World English Bible · Under Rome
Colossians 1
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, of Christ through the will of , and our brother, to and brothers in Christ at : to you and peace from and . We give thanks to of our , praying always for you, having heard of your in Christ and of the love which you have toward all , because of the which is laid up for you in , of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the which has come to you, even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the of in truth, even as you learned from our beloved fellow servant, who is a Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in . For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don't cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual and understanding, that you may walk worthily of , to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of , strengthened with all , according to the might of his , for all and with joy, giving thanks to , who made us fit to be partakers of the of in , who us out of the of , and translated us into of the Son of his love, in whom we have our , the forgiveness of our . He is the of the invisible , of all creation. For by him all things were created in and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether or dominions or or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. He is the head of the body, , who is the beginning, from , that in all things he might have the preeminence. For all the fullness was pleased to in him, and through him to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on the earth or things in , having made peace through of his . You, being in past times alienated and in in your evil deeds, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his through , to present you and and blameless before him, if it is so that you continue in the , grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the of the which you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under , of which I, , was made a servant. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my for his body's sake, which is , of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of , which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been to his , to whom was pleased to make known what are the riches of the of this among the , which is Christ in you, the of . We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all , that we may present every man perfect in Christ ; for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- Is Jesus God? · Colossians 1:15-20
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.