The Epistle of St Paul to the Colossians (Book of Colossians)

The Epistle to the Colossians, in the Vulgate Epistola ad Colossenses, stands among the fourteen Epistles of St Paul, after Philippians and before the two letters to the Thessalonians. It is short, four chapters and ninety-five verses, but few pages of the New Testament say so much about who Christ is. The first half is doctrine: Christ the Creator of all things, the head of the Church, the one in whom "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporeally." The second half is life: since you are risen with Christ, "seek the things that are above," and live it out in the home, at work and in prayer.

Who wrote the Book of Colossians?

St Paul the Apostle, with Timothy at his side. The letter opens: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy, a brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ Jesus, who are at Colossa" (Colossians 1). Timothy is named as companion and fellow sender, as at the head of Philippians and Philemon; the author is Paul, who closes in his own hand: "The salutation of Paul with my own hand. Be mindful of my bands" (Colossians 4, verse 18). Paul usually dictated his letters and signed them himself.

The Church has always received it as his. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls the external evidence so strong that even the critic Davidson granted it "was unanimously attested in ancient times": there are traces of it in the Apostolic Fathers, it was known to St Polycarp and Theophilus of Antioch, quoted by St Justin, St Irenaeus, Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria, and listed in the Muratorian Fragment among the first collections of Paul's Epistles. Even Marcion and the Valentinians used it as Scripture early in the second century. Internally, it is bound to the undisputed Epistle to Philemon: the same slave Onesimus, the same greetings from Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke and Demas. For the life of the Apostle, see our article on St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Its authenticity was never questioned until 1838. Since then many modern scholars have argued, from its style and its likeness to Ephesians, that a disciple wrote it in Paul's name; the Catholic Encyclopedia answers that every Epistle of Paul has words found nowhere else, and that one author writing both letters at once best explains the likeness. The Pontifical Biblical Commission issued no separate decree on Colossians; the Church reads it, with the Council of Trent, among the fourteen Epistles of Paul the Apostle.

When was the Book of Colossians written?

In Rome, during St Paul's first imprisonment, between AD 61 and 63. The letter itself says it was written in chains: "the mystery of Christ (for which also I am bound)" (4:3), and "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluteth you" (4:10). Challoner's preface puts it plainly: "he wrote this Epistle to the Colossians when he was in prison, and about the same time that he wrote to the Ephesians and Philippians." This is the captivity at the end of Acts 28, when Paul "remained two whole years in his own hired lodging" and received all who came to him.

Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon were written and sent together. Tychicus carried Colossians and Ephesians, and with him went Onesimus, the runaway slave returning to his master Philemon at Colossae with Paul's letter of recommendation (4:7-9). Some have proposed Caesarea or Ephesus instead; the traditional view is Rome.

Who was the Book of Colossians written to?

"To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ Jesus, who are at Colossa" (1:2). Colossae was a city of Phrygia, in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey), on the river Lycus, a few hours' walk from Laodicea and Hierapolis. Paul had never been there (2:1). The Gospel had come to them through Epaphras, "our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus" (1:7), himself a Colossian. The Christians there were for the most part Gentile converts, with some Jews among them, and Paul wanted the letter shared with the neighbouring church of Laodicea (4:16).

Why was Colossians written?

As a warning. Epaphras had brought news of teachers unsettling the Colossians with a "philosophy" of their own. Its features appear in Colossians 2: observance of "a festival day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths"; rules of "touch not, taste not, handle not"; and, under a show of humility, a "religion of angels" that set the angels between man and God and left Christ in the shadow. With St Jerome, the Catholic Encyclopedia holds these errors to be mainly of Jewish origin, mixed with the speculations of the age. Paul answers by setting out who Christ is, which removes their foundation.

What is the Book of Colossians about? A summary

Christ, head of all creation and of the Church (chapter 1)

Chapter 1 opens with thanksgiving for the Colossians' faith, hope and charity, and a prayer that they "may be filled with the knowledge of his will" and "walk worthy of God." It then rises to the great hymn to Christ (1:15-20): He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, the one by whom and in whom all things were created, "thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers," the head of the body, the Church, the firstborn from the dead, who has reconciled all things "through the blood of his cross." Paul ends with his own share in the mystery: he rejoices to suffer for the Church and to preach "Christ, in you the hope of glory."

Beware the false philosophy (chapter 2)

Chapter 2 is the warning. "Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy, and vain deceit; according to the tradition of men... and not according to Christ: for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporeally." The Colossians need nothing more: they were circumcised with "the circumcision of Christ," "buried with him in baptism," and raised with Him. Christ blotted out "the handwriting of the decree that was against us," "fastening it to the cross," and triumphed over the powers. So the feasts and food laws of the Old Law, "a shadow of things to come," bind them no longer, and no one may lead them away by a false humility and a worship of angels "not holding the head."

Risen with Christ: the new man (chapter 3)

Chapter 3 turns to the moral life. "If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above." The Christian must mortify "fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and covetousness," put away anger, malice and lies, strip off "the old man with his deeds" and put on the new, in whom "there is neither Gentile nor Jew." He is to clothe himself in mercy, kindness, humility, patience and forgiveness, and "above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection." There follows the household rule for wives and husbands, children and fathers, servants and masters.

Prayer, wisdom and greetings (chapter 4)

Chapter 4 finishes the household rule ("Masters, do to your servants that which is just and equal"), asks for perseverance in prayer and for prayers for the imprisoned Apostle, and counsels wisdom towards unbelievers. Then come the greetings: Tychicus and Onesimus, the bearers; Aristarchus; Mark, "the cousin german of Barnabas"; Epaphras; "Luke, the most dear physician"; and a word for Archippus: "Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord."

Themes and the Catholic reading

The divinity of Christ. Colossians is one of the great Christological texts of Scripture, the counterpart of the prologue of St John's Gospel: "All things were made by him" (John 1:3). Against the Arians, who made the Son a creature, the Fathers insisted that "firstborn of every creature" does not mean first created. Challoner's note follows St John Chrysostom: the Son is "first begotten," "not first created, as he was not created at all, but born of his Father before all ages." The phrase "the fulness of the Godhead corporeally" (2:9) is a clear witness to the Incarnation: the whole divinity dwells in the flesh of Christ. This is why the Church reads chapter 1 on the feast of Christ the King: He is King because "all things were created by him and in him."

The Church, His body. Christ is "the head of the body, the church" (1:18), and the whole body, "by joints and bands, being supplied with nourishment and compacted, groweth unto the increase of God" (2:19).

Suffering offered for the Church. "I... fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church" (1:24). Nothing is lacking in the Passion itself; Challoner explains that "there is no want in the sufferings of Christ in himself as head: but many sufferings are still wanting, or are still to come, in his body the church, and his members the faithful." Here is the root of the Catholic practice of offering up our sufferings for others, which we explain in What Does God Say About Suffering?.

Baptism, the new circumcision. Paul calls Baptism "the circumcision of Christ" (2:11-12): what circumcision foreshadowed in the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17), Baptism accomplishes, burying us with Christ and raising us with Him. The theme of Galatians and Romans 6 returns here.

Angels and tradition rightly understood. Two verses are sometimes turned against Catholic practice. The "religion of angels" Paul condemns (2:18) was a superstitious cult that set the angels above Christ and left its followers "not holding the head" (2:19); Challoner's note says it "no way touches the Catholic doctrine and practice, of desiring our good angels to pray to God for us, through Jesus Christ." Paul names the angelic ranks himself, "thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers" (1:16), which the Fathers counted among the nine choirs of angels. The "tradition of men" (2:8) is human speculation, not the Apostolic Tradition that Paul commands us to keep: "hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle" (2 Thessalonians 2, verse 14).

The Christian home. On the feast of the Holy Family the Church reads the virtues of Colossians 3, verses 12 to 17, mercy, patience, forgiveness and charity; the household rule that follows (3:18 to 4:1), for wives and husbands, children and fathers, servants and masters, is among the plainest texts of Scripture on family duties, as we show in What Does God Say About Family?.

Famous verses from Colossians

Colossians 1:15-16. "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for in him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible" (Colossians 1).

Colossians 2:8-9. "Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy, and vain deceit... For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporeally" (Colossians 2).

Colossians 3:1-2. "Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth" (Colossians 3). This is the Epistle of the Easter Vigil, explained in our article on Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil.

Colossians 3:14. "But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection."

Colossians 3:23. "Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men." The rule of all Christian work.

Colossians 4:6. "Let your speech be always in grace seasoned with salt: that you may know how you ought to answer every man" (Colossians 4).

Colossians 4:14. "Luke, the most dear physician, saluteth you." This is how we know that St Luke the Evangelist was a physician; the verses just before show that he was a Gentile, since Paul does not count him among his helpers "of the circumcision."

Colossians in the Bible and in the liturgy

Colossians has never been disputed. It belongs to the New Testament in every Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Bible, under the same name, with the same four chapters. It is one of the four "Captivity Epistles" with Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon, and the Council of Trent (Session IV, 1546) names it among the fourteen Epistles of Paul the Apostle. Our English text is the Douay-Rheims Bible, printed beside the Latin Vulgate on every chapter page.

In the 1962 Missal, Colossians gives the Epistle of the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of October (1:12-20); of the Feast of the Holy Family and of the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany (3:12-17); of the Twenty-fourth and last Sunday after Pentecost (1:9-14); of the Easter Vigil (3:1-4); and of St Joseph the Worker on 1 May (3:14-15, 17, 23-24). In the Roman Breviary it is read at Matins on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the fourth week after Epiphany, between Philippians and the Thessalonians. Follow these days in our liturgical calendar and pray the Office in the Breviary.

How to read the Book of Colossians

Read it at one sitting, then again beside Ephesians and Philemon, written at the same time. Linger on the hymn of Colossians 1, verses 15 to 20, with the Latin beside the English, since primogenitus omnis creaturae and plenitudo divinitatis carry the doctrine the Fathers defended. And take Colossians 3 as an examination of conscience for family and working life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Paul when he wrote the Book of Colossians?

He was a prisoner in Rome, awaiting his trial before the emperor to whom he had appealed. The Acts of the Apostles says he was "suffered to dwell by himself, with a soldier that kept him," and that he "remained two whole years in his own hired lodging" (Acts 28, verses 16 and 30). He calls Aristarchus his "fellow prisoner" and asks the Colossians, "Be mindful of my bands."

What is the main theme of the Book of Colossians?

The supremacy and sufficiency of Christ: He is "the image of the invisible God," in whom all things were created and through whose blood all things are reconciled, so that nothing, neither angels nor the observances of the Old Law, may be set beside Him. From this follows the Christian life: "If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above," putting off the old man and putting on charity, "the bond of perfection."

Who is Epaphras in the Book of Colossians?

Epaphras was a Colossian, "one of you," who brought the Gospel to his city and laboured also for Laodicea and Hierapolis. Paul calls him "our most beloved fellow servant" (1:7) and says he is "always solicitous for you in prayers" (4:12). In the Epistle to Philemon, verse 23, Paul calls him "my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus."

What is the letter from Laodicea mentioned in Colossians?

Paul tells the Colossians to have his letter read in the church of the Laodiceans, "and that you read that which is of the Laodiceans" (4:16). What that letter was is uncertain. Challoner's note judges it most probable that Paul wrote a letter to Laodicea from Rome at the same time, which has since been lost, and adds that the short "Epistle to the Laodiceans" now extant is only a collection of sentences taken from his other Epistles.

How many chapters are in the Book of Colossians?

The Book of Colossians has 4 chapters and 95 verses, in the Douay-Rheims, the Latin Vulgate and Protestant Bibles alike. The first two chapters are doctrine, the last two moral exhortation. Begin with Colossians 1, Latin and English side by side.

Where is the Book of Colossians in the Bible?

It is in the New Testament, the seventh of the fourteen Epistles of St Paul, after Philippians and before 1 Thessalonians. It belongs to the Captivity Epistles with Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon. Read it in our online Catholic Bible.

Read the whole Epistle to the Colossians verse by verse, Latin and English, in the Iter Fidei Catholic Bible app.

Sources. The Epistle to the Colossians, Latin Vulgate and Douay-Rheims (Challoner revision, 1749-1752), with Challoner's preface and notes; Acts of the Apostles 28; Epistle to Philemon; St John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Epistle to the Colossians; St Jerome, Letter 121, to Algasia; St Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Epistle to the Colossians; Cornelius a Lapide, Commentaria in Epistolam ad Colossenses; Council of Trent, Session IV, Decree on the Canonical Scriptures (1546); The Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), "Epistle to the Colossians"; Missale Romanum (1962); Breviarium Romanum (1962).