What is the relationship between Colossians and Ephesians?

Answer 1

Answer
Colossians is generally considered somewhat earlier than Ephesians, in which many passages echo Colossians. Of the 155 verses in Ephesians, 75 have verbal parallels in Colossians, but not as simple imitation or copying, as for example between 2 Peter and Jude. The parallels are numerous but subtle. Some of the similarities follow:

Twenty one words are found in both Colossians and Ephesians but nowhere in Paul's own letters. Colossians 1:1-2 and Ephesians 1:1-2; Colossians 1:25 and Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:26 and Ephesians 3:9 each have 7 consecutive words the same. Five identical, consecutive words occur in Colossians 1:14 and Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:9 and Ephesians 4:16.

Ephesians 6:21-22 is identical (in Greek) to Colossians 4:7-8.

Colossians 4:5 "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." Ephesians 5:16 "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Both passages use the same unusual phrase, which does not occur anywhere else in The Bible.

Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:" Ephesians 5:5 "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater ..." Here, the wording of Ephesians looks much different, but on closer inspection it contains the same vices stated in the same order, without Colossian's emphatic repetition of 'fornication' (inordinate affection, evil concupiscence).

Answer 2

They are both claimed by critics to be pseudonymous (some scholars say forged). There are some scholars who claim that Colossians is dependent on Ephesians. This is a bit of an oddity, since there are those who argue that Ephesians is dependent on Colossians. Daniel Wallace, in his book Ephesians: Introduction, Argument, and Outline, says "Upon close analysis, what is most remarkable is that there is only one verse which is identical in both Ephesians and Colossians: Eph. 6:22/Col. 4:8. yet this verse is quite mundane with respect to the great theological truths found in these two letters, for it simply details the reasons why Paul is sending Tychius! For Eph. 6:21-22/Col. 4:7-8, there are 32 words in sequence; in the rest of the parallels, at most only seven or eight parallels occur. This poses a major problem for the forgery view: How could a forger parallel the thoughts of Colossians so closely, without, save once verse, quoting verbatim from it for more than a few words? What forger would be so careful with Colossians all the way through, only to stumble over Tychius?" Wallace further adds that he can find no example of this sort of duplication in documents known to be pseudonymous. If they are forgeries, Colossians and Ephesians are among the most imaginative and original ever.

Answer 3

Colossians and Ephesians are both pseudo-Pauline epistles, that is, they were written in Paul's name after his death, to add credibility to the message that their real authors wished to convey. Colossians is believed to have been written in the seventies of the first century, and Ephesians about ten years later. The author of Ephesians seems to have believed that Colossians was written by Paul himself, and so copied much of the style and content from that earlier epistle in order to create the appearance of both having been written by the same author. In one case, Ephesians 6:21-22 and Colossians 4:7-8 are worded identically, even having the same person purportedly sent by Paul.
An example of the close relationship between the two epistles is found in the common approach to individual resurrection. For Paul, participation in the resurrection of Christ would have to wait until the eschaton. In Colossians by contrast, Christians were those who had already been “raised with him[Christ] through faith ... when you were buried with him in baptism” (Col 2:12). Ephesians continues this non-Pauline theme: “Even when we were dead through our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6).