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 NEW VERSIONS OF ‘EMPTY’ PHILOSOPHY -
Forces of evil larger than individual acts of
sin can include some that have a counterpart in the first-century world, such as the lure
of astrology or of the occult; but they will also include unjust social, political, and
economic structures. They include ideologies that hold people in bondage, frequently
without their being conscious of it, such as the ideology of redemptive violence in which
peace and security are thought to be obtainable only through the violent use of power.
Among other such ideologies are materialism, consumerism, sexism, nationalism, and the
type of postmodernism that denies any reality to truth and justice and asserts that the
only realities are preference and desire. And forces of evil can include nuclear and
chemical armaments, ecological disaster, and other consequences of human sin that have
become destructive and threatening. The writer of Colossians brings the gospel of
Christ’s death and resurrection to bear on his readers’ perception of evil in a
first-century context. Contemporary interpreters need to take the same gospel and bring it
to bear on the powers of evil and perceptions of them that pose a threat to faith in our
time and location. [1]
ELEMENTS OF THE UNIVERSE? - "element" was a common
word in the language of the ancient philosophers, usually referring to matter or the
elements out of which everything was formed. But elements in a narrow sense could simply
refer to Jewish law alone as the "principles of religious teaching or
instruction." [2]
 Encouragement. Warning. Teaching. Which of those words best describe what this
passage means to you?
ephrem the syrian ( ) - . . . a king was enrolling everyone for the tribute money,
that they might be debtors to him: But then The King came forth to us and blotted out our
bills and wrote another bill in his own name that he might be our debtor. [3]
 You have
several ways of listening to this passage in Colossians 2;
Focus on the "philosophy and empty deceit" that Paul mentions; look for
counterparts in our own post-modern culture.
Focus on the first part that begins the lesson: incorporation into Christ. Play with
the image of walking-one which has in itself a rich history that refers back to the Hebrew
Bible and literature and one that recurs throughout Paul’s writing. Since the
Colossian disciples had begun walking in Christ, they were to continue their walk /
journey in Christ.
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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible XI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000), pp.
627-28.
[2] Peter T. O’Brien, Word Biblical Commentary 44 (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), page
130.
[3] Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture IX (InterVarsity, 2000), p.34.
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