Ephesians 5: 21-9 Analysis

Ephesians 5:21-6:9 is an account of the Christian version of the household codes. The author of Ephesians is believed by many to be Paul, although modern scholars have pointed to the differences in grammar and the strikingly similar vocabulary in Paul’s other letters as proof that Paul did not author the book. If tradition holds, and Paul is the accepted author, it is likely that he authored the book during either his imprisonment in Rome around 59 C.E., or one of his earlier imprisonments. While some believe that Ephesians was written solely to the church at Ephesus, many scholars now believe it was written as a circular letter to many of the early churches. The letter was written to a predominately Gentile audience.
According to Catherine Cory, household codes are “moral instructions that focus on the relation of superiors to subordinates.” The household codes outlined in Ephesians are similar to those given by Cicero, Philo, Plutarch, and Josephus of the Greco-Roman culture. These codes are inspired by both Aristotelian and Stoic traditions. In Cicero’s household codes, he understood “relationships to be parallel and interconnected.” Both Plutarch and Josephus include instruction that wives are to be …show more content…
Through this understanding, marriage would change the structure of traditional Jewish culture. Rather than terminating the paternal relationship, however, v. 29 reduces its importance. The author continues to reference ‘the mystery’ in v. 32. Some scholars interpret this mystery to be the link in the Christ-Church relationship. According to Ephesians, marriage should be rooted in love and respect for one another and any other type of marriage would not live up to the standards of Ephesians. The author of Ephesians uses the institution of Christian marriage to demonstrate an “unbreakable order that the pagan world could