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Introduction to Colossians. Introduction: Colossians is one of Paul’s shortest letters. One of the most significant problems being dealt with today in this book has to do with the opponents at Colossae. The city.
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Introduction: Colossians is one of Paul’s shortest letters. One of the most significant problems being dealt with today in this book has to do with the opponents at Colossae.
The city • The city proper- The city was situated 100 miles east of Ephesus and was significant for its wool industry. • The People- they seem to have been very cosmopolitan where differing cultural and religious elements mixed. • The church- The brothers and sisters who are addressed in 1:2 were probably not converted through the ministry of Paul himself.
Critical Questions • Authorship- There has been a great deal of argument over the authorship in the last 100 years. Almost none before that. These arguments are based on the following considerations: • Arguments against Pauline Authorship: • Arguments in favor of Pauline Authorship- The most compelling argument is the close connection of the letter with Philemon, a letter that is almost never questioned as being Pauline.
Date- This leads us to ask the question of what kind of prison that Paul was in when he wrote the letter. There are three possibilities: • Ephesus during the 3 to 3 1/2 years spent there (Acts 19:10, 22; 20:31). c. Fall of A.D. 52 to Summer 55 • Caesarea where he spent two years in enforced confinement (Acts 24:23, 27). c. May A.D. 57 to September 59. • Rome, where he was under house arrest for two whole years (Acts 28:30-31). c. February A.D. 60 to late 61 or early 62.
What was the Colossian Heresy? • Was there a heresy? • Some Marks of the Heresy. (see The Colossian Syncretism by Clinton Arnold) • The veneration of Angels (2:18) • Mystery initiation and Local Cults- (See Ferguson, pp. 249-282) • Evil Angels- • How Paul dealt with the heresy.