The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 102

to put upon a lovd with the former. In Mntt. xv. 9; ]\,fork vii. 7; vcr. 8; I Cor. ench easo the decree is nn external enforce- i. 20; ii. 5, 13); the only pnssnge in this ment, not au inner principlo of life, Epistle which dbtindly alludes to the Ver. 21 ~ivcs examples of the deci·ees language of the Old Testament. But the which tl10 ColoRsians are blamed for regard- words nre, we may suppose, primarily e. ing-and in this respect more thnn in nny reminiscence of the langna:;e of Christ, other they seem to hnve yielded to the who llSes them in connection with his demands of tho fnlso teacher. 'Do not o.nnouncernent of the abolition of tlrn sacre,l handle, nor taste, nor touch' ( vers. 16, 23 ; distinctions of meats (comp.Mark vii. 1-23). 1 Oor. vi. 12, 13; viii. 8; x. 25-27, 30; This clause points out the method e.ftcr Rom. xiv. 14-17; 1 Tim. iv. 3-5; Titus which, nnd direction in which, the new i. 15), Those rules form part of o. pro- toachers were leading their disciples, on the hibitory regimen by which sinful tcn<lcncies line of a man-made instead of re G0,l-:;ivca to bodily pleasure wcro to be 1·epresscd religion. ''Commandments'' (n:, "injunc- (ver. 23), nnd spfritual truths symbolically tions") include the prescriptions of ver. 21 enforced (ver. 17 i seo uoto on "circum- and all others like them; "teachingg" cision," ver. 11): comp. Philo, • On Con- embrace the general principles and doctrinea cnpisco1,ce;' olso • On Victims,' § 3. 01-yvr on which these rules were baaed. So this the last of the three verb.3, o.ppcars to be expression, fr•ll'J1ving "ruclirnrnts of the the strongest, forbidding the slightest con- world" (ver. 20), leads us back by a rapi,l tact. "A,J:11 is better rende1·ed "handle" generalization from the particulars apcci!l, r\ (comp. Jolin xx. 17); by itself it will in ver. 21 to the general starting-point scarcely bear the meaning it has in 1 Cor, given in ver. 8 (see note), and prepares ns vii. 1. The next verse seems to imply that for the brief ancl energetic summary of tho a.II three verbs relate to matters of diet. whole Colossian en-or which we find in- Ambrose and other Latin Fnthers of ascetic Ver. 23.-Such as have (literally, are tendencies put these prohibitions into the (things) haring) wo:!'dindee:! of wisdom(vers. month of St. Paul himself, reversing his 4, 8; 1 Cor. ii. I, 4, 13; xii. 8). 'I'he meaning. antecedent of "S".Ich as" is "co=ancl- Ver. 22 a. is the apostle's comment on ments and teac!iing3" (Meyer, Alford, these rules, in the form 0f a continuation of ElEcntt), not ' 1 decrees·• (ver. 21). For their terms. Do not touch-things which e.re vcr. 22 supplies the immediate antecedent, e.11 intended to perish (literally, for corrup- ancl the wit.la sc11so thus gi1·cn is necessary tion) in their conat!.!Ilption (l\'Jatt. xv. 17; to support the comprnhensive an,l summary llfal'k vii. 19; 1 Cor. vi. 13; viii. 8; 1 Tim. import of vcr. 23. The Greek "are iv. 3-5), which, being destroyed as they having" brings into view the nature and are used, the1·eforo do not enter into tho qualities of tbo subject, in accordance with soul's life, and are of themselves morally il.nva,mch a.o, the q1tal-itatire relative (comp. indifforent; so the Greek Fathers, and most l)nr, eh. iii. 5; see Moulton's ,Yincr, pp. modern interpreters. 'I'his is tb.o position 20:>, 210; nlso Meyer o.nd Ellicott, on the which Chl'ist himself takes in regard to grammatical point). A ccrto.in "word of Jewish distinctions of men.ta (Mark vii. wisuo1n" was a~cribcd to the fo.lse teachers 14-23, U.V.). We note 1he same stylo in ver. 4 (note the play upon .1.J;·or in St. of sarcastic comment on the language of Pnul's Groek). They were plausible dealers the false teachers as that exhibited in vcr. in words, nnd had the jargon of philosophy 18. Augustine, Calvin, nnd some othl'rs at their tongue's end (rnr. 8: compare render," which (dec!'ees) lend to (spiritual) note on lµ./3an{ow, Yer. 18). On this the destruction in tlleir use;" but cl.1roxpiicns npostle had :first remarked in his criticism never means simply "use,'' and the ante- of their teaching, and to this he first ad verta cedent "decrees" is nwkwa!'dly supplied. in his final resume. "Wonl of wisdom" llfore plausibly, Do Welte and some modcrns is one of tho "gifts of the Svirit" in 1 Cor. interprd, "things wliich tend to (spiritual) xii. 8; but the disparaging µ.iv, indeed, destruction •in thefr o.lmse," putting tho with the emphatic position of .1.6-yov throwing words in the mouth of tho fulse teacher, 1To,Plas into the shude, in viow also of the ns though he snid, "Abstain from ove1·y- censures olrco.dy pnssccl in vers. 4, 8, puts thing the use of which may be fo.tal to the o. condemnatory sense upon tho phrase : son!." But this nscribcs to the cnorist an "having wor,l indeed of wisdom"-" ihnt orgmnent which foils short of his principles and notliing more, no inner truth, no pith (srn note on "hnrd trenimcnt of the body,'' anrl substanceofwis<lom'' (so Chrysostom[md vor. 23); nnd to which, specious llS it is, o.ncl illcumonius). "Word o.nd !leed," "wor<l. in harmony with tho aposilo's own tcnohing !Lild trnth,'' form a standing nntitheais (eh. (1 Cor, vi. 12; ix. 26, 27), he m11kcs no iii. 17; Rom. xv. 18; 1 Cor. iv. 19, 20; reply. Aooording to the commandments and 1 John iii. 18. oto.), the second member teaohings of mon (b,,. xxix. 13, LXX; of which supplies itself to the tilinu i ll!ld  96 'l'liE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS, [en. II, 1-23,