Introduction to New Testament (RLST 152) In ancient times, documents that were falsely attributed to an author, called pseudepigrapha, were a common phenomen...In ancient times, documents that were falsely attributed to an author, called pseudepigrapha, were a common phenomenon. Both the Letters to the Colossians and Ephesians are most likely pseudonymous works attributed to the Apostle Paul. The writer of Colossians assures his readers that they already possess all the benefits of salvation and do not need to observe rules concerning feast days, Sabbaths, and worship of the angels. Ephesians seems somewhat based on Colossians, although it reads more like an ethical or moral treatise. Both letters differ from Pauline Christology in their realized eschatology and high Christology.
- 00:00 - Chapter 1. Ancient Pseudepigraphy
- 10:42 - Chapter 2. The Pseudepigraphic Letters to the Colossians and Ephesians
- 22:21 - Chapter 3. The Occasion of the Writing of Colossians
- 37:15 - Chapter 4. The Letter to the Ephesians as Treatise
- 42:26 - Chapter 5. Major Differences between Colossians and Ephesians and Pauline Christianity
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses
This may be harder to “prove” to present-day Christians because most don’t view the bible from a historical perspective. Too many modern Christians seem to take too much of Colossians and Ephesians to heart in terms of gender roles. I might suggest that much of the gender toxicity that we’ve seen in Western history may be attributed to these two pseudepigraphical books.
