Colossae

Location

Colossae was a Phrygian city in the Lycus valley, in modern south-western Turkey, about ten miles east of Laodicea. It was a smaller town than its neighbours Laodicea and Hierapolis, but sat on the great Roman road from Ephesus to the east. It was largely abandoned after a great earthquake c. AD 60.

Biblical importance

Colossae is a Scripture of Christ's supremacy. Paul had not personally founded the church — it was probably planted by Epaphras (Colossians 1:7) — but he wrote to it because false teaching threatened it. In the letter Paul lifts up Christ as 'the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature' (Colossians 1:15), in whom 'all the fulness of the Godhead bodily' dwelleth (Colossians 2:9). Every household that reads Colossians is fed on the height of who Christ is.

Important biblical events

• Colossians 1:15-17 (KJV) 'Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created… he is before all things, and by him all things consist.'
• Colossians 1:27 (KJV) 'Christ in you, the hope of glory.'
• Colossians 2:6-7 (KJV) 'As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith.'
• Colossians 3:1-2 (KJV) 'If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.'
• Colossians 3:16 (KJV) 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.'
• Colossians 3:17 (KJV) 'And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.'

Related People

• Epaphras — the Colossian who first brought the Gospel (Colossians 1:7).
• Paul — who wrote from prison.
• Onesimus — the runaway slave who became 'a faithful and beloved brother' (Colossians 4:9).
• Philemon — Onesimus's master, whose short letter is a companion to Colossians.
• Archippus — 'Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord' (Colossians 4:17).

Connected Places

• Laodicea — a sister church, ten miles away.
• Hierapolis — the third city in the Lycus valley trio (Colossians 4:13).
• Ephesus — the great western city from which the Gospel came inland.

Christian tradition

• Colossae was largely abandoned after the earthquake of AD 60; the town shrank while Laodicea grew.
• The mound of Colossae has still not been excavated; the church is known chiefly through Paul's letter.
• Colossians has been a rock of the Church's Christology since the earliest Fathers.

Household reflection

Colossae teaches the household not to add to Christ. The false teachers wanted to add angels and days and hidden knowledge. Paul's answer is not more; it is one — the fulness of God dwells in Christ, and that is enough. A household that would keep the faith simple keeps Colossians 1:15-20 near the front of its Bible.

Room connections

Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.

• Read (Library) — Memorise Colossians 1:15-20 as a household — one verse a week for six weeks.
• Pray (Chapel) — Pray Colossians 1:9-14 as an intercession for the household you love most.
• Family (Kitchen Table) — At the family blessing, add: 'Whatsoever we do in word or deed, may we do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.'
• Sing (Choir Room) — Sing 'All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name' (Edward Perronet, 1780) — the Christ of Colossians.
• Learn (Workshop) — Read Colossians alongside the short letter to Philemon — they travelled together.

Further reading

Colossians (4 chapters) in the KJV.

Philemon (25 verses) — the companion letter.

Acts 19:10 — 'all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord.'

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• Paul
• Laodicea
• Ephesus
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.