Ephesians
INTRODUCTION
EPHESIANS
WILLIAM L. LANE
In spite of the traditional heading, not much is known about the people to whom Paul wrote the letter “To the Ephesians.” The letter was delivered to its destination in Asia Minor by Tychicus, who, in Ephesians 6:21 and Colossians 4:7, is named as Paul’s representative. Presumably the Colossian letter was delivered at the same time since Paul states in similar language in both letters that Tychicus will tell the readers about Paul’s current situation as a prisoner in Rome.
Paul had no personal contact with the community addressed in Ephesians; the tone of the letter is impersonal. He knows of his readers’ faith in the Lord Jesus and of their love toward other Christians (1:15; 4:21). He assumes they have heard of the special work God has given him to do for their sake (3:2). The community appears to have been exclusively Gentile (see 2:11f.; 3:1; 4:17ff.,25 ff.).
Based on what Paul says in Ephesians and Colossians, we can reconstruct the situation that gave rise to this letter. While Paul was in prison in Rome, the need became acute for new materials with which to instruct converts in Asia Minor. It is likely that the apostle had already gathered material that had been written previously in anticipation of this need.
An impetus to write these letters was when Epaphras arrived in Rome and told Paul of a threat to Christian truth in the Lycus Valley (an area about 100 miles east of Ephesus in western Turkey which included the cities of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis). In response, the apostle wrote Colossians. At the same time the letter that we know as Ephesians may have been sent to Laodicea and an extra copy left at Ephesus, the center of Roman rule in Asia Minor. This would explain a reference to the Laodicean letter in Colossians 4:16.
If this assumption is correct, Ephesians (like Colossians) was a letter addressed to Christians in the Lycus Valley region. Its specific destination was Laodicea and its purpose was to foster Christian maturity. The apostle intended that Ephesians would be read at Colossae as well, and the copy left at Ephesus provided assurance that Paul’s directive would reach the greater part of the province.
The letter to the Ephesians was written in response to the newer religious philosophies sweeping the area—the mystery religions and incipient Gnosticism, which threatened to obscure the nature of salvation, the significance of the church and the cosmic dimensions of the sovereign plan of God.
Similarities between Ephesians and Colossians
Ephesians and Colossians are more similar in content, language and style than any other two New Testament letters. About 70% of Colossians is shared by Ephesians, while approximately 50% of Ephesians finds its parallel in Colossians. It is striking that when the portions of Ephesians that are also found in Colossians are removed, there remain sections of Ephesians that are distinctive and can stand alone:
1:3-14 An expanded blessing consisting of a single sentence.
2:1-10 A confessional summary of the new life in Christ, also consisting of a single sentence.
3:14-21 A prayer that Paul’s readers may understand the mystery of Christ.
4:1-16 An elaborate exhortation to unity supported by confession and Scripture.
5:8-14 An exhortation to walk in the light, concluding with a fragment of a hymn.
5:23-32 A theological explanation of the relationship between husband and wife, based on the mystical marriage of Christ.
6:10-17 An expanded exhortation to put on the armor of God.
These seven standalone sections show signs of careful preparation and had probably been penned before Ephesians was written. But they were integrated so well with the other portions of the letter that the only way we can recognize them as independent units is because we possess Colossians. It has been suggested that Paul had prepared these sections for instructing converts either prior to, or following, baptism. In their present context as part of Ephesians, they reminded the readers of the instruction they had received and the liturgy in which they had participated in order to encourage growth toward maturity.