Colossians

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

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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, 28; 2:2,

&c.; Col 2:8; 3:12, 14; 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, 20; 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

(Ac 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, 10; 4:15;

1Th 1:5; 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"

(Ac 19:10, 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; 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

(Ac 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.