Why did paul write the book of ephesians?
Ephesians is part of the Pauline corpus in the New Testament known as the epistles, the letters sent by Paul to various churches and communities.No Specific ProblemUnlike some of the other Pauline Letters, Ephesians is not structured as a response to a specific question or set of questions sent to Paul by a congregation.To a Larger AudienceEphesians may have been written as a general statement of principle on several issues, and sent to the metropolis of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey) to be shared among congregations there and in surrounding towns.Unity of the ChurchOne of the themes, which may have been a motivation for writing it, in light of Ephesus’ sizable Jewish population, is the unity of the Christian church, and his opinion that there should not be separate churches for Jews and non-Jews.PrayersThere are sections of Ephesians in which Paul offers prayers for the Church and the believers. The motivation for writing may have been to disseminate these for liturgical use.Importanc
Some background information will help us to understand the purpose of this letter. In the first century of the Common Era, Ephesus was noted for its sorcery, magic, astrology, and worship of the fertility goddess Artemis. Around the statue of the goddess, there had been erected a magnificent temple that was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. In the course of this zealous preaching, Paul exposed the use of images in worship. This stirred up the wrath of those making and selling them, such as the silversmith Demetrius, and in the uproar Paul finally had to leave the city.—Acts 19:23–20:1. Now, while in prison, Paul is thinking of the problems faced by the Ephesian congregation, surrounded by pagan worshipers and in the shadow of the awe-inspiring temple of Artemis. “These anointed Christians no doubt needed the fitting illustration Paul now gives them, showing that they constitute “a holy temple,” in which Jehovah dwells by his spirit. (Eph. 2:21) “The sacred secr
