Epistle to the Colossians

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, Full Text of Colossians

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Synopsis

The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the New Testament. It was a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Colossae.

Chapters

1 2 3 4

Translations of Epistle to the Colossians

• World English Version

See also

• Easton's Bible Dictionary entry on the Epistle to the Colossians

Related topics

• Apostle Paul
• Colossae
• Colossian heresy

For related quotations see Epistle to the Colossians (quotes)

Main article

The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the New Testament. It was a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Colossae.

Authorship

The letter begins by identifying the apostles Paul and Timothy as the authors. Paul's authorship is also confirmed by many of the church's early key figures such as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, and Eusebius.

Date of the epistle

The letter was probably written by Paul at Rome during his first imprisonment there (Acts 28:16, 30), probably in the spring of AD 57, or, as some scholars think, AD 62, and soon after he had written his Epistle to Ephesians.

Themes and outline

Like some of his other epistles (for example, those to Corinth), this seems to have been written in consequence of information which had been conveyed to him of the internal state of the church there by Epaphras (1:4-8). Its object was to counteract certain false teaching, sometimes referred to as the Colossian heresy. A large part of it is directed against certain speculatists who attempted to combine the doctrines of Eastern mysticism and asceticism with Christianity, thereby promising believers enjoyment of a higher spiritual life and a deeper insight into the world of spirits. Paul argues against such teaching, showing that in Christ they had all things. He sets forth the majesty of his redemption. The mention of the "new moon" and "sabbath days" (2:16) shows that Gnostic ascetics were judging the body of Christ for "eating and drinking" and observing the "feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths." In response, Paul commands the saints to "let no one judge you...but the body of Christ,", that is, the church itself.

Like most of Paul's epistles, this consists of two parts: a doctrinal and a practical.

The doctrinal part comprises the first two chapters. His main theme is developed in chapter 2. He warns them against being drawn away from Him in whom dwelt all the fullness of the deity (2:9), and who was the head of all spiritual powers. Christ was the head of the body of which they were members; and if they were truly united to him, what needed they more?

Paul could see that they had grown spiritually because of their love for all the set-apart ones in Christ (1:4 & 8). He knowing this wanted them to grow in wisdom and knowledge that their love might be principled love and not sentimentality (1:9-11). "Christ in you is your hope of glory!" (1:27)

The practical part of the epistle (3-4) enforces various duties naturally flowing from the doctrines expounded. They are exhorted to mind things that are above (3:1-4), to mortify every evil principle of their nature, and to put on the new man (3:5-14). Many special duties of the Christian life are also insisted upon as the fitting evidence of the Christian character.

Tychicus was the bearer of the letter, as he was also of that to the Ephesians and to Philemon, and he would tell them of the state of the apostle (4:7-9). After friendly greetings (10-14), Paul bids them to interchange this letter with the one that he had sent to the neighbouring Laodicean Church. (The apocryphal Epistle to the Laodiceans is generally believed to be a forgery based on this instruction.) Paul then closes this brief but striking epistle with his usual autograph salutation.

Links

Wikipedia - Epstle to the Colossians

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