By that time St. Paul had been in prison for three or four years. That imprisonment had been incurred at Jems, just at the moment when he had taken up the alms of the Gentile Churches to the Churches of Jud.Ta ; his anxiety about his reception by the brethren there (Ro 15^*) had been removed ; he had been welcomed, misunderstand- ings had been smoothed over, he had shown his willingness to work with them (Ac 21""*). The unity Detween Jewish and Gentile Christians was assured. But an outburst of Jewish fanaticism, on the false charge that he had taken a Gentile Christian, an Ephesian, within the centre wall of partition in the temple precincts (cf. Ejih 2" t6 luabroixo'), had led to his arrest ; he had been kept two years at Ciesarea, thence on his own appeal had been transferred to Rome ; on his way he had been marvellously protected from danger of sliip- ^Teck ; he had been welcomed once more by the brethren at Rome on his arrival (Ac 28'°), and since he had been in prison he had liad freedom to preach and wonderful success in preaching. Naturally, then, one of his main thoughts was of God's overruling power, which could bring good out 01 apparent evil, and turn even imprisonment into the means of furthering His work (Ph 1", Eph S").
Further, he was now in Rome, the great centre of the enipire, whi<-h he had for many years longed to see. He would look, with the eyes of a pro- rincial, upon the centre of the world's administra- tion ; he would see a power, small at first, confined to one Italian town, growing by steaxly growth till it launched itself forth on tlie whole world, brought all nations under its subjection, opened its franchise freely to all, and allowed them to enjoy its privileges, yet still requiring its prae- torian soldiers ready to defend its emperor or to move out against any enemies that might attack its borders ; while as ultimate source of authority stood the one man, the Emperor, the head, the ruler, the court of appeal for the oppressed, set forward more and more even as an object of worship. At the same time St. Paul would hear more of the teaching of Seneca and of the great Stoic conception of a universal city, of whicli all men were citizens, and in which each true citizen rofle above the limitations of place and of environ- ment, and became independent, self - centred (airdp/cijs), the master and not the slave of circum- stances (cf. Lightfoot, Phil., 'St. Paul and Seneca').
Naturally, then, his thoughts would dwell upon the new brotherhood of the Church, ' the kingdom of Christ and of God ' (Eph 5*), ' the citizenship in the heavens' (Ph 1" 3", Eph 2"). That, too, had CTOwn out of a small centre, and by a longer growth, for it had begun before the foundation of the world ; that, too, had at the right moment launched itself on the world, and all divisions of race had been broken down in it ; that, too, centred in its king, who had won his triumplis and given
• Von Soden, while rejecting the Pauline authorship of Eph. hesitates between Borne and Ajia Minor aa the place of iu ocmpositlon.
gifts to his followers (4', cf. 2 Co 2"), who him- self was the source of peace (Eph 2"), who was the head of the body ; that, tjo, liad its enemies to conquer, and therefore needed its soldiers ever pre- pared to fight (Eph 2- 6'°-") ; but its citizenship was in heaven, its eneiriies were spiritual, the scene of battle was in the heavenly places ; its aim was wider, for it had once more to oring to a unity (ava.Ki- <pa.\a.iw(7a(rdai, ' recapitulare,' Iren. adv. Hmr. iii. 18 ; ' instaurare,' Vulg. ; ' ad initinm reciprocare, "Tertul. Monog. c. 5) the whole universe ; as it was founded on all past history, so its rule was to embrace all future time (Ejili 3^'). Dead as well as living were its subjects (4" (?)).
Such thouglits might of themselves almost ac- count for tlie genesis of this Ep. ; but a new turn was given to tliem by the arrival of Epaphras from Colossje. He brought news of the deveropinent of teaching there tendin" to degrade the dignity of Christ, to substitute tlie worship of angels, to take low views of tlie material worhf, to lay an undue stress upon knowledge as the one method of access to Christ. At the same time he brought news of the neighbouring Churches of Proconsular Asia ; their faith was sound, their love strong ; but they were disheartened by the apostle's imprisonment, and, as in all Churches in Gentile cities, there was the danger lest the surrounding heathenism should draw tliem back, lest ' empty arguments ' {Kivoi. X6701, Eph 5°) should lead them to treat immorality lightly and indifferently ; and, as in all mixed Churches of Jews and Gentiles, there was the danger lest racial jealousy should destroy unity. Witli the special danger at ColossiE, St. Paul dealt in the Ep. to the Col ; then he turned to the ^vider condition of the Asiatic Churches, with his thoughts perhaps mainly fixed on Ephesus, his favourite abode, the centre of Gentile Christendom in that neighbourhood. No longer associating Timothy witli him (contrast Col 1', Ph 1'), but speaking only in his own name, he writes what is rather an encyclical treatise, a Cath. Ep., than a mere letter (cf . Ro and 1 P). Dropping all tone of controversy, and with only side allusions to false teaching, he tries to vnn them to a higher standard by a picture of the ideal Church which had been growing in his mind. He had d(me something of the kind to the Romans before ; but that was an elaborate argu- ment trying to convince them that all needed re- demption, and that it had been brought to all by the power of Clirist. This is a statement that the re- demption has come, and that it has come — for here he is writing to Orientals — as part of a diWne wisdom, and leading men to a fuller knowle<lge (iTrLyyijiai.i, cf. 1 Co 1'^ avToU Si Toif (cXttto?!, 'loi'Sa/oii re xoi "EXXtjo-i, Spiffxi;" QfoO bvvaiuv [the theme of Romans] Koi Qtov <ro(pla.i> [the theme of Ephesians]). He is anxious that they too (tal v/iiit, ' you in the recesses of Provincial Asia as well as the brethren at Rome,' Hort) should know what is haiijiening in his im- prisonment, that it is bringing fresh glory to the Gentile Christians (3") ; they need not be out of heart, for God is watching his fortunes with that same overruling |)ower which has ordered all his- tory. He it wa.s — thanks be to Him — who eter- nally planned our redemption ; who chose the Jews for special privileges and promises ; who at the right moment revealed His Son an<l broke down the division between Jew and Gentile ; who has now drawn luith Jew and Gentile into one body ; who raised Christ and made Him Head of the Cliurch ; who enabled individuals to do good works; who is now building up His Church and watching over His apostle. Therefore, you must lift up your hearts and minds ; you must keep the unity which He ha« given ; you must not be drawn bark into the old impure aimless life ; you must build up family life ; and you must remember tb/)*