This proposed paper is based upon a chapter from a dissertation entitled “Christ over All Things: Cosmic Christ in Colossians and Ephesians in the Context of Ancient Judaism” completed at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2023. This proposed paper aims to examine the cosmic Christological thought of Colossians through the lens of Jewish royal ideology. The proposed paper will argue that Paul articulates his cosmic Christology in Colossians through primarily Jewish royal ideological motifs. First, Paul utilizes the Genesis narrative to portray Christ as the one who subdues the cosmos in the way that Adam was to subdue the creation. Second, Paul’s view of Christ’s cosmic enthronement aligns with Jewish expectations of the coming Davidic king. This approach presents a viable alternative to approaches that explain the cosmic Christological thought of Colossians primarily through either Greco-Roman thought (as argued by George Van Kooten in his work on the cosmic Christology of Colossians) or Jewish Wisdom traditions (as argued by Eduard Lohse, James Dunn, Christopher Beetham, Matthew Gordley, and others).
After a brief section which will present a definition for “cosmic Christology,” this paper will examine three major texts in Colossians in which Paul expounds on his cosmic Christological thought: Colossians 1:12-20, Colossians 2:6-15, and Colossians 3:1-11. The regal themes present in Colossians 1:12-14 provide key context for identifying the royal background of the Colossian hymn. With this context in mind, the author will argue that the Colossian hymn contains much regal language (for example, the titles “image of the invisible God” [v. 15], “firstborn” [v. 15, 18], and “head” [v. 17]) that connects Paul’s thought with Jewish royal ideological thought. Next, the author will show how Colossians 2:6-15 pictures God’s cosmic victory over His enemies being accomplished through the work of Christ. This picture of cosmic triumph closely parallels Jewish royal ideology in which God brings about the defeat of His enemies and the enemies of His people through the enthronement of His ideal king. As Judaism viewed God’s ideal king joining with God in the battle against every cosmic enemy (Ps 18:32-43; 72:8; 89:26), so Christ serves as God’s royal agent in the battle against the hostile cosmic powers. Finally, the author will examine the allusions in Colossians 3:1-11 both to the ideal Davidic king (Col 3:1; cf. Ps 110:1) and to Christ’s role as the new Adam with Paul’s use of the “old man/new man” metaphor (Col 3:9-11). Through a close examination of these texts, the author concludes that Paul utilized Jewish royal ideology to present Christ’s position and role in the cosmos as the antitype to Adam’s reign and Christ’s enthronement as the ideal Davidic as the means by which Christ defeats his cosmic enemies and regains the dominion that Adam once lost.