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Bible chapter guide
Colossians 1
Paul thanks God for the Colossians' faith, which they learned from Epaphras. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; all things were created through him and hold together in him, and through him God reconciled all things by the blood of his cross.
Summary written for the Labs; read the chapter itself for the full text.
See it in the Labs
The letter: who wrote it, where and when
These questions are debated; the views are shown side by side with how sure each is, as in Paul's Roads.
- Plausible
Colossians written from Rome
The traditional view: Acts 28:30–31 has Paul two years under guard in Rome, free to receive visitors, and the letters mention Caesar's household and the praetorian guard (Philippians 1:13; 4:22).
- Plausible
Colossians written from Ephesus
Paul speaks of many imprisonments and of deadly peril in Asia (2 Corinthians 1:8; 11:23), and Ephesus lies close to Colossae and Philippi for the many journeys the letters assume; but Acts records no imprisonment at Ephesus.
- Plausible
Paul's authorship of Colossians is debated.
Many scholars think this letter was written after Paul's death in his name; others hold that Paul wrote it. The lab shows the setting the letter itself gives and takes no side.
- Speculative
Colossians written from Caesarea
Paul was held two years at Caesarea (Acts 24:27) with friends allowed to visit him (24:23); a minority reading places some prison letters there.
How sure can we be?
- Textually stated
Timothy is named as co-sender of six of Paul's letters.
2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Philemon open with Paul and Timothy (with Silas in the Thessalonian letters).
- Strongly supported
Colossae is located with confidence.
The site is identified by ancient sources and remains on the ground; Pleiades 638811.
- Strongly supported
Epaphras, not Paul, founded the church at Colossae.
Colossians 1:7 says they learned the gospel from Epaphras, and 2:1 speaks of those who have not seen Paul's face. Paul likely reached the Lycus valley through Epaphras while based at Ephesus.