Ephesians 1:3Prison letter context (trad.)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
Interpretation
Paul urges a spiritual blessings that is embodied in family life. Ephesians 1:3: trace "blessed" and "christ". Choose spiritual blessings in promises we keep—anchor courage in promise. Through spirit & new life, The gift of God’s Spirit renews hearts and empowers witness (Ezek 36; John 3; Acts 1–2).
Context
Ephesians speaks here as epistle/letter writing, naming spiritual blessings. Placed in ch. 1, the nearby lines set its tone. There’s a line into spirit & new life. The nearby sentences supply the texture.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in over 5,800 manuscripts, more than any other surviving ancient work. Early papyri from the 2nd-3rd centuries like P46, P66, P75 provide text within 100–150 years of composition. Major uncial codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 4th century) contain complete or near-complete texts. The Byzantine text family represents the majority of later manuscripts. Textual variants exist but are mostly minor: word order, articles, spelling. No central Christian doctrine depends on any disputed text. Modern critical editions compare all manuscript families to determine the most likely original reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46