Colossians 3 | |
---|---|
Book | Epistle to the Colossians |
Category | Pauline epistles |
Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Order in the Christian part | 12 |
Colossians 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Traditionally, it is believed to have been written for the churches in Colossae and Laodicea (see Colossians 4:16) by Apostle Paul, with Timothy as his co-author, while he was in prison in Ephesus (years 53–54), although there are debatable claims that it is the work of a secondary imitator, or that it was written in Rome (in the early 60s). [1] In the previous chapter, Paul has reminded the people that they no longer "belong to the world", [2] but they are to live in intimate union with Christ, and this chapter contains his advice how he wants the Colossians to live. [3]
The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 25 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
Verses 1–4 "spell out the consequences of rising with Christ" and lead to an account of how believers "ought to live". [3]
Henry Alford prefers the wording "you died" in place of "you (ye) are dead". The latter "though allowable, is not so good, as merely asserting a state, whereas [you died] recalls the fact of that state having been entered on". [5]
"The word of Christ" may mean "the word spoken by Christ" ("Christ's message" in the Good News Bible), or "the message about Christ" (the Contemporary English Version), or "about the Messiah" ( Holman Christian Standard Bible). [13] Some Greek manuscripts read "God" (θεοῦ), for example, Codex Alexandrinus, Ephraemi Rescriptus and Minuscule 33, or "Lord" (κυρίου), as in Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Freerianus; all others have "Christ" (Χριστοῦ). [13]
As in the Epistle to the Ephesians, the instructions given to slaves are longer than those given to masters, because they concern not only Christian household slaves, but also slaves working outside households (in agriculture or industry, etc.) and slaves of non-Christian masters. [16] A model on the "mutual responsibilities of slaves and masters within the Christian fellowship" can be viewed in the Epistle to Philemon, where the slaves and masters are brothers in Christ. [17] Slaves of non-Christian masters should work more faithfully, because they are above all the servants of Christ, committed to please him, not the masters, or not fear the earthly masters but in reverence for Christ as the heavenly master (verse 23), and therefore linking the quality of their service to the reputation of Christ or Christianity. [18]