You asked

what specific social distinctions (greek/jew, scythian/barbarian) was paul addressing in colossae?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Colossians 3:11

“where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.”

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Colossae, likely in the mid-1st century CE, while he was imprisoned. He was addressing various issues, including philosophical or spiritual teachings that threatened to distort the message of Christ. Here, he's emphasizing the radical unity found in Christ, cutting across social and cultural divides.

What old distinctions, whether social, cultural, or personal, might still be limiting our vision of shared humanity and belonging?

Then — the setting

This letter was written to believers in Colossae, a city in Phrygia (modern-day Turkey), likely around 60-62 CE. The city was a melting pot of cultures, with a significant Jewish population alongside Greek and indigenous Phrygian inhabitants. Paul's audience would have been familiar with these terms of distinction. 'Greek and Jew' represented the primary ethnic and religious divide of the ancient world. 'Circumcision and uncircumcision' further specified the religious marker of Jewish identity. 'Barbarian' was a Greek term for anyone who didn't speak Greek and therefore sounded like 'bar-bar,' implying an uncivilized status. 'Scythian' specifically referred to nomadic peoples from the Eurasian steppes, who were often considered the epitome of savagery and lawlessness in the Greco-Roman mind. 'Bondservant and freeman' addressed the ubiquitous social and economic stratification of the time.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament often emphasizes the distinctiveness of Israel as God's chosen people, set apart from the 'nations' or Gentiles through laws, covenant, and practices like circumcision. This served to preserve their unique identity and role in God's plan. In the New Testament, particularly through Paul's writings, the emphasis shifts to a new spiritual identity 'in Christ' that transcends these former national and social boundaries. While not erasing the historical lineage, the New Testament proclaims that access to God's grace and inclusion in the new covenant community is no longer determined by ethnic origin or social status, but by faith in Jesus, thus creating a unified 'new humanity' that incorporates both Jew and Gentile into one body.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Galatians 3:28
Echoes this theme of unity in Christ, stating there is 'neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.'
Romans 10:12
Affirms that 'there is no distinction between Jew and Greek' regarding salvation.
Ephesians 2:14-16
Describes how Christ has broken down the 'dividing wall of hostility' between Jew and Gentile.

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