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Synopsis
In Part Forty Nine of our continuing examination of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Bible alongside the King James Bible, we turn to Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This time our investigation will remain centered on the purpose of this series: placing the Ethiopian translation beside the King James, rendered into modern English, and asking what the texts actually say. Where the wording agrees, we will establish that and move forward. Where it differs, we will slow down and determine whether the difference changes the meaning of the passage or how we understand God, Jesus Christ, salvation, and the Christian life.
Colossians gives us an especially important book for this comparison because some of the strongest statements about the identity of Jesus appear within its opening chapter. The Ethiopian text describes Christ as “the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation.” It says everything in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, was created through Him and for Him, that He existed before all things, and that everything consists in Him. We will compare these statements directly with the King James and determine whether the two witnesses present the same picture of who Jesus is.
We will also examine the language surrounding redemption and the blood of Christ. The Ethiopian text of Colossians 1:14 says that in Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,” and later says that God made peace “through the blood of His cross.” These are exactly the kinds of passages where wording matters, especially after everything we have already investigated concerning blood, sacrifice, forgiveness, reconciliation, and the cross.
As we move into chapter 2, the comparison becomes even more important. Paul confronts philosophy, human tradition, religious regulations, spiritual powers, ascetic practices, visions, and angels. His answer to these competing spiritual claims is the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. We will examine whether the Ethiopian and King James texts describe that sufficiency in the same way and pay particular attention to Paul’s statements concerning the fullness of God dwelling in Christ and believers being complete in Him.
We will then examine Paul’s controversial discussion of food, drink, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths. Rather than beginning with a denominational interpretation and forcing either Bible to support it, we will compare the wording, follow Paul’s argument through its surrounding verses, and allow the texts to establish what Paul is confronting. The same approach will be used when Paul discusses angels, spiritual powers, human commandments, and religious practices that appear wise but may be unable to transform the human heart.
Chapters 3 and 4 move the investigation from doctrine into behavior. Paul describes the old person being put away and the new person being formed. Sexual immorality, greed, anger, abusive speech, and lying are replaced by compassion, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, peace, gratitude, and love. We will compare how both texts describe this transformation and ask whether either witness allows grace to become an excuse for remaining unchanged.
By the end of the investigation, Colossians should allow us to answer two questions. First, does the Ethiopian translation preserve a meaning significantly different from the King James in any important passage of this letter? Second, after hearing both witnesses, what picture of Jesus Christ emerges?
That second question may ultimately be the most important. If Christ is truly the One through whom everything was created, if everything exists for Him, if He stands before everything, if the fullness of God dwells in Him, if redemption and reconciliation come through His blood, and if believers are made complete in Him, then Colossians confronts Christianity with a remarkably simple question.
Is Jesus Christ really enough?
Monologue
Welcome back to Cause Before Symptom, where we don’t chase symptoms—we test the cause against Scripture. Tonight we continue our examination of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Bible alongside the King James Bible, and we have arrived at Paul’s letter to the Colossians. As always, I don’t want to decide beforehand which wording should win. I want to put the Ethiopian translation beside the King James, rendered into modern English, read what each actually says, and ask whether any differences change what we understand about God, Jesus Christ, salvation, or the Christian life.
Colossians may be one of the most important books we have reached because Paul makes enormous claims about Jesus. In the Ethiopian text, Christ is called “the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation.” Everything in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, including thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, was created through Him and for Him. Christ is before all things, and everything consists in Him. A change of only a few words in passages like these could affect how someone understands who Jesus actually is.
So we are going to look closely. Does the King James say the same thing? Does “firstborn” appear the same way? Does one text say creation came “by” Christ while another says “through” Christ? What about the fullness dwelling in Him or Christ being Head of the Church? Instead of assuming these Bibles are identical or assuming they must be different, we’re going to find out.
Blood also appears almost immediately. The Ethiopian text says that in Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Later, Paul says God made peace “through the blood of His cross.” After everything we have already investigated concerning blood throughout Scripture, I want to know exactly what both texts preserve here. If there is a difference, we need to see it. If there isn’t, that is evidence too.
Colossians becomes even more interesting because Paul is confronting teachings that appear to add something to Christ. Philosophy enters the discussion. Human traditions enter the discussion. Food, drink, festivals, new moons, Sabbaths, self-denial, visions, angels, and spiritual powers eventually appear. That gives us an opportunity not only to compare translations but to test interpretations Christians have built around these verses.
And I don’t want to begin with those interpretations. I want to begin with the words. Sometimes a doctrine becomes so familiar that we stop asking whether a verse actually says what we have been told it says. Sometimes a single English word creates an impression that may not appear as strongly in another textual tradition. Sometimes we discover that two witnesses separated by language and tradition are saying essentially the same thing. The only way to know is to compare them.
Underneath nearly everything Paul writes is a remarkably simple question: Is Christ enough? Not whether Jesus is important. Not whether Jesus should be included. Is He enough?
That question remains important because Christians can add almost anything to Jesus. Jesus plus a denomination. Jesus plus politics. Jesus plus prophecy. Jesus plus religious rules. Jesus plus mystical experiences. Jesus plus secret knowledge. Jesus plus a particular theological system. Eventually the thing added to Christ can become so important that questioning it feels like questioning Christ Himself.
Paul’s answer is to show us who Jesus is. If everything was created through Him and for Him, what spiritual power exists outside His authority? If He is before all things, what secret knowledge predates Him? If the fullness dwells in Him, what are we missing that someone else must provide? If redemption comes through His blood, what religious performance can improve upon it?
But Paul does not use the sufficiency of Christ as an excuse for Christians to remain unchanged. The old person must die. Anger, greed, sexual immorality, lying, and impurity must be put away. Compassion, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, peace, gratitude, and love must take their place. Being complete in Christ does not mean our behavior no longer matters. It means transformation begins from what Christ has already accomplished.
So throughout this episode, we’re returning to the method this series was built upon. Ethiopian text. King James text. Side by side. Scripture first and commentary afterward. When the wording is essentially the same, we’ll establish that and move forward. When it differs, we’ll stop and investigate what the difference means.
And by the time we finish Colossians, I want to know whether these two biblical witnesses give us the same answer to the question underneath the entire letter: Who is Jesus Christ?
Because once we know Paul’s answer, another question becomes unavoidable. If Jesus really is everything Colossians says He is, what could we possibly add to Him?
Part 1 – Colossians 1:1–14
Delivered From the Power of Darkness
We begin our comparison with the opening fourteen verses of Colossians, and immediately something interesting happens. The Ethiopian translation and the King James are remarkably close. The Ethiopian text begins with Paul identifying himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,” together with Timothy, and addressing the faithful believers in Colossae. The King James gives essentially the same introduction. Even the greeting of grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is preserved without meaningful theological difference.
The same pattern continues as Paul describes their faith, love, and hope. The Ethiopian translation says their hope is “laid up for you in heaven,” closely following the King James. Paul says the Gospel is “bringing forth fruit,” just as it has among the Colossians since they came to know God’s grace. Neither text gives us a substantially different picture. Faith in Christ produces something visible.
Verses 7 and 8 introduce Epaphras. The Ethiopian translation calls him “our dear fellow servant” and “a faithful minister of Christ,” wording that again closely tracks the King James. Paul also says Epaphras reported their “love in the Spirit.” Both witnesses connect genuine Christian faith with love.
Beginning in verse 9, we reach language worth examining more carefully. The Ethiopian translation says Paul prays that they “may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The King James says essentially the same thing. Paul connects knowing God’s will with wisdom, spiritual understanding, and the way believers live.
The Ethiopian text says they should “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” The King James uses the older expression “unto all pleasing,” but in modern English the meaning is essentially the same: live in a way that pleases the Lord. The difference is primarily readability rather than theology.
Verse 11 follows the same pattern. The Ethiopian translation says believers are “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” The King James is extremely close. Both texts connect God’s power not merely with miraculous activity but with endurance. Sometimes God’s power is demonstrated by remaining faithful through something rather than immediately escaping it.
Then we reach verses 12 through 14, where the comparison becomes more important. The Ethiopian translation says the Father “has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” The King James says the Father “hath made us meet to be partakers.” In modern English, “qualified us” communicates essentially the same idea. Again, the Ethiopian wording is clearer without substantially changing Paul’s meaning.
Verse 13 says God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” The King James says God “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” Here the wording differs noticeably. “Conveyed us” and “translated us” sound different to modern ears, while “the Son of His love” and “His dear Son” express the relationship differently.
But the message remains the same. God has rescued believers from the authority of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of His Son. Christianity is more than accepting a new religious philosophy. Paul describes movement from one authority into another kingdom.
Then comes verse 14, where our comparison becomes especially important. The Ethiopian text reads, “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” The traditional King James also says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
So the blood is present in both.
That matters because Colossians returns to Christ’s blood only a few verses later when Paul speaks about peace being made through “the blood of His cross.” The Ethiopian and King James witnesses are not moving in different theological directions here. Both explicitly connect Christ’s blood with redemption and redemption with forgiveness.
After fourteen verses, our first finding is straightforward. There are wording differences, particularly where older King James English is expressed more naturally in the Ethiopian translation, but nothing so far changes Paul’s theology.
Both witnesses tell the same story. God qualifies His people for the inheritance, rescues them from darkness, brings them into the kingdom of His Son, and tells us that redemption and forgiveness come through His blood.
Part 2 – Colossians 1:15–23
The Image of the Invisible God
Now that we are comparing the Ethiopian translation directly with the actual 1611 King James Bible, this section becomes more interesting. Paul begins with one of the strongest statements about Jesus in the letter. The Ethiopian translation says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” The 1611 King James says, “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.”
That is a real wording difference. “Firstborn over all creation” immediately sounds like a statement of supremacy. The 1611 expression “firstborn of every creature” can sound different to modern ears, perhaps even suggesting that Christ is part of creation. But before drawing that conclusion, we have to keep reading, because both texts immediately explain what Paul means.
Verse 16 in the Ethiopian translation says, “For by Him all things were created,” whether in heaven or earth, visible or invisible, including thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. It concludes, “All things were created through Him and for Him.” The 1611 King James begins the same way, saying all things were created “by him,” but concludes that “all things were created by him, and for him.”
Here we find another difference. The Ethiopian translation moves from “by Him” to “through Him,” while the 1611 King James uses “by Him” both times. Neither text, however, allows us to place Christ among the created things. Everything in creation—including spiritual powers—is said to have been created in relation to Him and for Him.
Verse 17 gives us an even more interesting comparison. The Ethiopian translation says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” The 1611 King James says, “and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
This is exactly the kind of difference this examination is looking for. “By Him” presents Christ as the one by whose power creation continues to exist. “In Him” presents creation as somehow holding together within Christ. The pictures are slightly different, although both give Jesus a cosmic role that belongs far beyond an ordinary created being.
Taken together, these first three verses make the Ethiopian wording “firstborn over all creation” particularly striking. The 1611 says “firstborn of every creature,” but then immediately says everything was created by Christ, everything was created for Christ, Christ existed before everything, and everything consists by Him. The surrounding 1611 passage therefore guards against reading “firstborn of every creature” as though Paul were simply calling Jesus the first creature God made.
Verse 18 shifts from creation to the Church. The Ethiopian translation calls Christ “the head of the body, the church,” “the beginning,” and “the firstborn from the dead,” so that He might have “the preeminence.” The 1611 King James gives essentially the same wording. This second use of “firstborn” helps reveal Paul’s emphasis. Christ is being presented in the position of preeminence.
Verse 19 continues, “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.” The 1611 reads, “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.” Here there is no meaningful difference. Both witnesses place the fullness in Christ.
Then Paul returns to the blood. The Ethiopian translation says God reconciles all things through Christ, “having made peace through the blood of His cross.” The 1611 King James preserves the same statement. This confirms what we found in verse 14. Both texts explicitly connect Christ’s blood with redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
Verses 21 and 22 remain extremely close. The Ethiopian says those who were once alienated and enemies have been reconciled “in the body of His flesh through death,” so they may be presented “holy, and blameless, and above reproach.” The 1611 says “holy and unblameable and unreproveable.” That difference is primarily older versus modern English.
Verse 23 is equally important. The Ethiopian translation says, “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” The 1611 says, “if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.”
The conditional “if” is therefore present in both.
Our comparison has uncovered three wording differences worth remembering: “firstborn over all creation” versus “firstborn of every creature,” “through Him” versus “by Him” concerning creation, and “in Him all things consist” versus “by Him all things consist.”
But neither witness presents Jesus as merely part of creation. Both place Him before creation, above creation, responsible for creation, sustaining creation, and possessing preeminence over everything.
That is Paul’s foundation: before discussing anything else, he establishes who Jesus is.
Part 3 – Colossians 1:24–2:5
Christ in You, the Hope of Glory
Paul now moves from describing who Christ is to explaining the mystery he has been called to proclaim. This section is especially useful for our comparison because several expressions have created theological discussion over the centuries. The first appears immediately when Paul says he rejoices in his sufferings and is “filling up” what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ.
The Ethiopian translation says, “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” The King James says essentially the same thing: Paul fills up “that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ” for His body’s sake. The Ethiopian wording is clearer modern English, but neither text suggests that something was lacking in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Paul is speaking about his own suffering in service to Christ’s body, the Church.
Paul then explains that God gave him a stewardship “to fulfill the word of God,” followed by an important statement about a mystery. The Ethiopian translation calls it “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” The King James says the mystery “hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.” Again, “revealed” and “made manifest” differ in English style, but they communicate essentially the same idea.
Then Paul tells us what this mystery involves: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The King James preserves exactly the same central expression. This matters because Paul is about to warn the Colossians about teachings promising wisdom and spiritual knowledge. Before those warnings appear, both texts tell us that the great mystery God has revealed is centered upon Christ.
Paul’s goal is also preserved clearly in both witnesses. The Ethiopian translation says, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” The King James gives essentially identical wording. “Perfect” here should be heard in the context of maturity and completeness. Paul’s goal is not to lead people beyond Christ into some higher spiritual system. His goal is to bring people toward maturity in Christ.
As chapter 2 begins, Paul continues describing his concern for believers who have not personally seen him. He wants their hearts encouraged and joined together in love. Here Paul again returns to knowledge, understanding, and mystery. This is important because knowledge itself is not the enemy in Colossians. Paul repeatedly wants Christians to possess knowledge and wisdom. The problem will be knowledge that claims to take believers somewhere beyond Christ.
Paul then makes a statement that prepares us for everything coming next: in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The King James preserves the same declaration. That word “all” matters. Paul does not say some treasures are found in Christ while deeper treasures must be discovered elsewhere. Both textual witnesses place the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.
This helps us understand why Paul’s next warning is about persuasive speech. He does not want believers deceived by arguments that sound convincing. A teaching can sound intelligent, mysterious, spiritual, or sophisticated and still move someone away from the center Paul has established. The question is not merely whether an argument sounds impressive. The question is where it leads.
This is where the comparison between the Ethiopian translation and King James becomes particularly interesting. So far, we are not discovering an alternative Ethiopian theology hidden inside Colossians. We are seeing differences primarily in English expression. “Revealed” replaces the older “made manifest.” Paul’s language is generally easier to understand in the Ethiopian translation, but the central claims remain remarkably consistent.
And those claims are important. Christ’s body is the Church. God’s previously hidden mystery has now been revealed. Christ lives in His people as their hope of glory. The goal is maturity in Christ. And all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Him.
Paul is therefore quietly closing the doors through which the false teaching will attempt to enter. If someone promises hidden spiritual knowledge, Paul says God’s mystery has already been revealed. If someone promises deeper wisdom, Paul says its treasures are found in Christ. If someone promises spiritual completeness somewhere beyond Jesus, Paul says his entire ministry is aimed at presenting people complete in Christ.
The Ethiopian translation and the King James arrive at the same destination.
And that destination is not a secret philosophy, a spiritual intermediary, or another religious system.
It is Christ.
Part 4 – Colossians 2:6–15
Complete in Christ
Now we return to Part 4 with the actual 1611 King James Bible as our comparison. The Ethiopian translation begins, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” followed by being rooted, built up, and established in the faith. The 1611 King James says essentially the same thing. Paul’s starting point is not finding something beyond Christ. It is continuing in the Christ they already received.
Verse 8 gives the first noticeable wording difference. The Ethiopian translation warns, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” The 1611 says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
“Cheat you” and “spoil you” sound quite different today. In the older King James language, “spoil” carries the idea of being plundered or carried off. Likewise, the Ethiopian “basic principles of the world” is much clearer to a modern audience than the 1611 “rudiments of the world.” But both warn that human philosophy and tradition can actually carry someone away from Christ.
Paul immediately explains why this is so serious. The Ethiopian translation says, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The 1611 King James reads essentially the same: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” There is no theological difference here. Both make an extraordinary claim about Jesus.
Verse 10 is equally direct. The Ethiopian says, “and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” The 1611 says, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principalitie and power.” Again, the message survives intact. The fullness of God dwells in Christ, and believers are complete in Christ.
Paul then turns to circumcision. The Ethiopian translation says believers were circumcised “with the circumcision made without hands,” through “the circumcision of Christ.” The 1611 preserves the same basic language. Both witnesses move the discussion beyond a physical operation performed by human hands.
Verse 12 gives us another wording difference. The Ethiopian says believers were “buried with Him in baptism” and raised “through faith in the working of God.” The 1611 says they are risen “through the faith of the operation of God.” “Working” and “operation” sound different today, but both identify God as the one who raised Christ from the dead and whose power stands behind the believer’s new life.
Verse 13 makes this even clearer. The Ethiopian translation says those who were dead in trespasses have been “made alive together with Him.” The 1611 uses the older expression “quickened together with him.” To a modern reader, “quickened” might sound like something became faster. In 1611 English it means made alive. Here the Ethiopian translation communicates the meaning much more immediately.
Then comes verse 14, where the wording deserves careful attention. The Ethiopian says Christ has “wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us,” taking it away and “having nailed it to the cross.” The 1611 says He blotted out “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us” and nailed it to His cross.
“Requirements” versus “ordinances” could affect how someone interprets the passage. The 1611 word “ordinances” can easily lead a reader toward laws or religious regulations. “Requirements” can sound broader. But neither translation, in this verse alone, precisely identifies every component of what was nailed to the cross. The immediate context speaks about trespasses, forgiveness, and something that stood against us. We should therefore allow Paul’s argument to continue before building an entire theology from one English word.
Verse 15 gives us another difference that we did not examine carefully enough the first time. The Ethiopian translation says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” The 1611 King James says He “spoiled principalities and powers” and “made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
The Ethiopian “disarmed” gives us the picture of defeated powers being stripped of their ability to fight. The 1611 “spoiled” again uses older language associated with stripping or plundering a defeated enemy. These are different English pictures, but they point toward the same victory: the powers have lost.
And remember what Paul already told us about these powers. In chapter 1, both witnesses placed principalities and powers among the things created through or by Christ. Now both witnesses place those powers beneath the victory of Christ.
That gives this entire passage a remarkable structure. The fullness of God dwells in Christ. Believers are complete in Christ. They are made alive with Christ. Their trespasses are forgiven. What stood against them is nailed to the cross. The spiritual powers are defeated.
The Ethiopian and 1611 King James differ in several expressions, and those differences deserve examination. But neither leaves room for the idea that Jesus needs another spiritual system to complete what He accomplished.
Paul’s answer remains Christ.
Part 5 – Colossians 2:16–23
Let No One Judge You
Now we come to one of the most debated sections of Colossians, and with the actual 1611 King James wording beside the Ethiopian translation, we can examine it more carefully. Paul has just described forgiveness, the handwriting against us being nailed to the cross, and Christ’s victory over principalities and powers. Then the Ethiopian translation says, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.” The 1611 King James says, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.”
The categories are the same, but the English is different. Ethiopian “food” corresponds to the older King James “meat,” while “festival” corresponds to “holyday.” The Ethiopian has “sabbaths,” while the 1611 has “sabbath days.” None of these differences removes food, drink, festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths from Paul’s argument. The question is what Paul is saying about them.
Verse 17 is especially important. The Ethiopian translation says these things “are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” The 1611 King James says, “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
“Substance” and “body” create somewhat different pictures for a modern reader. The Ethiopian “substance” makes the contrast immediately understandable: there is a shadow, and Christ is the reality behind it. The 1611 literally uses “body,” creating the image of a shadow being cast by a body. Either way, Christ is the point toward which the shadow directs us.
But notice what Paul actually says. He says, “Let no one judge you.” He does not say in this verse, “God’s commandments are evil,” nor does he simply say, “Sabbaths no longer exist.” Because this passage has become part of later Christian arguments about Sabbath observance and biblical festivals, we have to be careful not to make either translation say more than it actually says. Both witnesses place the emphasis upon judgment, shadows, and Christ.
Verse 18 changes the subject toward another religious danger. The Ethiopian says, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels.” The 1611 says, “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels.”
Here “cheat” and “beguile” communicate a similar warning, but “false humility” and “voluntary humility” deserve attention. The Ethiopian wording directly identifies the humility as false. The 1611 wording sounds stranger today, describing a chosen or voluntary humility. Yet both place this humility alongside the worship of angels, visions, and a person becoming “vainly puffed up” by the fleshly mind.
Paul says the problem is that such a person is “not holding fast to the Head.” The 1611 similarly says “not holding the Head.” Christ is again Paul’s measuring line. The danger is not merely that someone has an unusual spiritual practice. The danger is that the practice draws attention away from the Head from whom the whole body receives its nourishment and growth.
Verses 20 through 22 make Paul’s target even clearer. The Ethiopian translation asks why believers who died with Christ from the basic principles of the world continue submitting themselves to regulations: “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle.” The 1611 says, “Touch not; taste not; handle not.”
Then Paul identifies these regulations as being “according to the commandments and doctrines of men.” The 1611 preserves the same identification: “after the commandments and doctrines of men.” That qualification matters. Paul is not condemning something merely because it involves obedience or a command. He is confronting religious restrictions originating in human teaching.
Verse 23 gives us perhaps the most interesting wording difference in this section. The Ethiopian translation says these things have “an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body.” The 1611 King James says they have “a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body.”
“Will worship” is difficult modern English. The Ethiopian “self-imposed religion” makes the idea much easier to see. Paul is describing religious activity that can appear extraordinarily spiritual precisely because it is severe. Someone denies the body, follows strict regulations, demonstrates humility, and appears deeply devoted. From the outside, it looks like holiness.
But Paul finishes by saying these things have no real value against satisfying the flesh.
That ending prepares us perfectly for chapter 3. Paul is not arguing that behavior does not matter. He is about to command Christians to put sexual immorality, greed, anger, malice, filthy speech, and lying to death. His argument is that man-made religion cannot accomplish the inward transformation that outward restrictions appear to promise.
The Ethiopian translation and the actual 1611 King James differ noticeably in their English expressions: “substance” and “body,” “false humility” and “voluntary humility,” “self-imposed religion” and “will worship.” Yet both lead us toward the same warning.
Something can look religious, disciplined, humble, and spiritual while still missing Christ.
And for Paul, Christ is not the shadow.
Christ is the reality.
Part 6 – Colossians 3:1–11
Set Your Mind on Things Above
After warning against human regulations and self-imposed religion, Paul changes direction. Instead of giving the Colossians another list of religious restrictions, he explains what life with Christ should actually produce. The Ethiopian translation begins, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” The 1611 King James says essentially the same thing: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.” The difference is mostly modern English. “Raised with Christ” communicates what the older “risen with Christ” expressed.
Verse 2 continues the thought. The Ethiopian translation says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” The 1611 King James says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” This is a difference worth noticing. To a modern reader, “affection” usually means emotion or love. The Ethiopian “mind” points more directly toward thought, attention, and orientation. The 1611 word carried a broader meaning than our modern use of “affection,” so these are not necessarily competing ideas, but the Ethiopian wording immediately communicates Paul’s instruction more clearly.
Paul explains why: believers have died, and their life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ appears, they will also appear with Him in glory. The Ethiopian and 1611 King James remain extremely close here. Paul is grounding Christian behavior in identity. He does not begin by saying, “Follow these rules so that you can belong to Christ.” He begins with what has happened because they belong to Christ.
Then comes the command to put sin to death. The Ethiopian translation says to put to death what belongs to the earthly nature, including “fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” The 1611 King James uses older wording: “fornication, uncleannesse, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousnesse, which is idolatrie.” Here the Ethiopian text is considerably easier to understand. “Passion” replaces “inordinate affection,” while “evil desire” replaces “evil concupiscence.”
The underlying picture, however, remains the same. Paul reaches beneath outward behavior into desire itself. Covetousness is even called idolatry. That is significant after the previous chapter. Paul rejected human rules such as “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” because those regulations could appear religious without conquering the flesh. Now he identifies the actual things within the flesh that must die.
Paul says these things bring the wrath of God upon the disobedient. He then reminds the Colossians that they once walked in these behaviors themselves. Both the Ethiopian translation and 1611 King James preserve that movement from the former life into the new one.
Verse 8 adds another group of sins. The Ethiopian translation tells believers to put away “anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.” The 1611 King James reads, “anger, wrath, malice, blasphemie, filthy communication out of your mouth.” “Filthy language” is much more immediately understandable today than “filthy communication,” but the emphasis remains on what comes out of a person’s mouth.
Then Paul says not to lie to one another because the old person and his deeds have been put off. The Ethiopian translation describes believers as having “put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” The 1611 King James similarly says the new man “is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”
That reference to the Creator takes us back to chapter 1. Christ was presented there as the One through whom all things were created. Now the believer’s new life involves restoration according to the Creator’s image. Christianity in Colossians is therefore not merely about being forgiven for the old life. Something new is being formed.
Verse 11 brings this transformation into human relationships. The Ethiopian translation says there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, “but Christ is all and in all.” The 1611 King James says, “but Christ is all, and in all.” Here the central declaration is preserved almost word for word.
And this reveals an important progression in Paul’s argument. Chapter 2 warned against religious systems that look spiritual but cannot conquer the flesh. Chapter 3 now tells us what genuine transformation looks like. Sexual immorality dies. Greed dies. Malice dies. Destructive speech dies. Lying dies. The old person is put off, and a new person begins to emerge.
The Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James differ mostly in expressions that have changed meaning over four centuries: “mind” versus “affection,” “evil desire” versus “evil concupiscence,” and “filthy language” versus “filthy communication.” The theological movement remains intact.
Paul’s answer to the flesh is not merely stricter religion.
It is becoming a different person in Christ.
Part 7 – Colossians 3:12–17
Put On Love
Paul has just described the old person being put off and the new person being renewed in the image of the Creator. Now he tells us what that new person should actually look like. The Ethiopian translation begins by telling God’s chosen people to put on “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” The 1611 King James uses the older expression, “bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”
“Bowels of mercies” sounds very strange today, but in the English of the King James it describes deep inward compassion. The Ethiopian “tender mercies” communicates that thought much more naturally to a modern reader. There is also a slight difference between Ethiopian “humility” and the 1611 “humbleness of mind,” but the overall picture is clear in both. Paul is describing character that begins internally and then changes how Christians treat other people.
Verse 13 moves directly into relationships. The Ethiopian translation tells believers to bear with one another and forgive one another when someone has a complaint against another, concluding, “even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” The 1611 King James says, “forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
“Complaint” and “quarrel” sound somewhat different today. A quarrel can sound like an active argument, while a complaint can include a grievance someone holds against another person. But Paul’s answer is the same in both witnesses: forgiveness received from Christ becomes the pattern for forgiveness extended to others.
Then verse 14 brings everything together. The Ethiopian translation says, “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” The 1611 King James says, “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
Here we encounter one of the most familiar differences in older King James English: “charity” versus “love.” Today charity usually makes us think about donating money or helping the poor. In the 1611 King James, “charity” carries the much broader Christian meaning of love. The Ethiopian translation communicates that meaning directly: above everything else, put on love.
That deserves attention because Paul calls love “the bond of perfection.” The 1611 says “the bond of perfectness.” Everything Paul has just named—mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness—is bound together by love. Christianity is not merely the removal of sinful behavior. Something has to replace it.
Verse 15 says the peace of God should rule in the believer’s heart and that Christians are called into one body. The Ethiopian translation ends with the command to “be thankful.” The 1611 King James does the same. Gratitude continues appearing throughout Colossians. Paul repeatedly connects life in Christ with thankfulness rather than spiritual pride.
Verse 16 then says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” The 1611 King James preserves that wording almost exactly. Both texts continue with teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The Ethiopian translation speaks of singing “with grace in your hearts to the Lord,” and the 1611 gives the same basic expression.
Notice what Paul is describing. The word of Christ does not merely visit the believer occasionally. It “dwells” within them. That language fits what Paul has been building throughout the letter. Earlier he spoke of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Now the word of Christ is to dwell richly within His people.
Then verse 17 gives one of the broadest commands in the chapter. The Ethiopian translation says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” The 1611 King James says, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
There is almost nothing to compare there because the witnesses are so close.
But the statement itself is enormous. Paul does not divide life into a religious section and an ordinary section. “Whatever you do” and “all” leave very little outside the command. Speech, actions, relationships, work, forgiveness, worship, and ordinary life are brought under the name of Jesus.
This also gives us an important contrast with chapter 2. Paul warned against self-imposed religion, false humility, severe treatment of the body, and human commandments that could appear wise while failing to conquer the flesh. Now we see what genuine spiritual transformation produces.
Mercy replaces hardness. Kindness replaces malice. Humility replaces pride. Forgiveness replaces resentment. Peace rules the heart. Gratitude replaces entitlement. And above all of them stands love.
So far, the Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James are extremely close in this section. The largest differences are mostly changes in English usage: “tender mercies” instead of “bowels of mercies,” “love” instead of “charity,” and “perfection” instead of “perfectness.”
But Paul’s message is unmistakable in both.
The new person in Christ is ultimately recognized not merely by what has been put off, but by what has been put on.
And above everything else, Paul tells us to put on love.
Part 8 – Colossians 3:18–4:18
Christ in the Home, Work, and Everyday Life
Paul now takes everything he has said about Christ and brings it into ordinary life. The Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James move through wives, husbands, children, fathers, servants, masters, prayer, speech, and fellowship. Paul’s message about being complete in Christ does not remain theological. If Christ changes the person, that change should become visible in relationships and everyday behavior.
Paul begins with wives and husbands. The Ethiopian translation tells wives to submit to their husbands “as is fitting in the Lord.” The 1611 says, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.” The wording is extremely close, and the phrase “in the Lord” places the relationship beneath Christ.
Husbands are then commanded to love their wives and not become bitter toward them. Again, the texts are nearly identical. Whatever someone believes about authority within marriage, Paul’s command to the husband is love, and bitterness is specifically prohibited.
Children are told to obey their parents because this pleases the Lord. Fathers are immediately warned not to provoke their children “lest they be discouraged.” This is preserved in both witnesses. Paul is concerned not only with children’s obedience but with what a father’s behavior can do to a child.
Paul then addresses servants within the first-century social order. The 1611 tells them not to work merely with “eyeservice, as menpleasers.” The Ethiopian communicates the same idea in clearer modern language. Christian integrity should not disappear simply because another person is no longer watching.
Then Paul gives a principle reaching beyond that historical setting: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” The 1611 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” The believer’s ultimate audience is Christ.
Paul says the inheritance comes from the Lord, concluding, “for you serve the Lord Christ.” He then warns that whoever does wrong will receive according to that wrongdoing. The Ethiopian says there is “no partiality,” while the 1611 says “there is no respect of persons.” The older expression means essentially the same thing: God does not judge according to earthly status.
Chapter 4 therefore begins by addressing masters. The Ethiopian tells them to give servants what is “just and fair,” knowing that they themselves have a Master in heaven. The 1611 says what is “just and equal.” The wording differs slightly, but Paul’s reversal is unmistakable. The earthly master is also under authority.
Paul then moves into prayer. Both texts tell believers to continue earnestly in prayer while remaining watchful and thankful. Paul asks them to pray that God will open a door for him to proclaim “the mystery of Christ,” for which he is imprisoned. The mystery discussed earlier in Colossians remains centered upon Christ.
Verses 5 and 6 turn toward relationships with outsiders. The Ethiopian translation tells believers to “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside” and let their speech “always be with grace, seasoned with salt.” The 1611 says, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without” and “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt.”
That is worth noticing. After everything Paul has said about putting away anger, malice, and destructive speech, he does not tell Christians to treat outsiders harshly. Their speech should carry grace and wisdom so they know how to answer each person.
The letter closes with names including Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Nymphas, and Archippus. These greetings remind us that Paul’s Christianity was lived within a community. Churches communicated with one another, believers prayed for one another, letters traveled between congregations, and ministry involved real relationships.
The Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James remain remarkably close throughout this final section. The noticeable differences are largely changes in English expression: “fair” versus “equal,” “partiality” versus “respect of persons,” and modern wording replacing expressions such as “eyeservice” and “menpleasers.”
But the larger message is more important. The Christ whom Paul placed above creation in chapter 1 is now brought into marriage, parenting, work, prayer, conversation, and relationships.
Christ’s supremacy is not merely something Christians believe.
It changes how they live.
Part 9 – Overall Comparison
Ethiopian Tewahedo and King James Findings
Now that we have worked through the entire letter, we can finally pull the comparison together. Colossians gave us several genuine wording differences between the Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James, but it also gave us something equally important: remarkable agreement on the central claims Paul makes about Jesus Christ.
The most significant difference appeared almost immediately. The Ethiopian translation calls Jesus “the firstborn over all creation,” while the 1611 King James says “the firstborn of every creature.” To a modern reader, those expressions can produce different impressions. “Over all creation” immediately communicates supremacy, while “of every creature” could initially sound as though Christ belongs among created things.
But the surrounding verses prevent us from isolating that phrase. Both witnesses immediately say that all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, including thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, were created in relation to Christ and for Christ. Both say He existed before all things. Whatever difference we hear in “over all creation” and “of every creature,” neither text leaves us with a Jesus who is simply another created being.
We also found a fascinating difference in verse 17. The Ethiopian says, “in Him all things consist,” while the 1611 says, “by him all things consist.” The Ethiopian wording presents creation as holding together in Christ, while the King James emphasizes Christ as the One by whom creation continues to hold together. Those are slightly different pictures, but both place the continuing existence of creation in direct relationship to Jesus.
When Paul moves from creation to salvation, the agreement becomes even stronger. Both witnesses preserve redemption through Christ’s blood. Both preserve peace through the blood of His cross. Both describe reconciliation through His death. Whatever differences exist elsewhere, neither translation removes the blood from Paul’s explanation of redemption and reconciliation.
Chapter 2 produced another important group of differences. The Ethiopian warns that someone might “cheat” believers through philosophy and empty deceit, while the 1611 warns that someone might “spoil” them through philosophy and vain deceit. The Ethiopian speaks of the “basic principles of the world,” while the 1611 uses “rudiments of the world.” In these cases, much of what sounds different is the result of four centuries of changing English.
Yet both witnesses make the same enormous declaration immediately afterward: in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and believers are complete in Him. That may be the theological center of the entire letter. Paul does not merely say Jesus possesses great spiritual authority. He says the fullness dwells in Him and that those who belong to Him are complete in Him.
We found another meaningful comparison at the cross. The Ethiopian says Christ “disarmed principalities and powers,” while the 1611 says He “spoiled principalities and powers.” Modern readers can easily misunderstand “spoiled.” In its older sense, the picture is of defeated enemies being stripped or plundered. The Ethiopian “disarmed” gives the victory a more immediate modern picture. Either way, the powers introduced in chapter 1 as subordinate to Christ are defeated at the cross.
Then came food, drink, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths. Both witnesses preserve every category. The Ethiopian calls them a shadow whose “substance is of Christ,” while the 1611 says “the body is of Christ.” That wording difference is interesting, but neither translation permits us to remove Christ from the center of Paul’s argument. The shadow points beyond itself to Him.
The Ethiopian also describes “self-imposed religion” and “false humility,” where the 1611 uses the older expressions “will worship” and “voluntary humility.” Again, the Ethiopian is much easier for a modern audience to understand. But both witnesses warn that religious practices can look wise and spiritual while failing to conquer the flesh.
Chapter 3 then shows us what genuine transformation looks like. The Ethiopian says, “Set your mind on things above,” while the 1611 says, “Set your affection on things above.” The Ethiopian uses understandable expressions such as “evil desire” where the 1611 has “evil concupiscence.” Later, Ethiopian “love” corresponds to the 1611 “charity.” These differences demonstrate how easily changing English can appear to be a biblical difference when the underlying thought remains extremely close.
And that may be one of our biggest findings from Colossians.
Some differences are genuinely worth investigating. “Firstborn over all creation” versus “firstborn of every creature” deserves attention. “In Him” versus “by Him” deserves attention. “Disarmed” versus “spoiled” deserves attention. “Substance” versus “body” deserves attention.
But many other differences are simply the difference between language understandable today and English printed more than four hundred years ago.
Most importantly, neither witness gives us a different central picture of Jesus. In both, Christ stands before creation. Creation exists through or by Him and for Him. He is Head of the Church. The fullness dwells in Him. Redemption comes through His blood. Peace comes through His cross. Spiritual powers are beneath Him. Believers are complete in Him. And the life of someone who belongs to Him is supposed to change.
So after examining Colossians from beginning to end, we have found differences.
But we have not found two different Christs.
Part 10 – Why Colossians Still Matters
Is Christ Really Enough?
After comparing the Ethiopian translation with the 1611 King James throughout Colossians, we arrive at the question underneath the entire letter: Is Christ really enough? Paul never asks that question in those exact words, but his argument repeatedly answers it.
Paul begins by establishing who Jesus is. Christ is the image of the invisible God. Everything in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, is connected to His creative authority. He is before all things. He is Head of the Church. The fullness dwells in Him. Redemption comes through His blood, reconciliation comes through His death, and peace is made through the blood of His cross.
Then Paul says something that should change how we read everything that follows: believers are “complete in Him.” The Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James both preserve that declaration. Paul does not tell Christians that Christ begins their salvation and another system completes it. He says they are complete in Christ.
That helps explain Paul’s warnings about philosophy, human tradition, spiritual powers, religious regulations, angels, visions, severe treatment of the body, and practices that have an appearance of wisdom. None of those things necessarily tempt someone by openly saying, “Reject Jesus.” The more subtle danger is Jesus plus something else.
That danger has not disappeared.
Christianity can become Jesus plus a denomination. Jesus plus politics. Jesus plus prophecy. Jesus plus a particular teacher. Jesus plus secret knowledge. Jesus plus religious rules. Jesus plus mystical experiences. Jesus plus a system that claims to reveal what ordinary believers supposedly cannot understand without it.
Eventually the addition can become so important that Christ remains in the vocabulary while something else becomes the center.
Colossians gives us a simple way to test that. Does this thing lead me more deeply into Christ, or does it convince me that Christ is somehow insufficient without it? Does it help me obey Jesus, or does it become another spiritual authority standing beside Him? Does it produce the character Paul describes, or merely make me feel spiritually superior?
That final question matters because Paul does not replace religious legalism with a Christianity in which behavior no longer matters. Chapter 3 destroys that interpretation. Sexual immorality must be put to death. Greed is called idolatry. Anger, malice, destructive speech, and lying must be removed. Compassion, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, peace, gratitude, and love must take their place.
So being “complete in Christ” does not mean there is nothing left for God to change in us.
It means nothing else can replace Christ as the source of that change.
This distinction may be one of the most important lessons in Colossians. Human religion can restrain behavior from the outside. Paul even describes rules saying, “Touch not; taste not; handle not.” Such restrictions can appear wise, disciplined, and holy. But Paul says they are unable to conquer the flesh.
Christ works deeper.
The person who steals may stop stealing because a rule threatens punishment. But Christ wants greed itself confronted. Someone may avoid murder while continuing to nurture hatred. Someone may appear sexually disciplined while secretly feeding lust. Someone may perform religious rituals while remaining proud, bitter, unforgiving, and cruel.
Paul is describing more than controlled behavior. He is describing a new person.
That is why love becomes so important near the end of the letter. After telling believers what to remove, Paul tells them what to put on. Mercy. Kindness. Humility. Meekness. Patience. Forgiveness. And above everything else, love.
Then he carries that transformation into the home, the workplace, prayer, conversation, and relationships with outsiders. Christ’s supremacy is not merely something to defend in a theological argument. If Christ really rules the believer, eventually His rule should become visible in how that person treats people.
And this is where our Ethiopian and 1611 King James comparison ultimately leads us. We discovered real differences in wording. Some deserve serious attention. Others turned out to be changes in English expression across centuries. But the central testimony remained remarkably consistent.
Both witnesses give us an enormous Christ.
He stands above creation. The fullness dwells in Him. He is Head over every principality and power. Redemption is in Him. Forgiveness is in Him. The cross triumphs over the powers. The believer’s new life is in Him.
Perhaps that is why Colossians remains so necessary.
The danger is not always abandoning Jesus.
Sometimes the danger is adding so much to Jesus that we forget He was supposed to be enough.
Conclusion – Christ Is Above All
After examining Colossians from beginning to end, one truth stands above everything else Paul writes: Jesus Christ is not one spiritual authority among many. He is “the image of the invisible God.” Creation exists through Him and for Him. He is before all things, He is Head of the Church, and the fullness of God dwells in Him.
Our comparison between the Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James uncovered genuine wording differences. The Ethiopian says “firstborn over all creation,” while the 1611 says “firstborn of every creature.” The Ethiopian says all things consist “in Him,” while the King James says “by Him.” The Ethiopian says Christ “disarmed” principalities and powers, while the 1611 says He “spoiled” them. These differences matter because wording can affect what a modern reader hears, but when examined in context, they do not give us two different Christs.
We also discovered how much English itself has changed. Words such as “quickened,” “spoiled,” “charity,” “concupiscence,” and “will worship” can sound very different today than they did four centuries ago. In many places, the Ethiopian translation simply communicates Paul’s thought more immediately to a modern reader.
More importantly, both witnesses preserve the central message. Redemption comes through Christ’s blood. Peace comes through the blood of His cross. The fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Him. Believers are complete in Him, and principalities and powers stand beneath His authority.
But being complete in Christ does not mean remaining unchanged. Paul tells believers to put away sexual immorality, greed, anger, malice, lying, and destructive speech and replace them with compassion, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, peace, gratitude, and love. Christ’s supremacy eventually becomes visible in how His people live and how they treat others.
So after placing these two biblical witnesses beside one another, I do not come away from Colossians seeing two different Christs. I see the same enormous testimony preserved in both.
Christ is before all things. Christ is above the powers. Christ is Head of the Church. Redemption is through His blood. The fullness dwells in Him. And those who belong to Him are complete in Him.
Colossians therefore leaves us with one final question: Do we actually live as though Jesus Christ is enough?
Bibliography
- Carner, James, ed. Ethiopian Bible Restoration Project. “Colossians.” In Ethiopian Bible: Geʽez to English. 2025.
- The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament, and the New: Newly Translated out of the Originall Tongues: & with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Reuised, by His Maiesties Speciall Comandement. Appointed to Be Read in Churches. London: Robert Barker, 1611.
- The Holy Bible, 1611 King James Version with Apocrypha. Digital facsimile and transcription of the 1611 edition used for textual comparison in this investigation.
- Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Holy Bible According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Tradition. Geʽez biblical tradition consulted through the Ethiopian Bible Restoration Project translation used throughout this examination.
Endnotes
- Colossians 1:1–2. Both the Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James identify Paul as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and include Timothy in the greeting.
- Colossians 1:3–6. Paul connects faith in Christ, love for the saints, hope laid up in heaven, and the Gospel bearing fruit.
- Colossians 1:7–8. Epaphras is identified as a fellow servant and faithful minister of Christ who reported the Colossians’ love in the Spirit.
- Colossians 1:9. Both witnesses connect knowledge of God’s will with wisdom and spiritual understanding.
- Colossians 1:10. The Ethiopian translation uses the modern expression “fully pleasing Him,” while the 1611 King James uses “unto all pleasing.”
- Colossians 1:11. Paul associates divine strength with patience, longsuffering, and joy rather than only outward demonstrations of power.
- Colossians 1:12. Ethiopian “qualified us” corresponds to the 1611 expression “hath made us meet,” meaning made fit or qualified to participate in the inheritance.
- Colossians 1:13. The Ethiopian translation says believers are “conveyed” into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love; the 1611 says they are “translated” into the kingdom of His dear Son.
- Colossians 1:14. Both texts explicitly preserve redemption through Christ’s blood and the forgiveness of sins.
- Colossians 1:15. Ethiopian: “firstborn over all creation.” The 1611 King James: “firstborn of every creature.” The surrounding verses are essential for interpreting either expression.
- Colossians 1:16. The Ethiopian translation says all things were created “through Him and for Him,” while the 1611 concludes that all things were created “by him, and for him.”
- Colossians 1:16. Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers are included among the created things in both witnesses.
- Colossians 1:17. Ethiopian: “in Him all things consist.” The 1611 King James: “by him all things consist.”
- Colossians 1:17. Both witnesses place Christ before all things, providing immediate context for the preceding description of Him as “firstborn.”
- Colossians 1:18. Christ is Head of the body, the Church, the beginning, and the firstborn from the dead.
- Colossians 1:18. Both witnesses explicitly connect Christ’s position as firstborn from the dead with His preeminence.
- Colossians 1:19. Both texts state that it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Christ.
- Colossians 1:20. Both witnesses preserve the statement that peace is made through the blood of Christ’s cross.
- Colossians 1:21–22. Former enemies are reconciled through Christ’s physical death and presented holy before God.
- Colossians 1:22. Ethiopian “blameless” and “above reproach” correspond closely to the 1611 “unblameable” and “unreproveable.”
- Colossians 1:23. Both texts preserve the conditional language, “if” believers continue in the faith and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel.
- Colossians 1:24. Ethiopian “what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” corresponds to the 1611 “that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ.”
- Colossians 1:24. The immediate context identifies Paul’s suffering as being for Christ’s body, the Church.
- Colossians 1:25–26. The mystery formerly hidden from ages and generations has now been revealed or “made manifest” to the saints.
- Colossians 1:27. Both witnesses preserve the central expression, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
- Colossians 1:28. Paul’s goal is to present every person “perfect in Christ Jesus,” language associated in context with maturity and completeness in Christ.
- Colossians 2:2–3. The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are described as hidden in Christ.
- Colossians 2:4. Paul warns against being deceived by persuasive or “enticing” words.
- Colossians 2:6–7. Those who received Christ Jesus the Lord are commanded to continue walking in Him, rooted and established in faith.
- Colossians 2:8. Ethiopian “cheat you” is compared with the 1611 “spoil you.” In older English, “spoil” can carry the sense of plundering or stripping someone of what they possess.
- Colossians 2:8. Ethiopian “basic principles of the world” corresponds to the older King James expression “rudiments of the world.”
- Colossians 2:8. Both witnesses contrast philosophy, human tradition, and worldly principles with Christ.
- Colossians 2:9. Both state that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Christ.
- Colossians 2:10. Both state that believers are “complete in Him.”
- Colossians 2:10. Christ is identified as Head of all principality and power.
- Colossians 2:11. Both witnesses describe a circumcision “made without hands” and connect it with Christ.
- Colossians 2:12. Ethiopian “faith in the working of God” corresponds to the 1611 “faith of the operation of God.”
- Colossians 2:13. Ethiopian “made alive together with Him” corresponds to the 1611 “quickened together with him.” “Quickened” in this context means made alive.
- Colossians 2:13. Forgiveness of trespasses is directly associated with being made alive with Christ.
- Colossians 2:14. Ethiopian “handwriting of requirements” differs from the 1611 “handwriting of ordinances.”
- Colossians 2:14. Both witnesses describe what stood against humanity as being taken away and nailed to Christ’s cross.
- Colossians 2:15. Ethiopian “disarmed principalities and powers” corresponds to the 1611 “spoiled principalities and powers.”
- Colossians 2:15. The older English “spoiled” carries the picture of stripping or plundering defeated enemies and should not be limited to the modern meaning of ruining something.
- Colossians 2:15. Both texts describe Christ’s victory over the powers as public and triumphant.
- Colossians 2:16. Both witnesses preserve food or meat, drink, festivals or holydays, new moons, and Sabbaths as the categories about which believers are not to be judged.
- Colossians 2:17. Ethiopian “substance is of Christ” corresponds to the 1611 “body is of Christ.” Both stand in contrast to the preceding “shadow.”
- Colossians 2:18. Ethiopian “cheat you of your reward” corresponds to the 1611 “beguile you of your reward.”
- Colossians 2:18. Ethiopian “false humility” differs in expression from the 1611 “voluntary humility.”
- Colossians 2:18. Both witnesses explicitly preserve the warning concerning the worship of angels.
- Colossians 2:19. Paul identifies failure to hold fast to the Head as the fundamental problem behind the practices he is criticizing.
- Colossians 2:20–22. Both texts preserve the restrictions “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” or in the 1611 form, “Touch not; taste not; handle not.”
- Colossians 2:22. Both witnesses identify the regulations under discussion with “the commandments and doctrines of men.”
- Colossians 2:23. Ethiopian “self-imposed religion” corresponds to the difficult 1611 expression “will worship.”
- Colossians 2:23. Paul says these practices possess an appearance or “shew” of wisdom but do not successfully overcome the flesh.
- Colossians 3:1. Those raised with Christ are commanded to seek the things above, where Christ sits at God’s right hand.
- Colossians 3:2. Ethiopian “Set your mind on things above” corresponds to the 1611 “Set your affection on things above.”
- Colossians 3:3–4. The believer’s life is hidden with Christ in God, and believers will appear with Christ when He appears in glory.
- Colossians 3:5. Ethiopian modern wording such as “evil desire” corresponds to older King James vocabulary including “evil concupiscence.”
- Colossians 3:5. Both witnesses identify covetousness as idolatry.
- Colossians 3:6–7. Paul associates these sins with God’s wrath and reminds the Colossians that they formerly lived in them.
- Colossians 3:8. Ethiopian “filthy language” corresponds to the 1611 “filthy communication.”
- Colossians 3:9–10. Both witnesses describe putting off the old person and putting on the new person.
- Colossians 3:10. The new person is renewed in knowledge according to, or “after,” the image of the Creator.
- Colossians 3:11. Both witnesses conclude the list of human distinctions with the declaration that “Christ is all, and in all.”
- Colossians 3:12. Ethiopian “tender mercies” communicates in modern English what the 1611 expresses as “bowels of mercies.”
- Colossians 3:12. Kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering characterize the new life in both witnesses.
- Colossians 3:13. Christians are commanded to bear with and forgive one another according to Christ’s forgiveness.
- Colossians 3:14. Ethiopian “love” corresponds to the 1611 “charity,” while “bond of perfection” corresponds to “bond of perfectness.”
- Colossians 3:15. The peace of God is to rule in believers’ hearts, accompanied by thankfulness.
- Colossians 3:16. Both witnesses tell believers to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly.
- Colossians 3:16. Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, wisdom, teaching, admonition, and gratitude are connected with the indwelling word of Christ.
- Colossians 3:17. Both witnesses command that whatever Christians do in word or deed should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.
- Colossians 3:18–19. Wives are addressed in relation to what is fitting “in the Lord,” while husbands are commanded to love their wives and not become bitter toward them.
- Colossians 3:20–21. Children are commanded to obey their parents, while fathers are warned against provoking their children to discouragement.
- Colossians 3:22–24. Paul addresses servants within the first-century social order and commands sincere service rather than mere “eyeservice” performed to please human observers.
- Colossians 3:23–24. Whatever work is done should be done heartily as service to the Lord Christ.
- Colossians 3:25. Ethiopian “no partiality” corresponds to the older King James expression “no respect of persons.”
- Colossians 4:1. Masters are reminded that they themselves have a Master in heaven and are commanded to give what is just and fair or “just and equal.”
- Colossians 4:2–4. Paul commands continued prayer, watchfulness, thanksgiving, and prayer for an open door to proclaim the mystery of Christ.
- Colossians 4:5–6. Both witnesses tell Christians to walk wisely toward outsiders and to let their speech be characterized by grace and “seasoned with salt.”
- Colossians 4:7–17. Paul’s closing greetings identify a network of coworkers and believers including Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Nymphas, and Archippus.
- Colossians 4:16. Paul instructs that his letter be read among congregations, demonstrating communication between early Christian communities.
- Colossians 4:18. Paul closes with a personal greeting, asks believers to remember his bonds, and ends with grace.
- Across Colossians, many apparent differences between the Ethiopian translation and the 1611 King James arise from changes in English vocabulary rather than substantially different theological statements.
- Other differences deserve closer attention because they can influence a modern reader’s immediate understanding, particularly “firstborn over all creation” versus “firstborn of every creature,” “in Him” versus “by Him,” and “disarmed” versus “spoiled.”
- The comparison nevertheless finds the central Christological testimony preserved in both witnesses: Christ precedes creation, creation exists in relation to Him and for Him, He is Head of the Church, and the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Him.
- Both witnesses preserve Christ’s blood in Colossians 1:14 and 1:20, connecting His blood with redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
- Both witnesses preserve Paul’s declaration that believers are “complete in Him,” which becomes central to his warnings against competing philosophies, human traditions, spiritual intermediaries, and self-imposed religious practices.
- Colossians 2 and 3 together distinguish outward religious restriction from inward transformation. Paul criticizes human regulations incapable of overcoming the flesh and then commands believers to put sinful behavior to death and put on the character associated with their new life in Christ.
- The cumulative testimony of Colossians in both witnesses is therefore centered upon the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ: creation is connected to Him, redemption is found in Him, the powers are beneath Him, believers are complete in Him, and Christian transformation flows from life in Him.
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