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Colossians and Philemon Copyright © 2012 by David W. Pao

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pao, David W. Colossians and Philemon : Zondervan exegetical commentary series on the New Testament / David W. Pao. pages cm. (Zondervan exegetical commentary on the New Testament; v. 12) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN: 978-0-310-24395-3 (hardcover) 1. Bible N.T. Colossians — Commentaries. 2. Bible N.T. Philemon — Commentaries. I. Title. BS2715.53.P36 2012 227'.707 — dc23 2012005346

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Series Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Author’s Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Introduction to Colossians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Select Bibliography on Colossians . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Commentary on Colossians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The Theology of Colossians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Introduction to Philemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Select Bibliography on Philemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Commentary on Philemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

The Theology of Philemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

Scripture and Apocrypha Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

Subject Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458

Contents


1.PaulSchubert,The Form and Function of the Pauline Thanksgivings (Berlin: Töpelmann, 1939), 180, who alsoconcludes that “the papyri convincingly attest a wide-spread conventionaluseofanepistolary,religiousornon-religious,introductorythanksgiving”(180).

2.SeeWilliamG.Doty, Letters in Primitive Chris tian ity (Philadelphia:Fortress,1973),31–33;KlausBerger,“Apostel-briefundapostolischeRede:ZumFormularfrühchristlicherBriefe,”ZNW65(1974):219–20.

3.PeterArzt,“The‘EpistolaryIntroductoryThanksgiving’inthePapyriandinPaul,”NovT36(1994):29–46.EvenJef-freyT.Reed(“ArePaul’sThanksgivings‘Epistolary’?”JSNT 61 [1996]:87–99),whoseekstorespondtoArzt’schallenge,isforced to conclude that one can no longer speak of the “episto-laryintroductorythanksgiving”inHellenisticpapyrusletters.The few letters that do contain a thanksgiving section point to actual circumstances where the authors need to acknowledge certaingiftsandfavors.See,e.g.,P.Mich.Inv. 2798.Mostoften,thesenotesappearinthebodyoftheletter,e.g.,P.Mert.I12.

Colossians 1:1 – 8

Literary ContextAsinanumberofPaul’searlierletters,Colossiansbeginswiththeidentification

ofitsauthor,coauthor,recipients,andabriefgreeting(1:1–2).Thisintroductionnot only highlights Paul’s authority as an apostle of Christ Jesus; it also points to the public nature of the letter from two leaders to the believers in the church at Colossae . ThereferencestoChristJesusandGod’swillalsolocatethepresentconcernswithinthewidersalvation-historicalplanofGod.

IthasoftenbeenclaimedthatPaulfollowstypicalHellenisticepistolarypracticeinhisinclusionofanopeningthanksgivingsection(1:3–8)inmanyofhisletters,and these sections focus on the epistolary situation: “to introduce the main theme of the letter .”1 It is true that such sections provide a preview of the theological emphases oftheseletters.InthecaseofColossians,thisonehighlightsimportantthemessuchas“faithinChristJesus”(v. 4),“hopestoredup...inheaven”(v. 5),“thegospel”(v. 5),and“love”(v. 8).

It isunclear,however, ifsuchafunctionisdictatedbytheconventionoftheepistolaryform.SubsequentstudiesontheHellenisticepistolaryformhaveques-tionedtheexistenceofatypical“thanksgivingsection”inHellenisticpapyrusletters.2 While“healthwishes”areoftenfound,thelackoftheexplicitnoteof“thanksgiv-ing” in most of these letters argues against seeing thanksgiving in a formulaic or conventional way .3 An assumption that Paul is here simply following contemporary

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44 Colossians 1:1 – 8

4. For a further discussion, seeDavidW. Pao, “GospelwithintheConstraintsofanEpistolaryForm:PaulineIntro-ductoryThanksgivingsandPaul’sTheologyofThanksgiving,”in Paul and the Ancient Letter Form(ed.StanleyE.PorterandSeanA.Adams;PaulineStudies6;Boston/Leiden:Brill,2010),101–27.

5.DouglasJ.Moo,The Letters to the Colossians and to Phi-lemon(PNTC;GrandRapids:Eerdmans,2008),73–74,80.SeealsoJean-NoëlAletti,Saint Paul épître aux Colossiens: Intro-duction, traduction et commentaire(EBib20;Paris:Gabalda,1993),50–53.

epistolary form distracts the readers from noticing the significance of the theme of thanksgivingthroughoutthisletter(cf.1:12;2:6–7;3:15–17;4:2).4

Thisthanksgivingsection(1:3–8)iscloselyrelatedtotheprayerreportthatfol-lows(1:9–14).BothareindirectspeechesaddressedtoGod,andinbothonefindstheintroductiontosignificantthemesthroughouttherestofthisletter.Moreover,bothsectionspointtotheactsofGodamonghispeople.Thefocusofthetwosec-tionsisslightlydifferent,however.Thethanksgivingsection,comprisedofonelongsentence,focusesonthepowerofthegospelamongthebelieversinColossae,whilethe prayer report highlights the need to act in a way consistent with the knowledge that the gospel has imparted . The similarities in form and content between the two sections have led some to conclude that they should be considered one section .5 The parallelideasbetweenthetwosectionsdo,however,pointtotheexistenceoftwoindependent,thoughrelated,semanticunits(seeLiteraryContexton1:9–14formoreontheprayerreport).

I. Opening Greetings (1:1 – 2) II. Continuous Work of the Father (1:3 – 14) A. Thanksgiving (1:3 – 8) B. Intercession for the Colossians (1:9 – 14) III. Climactic Work of the Son (1:15 – 23)

Main IdeaAftertheopeninggreetings,thethanksgivingsectionhighlightsthecentrality

ofthegospelofChristJesus.Thisgospelpointstothehopestoredupinheaven,and such hope enables the believers to express their faith in Christ and their love for others .

Translation(Seenextpage.)


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6.MostrecentEnglishversionstakethisasacausalparti-ciple(e.g.,NET,NLT,NRSV,REB,TNIV,NIV)withthenotableexceptioninNJB,whichtakesitasatemporalparticiple.

StructurePaulbeginsnotonlybyidentifyinghimselfasan“apostle”(v. 1b),butalsoby

clarifyingthesourceofhiscalling(v. 1c).Theprepositionalphrase“bythewillofGod”presupposesaverbalideaembeddedinthetitle“apostle”(i.e.,“tosend,tochoose”).TogetherwithTimothy(v. 1d),PauladdressesthebelieversinColossae.Asinhisself-identification,PaulalsoidentifiesthoseinColossaebymeansoftheirrelationshipwithChrist(v. 2b).

Thethanksgivingprayerisaddressedto“GodtheFather”(v. 3a-b),butthechris-tologicalfocusinthisprayercannotbemissed(cf.vv. 3d,4a,7c).Thebasisoftheprayer,asexpressedbythecausalparticiple“becausewehaveheard”(ἀκούσαντες),6 points to the “love” and “faith” manifested in the lives of the believers in Colossae . UnlikeelsewhereinPaulwherethetriadof“love,”“faith,”and“hope”isexpressedinparallelterms(cf.1 Cor13:13),herethe“hope”thatisstoredupforthesaintsinheaven(v. 5a)formsthebasisofthe“love”and“faith”manifestedinthelivesofthebelievers . This paves the way for the later emphasis on the eschatological hope of believers(1:23,27;cf.3:4).

Inexplainingthe“hope,”Paulintroducesthesignificanceandpowerofthe“gos-pel”(v. 5b).Thoughtuckedinaseriesofsubordinateclauses,the“gospel”becomesthe focus for the rest of this thanksgiving section . This “gospel” is portrayed as an activeandpowerfulagentthathas“come”totheColossians(v. 6a),anditis“bearingfruitandgrowing”amongtheColossians(v. 6c)asitiselsewhereintheworld(v. 6b).TheconcludingnoteintroducesEpaphras,theonewhobroughtthegospeltothoseinColossae(v. 7)andwhohadreportedtoPaulandhiscoworkersthesituationinthechurchatColossae(v. 8).

Exegetical Outline I. Opening Greetings (1:1 – 2) II. Thanksgiving for the Continuous Work of the Father (1:3 – 8) A. Occasion for the prayer (1:3) B. Faith and love manifested in the lives of the recipients (1:4) C. Basis of their faith and love (1:5 – 6) 1. Hope stored up in heaven (1:5a) 2. Hope as expressed in the powerful gospel (1:5b – 6) D. Role of Epaphras (1:7 – 8) 1. Messenger of the gospel (1:7) 2. Reporter of the situation in Colossae (1:8)



7 . The origin of the Pauline use of the term “apostle” (ἀπόστολος) isunclear. Since this termwasnot commonlyusedinHellenisticliteratureasadesignationofaspecialemis-sary,itseemsthatthetermcouldreflectaJewishbackground,where one finds the explicit note in the rabbinic material that “theonesentbyamanisasthemanhimself ”(m. Ber.5:5).Cf.K.H.Rengstorf,TDNT,1:415.

8.SeeMargaretM.Mitchell,“NewTestamentEnvoysintheContextofGreco-RomanDiplomaticandEpistolaryConven-tions:TheExamplesofTimothyandTitus,”JBL111(1992):644–51.

9.SeeDanielB.Wallace,Greek Grammar beyond the Ba-sics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament(GrandRapids:Zondervan,1996),83–84.

10.Cf.1:2,3,4,7,24,27,28;2:2,5,6,8,11,17,20;3:1,3,4,11,15,16,24;4:3,12.Thisalsosuggeststhat“Christ”acquiresa titular sense and is not simply to be understood as a personal name .

11.Onedoesfindthetitle“Lord”before“JesusChrist”inv. 3(andmorethanfortyinstanceselsewhereinthePaulineletters),butnotbefore“ChristJesus”(butsee“JesusChristourLord”inRom1:4;5:21;7:25;1 Cor1:9).Thismayhighlightthe titular significance of “Christ” in the construction “Christ Jesus .”

12.Theanarthrous“willofGod”(θελήματος θεοῦ)doespointtothedefinite“willofGod,”asthearticleisoftenomittedafterapreposition;cf.BDF§255.

Explanation of the Text1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother(Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφός).Paulbeginsthisletterbyiden-tifying himself and his coauthor . The name “Paul” islikelyhisHellenisticcognomen,onethatisknownamongtheGentilechurches.FromActs,onealsolearnsofhisJewishname,Saul(e.g.,Acts7:58;8:1;9:1;11:25).Whilean“apostle”(ἀπόστολος)canbemerelya“messenger”(2 Cor8:23;Phil2:25),inlet-teropenings(Rom1:1;1 Cor1:1;2 Cor1:1;Gal1:1;Eph1:1;1 Tim1:1;2 Tim1:1;Titus1:1)andelsewherewhenPaulreferstohimself(Rom11:13;1 Cor9:1–2;15:9;1 Tim2:7),thiswordfunctionsas a title that points to his special position in the planofGod.Byidentifyinghimselfasan“apos-tle,”Paul isnotsimplyexplaininghismissionasan“apostletotheGentiles”(Rom11:13;Gal2:8);he is also drawing attention to his special status as one who speaks for Christ .7 This also reflects the Greco-Romancontextinwhichenvoysrepresentand carry the authority of the one who sent them .8 Thefollowingphrase,“ofChristJesus,”pointstotheauthorityoftherisenLord,andPaul’suniquerole is also highlighted in a later section of this let-ter(1:24–2:5).

The genitival construction “of Christ Jesus”

(Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ)isbesttakenasagenitiveofre-lationship .9 This phrase is especially significant in this letter where the supremacy of Christ is the foundation of Paul’s response to those who dis-tract the Colossians from the true gospel .10 The wordorder“ChristJesus,”insteadof“JesusChrist,”seems of no significant theological value since inv. 3andintheopeningsofsomeofhisletters(Gal1:1;1 Thess1:1;2 Thess1:1)Pauluses“JesusChrist” instead .11

“BythewillofGod”(διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ)pre-supposes a verbal idea behind the previous seman-tic unit . Embedded in the noun “apostle” is the ideaof“sending”(ἀποστέλλω),andPaulexplicitlynotedin1 Cor1:17thatChrist“sent”himtopreachthe gospel . Paul’s identity as an apostle cannot be separatedfromhisDamascusexperiencewhenhebecame Christ’s “chosen instrument” in the gos-pelministry(Acts9:15;cf.22:14–15;26:17–18).Inthiscontext, thisphrasehighlightsGod’srolebehindPaul’sministry,andthusauthenticatesthegospel he preaches .12

“Timothy” accompanied Paul in his missionary journeys(cf.Acts16:1–3;17:14;18:5;19:22),andhewaslikelyconvertedbyPaul(cf.1 Tim1:2).Hisname also appears in the introductory salutations of 2 Corinthians,Philippians,1and2 Thessalonians,



13.Foradiscussionofancientpracticesoftheuseofasec-retaryinthecompositionofaletter,seeE.RandolphRichards,The Secretary in the Letters of Paul(WUNT2.42;Tübingen:MohrSiebeck,1991).ThenameofoneofPaul’ssecretaries,Tertius,appearsinRom16:22.

14.Witherington,Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians,116,furthersuggeststhatbecauseTimothy“wasfromtheregionjustbeyondAsiaandhisfatherwasaGreek . . . he took a more active role in composing this document in Asiatic since he was familiar with it .”

15.See,e.g.,BarthandBlanke,Colossians,137–38.16.ReidarAasgaard, “My Beloved Brothers and Sisters!”

Chris tian Siblingship in Paul (JSNTSup 265; London: T&TClark,2004),297.

17. See also Andrew D. Clarke, A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership(LNTS362;NewYork/London:T&TClark,2008), 93,whonotes the functionof the term“brother” inGreco-Romancontextswarnsagainstseeingitasaclearindi-cation of egalitarianism in Paul .

18. For a recent defense of this position, see ThomasB.Slater,“Translatingἁγίοις inCol1,2andEph1,1,”Bib 87 (2006):52–54.

19 . It is clear in this context that the word “brothers” (ἀδελφοῖς)istobeunderstoodinaninclusivesense:“brothersand sisters .”

and Philemon . Such inclusion can be explained in twoways.First,becauseheismentionedinthreeofPaul’sfour“prisonletters,”hewaslikelypresentwithPaulduringhisRomanimprisonment.Sec-ond,inthecaseofColossians,Paul’sownsignatureattheendofthis letter(4:18)mayimplythatheemploys a secretary for the writing of the rest of theletter.Ifso,Timothymayhaveservedashissec-retary .13 This is further supported by the fact that Timothy has had no prior contact with the church atColossae.Hisappearanceinthissalutationthere-fore points to his specific role in the composition of the letter .14

Thetranslation“ourbrother”(ὁ ἀδελφός)takesthearticle(ὁ)asimplyingthefirstpersonpluralpronoun,“our.”15Unlike1 Thess3:2,whereTimo-thyisexplicitlycalled“ourbrother”(τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν),theabsenceofthepersonalpronounheremay point to the use of the term “brother” in an absolutesenseasatitle,“thebrother.”16 This would explain the absence of the pronoun whenever a cosender is called a “brother” in salutations of Pau-lineletters.“Brother,”then,mayfunctionasatitleas “apostle” does .17

1:2 To the saints at Colossae, the faithful broth-ers in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father (τοῖς ἐν Κολοσσαῖς ἁγίοις καὶ πιστοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ

πατρὸς ἡμῶν).Paul locateshisaudience in theirgeographical and theological locations . We begin by exploring the relationship between “saints” (ἁγίοις)and“faithful”(πιστοῖς).Atissueiswhetherἁγίοις should be rendered simply as an adjectival modifier (“holy”) or as a substantive adjective(“saints”).Grammatically,itmayappeartobemorenatural to take both words as adjectival modifiers with“brothers”(ἀδελφοῖς):“totheholyandfaith-fulbrothers.”Thesinglearticle(τοῖς)maypointtothetwoadjectivesasmodifyingasingleentity,andelsewhere in Colossians Paul exhorts the Colos-sianstobe“holy”(1:22;3:12).18

Nevertheless,inlightoftheuseofthisterminotherPaulinesalutations(Rom1:7;1 Cor1:2;2 Cor1:1;Eph1:1;Phil1:1),itseemsbesttotakethisad-jective in a substantive sense: “To the saints and faithfulbrothersandsisters”(NRSV;cf.NET,NLT,TNIV).19 This substantival sense is supported by a numberofotherpassagesinColossians(1:4,12,26).Evenin3:12,wheretheColossiansaredescribedas“holy”(ἅγιοι),thisadjectiveisusedtoexplaintheirstatusasthe“electofGod”(ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ),aphrase that explains what it means to be “saints” in thetraditionsofIsrael(cf.Exod22:30LXX).Tak-ing the word in a substantival sense also means that theconjunction(καί)thatconnectsthetwopartsshould be taken epexegetically: “To the saints at Co-lossae,[thatis,]thefaithfulbrothersinChrist.”



20.Forthe influenceofAphrodisiasontheneighboringlargercities,seeD’AndreiaFrancesco,“HierapolisofPhrygia:ItsEvolutioninHellenisticandRomanTimes,”inUrbanism in Western Asia Minor: New Studies on Aphrodisias, Ephesos, Hier-apolis, Pergamon, Perge and Xanthos(ed.DavidParrish;Ports-mouth,RI:JournalofRomanArchaeology,2001),96–115.

21.Forabriefbuthelpfuldiscussionofthesignificanceofthe“inChrist”formulainPaulinetheology,seeMarkSeifrid,

“InChrist,”DPL,433–36.22.Itcouldalsobeexpressedinafullsentence,asin,“it

wouldbeasIwish”(εἴη ἂν ὡς ἐγώ;cf.P.Eleph.13[Sel.Pap.§96][III BC]) .

23.This is thecaseeven inAramaic letters, seeBezadelPorten,“AddressFormulaeinAramaicLetters:ANewCollec-tionofCowley17,”RB90(1980):398–413.

To call the believers in Colossae “saints” is to re-mind them of their status as those who have been transferred to the “kingdom of his beloved Son” (1:13).ThispavesthewayforPaul’sargumentthatadditional ascetic practices will not contribute to theirstatusinthepresenceofGod(2:16–23).Tocall them “faithful” also reminds them to be faith-fultothegospeltheyhavereceived(2:6).Inthisletter,Paulwillmentionthreeindividualsasmod-elsof“faithful”brothers:Epaphras,Tychicus,andOnesimus(1:7;4:7,9).

The parallel phrases “at Colossae . . . in Christ” (ἐν Κολοσσαῖς . . . ἐν Χριστῷ)pavethewayforthetheological topography constructed in the body of Paul’sargument.Historicallyandgeographically,the recipients are “atColossae,”whichHerodo-tusclaimedtobe“agreatcity inPhrygia”(Hist . 7.30.1)inthefifthcenturyBC.IntheRomanim-perialperiod,however,itsstatusandsignificanceareunclear.ApassagefromStrabo(Georg.12.8.13)seems to group Colossae with other neighboring smallcitieslikeAphrodisias,althoughalacunainthe text questions the certainty of this reading . It is clear,however, thatColossae couldno longercompetewithLaodicea,amajorcityoftheLycusValleyelevenmilesNWofit.ThisalsoexplainsthereferencestoLaodiceainthisletter(2:1;4:13,15,16).Thereisalsoevidenceoftherelativeinferiorstatus of Colossae even when compared to Aphro-disias,acitythatboastedasignificantimperialcultdedicated“ToAphrodite,theDivineAugustusandthe People .”20

Equally important is Paul’s identification of

theColossians as being “inChrist.” First,while“saints” points toGod’s elect and “brothers” tothe new identity within the family of God, “inChrist” highlights the new identity of this people ofGodunderthelordshipofChrist.NolongerareGod’s peopledefinedbytheirbloodrelationshipwith their own kin; their identity is now rooted in Christ.Second,the“inChrist”formulapavestheway for Paul’s discussion of the sufficiency of the workofChrist(cf.1:27–28).Theonlycriterionthrough which one’s spiritual status can be mea-suredisChristandChristalone.Third,theparallelconstruction “at Colossae” and “in Christ” points further to the spatial significance of the “in Christ” formula.In3:1–4,therecipientsareremindedthattheyhavebeenraisedwithChrist,theone“seatedattherighthandofGod”(3:1).Seeking“thethingsabove,”(3:1)therefore,isnottobeunderstoodasthe search for additional fulfillment through spiri-tualexercises;rather,itistofocusonChrist,theone who has accomplished all .21

AsinPaul’sotherletters,hisgreetingisadaptedfrom contemporaryHellenistic epistolary prac-tices.Theimpliedverb“may...be”(εἴη)isoftenmissinginthisformulaicgreeting,asitisoftensoinHellenisticletters.22AtypicalgreetinginHel-lenistic letters contains a word of greeting and a healthwish,withorwithout thenoteofprayer.Paulhere substitutes the typicalGreekword for“greetings”(χαίρειν)with“grace”(χάρις),asignifi-cant theological term in his own writings . Jewish lettersoften containaprayerofpeace aswell,23 and“peace”(εἰρήνη)herereflectssuchapractice.



24.See,e.g.,PeterO’Brien,Colossians, Philemon(WBC44;Waco,TX:Word,1982),6.

25.Moo,Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon,79.26.EduardLohse,Colossians and Philemon(trans.William

R.PoehlmannandRobertJ.Karris;Hermeneia;Philadelphia:Fortress,1971),14.

27.Wilson,Colossians and Philemon,80–81,mayberightinconcludingthatthispluralisa“realplural,”withoutspecify-ing the intended characters included in this reference .

28.Foradiscussionof“thanksgiving”as“praise”and“bless-ings”inpostbiblicalJewishcontexts,seeJamesM.Robinson,“DieHodajot-FormelinGebetundHymnusdesFrühchris-tentums,” inApophoreta: Festschrift Ernst Haenchen (ed.W.EltesterandF.H.Kettler;Berlin:Töpelmann,1964),194–235.ThisisnotlimitedtotheJewishbackground,however.SeealsoH.S.Versnel,“ReligiousMentalityinAncientPrayer,”inFaith, Hope and Worship: Aspects of Religious Mentality in the Ancient World (ed.H.S.Vernel;Leiden:Brill,1981),1–64.

ForPaul,“grace”and“peace”arenotmerelysub-jective experiences of kindness and tranquility; rather,theypointtothepowerfulsalvificworkofGodthroughChrist,(e.g.,Rom3:24;5:17)andthereconciliation that is already promised for the es-chatologicalera(e.g.,Rom5:1;Eph2:14–18;cf.Isa52:7;57:2).Here,Paulagainremindshisaudienceof the foundational significance of the gospel .

Theabsenceoftheexpected“andourLordJesusChrist” has prompted some early scribes to insert thisphraseintothetext.Mostcommentatorsfindthisomissionpuzzling,24 although some have sug-gested that Paul is reserving this phrase for the next verse .25Theparallel in 1 Thess 1:1may furthersupport this reading when Paul’s greeting is simply “Graceandpeacetoyou,”whereas“GodtheFatherandtheLordJesusChrist”alreadyappearedintheprevious clause when describing the church of the Thessalonians .

1:3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you (Εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ πατρὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι).Paul now begins a lengthy thanksgiving section (vv. 3–8). The principal verb “we give thanks”(εὐχαριστοῦμεν)isfollowingbyaparticiple(“whenwepray,”προσευχόμενοι).Theplural“we”couldbean“epistolaryplural,”wheretheverbreferstoPaulhimself,26 but the switch back to the singular in 1:23suggeststhisisnotthecase.Mostcommenta-tors see both Paul and Timothy as the subject of thisverb,butitremainspuzzlingastowhythesin-

gularformoftheverbisusedelsewhere,evenwhenTimothy(amongothers)islistedasacosenderoftheletter(cf.1 Cor1:1,4;Phil1:1,3;Phlm1,4).27 Withthispluralverb,itisatleastpossiblethatPaulintends to include his other coworkers as well as witnessestotheworkofGodamongthebelieversin Colossae . The reference to the work of the gos-pelin“thewholeworld”(v. 6)maylendcredenceto this reading .

“Always”(πάντοτε)canmodifyeither“we ...give thanks” or “when we pray .” In light of other Pauline introductory thanksgivings (1 Cor 1:4;1 Thess1:2;2 Thess1:3;Phlm4;cf.2 Thess2:13),it seems likely that it modifies the former . In Col 3:17,PaulwillexplainwhatitmeanstogivethankstoGodalways,andthisinturnsupportsourread-inghere: “whateveryoudo inwordordeed,doeverything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giv-ingthankstoGodtheFatherthroughhim.”Thatthis phrase points to the meaning of “always give thanks” is confirmed by the parallel in Eph 5:20: “always [πάντοτε]giving thanks toGod theFa-therforeverything,inthenameofourLordJesusChrist .”

InPaul,thanksgivingisalwaysdirectedtowardGod.InlinewiththeOTheritage,thisisanactofpraiseandconfessionwhenthemightyactsofGodamonghispeopleareremembered(cf.Pss35:18;100:4;109:30).28Itisproper,therefore,forPaultooffer such thanks toGodwhenheprays for theColossians . Instead of the modern understanding ofthanksgivingasaprivatesentiment,suchanactof praise “seeks to persuade others to acknowledge



29.JeromeNeyrey,“Lost inTranslation:DidItMatterifChristians ‘Thanked’ God or ‘Gave GodGlory’?” CBQ 71 (2009):23,whofurtherinsistsoninterpretingactsofthanks-givinginPaulintermsof“praise”and“honor,”thefundamen-talculturalvaluesintheGreco-Romanworld.

30.Wallace,Greek Grammar,133.31.C.F.D.Moule,The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Co-

lossians and to Philemon(Cambridge:CambridgeUniv.Press,1957),49.

32.Cf.BarthandBlanke,Colossians,153,whocallthis“acaseofhendiadys.”Hendiadysoccurswhentwowordscom-bine to form one concept although sometimes one term is de-pendentontheother.Inthiscase,itmightberendered“lovingfaith”or“faiththatexpressesitselfinlove.”Similarly,inv. 23only “faith” is mentioned in connection with the “hope of the gospel .”

33.Cf.Gal5:6:“faithexpressingitselfthroughlove.”

thedeedsofGod.”29Asapublicactofpraise,thecontent of this thanksgiving prayer draws attention totheir“faith”and“love”(v. 4),but thefocus isquickly shifted to the power of the gospel in the livesofthesebelievers(v. 6).Afterall,Godaloneis the proper object of thanksgiving and worship .

“OurLordJesusChrist”(τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ)isanimportantformulainbothPaulineletters and early Christianity. Variations of thisformulainclude“JesusChristourLord”(e.g.,Rom1:4;1 Cor1:9),“ChristJesusourLord”(e.g.,1 Tim1:2;2 Tim1:2),and“theLordJesusChrist”(e.g.,Gal1:3;Eph1:2;Phil1:2).InearlyChristianproc-lamation,onefindstheconfessionthat“Godhasmadethis Jesus,whomyoucrucified,bothLordandMessiah”(Acts2:36).Thefrequentappearanceof this title in the openings of Paul’s letters may re-flectacommonliturgicalusage(cf.1 Cor12:3)thatpoints to Jesus’ identityas thatofhisFather(cf.1 Cor8:6).InColossians,thelordshipofChristisrepeatedlyaffirmed(1:10;2:6;3:13,17,18,20,22,23,24;4:1,7,17),andtheidentityofthisJesusiscloselytiedwithGodhis“Father”(cf.1:15–20).Toreaffirm the significance of this confession in the lives of the believers is precisely the purpose of this letter(cf.2:6–7).

1:4 Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints (ἀκούσαντες τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχετε εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους).Witha causal circumstantial participle (“because wehaveheard,”ἀκούσαντες),Paulprovidesthebasis

of thanksgiving . Although the verb “to hear” can takeagenitiveobject,hereittakesanaccusativewith no apparent difference in meaning .30

“Faith”(τὴν πίστιν)pointstothetrustinandacceptanceofJesusChristandhisgospel.Itisnot,however,avirtueaboutwhichonecanboast.Paulis insistent that faith itself isanactofGod,onethat enables believers to witness the power of the gospelinone’slife(2:12;cf.Rom5:1–2).Inthisthanksgivingsection,theactiveroleofthegospelisexplicitlynoted,assuchagospelissolelycapableand responsible for “bearing fruit and growing” amongtheColossians(v. 6).Ithasbeennotedthat“in”(ἐν)indicatesthat“ChristJesus”refersto“thesphere rather than the object of the faith .”31 While the objective sense should not be completely ruled out(cf.2:5),theuseof“in”doespointto“Christ Jesus” as the sphere within which faith finds its true fulfillment .

Inreferenceto“love”(τὴν ἀγάπην),however,the preposition “for” (εἰς) clearly points to “allthe saints” as the indirect object of the verb “you have .” If Paul had intended to highlight the par-allelismbetweentheir“faith”and“love,”hecouldhavewritten“yourloveintheSpirit,”ashedoesinv. 8.Thefactthatonlythe“love”ofthesebelieversismentionedinv. 8encouragessometotakethe“and”(καί)inthisverseinanepexegeticalsense,32 and the lack of parallelism between these two phrases may further support this reading: “because wehaveheardofyourfaithinChristJesus,afaiththat is expressed in the love that you have for all the saints .”33 This focus on the “faith” in the sphere



34.SeethediscussioninThomasSöding,Das Trias Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe bei Paulus: Eine exegetische Studie (SBS150;Stuttgart:KatholischeBibelwerk, 1992), 38–64.While rec-ognizing the contribution of Hellenistic Jewish paraenetic

traditions,SödingconcludesthatPaulwasultimatelytheoneresponsible for this formulation .

35.Cf.DavidM.Bossman,“Paul’sMediterraneanGospel:Faith,Hope,Love,”BTB25(1995):71–78.

of Christ Jesus paves the way for Paul’s repeated emphasis that the Colossians should stand firm in their“faith”(1:23;2:5,7).“Love,”bycontrast,isthe“perfect bond” manifested in those who hold firm tothis“faith”(3:14).

“All the saints” refers to all the believers . As in v. 2,“saints”(ἅγιοι)doesnotpoint to themoralachievements of a selected group of believers but to those who are the elect of God. Some havetherefore preferred simply to render this phrase “allofGod’speople”(NLT).Theideaof“holiness”isimportant,however,thoughnotasanattributeof believers; it refers to the accomplished work of Christ; who died on the cross: “now he has rec-onciledyouinhisbodyoffleshthroughdeath,inorder to present you holy [ἁγίους],withoutblem-ish,andblamelessbeforehim”(1:22).Itistemptingto see the all-inclusive “all the saints” as anticipat-ing the arguments against a certain type of elitism amongthefalseteachers(2:16–23;cf.3:11),butthephraseoftenappearsinPaul’swritings,espe-ciallytheprisonletters,soitisbetterunderstoodin a nonpolemical way as a general reference to be-lievers(cf.Eph1:15;3:18;6:18;Phil1:1;4:21,22;Phlm5).

1:5a On account of the hope stored up for you in heaven (διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἀποκειμένην ὑμῖν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς).Paulnowturnstothebasisofthe “faith” and “love” of the Colossians . The men-tioning of “hope” (τὴν ἐλπίδα) completes thetriadof“love,”“faith,”and“hope”(cf.Rom5:1–5;1 Cor13:13;1 Thess1:3;5:8).Theoriginofthistriadisunclear,anditsuseisnotlimitedtoPaul(Heb10:22–24;1 Pet1:21–22).34ForPaul,“faith”is often understood as the foundation of “hope” (Rom5:2;Gal5:5)and“love”(1 Cor13:2;1 Tim

1:5),andwhenallthreetermsappeartogetherthefocus is often on the social manifestation of the gospelmessage(1 Cor13:13;1 Thess1:3).35 In this verse,however, the focus ison the fundamentalsignificanceof“hope,”andtheseriesofsubordi-nate clauses that follow testifies to the emphasis placed on “hope .”

The readers should expect the phrase intro-ducedbythepreposition“onaccountof ”(διά)toprovidethegroundsofaverbalact,butthebasisof the preceding verb “we . . . give thanks” has al-readybeenstatedinv. 4withthecausalparticiple“because we have heard .” This prepositional phrase can modify the verbal noun “love” or both “faith” and“love”(astakenbymostEnglishversions):“thefaith and love that spring from the hope stored up foryouinheaven”(TNIV,NIV).Thechoicebe-tween“love,”theimmediateantecedent,and“faithand love” is less of a pressing issue when one takes the “and” in v. 4 as epexegetical—“love” as themanifestationof “faith.” In anycase, “faith” and“love” flow from“hope.”Syntactically, the threetermsarenotstrictparallels,as“hope”becomesthe source of “faith” and “love .”

InPaul, “thehope” isnotprimarilya subjec-tivesentimentofoptimism.HopeisrootedinthepromisesofthefaithfulGod,theone“whoraisesthedead”andtheonewho“willdeliverus”(2 Cor1:9–10).BasedonGod’sactsinthepast,thishopepoints forward to the consummation of his work inChrist(Titus2:13).Assuch,thishope“doesnotdisappoint”(Rom5:5NRSV).InColossians,this“hope”istherealityproclaimedinthegospel(1:23)andcenteredontheworkofChrist(1:27).Insteadofthesubjectivesentiment,therefore,thishopeisthe object that provides grounds for one’s confi-denceinGod’scontinuousactsinhistory.


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