4
1 Οἱ κύριοι, τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα τοῖς δούλοις παρέχεσθε,* εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔχετε Κύριον ἐν οὐρανοῖς.†
Redeem the time
2 Τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε, γρηγοροῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ, 3 προσευχόμενοι ἅμα καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν, ἵνα ὁ Θεὸς ἀνοίξῃ‡ ἡμῖν θύραν τοῦ λόγου, λαλῆσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ (δι᾿ ὃ § καὶ δέδεμαι), 4 ἵνα φανερώσω αὐτό, ὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι. 5 Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω, τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι. 6 Ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν πάντοτε ἐν χάριτι, ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος, εἰδέναι πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ ἀποκρίνεσθαι.
Concluding remarks
7 Τὰ κατ᾿ ἐμὲ πάντα γνωρίσει ὑμῖν Τυχικός, ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς καὶ πιστὸς διάκονος καὶ σύνδουλος ἐν Κυρίῳ, 8 ὃν ἔπεμψα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ἵνα γνῷ* τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν† καὶ παρακαλέσῃ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, 9 σὺν Ὀνησίμῳ, τῷ πιστῷ καὶ ἀγαπητῷ ἀδελφῷ, ὅς ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν· πάντα ὑμῖν γνωριοῦσιν‡ τὰ ὧδε.§
10 Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Ἀρίσταρχος, ὁ συναιχμάλωτός μου, καὶ Μᾶρκος ὁ ἀνεψιὸς Βαρνάβα (περὶ οὗ ἐλάβετε ἐντολάς· ἐὰν ἔλθῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς δέξασθε αὐτόν), 11 καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ λεγόμενος Ἰοῦστος, οἱ ὄντες ἐκ περιτομῆς οὗτοι μόνοι συνεργοὶ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἵτινες ἐγενήθησάν μοι παρηγορία.
12 Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Ἐπαφρᾶς, ὁ ἐξ ὑμῶν, δοῦλος Χριστοῦ,* πάντοτε ἀγωνιζόμενος ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς, ἵνα στῆτε† τέλειοι καὶ πεπληρωμένοι‡ ἐν παντὶ θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ. 13 Μαρτυρῶ γὰρ αὐτῷ ὅτι ἔχει ζῆλον πολὺν§ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ καὶ τῶν ἐν Ἱεραπόλει.
14 Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Λουκᾶς, ὁ ἰατρὸς ὁ ἀγαπητός, καὶ Δημᾶς. 15 Ἀσπάσασθε τοὺς ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ* ἀδελφούς, καὶ Νυμφᾶν καὶ τὴν κατ᾿ οἶκον αὐτοῦ† ἐκκλησίαν.
16 Καὶ ὅταν ἀναγνωσθῇ παρ᾿ ὑμῖν ἡ ἐπιστολή, ποιήσατε ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ Λαοδικέων‡ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀναγνωσθῇ, καὶ τὴν ἐκ Λαοδικείας ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀναγνῶτε.
17 Καὶ εἴπατε Ἀρχίππῳ, «Βλέπε τὴν διακονίαν ἣν παρέλαβες ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἵνα αὐτὴν πληροῖς.»
Sign-off
18 Ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί· Παύλου. Μνημονεύετέ μου τῶν δεσμῶν. Ἡ χάρις μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν.§,*
* 4:1 παρεχεσθε f35 ℵA,B [80%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ παρεχετε C [18%] CP ¦ παρεσχεσθε [2%] † 4:1 ουρανοις f35 [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ουρανω ℵA,B,C,I [3%] NU ‡ 4:3 ανοιξη rell ¦ 1 και CP § 4:3 δι ὃ rell ¦ διο [20%] * 4:8 γνω f35 𝕻46C (87.6%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ γνωτε ℵA,B,048 (10.9%) NU ¦ γνωται (1%) ¦ — (0.5%) † 4:8 υμων f35 𝕻46ℵC (88.1%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ημων A,B,048 (11.4%) NU ¦ — (0.5%) ‡ 4:9 γνωριουσιν f35 ℵA,C [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ γνωρισουσιν 𝕻46B [3%] NU § 4:9 ὧδε rell ¦ ὦδε f35 [40%] (I include this information for the record, and so as not to lose sight of it; since there is no contrast in meaning here, and I am not aware that the Autographs contained ‘breathing’ marks, I stay with the conventional spelling. However, it may be noted that the difference between ᾧ δε and ὧδε would be indistinct in most MSS; the simple expedient reflected in f35 resolves the ambiguity.) * 4:12 χριστου f35 𝕻46 [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ 1 ιησου ℵA,B,I [4%] [NU] ¦ ιησου 1 C [1%] † 4:12 στητε f35 A,C [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ σταθητε ℵB [1%] NU ¦ ητε I [2%] ‡ 4:12 πεπληρωμενοι f35 𝕻46 [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ πεπληροφορημενοι ℵA,B,C [3%] NU § 4:13 ζηλον πολυν f35 [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ~ 2 πονον ℵA,B,C [4%] NU ¦ four other readings [1%] * 4:15 λαοδικεια rell ¦ λαοδικια ℵA,C [10%] † 4:15 αυτου f35 [92%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ αυτων ℵA,C [6%] ¦ αυτης B [1%] NU ¦ — [1%] ‡ 4:16 λαοδικεων f35 B [85%] HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ λαοδικαιων ℵA,C [15%] RP,CP § 4:18 αμην f35 [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — ℵA,B,C,048 [5%] NU * 4:18 The citation of f35 is based on thirty-seven MSS—18, 35, 201, 204, 328, 386, 394, 444, 604, 757, 824, 928, 986, 1072, 1075, 1100, 1248, 1249, 1503, 1548, 1637, 1725, 1732, 1761, 1768, 1855, 1864, 1865, 1876, 1892, 1897, 2080, 2352, 2466, 2554, 2587 and 2723—all of which I collated myself. 18, 444, 1732, 1864, 2554 and 2723 are ‘perfect’ representatives of f35 in Colossians, as they stand, as were the exemplars of another eight. The uniformity is impressive. Since these MSS come from all over the Mediterranean world (Sinai, Jerusalem, Patmos, Constantinople, Bucharest, Aegean, Trikala, Meteora, Athens, Mt. Athos [seven different monasteries], Grottaferrata, Vatican, etc.) they are certainly representative of the family, giving us the precise family profile—it is reflected in the Text without exception. In the statements of evidence I have included the percentage of manuscript attestation for each variant, within either ( ) or [ ]. I have used ( ) for the evidence taken from TuT, which I take to be reasonably precise. For the variant sets that are not covered there I had to revert to von Soden and the apparatus of N-A27, supplementing from other sources where possible (Scrivener and Tischendorf)—the percentages offered, I have used [ ] for these, are extrapolations based on a comparison of these sources. I venture to predict, if complete collations ever become available, that for any non-Byzantine variants listed with 5 to 1% support (in my apparatus) the margin of error should not exceed ±1%; for non-Byzantine variants listed with 10 to 6% support the margin of error should hardly exceed ±3%; where there is some division among the Byzantine witnesses the margin of error should rarely exceed ±15%. However, I guarantee the witness of Family 35. Please see the last footnote for Matthew for further information.