Christ Above All

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Christ Above
All

• a study in Colossians for the Twixt N Tween
  Class
• March-April 2009

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about Mac

• Hendersonville native Laura St. Louis
• Lipscomb University
• Director of Public Services at Disciples of
  Christ Historical Society, 19th Ave South near
  Vandy
• Research into anything and everything Restoration
  Movement, 3 years
• High School Bible, Ezell-Harding, 7 years
• Associate Minister and Deacon, Central Church,
  downtown Nashville, 12 years

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Christ Above
All

• Left Byzantine icon depicting Christ
  pantokrator, or Christ the all-powerful

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• Fruitful, worthwhile, engaging, stimulating,
  transformative Bible Study
• Head (exegesis)
• Heart Hands
• (prayer and worship) (service, Gods
  mission)

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• Goals
• Appreciate Colossians as inspired scripture it
  is foundational for our understanding of God,
  ourselves, the world and Gods saving work
• Gain a thorough knowledge of Colossians
• Attempt to hear Colossians as it was originally
  heard by its original readers, as intended by its
  author
• Responsibly apply its message in our own setting
• To know God, listen to and respond to God

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• Strategies
• Cultivate a desire to hear Colossians as Gods
  message for us
• Read Colossians at least once at home and study
  through it together on Sunday mornings
• Examine the literary, historical, archaeological,
  social, political and theological backgrounds
• Intentionally seek the points of connection
  between the text and our lives as Christs
  disciples in Smyrna in 2009open our hearts,
  minds and lives to God

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March 1 Introduction 8 Introduction
concluded 15 1.1-2 and 3-14 22
1.15-23 29 1.24-2.5 April 5 2.6-23 12
3.1-11 19 3.12-4.6 26 4.7-18
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Introduction --Historical Background --The Church
in Colossae --The Colossians Recipients of Gods
Grace and Pauls Letter --The Occasion of the
Letter --The Colossian Heresy --Structure of
the Letter
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Colossae
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Prison Epistles Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, Philemon
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(No Transcript)
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Downtown Nashville
Brentwood
Smyrna
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Google Earth
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Historical Background

• Tri-cities Hierapolis, Laodicea, Colossae
• See 2.1 and 4.13-16
• Important city on the main road across Asia Minor
  from Ephesus to the Euphrates River
• Laodicea was a medical, judicial, financial and
  banking center of the region (overshadowing
  Colossae). Both were economically prosperous
  (wool) and culturally diverse.
• 5th-4th c BC large, prosperous, populous
• See Revelation 3.14-22

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• Both cities were damaged by earthquakes.
• Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake about 60
  AD, but rebuilt using their own resources with no
  assistance from Rome.
• There are Jewish settlers in this area for about
  300 years before Paul writes Colossians
• 2000 Jewish families relocated in 2nd c BC
• One estimate puts about 9,000 Jewish males over
  the age of 20 in Laodicea about 60 BC.
• Jews were allowed to practice their religion
  without hindrance (observing Sabbath, etc)
• By Pauls day Colossae waned in importance

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The Church in Colossae

• The origin of the community of faith in Colossae
  is unknown
• Paul did not establish the church in Col (2.1)
• See Acts 2.10 for Phrygians at Pentecost
• Paul spends considerable time in Ephesus and Asia
  (Acts 19.10) _at_ 110 miles away

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(No Transcript)
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The Church in Colossae

• The origin of the community of faith in Colossae
  is unknown
• Paul did not establish the church in Col (2.1)
• See Acts 2.10 for Phrygians at Pentecost
• Paul spends considerable time in Ephesus and Asia
  (Acts 19.10) _at_ 110 miles away
• Epaphras (1.7 and 4.12, also Philem 23) brought
  some of them to faith, perhaps during Pauls time
  in Ephesus in Acts 19.

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The Colossians Recipients of Gods Grace and
Pauls Letter

• The church is at least ethnically mixed, with
  both Jewish and Gentile converts.
• It may have been primarily Gentile
• 1.24-27 may indicate they were outsiders
• Allusions to the OT are scarce (only 6). OT
  isnt quoted at all in Col. (quoted 6x in Eph.)
• Vices in 3.5-7 are Gentile vices?
• 3.11 is the only mention in Col of reconciliation
  of Jew and Gentile in the body of Christ

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Occasion for the Letter

• Colossians, like all NT letters, is occasional.
  Some situation in life (recipients or senders)
  prompts the writing of the letter
• Letters are task-theology
• Epaphras visits Paul. Of concern is some kind of
  teaching or influence at Colossae and possibly
  Laodicea and Hierapolis (see 1.8 and 4.12-16)
• This teaching the Colossian heresy

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• Is it a single threat or a set of problems?
• Is it full-blown heresy or dangerous tendencies?
  Is it a clear-cut system?
• Does it come from inside or outside?
• What is/are its root/s? Jewish? Xian? Pagan?
  Blend of some or all of the above?
• What is the best way to characterize it?
• Philosophy? Heresy? Way of life?

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• Paul does not give us the benefit of a full,
  formal description and exposition of this heresy
• The Col church knows what it isEpaphras has told
  Paul about itand Paul responds
• We discern it by mirror-reading
• Ask What do Pauls statements reflect?

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• Is it a single threat or a set of problems?
• Probably a single point of view
• All its diverse elements (and they are diverse)
  seem to somehow hang together
• Paul easily moves from one element to another
  when countering them
• It appears to be a world-view large enough to
  encompass a degree of variety in the details

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• Does it come from inside or outside the community
  of faith?
• What is/are its root/s? Jewish? Xian? Pagan?
• Judaizers or Jews?
• Food, festivals, sabbaths see 2.16 and Gal.
  4.8-10
• Circumcision 2.11 3.11
• Angels 2.18 also Gal. 3.19 and Heb. 2.2

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• Christian
• May be rooted in a low view of Christ.that
  Christ is a fine beginning, but one needs to move
  beyond and above Christ to be mature
• In this sense it would be correct to characterize
  it as a Christian heresy
• Possible pagan (Graeco-Roman) elements
• Wisdom and knowledge 1.9-10 2.2-3
• Philosophy 2.8
• Asceticism 2.20-23
• Elemental spirits of the world 2.8, 20

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• What is the best way to characterize it?
• Philosophy? Heresy? Way of life?
• It certainly affects how life is lived see
  Pauls argument in 3.1-8 follows naturally from
  2.20-23
• Caution
• Modern preacher who warns a church against taking
  stock in horoscopes isnt necessarily addressing
  heretics who have infiltrated the congregation

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Structure of the Letter

• In form, ancient letters share these elements
• Author
• Recipients
• Greeting
• Prayer/thanksgiving
• Body of the letter
• Farewell/final greeting

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Structure of Colossians

• Author 1.1
• Recipients 1.2a
• Greeting 1.2b
• Prayer/thanksgiving 1.3-8 or 14
• Body 1.9-4.6
• Farewell/final greeting 4.7-18

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March 8 Introduction concluded 15 1.1-2 and
3-14 22 1.15-23 29 1.24-2.5 April 5
2.6-23 12 3.1-11 19 3.12-4.6 26 4.7-18
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Christ Above All