Colossians

by Sumney, Jerry L.

• ISBN13: 9780664221423
• ISBN10: 0664221424
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-17
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr

Summary

The letter to the Colossians offers great insight into the faith, life, and problems of an early Christian church. Understanding this letter to be one of Paul's prison epistles but aware of the differences between this and his other writings, Jerry Sumney shows how the church struggled with expressing its new faith in the diverse settings of the Greco-Roman world. Paying special attention to the ways of forgiveness and salvation through the power of Christ, this fine commentary shows Colossians' expansive Christology and expectant eschatology.The New Testament Library offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, as well as classic volumes of scholarship. The commentaries in this series provide fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, offer critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, pay careful attention to their literary design, and present a theologically perceptive exposition of the text.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xi
Bibliography	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Authorship and Date	p. 1
Destination	p. 9
The False Teaching	p. 10
Reception and Textual Witnesses for the Letter	p. 12
Theological Themes	p. 12
Commentary
1:1-2 Epistolary Greeting	p. 25
1:3-23 Introductory Thanksgiving and Prayer	p. 30
1:3-8 The Initial Thanksgiving	p. 31
1:9-12 Intercession for the Colossians	p. 43
1:13-14 God's Saving Acts	p. 55
1:15-20 Poetic Confession of the Place of Christ	p. 60
1:21-23 You Have Been Reconciled and Forgiven in Christ	p. 80
Metaphors for the Work of Christ in Colossians 1:12-23	p. 90
Accept This Letter's Teaching and Instruction Because Paul Is the Trustworthy Bearer of the True Gospel	p. 93
1:24-2:5 Paul Is the Trustworthy Bearer of the True Gospel	p. 95
1:24-29 Paul Suffers for the Benefit of the Church	p. 96
2:1-5 Paul Toils to Help the Church Remain Faithful to the True Gospel	p. 112
Accept the Letter's Teaching and Instruction Because Only This Message Is Consistent with the Faith You Have Already Received	p. 123
2:6-23 Remain Faithful to the Gospel You Received	p. 125
2:6-7 Hold On to the Faith	p. 126
2:8-15 Reject the Visionaries' Teaching Because You Already Possess God's Blessings	p. 128
2:16-23 Reject the Visionaries' Practices and Judgments against You	p. 148
2:16-19 Reject the Visionaries' Judgments	p. 149
2:20-23 The Visionaries' Teachings Have No Value	p. 159
Accept the Letter's Teaching and Instruction Because You Have Been Granted Holiness in Baptism	p. 171
3:1-4:6 Granted Holiness in Baptism, Live Holy Lives	p. 173
3:1-4 Seek the Things Above	p. 174
3:5-11 Put Away the Old Life	p. 185
The Scythians	p. 208
3:12-17 Put On the New Self (or, Since You Have Put On the New Self, Act Like It)	p. 209
Reading the Household Code	p. 230
3:18-4:1 The Household Code	p. 238
4:2-6 Concluding Exhortations	p. 255
4:7-18 Final Greetings and Instructions	p. 264
Index of Ancient Sources	p. 285
Index of Authors	p. 299
Index of Subjects	p. 303
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