their ministry in various parts of the province churches were planted, some of which the apostle himself was unable to visit personally. None the less he maintained a warm pastoral interest in them. Among these last were the churches planted in Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis, which appear to have been the fruit of the missionary activity of Epaphras. This is plainly to be inferred from the references to Epaphras in Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians (Chs. 1:7f.; 4:12f.). Within five years of Paul’s