The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Fall, 2005 by Thomas Witulski

THE EARLY CHRISTIANS IN EPHESUS FROM PAUL TO IGNATIUS. By Paul Trebilco. WUNT 166. Tubingen, Germany: Mohr-Siebeck, 2004. Pp. xxiii 826. Cloth, $195.53.

In this monumental study Trebilco examines the development of the Christian community at Ephesus from its origins in Pauline times until the time of Bishop Ignatius, whose letters he dates between 105 and 110 CE. After some introductory comments, his first chapter describes the socio-religious context of Ephesus, giving particular attention to the history and the population of the city, the cult of Artemis, the Imperial cult, and the Jewish community. In the first main part of his book, "Beginnings in Ephesus," Trebilco analyzes in three chapters the Pauline letters and Luke-Acts in light of the development of the Christian community of Ephesus from its foundation until the end of the Pauline era.

The second main part deals, again in three chapters, with the Pastoral Epistles, the three Johannine Letters, and the Apocalypse of John, or, more precisely, with Revelation 2:1-7, the letter to the Christian Church of Ephesus, in order to gain information concerning the Christian community and its development in the times following the death of Paul. At the end of this section, the author formulates the main thesis of his book: several different Christian groups existed in Ephesus in the times following the death of Paul. He identifies these groups as the followers of Paul addressed in the Pastoral Epistles, the followers of John, known as the "Johannine secessionists," and the Nicolaitans, mentioned in Revelation 2:1-7. In developing this thesis, Trebilco rejects the "merger" or "take-over" theory: that there was a single Christian community in Ephesus, led initially by Paul and his co-workers, but which was "taken over" by a group appealing to the Apostle John after the death of Paul.

In the third part of the book the author focuses on post-Pauline Ephesus, examining the "relationship between the readers of the Pastorals, the Johannine Letters and Revelation" (p. xv). In each chapter he analyzes this relationship with a different issue in mind: the wider culture (chapter 8), material possessions (chapter 9), leadership and authority (chapter 10), the role of the women among the readers (chapter 11), the self-designations of these groups (chapter 12), and finally the relationships between the different traditions and communities in Ephesus (chapter 13). Concerning the post-Pauline groups at Ephesus, Trebilco concludes: "We cannot argue that there were positive relations between the two groups [i.e. between the Christian group stamped by Paul and that which was stamped by the Apostle John], but we have suggested that at the least the evidence is compatible with relations between the two groups not being hostile" (p. 626).

In the final section of the book, Trebilco analyzes Ignatius' letter to the Ephesians. According to Trebilco, through this letter Ignatius attempts to confirm the position of the Bishop Onesimus, who was not accepted by all Christians of Ephesus, and to force the installation of the monepiscopacy in the city.

This book is, so far as I know, the first attempt to represent the development of the Christian community of Ephesus from its beginning to the first quarter of the second century, and in doing so, to exhaust every available Christian source. Scriptures of different provenance and the information derived from them are related to one another and connected together. This helps one gain an overview of the historical and theological macro-context, which overlaps the single urban center. The author presents his results with extraordinary caution and avoids drawing hasty and farfetched conclusions. The structure of the book builds the case lucidly and the results of the single chapters are summed up clearly in the conclusions.

Nevertheless, the book is not without its weak points, most of which result from the extent of the material treated. At times Trebilco presents main theories without indicating whether he has investigated the topic anew. For example, in chapter 1.3 he explains the practice of the Imperial cult in Ephesus, drawing mainly upon the books of Stephen Friesen, TWICE NEOKOROS. EPHESUS, ASIA AND THE CULT OF THE FLAVIAN IMPERIAL FAMILY (1993) and S. R. F. Price, RITUALS AND POWER (1984). In doing so, he evidently did not take note of a newer book by Friesen, IMPERIAL CULTS AND THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN, published in 2001. The same can be observed concerning the question of the date of Revelation, which Trebilco discusses in chapter 7.1.2. Here he simply presents the position favored by most New Testament scholars without taking into consideration the objections against this position, developed by German speaking scholars. This is indicative of his treatment of German scholarship generally, which is noted only eclectically and then only concerning some topics in the book.

Overall, however, Trebilco's book represents an enormous achievement despite some outdated conclusions in parts. His thorough survey of the evidence of Christianity at Ephesus in the first century and his introduction to the scholarly issues involved make this book essential reading for those interested in early Christianity in Asia Minor.