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Epistle to the Ephesians

Epistle to the Ephesians

9.7
A New Testament letter by Paul to Christians in Ephesus about unity in Christ
  • noun
  • /ɪˈpɪsəl tə ði ɪˈfiːʒənz/
translation icon : Epístola a los Efesios
  • The Epistle to the Ephesians emphasizes the importance of unity among Christians.

Examples

  • The Epistle to the Ephesians emphasizes the importance of unity among believers.

  • The Epistle to the Ephesians emphasizes unity and reconciliation in Christ.

  • Many scholars have debated the authorship of the Epistle to the Ephesians.

  • Our study group read passages from the Epistle to the Ephesians each week.

  • Have you read the Epistle to the Ephesians?

  • In the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint Paul discusses the divine plan for salvation.

  • Readers often find comfort in the teachings of the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Synonyms

9.9

A New Testament letter by Paul to the people of Ephesus about being saved through Christ

focuses more on unity in Christ than on salvation
Ephesians
vsEpistle to the Ephesians
8.6

A book of the New Testament with a letter from Paul to Christians in Ephesus

emphasizes divine plan and unity rather than only authorship or audience

Surface Forms

Morphology

epistle + to + the + Ephesians

The phrase is fully compositional: 'epistle' means a letter and 'to the Ephesians' names the recipients (people from Ephesus), so the overall meaning — a letter addressed to the Ephesians — is directly derivable from the parts. This construction (letter to X) is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would understand it.

Etymology

Epistle to the Ephesians gets its name from two parts: Epistle, an old word for a 'letter', and Ephesians, the 'people of Ephesus'. So it is a New Testament letter sent to the Christians in Ephesus, which is why it reads like teaching about 'unity in Christ'.