The Epistles

to the Colossians,
to Philemon
and to the Ephesians

F. F. Bruce

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Grand Rapids, Michigan

© 1984 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Bruce, F. F. (Frederick Fyvie), 1910–1990.

The epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians.

(The New international commentary on the New Testament)

Bibliography: p. xix

Includes indexes.

1. Bible. N.T. Colossians—Commentaries. 2. Bible. N.T. Philemon—Commentaries. 3. Bible. N.T. Ephesians—Commentaries. I. Title. II. Series.

BS2650.3.B78 1984 227 84-13785

ISBN 0-8028-2510-9

TO
ROBBIE and JEAN ORR

CONTENTS

Editor’s Preface

Author’s Preface

Abbreviations

Select Bibliography

INTRODUCTION TO COLOSSIANS

i. Cities of the Lycus Valley

ii. Jewish Settlement in the Lycus Valley

iii. Christianity in the Lycus Valley

iv. The “Colossian Heresy”

v. The Teaching of Colossians

vi. Some Critical Questions

ANALYSIS OF COLOSSIANS

COLOSSIANS: TEXT, EXPOSITION, AND NOTES

COLOSSIANS 1

COLOSSIANS 2

COLOSSIANS 3

COLOSSIANS 4

INTRODUCTION TO PHILEMON

i. Authorship

ii. Date and Provenance

iii. Paul and Onesimus

iv. The Significance of the Letter

ANALYSIS OF PHILEMON

PHILEMON: TEXT, EXPOSITION, AND NOTES

INTRODUCTION TO EPHESIANS

i. Ephesians and the Pauline Corpus

ii. The Parousia and the Spirit

iii. Imagery of Ephesians

iv. Incipient Catholicism

v. Nature and Purpose of Ephesians

ANALYSIS OF EPHESIANS

EPHESIANS: TEXT, EXPOSITION, AND NOTES

EPHESIANS 1

EPHESIANS 2

EPHESIANS 3

EPHESIANS 4

EPHESIANS 5

EPHESIANS 6

INDEXES

Subjects

Authors

Scripture References

EDITOR’S PREFACE

In carrying out their policy of keeping the volumes of the New International Commentary up to date, the publishers and editor realize that, without such a policy, the adjective “new” as a description of the series would soon become absurdly irrelevant. As far as possible, they have preferred to entrust the revision of the earlier volumes to their original writers. Sadly, however, the death of some of those writers has made it necessary for others to undertake the revision or replacement of their contributions.

The commentary on Philippians and Philemon, which was published in 1955, was written by Professor Jacobus J. Müller of Stellenbosch, who died in 1977. When another scholar was invited to write a new commentary on Philippians, taking up a full volume by itself, it was decided to detach Philemon from Philippians and include it along with Colossians and Ephesians. There was indeed a notable precedent for presenting commentaries on Philippians and Philemon in one volume, by one author: that was Marvin R. Vincent’s work on these two epistles in the International Critical Commentary (1897). But there are even better precedents for linking Philemon with Colossians: one need look no farther than Lightfoot’s volume (1875).

The exposition of Ephesians ...