Although Colossae was on the main highway from Syria to Ephesus, Paul apparently did not visit the church there during his missionary travels recorded in Acts (Colossians 1:4; Colossians 2:1). Colossae was situated in a part of the province of Asia where Paul was forbidden to preach during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:6-8; for map see ASIA).

The church in Colossae was probably founded during Paul’s stay in Ephesus on his third missionary journey, when the Ephesian converts took the gospel to the towns of the surrounding countryside (Acts 19:8-10). Epaphras appears to have been the person chiefly responsible for the establishment of the church in Colossae (Colossians 1:7). At the time Paul wrote his letter to the Colossian church, it met in the home of Philemon (Colossians 4:9; Philem 1-2,10-12; see COLOSSIANS, LETTER TO THE).

Bibliography Information
Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Colossae'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/c/colossae.html. 2004.

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