Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
There is ongoing debate over the exact nature of the locally prevalent "philosophy" which Paul viewed as a threat to proper Christian teaching there in Colossae.
"Some suggest a pagan cult of one sort or another; others, some form of sectarian Judaism; others, an early form of Gnosticism; others, a blend of some or all of these." (Wright, 25)
Whatever this philosophy entailed, Paul recognized the threat: it could take the Colossians "captive" - sulagogeo, carried off like booty following a victory in battle.
Carl Jung famously said "People don't have ideas. Ideas have people." And he was right.
Try shaking a long-ingrained notion and you will find out who is really in charge.
The philosophy in question was built on "human tradition". This is a problem since humans have a hard time distinguishing between "true" and merely "familiar".
The second foundation was the "elemental spirits of the world". There is debate on the best way to understand this phrase, but Michael Bird takes it to "denote hostile angelic entities equivalent to the 'rulers' and authorities' mentioned elsewhere in Colossians". (76)
If so, then Paul is fighting an alignment between long-standing and widely accepted, yet mistaken, human ideas and the influence of demonic powers.
That's a potent combination!
As an expert teacher, Paul does not carelessly dismiss the philosophy in the midst of the Colossian congregation. Instead, he recognizes its draw and reminds them to be on guard before redirecting their gaze to the person of Jesus Christ.
To be effective ultimately, a teacher of the faith needs to know the competing philosophies well enough to depict them in contrast to the beauty of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment