The Firstborn and the Head of the Church
Having been born firstborn of all creation. And by the inference, this shows it more, saying that all things were created in him. For if he was not before all things, how were all things created in him? So that the term 'firstborn' is not strictly applied, since it is contrary to 'only-begotten'; for by nature the only-begotten is the only one of the Father, but the firstborn is he who has other brothers, of whom he is first. It is not possible to take both terms in the strict sense.
But he said that all things were created in him, so that, turning away from hoping in angels, we might have our hopes in Christ. And Paul has this as the reason for his theology, to show him as the Creator of all creation. And what is said 'in him' is instead 'through him'. Just as he said him to be the firstborn of all creation, being before the creation (Col 1:15-17), so he is firstborn from the dead, having risen before all other dead unto incorruption (Col 1:18). For no one would say that the risen dead will all be brothers of Christ, and for this reason it is said toward the end: for the majority are sinners and ungodly. So also in the present text, time passes just as it does here. So that he might become first in all things.
In all, in what way? According to the economy; for first in obedience, first in baptism, first in citizenship, first in suffering, first from the dead, so that it is fitting for him to be first in all, having become the beginning to those who follow. And he is the head of the body, the church. Creator indeed of creation, but also Creator of our return. So that he might become first in all things himself. For if he is head of the church and firstborn from the dead, and first in citizenship, and first in sufferings, and first in obedience, and first in baptism: he himself is first in all according to the economy.
This has the sequence toward him being the head of the church. And he said 'fullness' referring to the church, which is rightly and already said of him because the church is being filled with the Holy Spirit. He says, however, that Christ was pleased that all the fullness should dwell in him, and thus through himself to reconcile and to unify all things to himself. In the epistle to the Ephesians, he was showing that the church is called the fullness of God (Eph 1:23). Therefore God was pleased with the fullness of himself, that is, the church being filled...
the rectifications for the world
Greek
πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως γεγεννημένος. καὶ τῇ ἐπαγωγῇ πλέον τοῦτο δείκνυσιν, λέγων ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα. εἰ δὲ μὴ ἦν πρὸ πάντων, πῶς ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἐκτίζετο; ὥστε τὸ πρωτότοκος οὐ κυρίως εἴληπται, ἐπεὶ ἐναντίον ἐστὶ τῷ μονογενεῖ· φύσει γὰρ μὲν μονογενής ἐστιν ὁ μόνος πατρί, πρωτότοκος δὲ ὁ ἔχων ἄλλους ἀδελφοὺς ὧν ἐστι πρῶτος. καὶ ἑκάτερα λαμβάνεσθαι κυρίως οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ. ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ εἶπεν ἐκτίσθαι τὰ πάντα, ἵνα ἀποστάντες τοῦ ἐλπίζειν εἰς ἀγγέλους, τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχωμεν ἐν Χριστῷ. καὶ ταύτην ἔχει τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς θεολογίας ὁ Παῦλος καὶ τοῦ δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν δεῖξαι πάσης κτίσεως. τὸ δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀντὶ τοῦ δι' αὐτοῦ λέγεται. Kol 1,18 Ὥσπερ πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως ἔλεγεν αὐτὸν πρὸ τῆς κτίσεως ὄντα, οὕτως πρωτότοκον ἐκ νεκρῶν πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων νεκρῶν εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν ἀναστάντα. οὐ γὰρ ἄν τις εἴποι ὅτι ἀναστάντες οἱ νεκροὶ ἀδελφοὶ πάντες ἔσονται τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ τέλος εἴρηται· οἱ γὰρ πλείους ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ ἀσεβεῖς. ὥστε καὶ ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ ὁ χρόνος παρέλκει ὡς καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσι πρωτεύων. ἐν πᾶσι, ποίοις; τοῖς κατ' οἰκονομίαν· πρῶτος γὰρ ἐν ὑπακοῇ, πρῶτος ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, πρῶτος ἐν πολιτείᾳ, πρῶτος 3ἐν πάθει, πρῶτος ἐκ νεκρῶν, ὥστε εἰκότως ἐν πᾶσι πρωτεύειν, τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἀρχὴ γεγονώς. 319,col2 Καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας. δημιουργὸς μὲν τῆς 320,col2 κτίσεως, δημιουργὸς δὲ καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπιστροφῆς. Ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων. εἰ γὰρ κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ἐν πολιτείᾳ πρῶτος, καὶ ἐν παθήμασι πρῶτος, καὶ ἐν ὑπακοῇ πρῶτος, καὶ ἐν βαπτίσματι πρῶτος· ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύει κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν. Kol 1,19– Τοῦτο τὴν ἀKolουθίαν ἔχει πρὸς τὸ αὐτός ἐστι κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. πλήρωμα δὲ εἶπε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καλῶς καὶ ἤδη αὐτῷ εἴρηται διὰ τὸ πεπληρῶσθαι αὐτὴν πνεύματος ἁγίου. φησὶ δὲ ὅτι ηὐδόκησεν ὁ Χριστὸς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖν καὶ οὕτω δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι καὶ ἑνωποιῆσαι τὰ πάντα εἰς ἑαυτόν. Ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους ἐδείκνυεν ὅτι πλήρωμα θεοῦ ἡ ἐκκλησία λέγεται. ηὐδόκησεν οὖν ὁ θεὸς τὸ πλήρωμα ἑαυτοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν πεπληρωμένην αὐτοῦ, ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ οἷα ἐν κεφαλῇ ἰδίᾳ οἰκῆσαι, τοῦτ' ἔστιν αὐτῷ στοιχεῖν καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐξῆφθαι, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀγγέλων–ηὐδόκησε γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι πάντα, οὐ δι' ἀγγέλων– καὶ γὰρ τὰ ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου κατορθώματα διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Kol 1,21–22 Καὶ διὰ τοιούτου αὐτοὺς διδάσκει ὅτι οὐκ ἄγγελοι αὐτοὺς καταλλάξουσι τῷ θεῷ ἀλλ' ὁ υἱός· φησὶ γάρ· ἀποκατήλλαξεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ. 321 Kol 1,23 Οὐ μέχρις ὑμῶν μόνον ἔφθασε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην· ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς οὐδαμοῦ μετακεκίνηται, ἀλλὰ μένουσι πάντες ἑδραῖοι. διὸ καὶ τὰ νῦν ἀσφαλίζεσθε. Kol 1,24 Εἴ τι, φησίν, ὑστέρημα πρὸς τὸ παθεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀναπληρῶ τὰ ὑπολειπόμενα τῶν θλίψεων διὰ τὸν Χριστόν, χαίρω πάσχων ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. διὰ τί δὲ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν; ὅτι διὰ τὸ κηρύττειν αὐτοῖς ἔπασχεν. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας, αἱ διὰ τῶν ἐπανισταμένων τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπεγειρόμεναι θλίψεις τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, Χριστοῦ θλίψεις καὶ μάλα εἰκότως ὀνομάζονται, ὁ ταῖς θλίψεσι ταύταις ἐνευδοκιμῶν καὶ ἐναθλῶν οὐκ ἔξω σκοποῦ φήσειεν ἀνταναπληροῦν τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Kol 1,26–27 Μυστήριον μέν ἐστιν ἡ οἰκονομία καὶ ἡ ἐνανθρώπησις τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δόξα δὲ τοῦ μυστηρίου ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ ἐκ νεκρῶν, πλοῦτος δὲ ὁ πολὺς ἔλεος ὁ ἐκ τῆς ἀφέσεως τοῦ βαπτίσματος, καὶ δωρεῖται τοῖς βαπτιζομένοις τὴν ἀναγέννησιν. τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου; μὴ πτωχοί, φησί, γένησθε προστασίαις ἀγγέλων ὑποτρέχοντες. Πλοῦτος ἡμῖν, φησί, Χριστὸς ἐδόθη. μὴ γενώμεθα πτωχοὶ εἰς ἀγγέλων προστασίας τραπέντες. Kol 2,3 Εἰ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ εἰσιν ἀπόκρυφοι τῆς γνώσεως θησαυροί, δῆλον ὡς οὐ δι' ἀγγέλων μετασχεῖν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Kol 2,6–7 Εἰ καὶ τὸ περιπατῆσαι τῷ ἐρριζῶσθαι ἐναντίον εἶναι δοκεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ οὐκ ἐναντίον ἐστίν· δηλοῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν πᾶσι τὸ 322 ἐρριζῶσθαι τὸ ἀσάλευτον τῆς πίστεως, τὸ δὲ ἐν Χριστῷ περιπατεῖν τὸ ἐναργῶς τῇ αὐτῇ πολιτείᾳ κατ' ἴχνος βαδίζειν Χριστοῦ. Kol 2,9–10 Τὴν ἐκκλησίαν λέγει ἅτε δὴ πεπληρωμένην τῆς θεότητος τοῦ πατρός. ὁ δὲ νοῦς ἐστι τοιοῦτος· ἡ ἐκκλησία πλήρης ἐστίν, ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ δὲ κατοικεῖ σωματικῶς, τοῦτ'
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.