Does Ephesians Abolish the Torah?
Ephesians declares that Jesus “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commands in decrees” (2:15). Traditional interpretation of this verse views the “law of commands” as the Torah and concludes that Yeshua has abolished the divine commandments that had been a source of enmity between Jews and Gentiles. If this is the most accurate understanding of the statement, then it would conflict with Jesus’ refusal to “abolish the Torah” (Matthew 5:17) and Paul’s own assertion that believers are to “uphold the Torah” (Romans 3:31). Yet, there is another way to read Ephesians that does not undergird an antinomian disavowal of the Mosaic Law. There is good reason to see the “law of commands in decrees” as a reference to Gentile proclamations against Jews that had a history of fomenting hostilities between Israel and the nations. Ephesians may be saying that, as the world’s true savior and king, Jesus has eliminated the nations’ antagonistic decrees against Israel.
The broader context of Ephesians 2:15 discusses Jewish-Gentile relations on a national scale. Recalling the state of Gentiles prior to their faith in Yeshua, the text states, “Remember that at one time you [Gentile] nations (ἔθνη; ēthne)… were at that time separated from Messiah, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel (τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ; tēs politeīas toū Israēl)… and without God in the world” (Eph 2:11-12). After the arrival of Jesus, however, faithful Gentiles who were once “far off” have been “brought near” to the nation of Israel—a people whose very existence is founded upon the Torah. Jesus has become “our peace” insofar as he “preached peace” to both Jews and Gentiles and thereby ended the enmity between nations (2:16-17). In this national context, the non-Jewish nations are the addressees, and Jesus’ promotion of peace has “killed the hostility” between them and Israel (2:16).
Ephesians says that the source of this international hostility is “the law of commands in decrees” (τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν; tōn nōmon tōn entolōn en dōgmasin; 2:15)—something that Jesus has abolished. Since God’s commands to Moses are commonly called the “Law” (νόμος; nōmos), most readers assume that the “law of commands” refers to the Torah. However, νόμος can also refer to law established by non-Jewish nations that were historically hostile to Israel. For instance, the Persian king Ahasuerus asks his multinational advisors, “According to the law (νόμος; nōmos), what should be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not done the command of King Ahasuerus?” (Esther 1:15 LXX). Similarly, Esther refers to the “laws (νόμους; nōmous) of the Medes and Persians” and the “law (νόμος) made by the king” (1:19-20). That the interethnic enmity in Ephesians 2:15 is a law established by “decree” (δόγμα; dōgma) suggests a reference to Gentile demands insofar as the only “decrees” made in Israel’s Scriptures are from the rulers of Babylon and Persia (cf. Daniel 2:13; 3:10, 12, 29; 4:6; 6:8-15, 26 LXX), and Luke recalls the Roman “decree” from Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1; cf. Acts 17:7). According to the Bible, laws expressed in decrees come from Gentile enemies of Israel; therefore, it makes sense that Ephesians 2:15 would be describing Jesus’ abolition of international hostilities against the people of God so as to make peace among the nations.
The fact that these decrees cause “hostility” (ἔχθραν; ēchthran) is also indicative of the antagonism that Gentile nations had shown to Israel. The prophet Ezekiel chastises the people of Edom “because you cherished perpetual hostility (ἔχθραν; ēchthran) and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword” (Ezek 35:5 LXX). God responds to the Edomites' ire against Israel by saying, “I will deal with you according to the anger and envy that you showed because of your hostility (ἔχθραν) against them” (Ezek 35:11 LXX). In declaring hostile legal decrees abolished, Ephesians does not claim that Jesus ended the Mosaic commandments; rather, the text asserts that Jesus has brought formerly aggressive nations (like Edom in Ezekiel) near to the nation of Israel. For any Gentiles who put their trust in Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah has eliminated the enmity that the nations once harbored against the Jewish people and made global peace among all those who follow him.
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