Who Wrote Colossians and Ephesians?

I would like to propose what I believe is a reasonable alternative to the common scholarly conclusion that Paul did not write Ephesians and Colossians. My premise is simple: what if Paul used a different amanuensis, or secretary, for these two letters than he did for Romans, Galatians, and the Corinthian correspondence? If that secretary was given greater literary freedom than others, many of the stylistic differences that have persuaded scholars to reject Pauline authorship may have a far simpler explanation.

One of the primary reasons many modern scholars reject Pauline authorship of Ephesians and Colossians is the noticeable difference in vocabulary, sentence structure, and literary style when compared with Paul's undisputed letters. The conclusion often drawn is that the differences are so significant they require a different author. I am not convinced that conclusion is necessary. In fact, I think it may overlook one of the clearest pieces of evidence contained within the New Testament itself.

Paul clearly used secretaries, or amanuenses, in the composition of his letters. Romans 16:22 introduces us to Tertius, who writes, "I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord." This is not speculation; it is an explicit admission that another hand was involved in producing at least one of Paul's greatest theological works. Likewise, in Galatians 6:11 Paul suddenly interrupts the dictated text and says, "See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!" The statement only makes sense if someone else had been writing the letter up to that point. Similar authenticating signatures appear in 1 Corinthians 16:21, Colossians 4:18, and 2 Thessalonians 3:17, suggesting that Paul commonly dictated his letters and then personally wrote the closing greeting as a mark of authenticity.

The question, then, is not whether Paul used secretaries. He plainly did. The real question is how much freedom those secretaries exercised. Ancient amanuenses were often far more than stenographers taking dictation. Depending on the instructions they received, they could organize material, polish the Greek, improve transitions, and even shape the literary style while faithfully preserving the author's thought. If Paul employed different secretaries over the course of his ministry, why should we expect every letter to sound stylistically identical?

This is not a novel suggestion. New Testament scholars such as E. Randolph Richards have argued that modern scholarship has often underestimated the role of the ancient amanuensis. Richards demonstrates that secretaries in the first century could function anywhere along a spectrum—from taking virtually verbatim dictation to exercising considerable editorial freedom while remaining faithful to the author's intent. Other scholars, including Ben Witherington III, Luke Timothy Johnson, F. F. Bruce, Douglas Moo, and N. T. Wright, have likewise acknowledged that differences in secretarial practice may help explain variations in style without requiring a different author.

Modern authors frequently produce books that read differently because they worked with different editors. No one concludes that the books therefore have different authors. Yet this is often the assumption made regarding Paul. If he entrusted Colossians and Ephesians to a particularly gifted secretary, granting that individual greater literary freedom while retaining authority over the theology and message, many of the stylistic differences suddenly become understandable.

The historical evidence also deserves consideration. If critical scholars are correct, Ephesians and Colossians were written decades after Paul's death by an anonymous follower who successfully presented them as Pauline. Yet both letters appear to have achieved remarkably early acceptance. Ignatius of Antioch seems to know them by approximately A.D. 110. Around A.D. 140, Marcion included both Colossians and what he called the Letter to the Laodiceans—widely identified with our Ephesians—in his collection of Paul's letters. Even more striking, Marcion's orthodox opponents vigorously challenged his theology and his editing of Paul's letters, yet there is no evidence that they disputed the Pauline origin of these two epistles. By the middle of the second century they were already firmly embedded within the Pauline corpus.

None of this proves that Paul wrote Ephesians and Colossians. But it does suggest that stylistic analysis alone may not bear the weight that is often placed upon it. Once we acknowledge that Paul routinely used secretaries, that ancient amanuenses could exercise significant literary freedom, and that these letters were accepted as Pauline at a remarkably early date, another explanation emerges that deserves serious consideration.

Perhaps the simplest explanation is still the best one. Paul remained the author. A different secretary shaped the literary presentation. The theology remained Paul's, while the style reflected the gifted hand through which that theology was expressed. Rather than assuming a different author because the prose sounds different, perhaps we should recognize the collaborative nature of ancient letter writing and spend less time counting vocabulary and more time listening for the unmistakable voice of Paul's thought that continues to resonate throughout Ephesians and Colossians.