Chapter 1 The Incarnation

Lecture 1 Greeting

^1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy, a brother: [n. 3]

3. This letter is divided into its greeting and its message, at grace be to you.

First, the persons sending the letter are mentioned;

then, the ones to whom it is sent, at to the saints and faithful;

and third, the good things desired for the latter, at grace be to you.

As to the first,

the principal sender is mentioned;

and second, his companion, at and Timothy.

4. The principal sender of this letter is first identified by his name, Paul, that is, one who is humble, for it is such persons who receive wisdom: you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes (Matt 11:25), and so Paul can teach this wisdom.

Second, the sender is described by his office, namely, an apostle, that is, one who is sent, to bring salvation to the faithful: set apart for me Saul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them (Acts 13:2); as the Father has sent me, even so I send you (John 20:21). He is not the apostle of just anyone, but of Jesus Christ, whose glory he seeks, and not his own: for what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake (2 Cor 4:5).

But at times some reach their office because God is angry because of a people’s sins: who makes a man who is a hypocrite to reign for the sins of the people (Job 34:30); I have given you kings in my anger (Hos 13:11). And so Paul says that he has his office by the will of God, that is, by his pleasure: I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding (Jer 3:15).

5. The other person to send this letter is Timothy, a brother, so that there may be two or three witnesses (Deut 17:6). A brother helped is like a strong city (Prov 18:19).

^1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ Jesus who are at Colossa. [n. 6]

6. The persons to whom this letter is sent are the saints and faithful brethren. The greater ones are called saints: let us serve him in holiness and righteousness (Luke 1:75); and the lesser ones are referred to as the faithful, who have at least kept the true faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6).

Or we could say, to the saints, that is, to those sanctified by baptism, and faithful brethren, that is, those who have remained in the faith they accepted: a faithful man will be much praised (Prov 28:20).

^1:3 Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. [n. 7] We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. [n. 8]

7. Then he mentions the good things he wishes them to have: that is, grace, which is the source of every good: justified by his grace as a gift (Rom 3:24); and peace, which is the last of all goods: he makes peace in your borders (Ps 147:14). As a consequence, he wishes them all the goods that lie between these two.

And he says from God: the Lord will give grace and glory (Ps 84:11). From the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, the Father of Christ by nature, and our Father by grace; and from the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, from our Father, that is, God in his Trinity, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, considering the nature God assumed.

Lecture 2 The truth of the Gospel

^1:3 Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. [n. 7] We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. [n. 8]

. Here Paul begins his message.8

First, he commends the truth of the Gospel;

second, he defends this against those who attack it, at for I would have you know (Col 2:1).

In regard to the first he does two things.

First, he commends the truth of faith in the Gospel;

and second, its author, at who is the image (Col 1:15).

The first is divided into two parts.

First, he thanks God for the benefits conferred on the Colossians in particular;

and second, for those benefits granted to the Church in general, at giving thanks(Col 1:12).

In regard to the first he does two things.

First, he thanks God;

and second, he shows why he gives thanks, at hearing your faith (Col 1:4).

Again the first is divided into two parts.

First, he gives thanks;

second, he prays, at praying always for you (Col 1:9).

9. So he says, we give thanks to God, the author of grace: give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18). And always, for the past and for the future. For although we cannot actually pray every minute, we should always pray by serving God out of love: pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17); we ought always to pray (Luke 18:1).

^1:4 Hearing your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints. [n. 10]

. Then he states his reasons for giving thanks.10

First, he recalls the blessings they have;

and second, how they were obtained, at therefore we also (Col 1:9).

About the first, first he commemorates their good,

second, how they were able to obtain these things, at which you have heard.

11. Our blessings or goods consist especially in faith, hope, and the love of charity: for by faith we have a knowledge of God; by hope we are raised up to him; but by the love of charity we are united to him; so faith, hope, love, abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Cor 13:13). So he gives thanks for these three. First, that they have the faith; although he was not the one who preached to them, but rather a disciple by the name of Epaphras, and later Archippus. Thus he says, hearing your faith, which is the beginning of the spiritual life: the righteous shall live by his faith (Hab 2:4); for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb 11:6).

But this faith is dead without an active love (Jas 2:26), and so an active love must also be present: for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation (Gal 6:15). And so he continues, and the love which you have for all the saints.

There is a love which springs from charity, and another which is worldly. This worldly love does not include everyone, because we love those with whom there is some communication or sharing, which is the cause of love; but in worldly love this cause is not present in everyone, but is only found in one’s relatives or other worldly people. But the love of charity does extend to everyone; and so he says, for all. For even though sinners are loved by the love of charity, it is in order that at some time they become holy: we know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren (1 John 3:14).

Further, the fruit of worldly love is obtained in this world; but the fruit of the love of charity is in eternal life. This leads him to mention hope, saying, for the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, that is, because of your eternal glory, which is called hope because it is considered as certain: this hope has been put in my heart (Job 19:27).

^1:5 For the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard in the word of the truth of the Gospel, [n. 12]

12. Then when he says, which you have heard, he shows how they obtained these things.

First, he commends the doctrine of the Gospel;

and second, its ministry, at as you learned.

First he commends the truth of the doctrine;

second, its growth, at which is come unto you;

third, its fruitful progress, at and brings forth fruit.

13. So he says, which you have heard, that is, of the hope or else of the things hoped for, in the word of the truth of the Gospel, for this is greater than everything else: eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor 2:9). Therefore, God revealed this: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 3:2). But his hope is true, and not a vain hope (as when the one promising is a liar), because it is in the word of the truth: your word is truth (John 17:17).

^1:6 Which is come unto you, as also it is in the whole world and brings forth fruit and grows, even as it does in you, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth. [n. 14]

14. Then when he says, which is come unto you, Christ’s doctrine is commended for its growth, because it is come not only unto you, but also in the whole world: their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Ps 19:4); this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world . . . and then the end will come (Matt 24:14).

But since the Gospel has been preached in the whole world, why has the end not come?

I answer that some say that the Gospel of Christ is not the Gospel of the kingdom. But this is false, because our Lord calls it the Gospel of the kingdom. And so, according to Chrysostom, we should say that while the apostles were still alive, the Gospel of Christ was throughout the whole world, at least by some kind of report. And it is quite miraculous that Christ’s doctrine should have grown so much in forty years. And so the Apostle says, in the whole world, that is, by report; and then the end will come (Matt 24:14), that is, the destruction of Jerusalem.

But Augustine does not agree with this interpretation, because even in his own time there were some countries in which there were yet no churches. So he says the time referred to is the time when the Gospel will be really preached. Thus the end will come after the Church has become established in all countries, even though some people are not believers. And this end is not at the time of the Apostle, but concerns the end of the world. And so when Paul says here, in the whole world, he is speaking of the future; but he is using the present tense because the outcome is so certain.

Yet we can say that the Gospel is in the whole world by report, although it is not actually established in all places.

15. Then he commends Christ’s doctrine because of its fruit in good works: and brings forth fruit: my blossoms became glorious and abundant fruit (Sir 24:17); he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty (Matt 13:23), and grows, that is, in the number of its believers: the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). This was the effect of a great power, because even as it does in you, so also among others. You heard the preaching, and you knew, by accepting it.

^1:7 As you learned from Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus; [n. 16]

^1:8 Who also has manifested to us your love in the Spirit.

. Then he commends its ministry: first, in relation to himself; then in relation to them; and finally in relation to both.16

So he says: you have been taught the Gospel, as you learned from Epaphras, our . . . fellow servant: I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets (Rev 19:10). Who is . . . a faithful minister, that is, one who does not seek his own profit: this is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy (1 Cor 4:1). Who is . . . a faithful minister, that is, a mediator between them and the Apostle, who also has manifested, i.e., indicated, to us your love in the Spirit.

Lecture 3 Prayer for the Colossians

^1:9 Therefore we also, from the day that we heard it, cease not to pray for you and to beg that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding: [n. 17]

17. Above, the Apostle gave the reason for his thanksgiving by mentioning the things for which he gave thanks; here he states his prayer, showing what he is asking for them.

First, he gives the characteristics of prayer;

second, he mentions the goods he is asking for, at that you may be filled.

18. Prayer has three characteristics. First, it is timely, thus he says, from the day that we heard itwe began to pray: since I spoke of him, I will still remember him (Jer 31:20).

Second, it is continuous: we cease not: far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you (1 Sam 12:23); without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers (Rom 1:9).

Third, prayer has several elements and is complete: to pray for you and to beg. Praying is lifting our minds up to God; and asking is requesting things. Praying should come first, so that the one devoutly requesting is heard, just as those who are requesting something begin by trying to persuade their listener and bend him to their wishes. But we should begin with devotion and meditation on God and divine things, not in order to bend him, but to lift ourselves up to him.

19. He asks for three things. First, for a knowledge of the truth, at that you may be filled; second, that they act in a virtuous way, at that you may walk worthy; and third, that they have the endurance to stand up under evil, at in all patience.

20. He requests three kinds of knowledge for them. First, a knowledge of what they are to do; and so he says, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, that is, that you may fully know the will of God: this is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thess 4:3). Thus, one who lives in a holy way knows God’s will; but one who sins does not know the will of God, because every sinner is ignorant: that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom 12:2).

Second, he wants them to have a knowledge of divine things, in all wisdom, which consists in the knowledge of divine things, as Augustine says. Think of the Lord with uprightness (Wis 1:1).

Third, of spiritual gifts, at and spiritual understanding, i.e., not of these earthly material things: now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is from God (1 Cor 2:12).

He appropriately associates wisdom and understanding, because wisdom is weak when there is no understanding, as Gregory says, and understanding is useless without wisdom: for wisdom judges and understanding apprehends, and one cannot apprehend without judging, and vice versa.

The Gloss says that the first kind of knowledge is taken in general, the second pertains to the active life, and the third to the contemplative life.

^1:10 That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God: [n. 21]

21. Further, knowledge by itself is not enough, because whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (Jas 4:17). And therefore, it is necessary to act according to virtue. He touches on this when he says, that you may walk worthy of God, for one lives unworthily if he does not live as is fitting for a son of God to live: as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships (2 Cor 6:4); as we solemnly forewarned you (1 Thess 4:6). Second, he touches on a correct intention: in all things pleasing: there was one who pleased God and was loved by him (Wis 4:10). Third, he brings in the desire to make progress: being fruitful in every good work, for one should always try for a further good: my blossoms became glorious and abundant fruit (Sir 24:17); the return you get is sanctification and its end eternal life (Rom 6:22).

And after one has borne fruit, an increase in knowledge follows, and increasing in the knowledge of God; for as a result of eagerly accomplishing the commands of God, a person is disposed for knowledge: I understand more than the aged, because I keep your precepts (Ps 119:100); wisdom will not dwell in a body enslaved to sin (Wis 1:4). He says, increasing in the knowledge of God, and not of the world: she gave him a knowledge of holy things (Wis 10:10).

^1:11 Strengthened with all might according to the power of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy, [n. 22]

22. Then he mentions their standing up under evils, for to live a virtuous life it is not enough just to know and to will; one must also act in spite of opposition: and this cannot be done without a patient endurance of evils. And so he says, may you be strengthened with all might: rich in power (Sir 44:6). Such power, or virtue, comes from God; and so he says, according to the power of his glory: be strong in the Lord (Eph 6:10). He says, the power of his glory, that is, Christ’s, who is the glory of the Father, because to fall into sin is to fall into darkness: she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty (Wis 7:25).

Then when he says, in all patience and longsuffering, he prays that they may stand up under adversity. Some people fail because of the difficulties of their adversities; and they need patience: by your patience you will gain your lives (Luke 21:19). Other people fail because their reward is a long time coming; and so he says, and longsuffering, which enables a person to wait for what was promised: it does not come soon, wait for it; because it will come and not delay (Hab 2:3); and thus, with his longsuffering, he obtained what was promised (Heb 6:15). Yet, although some people do avoid these two vices, they do it with sadness; and since this should not be so he says, with joy: count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials (Jas 1:2).

^1:12 Giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light: [n. 23]

23. Then when he says, giving thanks to God the Father, he gives thanks for the favors granted to all of the faithful: first for the gift of grace,

and then second for the fruit of grace, at who has delivered us.

24. And so he says: we pray for you, giving thanks to God, as our Creator, and the Father, namely by adoption, who has made us worthy to be partakers. Some people have said that the gifts of grace are given because of a person’s merit, and that God gives grace to those who are worthy, and does not give grace to those who are unworthy. But this view is rejected by the Apostle, because whatever worth and grace we have was given to us by God, and so also were the effects of grace. And so Paul says, who has made us worthy: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our sufficiency is from God (2 Cor 3:5). To be partakers of the lot of the saints. All men are good in their very nature; consequently, they somehow partake of God. But those who are wicked take pleasure in temporal things as their portion: this is our portion and this our lot (Wis 2:9), while those who are holy have God himself as their portion: the Lord is my portion (Lam 3:24); the Lord is my chosen portion (Ps 16:5). And so he says, who has made us worthy.

25. He says, of the lot of the saints, because there are two ways of apportioning things: sometimes it is done by choosing, as when a person selects this portion, and another one that portion; and sometimes apportionment is by lot: the lot puts an end to disputes (Prov 18:18). The saints have their portion not because they chose it: you did not choose me, but I chose you (John 15:16), but because God chose them.

A lot consists in entrusting something to God’s judgment. And there are three types of lot: consultative, divining, and apportioning. The first is not evil when dealing in temporal matters; the second is useless and evil, and the third is sometimes allowed in cases of necessity. The portion of the saints is the possession of the light: he dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16); in his hands he hides the light and commands it to come again (Job 36:32).

^1:13 Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, [n. 26]

26. And from it there follows the effect of grace, i.e., our transference from darkness to light. First, he mentions this transference; and second, the way in which men are the slaves of sin before they receive grace.

For since sin is a darkness, men are in the power of darkness, i.e., either of the evil spirits or of sins: against the world rulers of this present darkness (Eph 6:12), even the captives of the mighty shall be taken (Isa 49:25). And has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, i.e., that we might be the kingdom of God: my kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). This happens when we are freed from our sins: you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God (Rev 5:10). Or literally, we are transferred to this kingdom so that we may obtain eternal life: the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 3:2). And this is what he says: the kingdom of the Son of his love.

27. As Augustine says in a Gloss, ‘love’ is sometimes taken to mean the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son. But if ‘love’ were always to mean this person, then the Son would be the Son of the Holy Spirit. So at other times ‘love’ is understood essentially, to indicate the divine essence. Thus the phrase, of the Son of his love, can be taken to mean either of his beloved Son, or it could mean, of the Son of his essence.

But is it true to say that the Son is the Son of the essence of the Father?

I answer that if the possessive case ‘of the essence’ is taken to indicate the relationship of an efficient cause, it is false; because the essence does not generate nor is it generated. Sometimes the possessive case indicates the possession of a form, as when we say a thing is ‘of an excellent form,’ that is, it has an excellent form. And if we understand ‘of the essence’ in this way, then the statement is true, that is, the Son has the essence of the Father: the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand (John 3:35).

^1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins: [n. 28]

28. Then when he says, in whom we have redemption through his blood, he shows the way we have been transferred. For humanity in sin was held down in two ways: first, as a slave: every one who commits sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34), and second, as deserving punishment and as turned away from God: your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear (Isa 59:2).

But these two things are taken away by Christ, because, as man, he became a sacrifice for us and redeemed us in his blood; and so Paul says, in whom we have redemption: you were bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20); and from Christ, as God, we have the remission of sins, because he took away our debt of punishment.

Lecture 4 Creation through Christ

^1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: [n. 29]

. After Paul recalled for us the universal and special benefits of grace, he now commends the author of this grace, that is, Christ. And he does this,29

first, in his relation to God;

second, in relation to all of creation, at the firstborn;

and third, in relation to the Church, at and he is the head (Col 1:18).

30. As to the first, we should note that God is said to be invisible because he exceeds the capacity of vision of any created intellect, so that no created intellect, by its natural knowledge, can attain his essence: behold, God is great, and we know him not (Job 36:26); he dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16). And therefore, he is seen by the blessed by means of grace, and not by reason of their natural capacity.

Dionysius gives the reason for this: all knowledge terminates at something which exists, that is, at some nature that participates in the act of existence; but God is the very act of existence, not participating in the act of existence, but participated in; and thus he is not known. It is of this invisible God that the Son is the image.

. Let us now see in what way the Son is called the image of God, and why he is said to be invisible.31

The notion of an image includes three things. First, an image must be a likeness; second, it must be derived or drawn from the thing of which it is a likeness; and third, it must be derived with respect to something that pertains to the species or to a sign of the species. For if two things are alike, but neither is derived from the other, then neither one is the image of the other; thus one egg is not said to be the image of another. And so something is called an image because it imitates.

Further, if there is a likeness between two things, but not according to species or a sign of the species, we do not speak of an image. Thus, a man has many accidents, such as color, size and so on; but they are not the reason for calling something an image of a man. But if something has the shape or figure of a man, then it can be called an image, because this shape is a sign of the species. Now the Son is like the Father, and the Father is like the Son. But because the Son has this likeness from the Father, and not the Father from the Son, we, properly speaking, say that the Son is the image of the Father, and not conversely: for this likeness is drawn and derived from the Father.

Further, this likeness is according to species, because in divine matters the Son is somehow, although faintly, represented by our mental word. We have a mental word when we actually conceive the form of the thing of which we have knowledge; and then we signify this mental word by an external word. And this mental word we have conceived is a certain likeness, in our mind, of the thing, and it is like it in species. And so the Word of God is called the image of God.

32. As to our second question, we should note that the Arians misunderstood the text: for they thought about the image of God as they did of the images they made of their ancestors, so they could see in these images the loved ones no longer with them (just as we make images of the saints to see in these images those whom we cannot see in reality). And so they said that to be invisible was unique to the Father, and that the first visible reality was the Son, who manifested the goodness of the Father. They were saying that the Father was truly invisible, but the Son was visible, and thus their natures would be different. But the Apostle refutes this when he says: he reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power (Heb 1:3). And thus the Son is not only the image of the invisible God, but he himself is invisible like the Father: who is the image of the invisible God.

33. Then when he says, the firstborn of every creature, he commends Christ in relation to creatures.

First he does so;

and second, he amplifies it, at for in him.

34. We should note, about the first point, that the Arians understood this to mean that Christ is called the first-born because he is the first creature. But this is not the meaning, as will be clear. So we have to understand two things: how this image is generated, and in what way it is the first-born of creatures.

In regard to the first, we should note that things generate in various ways depending on their nature and manner of existence, for men generate in one way, and plants in another, and so on for other things. But the nature of God is his existence and his act of understanding and so it is necessary that his generating or intellectual conceiving is the generating or conceiving of his nature. (In us, however, our intellectual conceiving is not the conceiving of our nature, because our nature is not the same as our act of understanding). Therefore, since this image is a word and concept of an intellect, it is necessary to say that it is the offspring of the nature, so that the one receiving the nature from the other is generated by necessity.

35. Second, we have to understand in what way the Son is called the first-born. God does not know himself and creatures through two different sources; he knows all things in his own essence, as in the first efficient cause. The Son, however, is the intellectual concept or representation of God insofar as he knows himself, and as a consequence, every creature. Therefore, inasmuch as the Son is begotten, he is seen as a word representing every creature, and he is the principle of every creature. For if he were not begotten in that way, the Word of the Father would be the first-born of the Father only, and not of creatures: I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, the first-born before every creature (Sir 24:5).

^1:16 For in him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him. [n. 36]

36. Then when he says, for in him were all things created, he explains what he has just said, that is, that the Son is the first-born because he was generated as the principle of creatures; and this with respect to three things.

First, with respect to the creation of things;

in the second place, with respect to their distinction, in heaven and on earth;

and third, with respect to their preservation in existence, and by him all things consist.

37. He says that the Son is the firstborn of every creature because he is generated or begotten as the principle of every creature. And so he says, for in him were all things created.

With respect to this, we should note that the Platonists affirmed the existence of Ideas, and said that each thing came to be by participating in an Idea, like the Idea of man, or an Idea of some other kind. Instead of all these we have one, that is, the Son, the Word of God. For an artisan makes an artifact by making it participate in the form he has conceived within himself, enveloping it, so to say, with external matter; for we say that the artisan makes a house through the form of the thing which he has conceived within himself. This is the way God is said to make all things in his wisdom, because the wisdom of God is related to his created works just as the art of the builder is to the house he has made. Now this form and wisdom is the Word; and thus in him all things were created, as in an exemplar: he spoke and they were made (Gen 1), because he created all things to come into existence in his eternal Word.

38. With respect to the differences among things, we should note that some, like the Manicheans, were mistaken in thinking that earthly bodies, since they are corruptible, were made by an evil god, while the heavenly bodies, because they are incorruptible, were made by the good God, that is, by the Father of Christ. This was an error, because both types of bodies were created in the same. And so he says, in heaven and on earth.

This difference is based on the different parts of corporeal nature. In the beginning, that is, in the Son, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1).

39. The Platonists also said that God created invisible creatures, that is, the angels, by himself, but created bodily natures by the angels. But this is refuted here, because Paul says, visible and invisible. As to the first he says: by faith we understand that the world was framed by the word of God; that from invisible things visible things might be made (Heb 11:3). About the second we read: we have seen but few of his works. For the Lord has made all things, and to the godly he has granted wisdom (Sir 43:32–33).

This difference in things is based on the nature of created things.

40. The third difference is concerned with the order and degrees found in invisible realities, when he says, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. The Platonists were mistaken in this matter for they said that there are different perfections found in things, and attributed each of these to its own first principle. And they said there was an order of principles according to the orders of these perfections. Thus they affirmed a first being, from whom all things participate in existence; and another principle, distinct from this, a first intellect, from which all things participate in intelligence, and then another principle, life, from which all things participate in life.

But we do not agree with this, for all the perfections found in things are from one principle. Thus he says, whether thrones, or dominations and so on. As if to say: they do not depend on an array of principles, but on the one unique Word of God.

41. Why does Paul say in his letter to the Ephesians: he has made him the head over all the Church? (Eph 1:22). For he does not seem to be saying the same thing there as here.

I reply that here Paul is giving a descending list of such beings, because he is showing the procession of creatures from God; but in Ephesians he gives an ascending list, because he is showing that the Son of God, as man, is above all creatures. In Ephesians, the principalities are placed under the authorities (or powers), and the virtues are between the dominions and authorities; but here in our text, the principalities are placed above the authorities, and between the dominions and the authorities. This is the way the teaching of Gregory differs from that of Dionysius. For Dionysius arranges the spiritual beings as they are in Ephesians, because he puts the dominions, the virtues and authorities in the second hierarchy. But Gregory arranges them as Paul does here, because he puts the dominions, principalities and authorities in the second hierarchy; and the virtues, archangels and the angels in the third hierarchy.

We should note, as Gregory and Dionysius say, that the spiritual gifts from which these different orders receive their names are common to all of them; yet some orders receive their name from certain of these gifts, and others receive their name from different gifts. The reason for this can be seen from the teachings of the Platonists: whatever belongs to something belongs to it in one of three ways: essentially, or by participation, or causally. A thing belongs essentially to another if it belongs to it according to a certain proportion to its nature; this is the way to be rational belongs to man. A thing belongs by participation to another if it surpasses the nature of the thing which has it, although the thing participates to a certain extent in it, although imperfectly; thus man is intellectual by participation, while to be intellectual, which is superior to being rational, is in the angels essentially. One thing belongs to another causally if it accrues to it, as artifacts belong to a person; for they do not exist in him as in matter, but exist in his artistic power. Now a thing is named only from what belongs to it essentially; thus we do not define man as an intellectual or artistic being, but as rational.

In regard to the gifts present in the angels, those which belong to the higher angels essentially, belong to the lower ones by participation; and those which belong to the lower ones essentially, are present in the higher angels causally. Consequently, the higher angels receive their names from the higher gifts.

But the highest thing in a spiritual creature is that it attain to God and somehow participate in him; and therefore the higher angels receive their name because they attain God: seraphim, as being fervent or on fire with God; the cherubim, as knowing God; and the thrones, as having God seated in them.

42. For one thing can participate in another in three ways: first, it can receive what is proper to the nature of what it is participating in; second, it can receive a thing insofar as it knows it; and third, it can somehow serve the power of a thing. For example, a doctor participates in the art of medicine either because he possesses in himself the art of medicine, or because he has received a knowledge of the art, or because he serves or devotes himself to the medical art. The first way of participating is greater than the second, and the second way is greater than the third.

In Sacred Scripture, what is divine is signified by fire: the Lord your God is a devouring fire (Deut 4:24). And so the highest order of angels is called the seraphim, as though on fire with God and having a divine property. The second order is the cherubim, who attain God by knowledge. And the third are the thrones, who serve or are devoted to his power. The other orders are not given their names because they attain God, but because of some activity of God. Some angels direct or command, and these are the dominions. Others accomplish and carry out what is commanded, the principal angels who do this are the principalities: princes went before, joined with singers (Ps 68:27). Among the others who carry out commands, some act over spiritual creatures, such as the authorities (powers), who restrain the evil spirits. If some act over natural things, they are called virtues, and these perform miracles. If they act over human beings, they are called archangels if they are concerned with great matters, and angels if concerned with lesser things.

And so Paul concludes, all things were created through him, as by an efficient cause, and in him, as in an exemplary cause: all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made (John 1:3).

43. Since someone might ask: are all things eternal? the Apostle says in answer: no! He is before all, i.e., that is, before all times and other things: the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he made anything from the beginning (Prov 8:22). Or, he is before all in dignity: who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord? (Ps 89:6).

^1:17 And he is before all: and by him all things consist. [n. 44]

44. As relating to the conservation of things he says, and by him all things consist, that is, they are conserved. For God is to things as the sun is to the moon, which loses its light when the sun leaves. And so, if God took his power away from us, all things would immediately cease to exist: upholding the universe by his word of power (Heb 1:3).

Lecture 5 Reconciliation through Christ

^1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may hold the primacy: [n. 45]

. After the Apostle commended Christ in his relationship to God and to all creatures, he here commends him in his relationship to the Church:45

first, in a general way;

second, in particular, in reference to the Colossians, at and you, whereas you were some time alienated;

and third, in reference to himself, at whereof I Paul am made a minister.

In regard to the first he does two things:

first, he mentions Christ’s relationship to the entire Church;

and second, he explains this relationship, at who is the beginning.

46. He says, therefore, that Christ, the first-born among creatures, is the one in whom we have our redemption. But because he has been made the head of the Church, two things have to be explained: first, in what way the Church is a body; and second, how Christ is its head.

The Church is called a body because of its likeness to a single human being. This likeness is twofold: first, in that it has distinct members: and his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11); second, because the members of the Church serve each other in ways that are different: the members may have the same care for one another (1 Cor 12:25); bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). Again, just as a body is one because its soul is one, so the Church is one because the Spirit is one: there is one body and one Spirit (Eph 4:4); because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Cor 10:17). Next we have to consider the relationship of the members to the head of the Church, i.e., to Christ. For Christ is the head of the Church. But you, O Lord, are the lifter of my head (Ps 3:3).

47. He explains what it means to be a head, saying, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. The head has three privileges over the other members of the body. First, it is superior in dignity, because it is a source and a ruler. Second, it has the fullness of the senses, which are all in the head. Third, it is the source of an inflow of sense and movement to the members of the body. So

first, Paul shows how Christ is head because of his dignity;

second, because of the fullness of his grace, at because in him, it has well pleased;

and third, because of an inflow from him, at and through him to reconcile.

48. The Church exists in two states: the state of grace in the present time, and the state of glory in the future. But it is the same Church, and Christ is its head in both states, because he is the first in grace and the first in glory.

With respect to the first he says, who is the beginning, because he is not only first in grace insofar as he is a man, but all men are justified by faith in Christ: by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous (Rom 5:19). So he says, who is the beginning, that is, the beginning or source of justification and grace in the entire Church; because even in the Old Testament some were justified by faith in Christ: I am the beginning who am speaking to you (John 8:25); with you is the beginning (Ps 110:3).

Christ is also the beginning of the state of glory; and so he says, the firstborn from the dead. The reason for this is that the resurrection from the dead is a kind of second birth, because it restores us to eternal life: in the rebirth, when the Son of man sits on his glorious throne (Matt 19:28); but Christ is the first of all; and thus he is the firstborn from the dead, that is, the first-born of those who are born by the resurrection.

49. But what about Lazarus (John 11)? I answer that he and some others did not rise to the above mentioned immortal life, but to a mortal life; but Christ, having risen from the dead, will never die again (Rom 6:9); Jesus Christ, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth (Rev 1:5); Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20). And this is so that in all things he might hold the primacy: pre-eminent in the gifts of grace, because he is the beginning; and pre-eminent in the gifts of glory, because he is the first-born: in every nation I have had first place (Sir 24:10).

^1:19 Because in him, it has well pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell: [n. 50]

50. Then, he shows the dignity of the head with respect to the fullness of all graces. For some saints had particular graces, but Christ had all graces; and so he says, because in him, it has well pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell.

Each word has its own force. Pleased indicates that the gifts Christ had as man were not the result of fate or merits, as Photinus says, but were due to the good pleasure of the divine will taking this man into a unity of person: this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt 3:17).

He says, all, because some have one gift and others different ones; the Father had given all things into his hands (John 13:3).

He says, fullness, because one can have a gift without having the fullness of it or of its power, because perhaps one lacks something unwillingly. But John says that Christ was full of grace and truth (John 1:14); my abode is in the fullness of the saints (Sir 24:16).

He says, to dwell, because some received the use of a grace for only a time; thus the spirit of prophecy was not always possessed by the prophets, but it is continuously present in Christ, because he always has control over this fullness to use it as he wishes: he on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33).

^1:20 And through him to reconcile all things unto himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, both as to the things that are on earth and the things that are in heaven. [n. 51]

51. Then when he says, and through him, he shows that Christ is the head of the Church because of an inflow from him. And this is the third characteristic of a head.

First, he shows the inflow of grace;

and second, he explains it, at making peace.

52. He says, therefore: I say that it pleased God not only that this fullness exist in Christ, but that it also flow from Christ to us; and so he says, and through him to reconcile all things unto himself: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor 5:19).

. He mentions the nature of this reconciliation and how all things are reconciled.53

Now there are two things to be considered in a reconciliation. First, the matters in which the reconciled persons agree. For people at odds have conflicting wills, but when they have been reconciled they agree in some things; and so wills that were before in conflict are made to harmonize in Christ. For example, the wills of men, of God, and of the angels. The will of men, because Christ is a man; and the will of God, because Christ is God. There was also conflict between the Jews, who wanted the law, and the gentiles, who did not want the law. But Christ created harmony between the two, because he was from the Jews, and he freed us from the legal observances.

This harmony was accomplished through the blood of his cross. The cause of discord between God and men was sin; the discord between the Jews and the gentiles was caused by the law. Now Christ destroyed sin by his cross and fulfilled the law; and thus he took away the causes of discord: you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22). Thus we are reconciled and all things are set at peace, both as to the things that are on earth, that is, Jews and gentiles, and the things that are in heaven, that is, the angels and God. And so when Christ was born the angels sang: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men (Luke 2:14). Again, Christ said at his resurrection: peace be with you (John 20:19); for he is our peace, who has made us both one (Eph 2:14).

^1:21 And you, whereas you were some time alienated and enemies in mind in evil works: [n. 54]

54. Then when he says, and you, whereas you were some time alienated, Christ is commended because of the gifts he gave them.

First, Paul recalls their past condition;

second, Christ’s gift, at yet now;

and third, what they have to do now, at if you so continue.

55. Their past condition had three evils: in their intellect, they were ignorant; in their affections, they were enemies of justice; and in their actions, they committed many sins.

In regard to the first he says, alienated.

In regard to the second, and enemies in mind, according to the reading of one version. This shows that there was a defect in that wisdom that the Jews proclaimed about the one God: men loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19). But were the Jewish people bound to the law of Moses? Yes they were, so far as it concerned the worship of the one God. Or, we could say the Jews were alienated in mind, i.e., by choice, maliciously contradicting God: they turned aside from following him (Job 34:27).

As to the third evil of their past condition he says, in evil works: their works were evil (John 3:19).

^1:22 Yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unspotted and blameless before him: [n. 56]

56. Then when he says, yet now, he mentions the benefits coming from Christ.

The first of these is reconciliation in his body. He says, in the body of his flesh, not because his body and his flesh are not the same, but to show that Christ took a real body: and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). A body of flesh, that is, a mortal body: God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and of sin, has condemned sin in the flesh (Rom 8:3). The second benefit coming from Christ is holiness; thus he says, to present you holy: so Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood (Heb 13:12). The third benefit is their cleansing from sin; and as to this he says, and unspotted: the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purifies your conscience from dead works (Heb 9:14).

Looking to the future he says, and blameless: be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace (2 Pet 3:14). And he adds, before him: man sees things that appear, but the Lord beholds the heart (1 Sam 16:7).

^1:23 If you so continue in the faith, grounded and stable, and immoveable from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard, which is preached in all the creation that is under heaven, [n. 57] whereof I Paul am made a minister. [n. 58]

57. What God requires of us is that we be firm in faith and hope. And so Paul continues, if you so continue in the faith, grounded. For faith is a foundation; if it is firm the entire structure of the Church is firm. And stablein hope, not weakening themselves from within; and immoveable, by not allowing others to shake that hope. From the hope, I say, that is of the Gospel, namely, the hope that the Gospel gives for the good things of the kingdom of heaven: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 4:17). And there is no excuse, because the Gospel has been preached; and he uses the past tense here instead of the future tense because this future event is so certain. The Gospel has been preached, by the apostles that is, in all the creation that is under heaven, that is, to every new creature, that is, to the faithful, for whom it had been prepared.

Lecture 6 Paul’s labor for Christ

58. After Paul commended Christ in relation to God, to all creation, to the entire Church, and to the Colossians themselves, he now commends him in relation to himself, showing that he is Christ’s minister.

First, he mentions his ministry;

second, he shows his faithfulness in it, at who now rejoice;

and third, its greatness, at whereof I am made a minister.

59. He says: I say that the Gospel has been preached to all, the Gospel whereof I Paul am made a minister; to preach it, not on my own authority, but only as a minister: this is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1).

^1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up those things that are wanting in the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the Church: [n. 60]

60. He is a faithful minister. This is obvious, because he does not run away from the dangers involved in his preaching. First, he shows his attitude toward his sufferings; second, the fruit of his suffering.

His attitude was one of joy, because who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, that is, for your benefit: if we are afflicted it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer (2 Cor 1:6).

He also rejoices because of the joy of eternal life which he expects from them, and which is the fruit of his ministry: count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testimony of your faith produces steadfastness (Jas 1:2); even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all (Phil 2:17).

61. And indeed by this fruit, so that I should fill up those things that are wanting in the sufferings of Christ.

At first glance these words can be misunderstood to mean that the passion of Christ was not sufficient for our redemption, and that the sufferings of the saints were added to complete it. But this is heretical, because the blood of Christ is sufficient to redeem many worlds: he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).

Rather, we should understand that Christ and the Church are one mystical person, whose head is Christ, and whose body is all the just, for every just person is a member of this head: individually members (1 Cor 12:27). Now God in his predestination has arranged how much merit will exist throughout the entire Church, both in the head and in the members, just as he has predestined the number of the elect. And among these merits, the sufferings of the holy martyrs occupy a prominent place. For while the merits of Christ, the head, are infinite, each saint displays some merits in a limited degree.

This is why he says, fill up those things that are wanting in the sufferings of Christ, that is, what is lacking in the afflictions of the whole Church, of which Christ is the head. I fill up, that is, I add my own amount; and I do this in my flesh, that is, it is I myself who am suffering. Or, we could say that Paul was completing the sufferings that were lacking in his own flesh. For what was lacking was that, just as Christ had suffered in his own body, so he should also suffer in Paul, his member, and in similar ways in others.

And Paul does this for his body, which is the Churchthat was to be redeemed by Christ: that he might present the Church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle (Eph 5:27). In the same way all the saints suffer for the Church, which receives strength from their example. The Gloss says: afflictions are still lacking, because the treasure house of the Church’s merits is not full, and it will not be full until the end of the world.

^1:25 Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given me towards you, that I may fulfill the word of God: [n. 62]

62. Then when he says, whereof I Paul, he shows the greatness of his ministry in three ways:

first, from its origin;

in the second place, from the end to which it is directed, at that I may fulfill;

and third, from its purpose.

63. But someone could say: is his a great ministry? He answers: yes, because I became a minister because it was given to me according to the dispensation.

This can be explained in two ways. First in an active sense, and then the meaning is that I became a minister so that I could dispense divine things to you, faithfully passing them on; and this power has been given to me.

Second, it can be explained in a passive sense, and then the meaning is that Paul became a minister in so far as he was appointed by God. And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11); set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them (Acts 13:2).

64. What is the end of his ministry? Certainly, not money, or his own glory. Rather, he has received it for a great purpose, that is, that I may fulfill the word of God. First, he shows the greatness of that for which he has received this ministry; second, he shows what this is, that is, which is Christ.

He shows its greatness because it has been widely proclaimed, both in an obscure form and openly.

65. The ministry he received was to convert the gentiles; thus, that I may fulfill the word of God, that is, the eternal dispensation of God. In other words, by my preaching I am to show that the word of God has been fulfilled, that is, God’s dispensation and plan and promise concerning the Incarnation of the Word of God. Or, I am to show by my preaching the eternal dispensation of God in which he arranged that the gentiles were to be converted by Christ to a faith in the true God. And this had to be accomplished: does he say and not do? Does he speak and not do what he said? (Num 23:19); my word that goes forth from my mouth shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isa 55:11).

^1:26 The mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations, but now is manifested to his saints, [n. 66]

66. But God arranged that this be accomplished by Paul’s ministry, and so Paul says, that I may fulfill the mystery, i.e., it is called a mystery insofar as it is hidden, because this mystery which has been hidden is this word: my secret to myself (Isa 24:16). Which has been hidden from ages, that is, from the beginning of the ages, and it was hidden from all the generations of men, who were unable to know this: the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God (Eph 3:9).

For even though the early philosophers seem to have said something about Christ’s divinity, either as being his own or appropriated (as Augustine found in the works of Plato, such as that in the beginning was the Word, and things like that), yet none could know that the Word was made flesh.

But you ask if this was not known by the prophets? I reply that it was, insofar as it pertained to the Gospel; but it was not known as explicitly as the apostles knew it.

67. Then when he says, but now is manifested, he deals with the revelation of this mystery.

First, he shows to whom it was revealed;

second, why it was revealed to them, at to whom God would make known.

68. He says that this mystery now is manifested, that is, in this time of grace: behold now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2). This is the knowledge of the saints: she gave him knowledge of holy things (Wis 10:10); he showed his friend that it belongs to him, and that he can approach it (Job 36:33).

^1:27 To whom God would make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ, in you the hope of glory, [n. 69]

69. It was revealed to his saints not because of their own merits, but because of God’s good pleasure; thus Paul says, to whom God would make known the riches of the glory of this mystery: all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you (John 15:15); yea, Father, for such was your gracious will (Matt 11:26). To make known the riches of the glory of this mystery, because by the fact that such things had been hidden, God now appears superabundantly glorious. For God was formerly known in Judea (Ps 75:2), but through this mystery of the conversion of the gentiles the glory of God is made known to the entire world: I glorified you on earth (John 17:4). And this is to be done among the gentiles, that is, it is to be accomplished among them: let us rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God (Rom 5:2); O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! (Rom 11:33).

This mystery, which is Christ, i.e., which we obtain through Christ, is the hope of glory, which had formerly been promised only to the Jews: the believers from among the circumcised were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles (Acts 10:45); and let us glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God (Rom 5:2); the root of Jesse, who stands as an ensign of the people, will be called on by the gentiles (Isa 11:10).

So far Paul has indicated the origin and end of his ministry.

^1:28 Whom we preach, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: [n. 70]

70. Now he mentions its function, at whom we preach.

In regard to this he does three things.

First, he indicates its function;

second, its fruit, at that we may present;

and in the third place, the help he was given, at wherein also I labor.

71. Its function is to announce Christ; and he shows this function and the method he used: announce his ways among the gentiles (Ps 9:11); that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you (1 John 1:1).

He states his method when he says, admonishing every man; this is a complete proclamation, because it is to every person, and not just the Jewish people: teach all nations (Matt 28:19). His method is to teach the truth and to refute what is false, and so he says, admonishing every man, or unbeliever, in this life: the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:4); and it also consists in teaching every man in all wisdom, which is the knowledge of God: to know you is complete righteousness, and to know your power is the root of immortality (Wis 15:3); among the mature we do impart wisdom (1 Cor 2:6).

72. The fruit of this in this life is that men are brought to perfection; and so he says, that we may present every man, that is, of any condition, perfect, not in the law, but in Christ. You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48).

But is everyone bound to perfection? No, but it should be the goal of the preacher. Now the perfection of charity is of two kinds. One is from a necessity of precept, that is, that one not allow into his heart anything opposed to God: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt 22:37). The other perfection of charity is from a necessity of counsel, which is that one give up even those things that are lawful; and this kind of perfection goes beyond what is required. But for this Paul had God’s help.

^1:29 Wherein also I labor, striving according to his working which he works in me in power. [n. 73]

73. And so he says, wherein also I labor, strivingagainst unbelievers and sinners: take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2 Tim 2:3); I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7). And Paul does this according to his working, the grace of God is with me (1 Cor 15:10), which he works in me, because God does this in me in power, i.e., that is, by giving me the might or power: stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

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Commentary on Colossians

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