Colossae

Updated on Jan 25, 2024

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Colossae

Colossae (/kəˈlɒsi/; Greek: Κολοσσαί) was an ancient city of Phrygia in Asia Minor, and was the location of a Christian community to which the Apostle Paul addressed a canonically accepted epistle (letter), which is known for its content's exaltation of the supremacy of Christianity's namesake. Writing in the 4th century BC, Xenophon refers to Colossae as one of six large cities of Phrygia. It was populated by peoples of Greek and Hebrew origin (Antiochus the Great having relocated there, two thousand Jewish families from Babylonia and Mesopotamia), as well as other cultures and ethnicities, as it was an early center of trade given its location on the Lycus (a tributary of the Maeander River) and its position near the great military and commercial road from Ephesus to the Euphrates. It was situated 10 miles southeast of Laodicea, 13 miles from the ancient city of Hierapolis, and 3 miles from Mount Cadmus, at the head of a gorge. Commerce of the city included trade in wool—the dyed wool collossinus was named for the place—and in the products of weaving and other trades. It was also known for its fusion of religious influences (syncretism), which included Jewish, Gnostic, and pagan influences that in the first century AD were described as an angel-cult (a matter addressed by the Pauline letter). The city was decimated by an earthquake in the 60s AD, rebuilt independent of the support of Rome, overrun by the Saracens in the 7th and 8th centuries AD, and then destroyed, ultimately, by the Turks in the 12th century, with the remnant of its population relocating, among other places, to nearby Chonae. As of 2015, it had never been excavated, though plans are reported for an Australian led expedition to the site.

Map of Colossae, Emirazizli Mahallesi, 20330 Honaz%2FDenizli, Turkey

Despite a treacherously ambiguous cartography and history, Colossae has been clearly distinguished in modern research from nearby Chonae (Χῶναι), now called Honaz, with what remains of the buried ruins of the mound associated with Colossae lying a few kilometers to the north of Chonae/Honaz.

Colossae a stressed out church

Location and geography

Colossae was located in Phrygia, in Asia Minor. Writing in the 4th century BC, Xenophon refers to Colossae as one of six large cities of Phrygia. It was an early center of trade, given its location on the Lycus (a tributary of the Maeander River) and its position near the great military and commercial road from Ephesus to the Euphrates. It was situated 10 miles southeast of Laodicea, 13 miles from the ancient city of Heiropolis, and 3 miles rom Mount Cadmus, at the head of a gorge.

Despite a treacherously ambiguous cartography and history, Colossae has been clearly distinguished in modern research from nearby Chonae (Χῶναι), now called Honaz, with what remains of the buried ruins of Colossae ("the mound") lying 3 km to the north of Chonae/Honaz.

Pre-Pauline and Pauline characteristics

Colossae was populated by peoples of Greek and Hebrew origin. Antiochus the Great is said to have relocated two thousand Jewish families from Babylonia and Mesopotamia to the city, and other cultures and ethnicities were present as well.

Commerce of the city included trade in wool—the dyed wool collossinus was named for the place—and in the products of weaving and other trades. It was also known for its fusion of religious influences (syncretism), which included Jewish, Gnostic, and pagan influences that in the first century AD were described as an angel-cult.

Before the Pauline period

Some further highlights regarding the history of Colossae include:

Pliny wrote that the wool of Colossae gave its name to colossinus, and to the colour of the cyclamen flower.

In 396 BC, during the Persian Wars, the satrap Tissaphernes was lured to Colossae and slain by an agent of the party of Cyrus the Younger.

During the Hellenistic period, the town was of some mercantile importance, although by the 1st century it had dwindled greatly in size and significance.

The Pauline period

Colossae was the location of a Christian community to which the Apostle Paul addressed a canonically accepted epistle (letter), which is known for its content's exaltation of the supremacy of Christianity's namesake. One aim of the letter was to address the challenges that the community faced in its context of the syncretistic Gnostic religions that were developing in Asia minor.

Judging from the Letter to the Colossians, Epaphras was a person of some importance in the Christian community there (Col. 1:7; 4:12), and tradition presents him as its first bishop. It does not appear from his Epistle to the Colossians that St. Paul had visited the city, for the epistle only speaks of him having heard of their faith (Col. 1:4) and since he tells Philemon of his hope to visit it upon being freed from prison (see Philemon 1:22). Tradition also gives Philemon as the second bishop of the see.

The first historically documented bishop is Epiphanius, who was not personally at the Council of Chalcedon, but whose metropolitan bishop Nunechius of Laodicea, the capital of the Roman province of Phrygia Pacatiana signed the acts on his behalf.

Decimation and destruction

The city was decimated by an earthquake in the 60s AD, and was rebuilt independent of the support of Rome. The city was later overrun by the Saracens in the 7th and 8th centuries AD. Colossae was destroyed, ultimately, by the Turks in the 12th century, with the remnant of its population relocating, among other places, to nearby Chonae.