Background information on the book of ephesians

Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. The western text indicates that paul had the use of the building from 11 a. Voted one of christianity todays 1995 books of the year. Paul identifies himself as a prisoner at the time of his writing ephesians 3. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. The mood of colossians is argumentative and controversial, that of ephesians clam and peaceful. Ephesians, colossians and philemon written at the same time.

The letter opens with a sequence of statements about gods blessings, which are interspersed with a remarkable variety of expressions drawing attention to gods wisdom, forethought and purpose. Ephesus forms an appropriate background to the book of ephesians because of this citys fascination with magic and the occult acts 19. The book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors, designed to ensure believers are living up to our heavenly calling. Ephesians executable outline study resources blue letter bible. Intro to colossians biblica the international bible. Ephesians background information fbc seguin students. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Purpose, background and structure posted on may 12, 2014 by matt dabbs 1 comment a few weeks ago, i started a wednesday night series on the book of.

The author of ephesians claims to be the apostle paul with. During this time he also wrote colossians and philemon. Ephesians 1 paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the. Paul is sending the slave onesimus back to his master philemon, in the care of tychicus. As in the past, this is a day where, duped by the ageold lie of satan, man still continues to. He also was a slaveholder whose slave onesimus had escaped, had later encountered the apostle paul, and had responded to the gospel message about jesus.

Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to god. 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. Ephesians, more than any other book, presents the purpose and plan of god for the church. Anderson dates the epistle to the same time circa ad 61 but places. One of the seven wonders of the world was in ephesus. Public activity ceased in the cities of ionia for several hours at. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. 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. In the letter to the colossians, paul addresses how our relationship to god through jesus christ affects us in the. Ephesians colossians philippians philemon paul remained in ephesus for nearly three years on his 3rd missionary journey. 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. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the. 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.

Keep a notebook handy with pencil to jot down questions, ideas and applications as you study ephesians. Introductory remarks because of the rising tide of human philosophies confronting us today, no new testament book speaks with more relevancy than does the epistle to the colossians. The other is an understanding of the cultural background of the passage youre reading. Only with the background can you grasp the authors original concerns and purposes. The author of the book of ephesus was the apostle paul.

This is part 1 of a versebyverse bible study series in ephesians. Early in the history of grace church, the history of john macarthur at grace church at least, it was obvious to me that god had something very special in mind for this church. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Not only do we live in an atomic and space age, but in the most technologically advanced age of all time. Author the apostle paul date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad.

Just put the appropriate words in your favorite search engine. If such is truly the case, then paul wrote ephesians around 6163 a. To understand and apply the bible well, you need two crucial sources of information. Paul wrote to expand the horizons of his readers, so that they might understand better the dimensions of god s eternal purpose and grace and come to appreciate the high goals god has for the church. The former is a letter of discussion and the latter is a letter of reflection. While paul was in prison he had been thinking about his work as an apostle. This audio sermon and transcript is entitled introduction and background, and is from the ministry of david legge, a christian preacher and bible teacher from belfast, northern ireland. Throughout history, ephesus survived multiple attacks and changed. The letter is addressed to the church in the city of ephesus, capital of the roman province of asia asia minor, modern turkey. Each packet in this series contains important background information on a specific biblical booksuch as authorship, date, setting, and book outlines gleamed from sources that are both rich and tested. Paul wrote that salvation can be attained by the grace of god and that it is through faith alone not by any other way, not.

New book study background to the book of ephesians. Carver described the book of ephesians as the greatest piece of. Translate, according to the greek order, i beseech you, therefore seeing that such is your calling of. Philemon was a citizen of colossae and an upright leader in that church. Introduction from the niv study bible go to ephesians. It is possible that paul could have written the letter when he was imprisoned at caesarea 9 acts 24. Audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our.

He also sent along the letter to the colossian church. He realized that christ came to unite himself with man, and unity was the core purpose of the book of ephesians. Tyrannus no doubt held his classes in the early morning. There are a number of good reference resources for finding background information and getting you started in the field of biblical studies. As we continue in our faith from day to day, month to month, and year to year, the temptation to get comfortable will always exist. Both acts and colossians provide important background information that elucidate the problems that paul and the early branches of the church faced. Introduction to colossians bible exposition commentary. Ephesians 5 background information with maps and images. Sermonarys bible background series is designed to help pastors and teachers study the setting and details behind every book in the bible. The end result is that the gospel spread from ephesus throughout asia minor ac.

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. Introduction to ephesians bible exposition commentary. Ephesians chapters wonderfully expound the gospel while ephesians chapters 46 provide a clear picture of how those doctrines change our lives. 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. The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities. Ephesians historical background 950 words bartleby. Watch our overview video on the book of ephesians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Ephesians 3 new international version niv gods marvelous plan for the gentiles. Galatia is not a city but a providence, that is a territory. Marcion included it in his canon, although under the title of laodiceans c. Some have argued that paul wrote colossians from ephesus or caesarea, but most of the evidence favors rome as the place where paul penned all the prison letters ephesians, colossians, philippians and philemon.

Ephesians bible study the christian church in the world. Style and genre in ephesians q m t qdonovan the authorship of ephesians is an increasingly open question in current discussion. For example, in chapters paul depicts the birth and purpose of the church while. The indication is that the epistles to the colossians, philemon and the ephesians were carried to their destination by tychicus and onesimus cf.

Colossians is somewhat tense to be more specific and concrete, while ephesians is more general and abstract. 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. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. The book of ephesians gives practical, encouraging advice on living a life that honors god, which is why its still relevant in a conflictridden world. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers. The book of ephesians survey and outline introduces, through with maps. Julian colorado christian university ephesians historical background we must understand ephesus if we want to understand the book of ephesians. Read the short background information for ephesians below. This morning we come for our bible study to a book that is indeed a treasure of mine and of every believer, the book of ephesians. Garland, general editors the expositors bible commentary revised edition ebcr seeks to provide a comprehensive yet succinct commentary that guides one to the gist of the tests meaning. This book sets forth one of the clearest presentations on the relation between positional truth and experiencing positional truth in ones life. Unlike several of the other letters paul wrote, ephesians does not address any particular error or heresy.

The book of romans introduces the epistles letters of the apostle paul in the new testament. Ephesians philemon the expositors bible commentary. Sunday school teacher bill cumbie begins a study on the book of ephesians. Research guides, handbooks, companions, and bibliographies will direct you to important resources for your topic. Paul may have written it about the same time as colossians, c. This time ive selected the amazing book of ephesians. 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.

The book of ephesians clearly leaves its mark among other bible books by displaying the powerful impact of the gospel of christ jesus in the individual and corporate life of believers. The purpose of the epistle, and to whom it was written, are matters of. Prior to writing his epistle to the ephesians in 6061 ad, paul had an established ministry in ephesus. Written in 6162, when paul was a prisoner in rome cf. Also known as the epistle to the ephesians, it is one of the prison epistles which the apostle paul wrote around 6062 a. The church of jesus christ is now the spiritual body of believers who represent christ on earth. Paul wrote to expand the horizons of his readers, so that they might understand better the dimensions of gods eternal purpose and grace and come to. These were the regions that were inhabited by celtic tribes known as galatia. Galatia encompassed some areas of southern asia and the central portion of asia minor. Bruce, in his commentary on the book of acts, provides us with some interesting information on the school of tyrannus. There are a huge number of sites on the internet that offer pictures of ephesus as it looks today and other background information. The book of ephesians is held in great reverence by both biblical scholars and lay people. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. Date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad.

All tradition takes the epistle as being pauline until it was first disputed by erasmus fifteenth century and by later eighteenthtwentieth century critics. To really jump ahead in your study of ephesians, complete our how to study a book of the bible lesson using ephesians as your subject. This helps explain pauls emphasis on the power of god over all heavenly authorities and on christs triumphant ascension as head over the church and over all things in this age and the next. Since clement of rome cites ephesians, it must be dated earlier than ad 95. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings and the verbal similarity of many parts to colossians, among other reasons, as grounds. Ephesians offers general instruction in the truths of gods. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and the surrounding region c. It is the longest of pauls letters, and the most indepth in addressing the central beliefs of the christian church.