Named Characters

1. Paul is the author of Colossians as well as 12 other N.T. books.  Nearly half of the 27 N.T. books.

2. Acts 21:39
   Saul’s hometown was Tarsus.

3. Acts 7:58
   We first read about him as Saul, present at the stoning of Stephen the martyr.

4. Acts 8:1-3
   Shortly after Stephen’s stoning, Saul began to persecute the Christian church.

5. Acts 9:1-19
   Through the supernatural intervention of Christ, Saul became a Christian convert.

6. Acts 9:19-20
   Within days of his conversion, Saul began to preach the truth about Christ in the Damascus synagogues.

7. Acts 9:22-26
   Saul’s preaching brought the ire of the local Jews upon him and his disciples let him down the Damascus city wall at night to escape the Jews’ plot to kill him, after which he went to Jerusalem.

8. Acts 9:26-27
   Though the Christians in Jerusalem were wary of Saul, he was befriended by Barnabas who helped him establish trust with the church there.

9. Acts 9:29-30
   When the Jews in Jerusalem became a threat to Paul’s life because of his preaching, he was taken to Caesarea and escaped to Tarsus.

10. Acts 11:19-26
    When the church at Antioch began to grow as a result of Christian evangelization to the Hellenists, Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Paul, bringing him to Antioch to teach the church there.  The two of them ministered to the church in Antioch for a year together.

11. Acts 11:27-30
    When Agabus, the prophet visited Antioch from Jerusalem and foretold of a famine that would come, Barnabas and Saul were sent as the carriers of relief supplies to Judea.  When they returned from this trip, they brought John Mark with them.

12. Acts 13:1-5, 13
    It was in Antioch, the Holy Spirit called Saul and Barnabas to what we generally refer to as Paul’s first missionary journey.  John Mark joined them on this journey, but returned to Jerusalem after getting as far as Perga.

13. Acts 13:6-12
    In Acts 13:9, we are informed that Saul is also called Paul.  This happens in the middle of reading about Saul’s/Paul’s rebuke of Bar-Jesus, a magician who tried to turn the Proconsul of Paphos (Sergius Paulus) away from the faith.  This seems to be a random interjection, but there are a few clues present to suggest that the purpose for this information is not in fact random.  We won’t spend a lot of time on the specifics of this, but I’ll share the clues with you, and you can spend more time on them if you want to dig through them.  The root of it seems to be that people’s names are suddenly called to focus.

    • We are first told that the magician’s name is Bar-Jesus (Son of Jesus/Joshua)

    • We are then told that the Proconsul’s name is Sergius Paulus

    • The magician is then suddenly referred to as Elymas the magician and the passage gives us a comment that “that is the meaning of his name” (“magician” or “wise” is the meaning of Elymas)

    • We are then told that Saul is also called Paul.  One of the connections here seems to be that Paul shares the same name as Sergius Paulus (Paul and Paulus are both essentially the same name, meaning “small” or “humble”).  It is worth noting that “Saul” is a Hebrew name, and “Paul” is a Roman name.  My understanding is that it was common at the time for a Jew to also have a Roman name which resembled their Jewish name.  In this case, Saul’s “Roman name” is the same as Sergius Paulus’ name, and perhaps there is some significance to this, such as Saul gaining some favor with Sergius for this fact.

In any case, it is from this point forward, that the name “Paul” is used, rather than “Saul.”

14. Acts 15:36-40, 16:9-10
    Near the end of Acts 15, we read about the start of Paul’s second missionary journey, which was undertaken for the purpose of following up on the churches that were visited during the first missionary journey.  Silas became Paul’s traveling companion during this journey due to a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas regarding the participation of John Mark.  Both Paul and Barnabas undertook this journey, but they left in opposite directions, with Paul starting the trip in reverse from the original.  Partway through the second missionary journey, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, the original purpose of the trip was modified, and Paul and Silas began missionary work in the churches of Macedonia and Greece.

15. Acts 18:22-23, 21:17-36
    Upon returning from the second missionary journey, Paul thereafter started his third missionary journey.  This third journey took Paul to many of the same cities as his second journey as well as several additional cities.  It ultimately concluded back in Jerusalem, where Paul was arrested following a riot of the Jews there who recognized him.  It is from here that Paul’s journey to Rome as a prisoner began.  That journey is documented in Acts 23-28.

1. Timothy is included in Paul’s greeting to the Colossians.  There are arguments that suggest that because Timothy is specifically mentioned in this greeting, that it is an indication of co-authorship.  There are also arguments that suggest that he was simply with Paul and that Paul is opening the letter as being from both himself and Timothy as a nod of courtesy to Timothy’s presence with Paul.  In addition, there are arguments which suggest that Paul was the author, but Timothy was his amanuensis (writer) who actually put Paul’s words on paper.  I did not spend a great deal of time investigating which conclusion(s) I would personally tend toward, and I don’t think it will bear any significance to our understanding of the epistle as we proceed through it.

2. Acts 16:1-3
   Timothy is first introduced to us during Paul’s second missionary journey, in the region of Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium.  His mother was Jewish and his father was Greek, and he had a good reputation from the churches in the area where he lived.  When Timothy first joined Paul on his travels, Paul circumcised him for the sake of the Jews in that region, since it was known that Timothy had a Greek father.  We should not understand that Timothy was obligated to be circumcised.  It seems rather, that Paul did this because it was simply useful in order to avoid any argument the Jews might have against Timothy.  It was simply wisdom on Paul’s part that Timothy should be circumcised.  We know from scriptures such as Galatians 5, that circumcision is not a Christian obligation.  Understand that the Jews were not the most receptive people to Paul’s preaching and in many cases would come out to directly oppose it.  Any action that could be taken to preemptively avoid pushback and keep the focus on the message of the gospel was probably desirable.  Having a knowledge of the fact that Timothy was circumcised will be helpful to us in understanding some of Paul’s statements later in the epistle.

3. Acts 16:16-40, 17:13-15, 18:5
   Timothy seems to have escaped joining Paul and Silas in the prison at Philippi as he is not mentioned there, but he is mentioned as still being with them on the missionary journey when we hear about them in Berea.  He stayed with Silas in Berea while Paul escaped the Jews, going on to Athens, where he called for Timothy and Silas come rejoin him. Timothy, along with Silas, was reunited with Paul in Corinth.

4. Acts 19:22, 20:4-6
   Timothy is next mentioned as being one of Paul’s helpers (along with Erastus) sent into Macedonia ahead of Paul during Paul’s third missionary journey.  He later went on ahead of Paul from Greece to Macedonia, along with Aristarchus and several others, during the same journey.  He is not mentioned again in the book of Acts.

5. Rom. 16:21, 2 Cor. 1:1, Col. 1:1, 1 Thess. 3:2, Phlm. 1:1, 1 Cor 4:17, Phil. 2:22, 1 Tim. 1:2, 18, 2 Tim. 1:2
   Paul makes mention of Timothy in many of his epistles.  Only Paul’s epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, and to Titus do not make mention of Timothy.  Paul frequently affirms that Timothy is a brother and fellow worker, but he also seems to have had a special relationship with Timothy that is more indicative of Timothy being Paul’s protégé, with Paul referring to or addressing Timothy on multiple occasions as being his beloved child in the faith.  It is undoubtable that Paul thought very well of Timothy and trusted him greatly, and that Timothy was a great help to Paul on his travels.

1. Col. 1:7
   Epaphras seems to have been the person responsible for having brought the gospel to Colossae.  When Paul mentions that they are praying for the Colossian church he says in reference to the gospel, “just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.”

2. Col. 1:8-9
   Epaphras is the messenger by whom Paul has received information about the Colossian church.

3. Col. 4:12
   It seems probable that Epaphras was himself from Colossae, or at least from that region, given Paul’s mention that Epaphras “is one of you.”

4. Col. 4:13
   Epaphras appears to have been an evangelist to more than just Colossae however.  Paul speaks of the ministry Epaphras has to Laodicea and Hierapolis as well.  These three cities, Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, are all in close proximity to one another.

5. Phlm. 1:23
   There are few references to Epaphras in scripture.  Outside of Colossians, the only reference made to him is in Philemon, in verse 23, in which Paul writes to Philemon that “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you.”  There is a close connection between the two books; it is likely that Philemon was written very close to the same time as the epistle to the Colossians, and that it was written from the same place.

6. We might infer from Paul’s writing in Philemon that Epaphras was then, a prisoner along with Paul.  However, there is more to consider with this.  There are suggestions that Epaphras could have been a “voluntary prisoner” who allowed himself to be imprisoned along with Paul in order to minister to Paul’s needs.  It should be observed that in Colossians 4:10, Paul specifically mentions Aristarchus as being his “fellow prisoner.”  But Epaphras is not also described this way in Colossians.  In the letter to Philemon however, it is the other way around.  Epaphras is specifically mentioned as being Paul’s “fellow prisoner” and Aristarchus is mentioned only in the list of “fellow workers.”  There is a possibility that between the writings of the two letters, Epaphras and Aristarchus changed places in being willingly imprisoned along with Paul in order to minister to the needs he would have had while in prison.  In either case, we can understand that Epaphras spent at least some time as a prisoner along with Paul, but this imprisonment was very likely voluntary.

To add further support to Epaphras’ “fellow-prisonership” with Paul being voluntary, we should consider that it is likely that the letter to the Colossians was written during Paul’s journey to Rome as a prisoner.  Epaphras does not seem to be a “random prisoner” that Paul just happens to have encountered during his travels.  He appears to be a visitor.  Keep in mind that Rome themselves did not have much of a bone to pick with Paul.  His imprisonment was primarily because of the Jews.  So at this time, it doesn’t seem that there was a great push by Rome to be imprisoning random Christians.

Now, there is some debate on the location from which Colossians was written, which we will not be spending much time on.  There are arguments that suggest that Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians while imprisoned at Ephesus.  However, for reasons we won’t get into, the tendency is such that people who are arguing that the Colossian epistle was written from Ephesus are often also arguing that Colossians was not truly written by Paul, but by someone else who only said they were Paul.  If we take the letter’s identified author at face value, it doesn’t completely exclude the possibility that the letter was written outside of Rome, but it does strengthen the likelihood that it was.

1. Col. 4:7-8
   Tychicus is likely the person to whom the epistle to the Colossians has been given for delivery.  Paul indicates that Tychicus “will tell you all about my activities,” and that “I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.”

2. Acts 20:2-6
   Tychicus is an Asian believer who, along with several others, joined Paul during his third missionary journey and went ahead of him from Greece to Troas in Macedonia.

3. Eph. 6:21-22
   Paul mentions Tychicus in the epistle to the Ephesians, using very similar language as in Colossians, to indicate that Tychicus has been sent by Paul to inform the church of Paul’s well-being, and to encourage the hearts of those in the church.

4. 2 Tim. 4:12
   In 2 Timothy, Paul mentions to Timothy that he has sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

   • This may help indicate the time period when Tychicus was delivering the epistle to the Ephesian church.

   • It is also possible however, that Tychicus was actually sent with both the letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Colossians together, since both cities were within reasonable proximity to one another and since it seems that Paul entrusted Tychicus with both letters.  If this is the case, then the mention that Paul makes in 2 Timothy of Tychicus being sent to Ephesus seems less likely to be for the purpose of delivering the Ephesian epistle since we know that Timothy was with Paul during the writing of Colossians. (and therefore also with Tychicus, needing no explanation of what Paul was having Tychicus do).

   • It’s also possible however, that there was enough time between the writing of Colossians and Ephesians, that Timothy may have left Paul, and so Paul’s mention of sending Tychicus to Ephesus in 2 Timothy still refers to when Tychicus carried out the letters to both Colossae and Ephesus.

5. Titus 3:12, 1:5
   Tychicus is also mentioned in Titus as someone that Paul tentatively intends to send to Crete, where Titus had been left to set up the church there.

1. Col. 4:9, Phlm. 1:16
   Onesimus is mentioned in Colossians as a “faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you,” suggesting that he is from Colossae or the region of that area as well.  Onesimus is a principal subject of the book of Philemon, and we read there that he is a slave belonging to Philemon.  It seems probable that Onesimus had run away from Philemon.

2. Phlm. 1:10,12
   In Philemon, Paul speaks highly of the service that Onesimus has rendered to him; in his view, Onesimus is a faithful brother, and not just a slave.  In the letter to Philemon, Paul goes so far in expressing his personal affection for him as to refer to Onesimus as his child, and Paul himself as being like his father, and indicating that by sending Onesimus back to Philemon, he was “sending my very heart.”

3. If Onesimus is “one of you” with respect to the Colossians, and this refers to his living accommodations with Philemon, I tend to believe that “one of you” is more of a regional reference, because I suspect that Philemon is a Laodicean, not a Colossian.  However, if “one of you” is a reference to Onesimus’s heritage or birthplace, then I would consider the idea of “one of you” referring to Colossae to be a stronger possibility.  I suspect that Philemon is a Laodicean because it seems that Archippus is possibly the pastor more acquainted with Philemon, and I believe the clues in Colossians suggest that Archippus himself is a Laodicean, rather than a Colossian.  I will go into greater detail on this when we talk about Archippus later on.  I will mention that while it is not unheard of to believe that Philemon, Onesimus, and Aristarchus were all from Laodicea, that there is plenty of scholarly opinion that they lived in Colossae as well (there is scholarly opinion for both).

4. Col. 4:17
   In noting that Paul includes Archippus, who seems to be a pastor of the church in the region of Colossae and Laodicea, in the letter to Philemon, and in observing Paul’s plea to Philemon to receive Onesimus as a brother rather than as a slave, it is my opinion, that part of the reason why Onesimus is specifically mentioned in Colossians, with attention drawn to him being a brother, is to add greater accountability to Philemon  in how he would choose to treat Onesimus following his return.

5. The name Onesimus means “useful,” which corresponds to Paul’s description of him in Philemon 1:11.

6. There are suppositions that a certain Onesimus who was a church leader of Ephesus in that era may be the same Onesimus that is found in Paul’s letters, but just at a later date.

1. Col. 4:10, Phlm. 1:23
   Aristarchus is described as being Paul’s “fellow prisoner.”  As I suggested when discussing Epaphras, it is likely that this was a form of “voluntary” imprisonment in which Aristarchus was joining Paul in prison to care for his needs, possibly switching out for Epaphras at some point.  It is possible that Epaphras and Aristarchus were both simultaneously prisoners along with Paul during the writings of Colossians and Philemon, whether voluntary or not.  The reason I tend toward believing that this is not the case, is because Paul specifically calls out one as a fellow prisoner in the Colossian letter, and the other as a fellow prisoner in the letter to Philemon.  He does not specify that both are fellow prisoners in either letter, even though the two letters seem closely linked.  In Philemon, Aristarchus is simply referred to as Paul’s fellow-worker.  In any case, it can be agreed that it is not entirely obvious what the complete fellow-prisoner situation is, and we can be content to accept that at least as far as it pertains to the Colossian epistle, Aristarchus is a fellow-prisoner at this time.

2. Acts 19:29, 27:2, 20:4-6
   Aristarchus is a Macedonian from Thessalonica who was one of Paul’s companions during his third missionary journey.  He is mentioned along with Gaius, another Macedonian, as being caught in the riot at Ephesus that was stirred up by the idol makers there.  He is mentioned just a little later on again, along with others, as going ahead of Paul to Troas during the continuation of Paul’s journey.

3. Acts 27:2
   He shows up again during the early stages of Paul’s trip to Rome as a prisoner, again as Paul’s companion.  Given that Colossians is being written by Paul while in prison, it is probably fair to imply that Aristarchus has been with Paul starting from this point, to the writing of the Colossian epistle.  This would certainly be a good explanation for why Paul refers to Aristarchus as being his “fellow prisoner.”  It also adds support to tie idea of Colossians being written from Rome.

4. Col. 4:11
   Aristarchus appears to be a Jew, because Paul mentions him in the list of three men who “are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God.”

1. Col. 4:10
   Mark, the cousin of Barnabas is mentioned in Colossians along with a reminder or reiteration of some instructions pertaining to the possibility of him visiting.

2. Acts 12:12
   This cousin of Barnabas, Mark, is believed to be “John whose other name was Mark,” who is mentioned in Acts.  It is Mark’s mother’s house where the believers had gathered to pray when Peter was imprisoned by Herod.

3. Acts 12:25, 11:29-30
   Mark is mentioned in connection with Barnabas and Saul as attending with them in their return from Jerusalem, where they had been bringing aid from the church in Antioch.

4. Acts 13:5, 13, 15:37-40
   He traveled with Saul and Barnabas during a portion of Paul’s first missionary journey, returning to Jerusalem after the three of them had reached Perga in Pamphylia.  This departure preceded the “bulk” of the mission work that Paul and Barnabas undertook on this journey and it seems that Paul was not appreciative of Mark’s lack of commitment to the mission, because when a follow up journey was planned, he was adamant enough against Mark’s joining, that it became a dividing factor between him and Barnabas, who was of the persuasion that Mark should be a part of the second journey.

5. Col. 4:10
   We see here in Colossians that any sharp feelings toward Mark have been healed as Paul gives the positive instruction to welcome Mark if he visits.  If 2 Timothy 4:11 is properly understood to also be the same Mark, Paul goes as far as to say that Mark is “very useful to me for ministry.”  He does appear to be a visitor to Paul herein Colossians, rather than one of Paul’s traveling companions because Paul’s phrasing “if he comes” is not such that he is sending Mark to Colossae, but rather that it is possible that Mark might perhaps visit, whether of his own accord, or by the sending of another that he may have a closer association with (Barnabas or Peter perhaps).

6. Phlm. 1:24
   As with a number of the others whom Paul mentions in the letter to Colossae, Mark’s name is included the list of those who send greetings to Philemon.  The name Mark also appears in the additional greetings of 1 Peter 5:13.  In this example, Peter uses the term “my son” to refer to Mark.  It’s possible that Peter is using the term similarly to how Paul refers to Timothy as his child, more as a term that indicates a close mentoring relationship, rather than a biological relation.  This might lend itself to the idea that if Mark does not serve as one of Paul’s usual fellow-workers, that perhaps he is one of Peter’s.  Not many Marks are mentioned in the New Testament, so it is certainly a fair possibility that they are the same.  It is even believed that John Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark and the case for this is made stronger if John Mark is indeed the same Mark whom Peter mentions.

1. Col. 4:11
   Jesus, who is called Justus, has very little written about him.  In fact, the name “Justus” appears only three times in the Bible:

   • Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus (Acts 1:23)

   • Titius Justus, a worshipper of God in Corinth (Acts 18:7)

   • Jesus, who is called Justus (Colossians 4:11)

If anything, it is interesting to see that there were other men who were named “Jesus.”  It was a common name at the time (Douglas Moo commentary, page 340).  As I mentioned when talking about Saul being called Paul, Jews at the time of this era would often have a Roman name that they went by also and this may be the case for this “Jesus.”

2. There is an interesting proposal made which offers Jesus Justus to be included in the list of names found in Philemon as well.  The reason why anyone might seek to find such an inclusion is on the basis of so many other names being shared between them already.  It is only speculation, but if one more additional Greek character were to be included in Philemon 1:23 it would alter the sentence in such a way as to refer to Epaphras as “my fellow prisoner in Christ” while also including “Jesus” as a separate person who is offering greetings.  But again, this theory relies on the existence of a supposed textual error that no strong support exists for, so it is not worth giving much time to other than for the sake of novel interest.  Nor does the specific inclusion of Jesus Justus in Philemon provide any particular benefit one way or another.  As a last count against the idea, it would seem unusual for Paul to reference greetings from a Jesus for whom no particular disambiguation was provided to distinguish him from Jesus Christ.  It is safest to accept the text as known; without a Jesus Justus in Philemon.

1. Luke, the beloved physician, and writer of two New Testament books, sends his greetings to the church in Colossae as well.  What feels surprising to me about Luke, is that he is only mentioned by name 3 times in the entire Bible, and all three of those occasions are in Pauline epistles.  However, we also know him as being the author of the Gospel of Luke, and the book of Acts.  Luke is mentioned in the following passages:

   • Colossians 4:14, where Paul shares Luke’s greetings with the church in Acts, and describes him as “the beloved physician.”

   • 2 Timothy 4:11 in which Paul informs Timothy that only Luke is with him (Paul).

   • Philemon 1:24 in which Paul closes the letter to Philemon by sharing greetings from a number of people who are with him, of whom Luke is included.

2. Acts 16:10, 19, 20:5, 21:19, 27:1
   That said, Luke refers to himself with an first-person inclusive “we” or “us” a number of times in the book of Acts, starting with the course adjustment to Macedonia during Paul’s second missionary journey.  He switches to third person at Phillipi as the owners of the girl with the spirit of divination drag Paul and Silas before the rulers of Philippi, seeming to detach himself from their company in that moment perhaps.  He resumes the use of first-person language at Paul’s trip from Philippi to Troas during the third missionary journey, but discontinuing it again shortly before Paul was confronted in the temple by the Jews and leading to his jailing by the Roman tribune.  Luke returns to the use of “we” at Caesarea when Paul’s journey to Rome as a prisoner began and appears to stay with Paul through the remainder of Acts.  The choice of which “person” Luke writes in might be less significant than it appears to be, but it does seem that his timing in switching back to third-person appears to coincide with riots in a few cases, with no specific mention that he himself was among those caught up in the mob.

3. Acts 19:21-41
   One point of argument is such that if the passages in which Luke specifically uses language to include his own presence, are to be given any merit, then a case can be drawn for identifying the location where Paul wrote Colossians from as being Rome, rather than Ephesus (where Luke’s choice of words does not clearly include his own presence).  Colossians is a prison epistle, but Paul was in prison in several places.  We know that Luke was with Paul at the writing of Colossians based on Paul’s mention of him.

4. Col. 4:10-11, 14
   Being as Paul excludes Luke from the list of “men of the circumcision,” we would infer that Luke is a Gentile.  And of course, we learn that he is a physician, based on Paul’s description of him.  The fact that Luke has some medical experience may have been a benefit to Paul, who did not really have the healthiest accommodations during his prison travels (although we could suggest that Luke only fared slightly better due to not specifically being a prisoner himself, but undergoing the same travels).

Col. 4:14, Phlm. 1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10
Demas is another of the men whose greetings Paul briefly includes in Colossians.  Demas is included in the closing greetings of Philemon as well, with basically the same brevity as in Colossians.  It does appear that he later fell away from following Christ, choosing instead the pleasures of the world.  Paul indicates in 2 Timothy that Demas had deserted him to go to Thessalonica, mentioning a love of the present world as an explanation.

1. Col. 4:15
   Nympha is given Paul’s greetings in Colossians 4:15.  It seems that there is a church gathering in her house.  I feel that it is worth noting that the church being in her house does not imply that she was the one leading it; only hosting it.  It seems plausible to imply that Nympha was a Laodicean.  The greeting to her is sandwiched between Paul’s greetings to the “brothers  at Laodicea” and the instructions that the letter to the Colossians should be shared with the church in Laodicea.

2. Col. 1:4, 7-9
   It is unclear why Paul would have referred to Nympha by name specifically, when it seems he has not visited the churches at either Colossae or Laodicea.  On what basis does he find importance in addressing her by name?  Perhaps he has learned of her from Epaphras and Epaphras may have shared details that brought merit to such a greeting.  We can only speculate.

3. It is worth noting also, that there is not 100% clarity that Nympha was actually a woman.  There are variances in the original manuscripts in which some say “the church in his house,” and some say “the church in her house.”  The difference between Nympha (female) and Nymphas (male) are also a matter of a mere accent mark in the Greek, and apparently, the Greek manuscripts do not always include such accent markings, which would have left the name ambiguous, except to the original recipients, who would have the information to know the proper meaning. However, further cases for Nympha being a woman are drawn from the reasoning that any scribes who were copying the letter would have had a tendency to default to a masculine pronoun in the case of any question of the matter if they felt that any ambiguity was present.  It would seem that they had good reason to believe that the correct pronoun here should be feminine.

1. Col. 4:17
   Archippus is the final name addressed in Colossians.  Paul instructs the Colossians to hold Archippus accountable to the ministry that God gave him, which seems to imply that perhaps Archippus was a pastor or elder in the church.  There are two observations which can be made, which suggest that Archippus was part of the church in Laodicea, rather than the church in Colossians.

   • The mention of Archippus follows Paul’s addressing of greetings to the church in Laodicea.

   • It would seem unusual that Paul would instruct the church at Colossae to relay a message to their own minister, who would be receiving the same letter they were.  Why would there be a need for them to relay such a message to Archippus if he was going to hear it along with them?  That said, it is possible that Paul is simply instructing the church to keep their pastor accountable, but I do not feel convinced that the language gives a strong reason to believe this.

2. Phlm. 1:2
   Archippus is addressed in Paul’s greetings in the letter to Philemon as well.  Various theories are argued for which try to pull together the meager clues found in both books to identify Archippus as being Philemon’s son, or that he was the actual owner of Onesimus and that Onesimus’s freedom by Archippus was what Paul’s instructions in Colossians were referring to, and several more.  I will not go into detail on these points at this time as I do not feel these arguments hold much merit.