Colossians 2:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This should not be called flattery. So too, when Jacob deceived his father, it was not flattery, but God's ordering.

"Through philosophy," he says, "and empty deception, according to human tradition, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ."

Now he begins his rebuke of the observance of days, calling the sun and moon elements of the world. In the same way he said in the Epistle to the Galatians, "Why do you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements?" (Gal 4:9).

He did not say, "in the observance of days," but of the whole present "world," to show its worthlessness. Indeed, if the world is nothing, then its elements are still more worthless.

After first showing what great benefits they had received, and what great blessings they had enjoyed, he then begins the accusation. He does this to give it greater force and to touch his hearers.

The prophets always act in this way. They first show God's benefits, and thereby increase the force of the accusation. Isaiah says, "I have nourished and brought up sons, but they have rebelled against Me" (Isa 1:2).

Again: "My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you?" (Mic 6:3). David says, "From the midst of thunder I heard you."

And again, "Open your mouth, and I will fill it" (Ps 80:8, 11). You will find this everywhere. Therefore, whatever they, the deceivers, may say, one must not believe them.

Now, even without recalling the benefits, one must avoid elemental speculations. "And not according to Christ," he says.

Even if it were so that you could serve both this and that in equal measure, this should not be done. But now what is "according to Christ" does not allow it.

It holds you back from those superstitions. Having first shaken the Hellenic superstitions, he then destroys the Jewish ones. Among Hellenes and Jews there were many superstitions.

Among the former they came from philosophy, and among the latter from the law. Paul first addresses those who are subject to the greater condemnation.

The Christian faith is not a human teaching, and therefore it will not receive such a name. "According to the elements of the world." At last he begins to rebuke the observance of days.

By elements of the world he means the sun and moon, from which days seemed to receive one quality or another. He did not say, "the observance of days," but "of the whole present world."

He did this to show its worthlessness. For if the whole world is nothing, then much more are its elements nothing. "And not according to Christ."

Even if it were possible, he says, to serve partly Christ and partly the elements, even then one should not obey the latter. But now they altogether remove you from Christ.

The observances of days were not only Hellenic, but also Jewish. The former came from philosophy, and the latter from the law.

By the elements of the world are meant the first and, so to speak, childish concepts of religion. Among Jews and pagans these were concepts concerning temple, sacrifices, feasts, and other things belonging to worship.

Only Christianity revealed to man that God may be served in every place (Jn 4:21). It also revealed that He is pleased not by sacrifices or by observing one rite or another, but by spirit and truth.

All that is external serves only as a means, an aid, and an alphabet, στοιχεία, for the Christian's gradual knowledge and perfection in faith and love. Here "world" means the human race.

Bishop Theophan explains the apostolic words in this way, adding among other things the following: "It is possible that here, that is, in the Apostle's words, there is an allusion to the Jewish material service of God.

Yet one cannot affirm that this is exactly so. He does not speak of elements simply, as in Gal 4:9, but of the elements of the world, which gives an all-embracing notion.

In general it is safer not to affirm decisively that this philosophy contained this or that. One should only suppose that it was a mixture of Hellenic speculations, divinations of eastern peoples, and Jewish superstitions.

How all this was brought into one system should be left undecided."

There is nothing exalted, spiritual, and still less divine and saving in them. Such things are found in the views that can be built on the foundations of the teaching concerning Christ.

From the Apostle's further words (2:11, 16; 20-21), one can clearly see that he warns the Colossians against the speculations of Judaizing heretics.

To old traditions about feasts and fasts, they added new, supposedly philosophical notions about a ladder of beings. To ascend it, they taught, one needed mortification of the flesh, not faith in Christ the Savior.

According to St. John Chrysostom, the Apostle "here shakes the Hellenic superstitions and destroys the Jewish ones."

"Philosophy undertook to present, and did present, views explaining all that exists: what God is, what the world is, what man is, and so forth.

It is not blameworthy, but praiseworthy, to seek the resolution of such questions. Yet the solutions one accepts may be very blameworthy.

Blameworthy was that philosophy with which its inventors crept up to the Colossians. This philosophy was to them what nets are to birds for a hunter.

It entangles, draws away from faith, and destroys." "This philosophy was a mixture of Hellenic speculations, divinations of eastern peoples, and Jewish superstitions" (Bishop Theophan).

"Philosophy is the fruit of human inventions and, in comparison with Christianity, is something elementary and imperfect. True philosophy is possible only in Christianity. Its source is Christ Himself.

True philosophy must be in full agreement with the revealed truths of Jesus Christ. Eternal truth is the subject of this philosophy" (N. Mukhin).

Since the content of this speculation had not yet been fully discerned, the Apostle speaks of it in general outlines. He especially strives to suggest this: whatever it promises, you already have all of it in Christ Jesus in the most perfect and true form.

Consequently, you have no reason to listen to them or to allow them to speak at length among you.

"Brethren" is placed intentionally and could have had special force. It lets the voice of love be heard in the warning and reminds them of the common bond of brotherhood.

This brotherhood was formed by unity in definite views, beliefs, and convictions. To turn away from them means to destroy the brotherhood, so dear and sweet.

"Beware," blepete, means "look," as a good householder looks through the house to see whether a thief, a wolf, or a bird of prey is creeping in.

"See that no one carries you away as spoil." "Carries away as spoil," sylagogon, has a root meaning to go out for plunder, to go hunting. A robber takes spoil by force.

A thief obtains it by cunning, and a hunter by skill. There could be no violence from the speculators, but they could not get by without cunning and deceit.

Since such circlings and approaches are usually hidden, the Apostle says, "Look." To arouse vigilant caution, he represents certain ill-wishers approaching them.

By cunning and snares they seek to profit from them and obtain spoil for themselves from them. They do not seek their property, but intend to have them themselves as their spoil.

This one word was powerful enough to sharpen the Colossians' sight. But the Apostle also used such a turn of speech that it immediately compelled them to look around.

Me tis estai sylagogon means: look whether there will be someone, whether someone may appear there as one hunting you.

"Do you see how he showed the thief, a stranger who enters quietly? As someone digging under an embankment from below does not let himself be noticed, while the embankment keeps falling and falling, opening an entrance for him into the house from beneath the wall, so this thief also acts, he says. Therefore look" (Chrysostom).

But this thief is not creeping up to your possessions. He "intends to rob your mind" (blessed Theophylact). Therefore he adds, "through philosophy." The Apostle "also shows the path by which the thief attempts to approach. It is philosophy" (Theophylact).

Philosophy was held in great honor. It undertook to present, and did present, views that explained all that exists: what God is, what the world is, what man is, and so on.

To seek out the solution of such questions is not blameworthy, but praiseworthy (see Chrysostom). Yet the solutions one accepts may be very blameworthy.

The blameworthy thing was the particular philosophy with which its inventors were creeping up to the Colossians. Therefore the Apostle places the definite article before this word, to show that he means the philosophy they were having to hear.

He speaks as though saying: this philosophy is for you what nets are for birds. They will entangle you with insinuating words, draw you away from the faith to themselves, and destroy you.

That their philosophy was exactly of this sort he makes clear by calling it "empty deceit." Deceit, apate, means deception and delusion.

Certainly that philosophy as a whole had an attractive appearance, but in its essence it was empty, kene. Its content was made up of dreams of the imagination, as later among the Gnostics, and corresponded to no reality.

It resembled a soap bubble, which attracts children by its transparent beauty, but is empty and fragile. "Since philosophizing at first seems praiseworthy, the Apostle added, 'empty deceit'" (Chrysostom).

He thereby gives us to understand that the philosophy of which he speaks "teaches certain innovations that accord with nothing" (Oecumenius). Their absurdity and untenability are self-evident.

The bad quality of this philosophy alone was already enough to turn one away from it. Yet for greater success, the Apostle also points to its sources, which likewise cannot produce great trust.

It is "according to human tradition, according to the elements of the world." By the words "according to human tradition," the Apostle perhaps wished to indicate generally the human origin of that philosophy.

He contrasts it with the knowledge communicated from above through revelation, which the Colossians already possessed. The suggestion was this: that is human speculation. Do not listen to it when you possess wisdom that has come down from above.

Or perhaps that philosophy, either entirely or in some of its parts, truly rested upon tradition coming from time immemorial. What comes from deep antiquity appears as something sacred, calling forth respect, attention, and faith.

The deceivers approaching the Colossians also wove something of this sort into their speculation. They wished to give it importance and to attract people to it by that importance.

Among the Hebrews there were Kabbalists, who derived their subtleties from the ancients through oral tradition passed to the worthy. Among eastern sages too, tradition was respected.

What is meant by "the elements of the world"? If this were said in our time, one could answer: it is matter, the aggregate of simple elements from which the world formed itself.

But, as is evident, that philosophy acknowledged the existence of the world of spirits, sought communion with it, and taught service to spirits. Therefore such absurd speculation cannot be attributed to it.

In those times astrology was powerful, subjecting men's destinies to the influence of the stars. It cannot be denied that propositions of this sort could have been contained in that philosophy.

At that time certain material methods were also in use for entering into communion with the powers of the spiritual world, like those used by our spiritualists, and others still cruder.

It is possible to allow this also in that philosophy. It is also possible that there is a hint here at the Jewish material service of God.

But one cannot affirm that this is precisely the case, for he does not speak of certain elements, as, for example, in Gal 4:9-10, but of the elements of the world, which gives an all-embracing idea.

Chrysostom says: "The Apostle speaks of the whole present world in order to show its nothingness. For if the whole world is nothing, its elements are still more insignificant."

In general, it is safer not to affirm decisively that that philosophy contained this or that. It is better only to suppose that it was a mixture of Hellenic speculations, divinations of eastern peoples, and Jewish superstitions.

How all this was brought into one system should be left undecided. Chrysostom says that here the Apostle "shakes Hellenic superstitions and destroys Jewish ones too. Among Hellenes and Jews there were many superstitions."

It is still safer to hold to this thought: in modern terms, it was a worldview not in accord with the truth preached concerning Christ Jesus. This is what the Apostle also suggests by the words, "and not according to Christ."

It was a teaching that Christians ought not to accept. Chrysostom teaches: "Whatever they, the deceivers, may say, one must not believe them. Even now one must avoid those elemental speculations."

Ambrosiaster interprets these words of the Apostle as follows: "The Apostle speaks of earthly philosophy, by which those who wish to be considered wise in this world are usually deceived.

It is composed by the power of syllogisms and is not without petty subtleties. It investigates physical causes, mixing in certain lessons about a good life.

It speaks of measures, numbers, qualities, and quantities of the elements. Whoever has once given himself over to these speculations is rarely freed from them.

He is held by probabilities and deceptive arguments, and he acquires the habit of regarding nothing as so true as what is seen and understood in the elements and through the elements.

Since what is present to the eyes and seen by them seems pleasant and immediately gives pleasure, such speculators deceive some of those who despise spiritual things and do not expect the future.

By their fleshly mind they ascribe all power to the stars and reject God's omnipotence and providence. Yet they know that, as is read in the divine Hebrew books, Moses did many things that the human mind does not comprehend.

Likewise, in the New Testament books it is written that the Lord and the holy Apostles did many things which fleshly reason does not wish to believe.

The Apostle calls this sort of speculation deceitful and empty philosophy, according to human tradition, because it is not from God, but from the weak human mind.

It confines the power of God within the narrow limits of its own knowledge and does not allow that He can do anything greater or otherwise than fleshly reason comprehends.

Therefore he urges them to beware of such philosophy, because it is a worshiper of the world, not of God. It does not lead to Christ, but leads away from Christ."