“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.”

The introductions to Paul’s letters are often brief but loaded with Paul’s notions about God, Jesus, the Spirit, the church, and his part in God’s purposes. He uses many cryptic terms that are short-hand for deep truths about our faith. The introduction in Colossians contains many of these elements which we briefly will look at one by one.

Paul’s Qualifications

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”

1. The Greek word apostolos is normally transliterated as apostle. Paul says that he is an authorized emissary who speaks for the one who sent him (Rom 1.1; 1 Cor 1.1; 2 Cor 1.1). Jewish notions of agency held that “an agent is like the one who sent him” (Mek. Ex. 12.3,6; Berakoth 5.5; Baba Metzia 96a; etc.). An apostle is one who speaks for the sender when the sender cannot be physically present. An apostle operates under delegated authority.
2. Paul’s authority is delegated to him by Jesus himself. He claims the same level of authority as the first eleven apostles. Though he had not seen Jesus physically, he had an encounter with the risen Jesus who personally commissioned Paul.
3. There were groups in the early church who did not accept the Gentile mission undertaken by Paul, nor the way in which he went about it. Paul justifies his role as the apostle to the Gentiles, that is, those who were not Jews. Paul states that his mission is not a mistake or error but the direct result of God’s will.

Paul’s Views About the Colossian Christians

“to the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Colossae”

1. The Greek word hagioi is normally translated as saints when it appears in the phrase hoi hagioi, literally “the holy ones”. In the Old Testament and other Jewish literature the following categories of people were designated holy: priests and Levites (Lev 21.7-8; Num 16.5-7; 2 Chr 35.3; Ps 106.16), Nazirites (Num 6.5-8), prophets (2 Kgs 4.9), and most significantly the whole people of Israel (Ps 16.3; 34.9; Dan 7.18; 8.24; Tob 8.15; Wis 18.9; 1QSb 3.2 (rule of Blessings); 1QM 3.5 (War Scroll)). Paul takes on the last usage and applies it to the whole church in Colossae. They constitute that portion of the population of Colossae who are consecrated, or set apart, to and by God. God is both the initiator and the reason for their consecration.
2. The Greek word pistis means faithful, trustworthy, reliable, and believing. All of these facets should be included. Belief without faithfulness is inconceivable in the bible.
3. The Greek word adelphos is literally brother. However, in its plural form it is also used in a non-gender specific manner to mean brothers and sisters. This is like the English word mankind that includes men and women.
4. Colossae was one of three major cities in the Roman province of Asia, modern day Turkey. The other two cities were Laodicea and Hierapolis. All three were situated in the valley of the river Lycus. Archaeological expeditions have not uncovered the actual city. So its precise location is unknown.

Paul’s Greeting

“grace to you and peace from God our Father”

1. The normal salutation used in the Greek speaking world was chairein, which meant hail. Paul consistently used the word charis, which meant favor, goodwill, kindness, mercy. It is very close to the Hebrew word chen, which also had similar meanings. In English it is almost always translated with the word grace. However, we should keep in mind that Paul is not talking about some vague theological abstraction. Rather he is issuing a blessing to the Colossian Christians. He is blessing them with the favor of God. This is in keeping with the best Old Testament blessing found in Num 6.25-6 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift his countenance upon you, and give you peace”. The worst state a Jew could be in was one in which he or she felt that God had turned his face away from him or her. Paul is offering the opposite, God turning in the direction of the Colossian Christians with his favor.
   
2. The Greek word eirene strictly means peace, harmony, or order. It is commonplace to hear that the Greeks understood peace in terms of the absence of war and then draw a contrast with the Hebrew understanding of peace reflected in the word shalom. This is the way most Greek speaking politicians and rulers used the word, much like English speaking politicians and rulers use the word peace today. However, the Greek philosophers understood that there was more to peace than the mere absence of war. Moreover, the Jewish people translated the Old Testament into Greek in the 2nd century BC and naturally used the Greek word eirene to translate the Hebrew word shalom. So when Paul blesses the Colossian church with peace we must understand it in terms of wholeness, harmony, all well-being, all characteristics of the Jewish Messianic age.
   
3. Both favor and wholeness are related to God’s being a Father to his people. Favor indicates the disposition God has toward his children. He looks at them with love in order to bless. And the result of his blessing them is that they get to share in the wholeness that characterizes his reign.