An Introduction to Colossians

Historical Overview

The town of Colosse was located on a rocky ridge overlooking the valley of the Lycus River near the cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea. Cold streams of water flowed through Colosse and was piped in through an aqueduct to neighboring Laodicea. It is interesting that our Lord’s words to the Laodiceans regarded them as lukewarm and wished that they were either cold or hot. Rev. 3:15-17. Hierapolis was known, and still is, for its hot springs. Colosse was located in the ancient kingdom of Phrygia made up of many towns and cities and is modern Turkey today. It is also the ancient location of the Hittites. It is possible that one of the gods worshipped here was the goddess Cybele as well as other Roman deities.

Within Colosse was not only a pagan population, but also a Jewish. Josephus records that Antiochus the Great (223-187 BC) had moved some two thousand Jewish families from Mesopotamia and Babylon to Lydia and Phrygia. (Antiquities, XII, iii.4). It is into these two groups, one a pagan and superstitious, and the other a legalistic, that the church at Colosse was set.

It is said that this city perished shortly after the writing of this epistle (60-63 AD) by an earthquake in 66AD in the 10th year of Nero, but afterwards was rebuilt and called Chonae. (Gill)

Biblical Background
Phrygia mentioned in the Bible refers to the southern portion, which at the time of the writing of Colossians was under Roman control, and contained Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse and Iconium. There were Jews from Phrygia that heard the early Christians speak in tongues as the Holy Spirit fell upon them in their own languages (Acts 2:9-11).

The Apostle Paul passed throughout Phrygia during his second missionary journey in 49-52AD (Acts 16:6) and on his third missionary journey he passed again through the all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in 53-57AD (Acts 18:23).
It is believed that Epaphras, who was one of them (Col. 4:12) was the faithful minister of Christ sent to them (Col 1:7) and labored there in the Gospel possibly along with Tychicus, Onesimus (Col. 4:7) and Archippus, who is called a fellow soldier in Philemon 1:2.

Col 2:1 is sited as Scriptural evidence that Paul never did visit Colosse because it is written, “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;” Does this mean none saw his face in the flesh? While of not great consequence, it seems that the Scripture would allow for the Apostle to have passed through Colosse in that he writes “for as many as have not seen my face…” leaving it possible that some may have.

While the Apostle Paul was not God’s instrument to lay the foundation of the Gospel in Colosse, but rather Epaphras, this does not necessarily mean that the Apostle never passed through the city. In William Hendricksen’s geographical sketch agrees writing, “The most natural route for Paul to have taken…is the road from Antioch in Syria, over Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch in Pisidia, Apamea, Colosse, Laodicea, and thus following for a while the Maeander Valley, to Ephesus.

This epistle as well as Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians are called the Prison Epistles because of them being written from Rome while Paul was imprisoned. This is attested to in this epistle in 4:10 where Aristarchus Paul calls his fellow prisoner. This is the same Aristarchus found in Acts 19:29 who was seized with Gaius, a Thessalonian (Acts 20:4) and was faithful travel companion to the Apostle Paul and fellow laborer (Phil 1:24).