Colossians: An Earth Bible Commentary: An Eco-Stoic Reading

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Vicky Balabanski analyses Colossians as a co-authored letter, written during Pauls Roman imprisonment by Timothy with the input of Epaphras, and sent with Pauls introductory and concluding greetings. Balabanski sees remarkable resonances between the cosmology of this letter and that of Stoic thought, the most widely held philosophy in first century Asia Minor. Drawing upon the way Stoic thinkers saw the divine Spirit permeating reality and sought to attune their lives to the Logos, divine reason, she argues that the Logos of Christ the Gospel was welcomed by small groups of people shaped by Stoic thought, and they experienced Christ as the visible expression of the One God who permeates reality. The Letter to the Colossians has the highest view of Christ of any of the New Testament writings, and its theology of divine permeation invites us to notice the ecological potential of this letter. This Eco-Stoic reading brings contemporary ecological questions into dialogue with the distinctive Christology and cosmology of the letter.

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Based on many years of research into ancient Stoicism, ecological hermeneutics, and the letter to the Colossians, this commentary offers a rich and compelling reading of the letter which is both scholarly and accessible. Vicky Balabanski shows the importance of Stoic ideas both to early Christian theology and to contemporary ecological reflection, and her eco-Stoic reading of Colossians shows how much this letter could contribute to the ecological reshaping of Christian theology and ethics. Her imaginative voicing of Nymphas thoughts also adds a creative and reflective dimension to the commentary. Unlike existing commentaries, this work brings the letters theology especially its Christology into explicit dialogue with contemporary ecological questions, and thus provides rich resources for Christians in particular to address the most urgent global issue of our time. * David G. Horrell, University of Exeter, UK *
Balabanskis expertise with biblical, ecological and gender analyses, and her deep commitments to biblical wisdom and ecological health, bring Colossians to life. This book is an essential contribution to the field of ecological theology, assisting individuals and communities to embrace an ecological and spirit-filled future. * Heather Eaton, Saint Paul University, Canada *

Author Bio

Vicky Balabanski is Associate Professor at Flinders University South Australia, the Adelaide College of Divinity and Uniting College for Leadership and Theology. She is an editor of the Earth Bible project.