Text -- Colossians 2:17 (NET)

2:17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Col 2:17

A shadow ( skia ).

Old word, opposed to substance (sōma , body). In Heb 10:1 skia is distinguished from eikōn (picture), but here from sōma (body, substance). The sōma (body) casts the skia (shadow) and so belongs to Christ (Christou , genitive case).

Vincent: Col 2:17

Which are

Explanatory. Seeing they are. Referring to all the particulars of Col 2:16.

Vincent: Col 2:17

Shadow of things to come

Shadow , not sketch or outline , as is shown by body following. The Mosaic ritual system was to the great verities of the Gospel what the shadow is to the man, a mere general type or resemblance.

Vincent: Col 2:17

The body is Christ's

The substance belongs to the Christian economy. It is derived from Christ, and can be realized only through union with Him.

Wesley: Col 2:17

Which are but a lifeless shadow; but the body, the substance, is of Christ.

JFB: Col 2:17

The blessings of the Christian covenant, the substance of which Jewish ordinances were but the type. Compare "ages to come," that is, the Gospel dispensation (Eph 2:7). Heb 2:5, "the world to come."

JFB: Col 2:17

The real substance (of the blessings typified by the law) belongs to Christ (Heb 8:5; Heb 10:1).

Clarke: Col 2:17

Which are a shadow - All these things were types, and must continue in force till the Christ, whom they represented, came; the apostle therefore says that the body - the substance or design of them was of Christ - pointed him out, and the excellent blessings which he has procured. The word σκια, shadow, is often used to express any thing imperfect or unsubstantial; while the term σωμα, body, was used in the opposite sense, and expressed any thing substantial, solid, and firm. The law was but the shadow or representation of good things to come; none should rest in it; all that it pointed out is to be sought and obtained in Christ.

Calvin: Col 2:17

17.Which are a shadow of things to come The reason why he frees Christians from the observance of them is, that they were shadows at a time when Christ was still, in a manner, absent. For he contrasts shadows with revelation, and absence with manifestation. Those, therefore, who still adhere to those shadows, act like one who should judge of a man’s appearance from his shadow, while in the mean time he had himself personally before his eyes. For Christ is now manifested to us, and hence we enjoy him as being present. The body, says he, is of Christ, that is, IN Christ. For the substance of those things which the ceremonies anciently prefigured is now presented before our eyes in Christ, inasmuch as he contains in himself everything that they marked out as future. Hence, the man that calls back the ceremonies into use, either buries the manifestation of Christ, or robs Christ of his excellence, and makes him in a manner void. ³⁸⁷ Accordingly, should any one of mortals assume to himself in this matter the office of judge, let us not submit to him, inasmuch as Christ, the only competent Judge, sets us free. For when he says, Let no man judge you, he does not address the false apostles, but prohibits the Colossians from yielding their neck to unreasonable requirements. To abstain, it is true, from swine’s flesh, is in itself harmless, but the binding to do it is pernicious, because it makes void the grace of Christ.

Should any one ask, “What view, then, is to be taken of our sacraments? Do they not also represent Christ to us as absent?” I answer, that they differ widely from the ancient ceremonies. For as painters do not in the first draught bring out a likeness in vivid colors, and (εἰκονικῶς) expressively, but in the first instance draw rude and obscure lines with charcoal, so the representation of Christ under the law was unpolished, and was, as it were, a first sketch, but in our sacraments it is seen drawn out to the life. Paul, however, had something farther in view, for he contrasts the bare aspect of the shadow with the solidity of the body, and admonishes them, that it is the part of a madman to take hold of empty shadows, when it is in his power to handle the solid substance. Farther, while our sacraments represent Christ as absent as to view and distance of place, it is in such a manner as to testify that he has been once manifested, and they now also present him to us to be enjoyed. They are not, therefore, bare shadows, but on the contrary symbols ³⁸⁸ of Christ’s presence, for they contain that Yea and Amen of all the promises of God, (2Co 1:20,) which has been once manifested to us in Christ.

TSK: Col 2:17

a shadow : Joh 1:17; Heb 8:5, Heb 9:9, Heb 10:1

the body : Mat 11:28, Mat 11:29; Heb 4:1-11

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Col 2:17

Which are a shadow of things to come - See the notes at Heb 8:5; Heb 10:1, note. They were only a dim outline of future things, not the reality.

But the body is of Christ - The reality, the substance. All that they signified is of or in Christ. Between those things themselves which are in Christ, and those which only represented or prefigured them, there is as much difference as there is between a body and a shadow; a solid substance and a mere outline. Having now, therefore, the thing itself the shadow can be to us of no value; and that having come which was prefigured, that which was designed merely to represent it, is no longer binding.

Poole: Col 2:17

Which are a shadow of things to come which, as they were but obscurer representations or shadowy resemblances of future benefits procured by Christ, Heb 8:5 9:11 10:1 , whatever temporary glory they had from the former institution, till the time of reformation, Heb 9:10 , yet that was done away, and they now had none, in respect of the glory that excelleth and remaineth, 2Co 3:10,11 . So that this doth no way gainsay the sacraments now of Christ’ s own institution, which may be called figures and shadows, not of things future, of Christ not yet come, but as already exhibited, whom they manifest to the mind and faith to be present, to those who rightly partake of them: we cannot say he condemns all distinctions of meats and drinks, viz. bread and wine in the Lord’ s supper; or of days; only the decrees and ordinances of Moses, or any other which the false teachers cried up, that were not after Christ.

But the body is of Christ who is really the substance and antitype of all the Old Testament shadows, which have completion or accomplishment in him, Joh 1:17 Rom 10:4 Gal 4:10-12 ; as all the promises were in him yea and Amen, Dan 9:24 2Co 1:20 ; all was consummated in him, Joh 19:30 , who came in the place of all the shadows. He is Lord of the sabbath, Mat 12:8 , and therefore, having broken the devil’ s head-plot by his propitiatory sacrifice, and entered into his rest, ceasing from his own works of redemption by price, as God did from his of creation, Heb 4:10 , he did away 2Co 3:7,11all that was typical and ceremonial of the old sabbath, (as other types of himself); keeping only that which was substantial, for a holy rest of one day in seven, and appointing that in commemoration of the Father’ s work and his to be, from his resurrection, observed on the first day of the week, for the edification of his church; which he honoured by his appearance amongst his apostles on that day, and that day seven-night after, which proceeded originally from his instituting of that day (to prevent dissension) for public worship in Christian assemblies. Some have observed that the Jewish doctors did foresay: That the Divine Majesty would be to Israel in a jubilee, freedom, redemption, and finisher of sabbaths: and that four sabbaths did meet together and succeed each other at the death and the resurrection of Christ, viz.

1. The sabbatical year of jubilee, Luk 4:19 .

2. The high sabbath, Joh 19:31 .

3. The seventh-day sabbath, when his body rested in the grave.

4. The first day of the week, when he rose a victorious conqueror of the devil, and had all put in subjection to him, unto whom all the rest did refer, and therefore they were to disappear, upon his estating his people in a rest which the law could not; whereupon his people are obliged in public adoration and praise to commemorate him on the first day of the week, or the Lord’ s day, to the end of the world, 1Co 16:1,2 Re 1:10 .

Gill: Col 2:17

Which are a shadow of things to come,.... By Christ, and under the Gospel dispensation; that is, they were types, figures, and representations of spiritual and evangelical things: the different "meats and drinks", clean and unclean, allowed or forbidden by the law, were emblems of the two people, the Jews and Gentiles, the one clean, the other unclean; but since these are become one in Christ, the distinction of meats is ceased, these shadows are gone; and also of the different food of regenerate and unregenerate souls, the latter feeding on impure food, the ashes and husks of sensual lusts, or their own works, the former on the milk and meat in the Gospel, the wholesome words of Christ; and likewise the clean meat was a shadow of Christ himself, whose flesh is meat indeed, and whose blood is drink indeed. The "holy days", or "feasts" of the Jews, the feasts of tabernacles, of the passover and Pentecost, were types of Christ; the feast of tabernacles, though it was in remembrance of the Israelites dwelling in tents and booths when they came out of Egypt, yet was also a representation of the people of God dwelling in the earthly houses of their tabernacles here on earth; and particularly of Christ's dwelling, or tabernacling in human nature, and who likewise was born at the time of this feast; See Gill on John 1:14. The passover, as it was a commemoration of the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt, and of God's passing over their houses when he smote the firstborn of the Egyptians, so it was a type of Christ our passover sacrificed for us, and was kept by Moses in the faith of him, Heb 11:28; there is a very great resemblance, in many particulars, between Christ and the paschal lamb; See Gill on 1Co 5:7. The feast of Pentecost, or the feast of harvest and firstfruits, was a shadow of the firstfruits of the Spirit, which Christ having received, gave to his disciples on that day; and of the harvest of souls to be gathered under the Gospel dispensation, of which the conversion of the three thousand on the day of Pentecost was an earnest and pledge. The "new moon" was typical of the church, which is fair as the moon, and receives all her light from Christ the sun of righteousness; and of the renewed state of the church under the Gospel dispensation, when the old things of the law are passed away, and all things relating to church order, ordinances, and discipline, are become new. The "sabbaths" were also shadows of future things; the grand sabbatical year, or the fiftieth year sabbath, or jubilee, in which liberty was proclaimed throughout the land, a general release of debts, and restoration of inheritances, prefigured the liberty we have by Christ from sin, Satan, and the law, the payment of all our debts by Christ, and the right we have through him to the heavenly and incorruptible inheritance. The seventh year sabbath, in which there was no tilling of the land, no ploughing, sowing, nor reaping, was an emblem of salvation through Christ by free grace, and not by the works of men; and the seventh day sabbath was a type of that spiritual rest we have in Christ now, and of that eternal rest we shall have with him in heaven hereafter: now these were but shadows, not real things; or did not contain the truth and substance of the things themselves, of which they were shadows; and though they were representations of divine and spiritual things, yet dark ones, they had not so much as the very image of the things; they were but shadows, and like them fleeting and passing away, and now are gone:

but the body is of Christ: or, as the Syriac version reads it, "the body is Christ"; that is, the body, or sum and substance of these shadows, is Christ; he gave rise unto them, he existed before them, as the body is before the shadow; not only as God, as the Son of God, but as Mediator, whom these shadows regarded as such, and as such he cast them; and he is the end of them, the fulfilling end of them; they have all their accomplishment in him: and he is the body of spiritual and heavenly things; the substantial things and doctrines of the Gospel are all of Christ, they all come by him; all the truths, blessings, and promises of grace; are from him and by him, and he himself the sum of them all. The allusion seems to be to a way of speaking among the Jews, who were wont to call the root, foundation, substance, and essence of a thing, גופא, "the body of it" ⁿ: so they say ^o,

"the constitutions concerning the sanctification of the offerings and the tithes, are, both the one and the other, גופי תורה, "the bodies", or substantial parts of the law:

and again ^p, that "the constitutions or rules about the sabbath, the festivals and prevarications, they are as mountains that hang by an hair; for the Scripture is small, and the constitutions are many; the judgments and the services, the purifications and uncleannesses, and the incests, they have, upon which they can support themselves, and these, and these, are גופי תורה, "the bodies of the law":

they say ^q of a small section, or paragraph, that all the bodies of the law depend upon it: once more ^r,

"the sabbaths, and the good days (the feasts or holy days) are גופן, "the bodies" of the sign;

which the phylacteries or frontlets were for; but our apostle says, that Christ is the body and substance of all these shadows, in opposition to these sayings and notions of the Jews: some connect this last clause with the former part of the following verse, rendering it as the Arabic version thus, "because of the communion of the body of Christ, let no man condemn you"; and the Ethiopic version thus, "and let no man account you fools, because of the body of Christ", but there is nothing in the text to support these versions,

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Col 2:17

¹ tn The word “only,” though not in the Greek text, is supplied in the English translation to bring out the force of the Greek phrase.

² tn Grk “but the body of Christ.” The term body here, when used in contrast to shadow (σκιά, skia) indicates the opposite meaning, i.e., the reality or substance itself.

³ tn The genitive τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou Cristou) is appositional and translated as such: “the reality is Christ.”

Geneva Bible: Col 2:17

Which are a shadow of things to come; but the ^{( z )} body [is] of Christ.

^{( z )} The body as a thing of substance and physical strength, he sets against shadows.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Col 2:1-23

1 Paul still exhorts them to be constant in Christ;

8 to beware of philosophy, and vain traditions;

18 worshipping of angels;

20 and legal ceremonies, which are ended in Christ.

MHCC: Col 2:8-17

There is a philosophy which rightly exercises our reasonable faculties; a study of the works of God, which leads us to the knowledge of God, and confirms our faith in him. But there is a philosophy which is vain and deceitful; and while it pleases men's fancies, hinders their faith: such are curious speculations about things above us, or no concern to us. Those who walk in the way of the world, are turned from following Christ. We have in Him the substance of all the shadows of the ceremonial law. All the defects of it are made up in the gospel of Christ, by his complete sacrifice for sin, and by the revelation of the will of God. To be complete, is to be furnished with all things necessary for salvation. By this one word " complete," is shown that we have in Christ whatever is required. " In him," not when we look to Christ, as though he were distant from us, but we are in him, when, by the power of the Spirit, we have faith wrought in our hearts by the Spirit, and we are united to our Head. The circumcision of the heart, the crucifixion of the flesh, the death and burial to sin and to the world, and the resurrection to newness of life, set forth in baptism, and by faith wrought in our hearts, prove that our sins are forgiven, and that we are fully delivered from the curse of the law. Through Christ, we, who were dead in sins, are quickened. Christ's death was the death of our sins; Christ's resurrection is the quickening of our souls. The law of ordinances, which was a yoke to the Jews, and a partition-wall to the Gentiles, the Lord Jesus took out of the way. When the substance was come, the shadows fled. Since every mortal man is, through the hand-writing of the law, guilty of death, how very dreadful is the condition of the ungodly and unholy, who trample under foot that blood of the Son of God, whereby alone this deadly hand-writing can be blotted out! Let not any be troubled about bigoted judgments which related to meats, or the Jewish solemnities. The setting apart a portion of our time for the worship and service of God, is a moral and unchangeable duty, but had no necessary dependence upon the seventh day of the week, the sabbath of the Jews. The first day of the week, or the Lord's day, is the time kept holy by Christians, in remembrance of Christ's resurrection. All the Jewish rites were shadows of gospel blessings.

Matthew Henry: Col 2:16-23

The apostle concludes the chapter with exhortations to proper duty, which he infers from the foregoing discourse.

I. Here is a caution to take heed of judaizing teachers, or those who would impose upon Christians the yoke of the ceremonial law: Let no man therefore judge you in meat nor drink, etc., Col 2:16. Much of the ceremonies of the law of Moses consisted in the distinction of meats and days. It appears by Rom. 14 that there were those who were for keeping up those distinctions: but here the apostle shows that since Christ has come, and has cancelled the ceremonial law, we ought not to keep it up. "Let no man impose those things upon you, for God has not imposed them: if God has made you free, be not you again entangled in that yoke of bondage. "And this the rather because these things were shadows of things to come (Col 2:17), intimating that they had no intrinsic worth in them and that they are now done away. But the body is of Christ: the body, of which they were shadows, has come; and to continue the ceremonial observances, which were only types and shadows of Christ and the gospel, carries an intimation that Christ has not yet come and the gospel state has not yet commenced. Observe the advantages we have under the gospel, above what they had under the law: they had the shadows, we have the substance.

II. He cautions them to take heed of those who would introduce the worship of angels as mediators between God and them, as the Gentile philosophers did: Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, Col 2:18. It looked like a piece of modesty to make use of the mediation of angels, as conscious to ourselves of our unworthiness to speak immediately to God; but, though it has a show of humility, it is a voluntary, not a commanded humility; and therefore it is not acceptable, yea, it is not warrantable: it is taking that honour which is due to Christ only and giving it to a creature. Besides, the notions upon which this practice was grounded were merely the inventions of men and not by divine revelation, - the proud conceits of human reason, which make a man presume to dive into things, and determine them, without sufficient knowledge and warrant: Intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind - pretending to describe the order of angels, and their respective ministries, which God has hidden from us; and therefore, though there was a show of humility in the practice, there was a real pride in the principle. They advanced those notions to gratify their own carnal fancy, and were fond of being thought wiser than other people. Pride is at the bottom of a great many errors and corruptions, and even of many evil practices, which have great show and appearance of humility. Those who do so do not hold the head, Col 2:19. They do in effect disclaim Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man. It is the highest disparagement to Christ, who is the head of the church, for any of the members of it to make use of any intercessors with God but him. When men let go their hold of Christ, they catch at that which is next them and will stand them in no stead. - From which all the body, by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Observe, 1. Jesus Christ is not only a head of government over the church, but a head of vital influence to it. They are knit to him by joints and bands, as the several members of the body are united to the head, and receive life and nourishment from him. 2. The body of Christ is a growing body: it increaseth with the increase of God. The new man is increasing, and the nature of grace is to grow, where there is not an accidental hindrance. - With the increase of God, with an increase of grace which is from God as its author; or, in a usual Hebraism, with a large and abundant increase. - That you may be filled with all the fulness of God, Eph 3:19. See a parallel expression, Which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, fitly joined together, maketh increase of the body, Eph 4:15, Eph 4:16.

III. He takes occasion hence to warn them again: " Wherefore, if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances? Col 2:20. If as Christians you are dead to the observances of the ceremonial law, why are you subject to them? Such observances as, Touch not, taste not, handle not, "Col 2:21, Col 2:22. Under the law there was a ceremonial pollution contracted by touching a dead body, or any thing offered to an idol; or by tasting any forbidden meats, etc., which all are to perish with the using, having no intrinsic worth in themselves to support them, and those who used them saw them perishing and passing away; or, which tend to corrupt the Christian faith, having no other authority than the traditions and injunctions of men. - Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship and humility. They thought themselves wiser than their neighbours, in observing the law of Moses together with the gospel of Christ, that they might be sure in the one, at least, to be in the right; but, alas! it was but a show of wisdom, a mere invention and pretence. So they seem to neglect the body, by abstaining from such and such meats, and mortifying their bodily pleasures and appetites; but there is nothing of true devotion in these things, for the gospel teaches us to worship God in spirit and truth and not by ritual observances, and through the mediation of Christ alone and not of any angels. Observe, 1. Christians are freed by Christ from the ritual observances of Moses's law, and delivered from that yoke of bondage which God himself had laid upon them. 2. Subjection to ordinances, or human appointments in the worship of God, is highly blamable, and contrary to the freedom and liberty of the gospel. The apostle requires Christians to stand fast in the liberty with which Christ hath made them free, and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage, Gal 5:1. And the imposition of them is invading the authority of Christ, the head of the church, and introducing another law of commandments contained in ordinances, when Christ has abolished the old one, Eph 2:15. 3. Such things have only a show of wisdom, but are really folly. It is true wisdom to keep close to the appointments of the gospel, and an entire subjection to Christ, the only head of the church.

Barclay: Col 2:16-23

This passage has certain basic Gnostic ideas intertwined all through it. In it Paul is warning the Colossians not to adopt certain Gnostic practices, on the grounds that to do so would be not progress but rather retrogression in the faith. Behind it lie four Gnostic practices.

(i) There is Gnostic asceticism (Col 2:16and Col 2:21). There is the teaching which involves a whole host of regulations about what can and can not be eaten and drunk. In other words there is a return to all the food laws of the Jews, with their lists of things clean and unclean. As we have seen, the Gnostics considered all matter to be essentially evil. If matter is evil, then the body is evil. If the body is evil, two opposite conclusions may be drawn. (a) If the body is essentially evil, it does not matter what we do with it. Being evil it can be used or abused in any way, and it makes no difference. (b) If the body is evil, it must be kept down; it must be beaten and starved and its every impulse chained down. That is to say, Gnosticism could issue either in complete immorality or in rigid asceticism. It is the rigid asceticism with which Paul is dealing here.

In effect he says, "Have nothing to do with people who identify religion with laws about what you may or may not eat or drink." Jesus himself had said that it made no difference what a man ate or drank (Mat 15:10-20; Mar 7:14-23). Peter had to learn to cease to talk about clean and unclean foods (Ac 10 ). Paul uses an almost crude phrase which repeats in different words what Jesus had already said. He says, "These things perish as they are used" (Col 2:22). He means exactly what Jesus did when he said that food and drink are eaten and digested, and then excreted from the body, and flushed away down the drain (Mat 15:17; Mar 7:19). Food and drink are so unimportant that they are destined for decay as soon as they are eaten. The Gnostics wished to make religion a thing of regulations about eating and drinking; and there are still those who are more concerned with rules about food than about the charity of the gospel.

(ii) There is the Gnostic and the Jewish observation of days (Col 2:16). They observed yearly feasts and monthly new moons and weekly sabbaths. They drew out lists of days which specially belonged to God, on which certain things must be done and certain things must not be done. They identified religion with ritual.

Paul's criticism of this stress on days is quite clear and logical. He says, "You have been rescued from all this tyranny of legal rules. Why do you want to enslave yourself all over again? Why do you want to go back to Jewish legalism and abandon Christian freedom?" The spirit which makes Christianity a thing of regulations is by no means dead yet.

(iii) There are the Gnostic special visions. The King James Version in Col 2:18speaks of the false teacher "intruding into those things which he hath not seen." That is a mistranslation. The correct translation should be "making a parade of the things which he has seen." The Gnostic prided himself upon special visions of secret things which were not open to the eyes of ordinary men and women. No one will deny the visions of the mystics, but there is always danger when a man begins to think that he has attained a height of holiness which enables him to see what common men--as he calls them--cannot see; and the danger is that men will so often see, not what God sends them, but what they want to see.

(iv) There is the worship of angels (Col 2:18, Col 2:20). As we have seen, the Jews had a highly-developed doctrine of angels and the Gnostics believed in all kinds of intermediaries. They worshipped these, while the Christian knows that worship must be kept for God and for Jesus Christ.

Paul makes four criticisms of all this.

(i) He says that this kind of thing is only a shadow of truth; the real truth is in Christ (Col 2:17). That is to say, a religion which is founded on eating and drinking certain kinds of food and drink and abstaining from others, a religion which is founded on Sabbath observance and the like, is only a shadow of real religion; real religion is fellowship with Christ.

(ii) He says that there is such a thing as a false humility (Col 2:18, Col 2:23). When they talked of the worship of angels, both the Gnostics and the Jews would have justified it by saying that God is so great and high and holy that we can never have direct access to him and must be content to pray to the angels. But the great truth that Christianity preaches is, in fact, exactly that the way to God is open to the humblest and the simplest person.

(iii) He says that this can lead to sinful pride (Col 2:18, Col 2:23). The man who is meticulous in his observance of special days, who keeps all the food laws and who practises ascetic abstinence is in very grave danger of thinking himself specially good and of looking down on other people. And it is a basic truth of Christianity that no man who thinks himself good is really good, least of all the man who thinks himself better than other people.

(iv) He says that this is a return to unchristian slavery instead of Christian freedom (Col 2:20) and that in any event, it does not free a man from fleshly lusts but only keeps them on the leash (Col 2:23). Christian freedom comes not from restraining desires by rules and regulations but from the death of evil desires and the springing to life of good desires by virtue of Christ being in the Christian and the Christian in Christ.

Constable: Col 2:1-23

III. WARNINGS AGAINST THE PHILOSOPHIES OF MEN ch. 2

"The believer who masters this chapter is not likely to be led astray by some alluring and enticing new-and-improved brand of Christianity.'"⁹⁵

Constable: Col 2:16-23

C. The false doctrines of men 2:16-23

Having revealed what believers have in Christ, Paul next pointed out the errors of the false teachers more specifically to help his readers identify and reject their instruction.

"Sad to say, there are many Christians who actually believe that some person, religious system, or discipline can add something to their spiritual experience. But they already have everything they ever will need in the person and work of Jesus Christ."¹²⁷

2:16-17 The false teachers were encouraging the Colossians to place their Christian freedom under their control. They wanted to limit it by prohibiting certain perfectly legitimate activities. The five items mentioned in verse 16 were all part of Judaism. Therefore it is very probable that the legalistic false teachers were to some extent Jewish (i.e., advocating obedience to the Law of Moses for justification and sanctification).

"The believing Gentiles in Colossae never were under the Law of Moses since that Law was given only to Israel (Rom. 9:4). It seems strange that, now that they were Christians, they would want to submit themselves to Jewish legalism!"¹²⁸

The dietary and festival observances were as shadows of Christ.

They were ". . . a dim outline, a sketch of an object in contrast with the object itself. . . . The offerings were reflections of the one genuine saving offering at the cross, the priesthood was a foreshadowing of the priestly ministry of Christ, and the kings of Israel faintly suggested the coming King of kings and Lord of lords. The new age, then, is not the extension of Judaism; rather, Judaism was a mere shadow of the present age projected into the past."¹²⁹

When Christ came, He explained that the Mosaic Law was no longer binding (e.g., Mark 7:18-19; Luke 16:16; cf. John 1:17; Acts 10:12; Rom. 7:6; 10:4; 14:17; 1 Cor. 8:8; 2 Cor. 3:6-11; Gal. 3:19, 23; 4:9-11; 5:1; Heb. 7:12; 9:10). This failure of the false teachers really amounted to a failure to appreciate Christ.

"The new religion [Christianity] is too free and exuberant to be trained down to times and seasons' like its tame and rudimental predecessor [Judaism]. Its feast is daily, for every day is holy; its moon never wanes, and its serene tranquillity is an unbroken Sabbath."¹³⁰

2:18-19 A second error was mysticism. Whereas Colossian legalism (vv. 16-17) was primarily Jewish in origin, Colossian mysticism (vv. 18-19) seems to have been mainly gnostic and pagan. Paul's readers were in danger of becoming diverted as they ran the Christian race and not staying on the track. Thus they could lose the prize that God will give those who run the race well (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7-8). "Self-abasement" is the practice of denying oneself with the idea that this will gain merit with God. Specifically fasting is in view.

The false teachers also advocated the worship of angels probably with the idea that they were the proper mediators of prayer and worship to God. Similarly many Roman Catholics so regard dead Christians, whom they have labeled "saints." The basis of such claims was personal experience, not revelation from God.

Some translators added "visions" (v. 18) to give the idea of some superior experience. However the contrast intended is between humanly generated ideas and divine revelation. Such ideas gave those who had them a false sense of pride. Rather Christians should get our direction from Christ by divine revelation and enjoy growth that He brings to pass rather than growth that is not genuine. The "joints and ligaments" probably refer to believers in Christ's body of which He is the Head (cf. 1:18; Eph. 4:7-16).¹³¹

"Precedent for this approach to spirituality in Judaism [that Paul was countering in this epistle] is seen in a movement that came to be known as Merkabah mysticism.' The Merkabah refers to Ezekiel 1 and the throne chariot of God that Ezekiel saw. This teaching spoke of days of fasting to prepare for a journey to the heavens to see God and have a vision of Him and His angelic host in worship (Philo, Die Somniis 1.33-37; De Vita Mosis 2.67-70; 1QH 6:13; 1 Enoch 14:8-25; 2 Baruch 21:7-10; Apocalypse of Abraham 9:1-10; 19:1-9; Ascension of Isaiah 7:37; 8:17; 9:28, 31, 33). One could withdraw and eventually go directly into God's presence. Thus this false teaching emphasized the humility of ascetic practice, visions, the rigors of devotion, treating the body harshly, and rules about what should not be eaten or what days should be observed (2:16-23). All this activity was aimed to help prepare individuals for the experience that took them beyond what Jesus had already provided, so they could see God and His angels in heaven."¹³²

2:20-23 In these verses Paul developed the third error he already alluded to, namely asceticism. The ascetic practices ("elementary principles," stoicheai, v. 8) he referred to seem to have been extensions of Mosaic Law. "If" (v. 20) could read "Since." It is a first class condition in Greek that in this case is a condition true to reality. Christians "died" to merely human ordinances of Judaism and gnosticism at conversion (cf. Rom. 6:1-4; 7:1-6; 2 Cor. 5:14; Gal. 2:19). Nevertheless it is possible to put oneself under these and live like unbelievers in the world. The false teachers were in effect forcing the Colossians to live by the world system by placing ascetic requirements on them. The specific decrees cited as examples (v. 21) have to do with food, but these are only representative of many such laws. These laws are inadequate for three reasons. The things prohibited perish through normal usage, the laws are of human origin, and they do not solve the real problem, namely the desires of the flesh.

"There is only one thing that will put the collar on the neck of the animal within us, and that is the power of the indwelling Christ."¹³³

The emphases of these false teachers are still with us today. The first is "higher" knowledge (Gnosticism). The second is the observance of laws to win God's love (legalism). The third is the belief that beings other than Christ must mediate between people and God (mysticism). The fourth is the practice of abstaining from things to earn merit with God (asceticism).

"When we make Jesus Christ and the Christian revelation only part of a total religious system or philosophy, we cease to give Him the preeminence. When we strive for spiritual perfection' or spiritual fullness' by means of formulas, disciplines, or rituals, we go backward instead of forward. Christian believers must beware of mixing their Christian faith with such alluring things as yoga, transcendental meditation, Oriental mysticism, and the like. We must also beware of deeper life' teachers who offer a system for victory and fullness that bypasses devotion to Jesus Christ. In all things, He must have the preeminence!"¹³⁴

College: Col 2:1-23

COLOSSIANS 2

B. WARNING AGAINST BEING DECEIVED (2:1-5)

¹ I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. ² My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. ⁵ For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

2:1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.

Though he had not seen the Colossians or the Laodiceans, Paul did not wish this to be a disadvantage. So he describes his struggles for them. He uses the noun form ("how great a struggle I have") of the verb agτnizomai found in the previous verse. The struggle was no doubt the preaching of Christ, here especially as teaching, admonition (1:28), and encouragement toward fuller understanding (2:2). The battle against the threatened inroads of heresy could be part of the specific struggle here.

The reference to Laodicea may indicate that the heresy threatened them as well (cf. 4:13,16). "All who have not met me personally" might refer to others in the Lycus Valley (Hierapolis, 4:13?). If it is understood generally as "any one, anywhere" it would weaken the personal appeal of these words.

2:2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love,

Paul continues to apply themes to his readers in specific ways which he has previously noted in a general way. "United in love" is a call to the virtue which binds "all together" (3:14) and which was inspired by God's love for them (3:12). Thus we see the contrast of the unitive love in Christ with the divisive effects of the false teaching. Another interpretation of "united" sees the word as referring to instructions. Then the reference would be to Paul's teaching method.

so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding,

"Understanding" (suvnesi" , synesis ) echoes the prayer of 1:9. This fullness (here plhroforiva , plηrophoria , "full assurance") had been addressed in 1:15-20, and awaits further amplification in 2:9-15. When this had been grasped, the emptiness of the heresy would be evident. This understanding would be personal, through being in relationship with Christ. Paul was certainly going beyond mere cognition here.

in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

The last of the verse is confusing in the original Greek. It is, literally, "the mystery of God, Christ." The NIV seems to catch the viewpoint most widely held and most closely conformed to the context. On "mystery" see the notes on 1:26.

2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Christ is a treasury whence understanding derives its riches. "Hidden" (ajpovkrufoi , apokryphoi ) could not mean inaccessible, for then the text would be senseless, and would contradict 1:26. Rather, it refers to the place the treasures were stored. Others may claim to find the treasure elsewhere, but "all" indicates the futility of their quest. Any other so-called treasure was incomparable to Christ.

It has been observed that Paul uses typical Jewish terminology in this verse, as some feel was the case in 1:15-18. Thus it is suggested he may be confuting the Jewish element of the heresy (cf. vv. 16f) by using its own language.

2:4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you

Paul comes at last to a direct warning. His foundation has been so well laid no reader would want to be beguiled. The strength of the appeal here can be appreciated by reviewing all that the letter has said previously about Christ. And the verses to come will make it stronger yet.

by fine-sounding arguments.

"Fine-sounding" (piqanologiva , pithanologia ) was a term used in philosophic discussions for arguments that lacked certainty. Weed suggests a meaning like the modern "fast talk." It had to do with persuasive speech, directed the wrong way. But it did sound good, which made it dangerous.

2:5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit

Paul, away, knew danger lurked. Though he complimented them with the words "orderly" and "firm," it was never too early to warn about an impending problem. Indeed it would seem that the problem was in some way present but that the church had not yet been affected negatively. Their stability gave Paul good ground on which to rest his exhortations. Their case demonstrates that there is no better defense against heresy than a proper understanding of Christ, both in thought and action.

and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

"How orderly you are" is rendered "your morale" in the NRSV. In some usages "order" (tavxi" , taxis ) and "firmness" (sterevwma , sterηoma ) referred to military ranks lined up solidly before the enemy. It is debated whether Paul had this image in mind here. It does not affect the basic meaning of the passage, however.

VI. RECEIVING CHRIST AS LORD (2:6-15)

A. CONTINUE IN CHRIST: DON'T BE DECEIVED! (2:6-8)

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

2:6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,

Verses 6 and 7 are transitional, catching up ideas Paul has set forth previously, preparatory to his climactic depiction of the blessedness of life in Christ and his assault on the heresy. On Christ and his relationship to men see 1:10,15-20,23 and 27. The reception of Christ may refer to Epaphras' original evangelistic work. The reference to the Lordship of Christ derives its impact from 1:15-20. "Continue to live," in imperative form (peripatei'te , peripateite , lit. "walk"), reaffirms "orderly" and "firm" of verse 5. How could the Colossians contemplate not living "in him," given all Paul had said?

2:7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Four participles are used by Paul to support "continue to live." O'Brien points out that the first three are all passive, indicating what had been done for the Colossians and what they were to retain. The fourth (perisseuvonte" , perisseuontes , "overflowing") describes what they should continue to do. "Rooted" (ejrrizwmevnoi , errizτmenoi ) is perfect tense - a settled condition - while the next three are present - "now and continuing." "Rooted" is agricultural (cf. Eph 3:17). "Built up" (ejpoikodomou'menoi , epoikodomoumenoi ) is architectural (cf. 2 Cor 10:8; 1 Thess 5:11). "Strengthened" (bebaiouvmenoi , bebaioumenoi ) may be a legal term, indicating the guarantee of a contract (cf. 1 Cor 1:8). "The faith" is probably the Christian teaching which they had received, though some hold it to be one's personal faith. "Thankfulness" is the great motivator to Christian behavior, and is a theme often noted in Colossians (1:3,12; 3:15,16,17; and 4:2).

2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition

From 2:8 to 3:4 Paul addresses the heresy directly, presenting it in strong contrast to what Christ has done for men. There is no indication the false teachers wished to abandon Christ. For them it was "Christ and . . . ." So Paul demonstrates there could be no "Christ and . . . ," but just "Christ only!"

In this section there are 15 words found only here in the New Testament (of 34 such words in Colossians). There are 21 words in this section that are used less than 5 times in the New Testament (of 64 such words in Colossians). Thus the vocabulary of these verses is not typical of Paul's writings. This may be because he was employing the language of the false teachers to turn it against them in refutation.

Sulagwgevw (sylagτgeτ , "carry off"; NIV "take captive"), one of these unique words, warns them not to be led off as a looter might carry off booty. The "deceivers" of verse 4 are the "looters" here. "Philosophy," though only in this form in the New Testament, was a term widely used in the ancient world, by both Greeks and Jews. It had no inherently bad connotation, and may have been a word used to describe the heresy. Paul modified it by "hollow" and "deceptive," words carrying a powerful condemnation, especially in combination with the other language of this verse. "Tradition" (paravdosi" , paradosis , "giving over") implied something handed down from the past, and often gave an air of respect and authority to its contents. So it was "tradition" (heretical) versus "tradition" (Christian). Paul dubbed the one "human" to carry his point. It was really man's word against God's gospel.

and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

The most troublesome interpretative problem here is determining the meaning of "basic principles" (stoicei'a , stoicheia ). The root meaning of the word was "that which is found in a series." In some usages it referred to "earth, wind, fire and water." It also described the letters of the alphabet, in order; or the principles on which all else was built; or the basic elements of which the world was made. Thus as a reference to basic elements the term could have one of a variety of meanings. The word is also found in Colossians 2:20, and elsewhere in the New Testament in Galatians 4:3, 9; Hebrews 5:12; 2 Peter 3:10,12, but none of the New Testament usages gives a completely clear meaning applicable to this text.

What does stoicheia mean here? O'Brien lists three major lines of interpretation. A first sees stoicheia as principles of religious instruction in the world prior to Christ, as if the heretics were returning to an immature stage of religion. A second considers the meaning to be the elements of the visible material world, and would argue the heresy tried to bind adherents to things of this world. The third, and most widely accepted view today, sees stoicheia as personal spiritual beings who would control access to God (in the heresy). They would be the same as the "powers and authorities" of 2:10,15. In some way, then, the attempt was made to relate to these powers. It is objected that this view does not parallel "human tradition." One study (Wink) has argued that no case of this meaning for the term can be clearly documented before the third century A.D. However this does not prove the term could not have been used that way earlier.

The problem is a puzzling one. Paul was probably quoting the false teachers here. Whatever they meant, Paul's "of this world" with the earlier "human" makes their case a pitiful rival to Christ, as the following verses will powerfully demonstrate.

B. "IN CHRIST" (2:9-12)

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, ^a not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

^a 11 Or the flesh

2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

The heretics did not attack faith in Christ, but failed to recognize the real meaning and implications of that faith. This Paul now sets forth. This verse repeats the Christ hymn (1:19) with the addition of "bodily." "In Christ" is literally "in him." "Fullness" (plhvrwma , plηrτma ) can mean that Christ was God in every sense save for the necessary bounds of human limitation. Melick says "Jesus is every bit God." Or, in this context it may primarily indicate the complete working of God to bring salvation. "Deity" is from a Greek term (qeovth" , theotηs ) only here in the New Testament, and indicates the very nature of God.

The problematic part of this verse concerns the meaning of "dwells bodily." Many conjectures have been offered. We believe it refers to the incarnation. Since "dwells" is in the present tense it indicates the risen Christ is still the fullness of deity as savior, as he was upon earth. The significance of the incarnation continues.

Since Christ is the fullness, then the benefits of God's saving grace are to be found nowhere else. The next verse moves on to this point.

2:10 and you have been given fullness in Christ,

In a remarkable parallel the fullness motif continues. Christians have fullness in Christ. The meaning would need to be understood in a way appropriate to the situation and need, since it obviously could not be fullness in exactly the same sense as with Christ. "Fullness" here would certainly mean forgiveness, life, and victory over any hostile powers, as verses 13-15 indicate. It no doubt means even more than that, quite beyond human comprehension (cf. John 1:16). Fullness once again underlines the all-sufficiency of Christ.

who is the head over every power and authority.

On power and authority see 1:16f and 2:15. As Christ was head of the church (1:18), he is head of all entities. He will determine their destiny, and ultimately they cannot resist his headship.

2:11 In him you were also circumcised,

Fullness is described by a number of terms in verses 11-13. In traveling from fullness to baptism Paul passed through circumcision. Why this image? Some suggest the heretics had a circumcision requirement (cf. other aspects of Judaism in v. 16). This was unlikely since Paul said nothing about it, compared to letters like Galatians where his concern was raised so high.

in the putting off of the sinful nature,

As the NIV understands the passage the removal of sin by Christ is compared to the removal of the male foreskin in circumcision. Perhaps an intermediate parallel would be the removal of the garments at baptism. Then in the baptismal burial there would be the death to sin, followed by the resurrection to new life. Baptism was the instrument of sin's removal, though certainly the immersion in water, per se , did not save. Paul gave a spiritual sense to circumcision also in Romans 2:28 and Philippians 3:3. This usage has Old Testament antecedents (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4). Circumcision implies a divine ordinance (Gen 17:9-14) and the "new" circumcision indicates a new stage in God's dealing with men. The covenant sign for Israel, newly interpreted, has now become appropriate as a covenant sign for all men. Yet we should not push Paul's words beyond his intent. The fact that circumcision was administered to infants cannot be taken to argue for infant baptism. That would introduce a conclusion beyond the intent of the Apostle's argument. Not only does the verse describe the removal of sin, it is an indirect exhortation to live a life free of sin. Further, the circumcision image may say that this was the way the body of flesh was put off, rather than by asceticism.

not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,

An alternative, and we believe less likely, interpretation has been offered. Christ is the subject and the circumcision was his circumcision. This view relies partly on a parallel with 1:22, and indicates Christ's death as well. "Putting off the sinful nature" which in the NIV is an interpretive translation, is given the literal meaning of putting off "the flesh." This is taken to refer to the death of Christ. On this view, then, verse 12 completes the progression through burial and resurrection. Objectors point out that this is a bizarre way of referring to Christ's death, contrasted to the clarity of 1:22, and that there is no specific reference to Christ's death as in 1:22 ("Christ's" in the NIV is "his" in Greek). Also the language would seem to diminish the importance of the resurrection, since Christ was still in his body then. Further, the thrust of these verses was blessings to Christians.

We can sum the context as follows. In Christ is God's fullness bodily. In the church, Christ's body, Christians find fullness. This fullness involves putting off the body of flesh (sin).

2:12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith

In Romans 6:1-4 (the only other passage using language similar to this) baptism is specifically connected with death. Here death is not mentioned, but is clearly implied by "buried," since only corpses are buried. But the greater stress in this verse is on resurrection. Though the final resurrection of the body was to come (3:4), there is no contradiction here to that. The two fit smoothly into the one system, if the nature of each is known. Between the two stands the call to faithful service which fills the New Testament, and the danger of apostasy (cf. 1 Cor 10:1-13).

in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Normally the power of God refers to that which is given by God to the Christian. Here it is what the Christian believes, but probably also implies the further power of God that characterized Christian experience. It would be a risk to volunteer to die unless there were hope of resurrection. Note the paradox here with verse 10 - "fullness." In Christ is fullness in death.

This text is pivotal in the book. Throughout readers are called to a deeper understanding and practice of the commitment they have made to Christ. It is clear that they all had been baptized, and that it was at that point the transition from death to life was made. This is not to imply water or works salvation, nor to discount faith, but to say that this act, symbolic of what happened to Christ, was a "rite of passage" from the old life to the new. As one author has noted, in baptism God chose to make something happen. Otherwise Paul's words make no sense. Baptism is like the neck of the hourglass, through which the sand must pass to go from one end to the other.

C. DEATH TO LIFE (2:13-15)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, ^a God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. ^b

^a 13 Or your flesh ^b 15 Or them in him

2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,

Paul describes their pre-baptism life, and repeats the images of the two previous verses. Death (by implication) with Christ (from v. 12) delivers from death in sin. In other words, death is inevitable, but one could choose one's death (in sin or to sin). "Uncircumcised" picks up verse 11. Here it seems to have two senses; as Gentiles, and as unredeemed persons, with the latter the more significant. The Greek term rendered "sins" (paraptwvmata , paraptτmata ) is not the usual word (it literally means "false step") but there seems no difference in significance.

God made you alive with Christ.

Dead men cannot bring themselves to life, nor could those dead in sin achieve their own forgiveness. The "sheer grace" of God pictured here is an effective counter to any requirements the false teachers suggested were necessary for salvation. Forgiveness is finally specified in the last part of the verse, though implied throughout the paragraph.

He forgave us all our sins,

Because of the style of verses 13c-15, with the large number of uncharacteristically Pauline words, some think they may be a confession of faith from the life of the church which Paul has employed here to suit his purposes.

2:14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

God has taken away sin by Jesus' death on the cross. Both the debt and the document recording it were destroyed. Note how Paul emphasizes this with "canceled," "take it away," and "nailed." Thus we have obliteration, deportation and nailing, which may bear some relation to the charges against Christ, or to Jesus' body itself as it was nailed to the cross. But what is the meaning of "written code" and "regulations" which Paul (perhaps from a church confession) used here? And why did Paul choose this way of making his point? It may have been a specific refutation dealing with the Jewish regulations of verse 16, as well as with the "regulations" of verse 20.

"Written code" comes from a word (ceirovgrafon , cheirographon ) meaning, literally, "handwriting." It meant a document designating an obligation. The idea of a divine accounting of man's debts was familiar to the Judaism of the day. To what did it refer? We consider the most likely view to be any code of conduct under which a man stood, but which he could not keep. For the Jew this would be the Law of Moses (Gal 3:10,12). For Gentiles it would be the moral law, however understood (cf. Rom 2:12-15). The code of conduct, not perfectly obeyed, would have penalties. Ultimately the failure would be failure to obey God. Thus one was locked into condemnation, save for grace (v. 13, and cf. Gal 3:24f; Rom 3:21ff). Now Christians were free from the condemnation of the document, though not free from responsibility (cf. 3:1-4).

2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them,

Another consequence or blessing of Christ's death and resurrection was making the "powers and authorities" into a "spectacle." Paul had already asserted that they owed their origin to Christ (1:16) and that he was their head (2:10).

Two interpretive problems occur here, concerning first, the subject of the verse, and second, the meaning of the word translated "disarmed" (from ajpekduvw , apekduτ ). Is God or Christ the subject here? The natural sense seems to be God, going back to verse 13, "God made you alive." God, then, disarmed and humiliated the powers and authorities, but did it through Christ.

triumphing over them by the cross.

The view that Christ was the subject is interwoven with the meaning of "disarmed." Those arguing this position say the subject changed to Christ in verse 14. The verb "disarmed" is in the middle voice, picturing the subject acting on or for himself. Thus it is held that Christ divested himself of the "powers" by his death, and the last part of the verse is translated "in him" to support this. "By the cross" of the NIV is an interpretive translation of the Greek, which can be rendered "in it," and legitimately refer to the cross.

The view that Christ is the subject goes against the natural sense of the passage. The middle voice can also be translated as active. Further there is no indication that Christ had to divest himself of the powers and authorities, though one might see them as having the power to cause his death.

However understood, the powers that led Jesus to death were vanquished by their very deed and the subsequent resurrection. Now, humiliated and powerless, they were publicly displayed as victims. The image is of the captives in a triumphal return procession of soldiers.

VII. WARNINGS AGAINST THE HERESY (2:16-23)

A. DON'T LOSE THE PRIZE! (2:16-19)

¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. ¹⁸ Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. ¹⁹ He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink,

The "philosophy" of 2:8 is now described, though to the modern reader much still remains unclear. The Colossians could no doubt "fill in the gaps" by their understanding of their local situation. It is difficult to meld the elements described in verses 16-23 into a coherent whole. It would seem there was no intent to deny Christ, but rather to "add" to faith in him. The best antidote to this, as Paul has so powerfully demonstrated to this point, was to truly understand Christ and his work. We cannot fully know just what specific perception the false teachers had of Christ.

Paul tells the Colossians not to worry about judgment or disqualification (v. 18) from the heretics, who would judge by the "basic principles" of verse 20 (see discussion on 2:8). To submit to the regulations would be to submit to the wrong powers.

It is assumed that the heretics forbade food and drink, and required the observance of holy days. These items appear at first to be aspects of Judaism, and one might suspect the same problem that plagued the Galatian churches - the attempt to bind the Law of Moses on Gentiles. "Drink," however, creates a problem, since there were no Jewish prohibitions at this point (Lev 10:9; 11:34,36 and Num 6:3 were special cases). Thus some have suggested these were non-Jewish ascetic regulations (cf. vv. 21,23), perhaps practiced to prepare for divine revelation (worship of angels - v. 18?) or for some other reason. Lohse notes, for example, that ancients could abstain from meat to achieve purity. Cf. also 1 Timothy 4:3.

or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

The festivals, celebrations and sabbaths (v. 17) seem to refer to annual, monthly and weekly Jewish observances. Paul does not condemn their observance per se , but does argue against them as prompted by the stoicei'a ( stoicheia , v. 20) and as items necessary for salvation. He makes this clear in verse 17. It appears from the present verse that a strange mixture of Jewish and pagan elements characterized the "philosophy" Paul was combatting. One provocative view suggests that the heretics held that supernatural powers stood behind the seasonal changes which the festivals, etc., celebrated. However, it is hard to think Paul would be silent about it if that were the case.

2:17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

"Shadow" depicts a transitory thing, but it did relate to what would come. Thus it would seem that the holy days, at least, were Jewish (cf. Heb 8:5, 10:1). But the old foretold the new. "Reality" translates sw'ma (sτma ), the usual word for body. But the sτma was Christ himself. It is possible both Paul and the heretics agreed the items of verse 16 were shadows. They would differ, presumably, regarding the identity of the "reality."

2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize.

In a difficult section of the book this verse is the most difficult. A comparison of English translations indicates something of the problems. And even when the Greek has been translated the question of its meaning remains. In our discussion we rely heavily on O'Brien, who in turn discusses the view of Francis in detail (F.O. Francis, "Humility and Angelic Worship in 2:18," in Conflict at Colossae ).

The verse opens in Greek with Paul's warning about disqualification. It would appear the heretics maintained an air of superiority toward others (humility notwithstanding). But to follow their practices would keep one from the prize, as the NIV renders it. However, "for the prize" is not in the Greek, so the NIV again translates interpretively. In following Christ there could be no disqualification, since he embodied total reality. Another way of seeing this verse would be to translate "condemn" or "judge" (as in v. 16) instead of "disqualify," with the sense that the heretics condemned those who did not share in their practices.

The expression "false humility" is actually only the word for "humility" (tapeinofrosuvnh , tapeinophrosynη ), and is the same term that describes a virtue in 3:12. Given the context, and "puffs up" later in the verse, "false" may be an appropriate addition, and the idea is found in other translations than the NIV. It could describe the zeal and submissiveness with which the adherents practiced the heretical activities. Another possibility is suggested by Francis, who cites parallels to instances where the term indicated fasts and other sorts of self-denial (as in v. 21) which were believed to enhance visions of "heavenly mysteries." This view does make a logical connection with verses 20-23.

"Worship of angels" is generally understood as the praise directed to beings less than God. But Francis suggests the Greek is to be understood as the worship which angels themselves performed (subjective genitive) and he supports this from Jewish (nonbiblical) literature. The meaning, then, would be an exalted experience in which the practitioners would either observe or participate in the angelic worship of God. This would be some type of visionary experience.

Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

The next expression in Greek is the most difficult in the verse. The NIV has "goes into great detail about what he has seen," and the NRSV has "dwelling on visions." The literal translation is "which he has seen upon entering," and the problematic word is that translated "entering." The word ejmbateuvw (embateuτ ) can be rendered "to set foot upon," "enter," "come into possession of," or "enter into a subject" (with the idea of investigation). Numerous interpretations of the meaning have been offered. Dibelius understood it as paralleling the rites of the mystery religions, but this view lacks corroborative evidence from elsewhere in Colossians. Others think it refers to investigating what was seen in a vision. Francis thinks the "seen" was the mental vision of the angels worshiping God, and that the "entering" was the worshipers coming into the heavenly realm and the worship taking place there through that vision. Despite the difficulties the verse refers to a mystical, esoteric spiritual experience, probably available only to a few, which doubtless made those who experienced it convinced they were of a higher level of relationship to God. To them salvation through Christ was not enough. They had to be saved by this mysterious "more."

Whatever their estimates of themselves and their experiences, Paul delivered a telling blow when he told them they were puffed up with idle notions, and that their mental state, rather than being deeply in tune with things divine, was really "unspiritual." The Greek tou' nooÉ" th'" sarkov" (tou noφs tηs sarkos ) is literally "mind of the flesh," and a fleshly mind often refers to that which is opposed to God (cf. Rom 8:5f). They may have felt themselves exalted and "super-spiritual." In reality they were most conceited and unspiritual. What a devastating judgment, the more so when considered over against their self-estimate!

2:19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Perhaps one could argue that the additional activities described in verses 16-18 did not destroy discipleship to Christ. Paul dispelled that notion. It was an "either/or," not a "both/ and." In describing Christ as Head, source of unity and nourishment and avenue of divinely produced growth, Paul painted, by contrast, a miserable picture of the heretics. They had no relation to Christ, despite any claims they may have made. They had no divine source of nourishment ("supported"; from ejpicorhgevw , epichorηgeτ , "supply/furnish") or unity ("held together"; from sumbibavzw , symbibazτ , the same verb as "united" in 2:2). They were spiritually starved, despite their claims, and divisive. Since they were cut off from nourishment, they did not have the possibility of growth. They were stunted, and whatever they might have considered growth was not growth at all. These "puffed up" people were pathetic creatures indeed, claiming burgeoning health when actually suffering starvation.

B. SHUN WORLDLY RULES! (2:20-23)

²⁰ Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: ²¹"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? ²² These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. ²³ Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

2:20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world,

Not only had the heretics lost connection with the head, those truly in Christ had died to such "basic principles." Death with Christ was accomplished in baptism (v. 12, and cf. Rom 6:1-4). The heretics were not living out the consequences of their baptism. On "basic principles" cf. the discussion at 2:8. The understanding of this text depends on how the term is interpreted; whether it means spiritual powers or the elements of worldly life apart from Christ. If the latter, Paul may have meant that the appearance of spiritual excellence in the heresy was really a disguised form of the old life, before Christ. Perhaps this was because human will and desire were placed ahead of submission of Christ.

why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:

"Rules" (a form of dogmativzw , dogmatizτ ) is from the Greek root translated "regulations" in verse 14. Though not involving immoral behavior, they did involve an implicit denial that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient for salvation.

2:21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?

The NIV places these three absolute prohibitions in quotation marks, implying, correctly we think, that Paul was quoting the false teachers. These rules probably had to do with eating and drinking, as in verse 16, though it is hard to see the exact meaning of not handling or touching. Some scholars suggest a progression in the terms here, from the broadest to the narrowest meaning. ("Don't do this . . . don't even do this.") This attractive suggestion is difficult to support from the Greek, however. Some suppose there may have been subregulations under these headings. Salvation to the heretics was related to physical contact and diet. As indicated in the notes at verse 16, these prohibitions may have been intended to make possible the experience described in verse 18.

2:22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.

Two criticisms are made by Paul in this verse. The first was the perishability of the material things which the heretics gave such importance, and the second was that the rules were of human origin, not divine. One's relation to God did not depend on whether one used or abstained from food and drink. Elsewhere Paul said no food was unclean in itself (Rom 14:14; 1 Cor 8:8; 10:25f; 1 Tim 4:3). The heretics rested their spiritual welfare on a material, not a spiritual, foundation. Material things were as important to them in one way as greed was to sinners in another way. In both cases the material world dictated their actions (cf. Titus 1:13-15).

2:23 Such regulations indeed

"Such regulations" is added in the NIV. This verse is very difficult in the Greek, which leads to quite opposite translations. The NIV indicates the heretical practices were valueless to restrain "sensual indulgence." Others suggest a reading which would indicate that all these things did was to gratify the flesh. In neither case is the translation smooth. Theologically both possibilities are true. External prohibitions alone did not produce godliness - it was a matter of the heart. On the other hand a religion concerned with taboos could also have the effect of indicating that all that mattered was dealing with fleshly appetites. In both cases the inner dimension of the faith would be ignored (contrast "set your hearts" in 3:1).

Another issue of interpretation is determining which language quoted the heretics and which was Paul's. Though not affecting the overall meaning of the verse, knowing this would assist in knowing when the language was straightforward, and when it had an implied criticism.

have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body,

The "appearance of wisdom" echoes "fine sounding" of verse four. Here the translation is an interpretation of the literal "which is a word having wisdom." The NIV assumes these words were a criticism, not a quotation of the heretics. All treasures of wisdom are found in Christ (2:3). "Self-imposed worship" is translated differently in various versions. It is literally "will worship" (ejqeloqrhskiva , ethelothrηskia ). It has been suggested this was the term used by the devotees of the heresy to indicate their free choice of the cult. Other meanings are also possible. "False" is interpolated, as in verse 18, since the Greek has only the word rendered "humility" (tapeinofrosuvnh , tapeinophrosynη ). "Harsh treatment" probably refers to the prohibitions of verses 16 and 21, and may indicate other ascetic practices not enumerated by Paul.

but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

The last of the verse is literally "not in a certain value toward satisfying the flesh." Because it is unclear it has led some (as NIV) to indicate the regulations were ineffectual; and others argue it means that the heresy only served to gratify the flesh.

As an alternative, making the heresy pale by comparison, Paul offers 3:1-4.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Colossians (Book Introduction)

The Epistle to the Colossians

From Rome a.d. 63

By Way of Introduction

Genuineness

The author claims to be Paul (Col_1:1) and there is no real doubt about it in spite of Baur’s denial of the Pauline authorship which did not suit his Tendenz theory of the New Testament books. There is every mark of Paul’s style and power in the little Epistle and there is no evidence that any one else took Paul’s name to palm off this striking and vigorous polemic.

The Date

Clearly it was sent at the same time with the Epistle to Philemon and the one to the Ephesians since Tychicus the bearer of the letter to Ephesus (Eph_6:21.) and the one to Colossae (Col_4:7.) was a companion of Onesimus (Col_4:9) the bearer of that to Philemon (Phm_1:10-12). If Paul is a prisoner (Col_4:3; Eph_6:20; Phm_1:9) in Rome, as most scholars hold, and not in Ephesus as Deissmann and Duncan argue, the probable date would be a.d. 63. I still believe that Paul is in Rome when he sends out these epistles. If so, the time would be after the arrival in Rome from Jerusalem as told in Acts 28 and before the burning of Rome by Nero in a.d. 64. If Philippians was already sent, a.d. 63 marks the last probable year for the writing of this group of letters.

The Occasion

The Epistle itself gives it as being due to the arrival of Epaphras from Colossae (Col_1:7-9; Col_4:12.). He is probably one of Paul’s converts while in Ephesus who in behalf of Paul (Col_1:7) evangelized the Lycus Valley (Colossae, Hierapolis, Laodicea) where Paul had never been himself (Col_2:1; Col_4:13-16). Since Paul’s departure for Rome, the " grievous wolves" whom he foresaw in Miletus (Act_20:29.) had descended upon these churches and were playing havoc with many and leading them astray much as new cults today mislead the unwary. These men were later called Gnostics (see Ignatius) and had a subtle appeal that was not easy to withstand. The air was full of the mystery cults like the Eleusinian mysteries, Mithraism, the vogue of Isis, what not. These new teachers professed new thought with a world-view that sought to explain everything on the assumption that matter was essentially evil and that the good God could only touch evil matter by means of a series of aeons or emanations so far removed from him as to prevent contamination by God and yet with enough power to create evil matter. This jejune theory satisfied many just as today some are content to deny the existence of sin, disease, death in spite of the evidence of the senses to the contrary. In his perplexity Epaphras journeyed all the way to Rome to obtain Paul’s help.

Purpose of the Epistle

Epaphras did not come in vain, for Paul was tremendously stirred by the peril to Christianity from the Gnostics ( hoi gnōstikoi , the knowing ones). He had won his fight for freedom in Christ against the Judaizers who tried to fasten Jewish sacramentarianism upon spiritual Christianity. Now there is an equal danger of the dissipation of vital Christianity in philosophic speculation. In particular, the peril was keen concerning the Person of Christ when the Gnostics embraced Christianity and applied their theory of the universe to him. They split into factions on the subject of Christ. The Docetic (from dokeō , to seem) Gnostics held that Jesus did not have a real human body, but only a phantom body. He was, in fact, an aeon and had no real humanity. The Cerinthian (followers of Cerinthus) Gnostics admitted the humanity of the man Jesus, but claimed that the Christ was an aeon that came on Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove and left him on the Cross so that only the man Jesus died. At once this heresy sharpened the issue concerning the Person of Christ already set forth in Phi_2:5-11. Paul met the issue squarely and powerfully portrayed his full-length portrait of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Son of Man (both deity and humanity) in opposition to both types of Gnostics. So then Colossians seems written expressly for our own day when so many are trying to rob Jesus Christ of his deity. The Gnostics took varying views of moral issues also as men do now. There were the ascetics with rigorous rules and the licentious element that let down all the bars for the flesh while the spirit communed with God. One cannot understand Colossians without some knowledge of Gnosticism such as may be obtained in such books as Angus’s The Mystery-Religions and Christianity , Glover’s The Conflict of Religion in the Early Roman Empire , Kennedy’s St. Paul and the Mystery-Religions , Lightfoot’s Commentary on Colossians .

JFB: Colossians (Book Introduction)

The GENUINENESS of this Epistle is attested by JUSTIN MARTYR [Dialogue with Trypho, p. 311, B.], who quotes "the first-born of every creature," in reference to Christ, from Col 1:15. THEOPHILUS OF ANTIOCH [To Autolychus, 2, p. 100]. IRENÆUS [Against Heresies, 3.14.1], quotes expressly from this "Epistle to the Colossians" (Col 4:14). CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA [Miscellanies, 1. p. 325], quotes Col 1:28; also elsewhere he quotes Col 1:9-11, Col 1:28; Col 2:2, &c.; Col 2:8; Col 3:12, Col 3:14; Col 4:2-3, &c. TERTULLIAN [The Prescription against Heretics, 7], quotes Col 2:8; [On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 23], and quotes Col 2:12, Col 2:20; Col 3:1-2. ORIGEN [Against Celsus, 5.8], quotes Col 2:18-19.

Colosse (or, as it is spelt in the best manuscripts, "Colassæ") was a city of Phrygia, on the river Lycus, a branch of the Meander. The Church there was mainly composed of Gentiles (compare Col 2:13). ALFORD infers from Col 2:1 (see on Col 2:1), that Paul had not seen its members, and therefore could not have been its founder, as THEODORET thought. Col 1:7-8 suggests the probability that Epaphras was the first founder of the Church there. The date of its foundation must have been subsequent to Paul's visitation, "strengthening in order" all the churches of Galatia and Phrygia (Act 18:24); for otherwise we must have visited the Colossians, which Col 2:1 implies he had not. Had Paul been their father in the faith, he would doubtless have alluded to the fact, as in 1Co 3:6, 1Co 3:10; 1Co 4:15; 1Th 1:5; 1Th 2:1. It is only in the Epistles, Romans and Ephesians, and this Epistle, such allusions are wanting; in that to the Romans, because, as in this Church of Colosse, he had not been the instrument of their conversion; in that to the Ephesians, owing to the general nature of the Epistle. Probably during the "two years" of Paul's stay at Ephesus, when "all which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus" (Act 19:10, Act 19:26), Epaphras, Philemon, Archippus, Apphia and the other natives of Colosse, becoming converted at Ephesus, were subsequently the first sowers of the Gospel seed in their own city. This will account for their personal acquaintance with, and attachment to, Paul and his fellow ministers, and for his loving language as to them, and their counter salutations to him. So also with respect to "them at Laodicea," (Col 2:1).

The OBJECT of the Epistle is to counteract Jewish false teaching, by setting before the Colossians their true standing in Christ alone (exclusive of all other heavenly beings), the majesty of His person, and the completeness of the redemption wrought by Him; hence they ought to be conformed to their risen Lord, and to exhibit that conformity in all the relations of ordinary life Col 2:16, "new moon, sabbath days," shows that the false teaching opposed in this Epistle is that of Judaizing Christians. These mixed up with pure Christianity Oriental theosophy and angel-worship, and the asceticism of certain sections of the Jews, especially the Essenes. Compare JOSEPHUS [Wars of the Jews, 2.8,13]. These theosophists promised to their followers a deeper insight into the world of spirits, and a nearer approach to heavenly purity and intelligence, than the simple Gospel affords. CONYBEARE and HOWSON think that some Alexandrian Jew had appeared at Colosse, imbued with the Greek philosophy of PHILO'S school, combining with it the Rabbinical theosophy and angelology which afterwards was embodied in the Cabbala. Compare JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 12.3,4], from which we know that Alexander the Great had garrisoned the towns of Lydia and Phrygia with two thousand Mesopotamian and Babylonian Jews in the time of a threatened revolt. The Phrygians themselves had a mystic tendency in their worship of Cybele, which inclined them to receive the more readily the incipient Gnosticism of Judaizers, which afterward developed itself into the strangest heresies. In the Pastoral Epistles, the evil is spoken of as having reached a more deadly phase (1Ti 4:1-3; 1Ti 6:5), whereas he brings no charge of immorality in this Epistle: a proof of its being much earlier in date.

The PLACE from which it was written seems to have been Rome, during his first imprisonment there (Act 28:17-31). In my Introduction to the Epistle to the Ephesians, it was shown that the three Epistles, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, were sent at the same time, namely, during the freer portion of his imprisonment, before the death of Burrus. Col 4:3-4; Eph 6:19-20, imply greater freedom than he had while writing to the Philippians, after the promotion of Tigellinus to be Prætorian Prefect. See Introduction to Philippians.

This Epistle, though carried by the same bearer, Tychicus, who bore that to the Ephesians, was written previously to that Epistle; for many phrases similar in both appear in the more expanded form in the Epistle to the Ephesians (compare also Note, see on Eph 6:21). The Epistle to the Laodiceans (Col 4:16) was written before that to the Colossians, but probably was sent by him to Laodicea at the same time with that to the Church at Colosse.

The STYLE is peculiar: many Greek phrases occur here, found nowhere else. Compare Col 2:8, "spoil you"; "making a show of them openly" (Col 2:15); "beguile of your reward," and "intruding" (Col 2:18); "will-worship"; "satisfying" (Col 2:23); "filthy communication" (Col 3:8); "rule" (Col 3:15); "comfort" (Col 4:11). The loftiness and artificial elaboration of style correspond to the majestic nature of his theme, the majesty of Christ's person and office, in contrast to the beggarly system of the Judaizers, the discussion of which was forced on him by the controversy. Hence arises his use of unusual phraseology. On the other hand, in the Epistle of the Ephesians, subsequently written, in which he was not so hampered by the exigencies of controversy, he dilates on the same glorious truths, so congenial to him, more at large, freely and uncontroversially, in the fuller outpouring of his spirit, with less of the elaborate and antithetical language of system, such as was needed in cautioning the Colossians against the particular errors threatening them. Hence arises the striking similarity of many of the phrases in the two Epistles written about the same time, and generally in the same vein of spiritual thought; while the peculiar phrases of the Epistle to the Colossians are such as are natural, considering the controversial purpose of that Epistle.

JFB: Colossians (Outline)

• ADDRESS: INTRODUCTION: CONFIRMING EPAPHRAS' TEACHING: THE GLORIES OF CHRIST: THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER FOR THE COLOSSIANS: HIS OWN MINISTRY OF THE MYSTERY. (Col. 1:1-29)
• HIS STRIVINGS IN PRAYER FOR THEIR STEADFASTNESS IN CHRIST; FROM WHOM HE WARNS THEM NOT TO BE LED AWAY BY FALSE WISDOM. (Col. 2:1-23)
• EXHORTATIONS TO HEAVENLY AIMS, AS OPPOSED TO EARTHLY, ON THE GROUND OF UNION TO THE RISEN SAVIOUR; TO MORTIFY AND PUT OFF THE OLD MAN, AND TO PUT ON THE NEW; IN CHARITY, HUMILITY, WORDS OF EDIFICATION, THANKFULNESS; RELATIVE DUTIES. (Col. 3:1-25)
• EXHORTATIONS CONTINUED. TO PRAYER: WISDOM IN RELATION TO THE UNCONVERTED: AS TO THE BEARERS OF THE EPISTLE, TYCHICUS AND ONESIMUS: CLOSING SALUTATIONS. (Col. 4:1-18)

TSK: Colossians (Book Introduction)

Colosse was a large and populous city of Phrygia Pacatiana, in Asia Minor, seated on an eminence to the south of the river Meander. It is supposed to have occupied a site now covered with ruins, near the village of Konous or Khonas, and about twenty miles nw of Degnizlu. By whom, or at what time, the church at Colosse was founded is wholly uncertain; but it would appear from the apostle’s declaration, Col 2:1, that he was not the honoured instrument. It appears from the tenor of this epistle to have been, upon the whole, in a very flourishing state; but some difficulties having arisen among them, they sent Epaphras to Rome, where the apostle was now imprisoned (Col 4:3) to acquaint him with the state of their affairs. It is remarkable for a peculiar pathos and ardour, which is generally ascribed to the extraordinary divine consolations enjoyed by the apostle during his sufferings for the sake of Christ. Whoever, says Michaelis, would understand the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, must read them together. The one is in most places a commentary on the other; the meaning of single passages in one epistle, which, if considered alone, might be variously interpreted, being determined by the parallel passages in the other epistle.

TSK: Colossians 2 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Col 2:1, Paul still exhorts them to be constant in Christ; Col 2:8, to beware of philosophy, and vain traditions; Col 2:18, worshipping of angels; Col 2:20, and legal ceremonies, which are ended in Christ.

Poole: Colossians 2 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 2

MHCC: Colossians (Book Introduction)

This epistle was sent because of some difficulties which arose among the Colossians, probably from false teachers, in consequence of which they sent to the apostle. The scope of the epistle is to show, that all hope of man's redemption is founded on Christ, in whom alone are all complete fulness, perfections, and sufficiency. The Colossians are cautioned against the devices of judaizing teachers, and also against the notions of carnal wisdom, and human inventions and traditions, as not consistent with full reliance on Christ. In the first two chapters the apostle tells them what they must believe, and in the two last what they must do; the doctrine of faith, and the precepts of life for salvation.

MHCC: Colossians 2 (Chapter Introduction)

(Col 2:1-7) The apostle expresses his love to, and joy in believers.

(Col 2:8-17) He cautions against the errors of heathen philosophy; also against Jewish traditions, and rites which had been fulfilled in Christ.

(Col 2:18-23) Against worshipping angels; and against legal ordinances.

Matthew Henry: Colossians (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians

Colosse was a considerable city of Phrygia, and probably not far from Laodicea and Hierapolis; we find these mentioned together, Col 4:13. It is now buried in ruins, and the memory of it chiefly preserved in this epistle. The design of the epistle is to warn them of the danger of the Jewish zealots, who pressed the necessity of observing the ceremonial law; and to fortify them against the mixture of the Gentile philosophy with their Christian principles. He professes a great satisfaction in their stedfastness and constancy, and encourages them to perseverance. It was written about the same time with the epistles to the Ephesians and Philippians, a.d. 62, and in the same place, while he was now a prisoner at Rome. He was not idle in his confinement, and the word of God was not bound.

This epistle, like that to the Romans, was written to those he had never seen, nor had any personal acquaintance with. The church planted at Colosse was not by Paul's ministry, but by the ministry of Epaphras or Epaphroditus, an evangelist, one whom he delegated to preach the gospel among the Gentiles; and yet, I. There was a flourishing church at Colosse, and one which was eminent and famous among the churches. One would have thought none would have come to be flourishing churches but those which Paul himself had planted; but here was a flourishing church planted by Epaphras. God is sometimes pleased to make use of the ministry of those who are of less note, and lower gifts, for doing great service to his church. God uses what hands he pleases, and is not tied to those of note, that the excellence of the power may appear to be of God and not of men, 2Co 4:7. II. Though Paul had not the planting of this church, yet he did not therefore neglect it; nor, in writing his epistles, does he make any difference between that and other churches. The Colossians, who were converted by the ministry of Epaphras, were as dear to him, and he was as much concerned for their welfare, as the Philippians, or any others who were converted by his ministry. Thus he put an honour upon an inferior minister, and teaches us not to be selfish, nor think all that honour lost which goes beside ourselves. We learn, in his example, not to think it a disparagement to us to water what others have planted, or build upon the foundation which others have laid: as he himself, as a wise master-builder, laid the foundation, and another built thereon, 1Co 3:10.

Matthew Henry: Colossians 2 (Chapter Introduction)

I. The apostle expresses concern for the Colossians (Col 2:1-3). II. He repeats it again (Col 2:5). III. He cautions them against false teachers among the Jews (Col 2:4, Col 2:6, Col 2:7), and against the Gentile philosophy (Col 2:8-12). IV. He represents the privileges of Christians (Col 2:13-15). And, V. Concludes with a caution against the judaizing teachers, and those who would introduce the worship of angels (Col 2:16-23).

Barclay: Colossians (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227). It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church, and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time, there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last forever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.

I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe when I was

in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey

money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things are going fine

with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let

me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that

I may kiss your hand, because you brought me up well, and because

of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted. Give Capito my

heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends.

I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My

military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health.

Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo,

Galloniuson." (G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri,

36.)

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who would Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col_1:1-2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation.... He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added Ws own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end). In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me." (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 .)

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

The Towns Of The Lycus Valley

About one hundred miles from Ephesus, in the valley of the River Lycus, near where it joins the Maeander, there once stood three important cities--Laodicaea, Hierapolis and Colosse. Originally they had been Phrygian cities but now they were part of the Roman province of Asia. They stood almost within sight of each other. Hierapolis and Laodicaea stood on either side of the valley with the River Lycus flowing between, only six miles apart and in full view of each other; Colosse straddled the river twelve miles farther up.

The Lycus Valley had two remarkable characteristics.

(i) It was notorious for earthquakes. Strabo describes it by the curious adjective euseistos, which in English means good for earthquakes. More than once Laodicaea had been destroyed by an earthquake, but she was a city so rich and so independent that she had risen from the ruins without the financial help which the Roman government had offered. As the John who wrote the Revelation was to say of her, in her own eyes she was rich and had need of nothing (Rev_3:17 ).

(ii) The waters of the River Lycus and of its tributaries were impregnated with chalk. This chalk gathered and all over the countryside built up the most amazing natural formations. Lightfoot writes in description of that area: "Ancient monuments are buried; fertile land is overlaid; rivers beds choked up and streams diverted; fantastic grottoes and cascades and archways of stone are formed, by this strange, capricious power, at once destructive and creative, working silently throughout the ages. Fatal to vegetation, these incrustations spread like a stony shroud over the ground. Gleaming like glaciers on the hillside, they attract the eye of the traveller at a distance of twenty miles, and form a singularly striking feature in scenery of more than common beauty and impressiveness."

A Wealthy Area

In spite of these things this was a wealthy area and famous for two closely allied trades. Volcanic ground is always fertile; and what was not covered by the chalky incrustations was magnificent pasture land. On these pastures there were great flocks of sheep and the area was perhaps the greatest centre of the woollen industry in the world. Laodicaea was specially famous for the production of garments of the finest quality. The allied trade was dyeing. There was some quality in those chalky waters which made them specially suitable for dyeing cloth, and Colosse was so famous for this trade that a certain dye was called by its name.

So, then, these three cities stood in a district of considerable geographical interest and of great commercial prosperity.

The Unimportant City

Originally the three cities had been of equal importance, but, as the years went on, their ways parted. Laodicaea became the political centre of the district and the financial headquarters of the whole area, a city of splendid prosperity. Hierapolis became a great trade-centre and a notable spa. In that volcanic area there were many chasms in the ground from which came hot vapours and springs, famous for their medicinal quality; and people came in their thousands to Hierapolis to bathe and to drink the waters.

Colosse at one time was as great as the other two. Behind her rose the Cadmus range of mountains and she commanded the roads to the mountain passes. Both Xerxes and Cyrus had halted there with their invading armies, and Herodotus had called her "a great city of Phrygia." But for some reason the glory departed. How great that departure was can be seen from the fact that Hierapolis and Laodicaea are both to this day clearly discernible because the ruins of some great buildings still stand; but there is not a stone to show where Colosse stood and her site can only be guessed at. Even when Paul wrote Colosse was a small town; and Lightfoot says that she was the most unimportant town to which Paul ever wrote a letter.

The fact remains that in this town of Colosse there had arisen a heresy which, if it had been allowed to develop unchecked, might well have been the ruination of the Christian faith.

The Jews In Phrygia

One other fact must be added to complete the picture. These three cities stood in an area in which there were many Jews. Many years before, Antiochus the Great had transported two thousand Jewish families from Babylon and Mesopotamia into the regions of Lydia and Phrygia. These Jews had prospered and, as always happens in such a case, more of their fellow-countrymen had come into the area to share their prosperity. So many came that the stricter Jews of Palestine lamented the number of Jews who left the rigours of their ancestral land for "the wines and baths of Phrygia."

The number of Jews who resided there can be seen from the following historical incident. Laodicaea, as we have seen, was the administrative centre of the district. In the year 62 B.C., Flaccus was the Roman governor resident there. He sought to put a stop to the practice of the Jews of sending money out of the province to pay the Temple tax. He did so by placing an embargo on the export of currency; and in his own part of the province alone he seized as contraband no less than twenty pounds of gold which was meant for the Temple at Jerusalem. That amount of gold would represent the Temple tax of no fewer than 11,000 people. Since women and children were exempt from the tax and since many Jews would successfully evade the capture of their money, we may well put the Jewish population as high as almost 50,000.

The Church At Colosse

The Christian Church at Colosse was one which Paul had not himself founded and which he had never visited. He classes the Colossians and the Laodicaeans with those who had never seen his face in the flesh (Col_2:1 ). But no doubt the founding of the Church sprang from his directing. During his three years in Ephesus the whole province of Asia was evangelized, so that all its inhabitants, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord (Act_19:10 ). Colosse was about one hundred miles from Ephesus and it was no doubt in that campaign of expansion that the Colossian Church was founded. We do not know who its founder was; but it may well have been Epaphras, who is described as Paulfellow-servant and the faithful minister of the Colossian Church and who is later connected also with Hierapolis and Laodicaea (Col_1:7 ; Col_4:12-13 ). If Epaphras was not the founder of the Christian Church there, he was certainly the minister in charge of the area.

A Gentile Church

It is clear that the Colossian Church was mainly Gentile. The phrase estranged and hostile in mind (Col_1:21 ) is the kind of phrase which Paul regularly uses of those who had once been strangers to the covenant of promise. In Col_1:27 he speaks of making known the mystery of Christ among the Gentiles, when the reference is clearly to the Colossians themselves. In Col_3:5-7 he gives a list of their sins before they became Christians, and these are characteristically Gentile sins. We may confidently conclude that the membership of the Church at Colosse was largely composed of Gentiles.

The Threat To The Church

It must have been Epaphras who brought to Paul, in prison in Rome, news of the situation which was developing in Colosse. Much of the news that he brought was good. Paul is grateful for news of their faith in Christ and their love of the saints (Col_1:4 ). He rejoices at the Christian fruit which they are producing (Col_1:6 ). Epaphras has brought him news of their love in the Spirit (Col_1:8 ). He is glad when he hears of their order and steadfastness in the faith (Col_2:5 ). There was trouble at Colosse certainly; but it had not yet become an epidemic. Paul believed that prevention was better than cure; and in this letter he is grasping this evil before it has time to spread.

The Heresy At Colosse

What the heresy was which was threatening the life of the Church at Colosse no one can tell for sure. "The Colossian Heresy" is one of the great problems of New Testament scholarship. All we can do is to go to the letter itself, list the characteristics we find indicated there and then see if we can find any general heretical tendency to fit the list.

(i) It was clearly a heresy which attacked the total adequacy and the unique supremacy of Christ. No Pauline letter has such a lofty view of Jesus Christ or such insistence on his completeness and finality. Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God; in him all fullness dwells (Col_1:15 , Col_1:19 ). In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge (Col_2:2 ). In him dwells the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form (Col_2:9 ).

(ii) Paul goes out of his way to stress the part that Christ played in creation. By him all things were created (Col_1:16 ); in him all things cohere (Col_1:17 ). The Son was the Fatherinstrument in the creation of the universe.

(iii) At the same time he goes out of his way to stress the real humanity of Christ. It was in the body of his flesh that he did his redeeming work (Col_1:22 ). The fullness of the Godhead dwells in him somatikos (G4984), in bodily form (Col_2:9 ). For all his deity Jesus Christ was truly human flesh and blood.

(iv) There seems to have been an astrological element in this heresy. In Col_2:8 , as the King James Version has it, he says that they were walking after the rudiments of this world, and in Col_2:20 that they ought to be dead to the rudiments of this world. The word translated rudiments is stoicheia (G4747), which has two meanings.

(a) Its basic meaning is a row of things; it can, for instance, be used for a file of soldiers. But one of its commonest meanings is the A B C, the letters of the alphabet, set out, as it were, in a row. From that it develops the meaning of the elements of any subject, the rudiments. It is in that sense that the King James Version takes it; and, if that is the correct sense, Paul means that the Colossians are slipping back to an elementary kind of Christianity when they ought to be going on to maturity.

(b) We think that the second meaning is more likely. Stoicheia (G4747) can mean the elemental spirits of the world, and especially the spirits of the stars and planets. The ancient world was dominated by thought of the influence of the stars; and even the greatest and the wisest men would not act without consulting them. It believed that all things were in the grip of an iron fatalism settled by the stars; and the science of astrology professed to provide men with the secret knowledge which would rid them of their slavery to the elemental spirits. It is most likely that the Colossian false teachers were teaching that it needed something more than Jesus Christ to rid men of their subjection to these elemental spirits.

(v) This heresy made much of the powers of demonic spirits. There are frequent references to principalities or authorities, which are Paulnames for these spirits (Col_1:16 ; Col_2:10 ; Col_2:15 ). The ancient world believed implicitly in demonic powers. The air was full of them. Every natural force--the wind, the thunder, the lightning, the rain--had its demonic superintendent. Every place, every tree, every river, every lake had its spirit. They were in one sense intermediaries to God and in another sense barriers to him, for the vast majority of them were hostile to men. The ancient world lived in a demon-haunted universe. The Colossian false teachers were clearly saying that something more than Jesus Christ was needed to defeat the power of the demons.

(vi) There was clearly what we might call a philosophical element in this heresy. The heretics are out to spoil men with philosophy and empty deceit (Col_2:8 ). Clearly the Colossian heretics were saying that the simplicities of the gospel needed a far more elaborate and recondite knowledge added to them.

(vii) There was a tendency in this heresy to insist on the observance of special days and rituals--festivals, new moons and sabbaths (Col_2:16 ).

(viii) Clearly there was a would-be ascetic element in this heresy. It laid down laws about food and drink (Col_2:16 ). Its slogans were: "Touch not; taste not; handle not" (Col_2:21 ). It was a heresy which was out to limit Christian freedom by insistence on all kinds of legalistic ordinances.

(ix) Equally this heresy had at least sometimes an antinomian streak in it. It tended to make men careless of the chastity which the Christian should have and to make him think lightly of the bodily sins (Col_3:5-8 ).

(x) Apparently this heresy gave at least some place to the worship of angels (Col_2:18 ). Beside the demons it introduced angelic intermediaries between man and God.

(xi) Lastly, there seems to have been in this heresy something which can only be called spiritual and intellectual snobbery. In Col_1:28 Paul lays down his aim; it is to warn every man; to teach every man in all wisdom; and to present every man mature in Jesus Christ. We see how the phrase every man is reiterated and how the aim is to make him mature in all wisdom. The clear implication is that the heretics limited the gospel to some chosen few and introduced a spiritual and intellectual aristocracy into the wide welcome of the Christian faith.

The Gnostic Heresy

Was there then any general heretical tendency of thought which would include all this? There was what was called Gnosticism. Gnosticism began with two basic assumptions about matter. First, it believed that spirit alone was good and that matter was essentially evil. Second, it believed that matter was eternal; and that the universe was not created out of nothing--which is orthodox belief--but out of this flawed matter. Now this basic belief had certain inevitable consequences.

(i) It had an effect on the doctrine of creation. If God was spirit, then he was altogether good and could not possibly work with this evil matter. Therefore God was not the creator of the world. He put out a series of emanations, each of which was a little more distant from God until at the end of the series there was an emanation so distant that it could handle matter; and it was this emanation which created the world. The Gnostics went further. Since each emanation was more distant from God. It was also more ignorant of him. As the series went on that ignorance turned to hostility. So the emanations most distant from God were at once ignorant of him and hostile to him. It followed that he who created the world was at once completely ignorant of, and utterly hostile to, the true God. It was to meet that Gnostic doctrine of creation that Paul insisted that the agent of God in creation was not some ignorant and hostile power, but the Son who perfectly knew and loved the Father.

(ii) It had its effect on the doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ. If matter was altogether evil and if Jesus was the Son of God, then Jesus could not have had a flesh and blood body--so the Gnostic argued. He must have been a kind of spiritual phantom. So the Gnostic romances say that when Jesus walked, he left no footprints on the ground. This, of course, completely removed Jesus from humanity and made it impossible for him to be the Saviour of men. It was to meet this Gnostic doctrine that Paul insisted on the flesh and blood body of Jesus and insisted that Jesus saved men in the body of his flesh.

(iii) It had its effect on the ethical approach to life. If matter was evil, then it followed that our bodies were evil. If our bodies were evil, one of two consequences followed. (a) We must starve and beat and deny the body; we must practise a rigid asceticism in which the body was kept under, and in which its every need and desire were refused. (b) It was possible to take precisely the opposite point of view. If the body was evil, it did not matter what a man did with it; spirit was all that mattered. Therefore a man could sate the bodydesires and it would make no difference.

Gnosticism could, therefore, issue in asceticism, with all kinds of laws and restrictions; or, it could issue in anti-nomianism, in which any immorality was justified. And we can see precisely both these tendencies at work in the false teachers at Colosse.

(iv) One thing followed from all this--Gnosticism was a highly intellectual way of life and thought. There was this long series of emanations between a man and God; man must fight his way up a long ladder to get to God. In order to do that he would need all kinds of secret knowledge and esoteric learning and hidden passwords. If he was to practise a rigid asceticism, he would need to know the rules; and so rigid would his asceticism be that it would be impossible for him to embark on the ordinary activities of life. The Gnostics were, therefore, quite clear that the higher reaches of religion were open only to the chosen few. This conviction of the necessity of belonging to an intellectual religious aristocracy precisely suits the situation at Colosse.

(v) There remains one thing to fit into this picture. It is quite obvious that there was a Jewish element in the false teaching threatening the Church at Colosse. The festivals and the new moons and the sabbaths were characteristically Jewish; the laws about food and drink were essentially Jewish levitical laws. Where then did the Jews come in? It is a strange thing that many Jews were sympathetic to Gnosticism. They knew all about angels and demons and spirits. But, above all, they said, "We know quite well that it takes special knowledge to reach God. We know quite well that Jesus and his gospel are far too simple--and that special knowledge is to be found nowhere else than in the Jewish law. It is our ritual and ceremonial law which is indeed the special knowledge which enables a man to reach God." The result was that there was not infrequently a strange alliance between Gnosticism and Judaism; and it is just such an alliance that we find in Colosse, where, as we have seen, there were many Jews.

It is clear that the false teachers of Colosse were tinged with Gnostic heresy. They were trying to turn Christianity into a philosophy and a theosophy, and, if they had been successful,. the Christian faith would have been destroyed.

The Authorship Of The Letter

One question remains. Many scholars do not believe that Paul wrote this letter at all. They have three reasons.

(i) They say that in Colossians there are many words and phrases which do not appear in any other of Paulletters. That is perfectly true. But it does not prove anything. We cannot demand that a man should always write in the same way and with the same vocabulary. In Colossians we may well believe that Paul had new things to say and found new ways to say them.

(ii) They say that the development of Gnostic thought was, in fact, much later than the time of Paul so that, if the Colossian heresy was connected with Gnosticism, the letter is necessarily later than Paul. It is true that the great written Gnostic systems are later. But the idea of two worlds and the idea of the evil of matter are deeply woven into both Jewish and Greek thought. There is nothing in Colossians which cannot be explained by long-standing Gnostic tendencies in ancient thought, although it is true that the systematization of Gnosticism came later.

(iii) They say that the view of Christ in Colossians is far in advance of any of the letters certainly written by Paul. There are two answers to that.

First, Paul speaks of the unsearchable riches of Christ. In Colosse a new situation met him and out of these unsearchable riches he drew new answers to meet it. It is true that the Christology of Colossians is an advance on anything in the earlier letters of Paul; but that is far from saying that Paul did not write it, unless we are willing to argue that his thought remained for ever static. It is true to say that a man thinks out the implications of his faith only as circumstances compel him to do so; and in face of a new set of circumstances Paul thought out new implications of Christ.

Second, the germ of all Paulthought about Christ in Colossians does, in fact, exist in one of his earlier letters. In 1Co_8:6 he writes of one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things and through whom we exist. In that phrase is the essence of all he says in Colossians. The seed was there in his mind, ready to blossom when a new climate and new circumstances called it into growth.

We need not hesitate to accept Colossians as a letter written by Paul.

The Great Letter

It remains a strange and wonderful fact that Paul wrote the letter which contains the highest reach of his thought to so unimportant a town as Colosse then was. But in doing so he checked a tendency, which, had it been allowed to develop, would have wrecked Asian Christianity and might well have done irreparable damage to the faith of the whole Church.

FURTHER READINGS

Colossians

T. K. Abbott, Ephesians and Colossians (ICC; G)

J. B. Lightfoot, St. PaulEpistles to the Colossians and Philemon (MmC; G)

C. F. D. Moule, The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians and to Philemon (CGT; G)

E. F. Scott, The Epistles to Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians (MC; E)

Abbreviations

CGT: Cambridge Greek Testament

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

MmC: Macmillan Commentary

TC: Tyndale Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: Colossians 2 (Chapter Introduction)

Love's Struggle (Col_2:1)

(I) The Marks Of The Faithful Church (Col_2:2-7)

(Ii) The Marks Of The Faithful Church (Col_2:2-7 Continued)

Additions To Christ (Col_2:8-23)

2:8-23 Beware lest there will be anyone who will carry you off as his spoil, by insisting on the necessity of a so-called philosophy, which is, in fact, an empty delusion, a philosophy which has been handed down by human tradition, and which is concerned with the elements of this world, and not with Christ; for in him there dwells the fullness of the divine nature; and you have found this fullness in him who is the head of every power and authority. In him you have been circumcised with a circumcision not made by man's hands, a circumcision which consists in putting off the whole of that part of you which is dominated by sinful human nature, which you were able to do by the circumcision which belongs to Christ. You were buried with him in the act of baptism, and in that act you were raised with him through your faith in the effective working of God, who raised him from the dead. God made you alive with him, when you were dead in your sins and were still uncircumcised Gentiles. He forgave you all your sins, and wiped out the charge-list which set out all your self-admitted debts, a charge-list which was based on the ordinances of the law and was in direct opposition to you. He nailed it to his Cross and put it right out of sight. He stripped the powers and authorities of all their power and publicly put them to shame, and, through the Cross, led them captive in his triumphal train. Let no one take you to task in matters of food or drink, or with regard to yearly festivals and monthly new moons and weekly sabbaths. These are only the shadow of things to come; the real substance belongs to Christ. Let no one rob you of your prize by walking in ostentatious humility in the worship of angels, making a parade of the things he has seen, vainly inflated with pride because he is dominated by his sinful human nature and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, supplied and held together by the joints and muscles, increases with the increase which only God can give. If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you continue to submit yourselves to their rules and regulations, as if you were still living in a world without God? "Handle not! Taste not! Touch not!" are their slogans. These are rules which are humanly taught and humanly imposed, and they are rules which deal with things which are destined for decay as soon as they are used. These things have a reputation for wisdom, with their self-imposed devotion and their flaunting humility and their stern treatment of the body, but they have no kind of value in remedying the indulgence of sinful human nature.

There can be no doubt that for us this is one of the most difficult passages Paul ever wrote. For those who heard or read it for the first time it would be crystal clear. The trouble is that it is packed from beginning to end with allusions to the false teaching which was threatening to wreck the Colossian Church. We do not know precisely what that teaching was. Therefore the allusions are obscure and we can only guess. But every sentence and every phrase would go straight home to the minds and the hearts of the Colossians. It is so difficult that we propose to treat it in a slightly different way from our usual practice. We have set it out as a whole, in what is more of a paraphrase than a translation. We will take out its leading ideas, for it is possible to see the main lines of the false teaching which was troubling Colosse; and then, after we have looked at it as a whole, we shall examine it in more detail in shorter sections. One thing clear is that the false teacher swished the Colossians to accept what can only be called additions to Christ. They were teaching that Jesus Christ himself is not sufficient; that he was not unique; that he was one among many manifestations of God; and that it was necessary to know and to serve other divine powers in addition to him. We can distinguish five additions to Christ which these false teachers wished to make. (i) They wished to teach men an additional philosophy (Col_2:8). As they saw it, the simple truth preached by Jesus and preserved in the gospel was not enough. It had to be filled out by an elaborate system of pseudo-philosophical thought which was far too difficult for the simple and which only the intellectual could understand. (ii) They wished men to accept a system of astrology (Col_2:8). As we shall see, there is a doubt about the meaning but we think it most likely that the elements of the world were the elemental spirits of the universe, especially of the stars and the planets. It was the teaching of these false teachers that men were still under these influences and needed a special knowledge, beyond that which Jesus could give, to be liberated from them. (iii) They wished to impose circumcision on Christians (Col_2:11). Faith was not enough; circumcision had to be added. A badge in the flesh was to take the place of, or at least be an addition to, an attitude of the heart. (iv) They wished to lay down ascetic, rules and regulations (Col_2:16; Col_2:20-23). They wished to introduce all kinds of rules and regulations about what a man might eat and drink and about what days he must observe as festivals and fasts. All the old Jewish regulations--and more--were to be brought back. (v) They wished to introduce the worship of angels (Col_2:18). They were teaching that Jesus was only one of many intermediaries between God and man and that all these intermediaries must receive their worship. It can be seen that here there is a mixture of Gnosticism and Judaism. The intellectual knowledge and the astrology come direct from Gnosticism; the asceticism and the rules and regulations from Judaism. What happened was this. We have seen that the Gnostics believed that all kinds of special knowledge, beyond the gospel, was needed for salvation. There were Jews who joined forces with the Gnostics and declared that the special knowledge required was none other than the knowledge which Judaism could give. This explains why the teaching of the Colossians' false teachers combined the beliefs of Gnosticism with the practices of Judaism. The one thing certain is that the false teachers taught that Jesus Christ and his teaching and work were not in themselves sufficient for salvation. Let us now take the passage section by section.

Traditions And The Stars (Col_2:8-10)

The Real And The Unreal Circumcision (Col_2:11-12)

Triumphant Forgiveness (Col_2:13-15)

Retrogression (Col_2:16-23)

Constable: Colossians (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical background

The city of Colosse lay in the beautiful Lycus Valley about 100 miles east of Ephesus. It had been an important town during the Persian War of the fifth century B.C. Since then new trade routes had carried most traffic to its neighboring towns of Laodicea and Hierapolis and had left Colosse only a country village.¹ The inhabitants were mainly Greek colonists and native Phrygians when Paul wrote this epistle, though there were many Jews living in the area as well. Antiochus the Great (223-187 B.C.) had relocated hundreds of Jewish families from Mesopotamia to this region.

"Without doubt Colossae was the least important church to which any epistle of St Paul is addressed."²

Churches had taken root in Colosse, Laodicea (4:16), and probably Hierapolis (4:13). Paul had not visited the Lycus Valley when he wrote this epistle (1:4; 2:1), but he had learned of the spread of the gospel there through Epaphras (1:8) and probably others.³

Epaphras seems to have been the founder or one of the founders of the Colossian church (1:7; 4:12-13). He was a Colossian and had instructed the Christians there (1:7) and probably in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Perhaps Paul led him to Christ, maybe at Ephesus (cf. Acts 19:10).

Epaphras may have traveled to Rome to meet with Paul to secure his help in combating the influence of false teachers that were preaching in Colosse. Archippus may have stood in for Epaphras during his absence (4:17; Phile. 2).

The only information available to help us reconstruct the heresy threatening the church comes from indirect allusions and the emphases in this epistle. We conclude that the false teachers were not giving the person and work of Christ proper interpretation or emphasis. They were distorting and minimizing these doctrines. The false teaching also contained a philosophic appeal, whether Oriental or Hellenistic we cannot be sure (2:8). Notwithstanding there was an emphasis on higher knowledge of the cosmic order. There were also elements of Judaistic ritualism and traditionalism present (2:8, 11, 16; 3:11). However, contrary to orthodox Judaism, the false teachers were encouraging the veneration of angels who they believed controlled the operations of nature to some degree (2:18-19). There was an emphasis on ascetic self-denial (2:20-23) and apparently the idea that only those with full knowledge of the truth as taught by the false teachers could understand and experience spiritual maturity (1:20, 28; 3:11). These emphases later developed into Gnosticism, though in Colosse the Jewish emphasis was more prominent than in later Greek Gnosticism.⁴ It is easy to see how such a cult could develop and gain adherents in the Greek-Jewish culture of the Lycus Valley.

". . . given . . . various factors . . ., including the probable origin of the Colossian church from within synagogue circles, the likely presence of Israelite sectarianism within the diaspora, the lack of other evidence of Jewish syncretism in Asia Minor, and the readiness of some Jews to promote their distinctive religious practices in self-confident apology . . ., we need look no further than one or more of the Jewish synagogues in Colossae for the source of whatever influences were thought to threaten the young church there."⁵

The primary purpose of the letter was clearly to combat this false teaching. The two main problems were the doctrine of Christ and how this doctrine affects Christian living. The primary Christological passages (1:14-23; 2:9-15) present Christ as absolutely preeminent and perfectly adequate for the Christian. The Christian life, Paul explained, flows naturally out of this revelation. The Christian life is really the life of the indwelling Christ that God manifests through the believer.

Paul probably wrote this epistle from Rome toward the middle or end of his first house arrest there between 60 and 62 A.D. He experienced confinement though he enjoyed considerable liberty there for about two years. Many of Paul's fellow workers were with him when he composed this epistle (4:7-14). This view of the letter's origin generally fits the facts better than the Caesarean and Ephesian theories of origin.

There are many similarities between Ephesians and Colossians. The major distinction between them is that in Ephesians the emphasis is on the church as the body of Christ. In Colossians the emphasis is on Christ as the head of the body. Stylistically Colossians is somewhat tense and abrupt whereas Ephesians is more diffuse and flowing. Colossians tends to be more specific, concrete, and elliptical while Ephesians is more abstract, didactic, and general. The mood of Colossians is argumentative and polemical, but that of Ephesians is calm and irenic. The former is a letter of discussion; the latter is a letter of reflection.⁶ Paul evidently wrote both letters about the same time. These two epistles, along with Philippians and Philemon, constitute the Prison Epistles of Paul.⁷

Purpose

Three purposes emerge from the contents of the epistle. Paul wanted to express his personal interest in this church, which he had evidently not visited. He wrote to warn the Colossians of the danger of returning to their former beliefs and practices. He also refuted the false teaching that was threatening this congregation. The outstanding Christian doctrine that this letter deals with is Christology. Paul's great purpose was to set forth the absolute supremacy and sole sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

"The church today desperately needs the message of Colossians. We live in a day when religious toleration is interpreted to mean one religion is just as good as another.' Some people try to take the best from various religious systems and manufacture their own private religion. To many people, Jesus Christ is only one of several great religious teachers, with no more authority than they. He may be prominent, but He is definitely not preeminent.

"This is an age of syncretism.' People are trying to harmonize and unite many different schools of thought and come up with a superior religion. Our evangelical churches are in danger of diluting the faith in their loving attempt to understand the beliefs of others. Mysticism, legalism, Eastern religions, asceticism, and man-made philosophies are secretly creeping into churches. They are not denying Christ, but they are dethroning Him and robbing Him of His rightful place of preeminence."⁸

Message⁹

The whole message of this epistle finds expression in 2:9-10a. The two declarations in this sentence are the great revelations of the Colossian letter.

The fullness of the godhead is in Christ. This is an eternal fact that is always true. The Greek word translated "deity" (theotetos) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It does not mean divinity. Divinity is an attribute of God. Deity is the essence of God. It is not enough to say Jesus Christ was divine. In a sense every person is divine. Jesus Christ was deity. He alone possesses the unique nature of God. In Him the fullness of essential deity dwells in bodily manifestation. The Apostle Paul expounded Christ's fullness in three respects in this epistle.

In relation to creation He is the originator and sustainer of all things (1:16-17). This includes all life.

In relation to redemption He is the first-born from the dead (1:18). Resurrection presupposes death. Death is due to sin. Between creation and resurrection there was sin and death. In resurrection Christ was victor over sin, death, and the grave. He is the master of death.

In relation to reconciliation Christ is the maker of peace (1:19-20). The result of Christ's victory over death is peace. He is the reconciler of all things that sin has separated. His reconciliation affects both people and the created world. In Christ we see all the fullness of deity: creating, rising triumphantly out of death, and reconciling to the farthest reaches of the universe. That is the Christ of Christianity.

The second declaration is that in Christ God makes us full (2:10a). Not only is the fullness of the godhead in Christ, but the filling of the saints is in Christ too. Paul explained what this means.

First, it means God restores us to our true place in creation in Christ. We can regain the scepter and the crown as kings of the earth under God's authority. God has sent us out into all the cosmos to make Christ known. Unfortunately we do not always realize our position. We choose instead to grovel among the world's garbage heaps. Nevertheless in this sense God makes us full in Christ. We come into a new relationship to all creation through Christ. God restores us to our divinely intended position in creation in Him. We are His trophies.

Second, God restores us to our true relation to Himself through Christ's resurrection. God communicates His very life to us so that we take our rightful place as subject to God. God does not break our will. He captures our will by the indwelling grace of Christ's life. God makes us full in this sense too. We are His instruments.

Third, God restores us to true fellowship with Himself in Christ. We not only receive from God, but we can also give to God in service. Thus our fellowship is reciprocal. We are His partners.

We experience fullness in Christ for in Him God restores us to our true place in creation, to our true relation to Himself, and to our true fellowship with Himself. This restoration enables us to cooperate with God in His purposes. We become not only trophies of His grace but His instruments and even His partners in our generation. In view of this revelation Paul made a threefold appeal.

The first appeal is a warning against a false philosophy (2:8). Paul described this false philosophy in two ways.

It is the tradition of men, which is essentially speculation. In this context Paul meant human guessing that leaves God out of His universe.

It is also the rudiments of the world. This philosophy is rudimentary because it tries to explain everything within the limits of the material. The material part of life is rudimentary.

We correct this false philosophy by recognizing that Jesus Christ is the solution to the problem of the universe. When we realize that Jesus Christ is the first-born (first in rank and sovereignty, not in temporal sequence) then we gain a true view of the universe. He is the great cohesive agent in the universe.

Paul's second warning is against false mediation (2:16-18).

Paul pointed out that ceremonies such as observing certain kinds of foods and festivals are only shadows. We should not think that observing these ceremonies will improve our relationship to God. We have Jesus Christ who is the substance to which these ceremonies pointed.

Another type of false mediation involves the worship of angels. We should have nothing to do with this practice because we have direct access to Jesus Christ. He is the Creator and Master of all creatures including the angels.

To summarize, we should not allow religious ceremonies or created mediators to come between ourselves and Christ.

Paul's third warning is against false confidences (2:20-23).

Our enemy may tempt us to have confidence in the opinions of others. When false teachers say, "Do not touch this or taste that or handle something," we may think those statements are authoritative. Paul urges us not to follow such opinions but to get our direction from the Lord Jesus.

Our enemy may tempt us to put confidence in ascetic practices of abstention and self-affliction. Paul tells us to forget these things and to set our thinking on the things of Christ rather than on ourselves.

When we have a true view of Jesus Christ He will be the focus of our thinking. That view will deliver us from the domination of the flesh. We need to base our confidence on God's Word rather than on human traditions that do not reflect scriptural revelation accurately.

The matter of supreme importance to the church is her doctrine of Christ. Our Christian life and service will flow out of our doctrine of Christ. We are what we think. "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." Not only must Christ occupy the central place in our lives, but our understanding of Christ must be accurate. We can avoid all the errors Paul warned against in this epistle by keeping a proper view of Christ.

Constable: Colossians (Outline)

Outline

I. Introduction 1:1-14

A. Salutation 1:1-2

B. Thanksgiving 1:3-8

C. Prayer 1:9-14

II. Explanation of the person and work of Christ 1:15-29

A. The preeminent person of Christ 1:15-20

1. In relation to God the Father 1:15a

2. In relation to all creation 1:15b-17

3. In relation to the church 1:18-20

B. The reconciling work of Christ 1:21-29

1. As experienced by the Colossians 1:21-23

2. As ministered by Paul 1:24-29

III. Warnings against the philosophies of men ch. 2

A. Exhortation to persevere in the truth 2:1-7

1. Paul's concern 2:1-5

2. Paul's exhortation 2:6-7

B. The true doctrine of Christ 2:8-15

C. The false doctrines of men 2:16-23

IV. Exhortations to practical Christian living 3:1-4:6

A. The basic principle 3:1-4

B. The proper method 3:5-17

1. Things to put off 3:5-11

2. Things to put on 3:12-17

C. The fundamental relationships 3:18-4:1

1. Wives and husbands 3:18-19

2. Children and parents 3:20-21

3. Slaves and masters 3:22-4:1

D. The essential practice 4:2-6

V. Conclusion 4:7-18

A. The bearers of this epistle 4:7-9

B. Greetings from Paul's companions 4:10-14

C. Greetings to others 4:15-17

D. Paul's personal conclusion 4:18

Constable: Colossians

Colossians

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Colossians (Book Introduction)

THE

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO THE COLOSSIANS.

INTRODUCTION.

Colosse was a city of Phrygia, near Laodicea. It does not appear that St. Paul had preached there himself, (see Chap. ii. 1.) but that the Colossians were converted by Epaphras, a disciple of the apostles. However, as St. Paul was the great apostle of the Gentiles, he wrote this epistle to the Colossians when he was in prison, and about the same time that he wrote to the Ephesians and Philippians. The exhortations and doctrine it contains, are similar to those which are set forth in his epistle to the Ephesians. St. John Chrysostom takes notice, that the epistles he wrote in prison seem even more spiritual than the rest: the chief design of which was to hinder them from being seduced by false teachers. (Challoner; Witham) --- The Colossians were first instructed in the faith by Epaphras, who is considered their first bishop. He was a prisoner, at Rome, with St. Paul, when this epistle was written. The intent of it was to disabuse the Colossians of worshipping the Angels; for Cerinthus and others, had taught them to look upon Angels as superior to Christ, whom they looked upon as a mere man; to observe the law of Moses, with all its legal rites and ceremonies. He begins his epistle by insisting chiefly on the exalted state of Christ, saying that he is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature, by whom all things visible and invisible were created, whether thrones, principalities, or powers, and that in him the divinity essentially exists. From this he proves the inutility of the ceremonies of the law, &c. (Fleury and Calmet) and takes great pains to prevent their relapsing either into paganism or Judaism. (Bible de Vence)

====================

Gill: Colossians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS

The Colossians, to whom this epistle is written, were not the Rhodians, by some called Colossians, from Colossus, the large statue of the sun, which stood in the island of Rhodes, and was one of the seven wonders of the world; but the inhabitants of Colosse, a city of the greater Phrygia, in the lesser Asia, near to which stood the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis, mentioned in this epistle. Pliny ^a speaks of it as one of the chief towns in Phrygia, and ^b Herodotus calls it the great city of Phrygia; it is said to have perished a very little time after the writing of this epistle, with the above cities, by an earthquake, in the year of Christ 66, and in the tenth of Nero ^c; though it was afterwards rebuilt; for Theophylact says, that in his time it was called Chonae. When the Gospel was brought hither, and by whom, is not known, nor who was the founder of the church in this place; for the Apostle Paul was not, since his face had never been seen by them, Col 2:1, though it is said that Epaphras, the same name with Epaphroditus, was fixed by him pastor of this church; and others say Philemon was set over it by him. The occasion of this epistle was this, Epaphras, who had preached the Gospel to the Colossians, and very likely was the first that did, came to Rome, where the Apostle Paul was a prisoner, and gave him an account of them, how they had heard and received the Gospel, and of their faith Christ, and love to the saints; and also declared to him in what danger they were through some false teachers that had got among them, who were for introducing the philosophy of the Gentiles, the ceremonies of the law of Moses, and some pernicious tenets of the followers of Simon Magus, and the Gnostics; upon which the apostle writes this epistle to them, to confirm them in the faith of the Gospel Epaphras had preached unto them, and which was the same he himself preached; and to warn them against those bad men, and their principles; and to exhort them to a discharge of their duty to God, and men, and one another. It was written by the apostle, when in bonds at Rome, as many passages in it show, and about the same time with those to the Philippians and Ephesians; and the epistle to the latter greatly agrees with this, both as to subject and style. Dr. Lightfoot places it in the year of Christ 60, in the second of the apostle's imprisonment, and in the sixth of Nero's reign.

Gill: Colossians 2 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS 2

In this chapter the apostle expresses his great concern for the Colossians, and others he had never seen; exhorts them to constancy in the faith of Christ; warns them of false teachers, and their tenets; takes notice of various blessings and privileges they had by Christ, and cautions against several superstitions and corruptions, which were obtaining among the churches of Christ: in Col 2:1 the apostle declares the conflict he had for the persons he writes to, and for others, though they had never seen him, which he was desirous they might be acquainted with; partly for the comfort of their hearts, their cement in love, and the improvement of their knowledge of divine things, the treasures of which are in Christ, Col 2:2, and partly that they might not be deceived by the enticing words of the false teachers, Col 2:4, and should his absence and distance from them be objected to his professed concern and affection for them, he answers, that notwithstanding that, he was present with them in spirit, and had a discerning of their faith and order, and the steadfastness thereof, with pleasure, Col 2:5, wherefore he exhorts them to perseverance in the faith of Christ, and to an abounding: in it, Col 2:6, and to take heed of being hurt by the vain philosophy and traditions of the Jews, but to keep close to Christ, and the truths of his Gospel, seeing all fulness is in him, and they were full in him, who is over all, and superior to all, and therefore had no need to have recourse unto, and hearken to any other, Col 2:9, nor did they need any Jewish ordinances, particularly circumcision, since they were partakers of another and better circumcision in Christ; and besides, were buried in baptism with him; and even though they had been dead in sin, and in their fleshly uncircumcision, yet they were alive, quickened with Christ, and had the forgiveness of all their sins for his sake; who had freed them from the ceremonial law, and had rid them of all their former lords and masters, and had brought them into the liberty of the Gospel, Col 2:11, wherefore he concludes, by way of exhortation and advice, first with respect to Jewish ceremonies, not to suffer them to be imposed upon them, or to regard the censures of men for the non-observance of them, since these were but shadows, of which Christ is the substance, Col 2:16, and next with respect to the worship of angels, under a notion of humility, some were for introducing; who are described as bold intruders, vain, proud, and conceited persons, and as not holding the head Christ, to whom the body the church is joined, and by whom it is nourished and increased, Col 2:18, and seeing now they that are Christ's are dead with him to the ceremonial law, and that dead to them, the apostle argues that they should not be subject to the ordinances, commands, and doctrines of men; some of which he instances in, as if they were still under the rudiments of the world; and the rather, since these things had no true wisdom in them, only a show of it, and were no other than will worship and superstition, and lay in a negligence of the body, and were dishonourable and unsatisfying, Col 2:20.

College: Colossians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

THE CITY

Colosse had been a thriving and important city several centuries before Christ, but by the time this letter was written its importance had diminished considerably, and it was overshadowed by its neighbors Hierapolis and Laodicea, both short distances to the west. Colosse was approximately 100 miles east of Ephesus, located in the Lycus valley in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). It was located on a major trade route moving inland from the coast.

A severe earthquake had shaken Laodicea either in 60 or 64 AD, and it is supposed Colosse, being near, would also have suffered. This may have been one cause of a decline in population.

The primary economic significance of the city was due to textiles, and a highly prized wool came from the area. The site of the city was rediscovered in 1835, but it has not been excavated. The city is mentioned in the New Testament only in Paul's letter.

THE CHURCH

Paul would have been in the general vicinity of Colosse during his Ephesian ministry (Acts 19) but there is no reference in Acts to a visit there, though Ephesus did become a mission center (Acts 19:10). In Colossians 1:4 Paul states that he had heard of the faith of the Colossians, and in 2:1 he speaks of those who had not met him personally. These notes, and the references to Epaphras in 1:7f and 4:12f, have led to the conclusion that Paul had not personally visited the city (though he anticipated doing so - Phlm 22), and that Epaphras was the evangelist who founded the church (1:7f). Epaphras may also have founded the congregations in Hierapolis and Laodicea (Col 4:13,16).

Several Christians from Colosse are named by Paul, including Nympha, Archippus (Col 4:15,17), Philemon, Apphia (Phlm 1f), and, of course, Epaphras. Epaphras had gone to visit Paul and is designated in Philemon 23 as Paul's "fellow prisoner" (see the notes there). The text of Colossians indicates the membership was primarily Gentiles, though the "heresy" which Paul opposed contains Jewish elements (see 2:16f and the discussion there).

OCCASION

Personal information is generally shared in letters like Colossians. This would be especially important because there would be concern over Paul's condition as a prisoner. The most likely theory is that Epaphras traveled to see Paul, primarily because of concern over certain teachings that were troubling the church and seemed to seriously diminish the significance of Christ. For some reason (imprisonment - Phlm 1:23?) Epaphras was unable to carry Paul's letter back to Colosse, so that task was entrusted to Tychicus, who also carried a letter to Philemon, and who was accompanied by Onesimus, a runaway slave (Col 4:7-9; Phlm 1:12,17).

But the troublesome teaching is the chief burden of the letter. Paul describes this heresy in 2:8,16-23, and in the rest of the book he attacks it, either frontally or in more subtle ways. The nature of the heresy has been a continuing puzzlement to scholars, and many theoretical explanations have been offered. It seems to have involved Jewish elements (2:16f), angelic worship (2:18), and extreme asceticism (2:20-23). But attempts at more precise definition have had to recognize ambiguities in the text, problems with seeing a coherent relation of the elements of the false teaching, the incompleteness of Paul's description (remembering he had to rely on the reports of others), and finding any known teaching from the period that embodied all these elements. See the discussion in the commentary proper.

The effect of this teaching was to lessen the significance of Christ's saving work. If the tenets of the heresy provided the path to salvation, then Christ's sacrifice was not as important. The heresy seems to have imported another form of works salvation, much as the circumcision party in the church attempted to do. Paul attacks the error by a powerful affirmation of Christ's identity (1:15-20) and his role in salvation. His thesis was that an understanding of Christ and life in him would completely refute the heresy. In addition to the magnificent texts in 1:15-20 and 2:9-15 he constantly makes references to benefits which the heretics sought after, but which only Christ truly gave. These included such things as wisdom, knowledge, and fullness (cf. 1:9). Note also the references to the mystery (1:26; 2:2). Even the ethical appeals from 3:1-4:6 powerfully emphasize the relation of the ethical life to Christ (note the references listed before 3:1).

PAUL'S LOCALE

The commonly accepted tradition holds that Paul wrote Colossians and Philemon from the Roman imprisonment described in Acts 28. The apostle does not name the city from which he writes, but numerous factors support Rome. Luke (Col 4:14) and Aristarchus (Colossians 4:10) were with him there, and were in Rome according to Acts 27:2 (the "we" implies Luke). Acts indicates Paul's Roman imprisonment was not unduly restrictive (Acts 28:30f) and this fits the relatively unfettered activities described in Colossians 4:7-15. Onesimus was with Paul (Col 4:9; cf. Phlm) and it is quite possible he had migrated to Rome to lose himself in the urban populace. If we accept the Roman hypothesis, Colossians would be dated in the early 60s.

Due to the perceived presence of problems with a Roman origin, however, other locales have been suggested. One is Caesarea, since that is the only other Pauline imprisonment documented in Acts. This theory has not gained any significant following, since the circumstances described in Acts do not fit those depicted in Colossians and Philemon, especially Paul's expectation to visit Colosse (Phlm 1:22). From Caesarea Paul expected only to go to Rome, and before his appeal to Caesar he was kept in continual uncertainty.

A more likely case has been formed for Ephesus. It was relatively close to Colosse and could thus conveniently explain Paul's travel plans (i.e., an eventual trip to Rome after a detour to Colosse). Paul did encounter some problems in Ephesus (1 Cor 4:9-13; 2 Cor 4:8-12; 6:4f; 11:23-25; and perhaps 1 Cor 15:32). They might have included prison, but Acts gives no evidence of it, and details are uncertain enough to disallow any definite conclusion. Since Luke details Paul's problems so carefully, it seems strange he would not mention an Ephesian imprisonment had there been one. Further, Acts has no indication Luke was even in Ephesus. He was left in Philippi on Paul's second tour, and did not resume the apostle's company till the third tour (Acts 16:16,40; 20:5). If Colossians was written from Ephesus, it would be dated in the early to mid 50s.

The case for Ephesus depends, in part, on certain perceived weaknesses in the Roman view. One is the divergence between Paul's announced intent to go to Spain (Rom 15:28) and his desire to return to Colosse (Phlm 1:22). In our comments on Philemon 22 we have argued that a change of plans by Paul is a reasonable supposition. Another objection is the distance from Rome to Colosse, well over 1000 miles. If Paul expected Onesimus to be returned to him (see notes on Philemon) that seems a long distance for him to be sent only to retrace his steps. However, the Roman road system was good, and Paul's honor demanded that he send Onesimus and give Philemon the option of voluntary response, whatever the distance. We do not think Paul could have written as he did to Philemon and not have sent Onesimus.

A third argument has to do with Paul's request for lodging with Philemon ( v. 22). Would he have made such a request when so many miles and days away? But once we accept Paul's intent to visit Colosse (perhaps to deal with the heresy) and consider his graciousness in dealing with Philemon, the request seems reasonable enough.

A fair case can be made for Ephesus, but we hold that the case for Rome is the stronger alternative.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

BIBLIOGRAPHY

COLOSSIANS

Bruce, F.F. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.

Lohse, Eduard. Colossians and Philemon . Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971.

Melick, Richard. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon . Nashville: Broadman, 1991.

O'Brien, Peter. Colossians, Philemon . Waco: Word Books, 1982.

Patzia, Arthur. Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1984.

Pokorn΄y, Petr. Colossians, A Commentary . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991.

Weed, Michael. The Letters of Paul to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon . Austin: Sweet, 1971.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: Colossians (Outline)

OUTLINE

SALUTATION - 1:1-2

I. THANKSGIVING - 1:3-8

II. PAUL'S PRAYER FOR THE COLOSSIANS - 1:9-14

III. THE HYMN ABOUT CHRIST - 1:15-20

IV. THE HYMN APPLIED - 1:21-23

V. PAUL'S MINISTRY TO THE CHURCHES AND TO THE COLOSSIANS - 1:24-2:5

A. Paul's Labors in God's Power - 1:24-29

B. Warning Against Being Deceived - 2:1-5

VI. RECEIVING CHRIST AS LORD - 2:6-15

A. Continue in Christ: Don't Be Deceived! - 2:6-8

B. "In Christ" - 2:9-12

C. Death to Life - 2:13-15

VII. WARNINGS AGAINST THE HERESY - 2:16-23

A. Don't Lose the Prize! - 2:16-19

B. Shun Worldly Rules! - 2:20-23

VIII. SEEK THE THINGS ABOVE - 3:1-4

IX. THINGS TO PUT TO DEATH - 3:5-11

X. THINGS TO PUT ON - 3:12-17

XI. RULES FOR THE CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLD - 3:18-4:1

A. Husbands and Wives - 3:18-19

B. Children and Fathers - 3:20-21

C. Slaves and Masters - 3:22-4:1

XII. FINAL EXHORTATIONS TO PRAYER AND PROPER BEHAVIOR - 4:2-6

XIII. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS AND GREETINGS - 4:7-18

A. Tychicus and Onesimus - 4:7-9

B. Greetings - 4:10-15

C. Concluding Instructions - 4:16-18

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV