Epistle to the Ephesians
| Part of a series of articles on |
| Paul in the Bible |
|---|
| Part of a series on |
| Books of the New Testament |
|---|
The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament.
Traditionally believed to have been written by the Apostle Paul around AD 62 during his imprisonment in Rome, the Epistle to the Ephesians closely resembles Colossians and was thought to be addressed to the church in Ephesus. However, many modern scholars dispute Pauline authorship and suggest it was written between AD 70–100 as a circular letter, citing stylistic differences, lack of personal references, and missing place names in early manuscripts.
According to the Book of Acts, Paul briefly visited Ephesus before returning to establish a strong church presence there over three years, during which the gospel spread widely through Asia Minor, and he later gave a farewell address to the Ephesian elders that closely parallels themes in the Epistle to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:22–6:9 outlines hierarchical roles in the household, which some interpret as mutual submission, while others see as unilateral. Ephesians 6:5 was historically used to justify slavery in the American South.