King James Version · Under Rome
Ephesians 4
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I therefore, the prisoner of , beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with , forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of in the bond of peace. There is , and one , even as ye are called in one of your calling; One , one , one , One and of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led , and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all , that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, ; and some, ; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of , for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the : Till we all come in the unity of the , and of the knowledge of the Son of , unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify in , that ye henceforth walk not as other walk, in the of their , Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their : Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in : That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in of ; And that ye put on the new man, which after is created in and true . Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and not: let not the sun go down upon your : Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your , but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister unto the hearers. And grieve not of , whereby ye are sealed unto the day of . Let all bitterness, and , and , and clamour, and evil speaking, be from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. 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.