The Abolition of the Law and the Triumph of Christ

you are filled in him, instead of being filled through him

Circumcision is for the Jew, but sin is for soul and body. He remained in that way entirely. He calls the circumcision of the flesh sin.

When the law was given, which condemns those who transgress (Col 2:14–15), all the people of Israel, standing, cried out, and they consented to those things being said, accepting them; and the consent became like a handwritten document. This, then, the handwritten document, the consent toward the law, Christ erased with his own dogmas; for he demonstrated according to the observances of the law, as regarding uncleanness, that it is not the things entering but the things exiting that defile a man, and regarding the keeping of the Sabbath, that he healed in the Sabbath; and one will find many other such things. Previously, therefore, he abolished the punishments of the law against sinners by the dogmas of sin, giving forgiveness of sins and repentance unto salvation. And since the people said 'Amen' in the curses, it was cast as a sub-script to the handwritten document.

Having stripped off the rulers and the authorities, he demonstrated in boldness, triumphing in the cross (Col 2:15). Since through the stripping off and the laying aside of the flesh he brought down the opposing powers, having stripped off the rulers and the authorities, he boldly demonstrated, triumphing over them in it. For even until the cross and even death, our Lord was being revealed as being both God and Son of God, and with miracles he struck, but with the body he was covered; therefore also the Satan tempted him, desiring to learn if he is the one being proclaimed by the prophets, so that if he might learn that he is, he might obstruct the economy. But the evil one did not prevail, for he was not able to learn; so finally Christ was revealed.

And since he was crucified and died and was buried and rose and fulfilled all the things of the economy, he stripped off the hiddenness, and with a bare head he showed the divinity existing with the body. First, indeed, the resurrection from the dead was a work of God, then the ascent into the heavens, then the energy through the servants and the other saints in his name. Having stripped off the hiddenness, he demonstrated the opposing authorities in boldness. And what is the demonstration of these? That they are weaker than the...

Greek

ἔστιν ὡς σῶμα ἡνωμένον κεφαλῇ, καὶ πανταχοῦ κεφαλὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸν Χριστὸν λέγει. καὶ ἐστὲ ἐν αὐτῷ πεπληρωμένοι, ἀντὶ τοῦ δι' αὐτοῦ πεπληρωμένοι. πεπληρωμένοι δὲ τίνος; δηλονότι τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. ὅς ἐστι κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας. οὐ μόνον, φησί, τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐστὶ κεφαλή–τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἴδιον–ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης ἀοράτου δυνάμεως, ἐπεὶ καὶ δημιουργὸς αὐτῆς ἐστιν. Τὴν ἐκκλησίαν λέγει πεπληρωμένην ὑπὸ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ, καθὼς ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι πληρουμένου. τὸ δὲ σωματικῶς ἐνταῦθα ὡς ἐν κεφαλῇ σῶμα. πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐπήγαγεν· ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκκλησία; Kol 2,11 Τοῦτ' ἔστι περιτεμὼν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῆς σαρκὸς διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἐζωοποίησεν ἑαυτῷ. ὥστε τὸ ἐν Χριστῷ βάπτισμα περιτομὴ πνευματική· περικόπτει γὰρ τῶν πιστευόντων τὰς ἁμαρτίας. Kol 2,12–13 ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἡ περιαίρεσις καὶ ἡ περιτομὴ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. συνταφέντες αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ συνηγέρθητε. οἱ βαπτιζόμενοι ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ κοινωνεῖν αὐτῷ τοῦ θανάτου ὁμολογοῦσι διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος· κοινωνήσαντες δὲ αὐτῷ τοῦ θανάτου, ἀKolούθως καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀπολαύσουσιν. ἔστι δὲ διπλοῦς ὁ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγος· ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἷς πνευματικός, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος σωματικός. ἀναστήσεται μὲν γὰρ πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀνθρώπων διὰ τὴν Χριστοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν, ἀλλ' ὅσοι μὲν οὐκ ἐβαπτίσθησαν ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' ἐναπέθανον αὐτῶν τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, οὗτοι τῆς μὲν κοινῆς ἀναστάσεως μεθέξουσιν, τῆς δὲ ἀπολυτρώσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας οὐκ 323 ἀπολαύσουσιν. ὅσοι δὲ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθησαν, οὗτοι καὶ πρὸ τῆς κοινῆς ἀναστάσεως ἑτέρας ἀναστάσεως δωρεὰν ἐκέρδαναν· ἤδη γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἐξανέστησαν. διὸ καὶ εἶπεν· ἐν ᾧ καὶ συνηγέρθητε, οὐκ «ἐν ᾧ συνεγερθήσεσθε». οἱ οὖν ἐγερθέντες ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν πῶς ἔτι πολιτεύσονται ὡς πάλιν ἀποθανούμενοι; οὐκοῦν μάτην ἀνέστησαν; εἰ δὲ ὡς ἀεὶ ζήσοντες, οὐκ ἄρα κατὰ σάρκα διαζῶσι ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς δουλεύοντες, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα πολιτεύσονται. σῶμα ἁμαρτίας καλεῖ τὰς πράξεις τὰς ἀτόπους· αὗται γὰρ διὰ σώματος τελοῦνται. περιτομὴ οὖν Χριστοῦ τὸ βάπτισμα· περιαιρεῖ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν. ὡς περιττὸν δὲ ἀκροβυστία Ἰουδαίῳ, οὕτως ἁμαρτία ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι. διόλου δὲ τῇ τροπῇ παρέμεινεν. ἀκροβυστίαν δὲ σαρκὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν λέγει. Kol 2,14–15 Ὅτε ἐδόθη ὁ νόμος ὁ καταρώμενος τοὺς παραβαίνοντας, πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἑστὼς ἐβόα, καὶ συγκατετίθετο τοῖς λεγομένοις καταδεχόμενος αὐτά, καὶ ἡ συγκατάθεσις ὥσπερ χειρόγραφον γέγονεν. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ χειρόγραφον, τὴν συγκατάθεσιν τὴν πρὸς τὸν νόμον, ἐξήλειψε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δόγμασιν ὁ Χριστός· ἐδογμάτισε γὰρ κατὰ τῶν ἐπιτηρήσεων τοῦ νόμου, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν βρωμάτων ὅτι οὐ τὰ εἰσερχόμενα ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐξερχόμενα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τηρήσεως τοῦ σαββάτου, ὅτι ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσεν· καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα πολλά τις ἐπιτηρήσας εὑρήσει. προηγουμένως οὖν τοῦ νόμου τὰς τιμωρίας τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν τοῖς δόγμασι τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατήργησεν, δοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐν ταῖς κατάραις ὁ λαὸς ἔλεγε τὸ ἀμήν, ὥσπερ ὑπόγραφον χειρόγραφον ἐβλήθη. Ἀπεκδυσάμενος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐν παρρησίᾳ, 324 θριαμβεύσας ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ. ἐπειδὴ διὰ τῆς ἀπεκδύσεως καὶ τῆς ἀποθέσεως τῆς σαρκὸς τὰς ἐναντίας δυνάμεις καθεῖλεν, ἀπεκδυσάμενος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐν παρρησίᾳ, θριαμβεύσας αὐτοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ. μέχρι γὰρ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θανάτου ἐλάνθανεν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὅτι καὶ θεὸς ἦν καὶ θεοῦ υἱός, καὶ ταῖς μὲν θαυματουργίαις ἔπληττεν, τῷ δὲ σώματι ἐκαλύπτετο· διὸ καὶ ἐπείρασεν αὐτὸν ὁ σατανᾶς, βουλόμενος μαθεῖν εἰ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν κηρυττόμενος, ἵνα εἰ μάθῃ ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν, ἐμποδίσῃ τὴν οἰκονομίαν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἤνυεν ὁ πονηρός, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠδυνήθη μαθεῖν· τέως οὖν ἐλάνθανεν ὁ Χριστός. ἐπειδὴ δὲ προσηλώθη καὶ ἀπέθανε καὶ ἐτάφη καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ πάντα τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐπλήρωσεν, ἀπεξεδύσατο μὲν τὸ λανθάνειν, γυμνῇ δὲ τῇ κεφαλῇ ὁρᾶν τὴν θεότητα μετὰ τοῦ σώματος οὖσαν ἐδείκνυεν. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἦν ἔργον θεοῦ ἡ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασις, εἶτα ἡ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδος, ἔπειτα ἡ διὰ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁγίων ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἐνέργεια. ἀπεκδυσάμενος οὖν τὸ λανθάνειν ἐν παρρησίᾳ τὰς ἐναντίας ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐξουσίας. καὶ τίς τούτων ὁ δειγματισμός; ὅτι ἀσθενέστεροι τῶν

About this text

This commentary unravels a complex letter, explaining how early Christians struggled with faith in a world of conflicting beliefs.

Original English Translation of Severianus of Gabala’s Fragmenta in epistulam ad Colossenses — new OET from PG 65 Greek.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 65 (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.