The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface Between Christianityand Folk Belief at Colossae

This book opens up our understanding on what beliefs were attacking the church in Colossea based upon recent archeological findings that shed new light on "difficult" Greek words such as the "worship of angels." This book sheds light on the dangers behind much of the "revivalism" and "charismania" with the emphasis on "spiritual warfare" that we are experiencing. An excellent read.

My experience has taught me that the letters of Paul are some of the most theologically influential books in the bible. Therefore it is a must that those who study or teach from these sources have a good understanding of the context within which they were written, but enough of my rambling... This book deals with religious and philisophical beliefs of Christians and Pagans alike in Collosae and the surrounding cities. The arguments presented are well thought out and the evidence is meticulously presented (while this is a good thing from an academic point of view, it can put you to sleep real fast). I highly recommend this because it is extremely informative about aspects of life in Paul's day that were familiar to people that Paul wrote to, but rather foreign to us today. This book has provided me with a deeper insight into Colossians and all of Paul's letter. Any serious teacher of religion, Sunday School, etc. should read this and I guarantee that your presentations of Paul's letters will be the better for it. One other point is that if you are considering getting this book, get it right away. I've learned that book's of this nature (though potentially beneficial to many) have a limited audience and typically go out-of-print or become otherwise unavailable.