General Conclusions

Abstract

The letter is possibly a third party account of a representation of the beliefs of the people of Colossae. Concerns were addressed to Epaphras, who relayed them to the writer, who then responded. It is difficult to ascertain the validity of the concerns of the audience, except in trying to identify the people themselves. This book, in its determining the reaction of the first-century audience to the gospel of Jesus Christ presented by the writer of the letter, can only speak to the diversity of the community and by the use of commentaries ascertain that they were a new community of believers presented with doctrines that were not yet fully formed. The labels placed on them by modern commentaries were an injustice in that subsequently their voices were not heard.