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Colossians 1:15Prison letter context (trad.)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
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Interpretation

Paul urges a image invisible that is embodied in work and rest. Colossians 1:15: trace "image" and "invisible". Align image invisible in promises we keep—anchor courage in promise. Through imago dei, Humans made in God’s image—renewed in Christ for true righteousness (Gen 1:26–27; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10).

Context

Colossians speaks here as epistle/letter writing, naming image invisible. Placed in ch. 1, the nearby lines set its tone. There’s a line into imago dei. The nearby sentences supply the texture.

Authorship & Historical Background

Long‑standing tradition credits Colossians to Paul. Many scholars judge Colossians as follows: Deutero‑Pauline (disputed by many).. Scholars commonly date Colossians AD 60–80. The setting is the Prison letter context (trad.) (epistle/letter). Imago Dei is especially relevant in this line.

More details
Traditional:Paul
Modern scholarship:Deutero‑Pauline (disputed by many).
Date:AD 60–80
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in more than 5,800 manuscripts, exceeding other ancient writings in manuscript count. 2nd-3rd century papyri like P46, P66, P75 provide text roughly 100-150 years after composition. Major uncial codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 4th century) contain complete or near-complete texts. The Byzantine text family represents the majority of later manuscripts. Textual variants exist but are mostly minor: word order, articles, spelling. No central Christian doctrine depends on any disputed text. Modern critical editions compare all manuscript families to determine the probably reflects the initial text reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46