You asked

what specific 'wall' was paul referring to between jews and gentiles in his day?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Ephesians 2:14

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

The Apostle Paul is writing to Christian believers in Ephesus, likely in the mid-1st century CE. He's explaining how followers of Jesus, both Jewish and non-Jewish (Gentiles), have been brought together into one new community, stressing that God's plan was always to include everyone.

What divisions in our world today might be understood as 'walls of partition' that hinder genuine peace and unity?

Then — the setting

In the 1st century CE, a literal 'middle wall of partition' existed in the Jerusalem Temple. This barrier, known as the Soreg, separated the outer Court of the Gentiles from the inner courts accessible only to Jews. Inscriptions on this wall warned Gentiles not to proceed further on pain of death. Paul's audience, both Jewish and Gentile Christians, would have been acutely aware of this physical and symbolic barrier, which represented the deep-seated religious, cultural, and social divisions between Jews and non-Jews in the ancient world.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament established a covenant relationship primarily with the nation of Israel, setting them apart from other nations through laws, rituals, and distinct identity. This 'setting apart' (holiness) often created a practical separation between Jew and Gentile. Paul, in the New Testament, argues that through Jesus, God has now extended this covenant to include Gentiles directly, not by making them Jewish proselytes, but by incorporating them into a new community where the former distinctions no longer define spiritual access or identity. The 'wall' is thus broken down by Jesus's work, fulfilling broader Old Testament prophecies about God's universal blessing.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Acts 15:1-29
Describes the early church's debate and decision on whether Gentile converts needed to follow Jewish law.
Galatians 3:28
Emphasizes the new identity in Christ that transcends traditional human distinctions.
Isaiah 56:7
A prophetic vision of God's house being a 'house of prayer for all peoples,' prefiguring Gentile inclusion.

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