Introduction To The Epistle Of Paul To The Colossians
Overview
As has already been detailed in the OVERVIEW of the INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS, the epistle to the Colossians and Paul's epistle to the Ephesians are remarkably similar. Therefore, Paul's teaching can be better understood by closely comparing them with each other.
Paul states his purpose for writing this letter very clearly in Colossians 2:1-8. He wanted to make sure they had a full revelation of Christ and what He had accomplished for them, and at the same time warn them against false teaching. Paul believed that the best defense against false teaching was to have the Colossians fully aware of all they had in Christ. In the remainder of chapter 2 and into chapter 3, Paul expounds on the completeness we have in Christ. Paul exhorts the Colossians to a holy lifestyle, and concludes with instructions to parents, children, slaves, and masters as he did in the letter to the Ephesians.
Background
Colosse was just 14 miles from Laodicea, which was one of the seven churches of Asia to whom John wrote the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:4; 3:14-22), and just over 100 miles southeast of Ephesus (see note 3 at Acts 18:19). Colosse was an important city in Phrygia (see note 15 at Acts 2:9) on the upper Lycus River in what is known today as south central Turkey. It served as a trading center at a crossroads on the main highway from Ephesus to the east.
Colosse was close to Hierapolis (Col. 4:13) and Laodicea, both of which are mentioned in the New Testament. Colosse was known as a prosperous city as early as the fifth century BC, but by the start of the Christian era it was beginning to be eclipsed by its two neighbors.
In 61 AD the cities of the Lycus Valley suffered a devastating earthquake. Laodicea, which is mentioned four times in this letter (Col. 2:1; 4:13, 15, 16) and twice in the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:11; 3:14), suffered the greatest damage. They rebuilt the cities but Colosse was increasingly overshadowed by Laodicea and Hierapolis. However, it retained considerable importance into the second and third centuries AD. Later, the population of Colosse moved to Chonai (modern Honaz), three miles to the south.
The Recipients
There is no mention in the book of Acts that Paul ever went to the city of Colosse, a city of Asia Minor (see note 3 at Acts 16:6). In fact, Paul mentions in Colossians 2:1 that the people of Colosse had not seen his face. Therefore, it can be assumed that the Colossians are some of those to whom the gospel had been taken while Paul preached in Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:17, 31). Acts 19:10 says that the gospel spread from Ephesus (Acts 19:1) into all of Asia.
Since Ephesus was the capital city in the region, the Colossians would have done business there and the Ephesians would have traveled to Colosse as well. It appears that Epaphras, who was from Colosse (Col. 4:12), was a convert of Paul's preaching in Ephesus. He returned home to Colosse and shared the gospel with others, thus beginning the church there (Col. 1:7).
Authorship
The author of this epistle is Paul the apostle as stated in Colossians 1:1, 1:23, and 4:18. Early church leaders such as Eusebius (330 AD), Origen, Tertullian, and Irenaeus all attest to Paul as its author. Colossians is one of the four prison epistles written by Paul; the others being Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.
Date And Place Of Writing
Paul wrote this letter from prison (Col. 4:3, 10, 18). It is commonly believed that this took place during his imprisonment in Rome. The earliest this epistle could have been written would be 61 AD, and some believe it may have been written as late as 64 AD (see DATE AND PLACE OF WRITING under INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS). Epaphras, who was a Colossian (Col. 4:12) was the bearer of this letter and apparently the one who brought the gospel to the Colossians (Col. 1:7).
