Ephesians 2:14 — Identifying "the Middle Wall of Separation"

  Identification of "the middle wall of separation" in Ephesians 2:14

Several suggestions have been proposed as to what this wall refers to. The referent for the phrase could be a physical wall (e.g., the stone balustrade in the third temple) or a metaphorical wall (e.g., the Mosaic Law). The debate is not about the meaning of the words (i.e., semantic ambiguity) or the application of grammar. This is a theological issue since it is regarding the possible meanings in this context. 

This is an important issue because it has theological implications as to the role of the Law in the NT, the nature of the church, and even the character of God. It affects the meaning of the passage in that it impacts our understanding of the unity of the church and the relationship between the Messianic Jews and the Gentile Christians in our current day. It further impacts our understanding of God’s love and whether He intended to create enmity between the Jews from the Gentiles. Our understanding of this issue further impacts whether we, as NT believers, should live by the Law.

Five possible views have been offered to resolve this issue.

1. The Cosmic Wall View: The first view sees the whole cosmos as the dividing wall separating the heavenly realm from the earthly one. In Gnostic teaching, the Redeemer descends through this cosmic wall but encounters enmity from heavenly powers. However, he destroys the cosmic wall and the enmity from these heavenly powers, thus creating peace.
2. The Veil View: This view answers the issue in the passage by making the referent to the dividing wall be the Veil that was between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place in the Second Temple. Since our sin separated us from God and the image of God in us was marred, it created enmity and separation not only between Man and God but also between Jew and Gentile.
3. The Stone Balustrade View: This view attempts to resolve the issue by making the referent to the dividing wall the stone balustrade in the Second Temple. This wall marked the point where the Gentile could proceed no further. It separated the area where only purified Jews could enter, where the Gentiles were prohibited. The balustrade was an elegant three cubits (4.5 feet) high wall.
4. The Law View: Those asserting this view say that the Law was a fence protecting the Jews from Gentile influence. This view answers the issue in the passage by saying that “separation” (Greek: φραγμοῦ, also translated as hedge) refers to the Law (Isaiah 5:2; Psalm 80:12). The Law was a hedge of protection around the Jews. However, when the Jews disobeyed, instead of being a blessing to other nations, their disobedience became a cause of separation from God (Isaiah 59:2) and from other nations. Jesus, however, fulfilled the Mosaic Law and thus removed its legal claims (authority) over the believers who are now all, Jew and Gentile, reconciled to God and each other under grace. The translation for this view would be something to the effect: “and broke down the dividing wall of the hedge, which is the Law of commandments contained ordinances, thus abolishing the enmity in His flesh.”
5. The Metaphorical (or Enmity) View: This view is a default position that sees all other views as unsatisfactory. It sees “the middle wall of separation” as a simple metaphor and does not look for an obscure meaning in it. 

These views have overwhelming evidence for and against them. It is tempting to concede that it is not possible to know with certainty which view Paul meant. However, The Cosmic Wall view and the Veil view should be promptly dismissed. The Cosmic Wall view depends on Gnostic philosophical framework, and both the Cosmic Wall view and the Veil view stretch the Greek grammar to make the translation fit.

While the Stone Balustrade view and the Law view are plausible, the evidence is inconclusive at best. The assumptions made to make these views work render them unconvincing. 

Therefore, the Enmity view is best because, to follow Occam’s razor, the view with the least assumptions is optimal. This view simplifies the awkwardness of the translation syntax found in other views. This means that in this verse the author means that the dividing wall is simply how people tend to feel as if there is an emotional, mental, or spiritual wall when they are quarreling with another person. This is important because it frees us from having to make untenable conclusions such as: The Law which God gave to the Jews was the cause of the enmity, or that the Torah is an enmity between Jew and non-Jew. Instead, it allows us to remain focused on the theme of the passage which is the unity of the believers in Christ, Jew, and Gentile.