Description
Ephesians speaks to our deepest questions about God: the redemptive plan of God from ages past now revealed; the work of Christ complete and effective now and for eternity; the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives and build a community. The clear message of God’s unfathomable grace establishes the believer’s hope and undergirds the call for faithful living. Down through the centuries, the clarion call to unity that permeates Ephesians has inspired and challenged the faithful to live out the promises found in Christ. This short letter speaks to the twenty-first century’s longing for friendship and wholeness.
Lynn H. Cohick’s commentary offers the reader an accessible and insightful guide to the epistle, and is careful to relate our understanding of the text to the issues surrounding the ministry of the Church today.
About the Author
Lynn H. Cohick is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. She is the author of Women in the First Christian Century (2009) and co-author with Gary Burge and Gene L. Green of The New Testament and Antiquity (2009).
Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
Ephesians 1
Fusing the Horizons: God’s Plan, Uniting All Things in Christ
Fusing the Horizons: Election, Predestination, and Free Will
Ephesians 2
Fusing the Horizons: Citizenship
Ephesians 3
Fusing the Horizons: Prison Ministry Then and Now
Fusing the Horizons: Paul the Servant
Ephesians 4
Fusing the Horizons: Paul’s Sermons and Letters
Fusing the Horizons: Ministry and the Church
Fusing the Horizons: Refusing to Walk the Walk – So What?
Ephesians 5
Prolegomena to the Household Codes
Fusing the Horizons: Marriage Then and Now
Ephesians 6
Fusing the Horizons: Infanticide and Abortion
Fusing the Horizons: Seated with Christ and Standing Firm
Fusing the Horizons: Christian Obedience
Fusing the Horizons: Christian Nominalism and Life in the Spirit
Bibliography
Scripture Index
Ancient Sources Index
Author Index
Endorsements and Reviews
Lynn Cohick’s commentary on Ephesians provides a practical explanation and appropriation of the letter. She demonstrates that she is well-informed about the issues, sane in her judgments, effective in her communication, and that she cares about the lives of modern Christians. Her knowledge of the ancient world allows her to bring historical and sociological information to bear on the text and its interpretation. People seeking an easily accessible and non-technical treatment of Ephesians will enjoy this commentary.
Paul W. Brandel, Professor of New Testament Studies, North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago
The brevity of the overall book probably weighs in its favour as a resource for pastors.
Richard Briggs, in Biblical Studies Bulletin, June 2013
Of particular interest is Cohick ‘s discussion of what she regards as Paul’s teaching on wives, families and slaves. She writes out of an American situation and wants both to take Ephesians very seriously and relate it to contemporary thought and the origins of contemporary thought on these subjects. … This is a useful book in the study of Ephesians.
Donald A. Bullen, Liverpool Hope University, in Theological Book Review, Vol 25, No 2
… this commentary is a short, valuable guide to Ephesians. It succeeds in accomplishing one of the key aims of the series, ‘to provide an occasion for authors to reflect on how the New Testament impacts the life, faith, ministry and witness of the New Covenant Community’. I would recommend the work to any interested lay readers or ministerial candidates who are looking for an informed, but non-technical, commentary on Ephesians.
Seth M. Ehorn, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, in The Expository Times, Vol 125, No 7
This is a well-written commentary, which is easy to read and infused with dashes of ironic humor… A worthwhile commentary for ministers and students, for Cohick combines well-crafted explanations and arguments with fresh insights.
Julie Woods, in Reviews in Religion & Theology, Vol 21, Issue 3
