Juan Manuel Granados Rojas, «Is the Word of God Incomplete? An Exegetical and Rhetorical Study of Col 1,25», Vol. 94 (2013) 63-79
The common reading of plhro/w in Col 1,25 has emphasized the apostolic task of preaching the gospel everywhere. We agree with other scholars that such a completion has not only spatial meaning but also a qualitative one. Yet, our research goes further: what kind of quality is this? The rhetorical devices of «accumulation» and «reversal» combined in 1,24-29 point to an ethical purpose. In this sense, «bringing to completion the word of God» means preaching the word, but also making everyone mature in Christ. The phrase includes both the diffusion of the gospel and the achievement of its ethical purpose.
74 JUAN M. GRANADOS ROJAS
gical (sacrificial) offering 34; (b) introducing a juridical and/or ethi-
cal purpose 35. The immediate context of 1,28 speaks in favor of
the second. The expression a;nqrwpoj te,leioj sometimes translated
as “perfect man†probably does not mean individual perfection, but
maturity in Christ. The same expression in Eph 4,13 confirms its
ethical nuance and its main feature as a growing process: in order
to reach the maturity in Christ one needs to grow in the knowledge
of Christ and unity of faith, i.e. “to make every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit†(Eph 4,3).
At the end of Colossians one can also find a similar line of
thought as part of an intercessory final report (4,12b): ἵνα σταθῆτε
τέλειοι καὶ πεπληÏοφοÏηµένοι á¼Î½ παντὶ θελήµατι τοῦ θεοῦ.
3. Plhro,w in Col 1,9
The ethical nuance of the fulfillment of God’s word had been al-
ready intimated in a similar structure of the letter. Within the section
1,9-14 the verb plhro,w functions almost in the same way as in 1,25.
In 1,9-12 the intercessory report presents the following arrangement:
∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡµεῖς ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἡµέÏας
Transition & 9
Intercessory report ἠκούσαµεν οὠπαυόµεθα á½‘Ï€á½²Ï á½‘Âµá¿¶Î½ Ï€Ïοσευχόµενοι καὶ αἰτούµενοι
Cognitive ἵνα πληÏωθῆτε τὴν á¼Ï€á½·Î³Î½Ï‰ÏƒÎ¹Î½ τοῦ θελήµατος αá½Ï„οῦ
Report’s purpose á¼Î½ πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει πνευµατικῇ,
πεÏιπατῆσαι ἀξίως τοῦ κυÏίου εἰς πᾶσαν á¼€Ïεσκείαν,
Ethical 10
(a) á¼Î½ παντὶ á¼”Ïγῳ ἀγαθῷ καÏποφοÏοῦντες
Modal expansions
(b) καὶ αá½Î¾Î±Î½á½¹ÂµÎµÎ½Î¿Î¹ τῇ á¼Ï€Î¹Î³Î½á½½ÏƒÎµÎ¹ τοῦ θεοῦ,
á¼Î½ πάσῃ δυνάµει δυναµούµενοι κατὰ τὸ κÏάτος τῆς δόξης
(c) 11
αá½Ï„οῦ εἰς πᾶσαν ὑποµονὴν καὶ µακÏοθυµίαν.
Μετὰ χαÏᾶς 12 εá½Ï‡Î±Ïιστοῦντες Ï„á¿· πατÏὶ Ï„á¿· ἱκανώσαντι ὑµᾶς
(d)
εἰς τὴν µεÏίδα τοῦ κλήÏου τῶν á¼Î³á½·Ï‰Î½ á¼Î½ Ï„á¿· φωτί·
ὃς á¼ÏÏύσατο ἡµᾶς á¼Îº τῆς á¼Î¾Î¿Ï…σίας τοῦ σκότους καὶ
Theological & 13
Christological µετέστησεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αá½Ï„οῦ,
expansions á¼Î½ ᾧ ἔχοµεν τὴν ἀπολύτÏωσιν τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν á¼ÂµÎ±Ïτιῶν·
14
See, for example, Rom 12,1-2. Most of these “sacrificial†references
34
(including verbs latreu,w or leitourge,w) echo back to the liturgical services
in the OT. See, for example, Num 16,19; Deut 10,8; 18,5.7.
See, for example, Rom 14,10; see also the ethical nuance in Col 1,22.
35
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