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Ephesians 2:14
“For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,”
This letter, likely written by the Apostle Paul while imprisoned in the first century CE, is addressed to Christians in Ephesus. It focuses on the unity of Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) in Christ, despite their historical and cultural divisions.
How does recognizing the human construction of dividing walls, whether ancient or modern, change our responsibility toward them?
Then — the setting
In the first century CE, the 'middle wall of partition' (or 'barrier') was a very real feature of the Jerusalem Temple. It was a physical fence, approximately four and a half feet high, separating the Court of the Gentiles from the inner courts where only Jews were permitted. Inscriptions on this wall warned Gentiles that death was the penalty for trespassing, emphasizing the strict religious and ethnic segregation. Paul himself was later accused of bringing a Gentile beyond this barrier, which led to his arrest. This physical barrier was a tangible symbol of the deep social, religious, and ethnic divides between Jews and non-Jews in the Roman world, where identity and belonging were often defined by strict community boundaries.
Across the Testaments
The passage in Ephesians is rooted deeply in the Old Testament prophetic tradition, which frequently foretold a future where non-Jews (Gentiles) would be included in God's plan, worshipping alongside Israel. For instance, Isaiah 2:2-4 speaks of all nations flowing to the Lord's house. However, these Old Testament prophecies often maintained Israel's distinct and central role. The New Testament, particularly through Paul, argues that in Christ, these distinctions are not merely overcome by Gentiles joining Israel, but by a new, unified body where the historical 'dividing walls' of religious law and ethnic identity are fundamentally 'broken down,' creating a new humanity rather than simply expanding the old.
Keep thinking
Read alongside it
Explores how distinctions like Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female are overcome in a new spiritual reality.
Connects true worship and liberation with breaking oppressive bonds and caring for the vulnerable.
Warns against showing favoritism to the rich and disrespecting the poor within the community.
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