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. Ephesians was written by paul when imprisoned in rome. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. The book of ephesians is held in great reverence by both biblical scholars and lay people.
In the book of acts, the history of church at ephesus begins with the ministry of paul on his second missionary journey, as recorded in acts. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and the surrounding. 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. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. The others are philippians, colossians, and philemon. Ephesians summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of ephesians for bible study or sunday school lessons. The city of ephesus was a large commercial port city in asia minor present day turkey located at the. Greetingpaul, an apostle of jesus christ by the will of god,to the saints who are in ephesus, and faithful in christ jesus. Ephesians the story of god bible commentary kindle edition. Grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ.
Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. The book of ephesians was written to gods holy people in ephesus ephesians 1. Watch our overview video on the book of ephesians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Carver described the book of ephesians as the greatest piece of. Ephesians 1, new king james version nkjv the bible app. Ephesians bible book with full chapters king james version. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. Paul names himself as the author of the epistle to the ephesians ephesians 1. 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. It had a harbor that at that time opened into the cayster river see map, p.
To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. Summary of the book of ephesians bible history online. Carver described the book of ephesians as the greatest piece of writing in all history and english poet samuel taylor coleridge called it the. Ephesians 3 niv bible for this reason i, paul, the.
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. You will receive a periodic newsletter with links to our newest articles and features. He realized that christ came to unite himself with man, and unity was the core purpose of the book of ephesians. The book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors. Ephesus was the most important city in western asia minor now turkey. Ephesus was an ancient port city whose wellpreserved ruins are in.
The church of jesus christ is now the spiritual body of believers who represent christ on earth. Overview of the book of ephesians reformed answers to. The bible book of ephesians with full chapters, footnotes and bible commentary to aid your bible search, reading, and study. His ministry may have appeared to have been hindered. Ephesians the story of god bible commentary kindle edition by mark d. Unlike several of the other letters paul wrote, ephesians does not address any particular error or heresy. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers. Let us consider, then, the characteristics of the book of ephesians.
It was during this time that paul sat in rome undergoing his first roman imprisonment ephesians 3. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. For this reason i, paul, the prisoner of christ jesus for the sake of you gentiles surely you have heard about the administration of gods grace that was given to me for you. While paul was in prison he had been thinking about his work as an apostle. 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 disciple to sum up pauls teaching and to apply it to a new situation fifteen to twentyfive years after. Ephesians sets forth what no other book of the new testament describes so completely the nature of the body of christ, which is the true church. Greek was the common dialect of the roman world, spread originally by alexander the great. The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new.