Robert M. Royalty, «Dwelling on Visions.On the Nature of the so-called ‘Colossians Heresy’», Vol. 83 (2002) 329-357
This paper argues that Revelation provides a social-historical, theological, and ideological context for the reconstruction of the Colossian opposition. The proposal is that the author of the Apocalypse arrived in Asia after the Jewish-Roman war; his "dwelling on visions" and prophetic activity challenged the emerging hierarchy within the churches, provoking a response in Paul’s name from the church leadership. Correspondences and parallels between the description of the opposition in Colossians and Revelation are developed exegetically, showing that eschatology and Christology were key issues in the dispute. This paper reexamines the heresiological rhetoric of Colossians, raising methodological questions about other scholarly reconstructions of the opposition as non-Christian.
Colossians in the 70s–80s CE. But it is not necessary to push the letter to 95 CE in order to postulate contact between the author of Colossians and John’s apocalyptic circle23. Colossians was a response to the apocalyptic prophetic activity of John and his followers, who were dwelling on their visions of heavenly worship within the Asian Christian communities.
I.
Literary parallels alone suggest a comparison of Colossians and Revelation. Rev 1,5 and 3,14 include phrases that almost certainly refer to either the actual Christ Hymn in Col 1,15-20 or the Christological traditions behind the hymn. The key phrases from Colossians both contain the word prwto/tokoj, "firstborn". Christ is called prwto/tokoj pa/shj kti/sewj in Col 1,15 and a)rxh/, prwto/tokoj e)k tw=n nekrw=n in Col 1,1824. In Rev 1,5, John sends grace and peace to the seven churches of Asia "from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead [prwto/tokoj tw=n nekrw=n], and the ruler [a!rxwn] of the kings of the earth". Then, in the opening of the prophetic message to Laodicea in Rev 3,14, Christ announces to the Laodiceans that "these are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation [h( a)rxh_ th=j kti/sewj]". The diction of the phrases in Colossians and Revelation is too close and too infrequent elsewhere in the NT to allow for coincidental overlap. Prwto/tokoj occurs only in these three verses in the NT (Col 1,15.18;