Journey Through Ephesians and ColossiansSample

Author & Audience: Behind the Text

There’s even more insight on ancient authorship when we look at who helped writing letters and all the different groups that might hear them being read.

Authorship: Role of an Amanuensis

Circular Letters

In Colossians 1:2, the letter is addressed to “God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.” Later in this letter, we find this instruction:

After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. Colossians 4:16 (NIV)

What can we learn from this passage about the way Paul’s letters were read and circulated?

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This comment reminds us that while Paul’s letters may have specific addressees, this doesn’t mean Paul didn’t intend for anyone else to read them. These letters were directed to specific people and contexts, but Paul was writing with broader audiences in mind. Letters of this type—intended to be shared, to circulate through Christian communities beyond the original recipients—are known as “circular letters.”