The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (226 page)

16
 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of
food and drink
or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.
¹⁷
These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
¹⁸
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and
worship of angels
, taking his stand on visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
¹⁹
and not holding fast to the
Head, from whom the whole body
, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20
 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations,
²¹
"
Do not handle
, Do not taste, Do not touch"
²²
(referring to things which all perish as they are used), according to
human precepts and doctrines
?
²³
These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting
rigor of devotion
and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh.
^e

New Life in Christ

3
  
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God
.
²
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
³
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
⁴
When Christ who is our life appears
, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5
 
Put to death
therefore
what is earthly
in you: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
⁶
On account of these the
wrath of God
is coming.
^f
7
In these you once walked, when you lived in them.
⁸
But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth.
⁹
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his practices
¹⁰
and have
put on the new
man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his creator.
¹¹
Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scyth'ian, slave, free man, but
Christ is all
, and in all.

12
 Put on then, as God's
chosen ones
, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,
¹³
forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven
you, so you also must forgive.
¹⁴
And over all these put on
love
, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
¹⁵
And let the
peace
of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
¹⁶
Let
the word of Christ
dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
¹⁷
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Rules for Christian Households

18
 
*
 
Wives, be subject
to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
¹⁹
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
²⁰
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
²¹
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
²²
Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord.
²³
Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men,
²⁴
knowing that from the Lord you will receive
the inheritance
as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.
²⁵
For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

4
  
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Further Instructions

2
 Continue steadfastly in
prayer
, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;
³
and pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which
I am in prison
,
⁴
that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak.

5
 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.
⁶
Let your speech always be gracious,
seasoned
with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one.

Final Greetings and Benediction

7
 
Tych'icus
will tell you all about my affairs; he is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.
⁸
I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,
⁹
and with him
Ones'imus
, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of yourselves. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

10
 
Aristar'chus
my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas
 
*
(concerning whom you have received
instructions
—if he comes to you, receive him),
¹¹
and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
¹²
Ep'aphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant
^g
of Christ Jesus, greets you, always remembering you earnestly in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
¹³
For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in La-odice'a and in Hi-erap'olis.
¹⁴
Luke the beloved physician
 
*
and Demas greet you.
¹⁵
Give my greetings to the brethren at La-odice'a, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
¹⁶
And when this letter has been
read among you
, have it read also in the Church of the La-odice'ans; and see that you read also the letter from La-odice'a.
¹⁷
And say to Archip'pus, "See that you
fulfil the ministry
which you have received in the Lord."

18
 
I, Paul, write this
greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Commentary on The Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians

1:1 Paul:
Ancient epistles opened with the sender's name,unlike modern letters, which identify the sender at the end. Paul presents himself as an
apostle
or ambassador of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor 5:20) whose mission is to preach to the "Gentiles" and to the "sons of Israel" living among them (Acts 9:15). The focus of his teaching is
Christ,
the Messiah, whom Paul addresses by this title 25 times in Colossians.
Timothy:
One of Paul's closest associates now present with him, probably in Rome. Like the apostle, he was a man of great pastoral abilities (Phil 2:19-23). 
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1:2 Grace . . . peace:
A standard Pauline greeting. 
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1:3-8
Nearly every Pauline epistle opens with a prayer of thanksgiving. Here Paul is grateful that the Colossians received the gospel (1:6) and that God is producing in their lives a full measure of
faith, hope,
and
love
(Rom 5:1-5; Gal 5:5-6). Although unacquainted with his readers personally (Col 1:4), Paul intercedes for them on a regular basis (1:3, 9) and encourages them to return the favor (4:3) (CCC 2632).
See note on 1 Cor 13:13
. 
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1:5 word of the truth:
The gospel liberates us from both ignorance and error (Jn 8:31-32). To disregard or repudiate the revealed truth of God is to prefer darkness to light and blindness to spiritual sight (2 Cor 4:3-4; Eph 4:17-20). 
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1:6 the whole world:
The whole Roman world, at least (Rom 1:8). With stunning success, the Christian message was finding believers everywhere it went and blessing their lives in remarkable ways. Colossae likewise embraced the truth and became part of the worldwide harvest of the gospel. 
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1:7 Epaphras:
The founder of the Colossian Church and Paul's informant on their situation. He was a native of the region who also ministered in the nearby cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis (4:12-13). Paul considers Epaphras' missionary work among Gentiles an extension of his own (1:7-8). 
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1:10 bearing fruit:
Paul prays often that God will bless the Colossians with spiritual wisdom and a deeper desire to grow in faith. He wants them to honor the Father with their lives and allow the Spirit to work unhindered within them (Gal 5:16-24; Phil 2:13). 
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1:12 qualified us:
I.e., by the grace of divine adoption. For Paul, it is our sonship in Christ that makes us heirs of all that the Father desires and intends to give us (Rom 8:16-17; Gal 4:4-7).
inheritance of the saints:
Salvation in the heavenly kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10). Even now believers possess a first installment of this inheritance through the indwelling of the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). An equivalent expression occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls ("the lot of the saints", 1QS 11, 7-8). 
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1:13 transferred us:
Christ removes us from the darkness of evil into the light of faith and friendship with God. Scripture often portrays the effects of salvation in these terms (Jn 12:35-36; Eph 5:11-14; 1 Pet 2:9). • The Council of Trent declared in 1547 that our justification in Christ, which takes place in Baptism, transfers us from the fallen family of Adam to the glorious family of God (Sess. 6, chap. 4) (CCC 1250). 
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1:14 we have redemption:
Believers have been rescued from the slavery of sin and the debt of guilt by the ransom price of Christ's blood (CCC 517, 2839).
See note on Eph 1:7
. 
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1:15-20
An ancient hymn that extols Christ's deity and supremacy over creation. Emphasis is placed on his role as Creator, through whom all things were made (1:15-17), and as Redeemer, who renews all things with his grace (1:1820). As the preeminent Lord, Christ is enthroned far above every power on earth and every order of angels in heaven. He has neither rival nor peer, and his redeeming work transforms the old creation into a new creation through his body, the universal Church (1:18; 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15). • The preexistence of Christ from eternity and his active role as Creator together recall biblical poetry that personifies God's "Wisdom" as the divine architect of heaven and earth (Prov 8:22-31; Wis 7:2228). Paul associates Christ with "wisdom" also in Col 2:3 and 1 Cor 1:24, 30 (CCC 299). 
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