Historical Analysis of Ephesians 2:8-13

This week you will consider and write on the historical, sociopolitical, and cultural contexts of the passage that you have selected to study for this course. Though your textbook, Elements of Biblical Exegesis, include literary and rhetorical contexts under the historical analysis, you will hold off on those contexts until next week in writing your Formal Analysis rough draft. You should have already completed a full reading of the book of Ephesians. If you need to freshen up on the book one more time, please read it again. From your readings determine: A. What does the book state about the author? Who is the author? If the author is not identified, are there statements which might imply the identity of the author, or which might reveal any other information concerning the author? B. Who are the recipients of the message? Where do they live? What is their relationship to the author? What is their spiritual condition? Note any customs, places, persons or events mentioned in the passage or surrounding material. C. When was the passage written, and what occasion prompted it? D. What is the purpose of the book? Are there any explicit or implicit statements of purpose? Second, consult and use at least two sources (including your Ephesians commentary). Compare and expand the results from the reading of the book described above (A-D) with these sources. For this section you will need to turn in one complete page of content. This section must be written as a narrative rough draft. Submitting a paper that lists A-D and includes research will not suffice. The rough draft must be written in a narrative format just like your final paper.