Ephesians, Lesson One

Ephesians 1:1

1. Read the first verse of Ephesians and any footnotes linked to it. You should find that some early manuscripts do not have the word Ephesus in them, and that scholars therefore think that Ephesias was a circular letter, a letter that could be copied with different city names inserted where Ephesus appears.
2. Nevertheless, the text gives us a few clues about Paul's situation when he wrote it. Read 3:1, 4:1, and 6:21-22. What do these passages tell us about Paul's condition and about how he is sending the letter?
3. Now go to Colossians 4:7-12 and verses 16-17. Note the names of people Paul refers to in these verses. What does he say about these people? What connection is there with Ephesians 6:21-22?
4. Go to Philemon. Read verses 1-2 and 8-12. What connections are there between these verses and what we just read in Colossians and Ephesians?
5. Now list all the things we know from these passages about Paul's condition, his writings at this time, his messengers, his readers in various places?
6. These conditions do not fit anything recorded in the book of Acts, except perhaps some time shortly after its close; therefore, Paul must have written this letter, Colossians, and Philemon during an imprisonment, perhaps the one he experienced in Rome. He also, evidently, sent all three letters with a messenger, Tychicus, who was accompanied by Onesimus, a runaway slave, whom Paul had led to the Lord and was sending back to Philemon, who was part of a house church in Colosse, hosted by Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus.
7. To see a map of the area, go to http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/pauls-third-journey-map.html. Notice that Ephesus is a port city, a gateway to Asia Minor from the west. If you want to learn more about Ephesus, go to http://www.ephesus.us/.
8. Paul spent a year and a half in Ephesus. Read Acts 18:18 through Acts 19:41. Also read Acts 20:17-22. List everything you can about Paul's first visit to Ephesus in these passages, his longer stay, and his short farewell visit. What do you learn about Ephesus? What do you learn about Paul's activities in Ephesus?
9. Although this historical information about Ephesus is interesting, it doesn't affect our reading of the letter to the Ephesians too heavily because the letter was meant to be a circular letter and therefore did not make reference to local and temporal situations.

1. In the next lesson, we will begin to study the letter more closely. If you have a chance, read it, noticing that there is a natural break at 4:1. Before that, the letter is mostly doctrinal, teaching the readers about who they are in Christ. After 4:1, the letter is mostly exhortative, telling the readers how to live a life consistent with their identity.
2. Also notice that there are two prayers in the letter, one at the end of chapter 1 and one at the end of chapter 3. Although they are similar, Paul's request in each is slightly different--how so? and why is the difference important?
3. Finally, notice that Paul refers to the "heavenly realms" five times in this book: 1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12. What does he say about the heavenly realms in each case?