X-Dreamers
Bible chapter guide
Ephesians 6
Children and parents, servants and masters each have their duty in the Lord. 'Put on the whole armour of God': the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. Tychicus will bring news of Paul.
Summary written for the Labs; read the chapter itself for the full text.
See it in the Labs
The letter: who wrote it, where and when
These questions are debated; the views are shown side by side with how sure each is, as in Paul's Roads.
- Plausible
Ephesians written from Rome
The traditional view: Acts 28:30–31 has Paul two years under guard in Rome, free to receive visitors, and the letters mention Caesar's household and the praetorian guard (Philippians 1:13; 4:22).
- Plausible
Paul's authorship of Ephesians is debated.
Many scholars think this letter was written after Paul's death in his name; others hold that Paul wrote it. The lab shows the setting the letter itself gives and takes no side.
- Speculative
Ephesians written from Ephesus
Paul speaks of many imprisonments and of deadly peril in Asia (2 Corinthians 1:8; 11:23), and Ephesus lies close to Colossae and Philippi for the many journeys the letters assume; but Acts records no imprisonment at Ephesus.
- Speculative
Ephesians written from Caesarea
Paul was held two years at Caesarea (Acts 24:27) with friends allowed to visit him (24:23); a minority reading places some prison letters there.
How sure can we be?
- Strongly supported
Tychicus carried Colossians and Ephesians, and probably Philemon too.
Colossians 4:7–9 and Ephesians 6:21–22 say almost word for word that Tychicus will tell them all of Paul's news; Onesimus travels with him to Colossae, where Philemon lived.