Chapter 1:1-2:3
Notice that the letter begins like Philippians and Philemon did, with an introduction and an exhortation. The cadence and structure of the letter match that of the other Pauline writings perfectly. It is without doubt that whoever wrote the letter had written with Paul before. It lends a lot of credence to my view, I think, that Paul wrote at least part of the text. Paul acknowledges Timothy as his cohort yet again. Paul and Timothy’s relationship must have been remarkably close, given how often Timothy is acknowledged as Paul’s companions in the letters (he is mentioned in nine of the Pauline letters, so almost every one of them). We know that Timothy had a Jewish mother and a Greek father, and that he zealously helped Paul and Silas in their ministry. He is a remarkable figure in the New Testament, and it is doubtful that Paul was closer to anyone. This brings up an interesting thought: could Timothy himself have been the one who finished the letter for Paul? It makes some sense, given how close the letter stays to Paul’s original writings.
Yet the letters to Timothy are themselves likely written by Timothy himself later in life, a much later reconstruction by memory of some of the things Paul wrote to him. The majority of scholars reject the idea that Paul wrote the letters to Timothy (1 & 2 Timothy) himself. That is because certain words used in that book did not really exist until after 90 AD, long after Paul had passed away. Timothy is the possible author of those books, re-creating some of what Paul had written to him and adapting them for a new time and new context. But in 1 & 2 Timothy, the writer methodically avoids speaking of the raising from the dead as Paul did in most of his letters. So if Timothy was a later reconstruction by Timothy himself, it seems he picked up Paul’s method of speaking of the resurrection only in future tense (except, of course, when it comes to Jesus himself).
Whether Timothy wrote a good chunk of Colossians or not, it is significant that he is mentioned here. Timothy was close to Paul throughout his life, and was probably there with him at the end. How powerful is friendship? A book of the Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus or Jesus Ben Sirach, says it wonderfully, “a faithful friend is a good defense, and he that hath found such a one hath found a treasure” (6:14). Think about the lessons concerning friendship that we learned all the way back in Ruth. The image of Timothy here towards the end of Paul’s life is the same kind of thing.
The Colossians were a faithful community never visited by Paul personally, but started by a pupil of his named Epaphras, who is mentioned here (1:7). Paul’s commendation of the man is a way of reinforcing Epaphras’ authority. Those who are seeding false doctrines into Collosae’s Christian community are opposing Epaphras. Paul is saying, in essence, that Epaphras is right and that his doctrines are the correct ones.
The church there is growing swiftly and strongly. This period marks one of the highest points in the Church’s history, and you can feel that here when the writers liken the growth of the community at Colossae to the growth of the church everywhere. Early on in the church’s history, persecutions were sporadic and limited. There was no official Roman policy towards Christians, because Christians were not really distinguished from Jews at this point. Jews could not be forced to take part in the Roman Imperial Cult, and since all Jesus followers were technically still Jewish, persecution of them had no firm legal basis. The Church grew rapidly and effectively, all over the Roman Empire. It seemed to many that this growth would continue until the Second Coming, which most people expected relatively soon. Paul certainly did. It wasn’t until the split between Jews and Christians solidified after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and the canonizing of the Jewish Bible in 90 AD that persecution of Christians became official Roman policy. At that point, many Christians experienced a crisis of faith. The animosity of Rome and the problems this created for Church growth confused many members of the church, who looked back to prosperous times when it seemed the growth of the church would never end as signs of God’s favor. The writers’ mention of the success of the truth is a sign of these particular times.
The writers go on to send out a prayer for the Colossians. They pray for wisdom, understanding and spiritual power for the readers. The power they pray for is the same kind of power Paul spoke of in Philippians: the power of God given to those who make the Cross manifest in their own lives. The prayer for knowledge and wisdom makes sense, as the writers are seeking to guard the community against the doctrinal mistakes of those who oppose Epaphras.
Notice the contrast between the darkness and Christ. Christ is the light who opposes the power of darkness. One of the supreme dichotomies or conflicts in the Bible is the contrast between light and darkness. Darkness is identified with evil and ignorance and folly. Light is knowledge, and the power of God. It is hard to overstate the importance of this juxtaposition. Light is all-giving. It is in itself invisible, but it illuminates everything it touches. Darkness, on the other hand, absorbs light. It takes and does not give. This contrast between light and dark, and the vision of light and dark as in conflict, can be found through religions and throughout cultures. For Christians, the living and giving character of light is reflected in the life of Jesus. Jesus is the light of God. To follow Him is to see the Truth, and to have all God has given to you. This is the power that the writers pray for the Colossians to have. It is obviously connected to the hope for wisdom and knowledge as well.
One of the remarkable things is just how in line this is with modern science. Science has come to realize that light is the most fundamental physical thing in the universe, and that it is also one of the most mysterious. Quantum physics tells us that everything in the universe, all matter and all energy, is just light quantized in different states. This is the meaning of Einstein’s matter-energy conversion formula E= MC2 and it is not too much to say that in modern physics, it is the key to everything. Yet light remains in many ways a mystery, as Arthur Zajonc shows beautifully in his book CATCHING THE LIGHT. It behaves in ways that defy rational explanation and continues to confound scientists with it’s ability to break all the rules of what we normally call ‘reason’. Ancient peoples perceived this on a more intuitive level. For Christians the importance and mystery of light which so captivated all people was experienced directly in Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Christ was the mystery to which all religions were reaching when they became obsessed with light.
This all might seem very abstract and heady, but it is absolutely necessary that one reflect on these two verses: 1:13-14 in this kind of way if one is to fully grasp the next section. So stop for a minute and reflect upon all light means for life, for matter, for everything, and try if you can to see the connection early Christians made between Jesus and light. For as Philippians’ central text was a hymn, so too does Colossians turn on a very early Christian hymn, one that deals with the ramifications of identifying Jesus with the Kingdom of Light. Verses 15-20 are very much like the second chapter of Philippians, that sought to connect Christ to the struggles of the Church and to the very foundations of the cosmos. Here we have a supreme vision of the Cosmic Christ, the whole of creation holding together in this simple man on the Cross. The implications are mind-boggling, and very exciting. To think that when you read the Gospels you are reading not just the story of one man (though you are), but the very story of the cosmos now. That everything in the universe, every swirling atom and every booming supernova, can be understood through Jesus Christ.
The Greeks were always searching for the Logos, the thought or idea that could tie all of the universe together. Jews had a similar idea called Wisdom, which was the very mind of God personified. This angelic being, this living expression of God’s mind was a kind of co-worker with God in creation. This is expressed specifically in Proverbs 8 and in the book The Wisdom of Solomon, in the Apocrypha. Paul or his followers, in writing Colossians, is establishing Christ as similar to these ideas, but superior to them. Jesus is the supreme co-creator with God. Think about the foundational place light plays in science. Jesus plays the exact same role spiritually. That is the significance of identifying Jesus with the light.
This hymn plays out that significance in beautiful poetry. Additional to Christ’s place as the foundation of all physical reality, Jesus is also creating in and through the Church. The Church is a physical outpost, an outward and visible sign of the Son’s hidden place within all of reality. And through the Church Christ seeks to bring the physical in line with the spiritual. We are Christ’s hands and feet creating the world with God.
This mystical reality, Christ alive, is what brought the Gentiles from the darkness to the light. Verses 21-29 are all classic Paul. There is little doubt in my mind that he wrote this part of the letter. That idea, that Logos or Wisdom which God has seeded in nature is made plain to the mind of the Church, according to Paul. By holding fast to that truth, by conforming oneself to the idea that is the foundation of all things, the idea that Christ embodies, one is forgiven of all sin, and stands as a perfected being before God.
Paul ends this section by re-establishing the pattern we saw in Philippians. By embodying the Cross in our own lives, we make the power of God manifest. Paul is telling the Colossians that his sufferings mimic those of Christ, so that the Church (Christ’s physical manifestation on earth) can be built up. The Cross Paul experiences leads to the power that builds up the church. The talk of the Gentiles having a place almost primary above the Jews in verse 27 is not in line with anything written in Paul’s undisputed letters, but the real meaning of the words is vague, and it may not be as un-Pauline as it first appears. Notice the ecstasy with which the writers speak of the hidden mysteries of God. Whoever wrote these words has seen a vision, a vision of the Great All, the Foundation of existence, coming into this physical world as Jesus. He sees in Jesus the key to all mysteries, to all truth. That vision is clearly in line with the Paul’s own. So whether his follower or the man himself, the message is what really matters: that man, that Jesus who died on the Cross, is the very presence of Ultimate Reality, and the Foundation of All That Is. Colossians is all about sharing that vision with the reader. If we can get just a taste of it, if we can see but a glimpse, then we too can share the power that Paul prayed would come to the church at Colossae.
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