Answer
The only reference to the Scythians in the Bible is in Colossians 3:11, “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (cf. Galatians 3:28). Paul’s emphasis is on our unity in Christ. But who were the Scythians? And why did Paul highlight them?
Far from being first-century elites, the Scythians were viewed as outcasts of society. The Greek word for “Scythian” is Skuthes, which translates to “savage.” Scythians are possibly more extreme than barbarians, which might explain why Paul listed them side by side. The New Living Translation simply calls them “uncivilized.”
History places the origin of the Scythians near the Altai Mountains of Siberia. From there, they migrated to areas close to the Caspian Sea and Black Sea, in what is now Russia and Ukraine. Nomads, they spread into Asia Minor and what is now northern Iran. Their existence dates to around the eighth century BC. Scythians had a ferocious reputation in the ancient world, fighting with a viciousness often likened to wild animals. They had distasteful practices like drinking human blood and using the skulls of their enemies as goblets. The Greek word for “scalping” was aposkythizein, using the word for “Scythian” as a root (Campbell, D., “Unravelling Col. 3:11b,” New Testament Studies 42, 1996, 132 n. 39).
Greek writers also criticized the Scythians for their consumption of undiluted wine, considering it uncouth behavior. The expression “to get drunk is to behave like a Scythian” reflected the prevalent sentiment. Additionally, the Scythians incorporated cannabis in their religious ceremonies and conducted human sacrifices to “accompany” their deceased royalty. These practices and more, such as feasting on horse meat, made them notorious.
Early in their history, Scythians were associated with the Cimmerians, a nomadic group potentially dispelled by the Scythian soldiers. They also clashed with the Assyrians, were defeated by the Medes in 612 BC, and battled with King Darius of Persia.
When Paul says that in Christ there is neither barbarian nor Scythian, he provides an extreme example of God’s grace in action. Within the body of Christ, all have equal standing before God. As Albert Barnes commented on Colossians 3:11, “Even such a ferocious and uncivilized people [as the Scythians] were not excluded from the gospel, but they were as welcome as any other, and were entitled to the same privileges as others. No one was excluded because he belonged to the most rude and uncivilized portion of mankind” (Notes on the Bible, 1834).