World English Bible · Under Rome
Ephesians 1
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, of Christ through the will of , to who are at , and the in Christ : to you and peace from and . be the and of our , who has us with every spiritual in the places in Christ, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be and before him in love, having predestined us for adoption as children through to himself, according to the good pleasure of his , to the of the of his , by which he freely gave us in the Beloved. In him we have our through his , the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his which he made to abound toward us in all and prudence, making known to us of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in and the things on the earth, in him. We were also assigned an in him, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the of his will, to the end that we should be to the of his , we who had before in Christ. In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the of your —in whom, having also , you were sealed with the promised , who is a pledge of our , to the of own possession, to the of his . For this cause I also, having heard of the in which is among you and the love which you have toward all , don't cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the of our , of , may give to you a of and in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your enlightened, that you may know what is the of his calling, and what are the riches of the of his in , and what is the exceeding greatness of his toward us who , according to that working of the strength of his might which he worked in Christ when he him from and made him to sit at his in the places, far above all rule, , , , and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. He put all things in subjection , and gave him to be head over all things for , which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- Does God choose us, or do we choose God? · Ephesians 1:3-14
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.