The article shows that the deuteropauline letter to the Colossians contains a strong ethical component. Col 3,5–4,6 is not secondary to the other elements of the letter, but an integral element of the Christocentric theology of Col. After presenting a detailed description of the main elements of the Colossian ethics, the article emphasizes how Col should be understood as an early reception of Pauline theology and how Col can be read as an example of an emerging “religion of tradition” (Michael Wolter).