The geographic proximity of the audiences of the letters of St. Paul to the Epistle to Ephesians and Peter's Letter to the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia, suggests that both letters would have reached some of the same people. Tradition hold that both letters were written near the same time, between, during the late 50's and earlier 60's, and in no case early the 50 or later than 67. The teaching of both letters ascetical, and parallels suggest a shared motivation by authors.

The arrangement of St, Paul's epistles is topical, not historical, and, in some respects, parallels the organization of the four gospels.

The gospels proceed from a manual of discipleship (Matthew) to instruction in the mysteries of faith (Gospel of St John), and include synopsis of community history (Mark) and a hagiographic guide to living according to the Way (Luke).

The Pauline Epistles present a compendium of doctrine (Romans), marks and discipline of local communities (Corinthians 1 and 2), an exposition on authentic mission and missionary activity (Galatians), the work of fellowship (Philippians), and through to specifics on care and selection of episcopal and ministerial leadership (Timothy 1 and 2, and Titus), and Hebrews, and typological treaties on mysteries.

St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesiansis the fifth in the thematic series of St Paul's letters, and among the most difficult, containing a number of controversial ideas, and is primarily concerned with explaining what it means to live a mature life in Christ.

St. Peter's letter addresses the Christian missionary diaspora on the content of a life in Christ, and revealing and raising some interesting issues concerning his missionary activity outside of Jerusalem and about the foundations of earlier Christian practices in Asia Minor.

The traditional picture of St. Peter's activity is divisible into four stages, a) time in and about Jerusalem (Acts and Paul), travel to Antioch (Acts), travel through Asia Minor, and, ending in Rome (non-canonical books of acts and documents, and Eusebius). However, the history and historiography of the Christian faith prior to the Fourth Century is obscure and therefore challenging.

The tables below are notes presenting the Epsitels in a skeletal form, based on their internal rhetorical structure, and aim at making their content more readily comparable.

Epistle to Ephesians

Chapter:Verse	Cluster	Topic	Discussion	Detail
1:1-2:22	Opening
1:5-11		Salvation through Christ is God's plan. We are not specifically predestined. Adoption into Christ as extension of God's will as grace
1:12-14		The Spirit validates belief in Christ. Salvation based on trust in Christ: word of God and sacrifice manifesting God in creation.
1:15-2:22	Prayer of Paul for the Ephesians
1:17-18(a)		Christ: giver of wisdom, knowledge, understanding
1:189(b)-21		That they may know hope as:
1:18c			Fruit of holy lives
1:19-20			Power of God as resurrection/ascension:
				Christ from death to life in heaven
1:21-22				Universality of the body of Christ
2:1-3			Obedience to God:
				Free of sin/death
				New life separated from old
2:4:-8		That they may have:
			Power over powers of the air (stylities)
			Power over flesh that dies
			Rationality
			Power over anger
2:8			Grace as gift
2:9-10			Recreation in Christ
2:11-12			Rememberance of being strangers/aliens/gentiles maintain humility
			Status among saved as gift
2:13-14		That they may have unity:
			By the blood of Christ which:
2:15				Makes one flesh
2:16				Makes peace through sacrifice of reconciliation
2:17				Grants access to the Spirit and to the Father
2:19-22			They are fitted together in holiness
				As temples of the Spirit
				Christ as cornerstone of the apostles and prophets of the Jews
3:1-13	Introduction to homily
3:1-6		Personal history	Prisoner of the Christ from Israel on behalf of Gentiles
3:7-13	Authority
3:14-21	Prayer for before homily
4:1-6:21	Homily on Unity in Christ
4:1-6	Call to one body
4:7-16	Holy living
4:7-10		Asceticism:	Christ brings all to God in unity
4:11-15		Multiplicity of gifts, manifest fullness in Christ
			In church:	Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors teacher
			In ministry:	Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors teacher
			As fullness in Christ:	Steadfastness, guilelessness, speaking truth out of love,
				Firm-mindedness without tricks, craftiness, deceitfulness, and scheming
4:16		Maturity: effectiveness in living life of love in unity with Christ
4:17-6:13		How to achieve maturity in Christ
4:17-32			Live as Christ, not World put on Christ
				Reject: lust, greed, uncleanness, dishonesty
				Reject: lewdness, ignorance, futility
				Do not be angry: forgive and make peace
				Do not steel: practice generosity
				Do not spread evil: edify and be graceful
				Do not lie: speak truth
				Do not act according to the world; act according to the new creation of the Spirit
			Practice quietness, kindness, tenderness, forgivene
			Reject bitterness, malice, clamor, evil speaking
5:1			Imitate Christ through sacrificial love offered to God
5:3-6:9		How to live ascetically
5:3-7			Practice chastity:	Fornication, it is uncleanness due to covetousness and idolatry
5:7			Practice obedience:	Exclusiveness of self to God's will
5:8-16			Be creatures of light/Spirit
			Be awake:	Receive the light
			Be fruitful:	Goodness, righteousness, truth are the fruit that grow in the light
			Darkness is unconsciousness: sleep, death, night
			Practice wisdom:
				Walk in light
				Life in darkness is irrational: the days evil
5:17-6:9		How to live to God and redeem time:
			Discern the will of God:	Do not act foolishly
5:18			Be sober:	Drunkenness is dissipation
5:19-21			Speak from the heart:	Be in harmony with God
			Be thankful;
				Practice gratitude
				Practice submission to each other
5:22-6:9		Examples of submission: producing unity of life
5:22-33			Husband-wife relationship:	Unity of person: as offering of unblemished sacrifice and companionship; unselfishly care and respect
6:1-4			Child-parent relationship:	Unity of family: fullness of life: honor do not provoke
6:5-9			Slave-master relationship:	Unity of will: service to God: sincerity and good will, be productive, without abuse or disregard for authority
6:10-20		Wage spiritual warfare
6:10-12			Fight is against powers of dark spirits, not other people or material conditions
6:14			Speak truth and uphold righteous actions
6:15			Practice and make peace
6:16			Know Christ in the heart: have faith
6:17			Be mindful that salvation is from God
6:17			Use the Spirit, as the Word of God
6:18-6:19		Persevere in watchfulness and prayer; intercede for/ask for intercessions with God
6:21-24	Conclusion and blessing

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First Epistle of Peter

Chapter:Verse	Cluster	Topic	Discussion	Detail
1:1-2	Opening	Pilgrims in dispersion
			Election according to foreknowledge
			Sanctification of the spirit
			Obedience and sprinkling of blood in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia
1.3-4:11	Exposition
1:3-2:10	Exhortation to salvation
1:3-9		Invocation begotten in the resurrection from the dead,
			Inheritance of incorruption and undefilement/purity,
			Reservation for revelation of the last time
1:6-9		Trials/suffering trials are temporary: Salvation eternal
1:7-8		Method for discerning the value of faith:
			Demonstrated in praise, honor, glory.
			Loving Christ
			Believing without seeing
			End(goal) of faith is salvation
1:9-25		Path of salvation
			Rejoice over reception of salivation
			Revealed by prophets
			According to Christ's foreknowledge:
				Salvation from suffering
1:12-13				Is prophetic revelation preached by the Holy Spirit
			Desired to be seen by angles
1:13-21			Entails responding to the call of God (Father) so faith and hope rest in God
1:13				Be brave
				Be sober
				Hope in grace
1:14-15				Be obedient as children who are called
				Be holy
				Be like Christ
				Do not lust
				Do not be ignorant
1:16-18			Pray to the Father for:
				Fear, faith, and hope
				Deliverance from aimless conduct by tradition
				Knowledge of redemption
1:20-21			Praise Christ as:
				Incorrupt though in the blood (flesh)
				Immaterial
				Foreordained before creation
				Manifest in the world/last time
				Raised from the dead
				Lamb of God
				Foundation of world
1:22-2:10			Honor Christ by living the gospel Peter preached
				Obey truth through the Spirit
				Have love for each other
1:22-25				Have purity of heart
				Be reborn to incorruption and eternal life
2:1-5			Live gracefully lay aside:
				Malice
				Deceit
				Hypocrisy
				Envy
				Evil talking (gossip)
2:2-3			Desire the milk of the word of God
				Taste and see the Lord is good
2:5-6				Be living stones of the temple and priests within it
2:6-8			Understand:
				Disobedient stumble on the corner stone who, they as builders, reject
2:9-10				You are royal priesthood
				You are chosen generation
				You are called out of darkness into light
				Made people of God
			Shown mercy
			Proclaim praise
2:11-4:11	Exhortation to Repentance
		You are sojourners and pilgrims:
2:11-17			Practice asceticism:
				Abstain from fleshly lusts
				Honor those who speak evil against, good works may call them to repentance
				Submit to civil authority, who punish evil doers
2:15			Do the will of God
				Good deeds make ignorant fools silent
2:16				You are a slave of God
				Know the correct use of liberty
2:17			Imperatives for the day:
				Honor all people
				Love the brotherhood
				Honor the king
2:18-3:12		Examples of Ascetical Life
2:18-2:25			Slaves:
				Submit to masters, both gentle and harsh conscious of God, endure suffering
				No credit for suffering for having done wrong
				Suffering for having done good
				Die to sin being as Christ on the Cross, returning souls to the Shepherd and Overseer
3:1-7			In marriage:
			Wives:
				Submit to husband, adorning self with virtue hidden in the heart:
				Chaste conduct, incorruptibility, gentleness, quietness.
				Be as Sarah to Abraham
				Conduct can led the husband to salvation
			Husbands:
				Be her companion
				Heirs of grace with her
				Understand your wife
				Honor her
				Respect the limits of her strength
				Pray freely
3:8-12			In society:
				Have compassion
				Be tender-hearted
				Be courteous
				Do not return evil for evil
				Bless to inherit a blessing
				Ps 32:13-17
3:13-4:11		Suffer with Christ
3:13-16a			Act with righteousness do good
			Do not be afraid
			Blessed are those who suffer for righteousness
			Have good conscience in Christ
			Be ready to confess with meekness and fear that Christ as reason for hope
3:16b			By example, call evildoers to repentance
			Good conduct in Christ may shame evil doers to repentance
3:17-22		Christ's suffered in time to preach and have power beyond time:
			Baptism is entry into the mystery of Christ
			Conformance with will of God, not self-willed good conduct, that makes suffering for going good virtuous;
				Christ suffered once for everyone
				Christ's death in flesh brought life to the spirits
				Christ preached to the disobedient spirits in prison (death)
				Noah's ark saved eight souls, Baptism into the Resurrection and the life and power of Christ in heaven saves all
				Angles, authorities, and powers are subject to Christ
4:1-6		Crucify the passions arm self with the mind of Christ
			Suffering in the flesh brings sin to an end
			Do not live in the time of human material lusts but in the will of God
4:3-4		Do not walk in the will of the gentiles:
			Gentiles speak against you due to the running with them in works of:
				Lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, abominations, idolatries
				Living in the Flood of dissipation
4:5-6		Christ preaching to the Dead is beyond time
			Christ is ready to judge living and dead
			The dead judged the same as flesh, and live according to the Spirit
11a			Living at the end of time:
				Be serious, sober
				Be watchful in prayer
				Love one another, covering a multitude of sin
				Be hospitable
				Do not grumble
				Be good stewards of the manifold of gifts
				Minister to each other according to ability supplied by God
				Speak as oracles of God
				Glorify all things through Christ
4:11b	Doxology of the end of the exhortation
4:12-5:11	Discourse on suffering
		Pastoral guidance on suffering:
4:12-14			Merited suffering
				Rejoice in trials experienced for righteousness: expect suffering as Christ suffered
				Rejoice: blessed are those who are persecuted for Christ
				Reproach for the name of Christ is blessing
				Blasphemy for them, glorification by you
			Suffering under laws not meriting blessing:
				Murder
				Thief
				Evil-doing
				Busybody into other people's business
4:15-19		Individuals:
			In daily afflictions:
				Be partakers in the suffering of Christ
				Seek the will of God
			In persecutions/end-time
				Righteous one is scarcely saved
				Commit the soul to God, the faithful Creator
				Do will of God
				Be faithful, do not turn back
5:1-4		Elders:
			Shepherd the flock
				Oversee: do not compel
				Be not as lords but examples
				Chief Shepherd will award crown of glory when He appears
5:5-8		Young people:
			Submit to elders
			Submit to each other
			Be clothed in humility
			Be sober
			Be vigilant
5:9		Collectively:
			Resist the roaring, devouring Devil
			Be steadfast in faith
			Know the sufferings are experienced by the entire brotherhood
5:10-11	Concluding benediction
5:12-13		Personal closing
5:12			Messenger Silvanus, a worthy brother
5:13a, b			Greetings from others She who is Babylon and elect together with you Mark my son
5:13c-d		Exchange a kiss
		Blessing peace to all

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Notes on St Paul's Letter to the Ephesians and 1 Peter

Epistle to Ephesians

First Epistle of Peter