The Surprising Literary Structure of Ephesians

• To see the literary structures described here, see the Translation link on the menu.
• Seeing how this letter is structured, on the one hand provides a helpful framework for fully understanding the message, and on the other is a work of art which frames the beauty of the truth, like a diamond setting holds a diamond.

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A paper presented at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society
ON & QC Region, at the University of Toronto, Oct 2023

• Abstract:

1. Brief Literature Review and a New Proposal

• On one extreme we have the whole book cast as a single chiastic structure

Heil’s Structure of Ephesians

• Not made on the basis of the Greek text
• Tends to run roughshod over syntax
• Some of the clearest structural features in the epistle, which I will come to later, do not even align with his schema
• Arnold: I have not found his overall thesis persuasive.
• What we find in the literature
• Unfortunately those who come up with elaborate chiastic structures often do not pay a lot of attention to the Greek syntax.
• They just look at matching words and phrases. It is possible to find structure in just about anything if you set the bar low enough.

Syntax has to be the starting point.

• On the other hand, if we look at a sampling of some of the best known academic commentaries, there seems to be little interest in examining the literary structure

• None of them see literary structure as a topic even to be investigated
• All of them do see some evidence of very small chiasms – on average each author finds two, but not always the same ones.

• This is helpful for helping to identify the key ideas and flow of meaning, and of drawing attention to what Paul wants to emphasize.
• It is surprising because it breaks our categories. We are used to a prose structure or poetry, but not something that has large amounts of poetic content within a reasoned logical argument
  • We see reasoned logic and poetry as different categories
  • This was not true in the ancient world

2. Examples of Clear Structural Features

• We are going to look at some examples:

1. Pure Chiasmus

• what I consider to be the purest form: foldable text
  • hold up the paper example
• What I mean by that is that if you have a structure, say A B D D D’ C’ B’ A’
  • You can read just A and then A’ and it flows
  • But something is missing, which is supplied by “unfolding” B and B’
  • Again, the whole argument flows, but more is added by unfolding the next inner piece
  • Right at the center is usually a new idea which is key to all the other changes in the higher levels
• e.g:
• View the structure and click on ‘How the Body is Built’: Ephesians 4:12–16
  • Note this is all one sentence in the Greek!
• Another example: (not quite as elegant, but still flows well
• View the structure: Ephesians 5:1–6

2. Small chiasms embedded in the flow

• For example:
• View the structure: Ephesians 4:22–24

3. Highly structured, but not chiastic

• 1:3–14 Past, present and future blocks
  • View the structure: Ephesians 1:3–14
• 3:1–13 – 2 stage revelation of the mystery
  • More of an Inclusio than full-blown chiasm
• View the structure: Ephesians 3:1–13
  • What reinforces our confidence in these structures I have been showing you is that they exactly fit the logical sections of the book, on which all the commentators are pretty much in agreement.
• A final great example of highly structured but not Chiasm
  • View the structure and click on the grey boxes: speaking etc.: Ephesians 5:15–6:9
• The early Christian hymn in 5:14

3. Is there an Overall Literary Structure?

• 1:1–14 Overview: A. Past: forgiveness; B. Present: unfolding of mystery; C. Future: Hope through the Spirit
  • View the structure: Ephesians 1:1–14

• The 7 walks as a structuring device