The short letter to the Colossians has played a significant role in the development of Christian thought. Its emphases on salvation as largely realized here and now, on knowledge in relation to faith, on Christ as the head of the church, on the entire cosmos and all humanity as the objects of God’s work of redemption through him, and on Paul’s authority—all these point in the direction of church theology at the end of the apostolic period. Christian notions of ethical responsibility between asceticism and worldliness, as well as the subordination of wives to husbands and slaves to masters, were influenced by the “household table” of Colossians 3:18–4:1. In the fourth century Colossians' Christological claims
surfaced on opposite sides of the Arian controversy, which dealt with the status of the Son of God in relation to the Father/Creator and the created order. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Colossians attracted special attention as theologians and ordinary believers have wrestled with new questions about science and religious pluralism.
The short letter to the Colossians has played a significant role in the development of Christian thought. Its emphases on salvation as largely realized here and now, on knowledge in relation to faith, on Christ as the head of the church, on the entire cosmos and all humanity as the objects of God’s work of redemption through him, and on Paul’s authority—all these point in the direction of church theology at the end of the apostolic period. Christian notions of ethical responsibility between asceticism and worldliness, as well as the subordination of wives to husbands and slaves to masters, were influenced by the “household table” of Colossians 3:18–4:1. In the fourth century Colossians' Christological claims
surfaced on opposite sides of the Arian controversy, which dealt with the status of the Son of God in relation to the Father/Creator and the created order. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Colossians attracted special attention as theologians and ordinary believers have wrestled with new questions about science and religious pluralism.
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Overview
The short letter to the Colossians has played a significant role in the development of Christian thought. Its emphases on salvation as largely realized here and now, on knowledge in relation to faith, on Christ as the head of the church, on the entire cosmos and all humanity as the objects of God’s work of redemption through him, and on Paul’s authority—all these point in the direction of church theology at the end of the apostolic period. Christian notions of ethical responsibility between asceticism and worldliness, as well as the subordination of wives to husbands and slaves to masters, were influenced by the “household table” of Colossians 3:18–4:1. In the fourth century Colossians' Christological claims
surfaced on opposite sides of the Arian controversy, which dealt with the status of the Son of God in relation to the Father/Creator and the created order. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Colossians attracted special attention as theologians and ordinary believers have wrestled with new questions about science and religious pluralism.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781426750397 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Abingdon Press |
| Publication date: | 09/01/2011 |
| Series: | Abingdon New Testament Commentaries Series |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Sales rank: | 906,128 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
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Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Colossians
By David M. Hay
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2000 Abingdon PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-5039-7
CHAPTER 1
Commentary
Salutation (1:1-2)
The opening salutation (1:1-2) follows the normal convention of ancient letter-writing: "A to B, greetings." The formulation of the greetings in terms of "Grace and peace" may reflect Jewish practice. For example, a Jewish revolutionary a couple of generations after Paul began a letter, "From Simon ben Kosheba to Jeshua ben Gilgola and the people of his company: peace!" (Lohse 1971, 5). The formula, "Grace to you and peace," is found, however, at the beginning of all of Paul's other letters ("mercy" is added to grace and peace in 1 Tim 1:2 and 2 Tim 1:2), so there is no need to think that the Colossians would have had specifically Jewish associations with the phrase.
* * *
The writer identifies himself as the famous and revered apostle and speaks of being an apostle in relation to Jesus Christ—a leader whose words are to be taken as representing the mind of Christ (cf. Rev 1:1-2) and the will of God. Throughout the letter Paul addresses his readers in an authoritative and official, though always friendly and encouraging, tone. The letter opening apparently assumes that Paul is well-known by reputation to the readers, that they understand the title of "apostle" (used only here in the letter) and that they are not disposed to challenge Paul's right to claim it.
The reference to Timothy both associates him with the writing of the letter and distinguishes his authority from Paul's. Timothy is simply a Christian "brother," just as all the persons addressed in the letter are "brothers and sisters" (v. 2). Though Timothy may in fact have had a major hand in the composing of Colossians (see the introduction), the letter itself makes no such claim for him. The salutations of several other Pauline letters (2 Cor 1:1; Phil 1:1; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1; Phlm 1) mention Timothy's name immediately after Paul's (exactly the same phrase about Paul and Timothy is found in 1:1 and 2 Cor 1:1). Still, the emphasis of the letter is on the apostle Paul as author, not on Timothy, and the letter-writer will soon shift from "we" (1:3-4, 7-9) to the Pauline "I" (predominant in 1:24–2:5; 4:3-4, 7-18).
Timothy is not mentioned again in Colossians (not even in 4:10-11, where we might expect his name to resurface). Still, the reference in 1:1 would make a particularly strong impression if the Colossians are assumed to know that he is an important coworker and trusted member of Paul's missionary team (see especially 1 Thess 2:7 [where Timothy is even called an "apostle"]; 3:1-6; Rom 16:21; 1 Cor 4:17; 16:10-11; 2 Cor 1:19; later church interpretations of him are offered in Acts 16:1-3; 17:14; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4; Heb 13:23; and 1–2 Timothy).
The persons addressed are described as "the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae" (v. 2). This is the only Pauline letter in which the letter opening refers to the addressees as "brothers and sisters" or "brothers" (Gk. adelphoi). Perhaps Paul and Timothy want to stress that the Colossian Christians, personally unknown as they were, are nonetheless members of their spiritual family. On the other hand, the word "church" does not appear in the address, just as it is lacking in the salutations in Rom 1:7 and Phil 1:1 (which, like Colossians, characterizes its addressees as "saints").
Holiness, or sanctification, was a primary characteristic of Israel in the Old Testament and the Jewish tradition, and it connotes separation and purity based on divine election (cf. 3:12). A moral dimension cannot be denied, however. Personal and communal purity will be a major theme in 2:16–3:17, and there, too, the writer will emphasize that purity stems from the relationship with God and Christ. This relationship is established in faith; hence "faithful" in 1:2 probably also implies both the personal efforts of individual Christians as well as solid trust in what God has already bestowed through Christ. The meaning of "faith" will be spelled out at length in 1:5–3:4.
The opening greeting speaks of grace and peace "from God our Father" without adding the phrase "and the Lord Jesus Christ," which concludes every other salutation in the Pauline letters with the exception of 1 Thess 1:1. (Some manuscripts have added the phrase in Col 1:2, obviously because later scribes thought its omission must have been a copyist's error.) Given the high prominence ascribed to Christology later in the letter, no diminution of Jesus' importance can be intended. Emphasis on God as "our Father" unites Paul, Timothy, the Colossians, and all who are related to the Father through "his beloved Son" (1:13).
As in many other Pauline letters, "grace" marks the opening greeting and the very end of the letter (4:18). It emphasizes that salvation is a gift God gives through Christ (various aspects of grace will be highlighted when it is mentioned again in 1:6; 3:16; and 4:6; though Colossians never directly speaks of the grace of Christ). "Peace" is commonly used in Jewish as well as Christian letter greetings, and it connotes salvation, not mere absence of outward conflict—a general well-being or condition of harmony between God and human beings as well as within human communities (cf. 1:20; 3:15).
* * *
The Christian existence that unites letter writers and addressees is here defined in terms of holiness and peace (terms recalling OT Israel's relation to God) as well as faith and grace (terms especially linked in the Pauline letters with the Christian revelation). Everything depends and grows out of the common grounding of the apostle and those he addresses in the power of God. And just as their identity and origins are briefly mentioned, so, too, is the purpose of their lives: to manifest purity, faithfulness, and peace. These ideas permeate the letter's theological affirmations and moral instructions.
Letter Introduction (1:3–2:5)
The first part of the letter presents the foundations on which the direct instructions to the Colossians, beginning with 2:6, are based. This introduction includes a thanksgiving (1:3-8), which is followed by a petition (1:9-11) and a summary interpretation of the gospel message in three sections: a brief statement centered on God the Father (1:12-14), a hymn in honor of Christ (1:1520), and an application to the Colossians (1:21-23). The entire passage (1:3-23) may also be regarded as an extended thanksgiving. It is followed by a description of Paul and his service of the gospel, which explains his goals and authority as he writes to the Colossians (1:24–2:5). Overall this part of the letter defines the identities of the intended readers and the writer (Paul) in relation to the work and purposes of God. The delay in getting around to the polemic in 2:6-23 suggests that Paul thinks the ground for that attack must be carefully prepared.
Thanksgiving (1:3-8)
Paul's letters often begin with a thanksgiving. In this he follows with distinctive modifications a pattern well attested in ancient hellenistic-pagan and Jewish letters (e.g., 2 Macc 1:10-17). The motif of prayer unites sections 1:3-8 and 9-11, although with this distinction: Verses 3-8 concentrate on Paul and Timothy's thanksgiving for the Colossian church (with particular emphasis on the past founding of the community), whereas verses 9-12 define their petitions for the church's present and future. The prayer is addressed to "God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"—neither Jesus nor the Spirit is directly addressed.
Grammatically the passage is a single long sentence, with a series of subordinate clauses linked by relative pronouns, participles, and the adverb "just as" (Gk. kathos [AT]; used three times). The prayer in verses 3-8 begins and ends with references to the writers—"we" (presumably Paul and Timothy). The main topics mentioned are (a) the faith, love, and hope of the Colossians, (b) the basis for their faith, love, and hope in the true gospel, which is gaining adherents throughout the world, and (c) the ways in which Paul and Timothy, Epaphras, and the Colossians are connected with one another. This Thanksgiving section thus prepares the reader for the letter's statements about the content of the Christian message in 1:12-23 and about Paul's authority in 1:24–2:5. The polemic of 2:6-23 is hinted at: The Colossians need to stick with the true message as previously communicated by Epaphras and now interpreted by Paul. Finally, various facets of Christian love are laid out in the hortatory section, 3:1–4:6. Thus the thanksgiving paragraph signals the major themes of the entire letter.
* * *
Paul and Timothy introduce themselves to the congregation by saying that they regularly give thanks to God for the church. Since this letter was meant to be read publicly in the church at Colossae (4:16), the prayers mentioned here are linked to the prayers of that church and Paul's request that the church pray for him and his mission (4:2-4). Later Epaphras is described as praying continually for the Colossians (4:12).
The thanksgiving proceeds to praise the Colossians indirectly because they actually manifest primary Christian virtues and thereby stand on solid ground. The triad of faith, love, and hope dominate verses 4-5 (cf. 1 Thess 1:3; 5:8; 1 Cor 13:13; Gal 5:5-6). These Christian excellences are grounded in the "word of the truth, the gospel," which has come to the Colossians just as it is being fruitfully proclaimed "in the whole world."
Faith, love, and hope are each qualified or defined. First is "your faith," which is "in" Christ Jesus. Then comes love, which is directed "for all the saints" (i.e., toward fellow Christians). Finally there is hope, which is "laid up for you in heaven."
The writer speaks here of faith "in" (Gk. en) Christ Jesus, just as in 2:5 he will speak of faith "in" (Gk. eis) Christ. Neither formulation is found in the undisputed letters (unless Gal 3:26 means to refer to faith "in" Christ). How faith is oriented to Christ and to God is not specified here—faith's full meaning will become clearer as the letter proceeds.
Is Christian love here assumed to be directed only to other Christians? The concern for missionary witness to outsiders expressed elsewhere in the letter implies a negative answer. Yet the love especially in view in verse 4 is directed toward fellow church members (as in Gal 5:14; 1 Thess 4:9; Phlm 5; cf. 1 Pet 2:17; John 13:34-35; 15:17; 1 John 4:7, 20-21).
The Colossians' faith and love, according to verse 5, are based on "the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel." This need not be taken crassly to mean that the Colossians display faith and love in order to earn a reward in the future, but rather that faith and love as well as hope are based on a transcendent treasure announced in the gospel. Future eschatology is strongly expressed here and in a few other places in Colossians, but the letter says nothing about how near the end of the world may be. References to the future hope of salvation are found in the opening sections of other Pauline letters, notably 1 Cor 1:7-8; Phil 1:6; 2 Thess 1:6-10; but in all of these reference is made to "the day" of the Lord Jesus, a phrase not found in Colossians (cf. Eph 1:3, 14, 18; 2 Tim 1:12, 18).
A similar formulation concerning the eschatological hope is found in 1 Pet 1:4 ("an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time"). The idea of an already-established heavenly treasure recalls Matt 25:34 ("the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"). The concept of divine rewards prepared for the righteous is attested in Philo's Praem. 104 as well as in apocalyptic texts like 2 Apoc. Bar. 14:12; 24:1 and 4 Ezra 7:14.
Just as the treasure is "laid up" securely in heaven, so also the hope is based on a true communication, the Christian gospel about salvation through Jesus, which is a statement about what God has accomplished ("the grace of God"—v. 6). Its content (or goal) may even be designated as "the kingdom of God" (4:11). The stress on truth in verses 5, 6 implies that the message the Colossians have accepted is fully reliable and that they should be on their guard against alternative messages (see also 2 Cor 4:2; 6:7; Gal 2:5, 14; 5:7).
There may be some deliberate contrast between the hope that is deferred and the word that is already present (Gk. parontos eis hymas; 1:6). Rather than speaking of the church community or the world Christian population growing as people make faith decisions, Colossians speaks of the divine word bearing fruit and growing throughout the world—implying that the initiative or power comes from God. It is conceivable that there is also an allusion here to Jesus' parables of growth (Mark 4 par.), where the kingdom of God, represented by the seed, grows mysteriously and bountifully (cf. the use of the metaphor in Acts 6:7; 12:24; 13:49; 19:20). Colossians 1:6-8 also recalls 1 Cor 3:5-10, where Paul, speaking of the Corinthian church, describes Apollos and himself as equal servants who planted and watered while "God gave the growth" and also hints of an argument later taken up by Augustine: The worldwide diffusion of the Christian message is evidence of its truth (Confes. 6.11). The use of the terms "bearing fruit" and "growing" is the first instance of a major stylistic feature of Colossians, the use of repetitious phrasing for emphasis.
Verse 7 indicates that Epaphras first brought the gospel to Colossae and was responsible for founding the church there. More recently (v. 8) he has informed Paul and Timothy about the church's situation and its "love in the Spirit," prompting them to write this letter. Epaphras is mentioned again in 4:12, near the end of the letter; the location of these references to Ephaphras may be intended to imply that Paul writes with Epaphras at his side, probably advising the apostle on what issues to treat, praying for the Colossians that they may "stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills" (4:1213)—exactly what Paul will pray for them in 1:9-12 (cf. 1:28-29).
This verse offers something like a self-correction. Epaphras is first described as "our beloved fellow servant" (Gk. sundoulos), but then as a faithful minister or servant (Gk. diakonos) in the service of Christ "on our behalf" (i.e., on behalf of Paul and Timothy; some manuscripts, preferred by the NRSV, read "on your behalf"). He is a coworker with Paul and Timothy, but his master is Christ. The language of serving Christ for the good of others points toward the teachings about slavery in a Christian household (3:22–4:1) and may allude to the background of Onesimus (4:9). The Colossians have already shown their confidence in the message of Epaphras. Since Paul and Timothy are his colleagues in Christ's service, what they will now proceed to say to the Colossians also merits their attention.
Can anything more be inferred about the relation of Epaphras to the Colossians on the one hand and to Paul on the other? Is he a member of a Pauline missionary "team"? Did he found the Colossian church at Paul's direction and under his supervision? Lohse concludes that Epaphras is the authorized representative of Paul in Colossae, since Paul as apostle to the Gentiles is also responsible for Colossae (Lohse 1971, 23). This is at least a good possibility.
The last word in verse 8 is "Spirit" (Gk. pneuma). It occurs only here and in 2:5 ("though I am absent in body, I am with you in spirit"). The adjective "spiritual" occurs in 1:9 and 3:16. Colossians has virtually nothing to say about the Holy Spirit, though the Spirit is mentioned very often in the undisputed letters. For reasons to be discussed later, the opponents attacked in 2:8-23 may have stressed the Spirit and deemphasized Christ; the writer of Colossians does the reverse. The "love in the Spirit" or "spiritual love" reported by Epaphras means probably both Christian love in general and love and respect directed specifically toward Paul and Timothy.
Intercession (1:9-11)
Verses 9-20 form a single sentence, its complex clauses joined largely by means of participles in verses 9-12 and by pronominal constructions in verses 13-20. This passage in turn may be viewed as an extension of the thanksgiving begun in verse 3 (note the "giving thanks" in v. 12). Whereas 1:3-8 concentrate on the present spiritual success of the Colossian church and its basis in the divine Word, verses 9-11 focus on the church's spiritual needs, diplomatically presented as a report of prayers Paul and Timothy regularly offer for the Colossian believers. Thanksgiving and exhortation are closely associated in the Pauline letters (Schubert 1939, 87-89). The principal need of the Colossians is here identified as a need for a fuller understanding of God's will, which will prompt appropriate living. This prepares readers for the next section, which defines the will of God as made known in the message about Christ (vv. 12-23).
The passage is marked by several repetitious expressions: "praying for ... and asking" (v. 9), "knowledge ... wisdom and understanding" (v. 9), "made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power" (v. 11). Such redundancy may strike a modern reader as tedious, but it could impress ancient readers as offering a kind of rhetorical elegance; repetition or the use of near-synonyms also underlines the importance the writer(s) give to defining the needs of the Colossians. On the other hand, the fivefold use of the Greek word meaning "all" (Gk. pas) in verses 9-11 implies that Paul and Timothy are sure that God can and will give the Colossians everything they need (cf. the frequent use of "all" in 1:15-20).
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Colossians by David M. Hay. Copyright © 2000 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Foreword,Preface,
List of Abbreviations,
Introduction,
Commentary,
Select Bibliography,
Index,