Report on Paul’s Letter Religion & Theology Case Study

Report on Paul’s Letter
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Report on Paul’s Letter
Historical Context
Well, the letter to the Ephesians was not addressed to any particular church or people but to the entire church. At the time of its writing, the church was comprised of both the Jews and the Gentiles and the letter to the Ephesians was written to offer guidance to the church in general. The focus of the letter is on how the church can and should co-exist as a body of Christ.
In the city of Ephesus, the church was evolving and growing. Instead of being predominantly Jew, the church was growing and absorbing even the Gentiles. So, there was confusion on how the Jews and Gentiles should co-exist together. The letter of Ephesians was thus written to provide a way out of the confusion. By reiterating that the church is one body in Christ, the author was able to offer the church a way out and help it to stand the test of diversity. “But now, in union with Christ Jesus you, who used to be far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). This verse finalizes the author’s explanation of the plan God has with the Gentiles. It confirms to them that their past remains in the shadows and that they are now new and near because they have been sanctified or made holy by the blood of Christ.
Author of the Letter to the Ephesians
There are speculations that Paul is the author of the letter but new evidence confirms the author as Deutero-Pauline. This simply means that the person who wrote the letter borrows a lot from Paul but is not Paul. The style of the author is also different. For example, the author makes use of many words and long sentences things which are non-existent in Paul’s letters. Another confirmation that the letter was not written by Paul is the fact that the author seems more concerned with the entire church but not with the local churches.
The author’s main reason for writing the letter to the Ephesians was to reinforce the idea of the church as one body. “Under his control, ...