Digital Logos Edition
The letter to the Colossians offers great insight into the faith, life, and problems of the early Christian church. Understanding this letter to be one of Paul’s prison epistles but aware of the differences between this and his other writings, 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 shows Colossians’ expansive Christology and expectant eschatology.
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“While no single assertion, theological affirmation, or perspective in Colossians is impossible for Paul, the cumulative effect of the shifts in meaning and emphasis in so many areas suggests that an associate penned this letter soon after Paul’s death. The interpretation of Paul’s sufferings in Colossians tips the balance slightly in favor of this conclusion.” (Page 8)
“Pseudonymity does nothing to change that.6 Indeed, recognizing that a letter is pseudonymous clarifies the context that gave rise to it and thus aids us in understanding it. This, in turn, may help us make more faithful use of the epistle in the church.” (Pages 8–9)
“eikōn identifies Christ as God’s means of revelation and the representation of God in the world” (Page 64)
“but the language of ‘image’ by itself does not convey that meaning in the ways it has often been claimed.” (Page 64)
“The style and vocabulary of Colossians appear markedly different from the undisputed Pauline Letters” (Pages 1–2)