The Abolition of the Handwriten Debt
They have become men, because they are being trampled and played with in the name of the Lord. Others took 'having stripped off' instead of 'having stripped off'.
How did the handwriting that was against us erase itself? When the law was given, which condemns those transgressing, all the people of Israel cried out, accepting and agreeing; so then the agreement became a handwriting. Therefore, the handwriting was erased by the dogmas. By which ones? Those that free from the citizenship according to the law, but provide the citizenship in grace. Since he lived as a citizen on our behalf, loosening the disobedience and canceling sin, he was also led forward and bore our sins. By destroying these, he erased the diabolical power; instead of saying he stripped off the rulers and the authorities, he demonstrated it having stripped off, and through this stripping, he triumphed and exemplified the opposing powers. In himself, therefore, he stripped those off, and he triumphed through those things which he suffered and overcame.
Therefore let no one judge you (Col 2:16-18a). It teaches that the law is abolished, having erased the handwriting against us of Christ. And it teaches that also the evil one has fallen, of the Lord having stripped off and having exemplified the rulers and the authorities. It commands therefore not to obey any longer these things which have been abolished through the energy of Christ; so that neither, he says, let the Jews persuade you to keep the things that are under the law. For those were a shadow of the body of Christ, which is the church (Col 2:17). The shadow indeed runs ahead of the body, but it does not have standing by itself. Therefore he says: do not obey the law. But also, let no one lead you Greeks into worshiping angels or the elements of this world; for they enter into things which they have not seen with their own mind and with their own reason, being overthrown. Therefore, 'let no one judge you' is said concerning the Jews, and 'let no one condemn you' concerning the Greeks. He says: let no one encroach upon you, for he is already conquering and contending against the evil one. That which is a shadow of the things to come, but the body is Christ (Col 2:18).
Greek
ἀνθρώπων γεγόνασιν, ὅτι πατοῦνται, ὅτι ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐμπαίζονται ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου. ἄλλοι δὲ τὸ ἀπεκδυσάμενος ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐκδύσας ἐξέλαβον. 323,col2 Τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν δὲ χειρόγραφον πῶς ἐξήλειψεν; ὅτε ἐδόθη ὁ νόμος ὁ καταρώμενος τοὺς παραβαίνοντας, πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἐπεβόησεν δεχόμενος καὶ συντιθέμενος· ὥσπερ οὖν χειρόγραφον ἡ συγκατάθεσις γέγονεν. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ χειρόγραφον ἐξήλειψε τοῖς δόγμασιν. ποίοις; τοῖς ἀπαλλάττουσι μὲν τῆς κατὰ νόμον πολιτείας, παρέχουσι δὲ τὴν ἐν χάριτι πολιτείαν. Ἐπειδὴ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐπολιτεύσατο, τὴν παρακοὴν λύων καὶ τὴν 324,col2 ἁμαρτίαν ἀναιρῶν, προσηνέχθη καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἐβάστασεν. ταύτας δὲ ἀπολλὺς καθεῖλε τὴν δύναμιν τὴν διαβολικήν, ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰπεῖν ἐκδύσας τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας ἐδειγμάτισεν ἀπεκδυσάμενος, καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς ἐκδύσεως θριαμβεύσας καὶ παραδειγματίσας τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις. ἐν ἑαυτῷ οὖν ἐκείνας ἀπεξεδύσατο, καὶ ἐκείνας ἐθριάμβευσεν δι' ὧν ἔπαθεν καὶ κατώρθωσεν. Kol 2,16–18α Μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω. διδάσκει ὅτι ὁ νόμος κατήργηται, ἐξαλείψαντος τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν χειρόγραφον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. διδάσκει δὲ ὅτι καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς καταπέπτωκεν ἀπεκδυσαμένου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ παραδειγματίσαντος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας. παραγγέλλει λοιπὸν μηκέτι τούτοις ὑπακούειν τοῖς καταργηθεῖσι διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνεργείας· ὥστε μήτε Ἰουδαίοις, φησίν, ἀναπείθουσιν ὑμᾶς φυλάττειν τὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὑπάγεσθε. σκιὰ γὰρ ἦν ἐκεῖνα τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία. ἡ δὲ σκιὰ προτρέχει μὲν τοῦ σώματος, ὑπό325 στασιν δὲ δι' ἑαυτῆς οὐκ ἔχει. διό φησιν· νόμῳ μὴ ὑπακούετε. ἀλλὰ μὴν μηδὲ Ἕλλησι μετάγουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖν ἀγγέλοις ἢ τοῖς στοιχείοις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· ἐμβατεύουσι γὰρ ἃ μὴ ἑωράκασιν ἀπ' ἰδίου νοὸς καὶ ἀπ' ἰδίου λογισμοῦ καθαιρόμενοι. τὸ οὖν μή τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω περὶ Ἰουδαίων εἴρηται, τὸ δὲ μή τις ὑμᾶς καταβραβευέτω περὶ Ἑλλήνων. φησὶ δέ· μηδεὶς ὑμῖν ἐπιβουλευέτω νικῶσιν ἤδη καὶ καταγωνιζομένοις τὸν πονηρόν. 324,col2 Ἅ ἐστι σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων, τὸ δὲ σῶμα Χριστοῦ. 325,col2 ὅτε
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.