You asked

what specific 'middle wall' was paul referring to in the temple that separated groups?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Ephesians 2:14

“For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,”

Paul is writing to believers in Ephesus, a diverse city in Asia Minor, likely around the 60s CE. In this part of his letter, he is explaining how God, through Jesus, has brought together people from different backgrounds, specifically Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles), into one new community.

What divisions in our current world might feel as fundamental and insurmountable as the 'middle wall' of Paul's time?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Acts 21:26-30
This passage describes Paul being accused of bringing a Gentile into the Temple, highlighting the strict rules and the potential for violence if the 'middle wall' was breached.
Galatians 3:28
Paul reiterates the theme of unity in Christ, stating that distinctions like 'Jew nor Greek' are overcome in him.
Isaiah 56:7
This Old Testament prophecy envisions a future where God's 'house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples,' hinting at a dismantling of ethnic barriers.

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