The Shadow and the Body
These things happened, he says, being a shadow of the things that were to come; and the shadow runs ahead of the body. Since therefore the shadow is the legal requirements, what is the body? The Christ is not a shadow. Therefore, having come the body, the shadow is superfluous.
In saying that we indeed are humble, but God is great and surpassing being healed by us. Since therefore until Him we do not reach, through His angels we are being led to Him and being brought to Him. And more highly he was saying: He who is head of every rule and authority, and now he says: Why are you returning to the elements and angels, having abandoned the head of these, which is Christ? Since they were saying that God is great, He is ungraspable, He is invisible, and we do not reach there. Because of this, since we do not make room for the Great One, through the angels we are being brought. And this is humility, he says.
From there he showed the aim which we speak of, that because of some to exhort by means of angels to be brought, because of this he was moved. (Col 2:19) It is necessary, he says, to have the head; for God the Word is the head of all. What therefore, having left the head, do you hold the body? For even if it has a reason of harmony joining two members or more, the power is of the angels. But therefore from the head comes to all the benefit, to angels as angels, to archangels as archangels, to the visible things as visible things. Set for me the heaven to be instead of a head to the world, instead of eyes the sun and the moon, and thus having arranged each part of the world in a growing order, you will find one body of the all. And just as soul is in a body and body of a soul, so the invisible powers are in the visible things. And of all these the head is more masterful, from which the benefit comes to the whole body, being supplied, it is evident, from the head.
If because of this, he says, you die with Christ, so as not to [the elements of the...]
Greek
ἐγένετο ταῦτα, φησί, σκιὰ ἦν τῶν μελλόντων· ἡ δὲ σκιὰ προτρέχει τοῦ σώματος. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἡ σκιὰ τὰ νόμιμα, τί τὸ σῶμα; οὐ σκιὰ τὰ Χριστοῦ. ἐλθόντος οὖν τοῦ σώματος, περιττὴ ἡ σκιά. Kol 2,18β Ποία ταπεινοφροσύνη; ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὅτι ἡμεῖς μὲν ταπεινοί ἐσμεν, ὁ δὲ θεὸς μέγας καὶ ὑπερβαίνων τὸ ὑφ' ἡμῶν θεραπεύεσθαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν μέχρις αὐτοῦ οὐ φθάνομεν, διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ἐξιλεούμεθα αὐτὸν καὶ προσαγόμεθα αὐτῷ. καὶ ἀνωτέρω δὲ ἔλεγεν· ὅς ἐστι κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας, καὶ νῦν φησιν· διὰ τί ἐπὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ ἀγγέλους ἔρχεσθε, καταλελοιπότες τούτων τὴν κεφαλήν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός; Ἐπειδὴ ἔλεγον ὅτι ὁ θεὸς μέγας ἐστίν, ἀκατάληπτός ἐστιν, ἀόρατός ἐστιν, καὶ οὐ φθάνομεν ἐκεῖ. διὰ τοῦτο ἐπειδὴ οὐ χωροῦμεν τὸν μέγαν, διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων προσαγόμεθα. καὶ ταύτην ταπεινοφροσύνην φησίν. Kol 2,19 Ἐντεῦθεν ἔδειξε τὸν σκοπὸν ὃν λέγομεν, ὅτι διὰ τὸ τινὰς παραινεῖν δι' ἀγγέλων προσάγεσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο ἐκινήθη. δεῖ, φησί, τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχεσθαι· κεφαλὴ γάρ ἐστι τοῦ παντὸς ὁ θεὸς λόγος. τί οὖν ἀφεὶς τὴν κεφαλὴν κρατεῖς τὸ σῶμα; κἂν γὰρ ἁρμονίας ἔχῃ λόγον συναπτούσης 326 δύο μέλη ἢ πλείονα τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ δύναμις. ἀλλ' οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔρχεται εἰς πάντας ἡ ὠφέλεια, εἰς ἀγγέλους ὡς ἀγγέλους, εἰς ἀρχαγγέλους ὡς ἀρχαγγέλους, εἰς τὰ ὁρατὰ ὡς ὁρατά. θές μοι τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀντὶ κεφαλῆς εἶναι τῷ κόσμῳ, ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμῶν ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην, καὶ οὕτως ἕκαστον μέρος τοῦ κόσμου ἐν μελῶν τάξει συντιθείς, εὑρήσεις ἓν σῶμα τοῦ παντός. καὶ καθάπερ ψυχὴ ἐν σώματι καὶ σῶμα ψυχῆς, οὕτω τὰς ἀοράτους δυνάμεις ἐν τοῖς ὁρατοῖς. πάντων δὲ τούτων κυριωτέρα ἡ κεφαλή, ἀφ' ἧς ἡ ὠφέλεια εἰς ὅλον ἔρχεται τὸ σῶμα, ἐπιχορηγουμένη δηλονότι ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς. Kol 2,–22 Εἰ διὰ τοῦτο, φησίν, ἀποθνῄσκετε σὺν Χριστῷ, ὥστε μὴ τοῖς στοιχείοις τοῦ
About this text
This commentary unravels a complex letter, explaining how early Christians struggled with faith in a world of conflicting beliefs.
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.