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"THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS"
Introduction
AUTHOR: The apostle Paul, joined in his salutation by Timothy (1:1),
and signed by Paul himself at the end of the letter (4:18). Early
sources in church history that attribute this letter to Paul include:
Eusebius (300 A.D.), Origen (250 A.D.), Clement of Alexandria (200
A.D.), Tertullian (200 A.D.), Irenaeus (200 A.D.), and the Muratorian
Fragment (180 A.D.).
THE CITY OF COLOSSE: The city was located about 100 miles east of
Ephesus in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Together with Hieropolis
(4:13) and Laodicea (2:1; 4:13-16; Re 3:14-22), Colosse made up a
tri-city area. Each city had its own distinction:
* Hierapolis, a place for health, pleasure, and relaxation
* Laodicea, known for its commercial trade and politics
* Colosse, known simply as a small town
Colosse was mostly a pagan city, with a strong intermingling of Jews
(in 62 B.C., there were 11,000 Jewish freemen in the tri-city area).
This may explain the nature of some of the problems that arose among
the church in Colosse (problems with both pagan and Jewish origin).
THE CHURCH AT COLOSSE: The establishment of the church is uncertain.
At issue is whether Paul himself had ever been there. Some suggest
that Paul may have done some work there during his third journey, on
the way to ...