There has always been a discussion as to who wrote the letter of Colossians but no definitive answer has been found. The argument against Paul's authorship was that Paul never visited the church there and Paul has a record of at least visiting churches before he sends letters to them. Also, the vocabulary is different from the other letters that actually were written by Paul then in Colossians and other books that are in question. The argument for Paul's authorship is in the first sentence of Colossians, Paul identifies himself and not someone else. He also identifies himself late in the first chapter. The big fact for Paul to be the undisputed author would be the connection between Philemon and Colossians. The two letters would have been closely
After his conversion to Christianity, Paul traveled throughout the Roman Empire and preached the Gospel, similar to Jesus’ own ministry across Galilee. Paul’s teachings were more focused on the community and the relationships of its members with each other and with non-Christians, whereas Jesus’ teachings were geared towards the individual and his/her personal relationship to God. Despite this discrepancy in their doctrines, Paul’s teachings remain consistent with those of Jesus. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul’s teachings, such as unity in the community and love for others, echo the teachings of Jesus as depicted in the Gospel of Mark and Matthew. Paul essentially reiterates the teachings of Jesus, and applies them to the lives of the people he preaches to, so that they may understand Jesus’ teachings and embrace Christianity.
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure”- 2 Corinthians 12:7, (KJV). To help get a better understanding of how other translations translate the beginning of this verse, which they say, “To keep me from becoming conceited.” We as Christian’s, human beings living on God’s earth, indeed love attention, accolades’, and praise. In the above-mentioned scripture we have here, Paul has received a special gift in which he can receive revelations from God. In his revelation, Paul receives a thorn in the flesh. There are many speculations on what the thorn was; we will elaborate on that a little later in the paper. The focus as of yet, will be on humbling down of Paul and how this passage of scripture starts out. I think we often miss this point. The point being, we concentrate on the thorn and oh, how we speculate what it was. If you look at the start of the verse “least, I should be exalted or conceited above measure,” clearly displays Paul, in humble adoration. In his writings, he would often make it evidently clear that it was nothing he was doing or could do, but it was always about Christ. What a lesson for Christians today if we could “set our minds that there will be thorns along the way” (Gleanings from the Corinthian Letters), nevertheless it is about Christ. Christ himself was not conceited or prideful and his pattern should be emulated. However, the rhetoric Paul here follows is the pattern of Christ in complete acknowledgement of giving oneself completely.
Scholars of the Pauline writings have divided them into the following categories: (1) those unquestionably by Paul: Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, I Thessalonians, and Philemon; (2) a letter that was probably written by Paul, but has had serious questions raised about its' authorship: II Thessalonians; (3) letters that were not actually written by Paul but were developed from his thought: Colossians and Ephesians; (4) letters that bear Paul's name but clearly come from another time and different set of circumstances in the church: I and II Timothy and Titus (the so-called Pastoral Letters); (5) a letter not bearing Paul's name and which evidences a wholly different thought and religious vocabulary from that of Paul: the Letter to the Hebrews (Kee, 5th Ed. 224).
Throughout many of Paul’s letters there are many debates pertaining to the authorship, destination, date, and the purpose. In the book of Ephesians many scholars debate on the authorship and if Paul actually wrote the letter, or if it was a scribe. Although there are some debates on whether Paul actually wrote it or not, he does refer to himself twice in the letter. In 1:1 and in 3:1 Paul states himself, 1:3 states, “For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles” (NIV) In verse 1:3 Paul states that he is a prisoner, therefore it is debated that he did not specifically write this because he was imprisoned in Rome at this time. According to Wallace “This, of course, is not to say that the letter must be by Paul, but it is to argue that without such internal testimony, no such claim could be made” (Wallace). Many scholars also debate on the vocabulary usage and the structure of the letter. Some believe that the structure is similar, but the vocabulary seems to be different than his New Testament epistles. Hoehner claims that,” Though the book has a close affinity with Colossians, critics claim that Ephesians is uncharacteristic of Paul” (Hoehner 613). The destination of Ephesians is somewhat debated, but many do believe that the letter was sent to the church of Ephesus. “Some to claim that Ephesus is a better starting point, others suggest Caesarea.” (Wallace) Although this is an argument that has many valid points, it is obvious that Paul was imprisoned in Rome while he wrote Ephesians. It is said by Hoehner that “Ephesians was probably delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also took Paul’s letter to Colossians (Col. 4:7-9)” (Hoehner 613). As for the date goes m...
The historical cultural situation of the writer and his audience is that in this time Paul is preaching to Ephesus, and that the audience are mostly gentiles. Pauls original name was Saul, and he was an apostle who spoke the Gospel of God, to the 1st century audience/world. The author is much undeinfed, but most have found that it can be paul, and little say it was a follower of paul. His background was personally chosen by God. Gods best messeng...
In continuance of Romans chapter 5 verse 20, the next sentence of this verse reads as follows: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”, notice, the beginning portion of the sentence as stated just before the comma is implemented, it says, “But where sin abounded. What this means is, that where sin was exceedingly plentiful and beyond measure in the sense of it having dominion, it no longer abound having dominion over the lives of those who were born and shaped in iniquity, but instead are made free from this curse through Jesus Christ. Because of the grace of God, we were justified by faith unto redemption in salvation, praise God, sin is no longer present.
There are many introduction issues pertaining to Colossians authorship. Along with arguments and issues there are a few debates and questioning pertaining to the date, location, and the occasion, but overall all agree. Many scholars have come to the conclusion that Paul indeed is the author of Colossians, but there are some debates and questioning. There are two main arguments that deal with the authorship of the epistle. There is much debate on the literary usage in Colossians and the style in which it is written. Along with the vocabulary and style many argue with the theology behind the epistle as well. An example for concerning the argument towards the style is found in Colossians 1:27 where the unusual genitival words are used. Donald Guthrie does argue however that, “stylistic differences are generally attributable to changing circumstances or subject matter” (Guthrie 553). With arguing that Colossians is not written by Paul then Ephesians should also be questioned. It is said that either Ephesians is dependent on Colossians or Colossians is dependent on Ephesians. Guthrie also claims that, ““The strongest arguments in support of its authenticity are the indisputable nature of the external evidence and the inseparable connection of the epistle with Philemon” (Guthrie). There are also arguments that claim that the heresy in Colossians is second century Gnosticism. Despite all of the arguments it is evident that Paul is the author and evidence of this is shown in Colossians 1:1, 1:23, 4:18 where he speaks of himself in first person. There is evidence that Tychicus is the carrier of both Ephesians and Colossians. Not only does Paul refer to himself like he does in all of the epistles, but Colossians...
The Epistle to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the longest of the Pauline epistles and is considered his "most important theological legacy. The Apostle Paul wrote it roughly about A.D. 57. The key personalities in the book of Romans are the Apostle Paul, and Phoebe who delivered this letter. Paul wrote the letter to the believers in Rome, hence the name “Romans”. He wrote it to give them a concrete theological foundation on which to construct their faith and to live for and serve God effectively” a servant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle and set
There are always different stories acquainted about the various challenges incurred before settling peacefully, on subjects concerning the existence of a given group of people especially indigenous American. Samson Occom wrote the primary text Sermon on Moses Paul (1772) which addresses the sermon preached about the life of a young Indian man called Moses Paul who faced execution in the year 1772 after allegedly being drunk and killing Moses Cock. The second primary text by Mary Rowlandson is Sovereignty and Goodness of God (1682). It is a religious narration based on Christianity by the writer on her encounter with Native Americans after they attacked Lancaster and took her along
Virtually all scholars accept the Apostle Paul as the author of Philemon. Paul, who was formally called Saul prior to his work as an Apostle, was born in the city of Tarsus, the Capital of ancient Cilicia. Tarsus was declared a free city by Rome, thus making Paul a Roman citizen. He was Jewish by blood from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul studied under the teaching and influence of the rabbi Gamaliel and became a Pharisee. As a Pharisee, Paul possessed a rigid adherence to the letter of the law and strongly opposed and fought against Christianity. Paul was converted to Christianity by Jesus on a persecution journey to Damascus in AD 33. After his conversion, Paul became a missionary to the Gentile world. He is believed to have written at least thirteen books of the New Testament before his death in AD 67-68.
Grayston, Kenneth. The Letters of Paul to the Philippians and to the Thessalonians. CBC. London: Cambridge U.P., 1967.
I found quite a few sites that believe that Paul did not write II Thessalonians but don’t get me wrong there are also some who do believe the he did write this book but I will not make a decision because there because it is not clear from my readings of both books who is the actual writer is. I agree that this is an important part of Biblical history because it helps us date the writing of II Thessalonians.
The book of Romans is the book doctrinal written by the Apostle Paul. This book is also a book is unique because it was written and sent without Paul never went to Rome or find churches in Rome.
The term “hope” appeared many times within the letters of Paul, fifty-four in the NIV Bible to be exact. The Greek term that Paul used for “hope”, “ἐλπίς ”, conveys a sense of trust in a divinely given future. Paul amplified this definition for hope in Romans; he wrote, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?”
Johnson, S. Lewis. “Studies in the Epistle to the Colossians.” Bibliotheca Sacra 118 (1961): 147.