The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon

184 Pages·2011·6.59 MB·English

by  C. F. D. Moule

CAMBRIDGE GREEK TESTAMENT COMMENTARY
GENERAL EDITOR
G.F. D. MOULE
Emeritus Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity in the
University of Cambridge
THE EPISTLES OF
PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE
GOLOSSIANS AND TO
PHILEMON
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THE EPISTLES OF
PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE
COLOSSIANS AND TO
PHILEMON
AN INTRODUCTION AND
COMMENTARY BY
C. F. D. MOULE
Fellow oj Clare College
Emeritus Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity in the
University of Cambridge
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PREFACE
BY THE GENERAL EDITOR
The last fifty years have seen a considerable shift in emphasis
within New Testament scholarship. When the primary task
was to establish the text and to discuss the authenticity of
the documents, linguistic and historical considerations were
foremost. But gradually, as these foundation-tasks were
done, it became possible to devote increasing attention to
the elucidation of the theological and religious contents of
the New Testament, and to see it in the setting of the life and
worship of Christian communities.
To be sure, no scholarship worthy of the name had at any
time neglected this aspect of New Testament studies; still
less can this aspect be examined without the linguistic and
historical: that would be to build on sand. Nor can the
primary tasks ever be taken as completed once and for all.
Foundations need continual re-examination and reinforce-
ment.
Nevertheless, it is for the sake of the superstructure that
foundations exist: and it is the superstructure which now
rightly claims its due attention. Accordingly, the time
seems ripe for a revision of the New Testament volumes of a
long-established series of Cambridge biblical commentaries.
Not that the intention is—as yet, at any rate—to replace
all the old volumes; still less to belittle those which are
selected for replacement. It would be folly to despise a
series begun under the editorship of J. J. S. Perowne with a
galaxy of eminent collaborators, and maintained at a high
standard ever since.
But it is believed that the new series, in a more attractive
format and written with contemporary trends in view and
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PREFACE
with the advantage of such new material as has come to
light, will meet a need.
The series began, in 1877, with The Cambridge Bible for
Schools (on the English text) and, shortly afterwards, with
The Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges, At
the present time, however, it seems better not to use titles
suggesting any definition of the readers. There are many
beyond school age who will welcome a commentary without
Greek; and there are some outside the Universities who will
use one on the Greek text. The new series—confining itself
for the time being to the Greek Testament—will therefore
be called simply the Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary.
The first General Editor of this new series was Professor
A. M. Ramsey; and it was under him that the first contribu-
tors, including the present General Editor, were enrolled.
Professor Ramsey's elevation to the See of Durham, how-
ever, led to his resignation; and at about the same time one
of the pledged collaborators, the Rev. R. G. Heard, Dean
of Peterhouse, was removed by death.
It falls to the new General Editor to take up the mid-
wifery, and this he is proud to attempt—although, like his
predecessors, he does not accept responsibility for all the
views expressed by the children, but only for their general
character and conduct.
et sit splendor Domini Dei nostri super nos!
et opus manuum nostrarum dirige.
Amen.
C.F.D.M.
CAMBRIDGE
1955
VI
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CONTENTS
Preface by the General Editor page v
List of Abbreviations ix
INTRODUCTION
I. THE RELIGIOUS THOUGHT OF THE EPISTLES
TO THE COLOSSIANS AND TO PHILEMON 3
1. Christ 3
2. The Church 6
3. Becoming a Christian 8
4. Prayer 10
5. Ethics 10
II. THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH LED TO THE
WRITING OF THE EPISTLES TO THE COLOS-
SIANS AND TO PHILEMON 13
1. Authorship 13
2. Goodspeed and Knox on Philemon 14
3. Alternative views 18
4. Where was St Paul? 21
5. St Paul's friends 25
6. The situation addressed 29
m. TEXTUAL CRITICISM OF THE PAULINE
EPISTLES 37
1. Materials 38
2. Principles 40
vii
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CONTENTS
NOTES
THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS page 45
THE EPISTLE TO PHILEMON I4O
APPENDIX OF DISCURSIVE NOTES
I. A NOTE ON CHRISTIAN GREETINGS IN
LETTERS I53
IL A NOTE ON anooroXos 155
III. A NOTE ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD 159
IV. A NOTE ON nXyptofxa 164
V. A NOTE ON THE REFLEXIVE PRONOUN 169
Vlll
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Books or articles cited more than once are (with rare
exceptions) described by abbreviated titles; commentaries
on Colossians are cited by the name of the author alone.
The details are given below. Otherwise, the details are, in
most cases, given at the citation.
COMMENTARIES
ABBOTT, T. K., The Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians
[The International Critical Commentary, Edinburgh, n.d.).
BIEDER, W., Brief an die Kolosser (in Prophezei series, Zurich, 1943).
DIBELIUS, M., An die Kolosser, Epheser, an Philemon (Lietzmann's
Handbuch zum Neuen Testament, Tubingen, 3rd ed. revised by
H. Greeven, 1953).
DODD, C. H., Colossians and Philemon in The Abingdon Commentary
(Epworth Press, 1929).
LiGHTFOOT, J. B., St Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon
(London, 2nd ed., 1876).
LOHMEYER, E., Die Briefe an die Philipper, Kolosser und an Philemon
(Meyer's Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar iiber das Neue Testament,
Gottingen, 9th ed. edited by W. Schmauch, 1953).
MASSON, C., UlZpttre de Saint Paul aux Colossiens (Commentaire du
Nouveau Testament, x, P. Bonnard, U£pitre de Saint Paul aux
Philippiens and C. Masson, ut sup., Neuchatel and Paris, 1950).
PEAKE, A. S., The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians (in The Expositor's
Greek Testament, vol. m, London, 1903).
RADFORD, L. B., The Epistle to the Colossians and the Epistle to
Philemon (The Westminister Commentary, London, 1931).
RENDTORFF, H., Das JVeue Testament Deutsch, 8. Die Kleineren
Briefe des Apostels Paulus (Gottingen, 1949).
VINCENT, M. R., The Epistles to the Philippians and to Philemon (The
International Critical Commentary, Edinburgh, 1897).
WILLIAMS, A. LUKYN, The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians
and to Philemon (The Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and
Colleges, Cambridge, 1907).
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ABBREVIATIONS
OTHER BOOKS AND ARTICLES
ABEL: F.-M. ABEL, Grammaire du grec biblique suivie d'un choix de
papyrus (Paris, 1927).
BAUER : W. BAUER, Griechisch-Deutsches Worterbuch zu den Schriften
des Neuen Testaments und der ubrigen urchristlichen Literatur (Berlin,
4th ed. 1952).
BEST, One Body: E. BEST, One Body in Christ (S.P.C.K., 1955).
BONSIRVEN, Paul:]. BONSIRVEN, UlZvangile de Paul (Paris, 1948).
BORNKAMM, Ende: G. BORNKAMM, Das Ende des Gesetzes (Munich,
1952).
BURTON, Galatians: E. DE W. BURTON, The Epistle to the Galatians
{The International Critical Commentary, Edinburgh, 1921).
CULLMANN, C.T.: O. CULLMANN, Christ and Time (London, 1951,
translated by F. V. Filson from Christus und die £«7).
DAVIES, Paul: W. D. DAVIES, Paul and Rabbinic Judaism (S.P.C.K.,
1948).
D.-B.: A. DEBRUNNER, Friedrich Blass, Grammatik des neutestament-
lichen Griechisch, bearbeitet von A. Debrunner (Gottingen, 7th
ed. 1943).
DODD, F.G.: C. H. DODD, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel
(Cambridge, 1953).
DUPONT-SOMMER: A. DUPONT-SOMMER, The Jewish Sect of Qumran
and the Essenes (London, 1954), translated by R. D. Barnett
from Nouveaux Apergus sur les manuscrits de la mer Morte (Paris,
1953);
FIELD, Otium: F. FIELD, Otium Norvicense (three parts, Oxford,
1881).
GEORGE, Communion: A. R. GEORGE, Communion with God (Epworth
Press, 1953).
GOODENOUGH, 'P. and O\: E. R. GOODENOUGH, 'Paul and
Onesimus' (in Harvard Theological Review, xxn, 1929,
pp. 181 ff.).
GOODSPEED, Meaning of Eph.: E. J. GOODSPEED, The Meaning of
Ephesians (Chicago, 1933).
GOODSPEED, New Solutions: E. J. GOODSPEED, New Solutions of New
Testament Problems (Chicago, 1927).
HARRISON, ' O. and P.*: P. N. HARRISON, ' Onesimus and Philemon'
in The Anglican Theological Review, vol. xxxn (Oct. 1950),
pp. 268-94.
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