A Postcolonial African American Re-reading of Colossians

Identity, Reception, and Interpretation under the Gaze of Empire

A. Tinsley

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781137348777
• eBook ISBN: 9781137326157
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Social Sciences

Written from an African American perspective, this work depicts the presentation of the gospel message to the first-century community of Colossae, their reception of it comparative to the presentation and reception of the same to the enslaved Africans of North America particularly in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries.

Part I

THE PEOPLE OF COLOSSAE

INTRODUCTION

Part I is a study of the people of first-century Colossae; who they were; and their reception of early Christian beliefs as presented by Paul, other teachers, and believers of that time. Four areas will be discussed in the identification process:

• the Colossians as contemporaries of the people of Laodicea and Hierapolis

• the historical data concerning the generations of believers in the mystery and mythological cults

• the Jewish population and their relationship to Paul, the disputed writer of the epistle to the Colossians, with a unique look at a contemporary Jewish view of Paul and his Christianizing theology

• the people of Colossae as subjects of Greco-Roman governments and rulers.

Each of the above plays an essential role in the reception history in the early stages of Christianity as it was presented to the Colossians. Although discussions of their beliefs play into the identity of the Colossians and help in understanding them as a people, the emphasis is on who they were, not so much on what they believed.

The letter was written to a newly founded community of believers. What did this letter mean to the Colossian community? The letter addresses issues that the Colossians perhaps did not see as problems until they were pointed out to them. Initially it appeared they did not quite see the benefit of trusting in God through Jesus Christ. They were perhaps afraid or unable to let go of their past (see section 13.1). The letter however seems to indicate in the first chapter that they had overcome their trepidation and had come to a belief in Christ (1.4). The writer was trying to get them not only to let go but also “to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2.2–3).

The town of Colossae obtained some of its fame from the letter written by Paul or someone who was familiar with or close to Paul.¹ We can assume from the letter that Colossae existed and the fact that other sources mention the towns that surrounded it that can be identified today (4.13).² Colossae, assumed to have been destroyed by an earthquake, has yet to be excavated. The writer alludes to a letter that is lost (4.16). However, it is from the extant letter to the Colossians that we have obtained the teachings attributed to Paul, which address the situation of the believers. The letter expresses concern that the hearers remain strong in the gospel they were being taught concerning the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1.11–14).

The religion of the region, according to Morna Hooker, was syncretistic, suggesting that there were those who worshipped many deities and that the climate for cults was favorable. Hooker notes, “Its population was mixed: native Phrygians had been joined by Greek and Syrian settlers.”³ By the time of the letter, the economy and subsequent popularity of the town had declined and neighboring Laodicea and Hierapolis were the more visited locations. The population of Colossae was a mixture of Phrygians, Greeks, and Syrians. The milieu of the first-century CE presented a challenge to both the Colossians and the writer of this letter. There existed over a course of about three hundred years a conglomerate of ethnicities and wide-ranging beliefs. Epaphras’s (1.7; 4.12) efforts to introduce them to the gospel were met with beliefs that were handed down for centuries. Bauer presents two views about Epaphras’s capabilities.

Possibly Epaphras is not entirely blameless for the fact that in the community he established in Colossae, peculiar syncretistic ideas were introduced such as worship of the cosmic elements—or perhaps it would be more accurate to suggest that such ideas already were present from the very beginning in Colossae but that Epaphras did not take the trouble to eliminate them.⁴

The last argument sounds feasible because it is difficult to judge the effort Epaphras exhibited in clarifying the teachings set before them. The writer was alerted concerning the problem and they were discussed in the letter. Whether Epaphras was the one who brought it to the writer’s attention or not, he did not object to the writer’s interference. He is mentioned in the letter as being present at the penning of the letter (4.9).

The intended hearers were a newly established community of believers who were becoming quite familiar with the teachings of Jesus and what it meant to be his disciples (1.21; 2.13). The names of some of the persons mentioned in the letter have some semblance to pagan deities Tychicus (from Tuche = Fate). Epaphras (short form of Epaphroditus, related to Aphrodite), and Nympha (probably shortened from Nymph Dora, “gift of the nymphs”). Others familiar to the readers were Jews. However, Hays observes, “Yet there is no sign of a struggle between Jews and Christians or between Paulinists and Judaizers.”⁵ A discussion will follow that will expand this subject and problems created after the letter was written. The implied readers know about the teachings of Paul and are not inclined to question his authority. Although the writer explains his authority in 1.24–25, he seems to not have to defend it.⁶

Looking at this mixture of peoples living in the city of Colossae helps to identify the foundational beliefs that confronted the writer. The history of these peoples was older than the beliefs he was introducing. Therefore, not only does this bring in the question of orthodoxy (right thinking), but also it is easier to perceive the confusion of beliefs and the attempt to incorporate what is familiar rather than readily grasping what is relatively unfamiliar. It can be surmised that the recipients were trying to make sense of what they were experiencing in studying and living out the teachings of Christ.

The similarities between the African community of the fifteenth century CE and the first-century community of Colossae are striking. Each community had its own set or sets of beliefs and was impacted by new beliefs. The process of incorporating the unfamiliar with the familiar between Jews and Gentiles has been viewed as syncretic by Clinton Arnold in this situation (see section 10.2). Syncretism resulted perhaps unintentionally to facilitate the adaptation of the new ideas. Their adaptations were not acceptable to those presenting the gospel and they were seemingly chastised because of them (Colossians 2.20).

The transference of Jews to Colossae by the Oriental king Antiochus the Great brings to mind three suppositions. First, Colossae, an Asian city, was once ruled and governed by Asia. Second, some of these Jews converted to Christianity, or whatever form of the gospel with which they were presented (Acts 2.10). Third, what must be considered are the beliefs of the Phrygians and their effect on the generations of Jews living in that community. Hamilton and Falconer state, “With their unsurprising ethnocentrism, ancient Mediterranean’s divided the peoples of the world into ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Greek writers in general spoke of ‘Greeks and Barbarians.’”⁷ The writer uses terminology that tends to simplify the classes of people in Colossae; neither “Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor un-circumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free” (3.11). For the most part, we have come to accept these distinctions and to see the audience’s world as two-dimensional. By doing this, it colors our thinking, tending to group people together accepting the division not realizing that their ethnicities were diverse. This is a form of stereotyping that was generally accepted by the culture at large.⁸ The goal was to keep the family or group together socially, and in this case, the early Christian community was trying to find cohesion. The letter to the Colossians exemplifies this attempt but damages the view of the people ethnically. Although the practice of grouping peoples as “us” and “them” was a common practice at the time of the writing and probably did not confuse the first readers of the text, later readers and commentators generally seem to accept the seeming simplicity of the division without considering that there was a more diverse ethnic division.

By way of comparison, the Africans and the Colossians were not able to voice their concerns, yet they were able to send a message through the ages. The message, though not documented, is that they tried to make the gospel their own. They tried to understand what was being introduced. They were not heard, yet much is being said about them. The existence of God was undisputed and the way to him was through his son, Jesus. Yet the path was still unclear. Did the writer, Epaphras, or those sent to teach them stand in the way? Why was God still so inaccessible or was he? Where was the freedom?

1

CONTEMPORARIES OF LAODICEA AND HIERAPOLIS

We begin this study of the identification of the people of Colossae by examining the region in which it was situated and the two towns closest to them, Laodicea and Hierapolis. The letter was written “to the saints in Colossae” (1.2) who inhabited the fertile Lycus Valley. Colossae was one of the smaller cities in the valley in the Roman province of Asia. This, given easy access most importantly due to the river Meander, encouraged settlement. The three cities, Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, developed in proximity to each other. Dunn notes that “Laodicea and Hierapolis on either side of the Lycus a few miles from the junction with the Meander, six miles apart and within sight of each other across the intervening plain, and Colossae about ten miles upstream on the southern bank of the Lycus.”¹ Therefore, a vantage point could be established somewhere in the Lycus Valley where one could look out and be surrounded by all three cities. Lightfoot suggests:

The three cities lie so near to each other, that it would be quite possible to visit them all in the course of a single day. Thus situated, they would necessarily hold constant intercourse with each other. We are not surprised to find them so closely connected in the earliest stages of Christianity . . . same evangelist.²

Colossae had been a popular, large, and wealthy city four or five centuries before the time of the New Testament. Its wealth was due to its position on the main road from Ephesus and Sardis to the Euphrates and to its wool industry.³ Under Roman rule, Laodicea, founded later than Colossae, flourished. However as Colossae decreased in significance, Laodicea grew as the administrative and financial center of the region. It seems Laodicea benefitted greatly as part of the Roman Empire. Laodicea, also noted for its woolen textile industry and medicines, and Hierapolis, with its hot mineral spring attracting many visitors, steadily cast a shadow on Colossae in importance. The acceptance of the gospel seemed more successful in Colossae however. The letter was addressed to them and the contents mentions sending it to Laodicea—there is no mention of Hierapolis. At the time this letter was written, perhaps the people of Colossae yearned for better days or days gone by. The exhortation in the letter was uplifting and perhaps what was needed at the time of Roman imperial rule (see chapter 4).

Surprisingly, the site of Colossae has never been excavated, unlike Laodicea and Hierapolis;⁴ this hampers our ability to gain a clearer perspective on what took place. It can therefore be deduced that the cities were in such close proximity that they must have had several features in common (not just textiles), and it can be deduced from reading Colossians 4.14–16 that there must have been daily movement among them. This knowledge and other information is common knowledge in the major commentaries about the history of Colossae. In this portion, the writer of the letter suggests they greet believers who are in Laodicea and read this letter to them.

1.1 MIXED CULTURES

The introduction of this book gives evidence that Colossians had a history of being a city of mixed cultures and peoples. The diversity of beliefs in that city and sur...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• General Introduction
• Part I   The People of Colossae
• Part II   The Enslaved Africans of North America
• Part III   Re-reading Colossians
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index