Ephesians - Introduction

Paul himself had lived in Ephesus from 53 to 55 A.D. During that time he taught daily in a lecture hall, and many people came to listen to him. Some believed in Christ, and soon a church was established in Ephesus. Not only that, but many of those who came from outside of Ephesus on business also heard Paul and believed, and then took the Gospel back to their own cities. In this way, the Gospel of Christ spread throughout a wide area around Ephesus (Acts 19:8-10).

Many Bible scholars believe that Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written not only to the Ephesian Christians, but also to the churches in the surrounding cities which had sprung up as a result of Paul’s two years of teaching in Ephesus. Most of Paul’s other New Testament letters are written in a personal style to individual churches; but this letter is different. In this letter Paul writes about broad and general subjects with almost no reference to the Ephesians themselves.¹ Many scholars believe that this letter was written as a circular letter to be passed from church to church.

For further information about Paul’s life, see Romans: Introduction.