chapter 17, is scarlet-colored (vs. 3), distinguishing it from the “wild beast” of chapter 13. The harlot sitting on the scarlet beast is arrayed in purple and scarlet. (Rev. 17:3-5) The vision thus pictorially symbolizes the royal claims of the “beast” and the luxury and royalty enjoyed by the woman riding it.

Vermilion (Jer. 22:14; Ezek. 23:14) has reference to a reddish type of paint made from oxides of iron or lead. It seems to have been first introduced by the Phoenicians, who imported it from natural deposits found in North Africa. At a later time similar deposits in the Middle East were developed.

White is the color most often mentioned in the Scriptures. Besides its descriptive use, it also serves as a symbol of righteousness and spiritual cleanness. (Rev. 3:4; 7:9, 13, 14) The white horse, as portrayed at Revelation 6:2 and 19:11, symbolizes clean, righteous warfare under Jesus Christ’s direction.

White garments were worn by the poor and also by those of superior rank. Where their attire is mentioned, angels are usually depicted as being clothed in white. (Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Rev. 19:14) A few of the other things described as white are hair (Lev. 13:3; Matt. 5:36), flesh (Lev. 13:16), fields of grain ready for harvest (John 4:35), and God’s throne of righteous judgment. (Rev. 20:11) Jesus likened the scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed graves. (Matt. 23:27) He drew this illustration from the custom of whitewashing the graves in the vicinity of Jerusalem before the Passover to protect people coming to celebrate the Passover from becoming unclean by touching them. Degrees of whiteness are distinguished in the Bible, as, for example, reddish-white (Lev. 13:19, 24) and dull white.—Lev. 13:39.

Yellow and sulphur yellow are also mentioned.—Lev. 13:30, 32, 36; Rev. 9:17.

Mixed colors. Besides the more specific colors there are a number of expressions in the Bible that describe objects having rather indefinite colors or having a mixture of colors. For example: color-patched (Gen. 30:32, 33), glowing colors (Isa. 63:1), many-colored (Jer. 12:9), parti-colored (Zech. 6:3, 7), ruddy (1 Sam. 16:12; Song of Sol. 5:10), speckled (Zech. 6:3, 6), spotty (Gen. 31:10, 12), striped (Gen. 37:3; 2 Sam. 13:19), swarthy (Song of Sol. 1:6), two-colored (Ezek. 27:24), “of varied colors” (Ezek. 16:16), having “color variety” (Ezek. 17:3), and in “various colors.”—Ezek. 27:7, 16, 24.

CHRIST’S CLOAK

The color of the cloak with which Jesus Christ was clothed on the day of his execution has caused some persons to argue that a discrepancy exists in the Bible record with reference to this garment. Matthew said that the soldiers “draped him with a scarlet cloak” (27:28), while Mark and John say that it was purple. (Mark 15:17; John 19:2) However, rather than being a discrepancy, such a variation in describing the garment’s color merely gives evidence of the individuality of the Gospel writers and the fact that they were not in collusion. Matthew described the cloak as it appeared to him, that is, according to his evaluation of color, and he emphasized the garment’s red hue. John and Mark subdued the red tint, calling it purple. “Purple” can be applied to any color having components of both blue and red. So, Mark and John agree with Matthew that the garment was red to some extent. Of course, background and light reflection could have given it different casts. The Gospel writers merely recorded what seemed to be the strongest color to them or to those from whom they obtained their information. A body of water varies in color at different times, depending upon the particular color of the sky and the reflection of light at a given time. So, when such factors are considered, it is seen that the Gospel writers were not in conflict in describing the color of the cloak with which Christ was clothed by mocking Roman soldiers on the last day of his human life.—See DYES, DYEING.

COLOSSAE

(Co·losʹsae).

A city of southwestern Asia Minor. In the apostle Paul’s day Colossae was in the Roman province of Asia, though it formed part of the ancient region of Phrygia. It lay near the upper end of the Lycus River valley, about eleven miles (17.7 kilometers) E of Laodicea (modern Denizli). The Lycus River valley is narrow in the region of Colossae, walled in by great cliffs, but broadens out as it progresses to the NW and the junction of the Lycus with the Maeander (Menderes) River. Through this valley passed the main road leading from Ephesus and the Aegean coast to the E as far as the Euphrates. From the writings of Herodotus and Xenophon (fifth century B.C.E.). Colossae appears to have been then the principal city in the valley. A road branched off from there to Sardis and Pergamum to the NW. During the Roman period, however, the road system was changed, and Laodicea and neighboring Hierapolis (Col. 4:13) came to surpass Colossae in importance. Nevertheless, Colossae continued to be known as a textile center, noted for its fine wool of unusual hue, called collossinus. It lay on the edge of the lonely steppe country, where flocks of sheep were pastured. Just to the S some three miles (4.8 kilometers) Mt. Cadmus rose 8,250 feet (2,514.6 meters), its snows feeding streams that flowed past Colossae.

Phrygians were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, 33 C.E., perhaps some of them being from Colossae. (Acts 2:10) Although Colossae was on the principal E-W route, most scholars believe that Paul followed a more northerly route on his third missionary tour, which took him by land to Ephesus. (Acts 18:22, 23; 19:1) His letter to the Colossians indicates that he had not visited Colossae and that the congregation there was the fruitage of the work of Epaphras, whom Paul describes as representing him and his co-workers by faithfully ministering to the believers in Colossae. (Col. 1:7, 8; 2:1; 4:12) Paul, however, knew several Christians of Colossae. He names Onesimus, Archippus, Philemon and Apphia.—Col. 4:9, 17; Philem. 1, 2, 10-12.

Added to the original Phrygian population of Colossae were Greek and Jewish elements. (Compare Colossians 3:11.) The early Phrygians displayed a strong tendency toward spiritistic fanaticism, the Greeks indulged in much speculation and philosophical arguments, the Jews were advocates of the Mosaic law and its dietary and sabbath requirements. All these attitudes were dealt with in Paul’s counsel to the Colossian congregation.—Col. 2:4, 8, 16, 18, 20-23; see COLOSSIANS, LETTER TO THE.

COLOSSIANS, LETTER TO THE

The inspired letter of the apostle Paul to Christians in Colossae. As usually placed in modern English versions of the Bible, it is the twelfth book of the Christian Greek Scriptures.

WRITER AND REASONS FOR THE LETTER

Paul identifies himself as the writer of this inspired letter by opening it with the words: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through God’s will, and Timothy our brother to the holy ones and faithful brothers in union with Christ at Colossae.” (Col. 1:1, 2) The apostle’s writership is also established by the final greeting, written in his own hand.—Col. 4:18.

Besides Paul’s own statements in the letter itself, external testimony to his writership is furnished in the works of early authorities such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and Origen. Internal evidence is also very strong, the style certainly being Paul’s. There is quite a similarity between Colossians and Ephesians, another of Paul’s letters. While this may be due to the close proximity in the time of composition and the possibility that similar circumstances prevailed in each