Colossians

• DatesAbout AD 60–62 if Paul wrote it (debated)
• GenrePaul’s Letters
• AuthorshipPaul according to the letter; authorship debated
• TimelineEarly Church
• Key textsColossians 1:15–20; Colossians 2; Colossians 4
• Read the textColossians in the World English Bible
• Covered in classSession 4

What the sources say, and how sure we are

• The text says

  The letter names Paul and Timothy, mentions Paul’s imprisonment, and asks the church to share it with Laodicea.Col 1:1; Col 4:3; Col 4:16

• Debated

  Many scholars accept Paul as the author. Others see differences of style and teaching and propose that a follower wrote it soon after his death. The false teaching it opposes is also debated and has been explained in several ways.Col 2:8–23

• Christian conclusion

  Christians read Colossians 1:15–20 as proclaiming Christ as the image of God and the one through whom all things were made.Col 1:15–20