Albert Barnes Commentary Colossians 4:16

"And when this epistle hath been read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye also read the epistle from Laodicea." — Colossians 4:16 (ASV)

And when this epistle is read among you, ensure that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans. Laodicea was near Colosse, and the church there was evidently exposed to the same dangers from philosophy and false teachers as the church at Colosse. The counsel in this epistle, therefore, would be equally applicable to both.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:27, the apostle also charges those to whom that epistle was addressed to ensure that it is read to all the holy brethren. It is evident that the apostles intended that the letters they addressed to the churches should also be read by others and should become the permanent source of instruction to the friends of Christ.

Laodicea, referred to here, was the seat of one of the "Seven churches" of Asia (Revelation 3:14); it was a city of Phrygia and was its capital. It was situated on the river Lycus (hence called laodikeia epi lukw—Laodicea on the Lycus) and stood at the southwestern angle of Phrygia.

Its early name appears to have been Diospolis, later changed to Rhoas. The name Laodicea was given to it by Antiochus Theos in honour of his wife, Laodice. Under the Romans, it became a very flourishing commercial city. It was often damaged by earthquakes but was restored by the Roman emperors.

It is supposed to have been destroyed during the incursion of Timur Leng in A.D. 1402. The ruins are called by the Turks Eski Hissar. These ruins, and those of Hierapolis, were visited by Mr. Riggs, an American missionary, in 1842, who spoke of them as follows:

"These spots, so interesting to the Christian, are now utterly desolate. The threatening expressed in Revelation 3:16 has been fulfilled, and Laodicea is but a name. In the midst of one of the finest plains of Asia Minor, it is entirely uninhabited.

"Sardis, similarly, whose church had a name that it was alive, but was dead, is now an utter desolation. Its soil is turned up by the plough or overgrown by rank weeds; while in Philadelphia, since the day when our Saviour commended those who had there kept the word of his patience, there has never ceased to be a nominally Christian church.

"The ruins of Laodicea and Hierapolis are very extensive. The stadium of the former city, and the gymnasia and theatres of both, are the most complete I have seen anywhere.

"Hierapolis is also remarkable for the so-called frozen cascades, a natural curiosity probably unsurpassed in its kind for beauty and extent in the world. It consists of a deposit of carbonate of lime, white as the driven snow, which, when closely examined, assumes various forms and covers nearly the whole southern and western slopes of the elevation on which the city was built. It is visible for many miles and has earned the place the name by which alone Hierapolis is known among the Turks: the Cotton Castle."

The engraving on the preceding page illustrates the ruins of Laodicea.

And that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. Regarding this epistle, see Introduction, Section 6.