The letter itself claims to be the work of Paulus the envoy, several times making personal references, mentioning his imprisonment, and stating by name an acquaintance of his. Therefore, the letter was either written by Paulus or was a deliberate forgery -- not merely an innocent pseudepigraphical piece.
The chief objections to Pauline authorship are as follows:
((following p46))
Paulus, an envoy of Anointed Jesus through God's wishes
To those holy ones who are also trustworthy in Anointed Jesus.
1:2 Hello to you, and peace from God our Father and Lord Anointed Jesus.
Praiseworthy is the God and Father of our Lord Anointed Jesus, who has praised us
with every spiritual praise in the heavenly places in the Anointed One, just as he chose us in
him before the laying down of creation, (for us to be holy and blameless in his presence in
love), having previously marked us out for sonship through Anointed Jesus for him, according
to what was the delight of his wishes, to the point of our praising the glory of his generosity,
with which he favored us in beloved one.
In him, through his blood, we have the redemption, the forgiveness of wanderings, according to the wealth of God's generosity. This generosity he made abundant for us in all wisdom and intelligence, after making known to us the secret of his wishes. He did this according to his delight, which he had previously placed in himself as a home code of the fullness of the seasons, to unite all things under a head in the Anointed One--the things in the skies, and the things on land--in him.
In him also we were given an inheritance, since we were previously marked out according to the design of the one who is working in all things by the plan of his wishes, to the point where we exist for a praise of his glory--we who have previously hoped in the Anointed One.
13 When you heard the message of the truth--the good message of your salvation--and after trusting in him also, you were also sealed in him to the spirit of the promise to the holy one. This is a pledge of our inheritance, to the point of the redemption of our deeds, for a praise of his glory.
15 On account of this, after hearing of the trust in the Lord Jesus and of the love that you have for all the holy ones, I am also not neglecting to give thanks on your behalf, making remembrance in my prayers, so that the God of our Lord Anointed Jesus--the Father of Glory--would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in recognition of him. I pray that the eyes of your hearts would be enlightened to the point of your knowing what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who trust, according to the working of the might of his strength.
He worked this in the Anointed One by raising him from among the dead and seating him at his right side in the heavenly places over and above every ruler and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named, not only in this age but in the future one. And "he has subjected all things under his feet" and beyond all these things has given him as a head for the assembly, which is his body, the fullness of the one who is filling all things with all things.
2:1
11 So, remember that once you were physically gentiles (who are called the foreskinned by those who are called the physical circumcision done by hand), that you were for a season without an anointed one; you were foreigners to the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and being godless in creation.
But now in Anointed Jesus, you who once were far away became near in the Anointed One's blood. For he is our peace: the one who made both things one and who dropped the enmity, the intervening wall of partition. He nullified the code of precepts in his flesh, so that he would create one common person from the two in him, making peace, and so that he would reconcile both of them to God in one body through the cross, with it killing the enmity. And after he came, he announced a good message of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Because through him we have the introduction to the Father, both in one spirit.
Therefore indeed, you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are
fellow-citizens of the holy ones and members of God's household, which was constructed on
the foundation of the envoys and prophets, with Jesus being its corner foundation. On this
foundation every building that is firmly joined together is growing in the Lord into a new holy
place. In him also you are being constructed together into God's spiritual habitation.
3:1 For this reason I, Paulus, am the Anointed Jesus' prisoner on behalf of you gentiles, if
indeed you heard the home code of God's generosity that was given to me for you: he made
the secret known to me by revelation, just as I wrote previously in brief. About this: you are
able, as you read, to perceive my intelligence in the Anointed One's secret, which in other
generations was not made known to mortals as it has been revealed now spiritually to his holy
envoys and prophets.
The gentiles were revealed to be heirs with me and a body with me and partakers with me of the promise in Anointed Jesus, through the good message, of which I became a servant, according to the gift of God's generosity that was given to me according to the working of his power.
This favor was given to ME, the least of all, to announce to the gentiles the good message of the Anointed One's unsearchable wealth, and to englighten all people as to what is the home code of the secret that was hidden from the ages in the God that created all things. It was hidden so that God's diverse wisdom might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places, through the assembly.
This is according to a purpose of the ages, which he made in Anointed Jesus our Lord, in whom we have freedom of speech and introduction with persuasion, through his trust. So, I ask not to faint during my afflictions on your behalf, which are your glory.
14 For this reason, I bend my knees to the Father, from whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named. I do this so that he would give to you, according to the wealth of his glory, to be made mighty with power in the inner person through his breath--after the Anointed One has dwelt in your hearts through trust and after you have been rooted and founded in love--so that you would be fully strengthened to obtain (together with all the holy ones) knowledge of what are the width and length and height and depth--to know even what surpasses knowledge, the Anointed One's love--so that you would be filled with all of God's fulness!
20 Now to the one who, beyond all these things, is able to do abundantly more than what we ask or think of, according to the power that is working in us--to him be glory in the assembly and in Anointed Jesus for all the generations, for ever and ever. A-mein.
4:1 Therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, advise you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with all humility and meekness, with longsuffering, holding up one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the breath in the connecting bond of peace. There is one body and one breath, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one trust, one baptism, one god and father of all things: the one who is over all things and through all things and in everything.
Now to each one of us the favor was given, according to the measure of the Anointed One's gift. So it says, "After rising into a high place, he took captivity captive, giving gifts to people." Now what is, "after rising," unless it means that he also went down into the lowest part of the earth? The one who went down, he is also the one who "rose up" over and above all of the things of the heavens, so that he would fill all things.
And indeed, he gave the envoys, and the prophets, and the good messengers, and the shepherds and teachers, for the restoration of the holy ones to the point of work of service, for the construction of the Anointed One's body, until all of us should reach the point of the unity of the faith and the recognition of God's son--until we should reach a measure of stature of the fullness of the Anointed One, so that we would no longer be babies, being carried about by every wind of teaching (in the trickery of human beings, in craftiness) to the system of deceit.
But, being truthful in love, we should grow up into him in all things. He is the head, the Anointed One, from whom all the body is made to grow to the point of its construction in love--being firmly joined and knit together through every supplying ligament, according to the working (in measure) of every single part.
17 Therefore, I say and testify this in the Lord: you are to walk no longer as the gentiles also walk, in the worthlessness of their thoughts, with their minds darkened, being alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance that is in them because of the stupidity of their hearts. Since they are without feeling, they have given themselves over to debauchery for the working of all uncleanness, with greed.
20 But you did not learn the Anointed One this way. If indeed you heard him and were taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus, you are to put off the old person (according to the former conduct) which is being corrupted according to deceit's strong desires.
But you (your minds) are to be renewed to the breath, and you are to be clothed in the new person (according to God) who was created in right and the godliness of the truth.
So, put away what is false and "speak truth, each one with his neighbor," because we are members of one another. "If angry, then don't sin." The sun should not set on your rage, nor should you give place to the accuser.
28 The thief should steal no longer, but rather he should labor, working goodness with his hands, so that he would have something to give out to the one who has a need.
29 No rotten saying should exit from your mouths, but if something is good toward the construction of what is needed, it should go forth, so that it would give a favor to those who hear. And do not make God's holy spirit sorrowful, in which you were sealed for a day of redemption.
All bitterness and rage and anger and shouting and evil speaking should be removed from you, together with all badness. But become gentle to one another, compassionate, generous to yourselves, just as also God was generous to you in the Anointed.
5:1 Therefore, become imitators of God, like beloved children. And walk in love, just as also the Anointed One loved us and gave himself over on our behalf as an offering and sacrifice to God, for a good scent's fragrance.
3 But no sexual sin or any uncleanliness or greed should be named among you (just as it is proper for holy people), and disgracefulness, and foolish sayings or sexual joking, which are inappropriate. On the contrary, thankfulness should rather be named. For you know that no sexual sinner or unclean or greedy person (who is an idolater) will have any inheritance in God's kingdom.
6 No one should deceive you with empty words. For on account of these things God's anger comes upon the sons of the unpersuaded. Therefore, do not become partakers with them. For once you were darkness, but now you are light in Yahweh; walk like children of light, examining to find what is well-pleasing to the Lord. For the fruit of light is in all goodness and right and truth.
And don't be partners with those unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. For it is a disgrace even to say the things that are done by them in secret! But all things that are reproved by the light are made apparent, for all the things that are made apparent are light. So it says, "Wake up, sleeper, and rise from among the dead, and the Anointed One will shine on you."
Therefore, look accurately at how you are walking, not like unwise people but like wise ones who are buying the season for themselves, because the days are evil! On account of this, do not become unthinking, but understand what it is that the Lord wants. And don't be drunk with wine (with which is debauchery). On the contrary, be filled spiritually, speaking to yourselves with music and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing music to the Lord with your hearts, always giving thanks on behalf of all people to God (that is, the Father) in the name of our Lord Anointed Jesus.
21 Submit to one another in fear of the Anointed One:
The wives should submit to their husbands as to the Lord, because man is the head of
woman, as also the Anointed One is the head of the assembly. He is the savior of the body.
But as the assembly submits to the Anointed One, in the same way also wives should be
submissive to their husbands in everything.
25 You husbands, love your wives just as also the Anointed One loved the assembly and
gave himself up on her behalf, so that he might make her holy, after cleansing her with the
bath of water (so to speak), so that he would place the assembly beside him, glorious, having
no stain or blemish or anything of the sort, but so that she would be holy and spotless.
In this way also, the husbands are bound to love their wives like their bodies. For no
one ever hated his flesh. On the contrary, he nourishes and cherishes it, just as also the
Anointed One nourishes and cherishes the assembly because we are members of his body.
"On account of this a man will abandon father and mother and will be united to his
wife, and the two will be one in flesh." This is a great secret, but I am talking about the
Anointed and of the assembly. However also, one by one, every one of you should love his
wife as himself this way; now the wife should respect the husband.
6:1 You children, be submissive to your parents who are in the Lord, for this is right.
"Honor your father and your mother," which is the first precept with a promise, "
so that it would become good for you, and so that you would be on the land a
long time."
4 And you fathers, don't aggravate your children. On the contrary, nourish them in
Yahweh's training and admonition.
5 You slaves, be submissive as to the Lord to those who are lords according to the flesh,
with fear and trembling, in simplicity of your hearts. Not with eye-service like
people-pleasers, but like the Anointed's slaves, doing from the soul what God wants, being
slaves with good-mindedness (as slaves to the Lord and not to people)--knowing that what
good each might do he will repayed this by Yahweh, whether a slave or a free person.
9 And you lords, do the same things toward them, leaving behind any threatening,
knowing that both their and your Lord is in the heavens and that there is no personal bias with
him.
10 Of the remaining things: empower yourselves in Yahweh and in the might of his strength. Put on God's full armor, so you will be able to stand directed at the accuser's system. Because our war is not directed at blood and flesh but at the rulers, at the authorities, at the kosmic powers of this darkness, at the spiritual things of evil.
21 Now so that you would know the things about me, what I am practicing, the beloved brother and trustworthy servant in the Lord, Tuchikos, will make all things known to you. I have sent him to you for this very thing, so that you would know the things about us and so that he would comfort your hearts.
23 Peace to the brothers, and love with trust from Father God and Lord Anointed Jesus. Favor be with all of those who love our Lord, Anointed Jesus, with incorruptibility.