Whereas in chapter 2 Paul speaks about what doesn't help in stopping the indulgence of the flesh, he now lays out what a Christian can do. We discuss Paul’s very practical and direct guidance for living as one raised with Jesus. 

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This episode finishes our discussion on Paul’s instruction regarding the unnecessary and unauthorized religious practices the opponents were pushing onto the Colossian believers. 

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In Colossians 2:8-15 Paul reinforced Jesus’ authority over all powers. The Colossians were reassured of their place in the new covenant and their forgiveness of sins based solely on Christ’s work on the cross. 

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Paul rejoices in his suffering for the Colossians because he wants them to come to know the revealed mystery of God. In order that they can be established in their faith in Jesus. 

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This section of Colossians is arguably one of the most concise summations of Jesus Christ and his work in all of the New Testament. Key thoughts are his supremacy over creation, redemption, and reconciliation. 

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In this episode, we cover Paul’s opening remarks to the Christians at Colosse. Although Paul mentions multiple things, prayer and thanksgiving are the driving themes.

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In the first episode of this series, we discuss introductory material about Colossians. Our conversation covers authorship, location and date of composition, and the occasion which prompted the epistle. In addition, we talk about the city of Colossae and the origins of the Christian congregation located there.

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In the final episode of The Bible in English, we conclude by focusing on a more practical discussion about your Bible. We explore some differences among the English translations and why it is helpful to use multiple ones. Additionally, we discuss some tips for picking a Bible that is right for you.

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In our second episode of this series, we discuss the original language sources used for English translations. We will also explain many of the footnotes in many English Bibles regarding textual variants and alternate sources used by translators. Finally, we will briefly describe the science of textual criticism and the transmission of the biblical text.

For Further Reading:

• The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (F.F. Bruce)
• How We Got the Bible (Neil R. Lightfoot) 
• Once Delivered, Forever Established (Doug Burleson)
• Scribes and Scripture: The Amazing Story of How We Got the Bible (John D. Meade and Peter J. Gurry)
• The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origins and Development of the Bible (Paul D. Wegner)

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Tim walks us through the key contributors of getting the Bible into English and why they faced resistance. We also discuss why some early Christian writings are not included in our Bibles. Lastly, we look at the hurdles translators have to work through.  

• Apostolic Fathers: A reference to a specific set of Christian writings composed during the late first to early second centuries CE. Manuscripts of these works, including the Didache, The Shepherd of Hermas, 1 Clement, and Epistle of Barnabas are commonly found alongside canonical NT writings, indicating they were widely read in early christianity, but not necessarily viewed as Scripture.
• Canon: from the Greek word meaning “measure, standard,” in biblical studies this refers to the collection of books regarded as inspired Scripture by Christians. For Protestants, this means the sixty-six books in most Bibles.
• Codex: A collection of manuscripts bound together in a form similar to modern-day books. Evidence indicates early Christians preferred this format over traditionally scrolls.
• Coptic: the language of Egypt prevalent during the first few centuries of the Christian era.
• Dead Sea Scrolls: refers broadly to the collections of texts discovered in the mid-twentieth century around the ancient city of Qumran. These include biblical books, theological treatises, and community rules. The biblical manuscripts represent the oldest existing witnesses of the OT, dated primarily between 200 BCE and 100 CE. 
• New Testament Apocrypha: A broad term referring to several early Christian writings which were not, and rightly so, deemed as canonical Scripture including works such as the Gospel of Peter, Acts of Paul, and the Apocalypse of Thomas. Although not authoritative or inspired, these works provide insight into the multi-faceted developments in early Christian theology.
• Old Testament Apocrypha: A collection of Jewish historical and theological writings composed primarily during the period between the OT and NT. They are not viewed as Scripture by Protestant Christians, but are useful for understanding Judaism during the Second Temple and NT periods.
• Pseudepigrapha: meaning “falsely written,” these apocalyptic, theological, and often messianic, Jewish writings were composed during the Second Temple period and generally ascribe their authorship to long-dead OT persons even though there was no real expectation by the authors for their audiences to accept this authorship. 
• Septuagint: often abbreviated LXX, this is a term used to describe Greek translations of the OT made generally between 250 BE and 100 CE.
• Textus Receptus: Latin for “received text,” this refers to a Greek NT compiled and revised primarily during the sixteenth century. It is the base Greek NT text for the KJV and NKJV.

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