Letter to the Colossians (6)
These verses, then, give us christological statements which back up the reality of what Paul has said about the Colossians' redemption in verses 12-14, a theme he takes up again in verses 21-23
Morna Hooker
M. D. Hooker, Were There False Teachers in Colossae? we find Paul to be asserting four things about the false teachers: (1) they put a great deal of stock in ascetic practices, perhaps to induce visions; (2) they are so concerned with calling on angels as a means of protection from evil forces that they are virtually worshiping them; (3) they focus on visions they have experienced, perhaps citing the content of those visions in their teaching; and (4) they display, perhaps because of their boasting about visions, an arrogance that reveals a worldly orientation.The letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (p. 229). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
The word prÅxtotokos ("firstborn"), while often used in the literal sense of the first to come from the womb, takes on a metaphorical significance based on the ancient attribution of preeminence to the first to be born. Thus, Israel is called God's "firstborn" (Exod. 4:22), and God says of David in Psalm 89:27 that "I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth." This latter text is probably especially important for Colossians 1:15, since Psalm 89 rings with messianic allusions, and Paul has just been describing Christ in messianic/kingly terms (vv. 12-14). It may be noted in this regard that the author to the Hebrews also uses prÅxtotokos as a christological title in a messianic context (Heb. 1:6; cf. v. 5)
Moo, D. J. (2008). The letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (p. 119). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
But why bring in this high Christology here? The Christology serves the greater purpose of the letter by setting forth Christ as the exclusive instrument through whom God created the universe (vv. 15-17) and through whom he is in the process of pacifying the universe (vv. 18-20). The word pas (variously translated "all," "every," "each"), occurring eight times in these verses, is the thread that binds the verses together. Whatever precise form the false teaching at Colossae took, it is at least clear that it was tending to question Christ's exclusive role in providing spiritual growth and security, and, thereby, his exclusive role in the universe at large (see, e.g., 2:9-10, 19). The false teachers, it appears, argued from cosmology to spirituality: because the universe was filled with spiritual powers of various sorts, ultimate spiritual "fullness" could be achieved only by taking them all into consideration (see esp. Paul's counterargument in 2:14-15). Thus Paul in the hymn places particular emphasis on the supremacy of Christ-in both creation and redemption-over the powers (vv. 16, 20)
Moo, D. J. (2008). The letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (p. 111). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
Paul obviously uses the language and concepts of the hymn as his christological ammunition in fighting the false teachers. This consonance between "hymn" and the rest of the letter can be explained in two ways. (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. Deciding between these options is difficult
Moo, D. J. (2008). The letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (p. 110). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
One of the distinctive contributions-if not the distinctive contribution-of Colossians is its comprehensive vision of reality with the focal point of christology
Thompson, 155; cf. also J.-N. Aletti, Colossiens: un tournant dans la christologie
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