Commentary on the Epistle to the Colossians

The conversation “Commentary on the Epistle to the Colossians” (12 conversations) was delivered by St. John Chrysostom, according to most scholars, in Constantinople around 399. The conversations touch on dogmatic and moral topics. The first conversation talks about types of friendship between people. In the 2nd, the doctrine of fate is refuted. The 3rd conversation is devoted to Christological issues. In the 4th, the saint discusses why Christ did not come into the world earlier. The 5th talks about the mystery of the Incarnation, the incomprehensibility of God and His economy. St. John in this conversation addresses those who reject the resurrection. Discourse 6 talks about redemption. In the 7th - about the power of the sacrament of Baptism and ritual regulations, luxury is condemned. In the 8th, the virtue of thanksgiving is praised and superstitions are refuted. In the 9th conversation of St. John calls for diligence in reading the Holy Scriptures and speaks of the moral benefits of reading and singing the Psalter. The saint considered ignorance of the Holy Scriptures to be the cause of all troubles and misfortunes: “From ignorance of the Scriptures comes all evil. We go to war without weapons - and how can we escape? It is easy to be saved with the Scriptures, but without them it is impossible.” The 10th talks about the relationships between husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, and servants, as well as St. John speaks out against excesses in women's jewelry. In the 11th we are talking about the attitude towards enemies. In the 12th conversation, Christian marriage, sanctified by Christ, is contrasted with pagan wedding feasts. Marriage is an image of the Church and Christ. *The title of the work in Greek is ῾Υπόμνημα εἰς τὴν πρὸς Κολοσσαεῖς ἐπιστολήν. *The title of the work in Latin is In epistulam ad Colossenses homiliae 1-12. Conversation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The epistle was written in Rome, during the first imprisonment of the apostle. In content it is close to the Epistle to the Ephesians and, apparently, was written at the same time as it. In particular, the theme of the Church, which is the body of Christ, is emphasized (Col. 1:24 - cf. Eph. 1:23). He also speaks of the old man (Col. 3:9 – cf. Eph. 4:2). The image of Christ, who was born “before all creation” ( Col. 1:15 ) and took part in the creation of the world, is being developed more deeply. Judging by the greeting “Paul and Timothy,” the message was written down from the words of Paul by his beloved disciple, Timothy, and the final phrase “Greetings with my hand, Paul’s. Remember my bonds” indicates that Paul put his signature on the letter and called for remembering its conclusion. The Epistle was known to the ancient Fathers of the Church; it was mentioned by Irenaeus of Lyons and Tertullian. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: