World English Bible · Under Rome
Ephesians 3
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For this cause I, , am the prisoner of Christ on behalf of you , if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that of which was given me toward you, how that by was to me, as I wrote before in few words, by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in of Christ, which in other generations was not to the children of men, as it has now been to his and in , that the are fellow and fellow , and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ through the , of which I was made a servant according to the gift of that of which was given me according to the working of his . To me, the very least of all , was this given, to preach to the the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the administration of which for ages has been hidden in , who created all things through , to the intent that now through the manifold of might be to the and the powers in the places, according to the purpose which he accomplished in Christ our . In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our in him. Therefore I ask that you may not lose at my troubles for you, which are your . For this cause, I bow my knees to of our , from whom every family in and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his , that you may be strengthened with through his in the inner person, that Christ may in your through , to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of . Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the that works in us, to him be the in and in Christ , and ever. .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
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.