The Orthodox Study Bible: Brief on Colossians-Author/Gnosticism

The Orthodox Study Bible: Brief on Colossians-Author/Gnosticism

Edited for an entry on academia.edu on December 10, 2022

Preface

While listening to a King James Version (KJV) of Colossians online, which is reasonably close in content to the New King James Version (NKJV) used by the Orthodox Study Bible; I reasoned it would be interesting to review some of the perspectives on Colossians, from Orthodoxy and work at a series of articles.

This while I have already been chipping away at reviewing various sections of the Orthodox Study Bible on my academic website. Again my perspective is within the Reformed tradition.

I will not promise that I will deal with the standard scholarly issues. As more usual than not, I tend to deal with what I find interesting and this is prayerfully as the Lord leads. As usual in a Blogger format, this project will be non-exhaustive. 

The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.

Author

Quoting the Orthodox Study Bible:

'All early testimony credit Paul with the authorship of Colossians. Some of the vocabulary is unusual for Paul because he is combating first-century Gnosticism using its own terminology--thereby deepening his own understanding of Christ.' (461).

Gnosticism

archive search gnosticism 

Edited from previous versions with some new material

R. MCL. Wilson in the ‘Gnosticism’ entry in A New Dictionary of Christian Theology notes it is the term used to describe a religious movement that existed during the early Christian era. The gnosis was considered a special knowledge of God and the nature of humanity. This gnosis would provide a person with the power to be free from negative cosmic forces. Wilson (1999: 226). 

Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard explain within Introduction to Biblical Interpretation that although gnosticism existed in the first century, it did not become a full-fledged philosophy until the second and third centuries. Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard (1993: 382). 

British Philosopher, Simon Blackburn, with the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy defines Gnosis from the Greek meaning knowledge. The root word is found in the words/concepts agnosticism, gnosticism, diagnosis, prognosis and the obsolete word for epistemology, gnoseology. Blackburn (1996: 159). In the academic discipline of theology, gnosis is noted by Blackburn to be considered higher knowledge of spiritual things, referencing claims of such knowledge within gnosticism. Blackburn (1996: 159). 

Browning again from Oxford, but this time the Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, writes that gnosis, meaning knowledge, and gnosticism is a term used for 'a kind of religious speculation in vogue in the first two centuries CE'; the Church Fathers being hostile to it because of a perceived opposition to orthodox (Biblical, in context, my add) Christianity. Browning (1997: 151). 

Gnosticism was a broad movement that did have influence over the Church, particularly in the second century states Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling. Gnosticism would emphasize the spiritual realm over the material realm which was considered evil, often claiming it needed to be escaped. Pocket Dictionary (1999: 56). 

Edward Moore, author, St. Elias School of Orthodox Theology, Internet Encylopedia of Philosophy: A Peer-Reviewed Academic Resource 

Cited

'Gnosticism (after gnôsis, the Greek word for “knowledge” or “insight”) is the name given to a loosely organized religious and philosophical movement that flourished in the first and second centuries CE. The exact origin(s) of this school of thought cannot be traced, although it is possible to locate influences or sources as far back as the second and first centuries BCE, such as the early treatises of the Corpus Hermeticum, the Jewish Apocalyptic writings, and especially Platonic philosophy and the Hebrew Scriptures themselves.' (Edward Moore)

Edward Moore listed sources 

Dillon, John (1977). “Numenius of Apamea” in The Middle Platonists (Cornell University Press). 

Filoramo, Giovanni. A History of Gnosticism, tr. Anthony Alcock (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers 1990, 1992). 

Hegel, G.W.F. “The Gnostics” in Lectures on the History of Philosophy, vol 2. “Plato and the Platonists,” tr. E.S. Haldane and Frances H. Simson (University of Nebraska Press; Bison Books Edition 1995). 

Jonas, Hans (1958, 2001). The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity (Boston: Beacon Press). 

Layton, Bentley (1987). The Gnostic Scriptures (Doubleday: The Anchor Bible Reference Library). 

Plato. Laws, tr. Trevor J. Saunders, in Plato: Complete Works, ed. John M. Cooper (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing 1997). 

Plato. Timaeus, tr. Donald J. Zeyl, in Plato: Complete Works. 

Plotinus. The Enneads, tr. A.H. Armstrong, in 7 volumes (Harvard: Loeb Classical Library 1966). 

Ricoeur, Paul. The Conflict of Interpretations (Northwestern University Press 1974). 

Rudolph, Kurt. Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism, tr. Robert McLachlan Wilson (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark Ltd. 1984). 

Segal, Robert A. (ed.) The Gnostic Jung (Princeton University Press 1992).

Bible Hub 1108 gnósis 

Cited 

'Strong's Concordance 

gnósis: a knowing, knowledge 

Original Word: γνῶσις, εως, ἡ 

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: gnósis 

Phonetic Spelling: (gno'-sis) 

Definition: a knowing, knowledge Usage: knowledge, doctrine, wisdom.' 

Bible Hub 1108 gnósis 

Englishman's Concordance

Cited

Colossians 2:3 N-GFS (Noun-Genitive, Feminine, Singular, my add)

GRK: σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως ἀπόκρυφοι (σοφίας of wisdom καὶ and γνώσεως of knowledge ἀπόκρυφοι hidden, my add using Marshall text)

NAS: the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

KJV: of wisdom and knowledge.

INT: of wisdom and of knowledge hidden

References

ASHBY, E G. (1986) 'Colossians' in The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan. 

BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

BROWNING, W.R.F. (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

GRENZ, STANLEY J., DAVID GURETZKI and CHERITH FEE NORDLING (1999) Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, Downers Grove, Ill., InterVarsity Press. 

KLEIN, WILLIAM W., CRAIG, C. BLOMBERG, AND ROBERT L. HUBBARD, JR. (1993) Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, London, Word Publishing. 

MARSHALL, ALFRED (1975)(1996) The Interlinear KJV-NIV, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

PAYNE. DAVID F.(1986) Jude, in F.F. Bruce, (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/Zondervan.

STRONG, J. (1890)(1986) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Burlington, Welch Publishing Company.

The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.

WILSON, R. MCL (1999) ‘Gnosticism’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

WRIGHT, N.T., Colossians and Philemon, (1986)(1989), IVP, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.

Next related article, I will research and write more on the issue of the authorship of Colossians, where 'scholarly opinion is by no means unanimous on the point.' N.T. Wright page 31.