Ephesians

The letter to the Ephesians is not addressed to a specific church, but is written as a circular letter, a letter to be read in several churches. Many of the central ideas are very Pauline. Christians are reconciled to God by Jesus’ death on the cross (1: 7 and 5: 1-3). Salvation comes as a gift. It is not accomplished through obedience to religious law. Rather it results from belief in Jesus Christ (2: 7-10). Finally, ethical living flows from a spiritual revolution that takes place in the human heart. Christians become a new creation (4: 22-24). The letter contains a major focus on the type of living that results from this new self (4: 25-5:20).

Despite these similar themes, it is highly unlikely that the letter was written by Paul. To begin with, the writing style and vocabulary are very different from the language usage in the authentic letters. In Ephesians, the sentences are longer and far more complex than what is found in the authentic letters. Different expressions are also used in Ephesians. Saved by faith replaces justified through faith in the authentic letters. The church is also referred to in the singular. All churches are seen as one with Christ as the head (1:23). In the authentic letters, Paul did not write about a universal church, but several churches. When speaking of the church, Paul always used the plural.

There are also subtle differences in the ideas expressed. The conflict between Jews and Gentiles seems to be healed which suggests a later date for the letter after Paul’s death (2: 11-18). The view of marriage is greatly changed. Love between husbands and wives is described as a thing of beauty. The marriage between a man and a woman is compared to the relationship between Christ and the Church (5: 21-33). This exalted view contrasts quite sharply with Paul’s attitude in 1 Corinthians where he counsels couples not to get married unless they are unable to contain their sexual passion. Finally, Ephesians contains hints of a realized eschatology in which Christians participate in Christ’s resurrection now (2:4-6). This contrasts sharply with Paul’s view in the authentic letters that Christians are saved only in the future when Christ returns to meet them in the air.

Ephesians contains a wonderful vision of the Christian church (4: 1-16). It is the place where people are reconciled to God through mutual love. It is also the place where a realized eschatology is achieved. The mutual love practiced among the members is what defeats the forces of evil. Finally, the church is the body of Christ where members use their individual gifts to build up their brothers in Christ rather than to seek their own self aggrandizement.

The letter to the Ephesians claims to be written by Paul. It has a similar organizational scheme as the authentic letters with a greeting in the beginning, the main body of the letter, and comments of a personal nature at the end. Despite these similarities, the many differences from the authentic letters noted above, suggest that the author is probably a member of Paul’s school and not the apostle himself.