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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Home Page http://crain.english.mwsc.edu/colossians/index.htm (20 of 38)6/17/2003 8:16:07 AM (8) Hence, because of the long and exhausting journey, Paul could not send Epaphroditus back to Philippi until he had rested up. Further, the situation in Philippi, though important to address, was not as urgent as the situation in Colossae. 21 (9) After Paul dispatched Tychicus, and after his other assistants had been dispatched or had abandoned him for whatever reasons (cf. Phil 2:19ff.), Paul intended to send Epaphroditus back to the Philippians. Unfortunately, he became ill—even to the point of death. 22 Paul could not send him until he was well, and this presumably took several months (for the Philippians knew of his sickness). http://www.bible.org/docs/soapbox/colotl.htm 6. Lewis R. Donelson, review of The Hope of Glory: Education and Exhortation in the Epistle to the Colossians by Walter T. Wilson (Society of Biblical Literature): The recent trend in scholarship on Colossians has been to emphasize the Jewish character of both the text and its context. Walter T. Wilson, while acknowledging the Jewish context of much of Colossians, moves against this trend by reading Colossians through the lens of Hellenistic philosophical paraenesis. In fact, Wilson's main thesis is that Colossians participates in specific Hellenistic conventions of moral education and philosophical paraenesis in both its form and content. And he makes a good case. Wilson argues, furthermore, that understanding these paraenetic conventions explains many of the curious rhetorical strategies of the letter. For example, this kind of paraenesis is directed primarily to the novice whose conversion needs further maintenance. Thus, the focus on conversion, baptism, and remembrance in Colossians is not a unique Christian form of argument but is, on the contrary, typical of philosophical paraenesis. Doctrinal material in paraenesis is not typically presented by way of full systematic articulation but by way of reminders of what has been learned earlier. It evokes a larger system that remains unstated. Thus, the often-noted gaps in the theological logic of Colossians denote not true gaps in the system but adherence to the
Home Page conventions of philosophical paraenesis. Philosophical paraenesis wants to reinforce the worldview of the new school; it wants to contradict any contrary worldview; and it wants the novice to actualize this new worldview in behavior. Thus, all philosophical paraenesis will be animated by affirmation, correction, and exhortation. Wilson notes how beautifully Colossians fits this pattern. He even outlines the literary structure of Colossians in these three categories: 1:3- 2:7 is paraenetic affirmation, 2:8-23 is paraenetic correction, and 3:1-4:6 is paraenetic exhortation. http://www.bookreviews.org/Reviews/9004109374.html 7. Abide in Christ PURPOSE OF WRITING: Paul wrote to counter the Gnostic attack on the Person of Christ. The Docetic (dokeo, to seem) held that Jesus did not have a real human body, but only a phantom body. He was an aeon and had no real humanity. The Cerinthian Gnostics (followers of Cerinthus) "admitted the humanity of the man Jesus, but claimed that the Christ was an aeon that came on Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove and left him on the Cross so that only the man Jesus died." Paul confronted both false teachings with "his full-length portrait of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Son of Man (both deity and humanity) in opposition to both types of Gnostics." Cf. Phil. 2:5-11. Colossians is just as relevant today when men try to rob Jesus Christ of his death as when Paul wrote it. It speaks to the New Age Movements, the legalists, as well as the "licentious element that let down all the bars for the flesh while the spirit communed with God." 8. J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M. Theme and Purpose: http://crain.english.mwsc.edu/colossians/index.htm (21 of 38)6/17/2003 8:16:07 AM The theme is the fruitful and effective power of the gospel message which heralds the supremacy, headship, and the utter
Page 1 and 2: Home Page Introduction to Colossian
Page 3 and 4: Home Page 4. Daniel Wallace Most NT
Page 5 and 6: Home Page be remembered that Paul w
Page 7 and 8: Home Page were fairly close in prox
Page 9 and 10: Home Page the mystery cults which p
Page 11 and 12: Home Page prospect of being transfo
Page 13 and 14: Home Page http://crain.english.mwsc
Page 19: Home Page http://crain.english.mwsc
Page 23 and 24: Home Page 3. THEME: The Pre-eminenc
Page 27 and 28: Home Page Back to Top Comparison be
Page 37 and 38: Home Page they were members; and if
Page 39 and 40: Chapter 1 The Net Bible New English
Page 41 and 42: Chapter 1 http://crain.english.mwsc
Page 43 and 44: Interpretation 1 thanksgiving for t
Page 45 and 46: Interpretation 1 (see Acts 1:21-22;
Page 47 and 48: Interpretation 1 Colossians, Chapte
Page 49 and 50: Interpretation 1 been much in praye
Page 51 and 52: Interpretation 1 Colossian believer
Page 53 and 54: Interpretation 1 Col 1:16 For by hi
Page 55 and 56: Interpretation 1 drawing upon Jewis
Page 57 and 58: Interpretation 1 fulness dwell; Thr
Page 59 and 60: Interpretation 1 24 Now I rejoice i
Page 61 and 62: Interpretation 1 4. The church is t
Page 63 and 64: Chapter 2 circumcision of Christ: C
Page 65 and 66: Interpretation 2 The Intervarsity P
Page 67 and 68: Interpretation 2 and not to allow t
Page 69 and 70: Interpretation 2 He then urges them
Page 71 and 72:
Interpretation 2 way, nailing it to
Page 73 and 74:
Interpretation 2 was here a Jewish
Page 75 and 76:
Interpretation 2 and powers are sub
Page 77 and 78:
Interpretation 2 http://crain.engli
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Chapter 3 http://crain.english.mwsc
Page 85 and 86:
Interpretation 3 The third chapter
Page 87 and 88:
Interpretation 3 well stress the de
Page 89 and 90:
Interpretation 3 Indeed, Torah had
Page 91 and 92:
Interpretation 3 Col 3:23 And whats
Page 93 and 94:
Interpretation 3 Third, the new lif
Page 95 and 96:
Interpretation 3 ● Should be set
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Chapter 4 http://crain.english.mwsc
Page 101 and 102:
Interpretation 4 strife within the
Page 103 and 104:
Interpretation 4 In 10-11, Paul men
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Links Free Bible King James Scriptu
Page 113 and 114:
Outlines regards to food, festivals
Page 115 and 116:
Outlines The "doctrine" is "His doc
Page 117 and 118:
Outlines A. Commendation of Tychicu
Page 119 and 120:
Outlines I. Introduction (1:1-14) A
Page 121 and 122:
Outlines 13. 1. Praying. (2-4) 2. B
Page 123:
Outlines http://crain.english.mwsc.
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?