15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
As with the Christ hymn in Philippians, we will begin with an overview of it and then turn to a more detailed analysis. Many scholars believe that the three Christ hymns found in Philippians, Ephesians and Colossians are ancient hymns sung by the earliest Christians at services. They note the repetition, the fact that some of the words in it only occur here in the New Testament, and a certain rhythm and poetry. Some suggest that its base is a hymn but that Paul expanded it and put in some explanations or expansions of certain points. Some scholars think it was sung during baptisms.
The Christ hymn is cosmological, concerned with universal questions. Margaret MacDonald explains that “Believers are reminded that the reconciliation of the whole cosmos took place through the death of Christ. Christ expresses his reign to the present reality of the church, his body.” In the Greco-Roman world, Dale Martin has observed that “the human body was not like a microcosm; it was a microcosm – a small version of the universe at large.” Christ’s body is presented as reconciling the universe through his blood on the cross. As part of Christ’s body we play a role in this reconciliation, and this justifies the Church’s mission to the world.
Scholars have sought for the origins of the ideas expressed in the Christ hymn in many places, notably Jewish wisdom literature. The Christ hymn takes Jewish wisdom traditions and gives them a historical basis. It shows a relationship between Christ’s death and the reconciliation of all creation. It also highlights the continued presence of Christ on earth through the Church. The Christ hymn announces the main themes of the letter: Christ’s preeminence and accomplishment, as well as the paradox of Christians who live on earth but have heavenly citizenship. It also provides the basis for the arguments against the false teachers.
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