Paul and Colossae

We have no record of Paul ever visiting Colossae, which again tells us something about the effectiveness of his evangelistic strategy. First, it was Epaphras, a resident of Colossae (Col. 4:12), who brought the gospel to that city (Col. 1:7). But how was he converted? Most likely, it was in the mid-50s, when Paul was in nearby Ephesus and “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:10; compare Acts 20:31).

The book of Revelation witnesses to how widely the gospel spread throughout this area (Rev. 1:4). The most plausible explanation for this success, including its spread to Colossae, is as a result of the work of Paul’s converts, who first heard the message in Ephesus, the most important city in Asia Minor and a major port. Epaphras heard Paul’s preaching in Ephesus and, becoming one of his coworkers, he took the gospel back to his hometown of Colossae.

The city itself, about nine miles (15 kilometers) southeast of Laodicea, is only now being excavated, so we know less about it compared to more prominent cities of the region. We do know it had a sizable Jewish population with “as many as ten thousand Jews living in that area of Phrygia.”

—Arthur G. Patzia, New International Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 1990), vol. 10, p. 3. Coins minted at Colossae indicate the people there, as in many Roman cities, worshiped a variety of gods. The pagan practices and strong cultural influences obviously presented Christians there with tremendous challenges, not only in evangelizing the city but also just remaining faithful to the pure faith of the gospel. Another prominent Christian in Colossae was Philemon, who may have been converted about the same time as Epaphras.

Although Roman law required Paul to return Onesimus to Philemon, Paul appeals to Philemon’s heart and conscience as a fellow believer and urges him to treat Onesimus not as a slave but as a brother (Philem. 16).

Read Philemon 15, 16. See also Colossians 4:9. What course did Paul gently urge Philemon to pursue with Onesimus?However much we detest the idea of slavery in any form, and wish that Paul would have condemned the practice, how do we come to terms with what Paul says here? (How fascinating that, during slavery in the United States, Ellen G. White specifically told Adventists to defy the law that ordered people to return escaped slaves.)