You asked

how does this 'one new humanity' relate to earlier old testament visions of universal peace?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Ephesians 2:14-16

“For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, so making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.”

The Apostle Paul writes to Christians in Ephesus, a major city in Asia Minor, likely in the mid-1st century CE. He is addressing a community comprised of both Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) believers, celebrating their new unity in Christ.

Where do you see dividing walls in your own community, and what might it mean to participate in their breaking down?

Then — the setting

This letter was written by Paul from prison, likely in Rome, around 60-62 CE, to Gentile Christians in Ephesus, a city known for its prominent Temple of Artemis and diverse population. The central issue Paul addresses is the profound theological and social implications of Jewish and Gentile believers being united into one body through Christ. The 'middle wall of partition' (verse 14) is often understood as a reference to the physical barrier in the Jerusalem Temple that separated the Court of the Gentiles from the inner courts accessible only to Jews, symbolizing the ritual and ethnic divide between them. Paul's audience would have been very aware of the social and religious chasm between Jews and Gentiles, which often led to tension and exclusion.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament frequently contains visions of universal peace and blessing, often described as a future time when all nations will recognize and worship the God of Israel (e.g., Isaiah 2:2-4; Zechariah 8:20-23). These prophecies often depict a 'centripetal' movement, where Gentiles come to Jerusalem/Israel to learn about God. Paul's concept of 'one new humanity' in Ephesians builds upon these Old Testament hopes but reframes the mechanism and nature of inclusion. Instead of Gentiles merely joining Israel, Paul describes a 'new man' created from both, where old distinctions are not just overcome but dissolved into a new, unified identity in Christ. This 'new humanity' is a new creation, not merely an extension of an existing group, radically shifting the 'how' of universal peace from a geographical pilgrimage to an organic, spiritual unity.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Isaiah 2:2-4
Prophesies a future where all nations will stream to the Lord's mountain for instruction and peace.
Galatians 3:28
States that in Christ, traditional social and ethnic distinctions like Jew/Gentile or slave/free are transcended.
Romans 10:12
Affirms that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek in salvation, as the same Lord is Lord of all.

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