Studies In The Scriptures
The Place Of Ephesians

The most vital and interesting of all is found in the foreword to the so-called epistle to the Ephesians. We will continue to call it “Ephesians” because of custom and convenience and because it is almost a certainty that it was sent to Ephesus. But we are practically certain that it was a circular letter addressed to all the believers in Christ Jesus, and that the introduction has been marred by the addition of the words “in Ephesus.”

This was done so soon that the evidence for its removal is largely derived from sources earlier than our best manuscripts. So much depends on this reading that we shall present some of the facts and reasons which lead us to leave out “in Ephesus” and thus read the epistle as addressed “to all the saints who are also believers in Christ Jesus.”

The best manuscript we have, Vaticanus, was originally written without “in Ephesus.” It was added in the margin. This manuscript was written with great care, and it is not easy to see how the words “in Ephesus” would be left out by accident.

The next best text, Sinaiticus, was also written without “in Ephesus,” which was inserted by a later corrector. So that both of the best manuscripts we have were originally written without these words.

The early and almost universal tradition that it was sent to the Ephesians does not seem to have been based on the text itself, for Marcion gave this epistle the title “To the Laodicenes.” He could hardly have done this unless he found the epistle without the words “in Ephesus” as part of the text.

No man, in the early centuries, made as thorough a study of the text of Scripture as Origen. Living in the early part of the third century, he was already examining manuscripts, and classified readings as occurring “in most MSS.,” or “in the oldest MSS.” He does not seem to have had any evidence for “in Ephesus,” and his interpretation of the words “which are” are criticized by a later writer, when the sentence had become meaningless because the special force of the title “Christ Jesus” had been lost.

Basil, a writer of the fourth century, consulted the texts of his day and reported that the older manuscripts omitted “in Ephesus,” while the later ones included it. This is especially interesting, in view of the fact that the two oldest manuscripts we have were written about the time he conducted his investigation. They were both originally without the words, which were added later to conform with the trend of the times.

It seems beyond any reasonable doubt, then, that, as originally written, the words “in Ephesus” were not a part of the text. Some have proposed the theory that copies were made for many places, and that one of these, which was sent to Ephesus, contained these words. Another, sent to Laodicea, was addressed to the Laodiceans, and so for each copy that was made. But this does not agree with Origen’s rendering of the passage, and would certainly have called for some remark by a writer early enough to see or hear of such copies.

Besides the difficulty which the interpolation is supposed to solve is aggravated rather then removed. The real objection to the true reading lies in the fact that it is not addressed to all saints, but only to those who believe in Christ Jesus. The insertion of “in Ephesus” does not delete this limitation but localizes it. Not all the saints in Ephesus, but only those believing in Christ Jesus, are in view. The addition only robs the distinction between all saints and those who believe in Christ Jesus of its clearness.

We may congratulate ourselves and rejoice that we have so far recovered primitive truth that we can receive and appreciate the original reading. For those who have never exulted in the title of His present glory, “Christ Jesus,” as contrasted with “Jesus Christ” the badge of His humiliation, the passage lacks all point and purpose. But once that distinction is realized it becomes the key to unlock the truth of the present secret economy.

We conclude then that the passage should read, “to all the saints who are also believers in Christ Jesus.” We deduce from this that it was not written to the saints of the Circumcision who knew Him only as Jesus Christ, rejected on earth, whose glory awaits the era of His unveiling. It was not meant to include those to whom Hebrews was addressed, or James, Peter, John or Jude. It was confined to those to whom Paul ministered, directly or indirectly, whether by word of mouth, or by his epistles.

Thus we open the door, long since shut and barred and bolted, which opens into the treasuries of present truth. Ephesisans is the charter of the church, the foundation of its faith. It is a systematic treatise on the doctrine for today. It is to be taken fully and without reservations or restrictions. All of Paul’s epistles apply to the present, but all others contain personal or local allusions, which we can take only in a secondary sense. The prison epistles are especially in point, but even Philippians and Colossians contain matters of local or temporal application.

All of Paul’s epistles are involved in the Ephesian epistle. The accompanying prison epistles, Philippians and Colossians, are not revelations of fresh truth, but corrective commentaries based upon Ephesian truth. The other epistles are included in and modified by its teaching. The Promise Epistles, written to the Thessalonians, are distinctly included in present truth by the reference to those who have a prior expectation (Eph.1:12), the one expectation (Eph.4:4) and the helmet, the hope of salvation (Eph.6:17).

The Preparatory Epistles, Romans, Corinthians and Galatians, are included by the fact that we have become joint participants of the evangel which Paul had preached (Eph.3:6), which is fully expounded in this group of epistles. The reference to righteousness (Eph.6:14) and the evangel of peace (Eph.6:15) are pointed references to Paul’s previous ministry. Thus we may take all of Paul’s writings as our present guide, with due deference to the transcendent and ruling revelation contained in Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians.

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