Colossians 4:14

"For I testify about him that he has great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis."

Key Reflection

Paul writes this testimony about Epaphras, who was a key figure in the Colossian church. In first-century Asia Minor, letters between churches were common but also rare and precious. Paul knew that Epaphras had dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the spiritual welfare of the Colossians as well as those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. These cities were neighboring and often visited each other for worship and fellowship, making them interconnected communities within the broader context of early Christian churches in Asia Minor.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 14. Luke, the beloved physician. This was undoubtedly the author of the gospel which bears his name, and of the Acts of the Apostles. He is mentioned as the travelling companion of Paul in Ac 16:10, and appears to have accompanied him afterwards until his imprisonment at Rome. See 2 Ti 4:11. From verse 11 of this chapter, it is evident that he was not by birth a Jew, but was probably a proselyte. He is supposed to have been a native of Cyrene, and to have died in Achaia, soon after the martyrdom of Paul, at the advanced age of eighty-four. See Rob. Cal. Art. Luke.

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