Is the Word of God Incomplete? An Exegetical and Rhetorical Study of Col 1,25 1 The common reading of the phrase plhrw/sai to.n lo,gon tou/ Qeou/ in Col 1,25 has emphasized the apostolic task of preaching the gospel everywhere. Following Rom 15,19 many biblical schol- ars interpret the fulfillment as full proclamation of the gospel. How- ever, some of them have turned their attention to the exact nature of this fulfillment 2. In this paper I intend to analyze the train of thought of Col 1,24-29 in order to determine the meaning of this phrase in the letter. My purpose is to show how the rhetorical de- vices of “accumulation” and “reversal” combined in 1,24-29 point to an ethical purpose. In this way, we will demonstrate that “bring- ing to completion the word of God” means not only preaching the gospel to every human being, but also making everyone mature in Christ. A similar syntactic arrangement in 1,9-12 will confirm the ethical nuance of the verb plhro,w in the letter. First, we will present a brief status quaestionis; second, the rhetorical arrangement of the units (1,24-29 and 1,9-14); third, some reflections on plhro,w; and, finally, some concluding remarks. I. Status quaestionis The main exegetical issues in Col 1,25 are three. First, the mean- ing of dia,konoj: is the service to the gospel (1,23) different from the service to the church (1,25)? Second, the meaning and background of the expression kata. th.n oivkonomi,an tou/ Qeou/ th.n doqei/sa,n moi. Third, the content of plhrw/sai to.n lo,gon tou/ Qeou/. I wish to thank the Jesuit community at the Jesuit School of Theology 1 in Berkeley for the financial and professional support that allowed me to com- plete this project. The word of God is fulfilled not only when it is announced, but when it 2 is dynamically and effectively proclaimed. See P.T. O’BRIEN, Colossians, Philemon (WBC 44; Waco, TX 1982) 83; E. LOHSE, Colossians and Phile- mon. A Commentary on the Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (ed. H. KOESTER) (Hermeneia; Philadelphia 1971) 73. BIBLICA 94.1 (2013) 63-79 © Gregorian Biblical Press 2012 - Tutti i diritti riservati