Author
Colossians was most likely written by a later disciple in the spirit of Paul.
Textual analysis of the book shows 34 words not used anywhere else in the New Testament, 28 of which do not appear anywhere in the undisputed letters of Paul. That, along with the absence of typical Paul-terms (like righteousness, to believe, law, and to save) are a strong argument against Paul as the author.
Date
Generally dated between 70-80AD
Purpose
To bolster the faith of the community and correct errors.
General Observations
Colossians is closely connected to the book of Ephesians. There are 15 words that appear in both books but nowhere else in the New Testament.
A chief feature of this book which stands in contrast to the undisputed Pauline letters is the concept of “church.” For Paul, “church was a specific and concrete local reality. For the Colossian community, “church” was a universal entity, a body of which Christ was the head. This shows the development of understanding in early ecclesiology.
Someone in the local area is teaching things which threaten the readers’ Christian identity. Who these teachers were and what exactly they were teaching is unknown. But it was a deceptive philosophy based on human traditions, with practices shaped by or directly derived from Jewish tradition. Paul writes to discourage the Colossian Christians from becoming involved in practices superfluous to one’s Christian identity.
In 1:4, the author says “we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus” which implies that the community was originally founded by someone else. 1:7 suggests this someone might have been Epaphras whom Paul mentions in the book of Philemon as being a fellow prisoner.
Outline
- Opening 1:1-1:23
- Paul’s Ministry 1:24-2:15
- Life in the Body of Christ in Teaching 2:6-3:4
- Life in the Body of Christ in Practice 3:5-4:6
- Closing 4:7-18