Colossians: Summary of All Four Chapters

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman

The Epistle to the Colossians occupies a distinctive and contested position within the Pauline corpus. Questions concerning its authorship, date, and historical setting have generated sustained scholarly debate. These questions of authenticity are not merely ancillary; they significantly shape interpretations of the letter’s theology, social outlook, and historical aims.

In this article, I’ll give a summary of Colossians, situating it within the scholarly debates surrounding authorship and historical context and offering a systematic overview of its contents, chapter by chapter. Through this approach, I’ll clarify the letter’s theological claims, rhetorical strategies, and ethical concerns, while also highlighting the ways in which Colossians reflects broader developments in early Christianity. We’ll see why it remains a significant text for understanding the formation of Christian theology, community life, and social practice in the 1st century CE.

By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about Paul, check out Bart Ehrman’s online course “Paul and Jesus.”

Date and Authenticity of Colossians

In an earlier article on who wrote Colossians, I noted that a significant majority of biblical scholars believe that Paul was not the author. Colossians is usually classified as a Deutero-Pauline epistles, which are those that claim to be written by Paul but probably weren’t. However, I have to acknowledge that Pauline authorship of this letter is still debated and far from certain.

affUnfortunately, though, the authorship of Colossians does at least partially determine its date of composition. If it was written by Paul, it was certainly written late in his life. The author claims to be writing from prison, and scholars who believe in the letter’s authenticity say that it was likely written in the early 60s CE, when Paul was in prison in Rome (for this view, see for example N.T. Wright’s commentary on Colossians and Philemon).

However, if Colossians was not written by Paul, it was likely written in his name after his death,  which is traditionally said to have occurred around 64 CE. In the HarperCollins Study Bible, J. Paul Sampley argues that Colossians was written “at a post-Pauline time when women’s roles were diminished and when relationships within the [Christian] household were once again accommodated to the wider culture.” Based on such conclusions, Burton Mack argues in his book Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth, that Colossians was written late in the 1st century, sometime between 80 and 100 CE.

Having discussed the issues of authorship and dating, let’s now look into some general background before beginning our summary of Colossians.

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Audience and Occasion of Colossians

Who were the Colossians? Colossae was a small town in western Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The author (for the sake of convenience I’ll call him “Paul” for the rest of this article) is writing to a Christian community in Colossae, although he did not establish this community. Instead, Paul says it was started by a Colossian citizen named Epaphras (1:7-8).

Like many Pauline letters, the occasion for this letter is a controversy confronting that Colossian Christian community. Some opponents of Paul have apparently been in Colossae propagating a false teaching, seemingly a form of Jewish mysticism, according to Bart Ehrman’s Brief Introduction to the New Testament. The purpose of the letter, then, is to argue against these teachings and for Paul’s own teaching. The best way to outline both angles is to summarize the four chapters of the letter.

Colossians Chapter 1

The letter starts with a typical Pauline greeting, naming himself and Timothy as authors, mentioning the community in Colossae as the addressees, and wishing them grace and peace from God. Paul begins by noting that he thanks God for the community and the “fruit” that the gospel is bearing through them. He also notes that they were taught initially by Epaphras, whom he calls both a “beloved fellow servant” and a “minister of Christ on our behalf.” This indicates that while Epaphras established the community, he did it consciously based on Paul’s teachings.

Paul goes on to say that he constantly prays for the Colossian group, asking for them to receive divine wisdom and strength in order to bear the trials that have come upon them. He then transitions into a theological statement on the cosmic supremacy of Christ.

This statement gives Christ several grand titles, beginning with “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (1:15). He also claims that, in Christ, everything in the universe was created and continues to be sustained. Christ is also said to be “the head of the body, the church… the beginning, the firstborn from the dead” (1:18). Christ has furthermore reconciled all things in heaven and earth to himself through his death on the cross. This majestic, cosmic role for Christ has more in common with the prologue of the Gospel of John than with many of the authentic letters of Paul.

Paul goes on to say that, because of Christ’s salvific death, Christians who continue steadily in the correct faith have been brought to God despite their sins. He calls himself “a minister of this gospel” here (1:23).

Finally, Paul writes that he celebrates his current sufferings on behalf of Christ and the church since God commissioned him to spread the gospel. He says that the goal of teaching and establishment of Christians in God energizes and motivates him.

Colossians Chapter 2

Paul begins this chapter by telling the Colossians that he has worked hard for them and those in the city of Laodicea (about 12 miles northwest of Colossae). He says he wants them to unite in love and understand the full mystery of God in Christ “so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments” (2:4). This is the introduction to Paul’s argument against his opponents.

Paul warns the Colossians not to be taken in by “philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental principles of the world” (2:8). Sampley notes that while the first part of this phrase refers to privileging human ideas over the divine, the second part – “the elemental principles of this world” – is a reference to the “widespread Greco-Roman notion that the universe is composed of celestial powers that rule life.”

Instead, believers must keep their focus upon Christ in whom “the fullness of deity dwells bodily” (2:9) and who is above all powers. He says that when Christians were “buried” with Christ through baptism, they were also raised with him. This is one of the theological points, by the way, that makes many scholars doubt that Paul actually wrote this letter. In the authentic letters of Paul, the resurrection is always a future event while for this author, it has already happened in a spiritual sense. As Ehrman notes, “the question many interpreters have raised over the years is: Which is it? Have Christians already been raised or not?”

Paul goes on to tell his readers not to let anyone denounce them for their practices – or lack thereof – around “food or drink… festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths” (2:16). In the Jewish Annotated New Testament, Peter Zaas notes that this means that “the Colossians want to eat, drink, and sanctify time like Jews.” In other words, the author’s opponents are Jews or Jewish Christians who argue that the Colossian community should continue Jewish practices.

In addition, the opponents apparently advocate “self-abasement and worship of angels” (2:18), something Paul insists is a deviation from life in Christ. Ehrman says that “self-abasement” here refers to asceticism — acts of self-denial, such as extreme fasting. Paul admits that if the Colossians take up such practices, they will appear wise but will not achieve the righteousness required by God.

Colossians Chapter 3

In chapter 3, Paul sums up what life should be like for one raised with Christ through baptism. This principally involves focusing on heavenly rather than earthly things since they have ostensibly “died” to earthly things. Accordingly, he says that the Colossians must “put to death” immoral behaviors like “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry)” (3:5). This is apparently a list of the pre-baptism sins committed by members of the community, which they should have rejected after baptism.

He adds “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language,” (3:8) as well as lying, to the list of unrighteous behaviors that must be discarded. He then urges adoption of the opposite qualities: “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (3:12). He further urges them to forgive each other and live together in harmony.

Next we have what will later be known as the “household codes”: rules for the Christian household. These include wives being submissive to their husbands, children obeying their parents, and slaves obeying their masters (3:18-4:1), among others.

Colossians Chapter 4

This chapter begins with an injunction to pray frequently, and to include the author, who now writes that he is in prison, in their prayers. Meanwhile, they are to treat outsiders of the faith with wisdom. This probably means providing a good example of Christian life, as well as not following the ungodly examples of outsiders.

In the final farewell, Paul writes that a man named Tychius will be bringing the letter to Colossae and giving Paul news about the Colossians. Tychius is mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament as well (Acts 20:4, Eph 6:21-22, 2 Tim 4:12, Titus 3:12). Paul also refers to another person traveling with Tychius named Onesimus. This is the name of the runaway slave referred to in Paul’s letter to Philemon and may or may not be the same person.

Finally, Paul sends greetings to several specific people in Colossae, from some familiar names, including Mark, Epaphras, and Luke (4:10). Paul says that he signs the letter with his own hand, indicating that, as usual with Pauline literature, the letter was dictated to a scribe. Of course, since we don’t have an original manuscript of the letter, we can’t see Paul’s signature.

Conclusion

The Epistle to the Colossians is a letter written to a Christian community in the small city of Colossae. The author claims to be Paul, but, according to most scholars, was probably a much later author writing in Paul’s name.

The letter is written to counteract the influence of a Jewish or Jewish Christian group who were teaching the community about practices the author thought heretical. These included Jewish practices, including kosher laws around food and drink and celebrating the Jewish festivals. It also seems to have involved ascetic practices and even angel-worship. The author argues that since Christ is the all-powerful creator and ruler of the cosmos, allegiance to him alone is required.

This loyalty includes not only belief, but the rejection of immoral behaviors and the adoption of righteous ones, especially regarding the treatment of other people. He asks them to be kind and forgiving of each other.

Questions of the authorship of this letter have not diminished its significance in Christian life. Its injunctions to ethical conduct and reverence for Christ’s cosmic role accorded well with most forms of Christianity, while its “household codes” placed it well within the traditional patriarchal family structures of the Roman Empire.