The Letter to the Ephesians
in New International Commentary on the New Testament
Pages
600
Publisher
Eerdmans
Published
2020
ISBN-13
9780802868428
The letter to the Ephesians provokes interpretive questions of authorship, audience, date, occasion, and purpose of writing. Interacting critically with this intense debate, Lynn Cohick provides an exegetically astute analysis of the six chapters of Ephesians. Cohick offers an insightful account of the epistle’s theology and soteriology as she attends to the letter’s expansive prose and lofty vision of God’s redemption.
Cohick investigates the complex relationship between Jews and gentiles within the text and in the broader cultural context as she analyzes the epistle’s description of the Church and its appeals for discipleship. Her extensive knowledge of the social realities of women and families in the ancient world is evident throughout. Cohick’s historically sensitive and theologically rich commentary will resource a new generation of scholars, pastors, and lay leaders.
Cohick investigates the complex relationship between Jews and gentiles within the text and in the broader cultural context as she analyzes the epistle’s description of the Church and its appeals for discipleship. Her extensive knowledge of the social realities of women and families in the ancient world is evident throughout. Cohick’s historically sensitive and theologically rich commentary will resource a new generation of scholars, pastors, and lay leaders.
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- I. Authorship
- II. Recipients
- III. Occasion for Writing Ephesians
- IV. Purpose of Ephesians
- V. First-Century Ephesus
- VI. Date and Provenance of Letter
- VII. Structure of Ephesians
- VIII. Outline of the Commentary
- IX. Theology
- X. The New Perspective on Paul and Ephesians
- Text and Commentary
- I. Paul’s Opening Greeting (1:1–2)
- II. Theological Explication of the Gospel (1:3–3:21)
- III. Exhortation to Holy Living (4:1–6:20)
- IV. Final Greetings (6:21–24)
Collections
This book appears in the following featured collections.
- Commentaries by Female Scholars by John Dyer
- Recommended New Testament Commentaries for Evangelical Pastors by Thomas R. Schreiner
Reviews
Paul
July 14, 2023
July 14, 2023
Cohick offers a comprehensive commentary on the letter that interacts with the secondary literature (especially in English) and the Greek text, but which does not require the reader to know them. Cohick is excellent at situating the letter within the Jewish and Greco-Roman world of Paul, making connections between Ephesians and the theology of Paul’s other letters, and offering pointed reflections about the text’s contemporary relevance. Due to its readability and more up-to-date scholarship, I found myself increasingly turning to Cohick over Lincoln or Hoehner as I worked through the Greek text of Ephesians. What I really appreciate about Cohick is her ability to discuss hot button theological matters the text raises in an irenic evangelical way. If I had to level one criticism, I wish Cohick was more thorough in matters of textual criticism, but we have other commenters for those matters.
KelleyMathews
July 24, 2021
July 24, 2021
Cohick brings her expertise in the world of first-century Christians to bear in this commentary. Knowing the culture of the author and his audience makes a huge difference in understanding the biblical text. Particularly insightful is her handling of the household codes in chapter 5. Serious exegetes and thoughtful pastors preparing to preach on marriage/family should not move forward without consulting this resource. It's also very readable! I find that rare in comprehensive commentaries like NICNT produces.
G Ware
March 10, 2021
March 10, 2021
Precisely what you'd expect from the NICNT and Lynn Cohick. There are the typical categories in the intro, in which Cohick leans away from pseudonymity. The level of detail in addressing critical concerns is definitely sufficient without getting dragged into every small detail. The NICNT format makes for easy reading and finding what one is looking for in the exposition. There are tons of additional technical info and secondary source interaction in the footnotes. Cohick engages with the secondary sources (including a brief section in the intro on the NPP) without it becoming a commentary on commentaries. This is likely to become a gold standard on Ephesians.