G. K. Beale, Colossians and Philemon

Abstract

Although Colossians and Philemon comprise shorter Pauline epistles, these letters nevertheless display fully Paul’s genuine love and deep concern for his readers’ proper understanding of the gospel and the practical implications of that gospel in their lives. Whether Paul’s concern is unity within a conflicted church or reconciliation with a runaway slave, Paul appeals powerfully to the church’s unity in the gospel and its implications for a life of Christian faithfulness. G. K. Beale contributes much to the study of these letters with his unique concern for the identification and exposition, both historical and exegetical, of OT allusions in the NT, though his insights on Philemon are admittedly restricted due to the letter’s nature (p. xi). In Beale’s estimation, the basic structure of Colossians and Philemon are similar in that they are both ancient letters containing an opening, a thanksgiving (and, for Philemon, a prayer), a letter body, and a closing. For Colossians, Beale summarizes the major sections concisely: the letter opening expresses Paul’s and Timothy’s desire for grace and peace for the Colossian Christians (1:1–2), while the thanksgiving reiterates Paul’s intention to thank God specifically for the reader’s Christian lives (1:3–23). In the third section, the letter body, Paul appeals to the Colossians that they strive for Christian maturity (1:24–4:6). Finally, Paul closes the letter by emphasizing his pastoral concern for the Colossian believers (4:7–18). In contrast to the material on Colossians, Beale’s exposition of Philemon constitutes a significantly shorter portion of the commentary proper. As Beale notes, after Paul opens the letter with an appeal for grace and peace for Philemon and the believers meeting in his home (vv.1-3), the apostle shifts to his thanksgiving and prayer, in which he thanks God for Philemon because of his genuine love and faithfulness that Paul hopes will continue to grow (vv. 4–7). In the letter body (vv. 8–21), Paul appeals to Philemon’s inner heart (vv. 8–14) that he would accept Onesimus back as a brother (vv. 15–21). While Paul hopes that Philemon will free Onesimus to return and minister to Paul, Paul nevertheless believes that Philemon’s acceptance of Onesimus either way “will refresh Paul’s heart in Christ,” which Beale notably identifies as the main logical point of the letter (p. 374). Paul then closes the letter with a request that Philemon displays pastoral concern for the apostle as Paul emphasizes his pastoral concern for Philemon and his house church (vv. 22-25). The commentary concludes with five excurses: “The Problem of Using the Criteria of Vocabulary and Writing Style to Discern Purportedly Non-Pauline Letters,” “Criteria for Discerning Old Testament Allusions and Their Use,” “‘Christ among the Gentiles’ as Part of the Mystery,” “The Old Testament Background of ‘the Uncircumcision of Your Flesh’ in Colossians 2:13,” and “The Master-Slave Relationship.” Each excursus deals with particular topics foundational to Beale’s interpretation. Each one is brief and on topic, spanning no more than two to six pages. 1130159 RAE0010.1177/00346373221130159Review & ExpositorBook Reviews book-review2022