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Introduction and Background to the Letter to the Ephesians

Ephesus was the center of Paul’s missionary work in the province of Asia, now western Turkey. Paul first visited the city on his second missionary journey, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila, who remained in the city to continue the work while Paul continued on to Jerusalem (Acts 18:18-22). On his third missionary journey, Paul stayed in the city for about three years (Acts 19:10).

It is strange that the letter to the Ephesians does not contain any greetings to the Christians of Ephesus, whom Paul must have known very well. In addition, there are three passages in the letter that give the impression that the writer and the recipients know each other only by hearsay (Ephesians 1:15, 3:2, and 4:21). The reader gets the impression that Paul is not writing to a familiar congregation, but to some unknown group of Christians. Could the letter have been written to the church in Ephesus? - Apparently not.

A Circular Letter?

Several theories have emerged about the background of the letter. The easiest solution would be that Paul did write to Ephesus, but focused his message on those who had become Christians only after his departure. But why would Paul do so in this letter, when he does not do so in any of his other letters?

Marcion, a heretical opponent of the early church, considered the letter to the Ephesians to be the lost letter to the Laodiceans (compare Col 4:16). The church in Laodicea was also "strange" to Paul. However, it has been asked why Paul would have wanted those two churches to exchange two such similar letters. Some Christians have always found it difficult to accept that some of Paul's literary production had been lost, but that is just the way it is, after all, only the second and fourth letters of the Corinthians have survived to us. No manuscript of Ephesians mentions Laodicea as the recipient of the letter, so the theory must be rejected.

The most common explanation is probably the one that is correct, namely that Epistle to the Ephesians is not a letter sent to one church, but is intended as a circular to several churches (compare Epistle to the Galatians). In fact, a few early manuscripts completely omit the mention of recipients in verse 1:1.

Also, the fact that Paul does not relate to any specific problem or controversy in the letter suggests that it could be a circular. Some think that it is a sermon, but then the mention of Tychicus in verses 6:21-22 would be problematic.

Paul's Spiritual Testament

Bishop Bo Giertz describes the letter as a "contemplative prayer". The letter differs from other Pauline letters in style. Some have even characterized the letter as Paul's spiritual testament.

The main message of the letter is the importance of the church. A Christian is not only a child of God but also a member of God's family - the church. Our time emphasizes individuality; we often speak of "my image of God", etc. But in the Bible, faith is born and always lives in the community of believers.

The letter was probably written during the Roman captivity (compare Eph 3:1 4:1, 6:20), so the time of writing is the early 60s.