when was ephesians written

Most scholars say Ephesians was written in the early 60s AD, but many modern academics argue for a later date up to around 100 AD.

Traditional dating

Under the traditional view, Ephesians is a genuine letter of Paul written from prison in Rome.

• Many conservative scholars date it to around AD 60–62, during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, alongside Colossians and Philemon.

• This dating is tied to the letter’s own references to Paul as a “prisoner” and “in chains,” which are linked with the Roman custody narrative in Acts.

Later scholarly dating

A large number of critical scholars question whether Paul himself wrote Ephesians.

• On linguistic, stylistic, and theological grounds, many date it after Paul’s death, commonly between about AD 70–100.

• In this view, a later follower of Paul wrote the letter as a circular message to several churches, reflecting a more developed church structure and theology.

Simple takeaway

Putting this together, there are two main answers people give when asking “when was Ephesians written?”

• Traditional Christian view: around AD 60–62, by Paul in Rome.

• Critical scholarly view: by a later author, roughly AD 70–100, after Paul’s lifetime.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.