Smith's Bible Dictionary

(Frankie) #1

Colony
a designation of Philippi, in (Acts 16:12) After the battle of Actium, Augustus assigned to his
veterans those parts of Italy which had espoused the cause of Antony, and transported many of the
expelled inhabitants to Philippi, Dyrrhachium and other cities. In this way Philippi was made a
Roman colony with the “Jus Italicum.” At first the colonists were all Roman citizens, and entitled
to vote at Rome.
Colors
The terms relative to color, occurring in the Bible, may be arranged in two classes, the first
including those applied to the description of natural objects, the second those artificial mixtures
which were employed in dyeing or painting. The purple and the blue were derived from a small
shellfish found in the Mediterranean, and were very costly, and hence they were the royal colors.
Red, both scarlet and crimson, was derived from an insect resembling the cochineal. The natural
colors noticed in the Bible are white, black, red, yellow and green. The only fundamental color of
which the Hebrews appear to have had a clear conception was red ; and even this is not very often
noticed.
Colosse
more properly Colos’sae, was a city of Phrygia in Asia Minor, in the upper part of the basin of
the Maeander, on the Lycus. Hierapolis and Laodicea were in its immediate neighborhood.
(Colossians 1:2; 4:13,15,16) see Reve 1:11; 3:14 St. Paul is supposed by some to have visited
Colosse and founded or confirmed the Colossian church on his third missionary journey. (Acts
18:23; 19:1)
Colossians, The Epistle To The
was written by the apostle St. Paul during his first captivity at Rome. (Acts 28:16) (A.D. 62.)
The epistle was addressed to Christians of the city of Colosse, and was delivered to them by
Tychicus, whom the apostle had sent both to them, (Colossians 4:7,8) and to the church of Ephesus,
(Ephesians 6:21) to inquire into their state and to administer exhortation and comfort. The main
object of the epistle is to warn the Colossians against the spirit of semi-Judaistic and semi-Oriental
philosophy which was corrupting the simplicity of their belief, and was noticeably tending to
obscure the eternal glory and dignity of Christ. The similarity between this epistle and that to the
Ephesians is striking. The latter was probably written at a later date.
Comforter
(John 14:16) The name given by Christ to the Holy Spirit. The original word is Paraclete, and
means first Advocate, a defender, helper, strengthener, as well as comforter.
Commerce
From the time that men began to live in cities, trade, in some shape, must have been carried on
to supply the town-dwellers with necessaries from foreign as well as native sources, for we find
that Abraham was rich, not only in cattle, but in silver, gold and gold and silver plate and ornaments.
(Genesis 13:2; 24:22,53) Among trading nations mentioned in Scripture, Egypt holds in very early
times a prominent position. The internal trade of the Jews, as well as the external, was much
promoted by the festivals, which brought large numbers of persons to Jerusalem. (1 Kings 8:63)
The places of public market were chiefly the open spaces near the gates, to which goods were
brought for sale by those who came from the outside. (Nehemiah 13:15,16; Zephaniah 1:10) The
traders in later times were allowed to intrude into the temple, in the outer courts of which victims
were publicly sold for the sacrifice. (Zechariah 14:21; Matthew 21:12; John 2:14)

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