Colossians 2 is the second chapter of the

Epistle to the Colossians The Epistle to the Colossians is the twelfth book of the New Testament. It was written, according to the text, by Paul the Apostle and Timothy, and addressed to the church in Colossae, a small Phrygian city near Laodicea and approximately ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

of the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts o ...

. Traditionally, it is believed to have been written for the churches in

Colossae Colossae (; grc-gre, Κολοσσαί) was an ancient city of Phrygia in Asia Minor, and one of the most celebrated cities of southern Anatolia (modern Turkey). The Epistle to the Colossians, an early Christian text which identifies its auth ...

and Laodicea (see ) by

Apostle Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, with Timothy as his co-author, while he was in prison in

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built i ...

(years 53–54), although there are debatable claims that it is the work of a secondary imitator, or that it was written in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

(in the early 60s). This chapter continues the exposition about the 'Servant of the Mystery' and the warning against errors.

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

. This chapter is divided into 23 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: *

Papyrus 46 Papyrus 46 (''P. Chester Beatty II''), designated by siglum (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), is an early Greek New Testament manuscript written on papyrus, and is one of the manuscripts comprising the Chester Beatty Papyri. Manuscripts among ...

(c. AD 200) *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(325-350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus ( Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts ...

(330-360) *

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

(400-440) *

Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) designated by the siglum C or 04 {in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 3 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a m ...

(c. 450; complete) *

Codex Freerianus Codex Freerianus, designated by I or 016 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1041 ( von Soden), also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Pauline Epistles'', is a 5th-century manuscript in an uncial hand on vellum in Greek. It is named afte ...

(c. 450; extant verses 7–9, 16–19) *

Codex Claromontanus Codex Claromontanus, symbolized by Dp, D2 or 06 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1026 ( von Soden), is a Greek-Latin diglot uncial manuscript of the New Testament, written in an uncial hand on vellum. The Greek and Latin texts are on facing p ...

(c. 550; in Greek and Latin ) *

Codex Coislinianus Codex Coislinianus designated by Hp or 015 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1022 ( Soden), was named also as ''Codex Euthalianus''. It is a Greek uncial manuscript of the Pauline epistles, dated palaeographically to the 6th century. The t ...

(c. 550; extant verses 1–8, 20–23)

Servant of the Mystery (2:1-5)

This section continues from chapter 1:24, dealing with Paul's sufferings which "reveal the present reality of grace" as a member of the body of Christ.

Verses 1–3

:''For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.'' For "conflict", or the Greek word αγωνα (''agōna''), the

Revised Geneva Translation The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English, preceding the King James Version by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of 16th-century English Protestantism and was used by William Shake ...

speaks of a "great struggle", and

Johann Bengel Johann Albrecht Bengel (24 June 1687 – 2 November 1752), also known as ''Bengelius'', was a Lutheran pietist clergyman and Greek-language scholar known for his edition of the Greek New Testament and his commentaries on it. Life and career Be ...

speaks of "anxiety, eager desire ndprayers".

Warning against errors (2:6-23)

Paul warns the Colossians not to accept human

speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.) Many ...

, regress to the religious perspectives common to fallen humanity, or return to the "domain of darkness" (cf. ), whereas their original commitment is to Jesus the Lord and the truth of Christ.

Verses 6–7

: ''As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.'' *"Christ Jesus the Lord": this expression is only found here and in

Ephesians 3 Ephesians 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Traditionally, it is believed to have been written by Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62), but more recently it ...

:11 in the whole Bible.Exell, Joseph S.; Spence-Jones, Henry Donald Maurice (Editors)
On "Joshua 20".
In: ''The

Pulpit Commentary The ''Pulpit Commentary'' is a homiletic commentary on the Bible created during the nineteenth century under the direction of Rev. Joseph S. Exell and Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones. It consists of 23 volumes with 22,000 pages and 95,000 entri ...

''. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. Accessed 24 April 2019.

Verse 8

: ''Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.'' *"Cheat you": ''lit.'' "plunder you" or "take you captive".

Verse 9

: ''For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;'' "Bodily": or "in bodily form".

Verse 11

: ''In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,'' * "In Him you were also circumcised" (KJV: "In whom also ye are circumcised"): This is applied to the non-Jew Christians to counter the objection by the Jews that they were not circumcised, because of the high significance of circumcision in Judaism.Misn. Nedarim, c. 3. sect. 11. Quote: "Great is circumcision, for notwithstanding all the commands which Abraham our father did, he was not called perfect until he was circumcised; as it is written, (); 'walk before me, and be thou perfect.'" Paul counters this objection by stating that they were circumcised in Christ, who is their sanctification. * "With the circumcision made without hands": which is that of the heart, in the spirit. The Ethiopian version reads "by the hand of man", for though men are sometimes exhorted to circumcise themselves, as in ; , in order to convince them of the corruption of their nature, and the need they stand in of spiritual circumcision; the Lord has graciously promised his people to do it himself for them, (); as the human nature of Christ is said to be a tabernacle not made with hands, that, is of men, but of God, being what God has pitched, and not man; and it stands opposed to circumcision in the flesh, which was made with hands, (); and by some instrument, as a sharp knife or stone. * "In putting off the body of the sins of the flesh": the Vulgate Latin, the Alexandrian versions and some others leave out the word "sins"; and the Syriac version omits the word "body". "The flesh" points to the corrupt nature (born of the flesh), which propagates in a carnal way, to be the source of all sin. "The sins" consist of various parts and members, as a body does; being united together, and receiving frequent additions, committed and yielded to by the members of the natural body. * "By the circumcision of Christ": not the one at eight days old, that was performed to fulfill all the righteousness, but the one by his Spirit.''John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible'': Colossians 2:11
/ref>

References

Bibliography

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{Epistle to the Colossians 02