ΠΑΥΛΟΣ ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ, καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ
ἀδελφός, ^2τοῖς ἐν Κολοσσαῖς >
1, 2. ‘PAUL, an apostle of Christ Jesus by no personal merit but by
God’s gracious will alone, and TIMOTHY, our brother in the faith, to the
consecrated people of God in Colossæ, the brethren who are stedfast in
their allegiance and faithful in Christ. May grace the well-spring of
all mercies, and peace the crown of all blessings, be bestowed upon you
from God our Father.’
1. ἀπόστολος] On the exceptional omission of this title in some of St
Paul’s epistles see Phil. i. 1. Though there is no reason for supposing
that his authority was directly impugned in the Colossian Church, yet he
interposes by virtue of his Apostolic commission and therefore uses his
authoritative title.
διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ] As in 1 Cor. i. 1, 2 Cor. i. 1, Ephes. i. 1, 2 Tim.
i. 1. These passages show that the words cannot have a polemical
bearing. If they had been directed against those who questioned his
Apostleship, they would probably have taken a stronger form. The
expression must therefore be regarded as a renunciation of all personal
worth, and a declaration of God’s unmerited grace; comp. Rom. ix. 16 ἄρα
οὖν οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεῶντος θεοῦ. The same
words διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ are used in other connexions in Rom. xv. 32, 2
Cor. viii. 5, where no polemical reference is possible.
Τιμόθεος] The name of this disciple is attached to the Apostle’s own in
the heading of the Philippian letter, which was probably written at an
earlier stage in his Roman captivity. It appears also in the same
connexion in the Epistle to Philemon, but not in the Epistle to the
Ephesians, though these two letters were contemporaneous with one
another and with the Colossian letter. For an explanation of the
omission, see the introduction to that epistle.
In the Epistles to the Philippians and to Philemon the presence of
Timothy is forgotten at once (see Phil. i. 1). In this epistle the
plural is maintained throughout the thanksgiving (vv. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9),
but afterwards dropped, when the Apostle begins to speak in his own
person (i. 23, 24), and so he continues to the end. The exceptions (i.
28, iv. 3) are rather apparent than real.
ὁ ἀδελφός] Timothy is again designated simply ‘the brother’ in 2 Cor. i.
1, Philem. 1, but not in Heb. xiii. 23, where the right reading is τὸν
ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν. The same designation is used of Quartus (Rom. xvi. 23), of
Sosthenes (1 Cor. i. 1), of Apollos (1 Cor. xvi. 12); comp. 2 Cor. viii.
18, ix. 3, 5, xii. 18. As some designation seemed to be required, and as
Timothy could not be called an Apostle (see _Galatians_, p. 96, note 2),
this, as the simplest title, would naturally suggest itself.
2. Κολοσσαῖς] For the reasons why this form is preferred here, while
Κολασσαεῖς is adopted in the heading of the epistle, see above, p. 16
sq.
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