IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

JOURNAL OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT AND TOURISM RESEARCH. (JHMTR )

E- ISSN 2756-5807
P- ISSN 2695-2408
VOL. 5 NO. 1 2024
DOI: 10.56201/jhmtr.v5.no1.2024.pg23.32

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Unpacking the Paradox of Submission: An Exegetical Analysis of Ephesians 6:5-9

Bitrus, Nuhu

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Abstract

This article presents an in-depth exegetical analysis of Ephesians 6:5-9, a passage that has sparked intense debate due to its seemingly paradoxical call for submission within Christian slave- master relationships. Through a rigorous examination of the text's historical, cultural, and literary context, this study seeks to unravel the complexities of Paul's teachings on submission, obedience, and authority. By employing a nuanced understanding of ancient Greco-Roman social hierarchies, this research reveals the ways in which Paul's message subverts dominant ideologies, offering a radical redefinition of power and relationships. This study contributes to ongoing discussions in biblical studies, social ethics, and theological anthropology, providing a comprehensive understanding of Ephesians 6:5-9 and its implications for contemporary Christian ethics and praxis.

keywords:

Exegetical analysis, Ephesians 6:5-9, paradox of submission, Christian slave-master

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References:

Barclay J. M. G., Obeying the Truth: Paul's Ethics in Galatians (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991), 123.
Best, E., Ephesians (In D. A. Hubbard & G. W. Barker, Eds., The New International Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 234.

Best E., Ephesians. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998), 354.
Carson, D. A., New Testament Commentary Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 123.

Goodspeed E. J., The Meaning of Ephesians. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1926), 110.

Hoehner, H. W., Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002),

Hezser C., Jewish Slavery in Antiquity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 234

Hopkins K., Conquerors and Slaves (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978), 123.

Mitton C. L., The Epistle to the Ephesians. (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1951), 230.

Patterson O., Slavery and Social Death. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press 1982), 224.

Shaw B. D., Spartacus and the Slave Wars. (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's 2001), 104.

Schüssler Fiorenza E. Paul and the Politics of Interpretation (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2004), 172-191

Stegemann, E. W., The Jesus Movement: A Social History of Its First Century (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 123.

Witherington, B., The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 345.

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