All the Fullness of God - Bonnie Bowman Thurston - Bog

All the Fullness of God: The Christ of Colossians focuses on the Christology of Colossians and its implications by examining the canonical text and answering the questions: What was the author's purpose in writing the letter? What is the letter's primary concern? How do its contents reflect or deviate from Paul's thought in his uncontested letters? The author of Colossians is favorably disposed toward the letter's recipients who have received the gospel from Epaphras, but now encounter alternative teachings. The author finds that church's Christology inadequate and writes to expand their understanding of the meaning of baptism into Jesus Christ and its implications. This study introduces Greco-Roman letter and literary forms; the geography, history, and demographics of Colossae; and provides excurses on several scholarly matters. It is comprised of five chapters (Part I) which set forth the argument and explain the text in its historical context, followed by nine reflections (Part II) which place each text in its context, then elucidate the meaning and application of the passage for contemporary readers.