Colossians (Black’s New Testament Commentaries | BNTC)

by Paul Foster

Publisher:

Bloomsbury

, 2016

Overview

Foster provides the commentary on Colossians in this renowned series of biblical commentaries, under the General Editorship of Professor Morna D. Hooker (Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity Emerita in the University of Cambridge, UK).

As with other volumes in the series, the key questions for scholars are scrutinized thoroughly—questions of historicity, the use of historical traditions and sources, the relationship of Colossians to the rest of the New Testament in particular the Pauline letters, authorship, and setting. Foster examines these issues in such a way as to present the heart of the academic debate to a wider audience, as befitting to the series reputation for rigorous commentary, which not only advances the knowledge of students and pastors, but also makes a contribution to the academic discourse in its own right.

Key Features

• Explores the implications of union with Christ
• Contains a thorough introduction to the letter
• Provides explanations of special Greek or foreign terms

Contents

Introduction

• The Text of Colossians
• Colossae the City
• The Religious Environment of First Century Colossae
• Believers in Jesus in the Lycus Valley and Phrygia
• The Theology of Colossians
• The Missing Old Testament in Colossians
• Authorship, Date, and Place of Writing
• Relationship to Earlier Pauline Epistles
• Earliest Reception in Christian Tradition
• Prosopography
• The Situation Behind the Letter
• The Structure of the Letter

Translation and Commentary

• Letter Opening
• Christological Teaching and Correctives
• Ethical Instruction for Renewed Existence
• Letter Conclusion

Top Highlights

“However, the connections between prayer, theology, and doxology are not unfamiliar in the Pauline writings, and prayerful reflection often leads seamlessly into theological contemplation accompanied by an outpouring of praise. Hence it seems appropriate to treat Col. 1:12–14 as a closely linked continuation of the prayer commenced in v. 9.” (Page 163)

“failure to understand him as the full revelation of the divine mystery (Col. 2:2).” (Page 252)

“The chief critique here is that it is human rather than divine in origin.” (Page 252)

Endorsements

The commentary... offers a clear and lucid discussion of the text, with careful consideration of textual variants in the Greek manuscript tradition.

—Journal for the Study of the New Testament

A valuable contribution to the library of work on the letter ... the book is eminently readable and will be as valuable to a non-academic pastoral readership as it is to scholars.

—The Expository Times

This is a fine commentary on Colossians in a widely respected series…[Foster] has produced a well-written and succinct exposition of the text of this theologically rich and historically fascinating letter…I have high regard for this commentary and recommend it.

—Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

Product Details

• Title: Colossians
• Author: Paul Foster
• Series: Black’s New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Print Publication Date: 2016
• Logos Release Date: 2019
• Pages: 480
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. Colossians › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9781623567125, 9781623565794, 9780567669667, 9780567669650, 1623567122, 1623565790, 0567669661, 0567669653
• Resource ID: LLS:BLACK72COL
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T22:15:31Z

About Paul Foster

Paul Foster is senior lecturer in New Testament at the University of Edinburgh. He is author of Community, Law and Mission in Matthew’s Gospel (Mohr Siebeck) and The Apocryphal Gospels: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford).