* On the Jewish and Judaeo-Christian speculations concerning the grades of the celestial hierarchy, see Lightfoot’s note on this passage.
Cx. L] THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. 471
17. He is (autos éorw). Both words are emphatic. “Eorw zs, is used as in John viii. 58 (see note), to express Christ’s ab- solute existence. ‘‘ He emphasizes the personality, is the pre- existence” (Lightfoot). For similar emphasis on the pronoun, see Eph. ii. 14; iv. 10, 11; 1 John ii. 2; Apoe. xix. 15.
Before all things. In time. By Him (év ait@). Jn Him as ver. 16. So Rev.
Consist (cuvéctnxev). Cohere, in mutual dependence. Com- pare Acts xxvii. 28; Heb. i. 3. For other meanings of the verb, see on Rom. iii. 5. Christ not only creates, but mazn- tains in continuous stability and productiveness. ‘He, the All-powerful, All-holy Word of the Father, spreads His power over all things everywhere, enlightening things seen and un- seen, holding and binding all together in Himself. Nothing is left empty of His presence, but to all things and through all, severally and collectively, He is the giver and sustainer of life. . . . He, the Wisdom of God, holds the universe in tune together. He it is who, binding all with each, and order- ing all things by His will and pleasure, produces the perfect unity of nature and the harmonious reign of law. While He abides unmoved forever with the Father, He yet moves all things by His own appointment according to the Father’s will” (Athanasius).
18. And He. Emphatic. The same who is before all things and in whom all things consist.
The head of the body, the Church. The Church is de- scribed as a body, Rom. xii. 4 sq.; 1 Cor. xii. 12-27; x. 17, by way of illustrating the functions of the members. Here the image is used to emphasize the position and power of Christ as the head. Compare ch. ii. 19; Eph. i. 22, 23; iv. 4, 12, 15, 16; v. 23, 30.
Who is the beginning (ds éorw dpyn). Who is, equivalent to seeing He is. Beginning, with reference to the Church ; not the beginning of the Church, but of the new life which subsists in the body—the Church.
472 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. L
The first-born from the dead (zpwrotoKos €x TaV vEeKpor). Defining how Christ is the beginning of the new spiritual life: by His resurrection. Compare 1 Cor. xv. 20, 23, and Prince of life, Acts iii. 15 (note). See on Apoc. i. 5, where the phrase is slightly different, “first-born of the dead.” He comes forth from among the dead as the first-born issues from the womb. Compare Acts ii. 4, “having loosed the pains of death,” where the Greek is divas birth-throes.* There is a parallelism between jirst-born of the creation and first-born From the dead as regards the relation of headship in which Christ stands to creation and to the Church alike; but the parallelism is not complete. ‘‘ He is the first-born from the dead as having been Himself one of the dead. He is not the first-born of all creation as being himself created ” (Dwight).
In all things. The universe and the Church.
Might have the preeminence (yévntas mpwrevwr). Lit., might become being first. Ilpwretvw to be first only here in the New Testament. Tévntat become states a relation into which Christ came in the course of time: éotuy ds (the first-born of all creation) states a relation of Christ’s absolute being. He became head of the Church through His incarnation and passion, as He zs head of the universe in virtue of His absolute and eternal being. Compare Philip. ii. 6, “ being (érdpyov) in the yorm of God—was made (yevouevos) obedient unto death.” This sense is lost in the rendering might have the preéminence.
19. It pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell (ev avte etddnnoev Trav 76 TANpwowa KaToLKhoal). Evso- xéw to think rt good, to be well pleased is used in the New Test- ament, both of divine and of human good-pleasure; but, in the former case, always of God the Father. So Matt. iii. 17; Luke xii. 82; 1 Cor. i. 21. The subject of was well pleased, God, is omitted as in Jas. i. 12, and must be supplied; so that, literally, the passage would read, God was well pleased that in