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what were the specific 'ordinances' or 'commandments' that functioned as a wall in paul's context?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Ephesians 2:14-15

“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;”

Paul is writing to believers in Ephesus, a bustling Roman city with a mix of Jewish and Gentile residents. In this letter, he's explaining how God's plan has brought together people who were once separated, specifically Jews and Gentiles, into one new community through Jesus.

What divisions in our world today echo the 'wall' Paul describes, and how might they be overcome?

Then — the setting

Paul is writing in the mid-1st century CE, likely from prison in Rome or Ephesus. The audience is primarily Gentile believers in Ephesus, who would have been familiar with the significant social, cultural, and religious divide between Jews and non-Jews in the Roman world. The 'wall' refers to the separation enforced by the Jewish Law (Torah) which, through its specific commandments and ordinances, established a distinct identity and way of life for the Jewish people. This included dietary laws, circumcision, Sabbath observance, and temple access rules, which effectively set Jews apart from Gentiles and often led to mutual suspicion or disdain.

Across the Testaments

This passage is in the New Testament and directly addresses how Jesus's death and resurrection relate to the Old Testament Law. The Old Testament, particularly the Pentateuch, contains the 'law of commandments contained in ordinances' that defined Israel's unique covenant relationship with God. While these laws were given to Israel to establish their identity and holiness, they also inadvertently created a barrier between Israel and the Gentile nations. Paul argues that Jesus has 'abolished' this specific function of the Law as a dividing 'wall,' not by discarding God's moral standards, but by fulfilling its redemptive purpose and creating a new way for both Jews and Gentiles to approach God together. The New Testament reframes the Law's role from a boundary marker to a guide for life, with faith in Christ becoming the primary means of inclusion.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Acts 15:1-21
Describes the early church grappling with whether Gentile converts needed to follow Jewish law, highlighting the practical tension Paul addresses.
Galatians 3:28
Echoes Paul's theme of unity in Christ, stating that distinctions like 'Jew or Greek' no longer define identity in the new community.
Isaiah 2:2-4
Prophesies a future where all nations will come to God's mountain, foreshadowing the inclusion of Gentiles that Paul speaks about.

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