Colossians, Philemon

… the numerous reconstructions of the hymn expanded by the author that have been undertaken since
Lohmeyer’s analysis have scarcely led to a really convincing result. Indeed, the assumption is not yet
proved that a hymn constructed according to a strict scheme has been used and that accordingly every
fragment of a sentence beyond the scheme must stem from the author of Col. What is far more likely is
that the author of Col himself [whom Kümmel regards as Paul] has formed the hymn, utilizing traditional
material …
(This is essentially the position of Dibelius-Greeven, Moule, Maurer and Feuillet, etc)
It seems, therefore, better to speak of certain parallels, observed originally by Norden (note
the subsequent treatments by Kehl, Christushymnus, 30–34, and Zeilinger, Der Erstgeborene,
39–43). So ὅς ἐστιν εἰκών (“he is the image,” v 15) corresponds to ὃς ἐστιν ἀρχή (“he is the beginning,”
v 18); πρωτότοκοσπάσης κτίσεως (“firstborn of all creation,” v 15) is parallel to
πρωτότοκος ἐκτῶν νεκρῶν (“firstborn from the dead,” v 18), while each of the relative clauses
in turn is followed by a causal clause beginning with ὅτι (“because”): ὅτι ἑν αὐτῷ ἐτίσθη (“because
in him all things were created,” v 16) and ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν (“because in him … was
pleased,” v 19). The cosmic dimensions of Christ’s rule round out verse 16, εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε
κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι (“whether thrones or dominions, principalities or powers”),
and verse 20, εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς (“whether things on earth or in the
heavens”). One may note the frequent use of πᾶς (“all”) and the formal chiasmus in verses 16c
and 20:
a τά πάντα (“all things”) b καί δῖ αὐτοῦ (“and through him”)
b δῖ αὐτοῦ καί (“through him a τὰ πάντα (“all things”).
and”)
In verse 16 two examples of chiasmus occur. In the first, two lines are constructed chiastically
in synonymous parallelism:
ὅτι ἐ αἰτῷ ἐκτίση τά πάντα
τὰ πάντα δῖ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἕκτισται
“For in him all things were created
All things were created through him and for him.”
In the second instance τὰ πάντα (“all things”) is expanded and made more explicit with the
words:
ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα
“In the heavens and on earth,
things visible and invisible.”
It has also been suggested that the repeated τὰ πάντα (“all things”) and the verb ἔκτισται
(“created”) of the concluding line is an example of inclusio which binds the second chiasmus
together.
Finally, the formal correspondence between verses 17 and 18 needs to be noted:
17 καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων
18
καὶ αἰτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή
“And he is before all things …
7