Colossians 4:16

mick · Post by **mick** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:42 am

Colossians 4:16 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

16And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

Question: Where is this Epistle from Laodicea?

bob2010 · Post by **bob2010** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 12:21 pm

sadly lost.

although id be willing to bet there is a copy sitting in some monestary somewhere just waiting to be found.

Jbuza · Post by **Jbuza** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 5:23 pm

http://reluctant-messenger.com/epistle-laodiceans.htm

Not sure if it is accurate, but there is a copy here. Seems pretty weak to me, but who knows.

Fortigurn · Post by **Fortigurn** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 7:15 am

Jbuza wrote:http://reluctant-messenger.com/epistle-laodiceans.htm

Not sure if it is accurate, but there is a copy here. Seems pretty weak to me, but who knows.

It's a very obvious patchwork of quotes from authentic epistles. The fact that it doesn't appear in textual evidence until the 6th century is a sure sign that it's spurious.

For me, this is the killer:

19. Cause this Epistle to be read to the Colossians, and the Epistle of the Colossians to be read among you.

This is transparent harmonisation with the letter to the Colossians.

The letter to the Laodiceans is most likely to be what we call the letter to the Ephesians, since it is a general letter (open to all the congregations), and Laodicea is logically in the path of a trip between Ephesus and Colosse.

The letter to the Colossians actually refers to Paul's trip to Laodicea, which was in the process of a journey which later took him to Ephesus, which provides a strong connection between the three.

Jbuza · Post by **Jbuza** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 7:59 am

I agree.

ryo dokomi · Post by **ryo dokomi** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 11:31 am

wait wait wait....

bob worte: sadly lost.

that cant be, because God kept His Word in one piece. if there is a missing piece, that means that the scripture is not complete, and many other questions will crop up, like is it really truth, and reliable.

besides the Author and General Editor of the MacArther Study Bible- John MacArther wrote: " This letter--colossians--was to be read publically in the churches in Colosse and in Ladicea. the epistle from Laodicea is a separate letter from Paul, usually identified as the epistle to the Ephesians. the oldest manuscripts of Ephesians do not contain words "in Ephesus," indicating that in all likelihood it was a circular letter intednded for several churches in the region. Tychicus may have delivered Ephesians to the church at Laodicea first."- from his foot note on Col. 4:16