Ephesians

Moshiachʼs Letter through the Shliach Sha'ul to the Brit Chadasha Kehillah in Ephesus

Introduction

This letter was written roughly 61-62 C.E. along with Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Rav Sha'ul had been confined in Caesarea before coming to Rome, where he was freed from house arrest around 63 and then rearrested and died al kiddush ha-Shem around 67. Kefaʼs writings, the writings of Yochanan, Yehuda, Lukas, Mattityahu, and Markos all came to be written down in this period or somewhat later, though much of the material had existed in oral and written form for some time, and had been preached over and over for thirty years. Does this seem like a long time? It is not. I have in my hands as I write this a book on Orthodox Jewish vocabulary I purchased over 30 years ago when I began this translation work as a doctoral student. It seems like only yesterday. I can remember the Jewish bookstore like I was there last week. The material in the writings of the Brit Chadasha is that close to the events from Yochananʼs tevilah to the fall of Jerusalem.