All of this reading should enable you to write a 12 page section on the historical, cultural, and literary background of your passage. He has no equal among the religious leaders of the world religions because he and he alone is gods son and the way, the truth, and the life john 14. Religious and philosophical currents of the first century, some of which found a home in colossae while others moved through the city, reflect diverse religious practices, dualistic thought patterns, pagan mystery cults, worship of physical elements and powers of the. In colossians, paul mentions the faithful and beloved brother, onesimus col. The first half of the book of colossians is a theological treatise that includes one of the most profound presentations of christology anywhere in the new testament. Colossians and philemon zondervan exegetical commentary. Colossians presents the problem of having, on the one hand, numerous though superficial affinities with the circumstances of the letter of paul to philemon while, on the other hand, being addressed mainly to a different situation. Colossians 3 background information with maps and images. This helps explain the personal greetings he included at the end of the letter, a practice he usually reserved for letters to churches he had not visited for example, romans.
That colossians is a genuine letter of paul is usually not disputed. If such is truly the case, then paul wrote colossians around 6163 a. Colossians was written from rome during pauls first imprisonment, about 6162 ad. Believers are in christ, and so they share in christs death, resurrection, new life, and his fullness 2. Book of colossians overview insight for living ministries. Colossians and philemon zondervan exegetical commentary on the new testament book 12 kindle edition by pao, david w.
The city of colossae was located in the lycus river valley and was a neighboring city to laodicea colossians 2. The book of colossians was likely written between a. Mention of others in philemons community also signifies this as a public letter see notes on v. Youre already logged in with your bible gateway account. The indication is that the epistles to the colossians, philemon and the ephesians were carried to their destination by tychicus and onesimus cf. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Christ has defeated the powers of darkness on the cross. In this historical background study of the letter to the colossians we will see that the apostle paul is the author, writing from rome, to the gentile believers in the lycus valley in asia minor, who were part of a growing and vibrant christian fellowship that was struggling with false teachings. All three letters were sent with tychicus and onesimus.
Christ is lord over all of creation, including the. This summary of the book of colossians provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of colossians. Nov 04, 2010 if this structure works, then the exhortation that begins in 2. The next step is to enter your payment information. Jesus christ exalted chapter 1 christianity exalted chapters 2 union with christ exalted chapter 34.
In this new situation he uses ideas and expressions that seem to be. Also, there are many personal references common to philemon and colossians. Background of the book of colossians 1 who is considered. This would further seem to suggest, as i have believed, that not only did paul write the book of colossians, but that he wrote colossians before writing the book. Therefore, we must strive to understand the purpose of the whole biblical book before we interpret the individual literary units. Colossians was likely penned, as were ephesians, philippians, and philemon, during pauls first imprisonment at rome 1. In the early church, all who speak on the subject of authorship ascribe it to paul. There is no guarantee that a specific passage will have important elements in each of these categories, but there will definitely be at least general historical, cultural, or literary aspects to your passage. The book of colossians encourages a greater devotion to jesus. Sep 28, 2009 one of the most important things to understand about philemon the is background of slavery in the ancient world. Biblical literature the letter of paul to the colossians britannica. One cannot step over the threshold of this letter into the book of ephesians without being inundated with thoughts of gods mercy and grace. Pauls letters are called occasional documents because he. Background of the book of colossians 1 who is considered the author of the book and why.
An introduction to the book of colossians related media. Once we have an informed understanding of slavery in the ancient world we will be able to make better sense out of what paul is writing to philemon regarding his slave and christian brother onesimus. Pauls letter to philemon historical background kingdom. Nov 01, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of colossians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Christ delivered us from the domain of darkness, paul says, and brought redemption, which is to say. The epistle to the colossians was written by paul the apostle and included with his prison epistles. Mar, 2019 the book of colossians, despite being written nearly 2,000 years ago, is stunningly relevant today, with its warnings against following false philosophies, worshiping angels, and becoming mired in legalism. Paul wrote the letter to the colossians while in prison, but his several imprisonments leave the specific place and date of composition uncertain. Background of the book of colossians 1 who is considered the. Intro to colossians biblica the international bible. Some scholars have posited that apphia must have been a close relation to philemon since she is mentioned directly after he is, 6 but this position cannot be adopted dogmatically. Jan 02, 2020 timothy is also given some credit colossians 1. Ephesians and colossians analysis of literary devices by phd students from stanford, harvard, berkeley.
Colossians attacks the false teachings while ephesians develops its central themes to prepare other churches for the emerging heresy. It was written, according to the text, by paul the apostle and timothy to the church in colossae, a small phrygian city near laodicea and approximately 100 miles 160 km from ephesus in asia minor. Some due to length, have been shortened into continued sections. Paul is strongly affirmed to be the author of colossians. Specifically, he writes about how slaves are to do their work for their masters and how masters are to treat their slaves. In the letter to the colossians, paul addresses how our relationship to god through jesus christ affects us in the workplace. Colossians, ephesians and philemon, paul bound, the gospel. Starting your free trial of bible gateway plus is easy. The apostle paul, joined in his salutation by timothy, and signed by paul himself at the end of the letter. Background on colossae and the colossians bible commentary. Although colossians is similar to ephesians, it is brief while the book of ephesians is much more articulate and extensive. Christ was and is the visible image of the invisible god, containing within himself the fullness of deity colossians 2. Interpreters have no right to isolate one aspect of truth by excluding others. Colossians stresses jesus as head, which ephesians emphasizes the church as his body.
In this latter aspect, colossians and ephesians share the heritage of paul, but a later. The letter of paul to the colossians work by saint paul britannica. God worked in creation, making humans workers in his image colossians 1. Thus, colossians is a book that speaks to our cosmic age and to this new. To analyze this letter fully, it is important to consider it in conjunction with colossians and in light of the jerusalem council recorded in acts 15. Remember that to understand the book, we must relate it to its historical setting. Because of his divine nature, jesus is sovereign, above all things with an authority given him by the father. Examine the historical, cultural, and literary background.
Intro to colossians biblica the international bible society. The second principle is to identify the literary units. Biblical literature the letter of paul to the colossians. Colossians was undisputedly pauline until the nineteenth century. One of his slaves, onesimus, had apparently stolen from him cf. As you begin a study and devotion of the book of colossians, it is important to understand both the literary and historical context. In the 19th century, however, some thought that the heresy refuted in ch. Colossians and philemon zondervan exegetical commentary on. They must grasp who jesus is and what he did for them. The book of colossians encourages christians to not compromise or turn from jesus. The epistle of paul to the colossians, or simply colossians, is the twelfth book of the new testament. Paul wrote this letter to philemon, a believer in colosse who, along with others, was a slave owner cf. It was also to be read in the neighboring church at laodicea 4. History and literature of early christianity, introduction to the new testament vol 2.
Indeed, he is the image of the invisible god, the sovereign and preeminent one among all creation col. Colossians intro to colossians biblica the international bible. The external testimony to the pauline authorship of colossians is ancient and consistent. Colossians is often seen as a letter on the edge of the transition from pauline to. He has reconciled all things to himself through his death on the cross, making believers alive to god and setting. Introduction to colossians we are so excited your group has decided to join faith promise for our series roots. Both acts and colossians provide important background information that elucidate the problems that paul and the early branches of the church faced. The letter of paul to the colossians, new testament writing addressed to. Each week during this series pastor chris will preach from the book of colossians.
The book of colossians is about the supremacy of the person of christ. The colossian epistle was written as a doctrinal statement concerning the deity and all sufficiency of jesus christ as lord and savior. It presents authorship, recipient, a greeting, blessing, body of letter, and farewell address. The letter to philemon tells us that onesimus was the slave of a christian named philemon philem. Title colossians is named for the city of colosse, where the church it was addressed to was located. Oct 28, 2012 there are many commentaries about the epistles of colossians and philemon available at this moment but colossians and philemon of the zondervan exegetical commentary on the new testament series is a giant leap above all other commentaries on this book of the bible. In colossians, paul encourages the colossian christians to see jesus. The apostle paul wrote this letter to christians living in the small city of colossae. Because of jesus resurrection, believers become part of a new humanity thats joined to him, and their lives are changed and transformed here on earth. I could go on but as you can see, every book had its purpose and message for the reader the epistle to the colossians was no exception.
The numerous parallels of vocabulary and matters discussed in ephesians and colossians link these epistles together. But literary differences can be explained by appealing to the new content of the letter, the heresy. Brown 1997 represents a comprehensive introduction to all of these. This was about the same time he wrote ephesians and philemon. There is some overlap between the two, but today, the primary focus is the literary context, while tomorrow we will look at the historical situation. A workplace application of the theme of mutuality is alluded to in colossians and discussed in pauls letter to philemon, the shortest book of the bible. Intro to philemon biblica the international bible society. In the early church, all who speak on the subject of.
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