Apr 29 2020 - Introduction to Paul's letter to the Colossians

Colossae was situated in the southern part of Asia Minor in the fertile Lycus valley ten miles upstream from the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. The city possessed a substantial Jewish minority.

For the origin of the church at Colossae, see the notes following this brief introduction.

Though Paul seems not to have visited Colossae, he was concerned for its wellbeing. It seems that his letter was prompted partly by the threat of false teaching which may have been influencing some within the church. There is considerable discussion regarding the nature of this threat, a threat addressed by Paul in 2:8-23. Does the threat come from Hellenistic sources, a form of early Gnosticism, or is the source Jewish?  James Dunn argues for the latter, concluding:

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. The more relaxed style of polemic in Colossians and the absence there of anything quite like the fierceness of the reaction in Galatians further suggests that what was being confronted was not a sustained attempt to undermine or further convert the Colossians, but a synagogue apologetic promoting itself as a credible philosophy more capable of dealing with whatever heavenly powers might be thought to control or threaten human existence.

Paul's primary response to the threat is to remind the Christians at Colossae of the supremacy of Christ and of the radical implications of his death and resurrection for their lives. The Colossian Christians need to keep their eyes fixed on their incomparable Saviour and Lord – as do we.

Peter Misselbrook