Editing Epistle to the Colossians (section)

{{Short description|Book of the New Testament}}
[[File:Bifolio from Paul's Letter to the Romans, the end of Paul's Letter to the Philippians and the beginning of Paul's Letter to the Colossians.jpg|thumb|Text from [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] and [[Epistle to the Philippians|Philippians]], continuing on to Colossians 1:1–2 on [[Papyrus 46]] ({{Circa|AD 200}})<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aland |first=Kurt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2pYDsAhUOxAC |title=The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism |last2=Aland |first2=Barbara |publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.]] |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-8028-4098-1 |edition=2nd |location=Grand Rapids, MI |pages=159 |language=en |translator-last=Rhodes |translator-first=Erroll F. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005232815/https://books.google.com/books?id=2pYDsAhUOxAC |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
{{Books of the New Testament}}
{{Paul}}
[[File:Harleianus 5557 (first page of Colossians).jpg|thumb|right|220px|The first page of Colossians in [[Minuscule 321]] gives its title as '''προς κολασσαείς''', "to the Colossians". [[British Library]], London.]]

The '''Epistle to the Colossians'''{{Efn|The book is sometimes called the '''Letter of Paul to the Colossians''', or simply '''Colossians'''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HiPouAEACAAJ |title=ESV Pew Bible |publisher=Crossway |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4335-6343-0 |location=Wheaton, IL |pages=983 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603093159/https://www.google.com/books/edition/ESV_Pew_Bible_Black/HiPouAEACAAJ |archive-date=June 3, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The book is most commonly abbreviated as "Col."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Book Abbreviations |url=https://www.logos.com/bible-book-abbreviations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421100743/https://www.logos.com/bible-book-abbreviations |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |access-date=April 21, 2022 |website=Logos Bible Software}}</ref>}} is the twelfth book of the [[New Testament]]. It was written, according to the text, by [[Paul the Apostle]] and [[Saint Timothy|Timothy]], and addressed to the [[Church (congregation)|church]] in [[Colossae]], a small [[Phrygia]]n city near [[Laodicea ad Lycum|Laodicea]] and approximately {{convert |100|mi|km}} from [[Ephesus]] in [[Asia Minor]].<ref name="ODCC self">{{Citation | contribution = Colossians, Epistle to the | editor-last = Cross | editor-first = F.L. | editor-link=F. L. Cross| title = The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | place = New York | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2005}}.</ref>

Scholars have increasingly questioned Paul's authorship and attributed the letter to an early follower instead, but others still defend it as authentic.<ref name= "ODCC self"/> If Paul was the author, he probably used an [[amanuensis]], or secretary, in writing the letter (Col 4:18),<ref name="Richards, E. Randolph 2004">{{Citation | last = Richards | first = E. Randolph | title = Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection | place = Downers Grove, IL; Leicester, England | publisher = InterVarsity Press; Apollos | year = 2004}}.</ref> possibly Timothy.<ref>{{Citation |first = James D.G. | last = Dunn | authorlink = James Dunn (theologian)| title = The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary | place = Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle | publisher = William B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press | year = 1996 | page = 38}}.</ref>

The original text was written in [[Koine Greek]].