Lesson 03 Rhetorical Issues

Lesson 03
Col. 1:9-23
Rhetorical Issues last revised: 1/24/08
To display the Greek text contained in this page, download and install the free BSTGreek True Type fonts from Bible Study Tools. The Greek text is based upon the United Bible Societies The Greek New Testament, fourth revised edition. By rhetorical issues is intended the internal literary scructure of the pericope, along with some attention to the literary setting of the pericope. The above hyperlink takes you to the page "Steps to a Literary Structural Analysis of the Greek Text," in which you will want to take note of the section "Semantic Diagraming" that grows out of the Block Diagram of the pericope. This provides the starting point for the consideration of rhetorical issues present in the pericope.
Don't forget to use the online sources available in iPreach (above hyperlink) as important secondary sources.

1:9-12

1. Building on the analysis of question 1, "What constitutes the Proem for the Letter to the Colossians?", in Lesson 02, compare the Prayer of Intercession Proem segment in 1:9-12 to other such forms in the Pauline letters.
Begin with my tentative proposal in The List of Epistolary Divisions under Prison Letters. Compare discussions in commentaries.

2. From the block diagram of 1:9-12, identify and then summarize the three essential points of the prayer.

1:13-20

1. Summarize the issue of ancient Christian hymns as a background to this pericope.
Begin with the summary in "Lorin's Musings" in News From the Blue Ridge, Nov. 2003 (V. 5, #11). Then expand that understanding through checking Bible Dictionaries, particularly the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible at iPreach.

2. Identify the extent and possible setting for the Christus Hymnus in Col. 1:9-23.
Note especially Peter T. O'Brien in Colossians, Philemon, vol. 44 in the Word Biblical Commentary series, pp. 18-20.

3. Compare the Christus Hymnus here to the one in Phil. 2:6-11 against the backdrop of such literary forms in scripture.

Col. 1:13-20
1.13 o^" ejrruvsato hJma'" ejk th'" ejxousiva" tou' skovtou" kai; metevsthsen eij" th;n basileivan tou' uiJou' th'" ajgavph" aujtou', 1.14 ejn w|/ e[comen th;n ajpoluvtrwsin, th;n a[fesin tw'n aJmartiw'n^. 1.15 o^" ejstin eijkw;n tou' qeou' tou' ajoravtou, prwtovtoko" pavsh" ktivsew", 1.16 o&ti ejn aujtw/'/ ejktivsqh ta; pavnta ejn toi'" oujranoi'" kai; ejpi; th'" gh'", ta; oJrata; kai; ta; ajovrata, ei[te qrovnoi ei[te kuriovthte" ei[te ajrcai; ei[te ejxousivai^. ta; pavnta di j aujtou' kai; eij" aujto;n e[ktistai^. 1.17 kai; aujtov" ejstin pro; pavntwn kai; ta; pavnta ejn aujtw'/ sunevsthken, 1.18 kai; aujtov" ejstin hJ kefalh; tou' swvmato" th'" ejkklhsiva"^. o^" ejstin ajrchv, prwtovtoko" ejk tw'n nekrw'n, i&na gevnhtai ejn pa'sin aujto;" prwteuvwn, 1.19 o&ti ejn aujtw'/ eujdovkhsen pa'n to; plhvrwma katoikh'sai 1.20 kai; di j aujtou' ajpokatallavxai ta; pavnta eij" aujtovn, eijrhnopoihvsa" dia; tou' ai&mato" tou' staurou' aujtou', di j aujtou' ei[te ta; ejpi; th'" gh'" ei[te ta; ejn toi'" oujranoi'". Phil. 2:6-11
2.6 o^" ejn morfh'/ qeou' uJpavrcwn oujc aJrpagmo;n hJghvsato to; ei\nai i[sa qew'/, 2.7 ajlla; eJauto;n ejkevnwsen morfh;n douvlou labwvn, ejn oJmoiwvmati ajnqrwvpwn genovmeno": kai; schvmati euJreqei;" wJ" a[nqrwpo" 2.8 ejtapeivnwsen eJauto;n genovmeno" uJphvkoo" mevcri qanavtou, qanavtou de; staurou'. 2.9 dio; kai; oJ qeo;" aujto;n uJperuvywsen kai; ejcarivsato aujtw'/ to; o[noma to; uJpe;r pa'n o[noma, 2.10 i&na ejn tw'/ ojnovmati jIhsou' pa'n govnu kavmyh/ ejpouranivwn kai; ejpigeivwn kai; katacqonivwn 2.11 kai; pa'sa glw'ssa ejxomologhvshtai o&ti kuvrio" jIhsou'" Cristo;" eij" dovxan qeou' patrov".

4. Summarize the primary emphases of this pericope.
Use commentaries for background understanding of the text. Particularly helpful is the discussion of Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke in Colossians in The Anchor Bible, pp. 227-251. Note also Peter T. O'Brien in Colossians, Philemon, vol. 44 in the Word Biblical Commentary series, pp. 31-63, and Eduard Loshe, Hermenia Commentary on Colossians.

1:21-23

1. Compare Col. 1:21-23 to Eph. 2:1-10.

Col. 1:21-23
1.21 Kai; uJma'" pote o[nta" ajphllotriwmevnou" kai; ejcqrou;" th'/ dianoiva/ ejn toi'" e[rgoi" toi'" ponhroi'", 1.22 nuni; de; ajpokathvllaxen ejn tw'/ swvmati th'" sarko;" aujtou' dia; tou' qanavtou parasth'sai uJma'" aJgivou" kai; ajmwvmou" kai; ajnegklhvtou" katenwvpion aujtou', 1.23 ei[ ge ejpimevnete th'/ pivstei teqemeliwmevnoi kai; eJdrai'oi kai; mh; metakinouvmenoi ajpo; th'" ejlpivdo" tou' eujaggelivou ou| hjkouvsate, tou' khrucqevnto" ejn pavsh/ ktivsei th'/ uJpo; to;n oujranovn, ou| ejgenovmhn ejgw; Pau'lo" diavkono". Eph. 2:1-10
2.1 Kai; uJma'" o[nta" nekrou;" toi'" paraptwvmasin kai; tai'" aJmartivai" uJmw'n, 2.2 ejn ai|" pote periepathvsate kata; to;n aijw'na tou' kovsmou touvtou, kata; to;n a[rconta th'" ejxousiva" tou' ajevro", tou' pneuvmato" tou' nu'n ejnergou'nto" ejn toi'" uiJoi'" th'" ajpeiqeiva"^. 2.3 ejn oi|" kai; hJmei'" pavnte" ajnestravfhmevn pote ejn tai'" ejpiqumivai" th'" sarko;" hJmw'n poiou'nte" ta; qelhvmata th'" sarko;" kai; tw'n dianoiw'n, kai; h[meqa tevkna fuvsei ojrgh'" wJ" kai; oiJ loipoiv^. 2.4 oJ de; qeo;" plouvsio" w]n ejn ejlevei, dia; th;n pollh;n ajgavphn aujtou' h^n hjgavphsen hJma'", 2.5 kai; o[nta" hJma'" nekrou;" toi'" paraptwvmasin sunezwopoivhsen tw'/ Cristw'/, - cavritiv ejste sesw/smevnoi - 2.6 kai; sunhvgeiren kai; sunekavqisen ejn toi'" ejpouranivoi" ejn Cristw'/ jIhsou', 2.7 i&na ejndeivxhtai ejn toi'" aijw'sin toi'" ejpercomevnoi" to; uJperbavllon plou'to" th'" cavrito" aujtou' ejn crhstovthti ejf j hJma'" ejn Cristw'/ jIhsou'. 2.8 th'/ ga;r cavritiv ejste sesw/smevnoi dia; pivstew"^. kai; tou'to oujk ejx uJmw'n, qeou' to; dw'ron^. 2.9 oujk ejx e[rgwn, i&na mhv ti" kauchvshtai. 2.10 aujtou' gavr ejsmen poivhma, ktisqevnte" ejn Cristw'/ jIhsou' ejpi; e[rgoi" ajgaqoi'" oi|" prohtoivmasen oJ qeo;", i&na ejn aujtoi'" peripathvswmen.

2. From the block diagram of 1:21-23, summarize the core structure along with expansion elements of this pericope.