Introduction to Colossians: Did Paul write it?

The early church accepted Paul as the author of the letter to the Colossians but, since the 19^th century, there has been a great deal of debate about whether Paul actually wrote it. It shows significant differences from the letters that everyone agrees Paul wrote, so some people are convinced that Paul was not the author. They argue that the language, thought and style (such as long sentences with lots of synonyms) are different from the other epistles of Paul. For example, many words in Colossians do not appear in any other letter of Paul. It also does not begin with the usual address to “my brothers and sisters”. Certain subjects that appear frequently in Paul’s letters, such as righteousness or justification, are not mentioned. The theology of Christ and the Church is different with Christ presented in a more exalted way than in the undisputed Pauline letters.

Some scholars argue that, after Paul’s death, there was a crisis in the young Church. They suggest that some of his closest followers, to assert their authority, wrote the letter, signing it from Paul. Another argument against Paul’s authorship is the so-called household code in chapter three which gives a list of rules for the home with the husband being the dominant authority. Nowhere is there anything like this in Paul’s undisputed letters, and it is out of sync with much of what he says elsewhere. It also presents ideas commonly voiced in the Greco-Roman world. The household code reflects Christianity after Paul’s death more than during his life and is like writings from the late first century and early second. Many scholars think that the second generation church faced persecution and therefore wanted to blend into the general culture as much as possible.

Others, such as Tom Wright, believe Paul did write Colossians. Wright bases himself on the fact that its structure is very close to those of Paul’s letters, and it considers particular concerns within the community, in this case false teaching. The response to the situation is very close to Paul’s in Galatians. Also, the closing remarks are very personal and sound very much like those of Philemon. Indeed, some have argued that Philemon and Onesimus were part of the Colossian community and that the two letters were written around the same time.

James D.G. Dunn is in between, suggesting that Colossians is a “bridge” between the letters definitely written by him and those which most people think weren’t written by him (Ephesians and the Pastoral epistles). Dunn thinks that Timothy may have written it while Paul was in prison. He also thinks that Paul might have added in the conclusion. Colossians and Ephesians are often called the Deutero-Pauline letters because of this dispute over authorship (the term “deutero” means “second”).