Meanwhile the Philippians had heard of their delegate's illness, and by and by their an.viety became known at Rome. Partly to relieve that solicitude and to satisfy the 'longing' of Epaphro- ditus ; partly to convey the Apostle's grateful acknowledgment of the recent gift ; partly also, we may presume (although Avith delicate considera- tion this reason is not expressly stated), in order tliat the invalid's health may be fully restored tiirough entire rest such as he Avould not take in Rome, the Apostle sends him back to Philippi with a cordial testimony to his zealous labours and chivalrous service. Epaphroditus thereafter dis
EPHESIAI^S, EPISTLE TO THE
EPHESIANS, EPISTLE TO THE 343
appears from NT history, leaving behind him the fragrant memory of self- forgetful and self-sacri- ficing devotion a% once to the person of St. Paul and to the cause of Christ.
Theodoret (Com. on Ph 2^) represents Epaphro- ditus (with some hesitation) as ' bisliop ' of Philippi. Pseudo-Dorotheus includes him (without proba- bility, however, since nothing suggests that he was a Hebrew) among the Seventy of Lk 10' ; and he calls him ' bishop ' of Andriace, the port of Myra in Lycia. In virtue of the designation dirSiTToXos (Ph 2'-^) the Greek Church places Epaphro- ditus in the same ranlc Avith Barnabas, Silas, and others ; but the context suggests the original meaning, ' messenger.'
Literature. — H. S. Seekings, 3Ien of Pauline Circle, 1914 ; J. S. Howson, Companiiins of St. Paul, 1S71 ; E. B. Redlich, St. Paid and his Companions, 1913, p. 230; J. A. Beet, in Expositor, 3rd ser. ix. [ISSO] 64 ff. ; Commentaries of EUicott, Eadie, Lightfoot, Vincent, Weiss, von Soden. See also artt. in HDB, SDB, and EDi. HeNRY CoWAN.
EPHESIANS, EPISTLE TO THE.— 1. Date and place of writing. — From internal evidence, there is little difficulty in determining the circumstances under which Ephesians was written. St. Paul is a prisoner at the time (3' 4' 6^"), and writes from prison to ' the saints which are in Ephesus.' His imprisonment has lasted long enough to give rise to grave anxiety among the Christian communities (313 622j_ jjg speaks of himself as 'the prisoner' (3' 4'), as though that were a title of honour con- secrated by long use. This in itself makes it natural to date the Epistle from Rome rather than from Cfesarea. Other internal evidence, though slight, points in the same direction. St. Paul's captivity permits at least some liberty in preaching (6'»-2» ; k. Ac 2S30-31, Ph 1'3- "). The phrase * I am a chained ambassador' (6'°) certainly has more point after the appeal to Ceesar, and suggests that St. Paul has reached Rome to bear witness for the gospel 'before kings.' And the grand, almost im- perial, width of outlook which the Epistle shows may well have been inspired in the provincial citizen from Tarsus when he came at last to see with his OAvn eyes the city which ruled the world, with its centralized authority and its citizenship open to every land and race (cf. Lock, art. ' Ephes- ians' in HDB). It is thus natural to date the Epistle c. A.D. 60.
This result would be quite inevitable if it could be maintained that Eph. is a later work than Phil., which must certainly have been written from Rome (Ph P^, etc.). This has been argued by such writers as Bleek, Lightfoot {Philippians\ 1878, p. 30 ff.), Sanday (Smith's DB^ i. [1893] 627), Hort {Jiidaistic Christ ia nit J/, 1894, p. 115f.), Lock (loc. cit.). It is true that Phil, resembles the earlier Epistles in style and manner more than do the other Cap- tivity Epistles. But it is impossible to postulate an orderly development in these things in such a writer as St. Paul. There is nothing in Eph. or Col. more startling as a development of Pauline doctrine than Ph 2^-". And the note of urgency and anxiety in Phil, marks it out as dating from the last days of the captivity at Rome (cf. iNIolfatt, LNT, pp. 168-170 : Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, 1895, p. 357 f. ).
A more certain result as to Eph. is given by its relation to Col. and Philemon. The three Epistles are all sent by the hand of Tychicus to the same district. Col. and Philem. at least were sent to- gether, and the literary connexion between Col. and Eph. is so close that it seems inevitable to associate Eph. with the other two. Philem. at least must have been sent from Rome, despite the arguments of Reuss and Meyer; and this carries with it the conclusion that Eph. was sent from the same place (see art. Colossians).
2. Occasion and purpose.— This Epistle stands alone among the Pauline literature. The other twelve writings ascribed to St. Paul have all some special and more or less urgent occasion and purpose, whether personal or controversial. Here neither purpose nor occasion can be clearly traced. The writer is not concerned to press his claims against rivals or opponents. The bitter controversy with Judaizing teachers lies in the past, and only faint echoes of the battle can be heard (2i'-"-"). The troubles at Colossse are in the background (lii^-^i 2-". 8 310 612), but do not ruffle the serenity of the writer's mind. No special dangers seem to lie be- fore the readers. Apart from the address, indeed, it would be difficult to see that any special readers are intended, though in the main the Epistle is addressed to Gentile converts (P' 2'* "• '^ etc.). Some danger of false teaching is perhaps suggested in 4"' '^ but the references are quite general in character. Controversy is laid aside for the time being, and the writer deals with the problems of the Gentile Church in a spirit at once detached and lofty. Two special points emerge, half the Epistle being devoted to each. Chs. 1-3 deal with the respective positions of Jew and Gentile in the unity of the Church, from wiiich we may conjecture that this was one of the main difficulties in the churches founded by St. Paul. It was, indeed, inevitable that it should be so, as the controversies of a few years before had shown. But now the position is changed. The danger is no longer that of the Judaizing teacher, but rather lest the grow- ing Gentile communities should tend to despise the Jewish Christians in their midst {2^-^- I'-'s ; cf. p2-i4)_ Chs. 4-6 deal with the most constant danger of the Gentile convert — the danger of relapse into the vices of paganism.