Chapter II.
(Vers. 1, 2, 3.)
(Verse 1, 2, 3.) For I want you to know how great a concern I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person. May their hearts be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance and understanding, and to know the mystery of God, which is Christ. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am just as concerned for those whom I have not seen in person, as I am for those whom I have proclaimed to in person, to show that they are loved by me just as much, even though I have not seen them, and to nourish their hearts in love. I write this letter to urge them and to help them understand the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, so that they may recognize the riches of wisdom and knowledge in Him, and worship Him as God. Therefore, every mystery of the sacrament of God is in Christ. For He is the one in whom every creature will perish unless they have hope; so that all power may be in Him, and whoever knows Him may seem to have knowledge of all things that exist, and no other besides Him should be worshipped; for all powers have their strength from Him. For since He is the one, He can do all things: that is why He is called the head of all, so that through Him all may appear to subsist. Therefore, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are said to be hidden in him. For the understanding of all knowledge of the celestial and terrestrial creation must be in him, who is the head of all things, whether of angels, or of the sun, or of the moon, or of the stars, or of other things; all knowledge and skill is in their creator; so that whoever knows him, needs nothing more, neither wisdom nor virtue; for he has recognized him, in whom perfect virtue and perfect wisdom are. For whatever he thinks he finds elsewhere, he will find fully and abundantly in this. For what is wiser than Solomon? what is more prudent than Daniel? For this reason, God gave them wisdom above all others, to make known to unbelievers that he is the author of all wisdom. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar says to Daniel, marveling at his wisdom: Truly, your God is the living God, who reveals mysteries (Dan. II, 47). Indeed, it escapes every unbeliever that all wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ; because they do not read astrology in the Gospels, nor geometry in the Apostle, nor arithmetic or music in the prophets: which are despised by our people, because they do not pertain to salvation, but rather lead to error and distract from God; so that while they study these disputes of reasoning, they do not care for the well-being of their souls. For what wisdom is so true as to have known what is beneficial and to have disregarded what is harmful? For it is harmful; because it hinders the soul from taking care of itself. Therefore, it is not without reason that whoever has recognized Christ has found the treasure of wisdom and knowledge; for he has known what is useful to him.
(Vers. 4, 5.)
(Verses 4, 5.) I say this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Where the Apostle says that his spirit was present there, so that they, having reverence for him, might abstain from such men. For if the spirit of the prophet Elisha saw the deceit of Gehazi, who went to Naaman the Syrian to receive under his name things which had not been commanded him, and Naaman having descended willingly gave him more than had been asked for (2 Kings 5:26), how much more could the Apostle see in spirit the things he spoke of! For there was greater grace in the apostles than in the prophets. And he says that he rejoices in their way of life in order to make them more ready in the tradition of the gospel; so that, knowing how to please God, they may become more steadfast, and through this, worthy to learn the meaning of the progress of their faith to the benefit of their usefulness.
(Vers. 6, 7.)
(Vers. 6, 7.) Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude. He warns and exhorts them so that their devotion would not diminish, and they would not depart from the faith they had obtained and be swayed by false teachings, accepting Christ in a different way than they had learned. For many corruptors of faith were going around to deceive the innocent, deceitfully and with false pretenses proclaiming Christ, whom he warns to avoid with great caution; so that they may be stable and firm on the foundation of the Trinity, abounding in hope for the future and giving thanks for the mercy of God.
(Vers. 8, 9.)
(Vers. 8, 9.) See to it that no one deceives you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ; for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Philosophy here refers to earthly wisdom, by which those who desire to be esteemed wise in the world are often deceived. It is composed of arguments and subtleties of certain trivial matters, as if it has investigated physical reasons, with some things mixed in that are exhortations to a good life or indications, at times about measurements, as well as about numbers, and at times about the qualities and quantities of elements arranged in order. In whose discussions, whoever falls into them will hardly and rarely escape; for he is held by plausible and fabricated reasons, esteeming nothing as true except what is seen and understood in the basic elements. And because those things that exist in the present and are seen with the eyes appear pleasing and enjoyable; they deceive some, who think that the spiritual reason should be despised and ridiculed due to the despair of the future, assigning all power to the stars, subject to carnal reason; lest they believe that heavy things can be lifted up to the sky, or light things come down to the earth, or anything corporeal be generated without the mingling of substances, opposing the power and providence of God. For they know from reading the ancient Hebrew volumes in divine matters that many deeds were done by Moses which human reason does not comprehend. Likewise, in the new books, deeds done by the Lord or by the apostles are prohibited from being believed by the carnal understanding. Therefore, he calls this tradition or philosophy deceitful and empty because it is not ordered by the power of God but by the weakness of human reasoning, which restricts the power of God within its own knowledge so as not to believe that He could do otherwise than what carnal reason comprehends. They assign diversity to each element of divinity for the sake of worship, to bind the minds of the ignorant so that they do not extend themselves toward the true God. Therefore, it warns against following this tradition; because it is a worshipper of the world, not of God, who is one: nor does it lead to Christ, but away from Christ, in whom the perfection of divinity resides. For everything that the Father has, He has given to the Son, since He begot Him in the fullness of divinity in bodily form; so that, since He is the head and His creation is the body, everything that is thought to be possible for a heavenly creature is believed to be fully present in Christ; so that no one should believe that anyone else should be worshiped. For whatever one thinks is great in something, they will find even more in it; because all things have it from him, just as the limbs have it from the head: but he himself is always full.
(Vers. 10.)
(Verse 10.) And you are filled in him, who is the head of all Principality and Power. It signifies more to those who believe to be given, than can be comprehended in the elements; for the one who is in Christ is filled with an abundance of divinity, which the elements do not possess. Ultimately, in those who believe, the Holy Spirit dwells, which could not be granted to the elements; for it was unworthy and incongruous for the invisible to dwell in visible substance, and the incorporeal in those things which are sensible. So let them listen and come, their worshippers, and believe in Christ; that they may become greater than those whom they now worship.
(Vers. 11, 12.)
(Verse 11, 12.) In whom also you have been circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, by despoiling of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen again by the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him up from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, forgiving you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. When they were buried in baptism, they rose again through the faith of God, who they believe will raise them from the dead, following the example of Christ. For there the old man is put off, and the new man is put on: he dies to sin, that he may live to righteousness: he renounces the elements, that he may be united with Christ, holding the pledge of the future resurrection, as an example of the Savior, who rose from the dead. Therefore, they are exhorted to persevere in renouncing the pomp and deceit of Satan. He therefore advises the cultivation of the elements, so that he may distract people from God and make them willing participants in his apostasy. For he cannot promote his own agenda under his own name, for he abhors it even by the name itself; he attempts to fulfill his own will under the name of another.
(Vers. 13, 14, 15.)
(Verses 13, 14, 15.) And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, forgiving us all our transgressions, having canceled the handwritten document that was against us, which was hostile to us, and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in him. He says that the Gentiles were dead: first, because they did not want to accept the law that was given as a testimony by the Creator and to condemn vices; then, because they were unworthy of life due to the impiety of their sins; therefore, he separated them from the Jews as if they were enemies of the one true God. But the Jews, living in the confession of one God, when Christ came, learned the mystery of God, which they had been expecting for their justification: that in Him, what had been taken away from them, because it is impossible to be without sin, they might receive forgiveness. Therefore, after addressing the cause of the Gentiles, he includes the Jews, saying: forgiving us all our sins; so that after presenting the particular, he would also present the general; since he has forgiven all sins to everyone. But because, as the Lord says: To whom more is forgiven, he must love more (Luke 7:43): therefore, he warns the Gentiles, that considering the causes of their own evil, and what grace they have received from God in Christ, they should be solicitous with complete devotion concerning His service, from which they have been liberate from the diverse punishment of death. How, therefore, did He forgive us all our sins? By canceling the document of debt, which stood against us. And what is it to cancel? He said, 'And He took it out of the way.' So therefore He canceled it, when He took it out of the way. But how did He take it out of the way? By nailing it to the cross. And nailing it to the cross, He said that this was to strip the principalities and powers publicly, and to triumph over them in Christ. These things, as they seem, are obscure, and therefore they need to be clarified with care. This is the protection of God, which the Apostle explains through the significance of various causes. For he mentions many things that were done, so that the human race might attain forgiveness; not only did he forgive us our own sins, but he also took away that sin which came from Adam's transgression (which he called the handwriting in decrees), which prevented us from rising from the dead; for if he had not also removed this, those who had received forgiveness, upon departing from here, would have been held captive there in the underworld. Moreover, all sins were allowed so that they would rise from the dead. For indeed, death comes from sin, and the resurrection of the dead is achieved by the removal of sin: which could not have happened unless sin had affixed itself to the cross. For while the Savior conquers sin by not sinning, which held humanity captive, He also is killed by Him who is innocent: thus, sin is crucified. For sin, once defeated, is said to be mortified, for the cross is not the death of the Savior but of sin. For the innocent who is killed, makes those who kill him guilty. But let us understand sin as referring to the rulers and powers, whose desire Adam, the first man, sinned with. This name should be referred to the authors, whose death he signified by stripping them of their possessions; for it is their death, because they were conquered by the Savior, while they were stripping away the souls which they held captive, they are killed. They became the cause of their own fate: for while they held power over these souls by their authority, because they had sinned, they themselves were found to be greater sinners, since they killed the One who had conquered them by not sinning. And thus they were justly stripped publicly, as he said, on the cross; which is openly triumphed over by God in Christ. For he is triumphed over who is openly conquered, and his spoils are made public; for he is shown to be prostrated before all, who insulted others. However, the decree that he speaks of is not what the pagans call fate; because they do not assert that it is contrary to everyone; for they say that some are happy because of it, others unhappy. For this decree was said to be contrary to all; for the opinion was adverse to all men.
(Vers. 16, 17.)
(Vers. 16, 17.) Therefore, let no one judge you in food, or in drink, or in regard to a festival, or a new moon, or sabbath day, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. For some Jews judge the faithful because they eat foods that are prohibited by Moses, even though God has made all things clean: but the unworthy Jews are forbidden to eat these things. They also often criticize us because we despise their religious festivals, or because we do not observe the beginning of the months, which they call the new moons. But what offends them the most is that we do not observe the Sabbath, but rather spend it in leisure and feasting with luxury: which is more offensive than pleasing. But all these things are the body of Christ, for they are the words of the elements by means of their effects. Hence it is from this that He says in the Gospel: For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day (Matthew 12:8); for through Him all things were given, which were so given by Moses that they might be shadows or figures of things to come, which, when the truth appeared, the figure ceased. For just as in the absence of the emperor his image has authority, but in his presence it has none; so these things were to be observed in their time before the advent of the Lord, but in His presence they lack authority. Does someone who is acting in place of the master, in his presence, have dominion? If the deputies of the deputies are deprived in the presence of their superiors, how much more should the slaves themselves be seen as being in obedience, with the master present!
(Vers. 18, 19.)
(Verse 18, 19.) Let no one deceive you, desiring in the humility of their mind, and by the superstition of angels, that which they see, falsely elevating themselves, being inflated by the thoughts of their flesh, and not holding onto that head, from which the whole body, by joints and connections, is supplied and grows in the increase of God. What was previously warned under the name of philosophy, now he teaches more openly to be observed by those who, studying earthly wisdom, assert that these things which are adjacent or apparent to the eyes should be worshiped, so that their souls, bound under the firmament, may not strive beyond the firmament towards the higher heavens to worship the God of all. The work of the enemy is such that he always seeks to keep humiliated souls on Earth, where he knows that he, who has been cast down from heaven, will always face the just judgment of God. He simulates religion, although it is the greatest sacrilege. For he inflates the movement of the stars, which he calls angels, not by divine authority, but by human superstition, which is useless and only leads to harm. They refuse to hold onto the faith of Christ, who is the creator and Lord of all. From him, indeed, all have their origin; for this reason, they are also called his body, if indeed they acknowledge him. For those turned to him are rebuilt, united by the faith he supplies through the Gospel, as if members of Christ's body in charity, so that they may contribute growth to God. For when they return to him whom they had abandoned through error, diminishing the abundance of his riches while denying that they are his, they contribute growth to God. Because good things are acquired from lost things. This is about the pagans: He again says about the Jews that they also serve under the elements, not the elements themselves.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20.) Therefore, if you have died with Christ from the elements of this world, why do you still, as if living in this world, subject yourselves to regulations? Everyone who is baptized in Christ dies to the world; for he renounces all superstitions and worships solely the faith of Christ. For having removed what is added to natural righteousness, the discipline given by God remains, through which one lives for God through the hope that is in Christ; but he dies to those to whom he was subjected by error, denying them to be gods. And so it happens that through the enmity of renunciation, those who are dead to each other are called man and cultivators of the elements. For by saying 'the world', he signifies the error of the flesh; for everything that is visible is attributed to the flesh. Hence it is where even the Apostle John says: 'Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world' (1 John 2:15); that is, neither the elements by which the world is composed, nor the errors that human tradition has invented, let us love: but only Christ, who died for us; that he might unite us with his body from the perished ones. Therefore, those who are buried with Christ are dead to the elements, so that they may not care about them; for they have learned to hold onto heavenly things, which can give eternal life. For these things do not give present things and hinder them from being apprehended in the future. But whoever doubts about some things after baptism, thinking that certain things from the past should be revered, shows himself to be living according to the elements, which he determines should be worshipped, or he hesitates to despise them; he will remain within the cycles of the world, separated from God; because, being clothed with the old man, he will not be able to pass through carnal things.
(Vers. 21, 22.)
(Vers. 21, 22.) Do not touch, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch those things which are all for destruction and corruption by misuse according to the commandments and teachings of men. It prohibits all kinds of hope in worldly things; because it is empty, not to worship, not to consent, not to think that what they promise is corrupted. For their use and cultivation generate destruction; because the commandments and teachings are not of God, but of men, in which there is vain hope: indeed, when human error goes against the Creator; prohibiting faith in the one God, it promotes the superstition of many gods.
(Vers. 23.)
(Verse 23) Those who have the appearance of wisdom with their simulation of religion, and with humility of mind, and severity towards the body, not in any honorable way for the satisfaction and indulgence of the flesh. They think they have the wisdom of reason because they apply the name of religion to human tradition, so that it may be called religion, even though it is sacrilegious; because what is against the author was invented with a sacrilegious mind. Therefore, they invent a name so that they could assert what is false as true; and they humble human minds on earth, so that they do not elevate themselves to heavenly things: or they worship earthly things and fall away from heavenly things, and they hinder the body, of which Christ is the head according to the formation of the first reason. For they could not be joined again to their head, weighed down as they were, so as to be restored to their honored state; but as if cut off from the first part of the body, they give themselves entirely to the world to satisfy the desires of the flesh. For the provision of carnal pleasure is a human tradition, which claims that it is enough to satisfy what providence has bestowed upon the flesh; for it seems to have the reason of wisdom according to the flesh, since all bodily birth is from the elements. And thus, they say it is not inappropriate to incline towards those under whose rule the human race is governed, in order to subject themselves to those things which are most evident in the world. And they believe that spiritual things should not be sought, since it is only permitted to use these leaders, and for this reason they disregard the Creator.