Ephesians: Being a Christian, at Home and in the Cosmos

This short letter offers abundant fruit of two kinds: theological and critical. On the theological front, Ephesians offers an unparalleled cosmic vision of the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, of the role of heavenly powers in the universe, and of how the community of Christians is to engage with those powers. It also addresses a major identity question for early Christians, how to conceive the relationship of Gentiles with the Jews from among whom their faith emerged. And, on a more practical level, Ephesians brings its theology to bear on matters of how to live as a Christian within households ordered on patriarchal lines while not capitulating to patriarchy. On the critical front, Ephesians presents a challenge to scholars and students over what they should best be focussing on when they are studying this biblical text. Much of what has been written about Ephesians has concerned the critical questions whether this letter was actually written to a church in Ephesus, and whether Paul the apostle was indeed the author of the letter. Yes, there are demanding linguistic, historical and cultural questions to be answered, but not at the expense of overlooking the need for closely reading the text for what it aims to communicate. That should be the reader's indispensable goal