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COLOSSIANS COLOSSUS 111 in the combats of the arena has been another vexed question, as no traces of them are found; it appears probable, however, that they were situated under the podium, where they would open directly into the arena. The best known events in the history of the Colos- seum are those connected with the history of the Christian church. Many of the early Christians suffered martyrdom in its arena. St. Ignatius is said to have been the first, he having been given to the lions in this amphi- theatre in the earliest days of Christianity. St. Potitus, St. Prisca, St. Martina, and many others, are recorded as having been put to death in the Colosseum in the 2d and 3d cen- turies, with hundreds of unnamed martyrs, of whom the only records remaining are notes of the number suffering together on the occa- sion of one festival or another. A cross now stands in the centre of the arena, erected in memory of their martyrdom ; and around the edge, close to the wall of the podium, are small chapels or stations, marking the stages of the Via Crucis, the devotional ex- ercise of the Roman Catholic church com- memorative of Christ's progress to the cruci- fixion. These devotions are still performed in the Colosseum on Friday of each week. Excepting the record of these martyrdoms, carefully compiled by ecclesiastical historians and undoubtedly largely mixed with tradition, the Colosseum finds singularly little mention in the works of ancient authors. The building is supposed to have remained entire until Rome was invaded by Robert Guiscard, who began its demolition to prevent its being used as a fortress. It served that purpose in the middle ages, however, and was long held as a strong- hold by the family of Frangipani, until they were dislodged by their enemies the Annibaldi. In 1312 the muncipality took possession of it, and it was again used for public entertain- ments, especially for bull fights. In 1387 the canons of the Lateran were allowed to use it for a hospital. After the 14th century it be- gan to be despoiled by the great Roman fami- lies, who used its stone to build their palaces. In the time of Sixtus Y. it was proposed to turn it into a place of trade, erecting shops under the arcades ; but the plan was unsuc- cessful. Clement XL endeavored to erect within it a manufactory of saltpetre, but he failed to carry out his design, and was per- suaded to finally consecrate it to the memory of the martyrs, thus throwing over it a protec- tion which preserved it from further injury. COLOSSIANS, Epistle to the, one of the smaller Pauline epistles of the New Testament, ad- dressed to the church of Colossa3. It bears a great similarity to the Epistle to the Ephesians, and is directed against some heretical doctrines which had crept into the Colossian church, and which this epistle represents as endangering the purity of the Christian religion. In the opinion of former exegetical writers these heretical doctrines were the views of Judaistic theo- sophists, or of some pagan philosophical sys- tem ; Credner and Thiersch believed a kind of Christian Essenism to be referred to ; but the prevailing opinion now is that we find here early traces of Gnosticism. The Pauline origin of the epistle was generally recognized until Mayerhoff (Der Brief an die Kolosser, Berlin, 1838) denied its authenticity. He was followed by Schwegler (Das nachapostolische Zeitalter, Tubingen, 1845-'6), and by F. C. Banr(P<mZw, der Apostel Jesu Christi, Stuttgart, 1845). Ew&l&(Die Sendschreiben des Apostels Paulvs, Gottingen, 1857) expressed the opinion that the epistle was written by Timothy after receiving from Paul special instructions with regard to the contents. But the great majority of exe- getical writers adhere to the tradition of the Pauline origin of the epistle. According to David Schulz (1829), with whom several other modern writers (as Schenkel) agree, the epis- tle was written during the captivity of Paul at Cffisarea, in 60 or 61 ; but the almost uni- versal testimony of tradition, according to which it was written by Paul from Rome in 62, is ably defended by Bleek (Vorlesungen uber die Briefe an die Kolosser, &c., Berlin, 1865) and others. COLOSSUS (Gr. Kohooc6s a statue of gigantic size. Such statues were often erected in an- cient times, and many still remain in existence, especially among the ruins of Thebes in Egypt. The most celebrated colossus of ancient or modern time was that at Rhodes. This city had been besieged by Demetrius Poliorcetes, king of Macedon; but, assisted by Ptolemy Soter, king of Egypt, the citizens repulsed their enemies. To express their gratitude to their noble friends, and to their tutelary deity, they erected a brazen statue to Apollo. Chares of Lindus, the pupil of Lysippus, commenced the work ; but having expended the whole amount intrusted to him before it was half completed, he committed suicide, and it was finished by Laches. The statue was 105 ft. high, and hol- low, with a winding staircase that ascended to the head. After standing 56 years, it was overthrown by an earthquake in 224 B. C., and lay nine centuries on the ground, and then was sold to a Jew by the Saracens, who had captured Rhodes, after the middle of the 7th century. It is said to have required 900 camels to remove the metal, and from this statement it has been calculated that its weight was 720,000 Ibs. According to Pliny, Rhodes had 100 colossi of inferior size. ^ The researches of Cesnola in Cyprus have discov- ered many colossi in that island. Phidias erect- ed several colossi. His Minerva in the Par- thenon was 39 ft. high, composed of gold and ivory. Upon the shield was sculptured the battle of the Athenians and Amazons ; on the buskins the battle of the centaurs and Lapi- th*B ; on the pedestal, the birth and history of Pandora. He likewise erected for the Eleans a statue of Jupiter 60 ft. high. Lysippus, in the time of Alexander the Great, constructed 213 VOL. v. 8