Colossians and Ephesians

CONTENTS Editor’s Preface   vii Preface   ix Abbreviations   xiii           Introduction   I. A Social-Scientific Approach   1  II. Reading Colossians and Ephesians Together   4 III. Colossians   6      Who Wrote Colossians?   6      To Whom, When, and Where Was Colossians Written?   9      The Opponents   10      Religious Significance   13 IV. Ephesians   15      Who Wrote Ephesians?   15      To Whom, When, and Where Was Ephesians Written?   17      The Nature and Purpose of Ephesians   18      Religious Significance   21      General Bibliography   23          Translation, Notes, and Interpretation                COLOSSIANS   1. Greeting (1:1-2)   31   2. Thanksgiving for the Colossians (1:3-8)   36   3. Prayer on Behalf of the Colossians (1:9-14)   46    4. The Christ-Hymn (1:15-20)   58   5. Application of the Hymn to the Situation in Colossae (1:21-23)   71   6. Paul’s Authority in Colossae and Laodicea (1:24–2:7)   78   7. Debate with the Opponents: The Power of the Risen Christ (2:8-15)   96   8. Debate with the Opponents: Warnings against Ascetic Practices (2:16-23)   109   9. New Life in Light of the Resurrection (3:1-4)   126 10. Ethical Guidelines for a New Life (3:5-17)   134 11. The Households of Believers (3:18–4:1)   152 12. Prayer, Mission, and Contact with Outsiders (4:2-6)   170 13. Conclusion: Personal Notes and Greetings (4:7-18)   177                 EPHESIANS 14. Greeting (1:1-2)   191 15. Blessing (1:3-14)   196 16. Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:15-23)   214 17. The Consequences of Life Together with Christ (2:1-10)   227 18. The Unity of Jews and Gentiles Created by Christ (2:11-22)   240 19. The Apostle as Interpreter of the Divine Mystery (3:1-13)   259 20. Prayer and Doxology (3:14-21)   274 21. The Unity of the Spirit (4:1-16)  285 22. The Sons of Disobedience and the Children of Light (4:17–5:20)   300 23. The Households of Believers (5:21–6:9)   324 24. Doing Battle with Evil (6:10-20)   342 25. Conclusion: Personal Matters and Final Blessing (6:21-24)   350           Indexes 1. Selected Scriptural Citations   355 2. Selected References to Other Literature   377 3. Index of Authors   383 4. Index of Subjects   387 Supplementary Bibliography   391