Who is the Author?

The majority of scholars consider the author of the Epistle to the Colossians to be Paul the Apostle.1 Some scholars, however, have challenged Pauline authorship because of the letter’s language and style, the teachings of Colossians, Christology, ecclesiology, eschatology, and tradition.2 These scholars have thus posited other theories of authorship, such as a “Pauline school” or Paul’s having authorized someone else to write in his name.3 Many of the issues raised, however, do not hold much weight, nor can scholars identify an author other than Paul or combat the evidence of Paul’s self-identification at multiple points in this epistle.4