Reliable Preservation of Ephesians

Earliest Manuscripts of Ephesians: 100-150 A.D. (Chester Beatty II) and middle third century (p49).

Earliest Writers Referring to Ephesians: 110-117 A.D. Ignatius, disciple of the apostle John. Polycarp, disciple of the apostle John, was a bishop from 100-155 A.D.

Early References to Ephesians

Letter of Ignatius to the Ephesians 110-117 A.D. ch.1 quotes Eph 5:2, and he says in ch.12 that Paul makes mention of the Ephesians in his letter. Ignatius' Letter to Polycarp ch.5 quotes Eph 5:25.

The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians (bishop from 100-155 A.D.) quotes Ephesians 2:8-9 and 4:26, along with a number of other verses, without giving the source, except to says that quotes of Psalm 4:5 and Ephesians 4:26 are "declared then in these scriptures".

Irenaeus 182-188 A.D. in numerous places

The Muratorian Canon (c.170 A.D.) mentions Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, as well as Paul's other 12 letters.

Tertullian wrote in 207 A.D. that it was by Paul the apostle in On the Resurrection of the Flesh ch.40. Tertullian said Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Tertullian Against Marcion Book 14 chapter 5 (207 A.D.). It was a book "that comes down from the apostles, which has been kept as a sacred deposit in the churches of the apostles."

Clement of Alexandria wrote 193-217/220 A.D.

Hippolytus 222-235/6 A.D.

Origen 225-254 A.D.

Gregory Thaumaturgus 270 A.D.

Adamantius 300 A.D.

Cyprian was a bishop of Carthage from 248 to his martyrdom in 258 A.D.. He quotes from "the epistle of Paul to the Ephesians" in Treatise 12 The Third Book 7,70,72,117.

Chrysostom 396 A.D. wrote down 23 sermons on Ephesians which we still have today. He said it was by Paul.

This is according to Aland et al. Fourth revised edition.

Early Manuscripts of Ephesians

A: At least 74 manuscripts and early church writers quoted or referred to verses in Ephesians. We have at least three good reasons.

p46 Chester Beatty II 100-150 A.D. Eph 1:1-2:7; 2:10-5:6; 5:8-6:6; 6:8-18,20-24 and other parts of Paul's letters and Hebrews. A photograph of the first page of Ephesians is in A General Introduction to the Bible p.389 and the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.532. The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts has a photograph of part of p46 on p.192. It also says on p.197-198 that the quality and the stichiometric marks show that a professional scribe wrote this.

First half of 3rd century - 1936 - Frederic G. Kenyon according to The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts.

2nd century, 200 A.D. - 1935 - Ulrich Wilken according to The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts.

200 A.D. - 1968 - The Text of the New Testament.

81-96 A.D. - 1988 - Young Kyu Kim according to The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts.

About 200 A.D. - 1975 - Aland et al. Third edition.

About 200 A.D. - 1998 - Aland et al. Fourth revised edition.

Early to middle 2nd century - 1999 - The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts. This is based in part on the handwriting being very similar to Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 8 (late first or early second century) and Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 2337 (late first century).

p49 (middle 3rd century) Eph 4:16-29; 4:31-5:31 The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts has a photograph of part of p49 on p.346. It also says that p49 and p65 were written by the same scribe.

End of 3rd century - 1968 - The Text of the New Testament.

p92 Eph 1:11-13,19-21; 2 Thess 1:4-5,11-12 (ca. 300 A.D.) The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts has a photograph of part of p92 on p.614. It also says this is dated to late third or early fourthcentury because the handwriting is quite similar to P. Bodmer IX, P. Cairo Isid. 2, and P. Rylands III 389.

Vaticanus 325-350 A.D.

Sinaiticus 340-350 A.D.

Bohairic Coptic 3rd/4th century

Sahidic Coptic 3rd/4rth century

Fayyumic Coptic

Alexandrinus c.450 A.D.

Claromontanus

p13 London/Florence3rd/4th century

Translation Notes

This is the same as the KJV except for the differences listed. In regards, to precision, understandability, and choices of Greek texts, this translation is in the middle ground between a number of good translations: KJV, NASB1995, NCV, NIV, KJV, NRSV, Wuest, Green's Translation, a mechanical translation of Aland et al, and support from the Expositor's Bible Commentary and The Bible Knowledge Commentary. To avoid the peculiarities of any one translation, I tried to use only words and phrases that were in two or more translations. Italicized words are not present in the Greek.

If you see a mistake or have any suggestions, please contact cdebater@aol.com. Thank you.

Eph 1:1 "an apostle" to "apostle"	Not in the Greek
Eph 1:1 "which" to "who"	archaic grammar
Eph 1:1 "and to the faithful" to "and faithful"	not in the Greek
Eph 1:1 "at Ephesus" to "[in Ephesus]" (en in Greek)
Eph 1:1,4,4,6,6,11,12,14,14,17,20; Eph 2:21,22 Italicized "the"	Not in the Greek
Eph 1:2 remove "be" and remove two commas	Not in the Greek
Eph 1:2,4,6,8,9,22; 2:1,5,6,10,14a,14b; 3:9; 4:32; 5:2a; 5:2b; 5:5 "hath" to "has"	archaic grammar
Eph 1:4 "world" to "universe"	Greek "cosmos" = universe in Php 2:15
Eph 1:5,11 "predestinated" to "predestined"	archaic
Eph 1:5 "unto the adoption of children" "to be adopted as children"	archaic. (not in another translation
Eph 1:6,8 "wherein" to "which"	archaic
Eph 1:8 "has abounded toward" to "abundantly gave"	word choice. Lavish is in both NIV and NASB1995, and "abundantly gave" is not in another translation
Eph 1:8 "prudence" to "understanding"	understandability
"has purposed" to "purpose"	smoother flow, per NASB1995, NKJV, NIV, Wuest
Eph 1:10 removed "even"	Not in the Greek
Eph 1:10,23; 3:19; 4:13 "fulness" to "fullness"	spelling
Eph 1:10 "dispensation" to "administration"	word choice
Eph 1:11; 2:2; 3:20 "worketh" to "works"	archaic grammar
Eph 1:11" removed "own"	not in the Greek
Eph 1:13 "trusted" to absent	not in the Greek
Eph 1:14 "earnest" to "guarantee"	word choice
Eph 1:19 "to us-ward" to "toward us"	archaic
Eph 1:20 "wrought" to "worked"	word choice
Eph 1:20 "set" to "seated"	Greek (Wuest, NASB1995, NKJV, NIV)
Eph 1:20 Italicized "hand"	not in the Greek
Eph 1:21 "world" to "age"	Greek word is from "aeon"
Eph 1:21 "that which is to come" to "that to come"	word choice smoothing
Eph 1:22 Italicized "to be"	not in the Greek
Eph 1:23 "filleth" to "fills"	archaic grammar
Eph 1:22 "all things" to "all"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 1:22 "all things to" to "all"	word choice
Eph 2:1 removed "hath he quickened"	Not in the Greek
Eph 2:3 "had our conversation in times past" vs. "used to live"	archaic
Eph 2:3 "others" to "the rest"
Eph 2:4 Italicized "by"	not in the Greek
Eph 2:4 "wherewith" to "by which	word choice
Eph 2:5 "quickened" to "made us alive"	word choice
Eph 2:5 take out parentheses	grammar
Eph 2:7 "shew" to "show"	grammar
Eph 2:7 "in his" to "in"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 2:10 "should walk in them." to "should do."	word choice
Eph 2:11; 5:14,17; 6:13 "wherefore" to "therefore"	word choice
Eph 2:13 "sometimes" to "used to be"	word choice
Eph 2:13,17 "nigh" to "near"	word choice
Eph 2:15 "of twain" "of two"	archaic
Eph 2:15 ", even the" to "the"	word choice
Eph 2:15 "contained in" to "in"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 2:17 "afar off" to "far off"	word choice
Eph 2:17 "you which" to "you(plural) who"	word choice
Eph 2:17 "them" to "those"	word choice
Eph 2:18 "no more" to "no longer"	word choice
Eph 2:19 "fellowcitizens" to "fellow citizens"	spelling
Eph 2:21; 4:16 Removed "fitly"	word choice
Eph 2:21 "growth" to "grows"	archaic grammar
Eph 2:21 Italicized "the"
Eph 2:21 "an holy" "a holy"	British
Eph 2:22 "builded" to "built"	archaic grammar
Eph 2:22 "an habitation" to "a dwelling"	word choice
Eph 2:22 "through" to "in" (en in Greek)
Eph 3:2 "to you-ward" "towards you(plural)"	archaic word
Eph 3:3 "afore to "before"	archaic word
Eph 3:3,4 took out parentheses	grammar
Eph 3:6 "fellowheirs' to "fellow heirs"	grammar
Eph 3:7; 4:16 "effectual" to "effective"	word choice
Eph 3:9 "all men see what is the" to "all see the"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 3:13 Italicized "you(plural)	not in the Greek
Eph 3:13 "faint not" to "do not faint"	archaic phrase
Eph 3:13 "tribulations" to "sufferings"	archaic word
Eph 3:16 Italicized "his"	not in the Greek
Eph 3:18 "what is the" to "the"	word choice
Eph 3:18 Took out three commas	grammar
Eph 3:19 "passeth" to "passes"	archaic grammar
Eph 4:1 "vocation" to "calling"	word choice
Eph 4:1 "wherewith" to "which"	archaic word
Eph 4:3 "Endeavouring to keep" to "trying to preserve"	word choice
Eph 4:4 "There is one" to "-one"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 4:8; 5:14 "saith" to "says"	archaic grammar
Eph 4:8 "When" to when"	capitalization
Eph 4:14 "we henceforth" to "we"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 4:15 "which" to "who"	grammar
Eph 4:15 "head, even Christ:" to "head: Christ."	eliminate a gloss
Eph 4:16 "compacted" to "held"	word choice
Eph 4:16 "supplieth" to "supplies"	archaic grammar
Eph 4:16 "maketh increase of" to "grows"	archaic word
Eph 4:19 "lasciviousness" to "immorality"	archaic word
Eph 4:22 "conversation" to "way of life"	archaic word
Eph 4:26 "neighbour" to "neighbor"	British
Eph 4:28 "labour" to "labor"	British
Eph 4:28 "his hands" to "hands"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 4:28 "the thing which is good, that" to "good things, so that"	word choice
Eph 4:28 "have to give to him" to "share with him"	word choice
Eph 4:28 "that needeth" to "in need"	archaic words
Eph 4:30 "whereby" to "by whom"
Eph 4:31 "bitterness, and wrath, and anger, etc". to "bitterness, wrath, anger, etc.	punctuation
Eph 4:31 "clamour" to "clamor"	British
Eph 4:31 "with all malice" to "along with all malice"	word choice
Eph 4:32 "be your(plural) kind" to "be kind"	word choice
Eph 5:1 "Be ye" to "be"	word choice
Eph 5:2 "sweetsmelling savour" to "sweet aroma"	word choice
Eph 5:3 "be onced named" to "once be mentioned"	word choice
Eph 5:3 "becometh the saints" to "they are unbecoming of the saints"	word choice
Eph 5:4 "jesting" to "course joking"	word choice
Eph 5:4 "not convenient" to "inappropriate"	archaic word
Eph 5:4 "giving of thanks" to "thanksgiving"	word choice
Eph 5:5 "whoremonger" to "seller of sex"	archaic word
Eph 5:6 "cometh" to "comes"	archaic grammar
Eph 5:6 "vain" to "empty"	word choice
Eph 5:7 "Be not ye" to "Do not be"	word choice
Eph 5:8 "were sometimes darkness" used to be darkness"	archaic grammar
Eph 5:9 got rid of parentheses	grammar
Eph 5:10 "is acceptable unto" to "pleases"	word choice
Eph 5:11 "reprove them" to "rebuke"	eliminated a gloss
Eph 5:11,13 "reprove" to "rebuke"	word choice
Eph 5:13 "doth" to "does"	archaic grammar
Eph 5:15 "circumspectly" to "carefully"	word choice
Eph 5:17 "be ye not unwise" to "be not unwise"	word choice
Eph 5:17 "what the will of the Lord is." to "the will of the Lord"	word choice
Eph 5:18 "be not drunk" to "do not be drunk"
Eph 5:23 "saviour" to "savior"	British
Eph 5:24 "let the wives be to" to "wives are"	change a gloss
Eph 5:24 "every thing" to "everything"	spacing
Eph 5:25 "Husbands," to "Husbands"	punctuation
Eph 5:28 "loveth his wife loveth" to "loves his wife loves"	archaic grammar
Eph 5:29 "nourisheth and cherisheth" to "nourishes and cherishes"	archaic grammar
Eph 5:29 ":" to "."	punctuation
Eph 5:33 "reverences" to "respects"	word choice
Eph 6:1 "Children," to "Children" and ":" to ","	punctuation
Eph 6:2 "Honour" to "Honor"	British
Eph 6:2 "with promise" to "with a promise"	gloss
Eph 6:3 "mayest" to "may"	archaic grammar
Eph 6:5 "man" to "one"	closer to the Greek
Eph 6:6 removed a comman	not in the Greek
Eph 6:8 Remove "he be"	not in the Greek
Eph 6:8 "bond" to "slave"	archaic word
Eph 6:11,13 "armour" to "armor"	British
Eph 6:11 "wiles" to "schemes"	archaic word
Eph 6:11 "in high places" to "on high"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 6:14 "girt" to "girded"	archaic grammar
Eph 6:16 "wherewith" to "with which"	archaic word
Eph 6:18 "thereunto" to "there"	archaic word
Eph 6:19 "utterance given unto me" to "words given to me"	archaic words
Eph 2:20 "bonds" to "chains"	archaic word
Eph 2:20 "therein I" to "I"	archaic word
Eph 2:21 "and how" to "how"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 6:21 "make known to you" to "tell you"	word choice
Eph 6:22 "and that he" to "and he"	eliminate a gloss
Eph 6:22 "know our affairs" vs. "know how we are"	word choice (in NCV, NIV)
Eph 6:23,24 removed "be"	not in the Greek

Eph 1:1 "Jesus Christ" (KJV) vs. "Christ Jesus" (p46 as an abbreviation)

Eph 1:2 "In Ephesus" to "[in Ephesus]" (not in p46)

Eph 3:9 ""by Christ Jesus" to absent (not in p46, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi Recscriptus, Bezae Cantabrigiensis). (However, it is in Chrysostom and some late Byzantine cursive manuscripts)

To, by, unto, toward

Worked, labored

All, everything

World, cosmos, universe, heavenly places, heavenlies

Love, agape love, phileo love,

Therefore, Moreover, Even so, Furthermore

Enmity

Slain

Check Eph 4:1 "vocation" the same Greek word as "called"

Keep unto, abide, manifest

Keep edifying (Eph 4:12,16)

Keep till (Eph 4:13)

Keep partakers (Eph 5:7)

Check that Eph 4:17 has "other" in the Greek

The Gideons' King James copyright 1978 by National Publishing Company

Manuscript Variations in Ephesians

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians has a total of about 2,385 Greek words and a word-for-word accuracy of 98.2%, with 43 words in question. These are in 29 verses (33 places), out of 155 total verses. Below are the variations with the primary choice and the top alternate choice. Aland, from which this primarily is based, also gives a judgment of the degree of certainty for each variation.

Eph 1:1 "Christ Jesus" (NIV, NASB1995, Jer, Wuest) vs. "Jesus Christ" (KJV, NKJV, Green)

Eph 1:1 "in Ephesus" are absent. See the discussion on Ephesians 1:1 for which manuscripts have these words, as well as Ignatius (110-117 A.D.) saying mention of the Ephesians was in Paul's letter. (2 words)

Eph 1:6 "beloved" (most manuscripts) vs. "beloved of Him" (original Bezae Cantabrigiensis) (2 words not counted in the totals)

Eph 1:14 "this" vs. "who"

Eph 1:15 add "fellowship of Him"

Eph 1:15 "and your(plural) love toward" vs. "and toward" (2 words)

Eph 1:18 "your(plural) heart" (Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Bezae Cantabrigiensis, Byzantine Lecitonary, Chrysostom, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Fayumic Coptic, Ethiopic) vs. "heart" (p46 c.200 A.D., Vaticanus)

Eph 2:5 "by grace (Byzantine Lectionary) vs. "in grace" (original Bezae Cantabrigiensis) (1 word not counted in the totals)

Eph 2:5 "in the Christ" vs. "the Christ"

Eph 2:21 "All the building" vs. "all even the building"

Eph 3:9 "bring to light all of the" vs. "bring to light the" vs. "make everyone see" (3 words)

Eph 3:1 "Christ Jesus" (p46, 2nd corrector Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, 2nd corrector of Bezae Cantabrigiensis, Byzantine Lectionary, Bohairic Coptic) vs. "Christ" (original Sinaiticus, original Bezae Cantabrigiensis, Ethiopic)

Eph 3:9 absent vs. "by/through Jesus Christ" (not in Greek manuscripts)

Eph 3:13 "you(plural)" (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Byzantine Lectionary, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic) vs. "us" (p46 (c.200 A.D.) Ephraemi Rescriptus)

Eph 3:14 "of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Aland, NKJV, Green, NRSV, New Age Bible Versions Refuted p.22) vs. absent (NASB1995, NIV, NCV, Wuest) (4 words)

Eph 3:19 "God" vs. "Christ"

Eph 3:20 "above all things (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi Rescriptus, Byzantine Lectionary, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Chrysostom) vs. "all things (p46 Bezae Cantabrigiensis)

Eph 4:6 "in all" (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Chrysostom) vs. "in all [of] you (plural)" (Bezae Cantabrigiensis, Byzantine Lectionary)

Eph 4:8 "and" vs. absent

Eph 4:9 "he also first descended/came down" vs. "he also descended/came down"

Eph 4:9 "lower parts" vs. "lower"

Eph 4:28 "working the good with the hands" vs. "working with the hands the good"

Eph 4:29 "building up" vs. "building up faith"

Eph 4:29 "in respect of need" vs. "in respect of faith"

Eph 4:32 Christ Jesus forgave "you(plural)" vs. "us"

Eph 5:2 "loved you(plural)" vs. "loved us"

Eph 5:2 "you(plural)" vs. "us" a second time

Eph 5:4 "not anuken" (Aland et al.) vs. "not becoming anukonta" (Green)

Eph 5:9 fruit of the "Spirit" vs. "light"

Eph 5:14 "shall shine upon you(singular) the Christ" (most manuscripts) vs. "shall shine upon the Christ" (Bezae Cantabrigiensis (2 words not counted in the totals)

Eph 5:15 "carefully how" vs. "how carefully"

Eph 5:19 songs spiritual "in grace" add "in grace"

Eph 5:20 "God and Father" vs. "Father and God" (2 words)

Eph 5:22 wives to their own husband subject yourselves as to the Lord" vs. wives to their own husband as to the Lord"

Eph 5:30 "of the flesh of him" vs. "of the flesh of him and of the bones of him."

Eph 6:1 "parents" vs. "parents in the Lord" (2 words)

Eph 6:12 "you" (plural) vs. "us"

Eph 6:19 "mystery" vs. "mystery of the gospel" (2 words)

Eph 6:20 "in it I may behold" vs. "I may behold in it" (Sinaiticus, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Fayyumic Coptic) vs. "it" (p46 (c.200 A.D., Vaticanus) (2 words)

Eph 6:24 Add "amen" at the end.

Some manuscripts have the postscript, "To Ephesians written from Rome, by Tychicus"

Bibliography for this question: The Greek New Testament Third Edition by Kurt Aland et al., The Greek New Testament Fourth Edition by Kurt Aland et al., Interlinear Greek-English New Testament by George Ricker Berry, the Interlinear Bible by Jay P. Green, The Expositor's Bible Commentary volume 8, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament 2nd edition by Bruce M. Metzger, The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts edited by Philip W. Comfort and David P. Barrett, The Expositor's Greek Testament edited by W. Robertson Nicoll, and footnotes in the NASB1995, NIV, NKJV, and NRSV Bible translations. Manuscripts of the Greek Bible : An Introduction to Paleography by Bruce M. Metzger also has interesting information on the characteristics and quality of the copying of each manuscript.

For more info please contact Christian Debater™ P.O. Box 144441 Austin, TX 78714 www.BibleQuery.org

by Steven M. Morrison, PhD.