Colossians 1:1-8
Notes
(English translation is taken from the New
International Version)
(Greek text taken from the United Bible Societies, 4th
Edition, 1993)
Colossians Chapter One ( The
Blue Letter Bible)
Kent Hughes - In reference to Colossians, he sez no
writing is better-equipped to draw us upward than the book of Colossians.
May our view of Christ be so expanded and permanently impressed on us that we
will as a habit seek those things which are above.
Photograph of one page in Papyrus 46 in the Chester Beatty
Library. This particular page has the end of Philippians and the portions
of the first two
verses of Colossians (looks like most of the first line of verse one is all
there, but then you start loosing it after that). P46 comprises of eight-six leaves (all slightly
mutilated) of a single quire papyrus codex, measuring originally about 11 by 6
1/2 inches. It contains ten Epistles of Paul in the following order:
Romans, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians,
Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. It dates from about the year 200.
See whether you can make out the words ΠΡΟΣ
ΚΟΛΟΣΣΑΕΙΣ or To the
Colossians at the bottom.
1.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
(Παυλος
αποστολος
Χριστου
Ιησου δια
θεληματος
θεου και
Τιμοθεος
ο αδελφος)
2.
To the holy and faithful brothers in
Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father (τοις
εν Κολοσσαις
αγιοις
και πιστοις
αδελφοις
εν χριστω
χαπις υμιν
και ειρηνη
απο θεου
πατρος
ημων)
-
the holy
- set apart
-
and faithful brothers
- they were family hence they shared the same blessings with Paul
-
he
had never met these people before, how could he call them holy and
faithful?
Compare:
-
Gal
4:6 - 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his
Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba,[1]
Father."
In
Christ (εν χριστω)
-
Compare:
Eph
1:3-14 - 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every
spiritual blessing in Christ.
4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to
be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined
us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with
his pleasure and will-- 6to the praise of his glorious
grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In
him we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of
God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and
understanding. 9And he made known to us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in
Christ, 10to be put
into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to
bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even
Christ.
11In him
we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of
him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his
will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in
Christ, might be for the praise
of his glory. 13And you also were included in
Christ when you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were
marked in him
with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are
God's possession--to the praise of his glory.
Grace
and peace to you (χαπις υμιν
και ειρηνη)
Grace
(χαπις)
-
Normal
Greek greeting in letters.
-
The
basis for the work of salvation
-
What
does grace do for you?
Romans
5:2 - We stand in grace as
Christians
Acts
15:40 - Commended or recommended
by the brethren to the grace of God
Acts
14:26 - Committed to the grace
of God (NIV)
Acts
20:24 -
the gospel of God's grace (NIV)
Peace
(ειρηνη)
-
Normal
Hebrew greeting, even today (Shalom)
-
What
did it mean to wish someone peace? Ans: a foretaste of the
Messianic Age foretold by the prophets, a taste of God's presence and
the fulfillment that flows from that presence.
-
Paul's
wish for the Colossians was that they would comprehend more fully the
peace given by God and enjoy it in all its depths.
-
In
the Septuagint (Old Testament translated into ancient Greek - LXX),
Shalom was used over 250 times. Each time the LXX translators used
ειρηνη
to
translate the word Shalom.
Gen
15:15 - go to your fathers in peace
I
Sam 1:17 - Go in peace
Jer
16:5 - NIV = because I have withdrawn my blessing KJV =
for I have taken away my peace from this people
Judges
6:24 - So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The
LORD is Peace.
Textual
Variant Reading at the end of Col 1:2
The
ending of Colossians 1:2 is a New Testament textual variant. The
principal Greek New Testament used by translators is the United Bible
Societies (UBS) 4th Edition Greek Testament. The UBS evaluates textual
variants with four levels of certainty as indicated below:
A
reading = the text is certain
B
reading = the text is almost certain
C
reading = The Committee had
difficulty in deciding which variant to place in the text.
D
reading = The Committee had great
difficulty in arriving at a decision.
The
reading in the UBS 4th edition for Col 1:2 is an A reading. Other main
variant reading options are:
peace
from God our father and the
Lord Jesus Christ
peace
from God our father and Jesus Christ our Lord
The
King James translators working in 1611 only used or had available a limited
number of manuscripts of the early New Testament available. According
to Bro. Jack Lewis in his book The English Bible From KJV to NIV, " It
is unfortunate in Bible translation that the KJV was based on a late text
rather than upon an earlier one. To state that the text now available
is superior to that in 1611 is to repeat a truism. Of the five primary
uncial manuscripts now received as authority for the purity of the text of
the New Testament, only Codex Bezae was then available, and there was no
evidence that it was used. Papyrus discoveries came three hundred
years later. The King James scholars could have known fewer than
twenty-five late manuscripts of the New Testament and these were carelessly
used. Today, there are 5,356 known New Testament manuscripts and
fragments.
In
the case of the variant in Col 1:2, the translators employed a principal in
textual criticism that sez the shorter or more difficult reading is
considered to be the original. In this case, the shorter reading was
retained even though some credible manuscripts did have the longer
reading. The weight of manuscript evidence was in favor of the shorter
reading.
Note: Verses 3-8 form one single
cumbersome sentence in the original Greek. In this section, the Apostle
Paul introduces themes that will be expanded on in the rest of the letter:
-
faith, love, and hope
-
the gospel and worldwide
fruitfulness
-
the ministry of Epaphrus
-
the universal spread of God's
word
-
Christian hope
-
true wisdom and knowledge
-
behavior pleasing to God
Colossians 1:3-8 is the introductory
thanksgiving section of the letter. Ancient Greek letters used this form
repeatedly. The thanksgiving would usually start with the same Greek verb Ευχαριστεω
and would invoke some specific god.
Numerous examples outside the New Testament have been found.
The
introductory thanksgiving in Paul's letters served four basic purposes:
-
Epistolary - It
introduces major themes of the letter
-
universal
spread of God's Word
-
gospel (in
contrast to the Colossian philosophy)
-
Christian hope
-
thanksgiving to the Father
-
true wisdom and knowledge
with a resulting behavior that pleases the Lord
-
deliverance from bondage
-
Didactic - Important theological
motifs
-
faith
-
love
-
hope
-
gospel
-
knowledge
-
God's will
-
wisdom
-
understanding
-
Exhortatory (Encouragement)
-
Demonstrated his pastoral concern
for the church
See if you can find other examples of
introductory thanksgivings in Paul's letters
3. We always thank God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard
of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints -- (Ευχαριστουμεν
τω θεω
πατρι του
κυριου
ημων Ιησου
Χριστου
παντοτε
περι υμων
προσεθχομενοι)
Note: The use of the first
person plural (we, us) throughout this section is an example of the literary
plural. Paul uses this instead of the first person singular. Paul is
writing on behalf of his group, but Paul is the one doing the talking.
We always thank God (Ευχαριστουμεν)
-
1st Person Plural
Present Indicative of the verb (Ευχαριστεω)
feel thankful, feel obligated, to thank, give thanks, render or return
thanks
-
The indicative
mode of the verb gives the idea of continuous action - "We keep on
giving thanks" or "We're always giving
thanks".
always
(παντοτε)
-
Not
translated separately in the NIV which has "when we pray for
you"
-
Indicates
frequency of how often he gave thanks
-
According
to one scholar this is an example of hyperbole and was typical of ancient
letters. What he really meant was "Whenever
I pray I remember you" or "I regularly remember
you". Compare the concept in I
Thes 5:14 - 17 Pray without ceasing. Does Paul
(and the God who inspired him) really mean to spend all day praying?
No. One should go thru the day in an attitude of prayer.
προσεθχομενοι
-
present participle. Literally
"the ones praying"
The
Christian Trio = faith, love, hope
-
The
love which is active in the entire community marks all its conduct.
-
Compare:
I
Cor 13:13
- 13And
now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is
love.
I
Thes 1:3 - We continually remember before our God and Father your work
produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love,
and your endurance inspired by hope
in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I
Thes 5:8 - But since we belong to the day, let us be
self-controlled, putting on faith and
love
as a breastplate, and the hope
of salvation as a helmet.
Rms
5:1-5 - 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we[1] have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained
access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand. And we[2]
rejoice in the hope
of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[3]
also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Gal
5:5-6 - 5But by faith
we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
has any value. The only thing that counts is faith
expressing itself through love.
Eph
1:15,18 - 15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith
in the Lord Jesus and your love
for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I
pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you
may know the hope
to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the
saints,
Eph
4:2-5 - 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love.
3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit--just as you
were called to one hope
when you were called-- 5one Lord, one faith,
one baptism;
Heb
6:10-12 - 10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work
and the love
you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help
them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the
very end, in order to make your hope
sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those
who through faith
and patience inherit what has been promised.
4.
because we have heard
of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints -- (ακουσαντες
την πιστιν υμων
εν Χριστω
Ιησοθ και την
αγαπην ην
εχετε εις
παντας τους
αγιους)
-
ακουσαντες
= having heard
-
All this
is the basis for his thanksgiving
-
την
αγαπην =
proves the reality of faith
5.
the faith and love that spring from
the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard
about in the word of truth, the gospel (δια
την ελπιδα
την
αποκειμενην υμιν εν
τοις ουρανοις
ην προηκουσατε
εν τω
λογω της
αληθειας
του ευαγγελιου)
Hope (
την ελπιδα)
What is hope? Ans: assurance,
confidence, certainty
Hope is the basis for their faith and
love.
Compare:
Romans
8:24-25 24For in this hope we were
saved. But hope that is seen is no hope
at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But
if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait
for it patiently.
Three elements inherent
in hope:
1) An element of
time expressed as "waiting for"
2) some measure of
patience
3) something good that
is to happen at the end of the period of waiting.
Hope is the opposite of
dread.
Hope is the good you
may expect as you wait in confidence.
What can hope do for
us?
Titus
2:11-13 - 11For the grace of God that brings salvation has
appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly
lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope--the
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
I
Jn 3:3 - 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself,
just as he is pure.
την
αποκειμενην -
accusative present participle, to be laid up, preserved, to be in store, be
reserved, await, being reserved.
εν
τοις ουρανοις
- literally "in the
heavenlies" Compare Eph 2:6 (NIV) 6And God raised us
up with Christ and seated us with him in
the heavenly realms in Christ
Jesus, (KJV and NASV) in
heavenly places. In both places, the
original text has the same phrase εν
τοις ουρανοις
but, interestingly, the translators chose heaven
here in Colossians, while in Ephesians they opt for a slightly different
description.
προηκουσατε
- 1st aorist indicative 2nd person plural
- "heard beforehand"
ευαγγελιου
- gospel (as opposed to the false
teaching they had been dealing with
6.
that has come to you. All over the
world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among
you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its
truth. (του
παροντος
εις υμας
καθως και
εν παντι
τω κοσμω
εστιν καρποφορουμενον
και αυξανομενον καθως
και εν
υμιν αφ
ης ημερας
ηκουσατε
και επεγνωτε
την χαριν
του θεου
εν αληθεια)
καρποφορουμενον
και αυςανομενον
- According to Lightfoot, the two verbs
demote the inner workings (καρποφορουμενον)
and the outward extension (αυςανομενον)
of the gospel. Fruitbearing and growing go on simultaneously.
bearing fruit (καρποφορουμενον)
Present tense
Participle Middle Voice Neuter Nominative Singular
The present tense
in the Greek denotes continuous action. Literally here "is
constantly bearing fruit"
According to
Lightfoot, the middle voice here is used to intensify the word.
Called the dynamic middle. Using the middle voice here denotes the
inherent energy in the gospel.
According to
another author, this is the periphrastic present middle indicative -
emphasizes the continuity of the process
The gospel is
essentially a reproductive organism - a plant whose seed is in itself.
Compare: Same word
Luke
8:15 - 15 But that on the good ground are they,
which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring
forth fruit with patience. (Note: Here the KJV. NIV "and by
persevering produce a crop." Also Mk 4:20
Compare: Same word root.
Matt
3:8 - Produce fruit worthy of repentance.
Gen
8:17 - 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with
you-the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground-so
they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and
increase in number upon it."
No other instance of
the middle voice for this word n antiquity
Compare to Col 1:10
where the same word is in the active voice.
growing (αυξανομενον)
καθως
και εν
υμιν -
you shared in the same fruit in the
beginning
ηκουσατε
- 1nd
aorist indicative active 2nd person plural of ακουω
=
to hear
επεγνωτε
-
2nd aorist indicative active 2nd person plural of επιγινωσκω
= understanding, know exactly, know completely, know thoroughly
εν αληθεια
-
in truth as opposed to the false teachers
7.
You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful
minister of Christ on our behalf, (καθως
εμαθετε
απο Επαφρα
του αγαπητου
συνδουλου
ημων ος
εστιν
πιστος
υπερ υμων
διακονος
του Χριστου)
εμαθετε-
2nd aorist indicative active 2nd person plural of μαωθανω
= You learned it
Επαφρα
- Epaphras, short for Epaphroditus.
Common name found on inscriptions and papyri of the period. One
inscription has even been found around Colossae area, but they don't think it's
the same one cuz it was such a common name.
συνδουλου
- literally "fellow slave"
8. and who
also told us of your love in the Spirit.
(ο
και δηλωσας ημιν την υμων αγαπην εν πνεθματι)
Paul does not refer to
the Holy Spirit any place in this letter, unless this is the sole occurrence.
Since he does not make the Holy Spirit a key theme or word in his discussion
with the Colossians, then it is questionable whether the Holy Spirit is meant in
this context. The text simply states "told us of your love in
spirit." Could be "your spirit of love". In
contrast, nearly every major English translation capitalizes the word
"Spirit" indicating the relation to the Holy Spirit.
δηλωσας = 1st aorist Present nominative
singular masculine participle of δηλοω
= reveal, make clear, show
την υμων αγαπην=
of your love
εν πνεθματι
= literally "in
spirit"
