The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 90

This combinntion of" love and lmowlcdgo" evirlcnce. Meyer ohjccts to the rendering appears in nll St. Paul's letlers of this period we hnvo followed (that of Ellicott, Lightfoot, ( oomp. Eph. iv. 12-16; Phil. i. 0; and con- Hevisers), that the apostle, if this be bis trast 1 Cor. viii. 1-3 ; xiii. I, 2, 8-13). meaning, hris expressed himself ambigu- "The riches of the full assurnnce," etc., and ously; but comp. eh. i. 27 (see note); also "the knowledge of the myetel'y" nro the I 'l'im. iii. I G, "The mystery, u:ho was oounterpurt of "the riches of the glory of manifested in flea!,." the myetcl'y," of eh. i. 27: tho fulness of Ver. 3.- In whom (or, which) are all the conviction o.nd complctonose of know ledge treas-.ires of wisdom a.nd kuowledga hid- o.tto.ino.ble by the Ghristinn correspond to den(fy) (Eph. i. 8, !l ; iii. 8; Uom. xi. 33; tho full o.nd mtiel'ying charncter of the 1 Cor. i. 5, (j, 30; ii. 7; 2 Cor. iv. 3). Bengel, revelation he recei vce in Christ ( comp. Meyer, Alford, und others ma.ke the relative Eph. i. 17-19). (On "understanding," see pronoun neuter, referring to" mystery;" but note, eh. i. 9.) " Full assurance," or " con- "Christ," the nearer anteccclent, is preferable viction" (,r/l.71po4'0;,fa.), is o. word belonging (vers. 9, 10; eh. i. IG, 17, 19). In hini the to St. Luke and St. Pnul (with the Epistle apostle finds what false teachers sought to the Hebrews) in the New Testament elsewhere, ::i. satisfaction for the intellect as (not found in classical Greek), o.nd de- well as for the heal't-trell8ures of u:isdom notes radically "a bringing to full measure and knowledoe to enrich the nndcrstancling, or me.turity." Combined with "under- o.nd unsearchable mysteries to exercise the ste.nding," it denotes the ripe, intelligent specnlative reason. "Hidden" is, therefore, persue.sion of one who enters into the whole e. secondaxy predicate: "in whom arc these wee.Ith of the" truth e.e it is in Jesus" (comp. treusul'Cs,-as hidden treasures" (Ellicott, eh. iv. 12, R.V.; o.lso Rom. iv. 21 o.nd xiv. 5, Lightfoot). (For a similar emphasis of for corresponding verb). In this inwo.rd position, compare "mado complete," rnr. 10, " aBSura.nce," as in a fortress, the Colossians and" seated," eh. iii. I.) l\Ieycr and Alford, were to entrench themselves against the with the V ulgate, make "hitlJcn" a.n attri- o.ttacks of e1Tor (eh. i. 9; iii. 15, o.nd notes). butive: "in whom al'e hidden treasures." Eis {1ri-yvc.,aw is either in expla.no.tory o.pposi- Chrysostom and leading versions make it tion to the previous clause, or rather denotes primary predicate:" in whom are hidden," the further pu,·pose for which this wee.Ith etc., against the order of the words. This of conviction is to be sought: "knowledge word o.lso belangs to the dialect of the of the Divine mystery, knowledge of Christ " mystic theosophists (see note, eh. i. 27: -this is the supreme end, ever leading on comp. 1 Cor. ii. G-IG; Isa. xlv. 3; Prov. ii. o.nd upward, for the pursuit of which all 1-ll). (Ou "wisJom,'' see note, eh. i. 9.) strengthening of heart 11nd undel'slo.nding Knowledge (-yv&uir, not irri-y,·wu,s, ,er. 2; a.re given (eh. iii. 10; Eph. iii. 16-19; eh. i. 9; iii. 10; for this ph.rase is moro Phil. iii. 10). The Revisers have corrected comprehensive) is the more objective and tho el'roneoue "o.cknow ledgment" by their purely intellectual side of wisdom ( comp. parophro.stio rendering, " that they may Hom. xi. 33). !mow." (On bri-yv01u,s (comp. 1-vwu,s, ver. 3), Ver. 4.-In this verse the apostle first see note, eh. i. 6.) The ubject of this know- definitely indicates the ea.use of his o.ruiety, leclge is the great manifested mystery of God, o.nd the Epistle begins to assume a po- nnmely Chri•t (eh. i. 27). We confidently lemio tone. This ve.n;e is, therefore, ilie accept here the Revised rending, tbnt of prelude of the impending attack on the neal'ly all recent textuo.l critics, which omits false teachers ( vers. 8-23). Thia I ea.y, the words found in the Reeeh·ed 'fext tho.t no one may be deluding you in per- between " God" o.nd " Christ." There a.re snesiva speech (vers. 8, IS, 23; Eph. iv. extant eleven distinct vo.rio.tions of this H; I Cor. ii. I, 4, 13; 1 Tim. vi. 20; Ps. Iv. reading, and tho.t of the Textus Receptus 21). 'fhis wns the danger 'l>hich made a is, to all oppearanoe, the lo.test and worst; more adequate comprehension of Christianity "the passage is altogether on instrucli ve so necessary to the Colossia.ns (vers. 2, 3). lesson on textual criticism" (Lightfoot, pp. n.Oavo/1.o-y(a., one of tho numerous hapa:i: lego- 252, 253; also Westcott and Hort, 'Intro- mena of this Epistle (words only used here duction: Notes on Selected Rco.dings,' pp. in the New Testament), compounds into one 125, 126). 'fhe wol'ds thus rend hcwe been word the rruOo, /1.o-yo, (" persuasive words") interpreted "mystery of the God Christ" of I Cor. ii. 4 (compare" word of wisdom," (the Latin llilo.ry, on,l o. few modems); "of ver. 23). In clussicnl writers it denotes the God of Chl'ist" (Meyer, quoting Eph. i. plausible, ad captamlllm reasoniug. na.p«- 17; John xx. 17; Mo.It. xxvii. 46);-both /1.o-yl(oµa, ( only here and J as. i. 22 in the New inlerpreto.tions grommo.tieally correct, but Testament) is " to use bad logio," "to play unsuitable here, even if in hnrmony with off fallacies (paralogisms)." 'l'ho new Pou lino usoge elecwhere. Alfurtl .. mits "of tc[lchcrs wcrn ilucnt, specious reasoners, o.nd Christ" C1itogclher, distru~ting tho textual had a storn of soph;sticul urgnwents ut M THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. [oH, D, 1-23,