Cape Town 2010

by Lindsay Olesberg

Authorship – The Apostle Paul

Saul of Tarsus (later known as Paul) was a devout Jew who aggressively persecuted the early church.  Acts 9 recounts the dramatic encounter he had with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus, which led to him becoming the primary missionary to the Gentiles.  Paul wrote letters of encouragement, exhortation, and instruction to many churches and individuals throughout the Roman Empire.

Audience – Churches throughout Asia Minor

The earliest manuscripts of the Greek New Testament have a blank space rather than the phrase “in Ephesus” in verse 1.  It is likely that the letter was intended to be circulated among the churches of the Asia Minor, which includes the church at Ephesus. The churches of Asia Minor (Rev. 2:1-3:22) were made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ.  They would have had access to the Hebrew Bible and be familiar with Greco-Roman culture. 

Date – AD 60-63

The letter was written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment (Eph.3:1; 4:1; 6:20), very close to the end of his life.   The other epistles written by Paul during this period are Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Many of the phrases and themes of Ephesiansare also found in Colossians. Both letters were carried by Paul’s associate Tychicus (Col.4:7; Eph.6:21).