Ephesians 4:7-16 - an Exegetical Look

Introduction and Historical Context

Paul tells his audience at Ephesus to grow up and through the diversity of gifts and peoples, show the unity that is the body of Christ! God, through Christ has given us all that we need to learn, to teach, to believe, and to come together as His.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 4:7-16 (ESV):

            7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Not only has He given us the things mentioned above, but Paul states that through Christ’s descending and ascending, He has also given us the proof of His Godhood, so that we may know what He taught (through His apostles) and is passed on to us – Jew and Gentile, is most certainly true. It is a united Church, and though diverse in many aspects of appearance, gifts, race, language, and conduct - still one body, equipped to grow into Christ’s bride.

Herod the Great is said to have broken[1] from many of the Jewish traditions in culture and architecture, et al. Construction styles and many of the social influences of Greco-Roman culture were emphasized in Herodian Judea. Herod spent a significant amount of time in Rome and Alexandria and was said to be a great admirer of their architecture. The temple at Caesaria Maratima as described by Josephus, was comparable to the Augustinian temple of Mars in Rome[2]. These bits of history, combined with the fact that one can logically conclude that there were early Jews in Ephesus due to its proximity to Judea and the interconnectivity of the region at that time. Cross-cultural “contamination” is a natural byproduct of the connection between the great Greco-Roman roads and the Silk Road out of East Asia. Ephesus was given (bequeathed) to the Romans in 129 B.C.E. and was the “seat” of Roman government in East Asia[3].

Greco-Roman Influence on Judean Culture

It would be nearly impossible to do a fair exegetical study of the early churches without an examination of the culture of the cities in which Jew and Gentile established them and where St. Paul directed many of his letters. It is logical to assume that the influence of Herodian Judea would have traveled to wherever the Jewish people of that time would have traveled, especially given the influence everywhere in the Roman Empire. This includes what is now known as Turkey, where Ephesus was located. As established, there was also a heavy Roman presence there, which would indicate many Gentiles – even outnumbering the local Jewish population. According to commentary[4] the Jewish community in Ephesus had a tight and united organizational culture. They petitioned Rome for permission to freely worship and were approved (if informally) and Josephus recorded their petitions, showing that some Jews even possessed Roman citizenship. It would be likely that such a tight (and somewhat powerful) community would be resistant to incoming Christians and local Gentiles in the first century.

[1] Ames, Cody. "Herodian Judea: Games, Politics, Kingship" Journal of Ancient History and Archeology, [Online], Volume 2 Number 2 (18 June 2015)

[2] Ames, (2015)

[3] “Ephesus,” UNESCO, Silk Roads Programme, accessed January 31, 2025, https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/ content/ephesus

[4] Lincoln, Andrew T., Ephesians, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.