ALLAHABAD BIBLE SEMINARY

60/64, STANLEY ROAD, PRAYAGRAJ.

UTTAR PRADESH

Assignment

Subject: BCM-NT (BOS16).

Topic: Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians
Submitted to: Mr. Lian Muan Kham Suante
Submitted by: Silvanus Ramdinmawia and Jackson Melbin Tutty.
Submitted on: 27th February, 2023
Class: B.D.O English

Introduction
Ephesians is the great Pauline letter about the church. It deals, however, not so much with a
congregation in the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor as with the worldwide church, which is to be
the instrument for making God’s plan of salvation known throughout the universe (Eph 3:4-10).
Yet this ecclesiology is anchored in God’s saving love, shown in Jesus Christ, and the whole of
redemption is rooted in the plan and accomplishment of the triune God. The language is often
that of doxology and prayer, indeed of liturgy and hymns. The letter is seemingly addressed by
Paul to Christian in Ephesus, a place where the apostle laboured for well over two years.
1. Author
It remains a fair possibility that Paul himself was the author of Ephesians. In that case, he must
have used a secretary—perhaps Timothy or Tychicus or someone like them—to whom he gave
an exceptional freedom in putting the letter in its present form. If the balance of probability tips
somewhat against Pauline authorship, what can be said about other possibilities? One may think
of Timothy, whose name, although found at the beginning of Colossians, is lacking at the
beginning of Ephesians. Or there is Tychicus, who is mentioned in 6:21, but in a way that perhaps
is too glowing for him to have written it himself.
We have already noted the hypothesis concerning Onesimus, who, although mentioned in
Colossians 4:9, is not mentioned in the close parallel, Ephesians 6:21–22. But the idea of Onesimus
as the author is extremely speculative. Appealing to the ideas, vocabulary, imagery, and perspective
shared by Ephesians and Luke-Acts, Ralph Martin suggests that Luke, who was present with Paul
in prison when he wrote Colossians (Col. 4:14), is the author of Ephesians. We are forced to admit
that if Ephesians was not by Paul, we do not know the gifted author of this remarkable book. He
probably was a Hellenistic Jewish Christian and a co-worker or disciple of Paul. It is probable, but
not necessary, that the author is someone whose name appears in the Pauline Letters.
There are also some interesting similarities between Ephesians and the thought world of Qumran
that have led to the bold conjecture that the author was a converted scribe of the Qumran
community. That Ephesians was written as an introduction to the Pauline corpus, whether by
Onesimus or someone else, remains an unprovable but intriguing hypothesis. 1

1
Donald A. Hangner, The New Testament A Historical and Theological Introduction (Michigan: Baker Academic
2012)500.
2. Occasion
We have little to go on when it comes to understanding what specific occasion might have let Paul
to write Ephesians. At the same time, one can imagine that, in a world deeply interested in spiritual
things and in a religiously pluralistic environment, Christians might have been tempted to
supplement their faith in Church in ways that would lead someone such as Paul to assert that
God’s plan is to bring all thing to their proper end in Christ, who is both source and locus of all
spiritual fullness. In a context where the church has become overwhelmingly Gentile. One can
imagine a Christian community needing to be reminded of the priority of Israel, of their status as
Gentiles, and of the astonishing work of reconciliation that God has willed to accomplish in the
life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
In a world that is often either ignorant of or indifferent to the claim of admonitions insisting that
Christian live together in a many worthy of their calling so that they might bear witness to the
world at large. The striking thing is that one can easily and with historical accuracy imagine such a
context both in Asia Minor between the years 60 and 80 and in Baltimore in the first decades of
the twenty-first century. I take to be the source both of the historically frustrating nature of
Ephesians and of its great theological promise. 2
3. Themes in the Letter.
1.1 The Greatness of God.
The letter begins with an exclamation of praising God. He is eulogized as the Father of the
Lord Jesus Christ and is magnified for all that he has done for his people in and through Christ
(Eph 1:3). Most notably, he has chosen for himself a people and has provided them with
redemption from bondage and forgiveness of sin. One of the most inspiring characteristics
about God is his great love which prompts him to act on behalf of his people (1:21-22). His
divine power is also brought into bold relief by his act of raising Jesus from the dead (Eph
1:19-20).3

1.2 The Exalted Christ.

This stems from Paul’s stress on the exaltation of Christ over all his enemies, especially the
principalities and powers (Eph 1:21-22) and Christ’s role in bringing all of history to
completion (Eph 1:10). This letter builds on Paul’s previous thought about the relationship of
Christ to his church by depicting him as the head of his body (Eph 1:23; 4:15-16) and ca
bridegroom that nourishes and cares for his bride (Eph 5:29).4

1.3 Salvation in its Present Dimension.

Ephesians is also often characterize as having a strongly realized eschatology. Although the
future aspect of eschatology is not totally absent (Eph 1:10,14; 4:30). There is a significant
stress on salvation as present. This clearly expressed in Ephesians 2:5,8 by the perfect tense of
sozo with the emphasis of the perfect on the present state of affairs: “you have been saved

2
Stephen E. Fowl, The New Testament Library Ephesians A Commentary (Louisville: Weatminster John Knox
Press 2012)28.
3
Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin, Dictionary of Paul and his Letters (England: Intervarsity
Press,1993),
246-247.
4
Ibid.
 and are saved.” It is also accented by the declaration that believers have been raised and exalted
with Christ (Eph 2:6). This represents a distinctive Pauline development on ideas already
present in Romans 6:1-13).5

1.4 The status of Believers.

Through use of the expression in church which occurs thirty-four times in Ephesians Paul
describes the corporate solidarity of believers with their resurrected and exalted Lord. The syn
(with) compounds also help express this notion, especially in Ephesians 2:5 he made as alive
with him. As people who are united with Christ, believers have redemption, forgiveness of
sins, a heavenly existence, access to the father, knowledge of the truth and the gift of the Holy
Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). 6

1.5 Apostle of the Gentiles.

In a lengthy digression Paul speaks about his apostolic ministry (Eph 3:1-13). He stresses that
he has been given the special responsibility of administering God’s grace to the Gentile (Eph
3:2,7,8). God revealed to Paul, as he did to all the apostles, his formerly secret plan to extend
his favour to the Gentiles through the work of Jesus, the Messiah. On this basis, Paul claims
special insight into the mystery, the saving plan of God disclosed in Christ. He does not want
his readers to be discouraged by his recent imprisonment or see it as the result of some crime;
he wants them to know that it was for his service to Christ and his ministry to them as Gentiles
(Acts 21:17-36; Rom 15:14-32).7
4. Date
The letter speaks of Paul as in prison (3:1; 4:1). This is usually taken to refer to his imprisonment
in Rome toward the end of his life, which would mean a date in the early 60s. Those who reject
Pauline authorship usually date Ephesians in the years 70–90, the period during which the Pauline
letters are thought to have been collected. If it was not written by Paul, it must belong to the
immediate post-apostolic period, but there are no criteria for locating it with precision. It cannot
be much later than about 90, for it seems to be referred to by Clement of Rome, who is usually
thought to have written his own letter c. A.D 96. 8
5. Purpose
There is no unanimity in understanding the letter’s aim. Clearly it is meant to give instruction to
the readers, but the instruction is not given in the way with which we are familiar from the Pauline
writings generally. But what is the occasion of this public speech?
Some point to a possible tension between Jewish and Gentile Christians and think Paul is trying
to secure unity. Others suggest that the letter is meant to instruct Gentile converts in important
aspects of their new faith. Some who date the writing later than Paul propose that it was written
to further the ecclesiastical interests of early Catholicism. Others have suggested that it is an
attempt to set out some of the greatest truths for which the early Christians stood. Faced with

5
Ibid.
6
Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, Dictionary of Paul and his Letters (England: Intervarsity Press,1993),
247.

7
Ibid
8
D. A. Carson & Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament (England: Zondervan 1992)486,487.
such diversity, some scholars give up altogether the attempt to find a single aim and think there
are several purposes behind the letter.
All this means that there is a solemnity about the letter and an absence of specifics that show that
it is devoted to a general articulation of what is profitable for believers. We must not specify a
concrete situation or a concrete problem and say that the letter is addressed exclusively to this. By
contrast, we may discern a heresy that is being countered by the epistle to the Colossians, but there
is no specific false teaching against which Ephesians is aimed.
Among the various theories that have been advanced, certain points of convergence are worth
noting: Gentile believers are primarily in view; although there is no concrete crisis that calls forth
this epistle, apparently Paul thought his readers needed to be exhorted to pursue unity and a
distinctively Christian ethic; there is an emphasis (begun in Colossians) on cosmic reconciliation
in Christ (cf. 1:9–10, 20–23; 2:10–22; 3:6);34 in general there is an effort to give Paul’s readers a
distinctively Christian identity. We can say that it is an important statement of the gospel that may
well have been greatly needed in more than one first-century situation.9

Conclusion
Ephesians are offers general instruction in the truth of God’s redemptive work in Christ; the unity
of the church among diverse people; and conduct in the church, the home and the world. The
message of Ephesians for the Church is that in that in Christ God has reconciled to himself all
things by his free grace, and in so doing he has enabled humans all over the world to be reconcile
with one another.

Bibliography
Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph. Marlin and Daniel L Reid. Dictionary of Paul and His Letter
ILLINOIS: IVP Academic 1993.

Stephen E. Fowl, The New Testament Library Ephesians A Commentary Louisville: Weatminster John
Knox Press 2012.

Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin, Dictionary of Paul and his Letters England: Intervarsity
Press,1993.

D. A. Carson & Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament England: Zondervan 1992

9
D. A. Carson & Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament (England: Zondervan 1992)490,491.