Colossians and Ephesians

by MacDonald, Margaret Y.

• ISBN13: 9780814658192
• ISBN10: 0814658199
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-10-01
• Publisher: Michael Glazier

Author Biography

Margaret Y. MacDonald, D.Phil. (University of Oxford), is professor, department of religious studies, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Table of Contents

Editor's Preface	vii
Preface	ix
Abbreviations	xiii
Introduction
A Social-Scientific Approach	1	(3)
Reading Colossians and Ephesians Together	4	(2)
Colossians	6	(9)
Who Wrote Colossians?	6	(3)
To Whom, When, and Where Was Colossians Written?	9	(1)
The Opponents	10	(1)
Religious Significance	10	(5)
Ephesians	15	(8)
Who Wrote Ephesians?	15	(2)
To Whom, When, and Where Was Ephesians Written?	17	(1)
The Nature and Purpose of Ephesians	18	(3)
Religious Significance	21	(2)
General Bibliography	23	(8)
Translation, Notes, and Interpretation
COLOSSIANS
Greeting (1:1-2)	31	(5)
Thanksgiving for the Colossians (1:3-8)	36	(10)
Prayer on Behalf of the Colossians (1:9-14)	46	(12)
The Christ-Hymn (1:15-20)	58	(13)
Application of the Hymn to the Situation in Colossae (1:21-23)	71	(7)
Paul's Authority in Colossae and Laodicea (1:24-2:7)	78	(18)
Debate with the Opponents: The Power of the Risen Christ (2:8-15)	96	(13)
Debate with the Opponents: Warnings against Ascetic Practices (2:16-23)	109	(17)
New Life in Light of the Resurrection (3:1-4)	126	(8)
Ethical Guidelines for a New Life (3:5-17)	134	(18)
The Households of Believers (3:18-4:1)	152	(18)
Prayer, Mission, and Contact with Outsiders (4:2-6)	170	(7)
Conclusion: Personal Notes and Greetings (4:7-18)	177	(14)
EPHESIANS
Greeting (1:1-2)	191	(5)
Blessing (1:3-14)	196	(18)
Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:15-23)	214	(13)
The Consequences of Life Together with Christ (2:1-10)	227	(13)
The Unity of Jews and Gentiles Created by Christ (2:11-22)	240	(19)
The Apostle as Interpreter of the Divine Mystery (3:1-13)	259	(15)
Prayer and Doxology (3:14-21)	274	(11)
The Unity of the Spirit (4:1-16)	285	(15)
The Sons of Disobedience and the Children of Light (4:17-5:20)	300	(24)
The Households of Believers (5:21-6:9)	324	(18)
Doing Battle with Evil (6:10-20)	342	(8)
Conclusion: Personal Matters and Final Blessing (6:21-24)	350	(5)
Indexes
Selected Scriptural Citations	355	(22)
Selected References to Other Literature	377	(6)
Index of Authors	383	(4)
Index of Subjects	387