You asked

what was the specific 'middle wall' paul was referring to for his original audience?

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 significant city in the Roman province of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), likely in the 60s CE. He is addressing a community that included both Jewish and non-Jewish followers of Jesus, emphasizing the unity they now share.

What divisions in our current world feel like a 'middle wall' that needs to be broken down for peace?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Galatians 3:28
This passage speaks to the spiritual equality and unity in Christ that transcends societal distinctions.
Isaiah 56:7
This prophetic text envisions God's house as a 'house of prayer for all peoples,' prefiguring inclusive worship.
Acts 10:28
Peter's vision and visit to Cornelius illustrate the breaking down of barriers between Jews and Gentiles in early Christianity.

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