Introduction to Colossians: Authorship, Date, Audience - Crain Home

Interpretation 4
discredited at home for some unknown reason, and that this
has imperiled the work of the Gentile mission there. The
coupling of vouch (from the word for "martyr," martyreo)
with working hard (ponos, which emphasizes the painful
outcome of hard labor) recalls the book of Revelation, where
the faithful testimony (martyria, Rev 6:9) of the true disciple
results in "pain" at the hands of evil powers and in the coming
of Christ to bring this suffering to an end (ponos, Rev 21:4).
Perhaps here too Paul uses these words to indicate that
Epaphras is an exemplar of faithfulness, against the opinion
of certain opponents.
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/webcommentary
And finally, Paul says that Luke, Demas, Nymphas salute you:
Luke and Demas are joined together as they are in 2 Timothy
4:10-11; in the letter to Timothy, however, Demas has sadly
deserted Paul "because he loved this world" (2 Tim 4:10), and
Paul is left with only Luke. Whether Nympha is male
(Nymphas) or female continues to be debated, since both
forms are found in extant manuscripts of Colossians (O'Brien
1982:256). The question carries greater significance if a
house church was generally led by the person who owned the
home. If the homeowner here is a woman, as the NIV
translation assumes, then a case could be made that female
leadership was a part of the landscape of earliest Christianity.
(Note also Paul's references to Priscilla in Rom 16:5 and 1
Cor 16:19, and Luke's narrative about Lydia in Acts 16,
especially vv. 15, 40).
Matthew Henry in his commentary, also, provides extensive information
about these individuals:
http://crain.english.mwsc.edu/colossians/interpretation_4.htm (5 of 10)6/17/2003 8:18:22 AM
In the close of this epistle the apostle does several of his
friends the honour to leave their names upon record, with
some testimony of his respect, which will be spoken of
wherever the gospel comes, and last to the end of the world.
I. Concerning Tychicus, v. 7. By him this epistle was sent;
and he does not give them an account in writing of his present
state, because Tychicus would do it by word of mouth more