Middle Wall of Partition: Edit history

Biblical Text

The expression appears in the second chapter of Ephesians. The passage Ephesians 2:14–17, rendered in Korean by the New Korean Revised Version, reads in the King James Version: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances" (2:14–15). The preceding verses state that Gentiles, who had not received circumcision, were formerly "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel." The verses that follow explain that Christ, through the cross, made Jews and Gentiles into "one new man" and reconciled both together to God.

Terminology and Background

"Middle wall of partition" translates a Greek phrase joining mesotoichon, "dividing wall," with phragmos, "fence." The word mesotoichon occurs nowhere else in the New Testament.

The Temple in Jerusalem as rebuilt by Herod had a low balustrade separating the outer court, open to Gentiles, from the inner courts, which only Jews could enter. The first-century historian Josephus recorded that notices forbidding Gentiles to enter were posted on this balustrade. In 1871 a Greek inscription identified as one of these warnings was discovered; it states, in effect, that any Gentile caught going inside would be put to death. Acts 21 describes Paul being seized on suspicion of having brought a man from Ephesus into the Temple.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In the Old Testament, Israel was set apart from the Gentile nations by circumcision and the Law. Ephesians teaches that in Christ this distinction is overcome, so that Gentiles also become members "of the household of God" (2:19). The reconciliation described in the passage includes both reconciliation among people and reconciliation with God (2:16). Many interpreters see in the description of Christ as "our peace" a continuation of the Old Testament concept of shalom.

Interpretations and Issues

• What the wall refers to: A widely known interpretation takes the wall as a metaphor alluding to the Temple balustrade. Another, based on the mention of "the law" in the very next verse, identifies the wall with the legal regulations themselves that divided Jews from Gentiles. Many scholars accept both readings together. Scholars disagree about the authorship and date of Ephesians, and their judgments about whether the text refers directly to the Temple balustrade vary accordingly.
• The scope of the abolished law: The Reformed tradition has distinguished the ceremonial law from the moral law, explaining that it was the ceremonial law that was abolished. Some scholars read the passage as referring to the abolition of boundary markers, such as circumcision and dietary regulations, that signified Jewish identity. This question is connected to discussions of law and gospel.
• Israel and the church: Covenant theology reads the passage as evidence for the continuity of the one people of God across the Old and New Testaments. Dispensationalism acknowledges that Jews and Gentiles have become one body in the church while maintaining a framework that distinguishes Israel from the church.
• Associations added in popular use: The wall is sometimes equated with the veil of the sanctuary that was torn when Jesus died (Matthew 27:51), but the text of Ephesians does not mention the veil. Moreover, the passage speaks primarily of the barrier between Jews and Gentiles; applying it to class, racial, or regional conflicts is an extended interpretation.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the phrase "tearing down the dividing wall" is frequently used in sermons and prayers to express reconciliation and unity. It is also commonly cited in sermons and prayer meetings addressing the division of Korea and reunification (see reunification and the church). The expression is likewise used in connection with interdenominational cooperation and with generational and regional conflict.