King James Version · Under Rome
Colossians 4
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Masters, give unto your servants that which is and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in . Continue in , and watch in the same with ; Withal praying also for us, that would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with , seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. All my state shall declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a minister and fellowservant in : Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your ; With , a and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to , (touching whom ye received : if he come unto you, receive him;) And , which is called , who are of the . These only are my fellowworkers unto of , which have been a comfort unto me. , who is one of you, a Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of . For I bear him record, that he hath a great for you, and them that are in , and them in . Luke, the beloved physician, and , greet you. Salute the brethren which are in , and Nymphas, and which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from . And say to , Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in , that thou fulfil it. The salutation by the hand of me . Remember my bonds. be with you. . Written from to the Colossians by and .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
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.