The Genre Of Ephesians 2 : 1-10

1. Consider the depravity of mankind painted by Paul and God’s solution for reconciliation, Ephesians 2:1-3, Rom 6:17, John 3:19, Ephesians 2: 8-9, Ephesians 2:4-5. 2. Ephesians 2 verse 10 describes those who have received genuine salvation as God’s workmanship. Discuss the concept of “workmanship” (see introduction).

The book of Ephesians is one of Paul’s many New Testament letters, or epistles, to the Christian church still in its infancy. At the time of its writing, Paul is in Rome, imprisoned for championing the purposes of Christ and growing the church. We see numerous occurrences where Paul, being a man of little concern for the status quo, is either imprisoned or fleeing capture by Jewish or Roman officials for usurping the latter (Acts 19: 23-41). The date of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is dated 60-61A.D., depending on differing research. While this is certainly one of his epistles known as the “prison letters”, Ephesians was penned prior to Paul’s first roman

The book of James is not very tidy when it comes to fitting into any of the other genres of literature. Some consider it to more of a circular rather than an epistle and it is quite possible that both Paul and Peter had read the Epistle of James, at least there are several coincidences between them.7 Because it was written to such a broad audience and because it contains many references to the Old Testament, James hardly fits into any category very neatly. Therefore, it may be best to see James as a literary circular since it does not address any particular needs at a given moment. James was apparently teaching the victims of the Diaspora.

The theme of his letter to the Ephesians is that believers have been unified in salvation by grace and are called to live like Christ. Ephesians 2:1-8 focused mainly

For you were once murkiness, however now you are light in the Lord. Live as offspring of light (for the product of the light comprises in all decency, nobility and truth) (Ephesians 5: 8-9). "Here Paul develops the difference in the middle of obscurity and light" (Wood, 69). They were not oblivious and after that in the light. They were the dull and afterward they were the light. Obscurity alludes to when they were lost and did not know the Lord. They were the light when they were spared and got to be one in Christ. "The entire passage plays on the rich imagery of dimness and light, "obscurity" speaking to lack of awareness, blunder and shrewd, "light" speaking to truth and exemplary nature" (Stott, 199). The word, you, alludes to the Christians

Paul claims to be the author of Ephesians. In fact, the letter was spread around the world recognizing Paul as the author, early in the church history. However “Since the nineteenth century Pauline authorship of Ephesians has been doubted”(The Baker Bible Handbook, 835).This is because notable differences in language and style have been found between Ephesians and other letters claimed to be written by Paul such us Colossians. Anyways, those who believe it was written while Paul , have concluded that he wrote

Studying Colossians 2:8-15, one can see how it fits the theological and biblical message of the of the New Testament. In the New and Old Testament survey courses and in the book ‘The Drama of Scriptures’ we can see God’s plan of love, grace, mercy, support, and redemption of his people through Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, it was this strain that caused them to not worship the creator but the creation. It was the circumcised of the heart and not the body to which Paul was writing. The entire bible is one big story told through many stories, all of which fit together into one seamless whole.”

The New Testament was a huge part of my life as a young man as I grew up in the church and my father was a deacon. I have always been drawn to helping others and protecting those who cannot protect themselves, which is why at a young age I joined the United States Marine Corps and served four years before joining the Memphis Police Department for the last twenty years. One passage that has always been a part of my life is from Ephesians 4: 22-28. Furthermore, the literary form used in the Book of Ephesians is the letters although, not directly from Paul they are from under his influence by the school of Pauline, which created the book and disseminated the structure of the church (Harris, 1995). I digress, the passage of Ephesians stated that

People were so much pain but God refuses to hear their cry. Romans took over the Greeks. In the time of Augustus Caesar, God chooses Mary to give birth to Jesus. Jesus died for our sins and resurrected to save the world. The epistles are letter how church was built and founded by the peter and Paul.

In the beginning of the book of Ephesians, Paul specifically states that he is the author of the letter to Ephesians, though the authenticity of Paul’s authorship has been questioned. Signing the name of an influential person of the period was common practice from “the third century BC to the first century AD.” Though it would not be the first time that Paul’s name was forged, Ephesians is not a controversial letter, so if the author did not want to include his own name, he could have written the letter anonymously; also, given moral influence of the text, the author would not have lied for no cause. Ephesians is a bit different from the other letters of Paul in that it does not follow the normal structure he has previously used: “salutation, thanksgiving, prayer, body, ethical exhortations, greetings.” Paul also makes many personal references throughout the book of Ephesians including sharing that he is in prison.

The books of First and Second Timothy are both addressed by Paul to Timothy. The books of First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus are sometimes referred to as the Pastoral Epistles because these books are specifically dealing with the care of people's souls, and appropriate conduct in the church and the world.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the

A literary analysis is the practice of looking closely at small parts to see how they affect the whole. Literary analysis focuses on how word techniques are used by the author to create meaning. One of the reasons that Paul penned his letters in Ephesians was to bolster areas that were weak in the church. In addition to that, Paul wanted to clarify central beliefs that may not have been well-defined. Probing Paul’s letter with such a supposition, reveals several frailties among the Ephesian that Paul needed to encourage and reinforce. One of these weaknesses are amalgamated with the word riches, which is present throughout the letter in Ephesians. In this portion of the essay I will break a portion of the text down into parts, in order to examine the different elements of this piece of literature, by analyzing a portion of the text.

Paul wrote letters meant to be shared with all new churches, but while Paul was writing the letter to the Church of Ephesus, Romans incarcerated him restricting him to a jail cell for the spreading the word of the Gospel.

Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.