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Christ, Creation and the Church in the Colossian Hymn
(Colossians 1:15-20)
The Letter of Paul to the Colossians contains six verses which
form a hymn or poem
in praise of Christ. This Christ Hymn is a densely packed
statement of Pauls
Christological monotheism. Christ is exalted as sovereign over
creation, the church
and new creation. The letter was written in response to the
false philosophy that the
church in Colossae was in danger of following.
Colossae and the background to the letter
The city of Colossae was located in the region of Phrygia and
the Roman province of
Asia. It lay in the fertile Lycus River valley near the larger
city of Laodicea on a trade
route that connected the provincial capitals of Antioch and
Ephesus.1 The city was
possibly destroyed by an earthquake in the early 60s and it has
not been excavated.2
However, Josephus records that a large number of Jews lived in
the region and
Michael Gorman suggests it is likely that in this area Judaism
flourished alongside
local religions and the standard pagan cults of the empire.3
The church in Colossae was probably founded by Epaphras (1:7-8)
and was
composed largely of Gentiles but almost certainly had Jewish
believers among their
number. The letter addresses the problem in Colossae of false
philosophy (2:8ff) that
had arisen, possibly as a result of religious syncretism. This
blending of other beliefs
1 Michael J. Gorman, Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A
Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters
(Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2004), p. 472. 2
Ibid. 3 Ibid.
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and traditions into their faith is called the Colossian heresy
by some scholars.4
Gorman suggests the letter was written to convince its
recipients that Christ is
sufficient for their spiritual liberation and life.5
Traditionally Paul is regarded to have written the letter whilst
in prison (4:18)
during the mid to late 50s.6 However the authorship of the
letter is disputed by some
scholars due to differences in style, vocabulary and theology
between this letter and
those where there is general agreement that Paul is the author.
Others have
suggested the author could be co-sender Timothy (1:1), Epaphras
or the letter bearer
Tychicus (4:7-9).7 Space does not allow a lengthy discussion on
authorship; suffice to
say that the differences in style and theology do not
necessarily eliminate Paul as
author. Gorman concludes that if Paul did not write the letter
then the author must
have been very close to him.8
The Christ Hymn
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation. 16 For by him
all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authoritiesall things were
created through
him and for him. 17 And 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, the
firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be
preeminent. 19 For in him
all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him
to reconcile to
himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace
by the blood of
his cross.
Colossians 1:15-20, ESV.
4 Gorman, p. 473. 5 Ibid., pp. 471-472. 6 Ibid., p. 478. 7 Ibid.
8 Ibid., p. 477.
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N. T. Wright states that these six verses are generally, and
rightly, reckoned among
the most important Christological passages in the New
Testament.9 The hymn is in
the introduction to the letter as part of a prayer and
meditation by Paul (1:9-23).10
After the opening greeting (1:1-2), the introduction begins with
thanksgiving (1:3-8),
before moving into intercession (1:9-14). The hymn then leads
into exhortation (1:21-
23) followed by Pauls reason for writing the letter
(1:24-2:5).11 Wright describes the
hymn as a poem of two stanzas and a chiastic structure in the
form ABBA.12
Scholars disagree on the authorship of the hymn. Douglas Moo
provides the two
options: (1) Paul quotes a hymn that provides the theology he
needs to combat the
false teachers. (2) Paul composes a hymn that enunciates the
theology he will use to
combat the false teachers.13 If Paul had quoted an earlier hymn
then there is the
possibility that he either added or removed elements. However
there is no evidence
to support this and Wright comments it would be impossible to
reconstruct the
hypothetical original form.14 Moo notes that it would be highly
improbable to have
found a hymn with the theology Paul wanted to employ against the
false teaching.15
Wright argues for Pauline authorship because, The poem exhibits
all the traces of
9 N. T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon (TNTC Vol. 12;
Nottingham and Downers Grove, IL: Inter-
Varsity Press, 1986), p. 67. 10 Ibid., p. 47. 11 Gorman, p. 478.
12 For a full explanation of the structure and form of the hymn see
N. T. Wright, Poetry and Theology
in Colossians 1.1520, NTS 36 (1990), pp. 444-468. 13 Douglas J.
Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (PNTC; ed. D. A.
Carson; Nottingham:
Apollos, 2008), p. 110. 14 Wright, N. T., The Climax of the
Covenant: Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology (London: T. &
T.
Clark, 1991), p. 100. 15 Ibid.
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Pauls own thought.16 He suggests it deals with the combination
of creation and
covenant that is seen elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Monotheism and Christ
Monotheism is one of the cardinal tenets of Judaism. Israels
God, YHWH, is the one
true God who created the cosmos and is in covenant relationship
with his chosen
people Israel (election). The Shema, Hear, O Israel: The LORD
our God, the LORD
is one (Deut. 6:4), would be recited daily by devout Jews. YHWH
would one day
redeem Israel and through Israel the rest of the world. Wright
explains, By
identifying YHWH as both the creator of the cosmos and the
redeemer of Israel they
safeguarded all their three basic doctrines: monotheism,
election and eschatology.17
Against this framework the devout monotheist Paul wrote a
classic example of
Jewish monotheistic poetry18 that includes Jesus rather than
YHWH as the central
character. The He of v. 15 refers to the beloved Son of vv.
13-14. Paul does not
replace YHWH with another god, but describes Jesus as the image
of the invisible
God (1:15). Wright explains, The central character is YHWH now
recognized in the
human face of Jesus.19 Wright states that Paul was not, a
Hellenist who, in
divinizing Jesus, broke completely away from Jewish monotheism
and invented, in
effect, a new form of paganism.20 Moo concludes that the Christ
hymn and Pauls
16 N. T. Wright, Paul: Fresh Perspectives (London: SPCK, 2005),
p. 27. 17 N. T. Wright, What St Paul Really Said (Oxford: Lion
Hudson, 1997), p. 70. 18 Ibid. 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid.
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other Christological passages (e.g. 1 Cor. 8:6) indicate that
Christians began quite
early to redefine Jewish monotheism by including Jesus Christ in
their
understanding of God.21
Christ and Creation
One way that Paul redefines monotheism is through the theme of
creation. Paul
describes how all things were created in or by Jesus (1:16).
Gorman explains that
the background for the hymn is the Jewish tradition of Wisdom
that is found in
Proverbs, Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon.22 According to this
tradition, Wisdom
is the means by which God created the heavens and the earth and
is the reflection or
image () of God (Wisd. Sol. 7:25-28).23
Wright outlines C. F. Burneys theory which seeks to explain the
origin of the
hymn.24 Burney believed that there is a link between Genesis 1:1
In the beginning
() and Proverbs 8:22 where Wisdom is at the beginning ( ) of
YHWHs
work. is expounded as (by/in him), (through him) and
(for him) in vv. 16, 19-20 and as (before all things),
(all things hold together), (head) and (firstborn) in
vv. 17-18.25 Wright explains, Thus we have beginning, sum-total,
head and first
fruits, leadings to Pauls conclusion ... Christ fulfils every
meaning that can be
21 Moo, p. 114. 22 Gorman, p. 481. 23 Ibid., p. 482. 24 Wright,
Climax, pp. 110-113. 25 Ibid., p. 111.
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extracted from .26 This is stated by Paul in v. 18, in
everything [Christ]
might be preeminent.27 Gorman draws attention to the word
firstborn which could
be interpreted to mean that Christ is also a created being.28
Such was the
interpretation that Arius suggested in the fourth-century and is
also the position of
Jehovahs Witnesses today. However, Paul not only claims the
attributes of Wisdom
for Christ but he goes further by saying all things were created
in, through and for
Christ (1:16).29 Thus Christ was not created rather creation is
for Christ. The word
also evokes Exodus 4:22 where Israel is described as YHWHs
firstborn son.
Wright states it is necessary to view the wisdom-tradition in
light of the whole
Jewish worldview which he calls creational and covenantal
monotheism.30 This
differs from the opposing worldviews of pantheism, which
identifies the creator
with creation, or dualism, which sees spirit as good and matter
as evil. Wright also
notes the connection between image () in v. 15 and the creation
of man and
woman in the image of God (Gen 1:26).31 He writes, Wisdom is
what is required if
humans are to be truly human.32 Wisdom was given to the people
of Israel in the
Torah, and therefore, Israel is the particular place where
Wisdom dwells,
establishing her as the creators true humanity.33 In addition to
this, Wright brings
26 Wright, Climax, p. 111. 27 Ibid. 28 Gorman, p. 482. 29 Ibid.
30 Wright, Climax, p. 108. 31 Ibid., p. 112. 32 Ibid., p. 113. 33
Ibid.
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to mind the messianic expectation within Israel; a future great
king from the line of
David who would be as wise as Solomon. He concludes, Israels
vocation to be the
true humanity, indwelt by the divine Wisdom, is focussed on one
man, her
representative king, who in Psalm 89:27 is described as YHWHs
firstborn.34 In the
Christ hymn, Paul has combined the wisdom-tradition with Israels
creational and
covenantal monotheism and ascribed these elements to Jesus. In
so doing, Paul
redefines creational and covenantal monotheism to be in Jesus,
through Jesus and for
Jesus.
Christ and the Church
Paul then goes on to call Christ, the head of the body, the
church (1:18). Andrew
Lincoln makes the observation that Pauls praise of Christs
supremacy over the
church as his body matches the earlier praise of his supremacy
over the realm of
creation.35 Lincoln notes that the word body () could have been
understood to
mean the cosmos, which is the common meaning in Philo and
Hellenistic Judaism.36
For example, Zeus is referred to as the head of the cosmos,
pervading it with his
rule as it lies in his mighty body.37 However, Paul makes it
clear that he is referring
to Christs headship over the church (). Lincoln explains that
the term
head () denotes Christs rule or authority over the church as his
body.38 This
34 Wright, Climax, p. 113. 35 Andrew J. Lincoln, Colossians in
The New Interpreters Bible (Vol. XI; ed. L. Keck; Nashville,
TN:
Abingdon, 2000) p. 598. 36 Ibid., p. 603. 37 Ibid., p. 598. 38
Ibid., p. 599.
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is also the word used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew word
meaning ruler or
leader, as in Deut. 28:13, Judg. 11:11 and 2 Sam. 22:44.39 It is
used to convey the
authority associated with origin or beginning.40 Christ is the
head of the church as he
is the Lord of his people.41 Not only does this mean head as in
the source of the
authority which governs the body, but also in the sense of the
source of all life which
sustains the body. Moo writes, Paul holds up Christ as the one
who is the true and
only source of life for the body.42
Paul has transferred the imagery of body () from the cosmos to
the church and
indicates that the church is Christs true body.43 Lincoln
comments, Paul had
already used body imagery for the local congregation in 1
Corinthians and in
Romans, and so in this context it is deemed appropriate to
extend its scope to the
universal church.44 Moo speculates that if there was an original
hymn that Paul
adapted then he has added of the church in order to change the
meaning to fit in
with his argument.45 Paul used the language and imagery of his
day to reveal a new
truth about Jesus: Christ is the head of the church, not only
the local gatherings of
believers, but the universal church. Moo notes that Pauls use of
this metaphor is
distinctive to Colossians and Ephesians.46 This could be used as
a further argument
39 Lincoln, p. 599. 40 Ibid. 41 Moo, p. 128. 42 Ibid. 43
Lincoln, p. 599. 44 Ibid., p. 603. 45 Moo, p. 126. 46 Ibid., p.
127.
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against Pauls authorship of these letters. However Moo notices
that it is not
dissimilar to Old Testament usage where Israel is described as
one assembly.47
Paul first described Christ as being the image of God and the
firstborn of creation,
through whom and for whom all things were created. He now
explains that Christ is
also the head of the church, the source of authority to govern
the church and the
source of life to sustain all believers. Paul emphasizes that
there is no need to look
for any other head. Paul will return to this theme of head as
authority and
nourishment for the body in Colossians 2:10, 19. Moo concludes,
Just as Christ is
preeminent in the universe, so he is preeminent within the new
creation, the
assembly of new covenant believers.48
Christ and New Creation
The third claim made by Paul in the hymn is that Christ is the
Lord of new creation.
Paul writes, He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead
(1:18). James Dunn
believes there are clear parallels between the first and second
stanzas of the hymn,
which show a balance between old creation and new.49 Christ was
the image of
God (1:15) in the first creation and now he is the beginning
(1:18) of the new. Christ
was the firstborn of all creation (1:15) and now he is the
firstborn from the dead
(1:18). All things were created in him (1:16) and now the
fullness of God is pleased
to dwell in him (1:19). Finally, all things were created through
him and for him
47 Moo, p. 127. 48 Ibid., p. 128. 49 James D. G. Dunn, The
Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge:
Eerdmans,
1998), p. 275.
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(1:16) and now God has reconciled to himself all things through
him (1:20).50 Dunn
also sees a further parallel with 1 Corinthians 15:45 where
there is a sequence from
first Adam to last Adam.51 He explains that Adam Christology is
the means by
which God brought into existence the eschatological form of
humankind equivalent
to the original humankind, and Wisdom Christology is the means
by which God
continued to exercise his sovereignty to bring about the
reconciliation of the old in
the creation of the new through cross and resurrection.52
Christ is the firstborn from the dead because of his death on
the cross and his
resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20). Paul writes, For as in Adam all
die, so also in Christ
shall all be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22). The act of
reconciliation of the cross means
new creation for those who follow Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Dunn
comments, Creation
and reconciliation are the work of the one God through the same
Christ, but each
required its own birth and becoming.53 Paul states that Christ
is now preeminent in
everything (1:18), the fullness of God is pleased to dwell in
him (1:19) and all things
have been reconciled through him (1:20). Lincoln explains that
Christ is preeminent
because of his, unique relation to God and ... unique role in
Gods work of
reconciliation.54 He concludes, There is nothing in heaven or
earth that is outside
the divine presence and power, so also there is nothing outside
the scope of Christs
50 Dunn, p. 275. 51 Ibid. 52 Ibid. 53 Ibid., p. 276. 54 Lincoln,
p. 599.
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presence and power, because Christ now sums up all that God is
in interaction with
the cosmos.55
Wright identifies the mention of deliverance and redemption in
vv. 12-14 with the
imagery of Exodus.56 He adds, The Exodus was an act of new
creation, bringing the
chosen race to new birth out of the chaos of slavery.57 Many
first-century Jews
considered that Israel was still in exile and in need of the
redemption which would
see the greater return from exile.58 Wright explains that in
using this imagery,
Paul is signalling that this final redemption ... had already
taken place in Jesus
Christ.59 Israels God, the creator of the cosmos, has revealed
that he has redeemed
Israel through the death and resurrection of his Son, a new
creation, demonstrating
his faithfulness by saving his covenant people just as he
delivered them from Egypt.
The Colossian church and the church today
The believers in Colossae were in danger of following false
philosophy and empty
deceit (2:8). Indeed Gorman writes, Most scholars believe the
heresy or philosophy
is already present at Colossae.60 Paul lists the practices that
had marked the
philosophy in 2:16-23. They include the observation of Jewish
diet and holidays
(2:16), asceticism, the worship of angels and visionary
experiences (2:18) and interest
in the elemental spirits of the world (2:20), which Gorman
explains are the forces
55 Lincoln, p. 599. 56 Wright, Poetry and Theology, p. 453. 57
Ibid., p. 454. 58 Ibid. 59 Ibid. 60 Gorman, p. 473.
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that rule the cosmos and human life.61 These syncretistic
practices were a mix of
Jewish teaching and pagan traditions of the region. Gorman notes
that there were
elements of religious dualism. He explains, The purpose of
worship, they would
have thought, was to escape the flesh and enter the heavenly
realms.62 Scholars
have called this an early form of Gnosticism, from the Greek
word for knowledge
(), which was a heresy among early Christians in the
second-century.63 Wright
explains, Gnosticism saw the created order as inherently wicked,
and understood
redemption as rescue from, not renewal of, creation.64 Gorman
notes that Pauline
teaching did speak against the flesh and in favour of
charismatic experiences, and
so the misinterpretation of Pauls teaching, together with Jewish
mystical practice,
may have resulted in the Colossian church integrating pagan
practices into their
worship.65
It is to address this situation that Paul sends the Colossians a
letter containing the
Christ hymn. Paul urges the Colossian believers to accept that
they already have all
that they need in Christ. He uses the hymn to exalt Christ and
demonstrate that he is
preeminent in all things. With regards to Judaism, Wright
argues, Paul, then, does
not in this poem abandon the Jewish doctrines of monotheism and
election. He
redefines them.66 His redefinition now includes Jesus as present
in the act of
61 Gorman, p. 474. 62 Ibid. 63 Ibid., p. 475 64 Wright, Poetry
and Theology, p. 452. 65 Gorman, p. 475. 66 Wright, Colossians and
Philemon, p. 72.
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creation, identified as the Wisdom of God. The hope which
Judaism had placed in
the one God, and in the Wisdom given in the Torah, is now to be
found in Christ
because it was for him rather than Israel that all things were
created.67 Within this
redefinition of monotheism, Paul has also redefined election to
now mean that, the
people of God are now to be understood as the people of Jesus
Christ.68 The church
is the renewed people of God, not just the local gathering, but
the universal church
which is the body of Christ. Wright concludes, Having Christ,
God's true wisdom,
the Colossian church possesses all that it needs.69
Paul asserts that followers of Christ are monotheists and not
pagan polytheists.
There is one creator God, who is also the redeemer God. Creation
has been
redeemed in the work of Christ on the cross and his
resurrection. Creation is not to
be replaced; rather it has been restored as the new creation.
Paul thus counters the
false philosophies of polytheism and dualism by demonstrating
that they are
metaphysically incorrect and morally bankrupt.70 Wright argues
that the Christ
hymn has an implicit ecclesiological and perhaps even
sociological function, in
that a community that believed these things would be distinct
from neighbours
both Jewish and pagan.71 The message that Paul proclaimed is in
contrast to the
competing false philosophies faced by the Colossian church and
that are also faced
by the church in the present day. The church in the west today
faces a multitude of
67 Wright, Poetry and Theology, p. 464. 68 Ibid., p. 460. 69
Ibid., p. 464. 70 Ibid. 71 Ibid.
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competing voices from without and within that seek to integrate
practices and
traditions of the kind faced by the Colossian church. The
conclusion remains the
same; there is no need to look for answers from any other
source. The Jesus to whom
the Colossian church belongs, and to whom the universal church
today belongs, is
the one in whom and through whom all meaning and purpose may be
found. Paul
expresses it in this way, Therefore, as you received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk in
him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving (2:6-7).
Conclusion
In the Colossian hymn, Paul demonstrates that Jesus Christ is
Lord of creation, the
church and new creation. Paul speaks against the polytheist
concept of many gods,
and against dualism, with the news that Jesus was present in the
creation of the
cosmos. He is the co-creator with God of all things, and is the
image of God. Christ
redeemed creation through the reconciliation of the cross.
Christ is the firstborn from
the dead by his resurrection and is now the head of the
universal church; the source
of authority and the source of life for the body. Jesus is now
risen, exalted and
preeminent over all of creation. Paul has redefined covenantal
and creational
monotheism and in so doing has also redefined election to
signify the church is now
the people of God. His message is that the church in Colossae
already has this Christ
active in their midst and there is therefore no need to look
elsewhere.
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Bibliography
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Lincoln, Andrew J., Colossians in The New Interpreters Bible
(Vol. XI; ed. L. Keck;
Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2000) pp. 551-669.
Moo, Douglas J., The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon
(PNTC; ed. D. A. Carson;
Nottingham: Apollos, 2008).
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