Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary

© 2002 by Harold W. Hoehner

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

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Ebook edition created 2013

Ebook corrections 12.22.2014, 02.16.2017

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ISBN 978-1-4412-1055-5

Scripture is taken from the Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th Revised Edition, edited by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger in cooperation with the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Münster/Westphalia, © 1993 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. Used by permission.

and from

The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition, edited by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger in cooperation with the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Münster/Westphalia, © 1993 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. Used by permission.

Dedicated to our children and their spouses

Stephen and Stacy Hoehner

Susan and Darin McFarland

David and Caren Hoehner

Deborah Hoehner

Who love our Lord and serve him

in various parts of the world

Contents

Cover

Title

Copyright Page

Dedication

Preface

Abbreviations

Commentaries

Introduction

Authorship of Ephesians

Structure and Genre of Ephesians

City and Historical Setting

Purpose of Ephesians

Theology of Ephesians

Bibliography Regarding Authorship

Commentary on Ephesians

I. The Calling of the Church (1:1–3:21)

A. Prologue (1:1–2)

B. Praise for God’s Planned Spiritual Blessings (1:3–14)

C. Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation (1:15–23)

D. New Position Individually (2:1–10)

E. New Position Corporately (2:11–22)

F. Parenthetical Expansion of the Mystery (3:1–13)

G. Prayer for Strengthened Love (3:14–21)

II . The Conduct of the Church (4:1–6:24)

A. Walk in Unity (4:1–16)

B. Walk in Holiness (4:17–32)

C. Walk in Love (5:1–6)

D. Walk in Light (5:7–14)

E. Walk in Wisdom (5:15–6:9)

F. Stand in Warfare (6:10–20)

G. Conclusion (6:21–24)

Excursuses

1. Textual Problem in Ephesians 1:1

2. Views and Structures of Ephesians 1:3–14

3. In Christ

4. Election

5. A Study of πλήρωμα

6. Mystery

7. Household Code

8. Slavery in Ρaul’s Time

Author Index

Scripture Index

Notes

Back Cover

Preface

This commentary has a long history. It was originally part of a series that was discontinued. Although it later became part of a new commentary series from another publisher, the commentary became too long and no longer fit within that series. Finally, Baker Academic agreed to publish it as a stand-alone commentary, and for this I am grateful.

Several things need to be addressed. First, word studies gained a great impetus with the papyri discoveries beginning in the last half of the nineteenth century. Although there was much discussion on the subject, which sometimes led to excesses, James Barr gave necessary cautions that (1) while the etymology of a word provides a history of the word, it does not signify the word’s meaning in various periods of history and (2) the meaning of a word must also be derived from its context rather than given one meaning for all contexts, which he labeled as illegitimate totality transfer.[1] Thus, the synchronic study of words came to the forefront, but one should not entirely forget the diachronic study of words.[2] Another caution concerns the earlier part of the twentieth century when there was a tendency to see little overlap in the meaning of synonyms, whereas in more recent times there is a tendency to see virtually no difference between them. Does it not make more sense to see that synonyms do overlap but they do not have identical meaning? The shades of meaning may be slight and not of much, if any, significance in some contexts, but still their distinctions should not be totally ignored in every instance. The word studies in this commentary are both diachronic and synchronic. I started with LSJ and discovered the classical sources of a word. Then I investigated the sources and reviewed the usage in classical times. Normally, I used the Greek text of the Loeb Classical Library. Only on rare occasions—when I was not able to obtain a work—did I use a secondary source. (I translated the primary sources except where I have specifically mentioned a translator.) Then I used the Accordance software program to search for and analyze the word(s) in the LXX, MT, NT, and Qumran. I mention the number of times the Greek word is used in the LXX and the number of the times it is found in the canonical books of the OT because these books are a translation of the Hebrew text. Certainly, there was hesitancy in selecting a Hebrew word from among many Hebrew words. My intent was to show how it was generally rendered in the OT and then move on to the NT. In the NT I attempted to see how the word was used generally and then how it was used by Paul, especially in his later life.

Second, regarding textual criticism, I used a reasoned eclectic approach. When considering external evidence, I gave more weight to geographical distribution than some. When I first began working on this commentary, I used the textual apparatuses of UBS³ and NΑ²⁶, but I have revised my work to comply with the textual apparatuses of UΒS⁴ and NA²⁷. Surprisingly, the new editions of these textual apparatuses brought many changes. Beyond these apparatuses, I used textual information that is mentioned by Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2d ed. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994). I tried to be consistent in the use of symbols whether I used UΒS⁴ or NA²⁷. There are still some inconsistencies. For example, when relying solely on NΑ²⁷, I used the symbol 𝔐, but when using UΒS⁴, I used the symbol Byz [K L P]. However, when a textual variant in NA²⁷ was not in UΒS⁴, I used the comments in the Textual Commentary, hence the symbols may be inconsistent with those used in ΝΑ²⁷. Also, I gained help from the commentaries on Ephesians by the church fathers, namely, Ambrosiaster, Chrysostom, Jerome, Oecumenius, Origen, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret, and Theophylact (based on Migne’s text).

Third, I decided not to include a bibliography (aside from the list of commentaries and the bibliography on authorship at the end of the introduction) because it would have added one hundred pages to the commentary. Hence, in the footnotes, I gave full bibliographical data the first time a work was cited. In later references to the same work, I listed only author’s last name, title or short title, and page number. The exceptions to this are the works in the list of abbreviations. When referring to commentaries, I gave only author’s last name and page number; full bibliographical data is given in the list of commentaries. I should note a few commentaries that may cause confusion. Bruce has produced two commentaries on Ephesians, but I used only his latest one (except in the introduction, where I used both with regard to authorship). Although there are three editions of Dibelius’s commentary (1912, 1927, 1953), I used the latest edition, Dibelius-Greeven (except in the excursus of 1:3–14, where he first developed the division of the passage in his 1927 edition, and in his treatment of the household codes, which was first developed in his 1912 edition). Martin has written three commentaries on Ephesians. Outside the introduction, I cite two of them and distinguish them as Martin, Ephesians, in The Broadman Bible Commentary and Martin, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Also, Mitton’s works could be confusing since he has a commentary entitled Ephesians and a treatise on the authorship of the letter entitled The Epistle to the Ephesians: Its Authorship, Origin and Purpose. When I cited his commentary, I listed his last name and the page number, and when I cited the latter work, I gave his last name, the short title The Epistle to the Ephesians, and a page number. When I have a question mark after an author’s pagination, there is some doubt of the author’s support.

Fourth, in regard to the order in listing publications, I typically put the most important work(s) first. After that, I listed the other works in chronological order of publication date to give a sense of history of interpretation. In the listing of commentaries, I do place Schnackenburg (1991) before Bruce (1984) and Lincoln (1990) because I started with the German edition (1982) and later changed the pagination to the English version (1991).

Fifth, with reference to the biblical text, I normally referred to the passages in the English text but noted the differences in the MT or the LXX. This is all based on Accordance versification. I used the English titles of the books rather than LXX’s titles. For example, I employed 1 Sam rather than 1 Kgdms or Ezra and Neh rather than 2 Esdr. Whenever I use an equal sign (e.g., Matt 12:4 = Mark 2:26 = Luke 6:4), it refers to a parallel passage, usually in the Synoptics. In the listing of scriptural passages, I first cited the most relevant passages, followed by other passages in canonical order. Whenever I place a question mark after a passage of Scripture, I had some doubt regarding its use for that particular instance.

Sixth, when quoting other works, I followed the abbreviations, transliterations, and spellings of the work cited even when they differed from what is used in this commentary

Seventh, it is with deep gratitude that I express my appreciation to the following organizations and people: Dallas Theological Seminary for the generous sabbatical program that enabled me to devote concentrated time to the commentary; the libraries and librarians of Dallas Theological Seminary, Tyndale House, and University Library at Cambridge; Darrell L. Bock, my colleague, for reading the first five chapters at a very early stage and for his suggestions; my son, David, who read parts of the commentary and offered suggestions; and Professor Best for sending me offprints of all his recent articles. I further wish to express my appreciation to the following people who have helped me in various ways, namely, Markus Ν. A. Bockmuehl, Michael H. Burer, David J. A. Clines, Dorian G. Coover-Cox, Buist M. Fanning III, Donald R. Glenn, Trudy Goff, Wayne A. Grudem, Scott Hafemann, George W. Knight III, William Mounce, Peter T. O’Brien, Stanley E. Porter, Robert Reymond, Judith Siegel, Moisés Silva, Stephen Spencer, Eduard M. Vandermass, Daniel B. Wallace, and Bruce W. Winter. Finally, I wish to express my deeply felt appreciation to my beloved wife, Gini, who read through the entire commentary at least twice, offering suggestions for stylistic changes that enhance clarity.

Abbreviations

Pseudepigraphy

Qumran/Dead Sea Scrolls

Josephus

Philo

Rabbinic Literature

Commentaries

In this work I have referred to commentaries on Ephesians only by the author’s last name and page number with the exception of Martin who wrote more than one commentary on Ephesians. Although Bruce wrote two commentaries on Ephesians, only the 1984 edition is used in this commentary. In the commentaries below, pagination within brackets signifies the pages which discuss the authorship of Ephesians.

Abbott, T. K. Α Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians and to the Colossians. ICC, ed. S. R. Driver, A. Plummer, and C. A. Briggs. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1897, lxiv+191 [ix–xxxi].

Aletti, Jean-Νοël. Saint Paul Épître aux Éphésiens: Introduction, Traduction et Commentaire. EBib, vol. 42. Paris: Gabalda, 2001 [1–38].

Alford, Henry. The Greek New Testament: With a Critically Revised Text: Α Digest of Various Readings: Marginal References to Verbal and Idiomatic Usage: Prolegomena: and a Critical and Exegetical Commentary. 5th ed., vol. 3. London: Rivingtons, 1871, 6–26, 68–151 [6–10] [1st ed., 1856].

Allan, John A. The Epistle to the Ephesians. Torch Bible Commentaries, ed. John Marsh, David M. Paton, and Alan Richardson. London: SCM, 1959 [14–23].

Ambrosiaster. In Epistolam Beati Pauli ad Ephesios. PL, vol. 17. Paris: Excudebatur et Venit Apud J.-P. Migne Editorem, 1845, 371–404.

Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. Translation and introduction by Matthew L. Lamb. Albany, Ν.Υ.: Magi Books, 1966.

Barclay, William. The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians. Rev. ed. The Daily Study Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976, 61–185 [61–71] [1st ed., 1956].

Barth, Markus. Ephesians: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary on Chapters 1–3. AB, ed. William Foxwell Albright and David Noel Freedman, vol. 34. Garden City, Ν.Υ.: Doubleday, 1974 [36–50].

———. Ephesians: Translation and Commentary on Chapters 4–6. AB, ed. William Foxwell Albright and David Noel Freedman, vol. 34A. Garden City, Ν.Υ.: Doubleday, 1974.

Beare, Francis W. The Epistle to the Ephesians. In The Interpreter’s Bible, ed. George Arthur Buttrick et al., vol. 10. New York: Abingdon, 1953, 595–749 [597–605].

Beet, Joseph Agar. A Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and to Philemon. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1890, 2–5, 9–13, 271–380 [9–13].

Belser, Johannes Evang. Der Epheserbrief des Apostels Paulus. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herdersche Verlagshandlung, 1908 [1–6].

Bengel, John Albert. Gnomon of the New Testament. Originally brought out by M. Ernest Bengel, completed with corrections by J. C. F Steudel, 7th ed. Vol. 4, Containing the Commentary on the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I. and II. Thessalonians, I. and II. Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews. Translated by James Bryce. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1877, 61–118 [61–62] [1st published in 1742].

Best, Ernest. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ephesians. ICC, ed. J. A. Emerton, C. E. B. Cranfield, and G. N. Stanton. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1998 [6–36].

Bouttier, Michel. L’Épître de Saint Paul aux Éphésiens. Commentaire du Nouveau Testament, ed. J. Zumstein et al., vol. 9B. Genève: Labor et Fides, 1991 [24–35].

Bratcher, Robert G., and Eugene A. Nida. A Translator’s Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. London: United Bible Societies, 1982.

Braune, Karl. The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians. Translated with additions by M. B. Riddle. A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical, with Special Reference to Ministers and Students, ed. John Peter Lange and Philip Schaff, vol. 7. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1870 [8–10] [German ed., 1867, 6–7].

Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Ephesians. A Verse by Verse Exposition. London: Pickering & Inglis, 1961 [11–19].

———. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. NICNT, ed. F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984, 227–416 [229–46].

Caird, G. B. Paul’s Letters from Prison (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon) in the Revised Standard Version. New Clarendon Bible, ed. H. F. D. Sparks. London: Oxford University Press, 1976, 9–94 [11–29].

Calvin, [Jean]. The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. Translated by T. H. L. Parker. Calvin’s Commentaries, ed. David W. Torrance and Thomas F. Torrance. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans; Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1965, 121–224 [121–23] [1st published in 1548].

Chadwick, Henry. Ephesians. In Peake’s Commentary on the Bible. Edited by Matthew Black and H. H. Rowley. London: Thomas Nelson, 1962, 980–84 [980–82].

Chafer, Lewis Sperry. The Ephesian Letter Doctrinally Considered. Findlay, Ohio: Dunham; London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1935 [13–17].

Chrysostom, S. John. Ὑπόμνημα εἰς τὴν πρὸς Ἐϕεσίους ἐπιστολήν [In Epistolam ad Ephesios Commentarius]. PL, vol. 62. Paris: Excudebatur et Venit Apud J.-P. Migne Editorem, 1862, 9–176.

———. Homilies on Epistle of S. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians. Translated by members of the English Church. A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church Anterior to the Division of the East and West, vol. 6. Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1840, 99–381.

Conzelmann, Hans. Der Brief an die Epheser. In Die Briefe an die Galater, Epheser, Philipper, Kolosser, Thessalonicher und Philemon, 15th ed. NTD, ed. Gerhard Friedrich and Peter Stuhlmacher, vol. 8. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1981, 86–124 [86–88] [9th ed., 1962, 56–58].

Dahl, Nils Alstrup with Donald H. Juel. Ephesians. In The HarperCollins Bible Commentary, ed. James L. Mays et al., rev. ed. San Francisco: Harper-SanFransico, 2000, 1113–20 [1113–14].

Dale, R. W. The Epistle to the Ephesians. Its Doctrine and Ethics. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1883 [11–16].

Davies, J. Llewelyn. The Epistles of St. Paul to the Ephesians, the Colossians, and Philemon. 2d ed. London: Macmillan, 1884 [9–26] [1st ed., 1866, same pages].

Dibelius, Martin. An die Kolosser, Epheser, an Philemon. 3d ed. rev. by Heinrich Greeven. HNT, ed. Günther Bornkamm, vol. 12. Tübingen: Mohr, 1953, 54–100 [56–57, 59–60, 63, 78, 83–85, 91–92, 99] [1st ed., 1912, 95–125 (96–97, 99–100, 109, 113–14, 119, 125)].

Dodd, C. H. Ephesians. In The Abingdon Bible Commentary. Edited by Frederick Carl Eiselen, Edwin Lewis, and David G. Downey. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1929, 1222–37 [1223–25].

Donelson, Lewis R. Colossians, Ephesians, First and Second Τimothy, and Titus. Westminster Bible Companion, ed. Patrick D. Miller and David L. Bartlett. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster/John Knox, 1996, 57–114 [60–61].

Eadie, John. A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians. 3d ed. Edited by W. Young. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1883. Reprint, idem. Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d. [xx–xlix] [1st ed., 1854, xiii–xxxvi].

Ellicott, Charles J. St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: with a Critical and Grammatical Commentary, and a Revised Translation. 5th ed. London: Longmans, Green, 1884 [xi, xvi] [1st ed., 1855, v].

Erasmus’ Annotations on the New Testament: Galatians to the Apocalypse. Edited by Anne Reeve and M. A. Screech. Studies in the History of Christian Thought, ed. Heiko A. Oberman et al., vol. 52. Leiden: Brill, 1993, 591–619 [591, 595]. [Originally published: Erasmus of Rotterdam. In Novum Testamentum Annotationes. Basel: Froben, 1519].

Ernst, Josef. Die Briefe an die Philipper, an Philemon, an die Kolosser, an die Epheser. Regensburger Neues Testament, ed. Otto Kuss. Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 1974, 245–405 [245–63].

Ewald, Paul. Die Briefe des Paulus an die Epheser, Kolosser und Philemon. Kommentar zum Neuen Testament, ed. Theodor Zahn, vol. 10. Leipzig: A. Deichert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1905, 13–266 [13–53].

Findlay, G. G. The Epistle to the Ephesians. The Expositor’s Bible, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1892 [3–18].

Foulkes, Francis. The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary. 2d ed. The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, ed. Leon Morris, vol. 10. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989 [22–48] [1st ed., 1963, 17–40].

Gaugler, Ernst. Der Epheserbrief. Auslegung neutestamentlicher Schriften, ed. Max Geiger and Kurt Stalder, vol. 6. Zürich: EVZ-Verlag, 1966 [3–14].

Gnilka, Joachim. Der Epheserbrief. Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament, ed. Alfred Wikenhauser, Anton Vögtle, and Rudolf Schnackenburg, vol. 10: Fasc. 2. Freiburg: Herder, 1971 [1–52, esp. 1–21, 45–49].

Gore, Charles. St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: A Practical Exposition. London: John Murray, 1898 [6–19, 43–45].

Graham, Glenn R. An Exegetical Summary of Ephesians. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc., 1997.

Grosheide, F. W. De Brief van Paulus aan de Effeziërs. Commentaar op het Nieuwe Testament, ed. F. W. Grosheide, vol. 9. Kampen: N. V. Uitgeversmaatschappij J. H. Kok, 1960 [5–9].

Harless, G. Chr. Adolph v. Commentar über den Brief Pauli an die Ephesier. 2d ed. rev. Stuttgart: Liesching, 1858 [xvii–lxxviii] [1st ed., 1834].

Haupt, Erich. Die Brief an die Epheser. In Die Gefangenschaftsbriefe, 7th ed. KEK, ed. W. Schmidt, vol. 8. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1897, 38–86 [54–74]; 1–259.

Hendriksen, William. Ephesians. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1967 [32–56].

Hitchcock, George S. The Epistle to the Ephesians: An Encyclical of St. Paul. London: Burns and Oates, 1913 [12–25].

Hodge, Charles. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians. New York: R. Carter and Brothers, 1856. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954 [ix–xvii].

Hoehner, Harold W. Ephesians. In Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1983, 613–45 [613–14].

Holmes, Mark A. Ephesians: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. Edited by Ray E. Barnwell et al. Indianapolis, Ind.: Wesleyan Publishing House, 1997 [12–15].

Houlden, J. L. Paul’s Letters from Prison: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians. The Pelican New Testament Commentary, ed. Dennis Nineham. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1970, 233–341 [235–56].

Hübner, Hans. An Philemon. An die Kolosser. An die Epheser. HNT, ed. Andreas Lindemann, vol. 12. Tübingen: Mohr, 1997, 129–277 [11–12, 272].

Hugedé, Norbert. L’Épître aux Éphésiens. Genève: Labor et Fides, 1973 [9–10].

Jerome. Commentoriorum in Epistolam ad Ephesios. PL, vol. 26. Paris: Venit Apud Editorem, 1845, 439–554.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. Invitation to the ΝΤ Epistles III: A Commentary on Colossians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy 2 Timothy, and Titus with a Complete Text from the Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y: Image Books, 1980, 71–136 [17–22].

Johnston, George. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. Century Bible, new ed., ed. H. H. Rowley and Matthew Black. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1967, 4–27 [4–7].

Karavidopoulos, Ioannes D. Ἀποστόλου Παύλου ἐπιστολὲς πρòς Ἐϕεσίους, Φιλιππησíους, Κολοσσaεῖς, Φιλήμονα. Ἑρμηνεία Καινῆς Διαθήκης, ed. I. Karavidopoulos, I. Galanis, and P. Vassiliadis, vol. 10. Thessaloniki: Pournaras, 1981 [50–55] [1973 ed., 347–52].

Kitchen, Martin. Ephesians. New Testament Readings, ed. John Court. New York: Routledge, 1994 [4–7].

Klöpper, Albert. Der Brief an die Epheser. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1891 [9–35, esp. 9–17].

Koehler, John Ph. A Commentary on Galatians and Paul’s Rhapsody in Christ: A Commentary on Ephesians. Edited by Paul Hensel and Hans Koch. Translated by Gerhard Ruediger and Elmer E. Sauer. Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Publishing House, 2000, 161–529 [163–65, 177–79] [German ed., 1936].

Kreitzer, Larry J. The Epistle to the Ephesians. Epworth Commentaries, ed. Ivor H. Jones. Peterborough: Epworth, 1998 [21–30].

Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians to the Ephesians and to the Philippians. Columbus, Ohio: Lutheran Book Concern, 1937. Reprint, Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1961, 325–668 [336–43].

Liefeld, Walter L. Ephesians. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, ed. Grant R. Osborne, D. Stuart Briscoe, and Haddon Robinson. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1997 [14–20].

Lincoln, Andrew T. Ephesians. WBC, ed. David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker; New Testament, ed. Ralph P. Martin, vol. 42. Dallas: Word, 1990 [xlvii–lxxiii].

Lindemann, Andreas. Der Epheserbrief. Züricher Bibelkommentare, ed. Hans Heinrich Schmid and Siegfried Schulz, vol. NT 8. Zürich: Theologischer Verlag, 1985 [9–16].

Lock, Walter. The Epistle to the Ephesians with an Introduction and Notes. Westminster Commentaries, ed. Walter Lock and D. C. Simpson. London: Methuen, 1929 [11].

Luther, Martin. Die Briefe an die Epheser, Philipper und Kolosser. D. Martin Luthers Epistelauslegung, ed. Eduard Ellwein, vol. 3. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1973, 11–174 [passim] [1st published in 1530–45].

Luz, Ulrich. Der Brief an die Epheser. In Die Briefe an die Galater, Epheser und Kolosser, by Jürgen Becker and Ulrich Luz, 18th ed. NTD, ed. Peter Stuhlmacher and Hans Weder, vol. 8/1. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1998, 105–80 [108–9].

MacDonald, Margaret Y. Colossians and Ephesians. Sacra Pagina Series, ed. Daniel J. Harrington, vol. 17. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2000 [15–17].

Mackay, John A. God’s Order. The Ephesian Letter and this Present Time. New York: Macmillan; London: Nisbet, 1953 [10–14].

Macpherson, John. Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1892 [32–44].

Martin, Ralph P. Ephesians. In The New Bible Commentary, ed. D. Guthrie et al. London: Inter-Varsity, 1970, 1105–24 [1105–6].

———. Ephesians. In The Broadman Bible Commentary, ed. Clifton J. Allen, vol. 11. Nashville: Broadman; London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1971, 125–77 [125–31].

———. Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, ed. James Luther Mays; New Testament ed. Paul J. Achtemeier. Atlanta: John Knox, 1991, 1–79 [2–6].

Masson, Charles. L’Épître de Saint Paul aux Éphésiens. Commentaire du Nouveau Testament, vol. 9. Neuchatel: Delachaux & Niestlé, 1953 [226–28].

Meinertz, Max., and Fritz Tillmann. Die Gefangenschaftsbriefe des Heiligen Paulus. 4th newly rev. ed. Die Heilige Schrift des Neuen Testaments Übersetzt und Erklärt in Verbindung mit Fachgelehrten, ed. Fritz Tillmann, vol. 7. Bonn: Peter Hanstein, 1931, 50–106 [50–61] [1st ed., 1917, 43–91 (43–52)].

Meyer, Heinrich August Wilhelm. Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Epistle to the Ephesians and the Epistle to Philemon. 4th ed. Translated by Maurice J. Evans, trans. rev. and ed. by William P. Dickson. Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1895, 1–353 [1–30] [German ed., 1843].

Mitton, C. Leslie. Ephesians. New Century Bible ed. Ronald E. Clements (OT) and Matthew Black (NT). London: Oliphants, 1976 [2–32].

Morris, Leon. Expository Reflections on the Letter to the Ephesians. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994 [10–12, 28–30, 83–85, passim].

Moule, H. C. G. The Epistle to the Ephesians. Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, ed. J. J. S. Perowne. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1886 [22–29].

Murray, J. O. F. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians. Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges, ed. R. St John Parry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1914 [ix–lxxvi].

Mußner, Franz. Der Brief an die Epheser. Ökumensicher Taschenbuchkommentar zum Neuen Testament, ed. Erich Gräßer and Karl Kertelge, vol. 10. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 1982 [17–18].

O’Brien, Peter T. The Letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary, ed. D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999 [4–21, 37–47].

Oecumenius. Παύλου ἀποστόλου ἡ πρὸς Ἐϕεσίους ἐπιστολή [Pauli Apostoli ad Ephesios Epistola]. PL, vol. 118. Paris: Excudebatur et Venit Apud J.-P. Migne Editorem, 1864, 1169–1258.

Olshausen, Hermann. Biblical Commentary on St Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. Translated by Clergymen of the Church of England. Clarks Foreign Theological Library, vol. 21. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1851, 109–284 [117–22] [German ed., 1840, 4:126–31].

Origen. In Epistolam ad Ephesios. PG, vol. 14. Paris: Excudebatur et Venit Apud J.-P. Migne Editorem, 1862, 1297–98.

Patzia, Arthur G. Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians. Good News Commentary New Testament, ed. W. Ward Gasque. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984, 102–271 [102–22].

Penna, Romano. La lettera agli Efesini. Scritti delle origini cristiane, ed. G. Barbaglio and R. Penna, vol. 10. Bologna: Edizioni Dehoniane, 1988 [13–69, esp. 19–40, 59–69].

Perkins, Pheme. Ephesians. Abingdon New Testament Commentaries, ed. Victor Paul Furnish et al. Nashville: Abingdon, 1997 [15–27].

Pokorný, Petr. Der Brief des Paulus an die Epheser. Theologisher Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament, ed. Erich Fascher, Udo Schnelle, Joachim Rhode, and Christian Wolff, vol. 10/II. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 1992 [34–43].

Rendtorff, Heinrich. Der Brief an die Epheser. In Die kleineren Briefe des Apostles Paulus, 6th ed. NTD, ed. Paul Althaus, vol. 8. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1953, 56–85 [56–57].

Rienecker, Fritz. Der Brief des Paulus an die Epheser. Wuppertaler Studienbibel, ed. Fritz Rienecker. Wuppertal: Brockhaus, 1961 [19–25].

Robinson, J. Armitage. St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. A Revised Text and Translation with Exposition and Notes. London: Macmillan, 1903. Reprint, London: James Clark, n.d. [11–13, 292–95].

Salmond, S. D. F. The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians. In The Expositor’s Greek Testament, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll, vol. 3. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1903, 201–95 [217–33].

Sampley, J. Paul. The Letter to the Ephesians. In The Deutero-Pauline Letters: Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus. Rev. ed. Proclamation Commentaries, ed. Gerhard Krodel. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1993 [1–4] [1st ed., 1978].

Schlatter, Adolf. Der Brief an die Epheser. In Erläuterungen zum Neuen Testament, vol. 7. Stuttgart: Calwer, 1963, 151–249 [152–53] [1st ed., 1908, pt. 11, unable to see, but 1909 printing, 2:545–46].

Schlier, Heinrich. Der Brief an die Epheser. 7th ed. Düsseldorf: Patmos, 1971 [22–28] [1st. ed., 1957, same pages].

Schnackenburg, Rudolf. Ephesians: A Commentary. Translated by Helen Heron. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1991 [24–37] [German ed., 1982, 20–34].

Scott, E. F. The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians. The Moffatt New Testament Commentary, ed. James Moffatt. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1930, 119–257 [119–23].

Simpson, E. K. Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians. In Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes, by E. K. Simpson and F. F. Bruce. NΙCNT, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans; London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1957, 15–157 [17–19].

Snodgrass, Klyne. Ephesians. The NIV Application Commentary, ed. Terry Muck et al. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996 [23–30].

Soden, H. von, ed. Die Briefe an die Kolosser, Epheser, Philemon; die Pastoral Briefe. 2d ed. Hand-Commentar zum Neuen Testament, ed. H. J. Holtzmann, R. A. Lipsius, P. W. Schmiedel, and H. von Soden, vol. 3. Freiburg: Akademische Verlagsbuchhandlung von Mohr, 1893, 79–154 [90–95] [1st ed., 1891, 86–96].

Speyr, Adrienne von. The Letter to the Ephesians. Translated by Adrian Walker. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1996 [13–18] [German ed., 1983, 11–15].

Staab, Karl. Die Thessalonicherbriefe, die Gefangenschaftsbriefe. 3d ed. Regensburger Neues Testament, ed. Alfred Wikenhauser and Otto Kuss, vol. 7. Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 1959, 114–66 [114–18].

Stadelmann, Helge. Der Epheserbrief. Bibelkommentars zum Neuen Testament, ed. Gerhard Maier, vol. 14. Neuhausen-Stuttgart: Hänsler, 1993 [20–22].

Stockhausen, Carol L. Letters in the Pauline Tradition: Ephesians, Colossians, Ι Timothy, ΙΙ Timothy and Titus. Message of Biblical Spirituality, ed. Carolyn Osiek, vol. 13. Wilmington, Del.: Michael Glazier, 1989, 66–125 [66–85].

Stoeckhardt, G. Commentary on St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Translated by Martin S. Sommer. Saint Louis: Concordia, 1952 [3–14] [German ed., 1910, 1–11].

Stott, John R. W. The Message of Ephesians. God’s New Society. The Bible Speaks Today, ed. J. A. Motyer and John R. W. Stott. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity; Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1979 [16–22].

Swain, Lionel. Ephesians. New Testament Message. A Biblical-Theological Commentary, ed. Wilfrid Harrington and Donald Senior, vol. 13. Dublin: Veritas, 1980 [ix–x].

Synge, F. C. St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: A Theological Commentary. London: SPCK, 1941 [69–76].

Tanzer, Sarah J. Ephesians. In Searching the Scriptures, ed. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza et al., vol. 2: A Feminist Commentary. New York: Crossroad, 1994, 325–48.

Taylor, Walter F., Jr. Ephesians. In Ephesians, by Walter F. Taylor Jr., Colossians, by John H. P. Reumann. Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Roy A. Harrisville, Jack Dean Kingsbury, and Gerhard A. Krodel. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1985, 7–103 [9–17].

Theodore of Mopsuestia. In Epistolam Pauli ad Ephesios Comentarii Fragmenta. PG, vol. 66. Paris: Excudebatur et Venit Apud J.-P. Migne Editorem, 1859, 911–22.

Theodoret. Ἑρμενεία τῆς πρός Ἐϕεσίους ἐπιστόλης [Interpretatio Epistolae ad Ephesios]. PG, vol. 82. Paris: Excudebatur et Venit Apud J.-P. Migne Editorem, 1859, 508–58.

Theophylact. Τῆς τoῦ ἁγíου Παύλου πρὸς Ἐϕεσίους ἐπιστολῆς ἐξήγεσις [Epistolae divi Pauli ad Ephesios Expositio]. PG, vol. 124. Paris: Excudebatur et Venit Apud J.-P. Migne Editorem, 1864, 1031–1138.

Thompson, G. H. P. The Letters of Paul to the Ephesians, to the Colossians and to Philemon. Cambridge Bible Commentary, ed. P. R. Ackroyd, A. R. C. Leaney, and J. W. Packer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967, 2–102 [5–16].

Turner, Max. Ephesians. In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 4th ed., ed. D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity; Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1994, 1222–44 [ 1222].

Turner, Samuel H. The Epistle to the Ephesians in Greek and English. New York: Dana, 1856 [xi–xix].

Vosté, Jacobo-Maria. Commentarius in Epistolam ad Ephesios. Rome: Collegio Angelico; Paris: Gabalda, 1921 [3–28, 53–74].

Westcott, Brooke Foss. Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: The Greek Text with Notes and Addenda. London: Macmillan, 1906 [xxiii–lxvi, 19–20].

Wette, W. M. L. de. Kurze Erklärung der Briefe an die Colosser, an Philemon, an die Ephesier und Philipper. 2d rev. ed. Kurzgefasstes exegetisches Handbuch, vol. 2, pt. 4. Leipzig: Weidmann’sche Buchhandlung, 1847, 86–176 [88–92] [1st ed., 1843, 79–82].

Wettstein, Johann Jakob. Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη. Novum Testamentum Graecum, vol. 2. Amsterdam: Ex Officiana Dommeriana, 1752, 238–61.

Wood, A. Skevington. Ephesians. In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary with the New International Version of the Holy Bible, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978, 1–92 [3–9].

Zerwick, Max. The Epistle to the Ephesians. Translated by Kevin Smyth. New Testament for Spiritual Reading, ed. John L. McKenzie, vol. 16. London: Burns & Oates, 1969 [xiii–xvi, 5–6] [German ed., 1963, 7–11, 21–22].

Introduction

The Letter to the Ephesians is one of the most influential documents in the Christian church. In last decade of the fourth century the golden-mouthed Chrysostom of Constantinople states in the preamble to his homilies on Ephesians that this letter is full of Paul’s sublime thoughts and doctrines which he scarcely utters elsewhere but plainly declares here.[1] John Calvin considered Ephesians as his favorite letter and he preached a series of forty-eight sermons on the book from May 1558 to March 1559.[2] Days before his death on November 24, 1572, John Κnox’s wife read to him daily Calvin’s sermons on Ephesians.[3] Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the great poet and philosopher, wrote (May 25, 1830) regarding Ephesians: It is one of the divinest compositions of man. It embraces every doctrine of Christianity;—first, those doctrines peculiar to Christianity and then those precepts common to it with natural religion.[4] In 1903 J. Armitage Robinson considered Ephesians as the crown of St Paul’s writings[5] and in 1929 C. H. Dodd reckoned that Ephesians’ thought is the crown of Paulinism.[6] Nearly four decades later F. F. Bruce considered it the quintessence of Paulinism because it in large measure sums up the leading themes of the Pauline epistles, and at the same time the central motive of Paul’s ministry as apostle to the Gentiles.[7] In 1974 Markus Barth begins his commentary by saying Ephesians is among the greatest letters under the name of the apostle Paul.[8] Raymond E. Brown stated in 1997: Among the Pauline writings only Rom can match Eph as a candidate for exercising the most influence on Christian thought and spirituality.[9] In 1999 Peter T. O’Brien claims, The Letter to the Ephesians is one of the most significant documents ever written.[10] Hence, this letter has been considered to reflect the epitome of Pauline thought and has been very influential in Christian thought.

However, within the last two centuries there has been much debate over various issues regarding Ephesians. In this introduction we will be discussing five issues: authorship, structure and genre, city and historical setting, purpose, and theology of Ephesians. This will be followed by a bibliography for this introduction.

Authorship of Ephesians

Introduction

A study of commentaries on Ephesians or a perusal of ΝΤ introductions readily reveal a great debate on the authorship of this book. An investigation of this issue is necessary in order to understand the various aspects of the problem.

Attestation of Pauline Authorship of Ephesians

Ephesians has the earliest attestation of any ΝΤ book. Already in the first century or very early second century Clement of Rome (fl. 96), when mentioning one God and one Christ and one Spirit, may be a reference to Eph 4:4–6.[11] Furthermore, Clement’s prayer that God would open the eyes of our heart that we might know you [God][12] is most likely an allusion to Eph 1:17–18. Also, the expression the senseless and darkened heart[13] is probably an allusion to Eph 4:18, and let each be subject to his neighbor[14] is reminiscent of Eph 5:21. Ignatius (35–107/8), bishop of Antioch, seems to allude to Eph 5:1–2 when he speaks of the Ephesians as imitators of God by their demonstration of love to him.[15] In his letter to Polycarp, Ignatius shows familiarity with the armor of God described in Eph 6:11–17.[16] Furthermore, in the first third of the second century, Polycarp (69–135), bishop of Smyrna, states: As it is expressed in these Scriptures, ‘Be angry and sin not,’ and ‘Let not the sun go down on your wrath.’[17] Polycarp quotes from Ps 4:5 and Eph 4:26 and calls both of them Scripture! In other words, he places Ephesians on the same level as the Psalms, making Ephesians the first ΝΤ book to be called Scripture by the early church fathers. Earlier in his letter Polycarp’s statement knowing that ‘by grace you are saved, not by works, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ,’[18] is a clear reference to Eph 2:5, 8–9. In addition, Polycarp mentions the armor of righteousness,[19] indicating an acquaintance with Eph 6:11–17. Irenaeus (130–200, Η. 175–95), bishop of Lyons, explicitly quotes Eph 5:30 when he remarks, as blessed Paul declares in his epistle to the Ephesians, that ‘we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.’[20] He also mentions that the apostle in the epistle to the Ephesians had stated, In which you also, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in which also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance (1:13–14a).[21] Again Irenaeus notes that the apostle says to the Ephesians, ‘In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins’ [ 1:7]; and additionally in the same treatise he says, ‘You who formerly were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ’ [2:13]; and ‘Abolishing in his flesh, the law of commandments in ordinances’ (2:15).[22] Irenaeus also speaks of the devil as one of those angels who are placed over the spirit of the air, as the apostle Paul declared in the letter to the Ephesians (2:2).[23] Clement of Alexandria (150–215) quotes Eph 5:21–29.[24] and Eph 4:13–15[25] as the words of the apostle, and there is no reason to think this was someone other than Paul. Marcion (d. 160) in Rome considered Ephesians a genuine letter of Paul, even though he renamed it the Epistle to the Laodiceans.[26] Also, Ephesians is listed as one of the Pauline letters in the Muratorian Canon, which many think came from Rome within the last three decades of the second century,[27] though some regard it as a fourth century Eastern list.[28] Furthermore, Tertullian of Carthage (160–220) mentions that the apostle (Paul) had written to the Ephesians regarding Christ’s headship of all things in his citation of Eph 1:9–10.[29] In one passage he lists Ephesus, along with Corinth, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Rome, as the places where there were established apostolic churches that received authentic letters from the apostle.[30] Also, in another passage he mentions that these same churches, as well as Galatia, read Paul’s letters.[31] In arguing his case against Marcion, Tertullian cites Eph 2:12 and states that it is the apostle’s (Ρaul’s) letter written to the Ephesians, although, according to Tertullian, the heretics such as Marcion say it was a letter to the Laodiceans.[32] Later in the same work Tertullian again criticizes Marcion for designating the letter to the Ephesians as the epistle to the Laodiceans, and then Tertullian quotes from Ephesians more than forty times over the course of two chapters.[33]

Arnold correctly asserts that another early source that needs attention is the Gnostic writings.[34] He suggests two works. First, in the Exegesis on the Soul (2.6.131), which may be dated around A.D. 200,[35] Eph 6:12 (for our struggle is not against flesh and blood . . . but against the world rulers of this darkness and the spirits of wickedness) is cited as Paul’s words. Second, in the Hypostasis of the Archons (2.86.20–25), dated in the third century (some date it in the second century),[36] the same verse is cited as from the great apostle. The Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas contain other possible allusions to Ephesians. The Epistle of Barnabas, which is from Alexandria and is dated some time after the temple’s destruction in A.D. 70 and before Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem following the revolt of A.D. 132–35, possibly during Nerva’s reign 96–98,[37] refers to a new creation,[38] a possible allusion to Eph 2:10 and 4:22–24. Also, three times it mentions the fact that Christ dwells in us,[39] an allusion to Eph 3:17, and that the community of believers is the temple of the Lord in which God dwells,[40] surely an allusion to Eph 2:21–22. Although some of these concepts could possibly be drawn from 1 and 2 Corinthians, Bartlet suggests that they are a much closer parallel to Ephesians.[41] The Shepherd of Hermas from Rome is difficult to date precisely but some suggest around 140–50.[42] It mentions the grieving of the Holy Spirit[43] which seems to be an allusion to Eph 4:30 and it refers to one Spirit and one body,[44] one faith . . . [one] love,[45] and one body, . . . one faith, one love[46] all likely allusions to Eph 4:2–5. The fact that the concept of grieving the Holy Spirit is unusual and that it contains frequent references to one body, spirit, faith, and love in such close proximity, it must be concluded that they have all the appearance of being imitated from Ephesians.[47]

The Pauline authorship of Ephesians has not only had strong and widespread geographical attestation in the early church, but it has had continued support in recent time. Extensive defense of Pauline authorship has been maintained in recent times by Percy[48] and van Roon.[49]

Dispute over Pauline Authorship of Ephesians

Scholars’ Rejection of Pauline Authorship of Ephesians

The first doubt of Pauline authorship was introduced in 1792 by the English clergyman Evanson who felt that it was inconsistent for the writer of Ephesians to claim that he had heard of their faith (1:15–16) when according to Acts Paul had spent more than two years at Ephesus.[50] Some thirty years later Usteri cast doubt on its authenticity because it was so similar to Colossians, which he felt was a genuine letter of Paul.[51] Shortly thereafter de Wette, at first uncertain,[52] later decided it was not a Pauline work because of its many parenthetic and secondary clauses, its verbosity, and its lack of new thoughts. He proposed that it was a clumsy imitation of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.[53] This concept was adopted by Baur who thought that Ephesians was to be identified with the postapostolic era and that it was composed early in the second century.[54] The denial of Pauline authorship has had extensive treatment more recently by Goodspeed[55] and Mitton.[56] Brown states, "A fair estimate might be that at the present moment about 80 percent of critical scholarship holds that Paul did not write Eph."[57]

The chart below will enable one to visualize more easily those who have argued for Pauline authorship of Ephesians (left column), those who have changed their views or are uncertain (center column), and those who do not think Paul was the author of Ephesians (right column).[58] The chart is somewhat skewed in favor of the non-Pauline authorship of Ephesians because it focuses on the last two centuries whereas prior to 1792 scholars were almost unanimously in favor of Pauline authorship and because it lists scholars from the Western church (one exception) whereas the Eastern church is almost unanimously in favor of Pauline authorship. In order not to clutter the chart, the bibliographical sources are listed in Commentaries or the bibliography regarding authorship, which appears at the end of this introduction. The scholars are listed in chronological order with the dates of their works in parenthesis. These dates are generally the earliest editions of the particular scholar’s work(s) although the bibliography will list a more recent edition (I did not always see the first edition). The list is not exhaustive but hopefully fairly representative of well known scholars in the field. There has been no attempt to favor one side or the other. There are 279 scholars with 390 of their works. Where there is more than one author of a single work (e.g., Kirsopp and Silva Lake or Carson, Moo, and Morris), they will be counted as one author. On the other hand, there are only two authors who are listed twice, namely, McNeile and McNeile/Williams or Wikenhauser and Wikenhauser/Schmid because the author named after the slash revised the former author’s work with a different conclusion than the original author. One work difficult to list is the Introduction to the New Testament begun by Feine and later revised by Behm and Kümmel. In order to be fair it seems best to list this work three times, namely, under Feine, Feine/Behm, and Kümmel because the Introduction became the product of each new reviser. These three listings are in chronological order of their publication so that one can more easily find them on the chart. Muddiman’s assessment is difficult to classify precisely because he thinks the final letter is an expansion of a genuine Pauline letter. Hence, with some hesitation, it is classified as a Pauline letter with a question mark (?) after it.

The center column indicates an author’s change of view or uncertainty regarding Pauline authorship of Ephesians. Sometimes the uncertainty is noted because the author specifically states his or her uncertainty and at other times authors are listed in this column because it is unclear to this reader which view the author holds. Symbols Y (= Yes), U (= Uncertain), and N (= No) following the slash after the year of publication indicates the author’s position. The bibliography is in alphabetical order of scholar but chronological order for works of a particular scholar. Only in the case of Goguel was there a question mark after the affirmative (Y?) because although in his earlier work he considered it not Pauline, later he felt that portions of it were Pauline. Only Schlier and Martin asserted from the beginning that it was not written by Paul; later they considered it Pauline, and finally they reverted to their first position. In the case of Schlier, he doubted Pauline authorship in his earliest work,[59] but in two of his later works he defended Pauline authorship in spite of the Gnostic language[60] and then reverted to his first position as verbally stated to Schnackenburg.[61] Martin first denied Pauline authorship and then two years later accepted it, and only a year later he again denied it"[62]