The following resources complemented our 2006-2007 study of Paul's letter called Ephesians.
On the Bible’s Overarching Narrative
Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), pp. 14-20.
Fee (PhD, University of Southern California), Professor Emeritus of New Testament (NT) Studies at Regent College, Vancouver, BC, is the author of numerous commentaries on Paul’s letters as well as works on biblical interpretation. Stuart (PhD, Harvard University), is professor of Old Testament (OT) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and senior pastor of First Church Congregational of Boxford, Massachusetts.
“Like an experienced tour guide, [this book] takes you by the hand and walks you through the Scriptures. For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its key elements and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.”
For the book's overview of the Bible's grand drama, click here.
N. T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006).
Tom Wright (DD, Oxford) is currently Bishop of Durham with the Church of England, serving as a shepherd to the pastors (vicars) in that region. He has taught at Oxford, Cambridge, McGill, and Harvard, is one of today’s leading New Testament (NT) scholars, and writes prolifically at both a popular and academic level.
In this book Wright “walks the reader through the Christian faith step by step and question by question. With simple yet exciting and accessible prose, Wright challenges skeptics by offering explanations for even the toughest doubt-filled dilemmas, leaving believers with a reason for renewed faith. For anyone who wants to travel beyond the controversies that can obscure what the Christian faith really stands for, this simple book is the perfect vehicle for that journey.”
Excerpt here.
Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen, The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004).
The authors, both Professors at Redeemer University College, Ontario, “provide an engaging overview of the story line and theology of the Bible. As the authors suggest in their introduction, it is only as we read and appropriate the Bible ‘as our story’ that we fully understand it and allow it to have authority over us. As we enter into the story of the Bible, we find God revealed there and are called to participate in his continuing activity. The biblical story, then, is foundational to Christian thinking and living.”
More more info on this book, see their website here.
New Testament Overview
David A. deSilva, New Testament Themes (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001).
deSilva (PhD, Emory University), is professor of NT and Greek, Ashland Theological Seminary, Ohio. He is known for his expertise in the socio-cultural world of Jesus and the early church. He also has served as an interim preacher, organist, and director of choirs.
In this little paperback is addressed Grace, Discipleship, Community, and Apocalyptic, by which deSilva means the Favor of God, which leads to walking in the Way of God, corporately as the People of God, who are drawn into the Triumph of God. He provides an excellent, accessible overview (one of the best I've seen) of the major motifs of the NT. “For those who are new to the social landscape and teaching of the NT, David deSilva proves to be a trustworthy and engaging guide. For those sometimes bewildered by NT emphases that seem disjointed or strange to our world, he makes plain the complex and mysterious. For anyone ready to be inducted into the thought world of the NT and to be nurtured by its message, New Testament Themes issues an invitation that will not disappoint” (Joel B. Green, Asbury Theological Seminary).
Gordon Fee, “Biblical Theology of the New Testament” (mp3 lectures)
This course was taught by Professor Fee (described above) at Regent College, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Spring Term, 1996. Class handouts are available in pdf (128 pages). Fee traces the major themes of the NT from Jesus through the epistles and combines informative teaching and practical exhortation. A glossary of theological terms also is available upon request.
On House Churches in the First-Century Roman World
Bruce Longenecker, The Lost Letters of Pergamum: A Story from the New Testament World(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002).
Bruce Longenecker (PhD., University of Durham) is lecturer in New Testament Studies at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
The Lost Letters “introduces readers to the style of NT writings, the social and political world of Jesus and his first followers, and early Christian gatherings. Using the literary technique of correspondence through ancient letters, which comprise much of the NT, Longenecker mixes fact and fiction to paint an interesting and informative picture of the NT world and early Christianity.”
Robert Banks, Going to Church in the First Century (Beaumont, TX: Christian Books Publishing House, 1990).
Robert Banks (PhD, University of Cambridge) is the Director and Dean of Macquarie Christian Studies Institute in Australia. Previously he was founding Professor of the Ministry of the Laity at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, and Executive Director of the De Pree Leadership Center. Banks is an expert both on house churches in NT times and the contemporary house-church movement.
“This brief [fictional] narrative attempts to depict what it was like to attend an early Christian gathering in the middle of the first century.”
On Jesus
N. T. Wright, The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary: An Illustrated Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996).
“In The Original Jesus Wright focuses on key stages in Jesus’ life and on key elements of his teaching. In the process, Wright presents a vivid reconstruction of what Jesus himself was aiming to achieve and how the movement he began can best be understood in relation to the turbulent politics and fervent aspirations of his day. Wright also looks at the way we interpret the different Gospel narratives about Jesus, showing how modern readers coming fresh to these texts can do so in an informed and discriminating way. Based on rigorous historical research and featuring numerous full-color illustrations as well as short, clear chapters, The Original Jesus offers compelling insight into what Jesus really stood for, why he was crucified, and how it was that his followers came to regard him as nothing less than the human face of God.”
N. T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999).
Today a renewed and vigorous scholarly quest for the historical Jesus is underway. In the midst of well publicized and controversial books on Jesus, N. T. Wright's lectures and writings have been widely recognized for providing a fresh, provocative and historically credible portrait.
Out of his own commitment to both historical scholarship and Christian ministry, Wright challenges us to roll up our sleeves and take seriously the study of the historical Jesus. He writes, "Many Christians have been, frankly, sloppy in their thinking and talking about Jesus, and hence, sadly, in their praying and in their practice of discipleship. We cannot assume that by saying the word Jesus, still less the word Christ, we are automatically in touch with the real Jesus who walked and talked in first-century Palestine. . . . Only by hard, historical work can we move toward a fuller comprehension of what the Gospels themselves were trying to say."
The Challenge of Jesus poses a double-edged challenge: to grow in our understanding of the historical Jesus within the Palestinian world of the first century, and to follow Jesus more faithfully into the postmodern world of the twenty-first century.
Interview with the author.
N. T. Wright, “Jesus,” in New Dictionary of Theology, eds. David F. Wright, Sinclair B. Ferguson, J.I. Packer (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 348-351.
On Paul
Michael J. Gorman, Reading Paul (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2007).
Gorman (PhD, Princeton) is Professor of Sacred Scripture and Dean of the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland.
In this new introduction to the Apostle Paul and his gospel, written especially for lay readers, for beginning students, and for those unsure about what to make of Paul, Michael J. Gorman takes the apostle seriously, as someone who speaks for God and to us. After an overview not only of Paul's radical transformation from persecutor to proclaimer but also of his letter-writing in the context of Paul's new mission, Reading Paul explores the central themes of the apostle's gospel: Gorman places special emphasis on the theopolitical character of Paul's gospel and on the themes of cross and resurrection, multiculturalism in the church, and peacemaking and nonviolence as the way of Christ according to Paul. Gorman also offers a distinctive interpretation of justification by faith as participation in Christ—an interpretation that challenges standard approaches to these Pauline themes. Reading Paul demonstrates that the apostle of faith, hope, and love speaks not only to our deepest spiritual needs but also to the challenging times in which we live.
Table of Contents
1. Puzzling Over Paul
2. Saul the Persecutor, Paul the Convert
3. Herald of the King
4. Paul and Jesus
5. Good News for the Pagans
6. Good News for Israel
7. Justification and the Church
8. God’s Renewed Humanity
9. Paul’s Gospel Then and Now
10. Paul, Jesus and Christian Origins
N. T. Wright, Paul: In Fresh Perspective (London/Minneapolis; SPCK/Fortress Press, 2005).
“‘For me,’ says Tom Wright, ‘there has been no more stimulating exercise, for the mind, the heart, the imagination and the spirit, than trying to think Paul’s thoughts after him and constantly to be stirred up to fresh glimpses of God’s ways and purposes with the world and with us strange human creatures.’ Wright’s accessible new volume takes a fresh look at Paul in light of recent understandings of his Jewish roots, his attitude toward the Roman Empire, and his unique reframing of Jewish symbols after his experience of the risen Christ. Wright includes a short systematic account of the main theological contours of Paul’s thought and its pertinence for the church today.”
N. T. Wright, “Paul,” in New Dictionary of Theology, eds. David F. Wright, Sinclair B. Ferguson, J. I. Packer (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 496-499.
On Ephesians
Translations We Used
For Everyone (Tom Wright)
English Standard Version
The Message (Eugene Peterson)
Commentaries: Most User-Friendly
Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004).
Regarding the For Everyone series, the publisher writes: “Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book.” This is our primary commentary for small group discussion.
Max Turner, “Ephesians,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (4th ed.), eds. D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, G. J. Wenham (Downers Grove, IL/ Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 1222-1244.
Turner (PhD, Cambridge) is Professor of NT Studies and Vice-Principal of London School of Theology. He is co-editor of the Two Horizons commentary series, and currently is working on full-scale commentaries on Ephesians.
The editors explain that with this one-volume commentary they “have chosen to concentrate on the ‘flow’ of books and passages, and in this way to make a fundamental contribution to understanding the Bible. Too often the Bible reader (and not only in the early years of Bible reading) is baffled for want of help to see the wood from the trees. We believe that when our Commentary is used with this end in mind it will bring its greatest benefits to the user.” This is our small group’s secondary commentary for discussion.
Commentaries for Further Exploration
John Stott, The Message of Ephesians: God’s New Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979).
Pastor Stott has been pastoring in some capacity at AllSouls Church in London for over 60 years. For a quarter century he also has directed Langham Partnership International, which provides literature, scholarships, and preaching-training for pastors in Majority World churches and seminaries. He has written over 40 books.
This book is an expansion of his sermons through the Ephesians letter and is the most accessible of these five supplemental commentaries.
James D. G. Dunn, “Ephesians,” in The Oxford Bible Commentary, eds. John Barton and John Muddiman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 1165-1179 (available on our webpage).
Dunn (PhD, Cambridge) taught Divinity at University of Nottingham and University of Durham, before retiring in 2003. His extensive publications on Jesus and Paul have contributed significantly to the state of contemporary NT scholarship.
Professor Dunn’s comments are most helpful and will serve as a valuable third opinion when interpreting Paul. (His dismissal of Pauline authorship has little impact on his careful handling of the text.)
Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld, Ephesians, Believers Church Bible Commentary (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2002).
Yoder Neufeld (PhD, Harvard Divinity School) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies, Conrad Grebel University College, Ontario, Canada.
Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996).
Snodgrass (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is Professor of New Testament Studies at North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL.
“Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from the twentieth century to the first century. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. In other words, they focus on the original meaning of the passage but don't discuss its contemporary application. The information they offer is valuable—but the job is only half done! The NIV Application Commentary Series helps us with both halves of the interpretive task. This new and unique series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into a modern context. It explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it can speak powerfully today.” Eugene Peterson says this series brings “this ancient and powerful Word of God into the present so that it can be heard and delivered with all the freshness of a new day, with all the immediacy of a friend’s embrace.” This is the most practical of these supplemental commentaries.
Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999).
Peter O’Brien (PhD, University of Manchester) is vice principal and senior research fellow in New Testament, Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia. He is a noted Pauline scholar and has written major commentaries on all the captivity epistles.
“Here is a commentary that expounds this marvelous epistle with a clarity and reverence that are quite refreshing. O’Brien draws upon his years of experience as a missionary, pastor, professor, and scholar to write a book that examines all the inspired nuances of Ephesians without losing sight of the main theme all the way…. Practical, scholarly exposition that takes a high view of Scripture.” This is the most technical of these supplemental commentaries.
Beyond the Printed Page
Sermons on Ephesians on CD
Assorted Pastors, All Souls Church, London, “Ephesians: The Glorious Church of God,” 2002.
All Souls is known for its dynamic teaching ministry. This recent collection of sermons on Ephesians is available for our small group in both wma and mp3 formats. The church’s entire collection of sermons from over 40 years is available free of charge to those who register at their site.
John Stott, All Souls Church, London, “Ephesians Series,” 1971/1975.
On Stott, see above. These sermons form the basis of his commentary described above..
DVDs on Paul and His Ministry
Paul L. Maier, Odyssey of St. Paul.
Paul Maier (PhD, Universities of Heidelberg and Basel), Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, is a vice president of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. He has published numerous articles and books, both fiction and non-fiction, with several million in print in a dozen languages.
Filmed on location in Israel, Greece, Italy, and Turkey, this 2003 series covers the life, ministry and teachings of Paul. The 2-disc set contains 8 segments, each approximately 25 minutes.
PBS, Peter and Paul and the Christian Revolution.
This well-done documentary, premiered in April 2003, covers the first thirty years of the nascent Christian movement from the crucifixion of Jesus to the Roman imprisonment of Paul. The historical advisors consulted here are a diverse group, representing a broad range of scholarly opinion on Paul and the early church. (Despite occasional skepticism of the historical reliability of the biblical data, this is an excellent resource.)
On-Line Education on Paul and His Travels
Craig Koester, Web Tours of the journeys of Paul and the cities of Revelation.
Craig Koester (PhD, Union Theological Seminary) is Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN.
These “tours” provide historical information and pictures of Ephesus and other cities in Asia Minor that may have been the recipients of Paul’s letter we call Ephesians. Click here. Scroll down to Resources, then select Materials.
PBS, In the Footsteps of Paul.
This easy-to-navigate webpage fills out Paul’s life and travels with historical commentary and includes helpful photographs, maps, and timelines. (Despite occasional skepticism of the historical reliability of the biblical data, this is a very good resource.) Click here.
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