Paul began his letter with this salutation to introduce himself to his readers and to wish God's blessing on them.
1:1 Paul cited his apostolic calling and office to lend authority to what follows. "Paul"was the name the apostle used of himself in the Hellenistic-Roman world in place of his Jewish name, "Saul."
"Jews in the Greek-speaking areas took names which closely approximated to the sound of their Hebrew and Aramaic names, e.g. Silas:Silvanus; Jesus:Jason . . ."10
Timothy was not an official apostle but simply a Christian brother. He was with Paul when the apostle wrote this letter, though he was not a co-author (cf. 1:23-25, 29; 4:18, et al.).11Paul linked Timothy with himself in the introductions to 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. He also mentioned Timothy in Romans, 1 Corinthians, and 1 and 2 Timothy. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews also mentioned Timothy.
1:2 The Colossian believers were "saints"(Gr. hagios, those set apart to God) in their position and "faithful brethren"(Gr. pistis adelphois) in their practice. They lived in Colosse, a city located beside the Lycus River in the Lycus Valley in the geographical district called Phrygia. This district lay in the Roman province of Asia in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Colosse was about 100 miles east of Ephesus, 11 miles east of Laodicea, and 13 miles southeast of Hierapolis.
The "grace"(Gr. charis) of God is His unmerited favor and supernatural enablement. This word is very prominent in the New Testament occurring about 155 times, mostly in Paul's writings. God's "peace"is the inner confidence He gives.
"In general, the New Testament letters begin like the secular letters of the time. The formula used frequently was A to B, greetings' (cf. Acts 23:26; 15:23-29). There are, however, some significant differences. In the first place, the Christian salutations direct the readers' thought immediately to the work of God in behalf of men (cf. Col. 1:1-2). In the second place, the salutations frequently prepare for the letter by allusion to its major themes (cf. Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2)."12
