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 analyses 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.
Lynn H. Cohick is provost/dean and professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary. Her other books include Christian Women in the Patristic World, Women in the World of the Earliest Christians, and a commentary on Philippians in the Story of God Bible Commentary series.
Review of Biblical Literature "Worthy inclusion within the NICNT commentary series as an updated, suitable successor to the highly regarded work of F. F. Bruce. Without a doubt, readers of all types will benefit from this genuinely erudite yet readable and accessible tome, Cohick's most recent in an extended list of noteworthy volumes." "Cohick's scholarship is exceptionally up-to-date, and her text is highly readable and relevant for commentary users interested in the message of Ephesians. She fairly engages other scholars and attends to the grammar and the ancient context, highlighting also ancient social realities that many commentators miss." -- Craig S. Keener Asbury Theological Seminary "With an emphasis on cultural backgrounds, New Testament scholar Lynn Cohick offers a fresh exposition of Ephesians that is historically grounded and theologically astute. This commentary should be on the shelf of every pastor, teacher, and student who wants to know not only what Ephesians means, but how its message can be applied to life today." -- Karen H. Jobes Wheaton College "Lynn Cohick's commentary on Ephesians, which clearly and compellingly explicates that which comprises and animates the letter, may be aptly described as a gift to both the church and the academy. Like the vast majority of her interpretive predecessors, Cohick envisions Ephesians as an authentic Pauline letter written by the apostle Paul from Roman captivity in the early 60s CE to gentile Christ followers in the city of Ephesus. Following an expansive, substantive introduction, Cohick patiently and skillfully attends to the literary beauty, theological profundity, and pastoral concerns that pervade Paul's dearly beloved letter to the Ephesians." -- Todd D. Still George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
