Paul and The Pauline Letters: Colossians

In this commentary Margaret Y. MacDonald deals with the classic problems of interpretation of Colossians and Ephesians, including authorship, the identity of the "false teachers" in Colossians, and the purpose of Ephesians. In making use of insights from the social sciences, she also draws attention to frequently neglected features of these fascinating documents. Her methodological perspective leads her to illustrate how the texts reflect ancient cultural values and are influenced by particular aspects of community life. There is a sustained discussion of the struggles of New Testament communities to survive and to maintain a distinct identity in first-century society. The commentary includes detailed analysis of the relationship between Colossians and Ephesians and highlights their distinct perspectives.

The letter to the colossians offers great insight into the faith,life and problems of an early Christian church.Aware of the differences as well as the similarities between Colossians and other Pauline letters,Jerry Sumney shows how the church struggled with expressing its new faith in the diverse settings of the Greco-Roman world.Paying special attention to the ways of forgiveness and salvation through the power of Christ,this fine commentary offers compelling new insights into Colossians expansive Christology and expectant eschatology.

While Patristic Commentary on St. Paul's shorter letters - Colossians,1-2 Thessalonians, the Pastorals and Philemon - was not so extensive as that on his longer letters, certain passages in these letters proved particularly important in doctrinal disputes and practical church matters. Pivotal in controversies with the Arians and the Gnostics, the most commented upon christological text amid these letters was Colossians 1:15-20, where Jesus is declared "the image of the invisible God,the first born of all creation". In other texts scattered throughout the Pastorals, the fathers found ample support for the divinity of the Son and the Spirit and for the full union of humanity and divinity in the one redeemer, the "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus"(1 Timothy 2:5). These early Christian commentators also looked to the Pastorals, where Pauline authorship was assumed, for important ethical and moral teaching, as well as explicit qualifications for choosing church leaders and guidelines for overseeing the work and behavior of widows.

For over one hundred years International Critical Commenatries have had a special place among works in English on the Bible.They have sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis,linguistic and textual no less than archaeological,historical ,literary and theological,to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testament. The new commenatries continue this tradition. New evidence now available,as well as new methods of study, will be incorporated in the confident expectation that there will be an even greater need for such commentaries in the twenty-first century than there has been in the past.

Foreword to Hermeneia -- Editor's note -- The Epistle to the Colossians. Introduction -- Introductory greeting (1:1-2) -- Excursus : Colossae -- Thanksgiving (1:3-8) -- Intercession (1:9-11) -- Theological instruction : the universal lordship of Christ -- Thanksgiving and hymn (1:12-20) -- Excursus : The Christ-hymn, 1:15-20 -- Assurance of the reconciliation and its demand (1:21-23) -- Office and commission of the Apostle (1:24-2:5) -- Excursus : The language and style of Colossians -- Christ Jesus the Lord (2:6-15) -- Excursus : "The elements of the universe" -- The end of the regulations (2:16-23) -- Excursus : The teaching of the "Philosophy" -- The hortatory section : the rule of Christ in the life of the believers -- Seek what is above! (3:1-4) -- Put on the new man! (3:5-17) -- Rules for the household (3:18-4:1) -- Excursus : The rules for the household -- Final admonitions (4:2-6) -- Excursus : The imprisonment of Paul -- Messages and greetings (4:7-18) -- Excursus : The lists of greetings in Philemon and Colossians -- Excursus : The letter to the Colossians and Pauline theology -- The Epistle to Philemon. Introduction -- Introductory greeting (1-3) -- Thanksgiving and petition (4-7) -- Intercession for Onesimus (8-20) -- Conclusion and greetings (21-25)

The religious thought which led to the writing of the epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon -- Textual criticism of the Pauline epistles -- The epistle to the Colossians -- The epistle to Philemon -- A note on Christian greetings in letters -- A note on [apostolos] -- A note on the knowledge of God -- A note on [pleiroma] -- A note on the reflective pronoun

The Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians offers a valuable and intimate glimpse into the life of a fledgling Christian community as it struggled to define Christian doctrine and theology. Paul was prompted to write to the Colossian assembly when he heard that "false teachers" had joined the congregation and were advocating dangerous, non-Christian practices. In an effort to appear superior, these heretical teachers were luring Christians to exercise asceticism, moral rigorism, and esoteric rituals--hallmarks of other "mystery" and pagan cults. In his passionate letter, Paul denounces these extreme and elitist practices and firmly defends a life in Christ. He proclaims that pure, simple worship of Christ alone is the most powerful statement of faith. In their astute and lucid commentary, eminent New Testament scholars Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke re-create the turbulent age of the birth of Christianity and examine the myriad of "outside" influences--from cold, rational Hellenistic philosophy to exclusive, ethereal Gnostic thought--that often threatened the evolution of Christian theology. Colossians not only provides a new and carefully balanced analysis of this pivotal New Testament text, but also chronicles the development of Christian thought as it gradually spread throughout the Roman Empire.

This study shows how through Colossians,Christ may be known as all sufficient.The author reviews the life and mission of Paul,and examines the people to whom the letter was written,the form of the letter,and the heretical tendencies as Colossae that provoked the writing of the letter.The book is designed especially for use by laymen in individual or group study.

This study investigates Colossians as a form of theological education and appeal that endeavors to guide the moral formation of its readers in a Christian setting, making use of practical strategies familiar especially from the traditions of Greco-Roman philosophy.

This study examines Colossians as a pseudepigraphic letter and his literary, oral, and tradition historical interdependencies to Paul. Colossians is designed so as to assure readers of the apostle's ongoing aid and to interpret the theological significance of his death.

The Colossian heresy / J.B. Lightfoot -- The Isis initiation in Apuleius and related initiatory rites / Martin Dibelius -- The heresy of Colossians / Günther Bornkamm -- Paul's adversaries in Colossae / Stanislas Lyonnet -- Humility and angelic worship in Col 2:18 / Fred O. Francis -- The background of Embateuein (Col 2:18) in legal papyri and oracle inscriptions / Fred O. Francis

This volume investigates the respective theologies of the Letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians, and in so doing provides an accessible introduction to the themes and significance of these New Testament books. A.J.M. Wedderburn examines the background to Colossians, and considers both its readers' situation and that of its author. He asks whether the proponents of the teaching against which this letter is written were Christians, putting forward their views as the true form of Christianity (as in Galatia), or whether they existed outside the Christian community as a seductive alternative to it. Andrew T. Lincoln examines in turn the authorship of Ephesians, and tries to explain the letter's strategy of persuasion and the key elements of its teaching about the new identity of the Christian believer. The similarities and differences between the thought of Ephesians and that of Paul are thereby set out clearly. Both sections of the book reflect on the relevance of these letters for today.

"Commentary by St. Thomas Aquinas on the Epistle to the Colossians."
Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition.

The result of recent exegetical work, these commentaries are designed to help the reader translate the scriptures into personal, social, and ecclesial life. Ample introductions present the Sacred Book and its author from both a theological and spiritual perspective. The body text consists of the Sacred Book in sections, which are followed by a commentary. Each volume ends with a bibliography for further reading.

This title offers an innovative way of looking at Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon as inter-related documents written at different levels of moral discourse. The author also analyses these documents as examples of Asiatic rhetoric.

Contemporary mystic, physician, wife, cofounder of a secular institute, Adrienne von Speyr also provided us with a series of extraordinary Scripture commentaries. Here she brings her fresh, prayerful insights to bear upon immensely important themes of the Letter to the Colossians: the primacy of Christ in the cosmos as well as his centrality and abiding presence in the Church and in the life of each individual Christian; the meaning of reconciliation; the service of the apostle and his relationship to the community of believers; genuine and false knowledge; love as the binding force of social ethics and Christian morality-themes that only continue to increase in relevance in today's Church and world. With a sure touch and a distinctively feminine sensitivity, von Speyr explores, examines, and reflects-and in the process leaves us with food for thought and prayer, guidelines for discernment and action, and encouragement for our daily lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.