Overview
The letter to the Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul while he was serving his first two-year prison sentence in Rome AD 62
in responce to a visit by Ephaprus from Colosse. Ephaprus was a close contact of the apostle while Paul taught in Ephesis
five years earlier. At that time, Paul sent Ephaprus to proclaim the gospel in Colosse. While Ephaprus was teaching in Colossee,
Paul left Ephesis to travel to Jerusalem where he was arrested and deported to Rome for trial. Subsequently, Ephaprus visited the
apostle Paul while he was in prison with news regarding the state of the churches in the vacinity of, and includeing Colosee.
Ephesis is located fifty miles west of Laoadocea, and one hundread miles west of Colosse in modern
day Turkey(Also consider Acts 19:10). Moreover, this letter was among others delivered by Tychicus (Col 4:7; Phil 1:10). And while
the word "gospel" is only used four times in the letter to the Ephesians, careful examination of the context indicates
the substance throughout is a holistic explanation of the nature and scope of the gospel. This is clearly evident when
comparing Paul's placement and use of the word "mystery" relative to each other in the letter itself. Paul uses the term
three times: The mystery of his will (Eph 1:9); The mystery of Christ (Eph 3:4-6); and The mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:19).
In each case where the term is used it is implicity/explicidly connected with the gospel.
Click Here for specifics about the gospel and this letter.
Textual History The oldest manuscript of this letter predates the Council of Nicea,
is dated 200 CE, and is kept at the University of Michigan and Chestery Beatty Library
in Dublin, Ireland. The letter to the Ephesians is included among other epistles contained in the
ancient papyrus, and is located on pages 146-58 of P46. Also, Ephesians is included in
the
Muratorian fragment dated 180 AD, which is a list of the writings that were in wide-spead acceptance
throughout the ancient churches predating the P46 manuscript. It is noteworthy that both the P46 papyrus and the Muratorian Fragment
predates the Council of Nicea (325 AD), Carthage ( AD) and the
canonization of the New Testament.
Because the writings of the apostles were widely circulated and copied immediately after they were written, it would have
been impossible for any one person or group of persons to collect and then make identical changes to all existing copies of these epistles. For
such reasons as apostolic approval, wide-spread circulation and acceptance among the churches, Ephesians was included in the New Testament canon.
The links below will direct you to these sites, and images of this
manuscript. I have also included the English Greek intilenear for Ephesians, and concordance. These
resources will show that modern English translations of this letter are subtantially the
same, and has remained in tact. Combined with preserved writings of the early church leaders
citing passages that concurr with the same passages found in modern translations of the Holy Bible, we can have confidence in
its itegrity. We should also seriously heed the message of this letter
where the Apostle Paul emphasizes the need to perservere in the gospel by grace through faith
stating , ". . . if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out
in the gospel" (Ephesians ). Click here for more.
