290 philip l. tite
“dismissal” approach has resulted in three assumptions about the letter.3
first, that it is the product of a simple “cut and paste” job from Paul’s
letters (mainly Philippians and galatians). second, the lifted phrases are
randomly arranged with no purpose beyond filling in the gap of Col 4:16.
(leipzig: Verlag von gebhardt & reisland, 1843), 141–55; J. B. lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles
to the Colossians and to Philemon (rev. ed.; repr. grand rapids: Zondervan, 1978 [1879]),
282–84; theodor Zahn, Geschichte des Neutestamentlichen Kanons (3 vols; leipzig: deich-
ert, 1890), 2:566–85; otto Bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchlichen Litterature, Bd. 1: Vom
Ausgange des apostolischen Zeitalters bis zum Ende des zweiten Jahrhunderts (freiburg:
herdersche Verlagshandlung, 1902), 459–62; leon Vouaux, Les Actes de Paul et ses letters
apocryphes: Introduction, texts, traduction et commentaire (les apocryphes du nouveau
testament; Paris: librairie letouzet et ané, 1913), 315–26; adolf harnack, “der apokry-
phe Brief des apostels Paulus an die laodicener, eine Marcionitische fälschung aus der
- hälfte des 2. Jahrhunderts,” Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissen-
schaften, Jahrgang 1923. Philosophisch-historische Klasse (Berlin: Verlage der akademie der
Wissenschaften/Walter de gruyter, 1923), 234–45, specifically 235–36; harnack, Apocrypha,
IV. Die apokrphen Briefe des Paulus an die Laodicener und Korinther (kleine texte für the-
ologische Vorlesungen und Übungen 12; Bonn: a. Marcus und e. Weber’s Verlag, 1905),
2–3; luigi firpo, Apocrifi del Nuovo Testamento (Classici delle religioni; turin: editrice
torinese, 1971), 1720–23; and Mario erbetta, “la lettera ai laodiceni (160–190?),” in Gli
Apocrifi del Nuovo Testamento, Volume 3: Lettere e Apocalissi (Milan: Casa editrice Marietti,
1981), 63–67. see also e. J. goodspeed, “a toledo Manuscript of laodiceans,” JBL 23.1 (1904):
76–78; goodspeed, “the Madrid Ms. of laodiceans,” AJT 8 (1904): 536–38; thomas W.
Mackay, “Content and style in two Pseudo-Pauline epistles (3 Corinthians and the epistle
to the laodiceans),” in C. Wilfred griggs (ed.), Apocryphal Writings and the Latter-Day
Saints (religious studies Monograph series 13; salt lake: Brigham young university, 1986),
215–40; and thomas n. hall, “aelfric and the epistle to the laodiceans,” in kathryn Powell
and donald scragg (eds.), Apocryphal Texts and Traditions in Anglo-Saxon England (Cam-
bridge: d. s. Brewer, 2003), 65–84. although the apocryphal letter to the laodiceans almost
universally fell out of favour since the sixteenth century, it has still been admired and
read as authentic by a few, such as laodiceans having held a place among the Quakers,
as well as having been venerated in the work of Jacques lefèvre d’etaples, and the 1595
edition by stefan Praetorius. see Irena Backus, Historical Method and Confessional Identity
in the Era of the Reformation (1378–1615) (studies in Medieval and reformation thought 94;
leiden: Brill, 2003), 276–86; Backus, “new testament apocryphal Writings: Jacques lefèvre
d’etaples and his epigones,” Renaissance Quarterly 51 (1998): 1169–98.
3 this view is found in nearly all scholarly treatments of laodiceans. this position is
adopted, for example, in lightfoot, Colossians; John david Michaelis, Introduction to the
New Testament (4th ed.; trans. herbert Marsh; london: f. C. & J. rivington, 1822), 4:127;
archibald alexander, The Canon of the Old and New Testaments Ascertained; or, The Bible
Complete without the Apocrypha and Unwritten Traditions (new york: Princeton Press,
1826), 405–406; e. C. Blackman, Marcion and His Influence (london: sPCk, 1948), 61–62;
Charles h. Cosgrove, “laodiceans, epistle to the,” in Watson e. Mills (ed.), Mercer Dic-
tionary of the Bible (Macon, ga: Mercer university Press, 1990), 500; duane f. Watson,
“laodiceans, letter to the,” in david noel freedman (ed.), Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
(grand rapids: eerdmans, 2000), 790; howard Clark kee, The Beginnings of Christianity:
An Introduction to the New Testament (london: t&t Clark, 2005), 358; r. Mcl. Wilson,
Colossians and Philemon (ICC; london: t&t Clark, 2005), 15, 59, 65, 309; Wayne a. Meeks
and John t. fitzgerald, The Writings of Paul: Annotated Texts, Reception and Criticism (2nd
ed.; a norton Classical edition; new york: W.W. norton, 2007), 141–48, especially 142;
and raymond f. Collins, Introduction to the New Testament (new york: doubleday, 2010