Exegesis on Ephesians
Exegetical Paper of Ephesians 2:14-22 In Ephesians 2:14-22, Paul writes a letter to the people of Ephesus both Jews and Gentiles of the time, telling them that Christ had broken down the wall of hostility so that they can live in peace and unity. Within this paper, there will be an extensive exegetical look at the history of the passage; what the significance of this passage is to the biblical audience, and the differences between the biblical audience and today’s audience. By studying this passage, people today can grasp the meaning and apply it to their lives.
Historical Context
The City of Ephesus was a city of wealth, and was impacted by Christians greatly for centuries. “Ephesus was founded by Ionian Greeks at a location where the Cayster River emptied into a gulf of the Aegean Sea” (Elwell 709). It was the most important city in Asia and there were many Jews who lived there (Douglas 461; Elwell 710). It had been a city for about 1000 years; before the arrival of the apostle Paul and it had many important land structures that made it a well-structured city. There were many places that made this City important, like the Sea access, market places, Civic buildings, wealthy houses, shops, libraries, fountains and small theaters (Doubled as a council chamber for city for city officials). The main theater held 20,000 people and it was a large cultural item that had a lot of importance and significance to the Ephesians. The harbors were also very important because it was Ephesus’s major entrance for importing and exporting goods (Elwell 709-710).
Throughout Acts, Paul goes to the synagogues many times to preach about the Kingdom of God, but as a result people reject his message. So Paul would go to different places with the believers to preach about Jesus, and God equips him with the power to preform unusual miracles. The name of the Lord started becoming known to many people, resulting in people repenting and God moving (Acts 19 NLT).
One temple in
Historical Context
The City of Ephesus was a city of wealth, and was impacted by Christians greatly for centuries. “Ephesus was founded by Ionian Greeks at a location where the Cayster River emptied into a gulf of the Aegean Sea” (Elwell 709). It was the most important city in Asia and there were many Jews who lived there (Douglas 461; Elwell 710). It had been a city for about 1000 years; before the arrival of the apostle Paul and it had many important land structures that made it a well-structured city. There were many places that made this City important, like the Sea access, market places, Civic buildings, wealthy houses, shops, libraries, fountains and small theaters (Doubled as a council chamber for city for city officials). The main theater held 20,000 people and it was a large cultural item that had a lot of importance and significance to the Ephesians. The harbors were also very important because it was Ephesus’s major entrance for importing and exporting goods (Elwell 709-710).
Throughout Acts, Paul goes to the synagogues many times to preach about the Kingdom of God, but as a result people reject his message. So Paul would go to different places with the believers to preach about Jesus, and God equips him with the power to preform unusual miracles. The name of the Lord started becoming known to many people, resulting in people repenting and God moving (Acts 19 NLT).
One temple in
Cited: Beaumont, Mike. Holman Illustrated Guide to the Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2007 Douglas, J. D., and N. Hillyer. The Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity, 1980. Print. Elwell, Walter A., and Barry J ESV Student Study Bible. N.p.: Collins, 2011. Print. Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas K Tour. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print. Orr, James. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1939