the roman province of asia asia minor, modern turkey. I recommend this volume to anyone who is not familiar with the basic themes of this epistle. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our. 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.
The new international biblical commentary is a conservative treatment of the scriptures. The book of ephesians was very likely written between a. This volume on ephesians, colossians, and philemon begins with an introductory section which discusses the origin, authorship, purpose, and contents of these letters. Book ii peter, king james bible by scourby bible media. Alexander scourby was the first to record the king jams bible on audio in the early 1950s. Ephesians 1 paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the. He would have also had a decent familiarity with palestine before the destruction of the temple in ad 70, and would have been familiar with the jewish way of life. The arguments which have been made against it since that time, as identified in obriens commentary, are as follows. 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. Colossians aims at presenting the head of the church christ, ephesians focuses on the body of christ the church. In fact, pauline authorship was not questioned until the late 18 th century. The author of the book of ephesus was the apostle paul. The hypostasis of the archons, written sometime in the third century, cites the same verse and attributes the book of ephesians to paul.
Ephesians tyndale new testament commentaries book 10 kindle edition by foulkes, francis. The book of psalms, the holy bible, complete audiobook youtube. For a brief time at the end of his second missionary journey, and then for more than two years on his third missionary journey, paul ministered to the church at ephesus acts 18. Biblical scholars are divided over the authorship of ephesians and colossians. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry new. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. Apr 18, 2009 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. Ephesians tyndale new testament commentaries book 10. The book of ephesians is a letter from paul to christians at ephesus. Some critics think that the book reflects aspects of vocabulary, style, and doctrine that differ from pauls writings. They are differences of emphasis, not substance and reflect logical trajectories in pauls thought e. 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. It deals, however, not so much with a congregation in the city of ephesus in asia minor as with the worldwide church, the head of which is christ, the purpose of which is to be the instrument for making gods plan of salvation known throughout the universe eph 3.
Dec, 2008 ephesians is a profound book, and our own dr. 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. Many scholars claim that paul did not write ephesians. For this reason, the authorship of a particular letter is secondary to establishing the meaning and use of the book. But whereas colossians focuses on christ of the church, ephesians focuses on the church of christ. The opening verse identifies the author of galatians as the apostle paul.
Yet the pauline authorship of ephesians has been greatly disputed in recent years. Because the name ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript, some scholars believe the letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated and read among all the churches in asia minor and was simply. Added to this is the fact that ephesians copies large chunks of colossians. Most early writers spoke of the epistle as having been addressed to the ephesians. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Karl barth on the authorship of ephesians and colossians. This is the audio only version of nt343 book study. This letter is one of pauls four imprisonment letters.
But now he has reconciled you by christs physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusationif you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. 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. In the early church, all who speak on the subject of authorship ascribe it to paul. Paul, who is designated as the sole author at eph 1. Epistles to the colossians, to philemon, and to the ephesians. This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme. Dec 01, 2002 hoehner also probably gives the most robust defense of pauline authorship of ephesians of any commentary over 100 pages.
Paul names himself as the author of the epistle to the ephesians ephesians 1. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers. Nov 27, 2009 to deny pauline authorship of a book in the bible is to challenge its authority as scripture. The apostle paul claimed authorship of of the 27 books of the new testament. Although many have recorded the bible over the years, no one could ever match scourbys unparalleled and majestic reading. This is the holy book of ephesians, known as the epistle of paul the apostle to the ephesians.
Twice in this epistle paul referred to himself by name as the author of the book eph. Irenaeus explicitly identifies paul as the author of ephesians, as does marcion. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. Introduction to the gospel of john study resources. Paul referred to himself by name as the writer of this book twice cf. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1.
All of the great themes of paul started in galatians, developed in romans, and are now expressed in ephesians in a wonderful summary fashion. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Introduction to the book of colossians learn religions. Journey through the book of ephesians as orator and author heather hair brings the bible to life in this 6day reading plan. Watch our overview video on the book of ephesians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
And writing to the ephesians, paul has unfolded in the clearest manner the point in question, speaking to the following effect. In the 19th century, however, some thought that the heresy refuted in ch. To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. To deny pauline authorship of a book in the bible is to challenge its authority as scripture. Overview of the book of ephesians reformed answers to.
As ive preached through ephesians over the past two years, ive benefited from hoehner in many ways, and have read almost all of the. The recording is dramatized, from the king james bible. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of god. This is the holy book of ephesians, known as the epistle of paul the. The church has been brought from death to life in christ. 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. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. The authorship of the remaining 10 books of the new testament belong to the disciples of jesus christ. 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. E phesians is one of the most encouraging books in the new testament.
Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to paul the apostle but, starting in 1792, this has been. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings. Ephesians is regarded by many as the loftiest pinnacle of the new testament, and yet is also a practical manual for personal combat. 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. Style and genre in ephesians q m t qdonovan the authorship of ephesians is an increasingly open question in current discussion. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings and the verbal similarity of many parts to colossians, among other reasons, as grounds for doubting authorship by the apostle paul. The holy bible book 49 ephesians kjv dramatized audio. Bruce pays particular attention to the geographical issues related to each letter, while also noting the jewish influences and the theological issues brought out in.
Authorship the apostle john is usually credited with the authorship of the fourth gospel. The clear external evidence pointing to paul as the author of ephesians places the burden of proof on contrary hypotheses. They early church was not only closer to the situation but also they were very astute in their judgment of genuine and fraudulent compositions. Paul spent more time there than any other city about three years. 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. I offer the following commentary and summary for ephesians in this article. I have begun to see an incredible love story, written by a loving god, and expressed by a man given the grace by this god, to love a people that in his earlier life, he could not have even had a meal with.
Prior to writing his epistle to the ephesians in 6061 ad, paul had an established ministry in ephesus. The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1. The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities. Book of ephesians esv listen audio bible online bible study tools. Because the name ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript, some scholars believe the letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated and read. Answering bible contradictions, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations. Even though some critics have denied the pauline authorship of ephesians, largely because of the vocabulary, style, and doctrine it contains, the early church accepted it without dispute. Sproul has himself written a very helpful introductory level commentary on it titled the purpose of god. It is regarded by some as the highest conceptual ground in the new testament. This is a lengthy commentary on ephesians over 900 pages, but well worth the purchase. 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. As for ephesians, colossians and the pastoral letters, i am of the opinion that most likely all of them were written by paul. 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. You learn more about the christian way of life, christians unity in christ.
I see the book of ephesians and for that matter its author, paul, as more than theology. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham. The author except for the pastorals, ephesians has the worst credentials for authenticity, in critical circles, among all of pauls epistles. The book of ephesians the holy bible complete chapters 1. Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians 3. Summary of the book of ephesians story of the bible. 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. Life on doctrine introduction to the book of ephesians. First of all, the author had to have been an eyewitness of the ministry of jesus 1.
In the epistle to the romans, paul writes from the point of view of the demonstration of the righteousness of godhis covenant faithfulness and saving justicein the gospel. The book of colossians is very similar to that of ephesians, in fact both books have passages with similar themes and phrases. The author of the book of ephesians refers to church as the body of christ and presents the case for how united we are in purpose for what he describes as christs greatest accomplishment. The epistle of paul the apostle to the ephesians from the holy bible new international version niv book 49 please note we have increased the volume and the pitch of the audio for a. 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. His introduction to ephesians is more brief than others on this list, but it is quite efficient. Ephesians is the great pauline letter about the church. As for ephesians, colossians and the pastoral letters, i am of the. Book of ephesians, king james bible audiobook by scourby.