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Pentecost
Pauline Epistles

Colossians

New Testamentc. AD 60-62Greek

Colossians exalts Christ as image of the invisible God, creator, reconciler, head of the Church, and the one in whom the fullness of deity dwells bodily.

Colossians — manuscript, icon, or classical biblical art from Wikimedia Commons.
Southern France, Toulouse(?), 13th century - Fol. 453v, Colossians, historiated initial P, Paul standing talking to the - 2008.2.453.b - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif — https://clevelandart.org/art/2008.2.453.b

Why Colossians Matters

Colossians exalts Christ as image of the invisible God, creator, reconciler, head of the Church, and the one in whom the fullness of deity dwells bodily.

The book's central themes include the supremacy of Christ and fullness in him. Read inside the whole canon, those themes are not isolated topics but part of Scripture's unified witness to God's covenant work and to Christ.

Canonical Reception

Colossians is received across the Christian traditions. Its place in the canon anchors how the Church reads its witness to Christ. In this entry it is marked as recognized in the Protestant canon, the Roman Catholic canon, Eastern Orthodox canons, Oriental Orthodox canons.

Reading With The Church

A faithful reading of Colossians asks first what the text says in its own setting, then how its words are received in the full scriptural economy. The goal is not to flatten historical context into later theology, but to hear the book as part of the one biblical canon read by the Church.

Key Passages
  • Colossians 1:15-20
  • Colossians 2:9-15
  • Colossians 3:1-4