Colossians Introduction
Introduction
Colossae was a city about 110 miles east of Ephesus in Asia Minor that had been prosperous and populous in the fifth century b.c. because of its extensive cloth-dying industry. By the first century a.d., the time of this letter, it was well into a decline, and in a.d. 60 would be completely destroyed by an earthquake. The letter therefore was most likely written in the late 50s, shortly before the city's ultimate demise. The church here was not started by Paul, but apparently by Epaphras (1.7,8; 4.12) who was with Paul in prison when this letter was written.
The chief concern of the Epistle to the Colossians is to warn and counsel against false teachings involving retroversions to Jewish observances (dietary restrictions, circumcision, and festivals), mystical knowledge, and worship of heavenly powers (2.8-13). This letter stresses over against these practices the unique role of Christ and the gift of grace the Colossians already have received through Christ—salvation fully and freely given by God. Christians are declared to enjoy a present existence as persons “risen with Christ” (3.1), and baptism, not circumcision, is said to be the mark of Christian initiation (2.10-12). In Christ “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (2.9), so there can be no cosmic powers that have any authority over him. The Colossians therefore do not need any further source of deliverance or care because they have everything they need in Christ. The brilliant Christ-hymn in 1.15-20 is especially noteworthy for its beautifully expressed theology. Like the prologue to John (1.1-18), it declares that God created the world through Christ and will reconcile all things also through Christ.
Tradition has long ascribed authorship of this letter to Paul, even though questions have been raised about the noticeable differences in Colossians in language use, style, and vocabulary over against those features in the other epistles of Paul. To account for these differences, some have suggested authorship by a disciple of Paul.
Outline
Greetings, Prayers, and a Hymn to Christ (1.1-23)
Countering the False Teachings with the True Faith (1.24—2.19)
Living the New Life in Christ (2.20—4.6)
Final Greetings and Advice (4.7-18)
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
Colossians About this letter
About this letter
Colossae was an important city in western Asia Minor, about 160 kilometres east of the city port of Ephesus. Paul had never been to Colossae, but he was pleased to learn that the Christians there were strong in their faith (1.3-7; 2.6,7). They had heard the good news from a man named Epaphras who had lived there (1.7; 4.12,13), but was in jail with Paul (Philemon 23) at the time that Paul wrote this letter (1.14; 4.3,10,18).
Many of the church members in Colossae were Gentiles (1.27), and some of them were influenced by strange religious ideas and practices (2.16-23). They thought that to obey God fully they must give up certain physical desires and worship angels and other spiritual powers. But Paul wanted them to know that Christ was with God in heaven, ruling over all powers in the universe (3.1). And so, their worship should be directed to Christ.
Paul quotes a beautiful hymn that explains who Christ is:
Christ is exactly like God,
who cannot be seen.
He is the firstborn Son,
superior to all creation.
God himself was pleased
to live fully in his Son.
And God was pleased
for him to make peace
by sacrificing his blood
on the cross.
(1.15,19,20a)
A quick look at this letter
1. Greetings (1.1,2)
2. A prayer of thanks (1.3-8)
3. The person and work of Christ (1.9—2.19)
4. New life with Christ (2.20—4.6)
5. Final greetings (4.7-18)
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012