Colossians and Philemon. Michael F. Bird

98. Dunn 1996: 306–7.

99. Bruce 1977: 401.

Colossians

      Letter Opening and Greeting (1:1–2)

      1 Paul, an Apostle of Messiah Jesus through the will of God and Timothy our brother. 2 To the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Messiah in Colossae. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

      The letter begins with a standard epistolary prescript detailing the sender and recipient. At the head of the letter stands Paul, an Apostle of Messiah Jesus. The mention of Paul introduces the apostle as the author (or coauthor) of the communication. Paul did not establish the church in Colossae, but he would no doubt have been known to the Colossian assembly through Epaphras who was probably sent by Paul to establish house churches in the Lycus Valley (Col 1:7; 4:12; Phlm 23). Paul’s evangelistic activities and hardships faced in Ephesus (1 Cor 15:32; 16:8; Acts 18:19; 19:1–41; 20:17–38) would have been among the things for which he was known. The letter stands as a substitute then for his personal presence and is also all the more important given the current absence of Epaphras and the uncertainties surrounding the effectiveness of the ministry of Archippus (Col 4:17; Phlm 2). As usual, Paul identifies himself as an apostle, and apostolos means “one who is sent” or an authorized emissary of a third party. One can be the apostle of a church (2 Cor 8:23; Phil 2:25), but Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1; 2 Tim 1:1; Titus 1:1).