Colossians 2:8 (WEB)
Be careful that you don’t let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elemental spirits of the world, and not after Christ.
Fathers and councils · 22
Tertullian
“The apostle, so far back as his own time, foresaw, indeed, that philosophy would do violent injury to the truth.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
Read the whole comment“…understanding thereby the mundane fabric of sky and earth, but worldly learning, and “the tradition of men,” subtle in their speech and their philosophy), it would be tedious, and the proper subject of a separate work, to show how in this sentence (of the apostle’s) all heresies are condemned, on the ground of…” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
Read the whole comment“Writing to the Colossians, he says, “See that no one beguile you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and contrary to the wisdom of the Holy Ghost.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8. The last clause, “præter providentiam Spiritus Sancti,” is either Tertullian’s reading, or his gloss of the apostle’s οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν—“not after…
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Cyril of Jerusalem
“Colossians ii. 8.” — the author cites it
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Augustine of Hippo
“There is also disclosed that most salutary admonition of Thy Spirit, by Thy good and pious servant: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ: for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8, 9.
Read the whole comment“…congratulated me that I had not fallen upon the writings of other philosophers, which were full of fallacies and deceit, “after the rudiments of the world,” whereas they, in many ways, led to the belief in God and His word.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
Read the whole comment“…apostle, and faithfully hears what has been said, “Beware that no one deceive you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the elements of the world.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
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Cyprian of Carthage
“And when the apostle says, “Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,” we are to avoid those things which do not come from God’s clemency, but are begotten of the presumption of a too rigid philosophy.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
Read the whole comment“…and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ, because in Him dwelleth all the fulness of divinity.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8, 10.
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Leo the Great
“…and not after Christ; for in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him ye are made full, who is the head of every principality and power.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8–10.
Read the whole comment“Let them pride themselves on the emptiness of their talk and boast of the cleverness of their arguments against the Faith: we are pleased to obey the Apostle’s precepts, where he says, “See that no one deceive you with philosophy and vain seductions of men.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
Read the whole comment“…according to the tradition of men, and not according to Christ; for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and ye have been filled in Him.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8–10.
Read the whole comment“For the greater advantages of this virtue belong to that chastity of the soul, which not only crushes the lusts of the flesh, but also despises the vanities of worldly wisdom, as the Apostle says, “take heed that no one deceive you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
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Gregory of Nyssa
- Gregory of Nyssa, On the Making of Man On the.26On the Making of Man
“Shall we not bid farewell to those who pervert our simple faith by “philosophy and vain deceit,” and hold fast to our confession in its purity, learning briefly through the prophet the mode of the grace, by his words, “Thou shalt take away their breath and they shall fail, and turn to their dust.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
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Hilary of Poitiers
“…it out of the way, nailing it to the Cross; and having put off the flesh He made a show of powers openly, triumphing over them through confidence in Himself.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8–15.
Read the whole comment“…and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world and not after Christ; for in Him dwelleth the fulness of Godhead bodily.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8, 9.
Read the whole comment“…and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ; for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8, 9.
Read the whole comment“…according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ, in Whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8, 9.
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Hippolytus of Rome
“For it seems expedient that we, making an onslaught upon the opinion which constitutes the prime source of (contemporaneous) evils, should prove what are the originating principles of this (opinion), in order that its offshoots, becoming a matter of general notoriety, may be made the object of universal scorn.” — editor's note: [The Philosophumena, therefore, responds to the Apostle’s warnings. Col. ii. 8; 1 Tim. vi. 20; Gal. iv. 3, 9; Col. ii. 20.]
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Clement of Alexandria
“I hear also those words of his, “And these things I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words, or one should enter in to spoil you.”” — editor's note: Col. ii. 4, 8.
Read the whole comment“…man who has attained to the elevation of the Gnostic, any more to go back to the Hellenic “philosophy,” figuratively calling it “the rudiments of this world,” as being most rudimentary, and a preparatory training for the truth.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8. [This is an interesting comment on the apostles’ system, and very noteworthy.]
Read the whole comment“And already the apostle, by saying, “After the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ,” makes the asseveration that the Hellenic teaching is elementary, and that of Christ perfect, as we have already intimated before.” — editor's note: Col. ii. 8.
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Cross-references · 44
Cited together in Letters Letter 156.
Cited together in The Prescription Against Heretics Chapter 6.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 28.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in Letters Letter 156.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 91.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 28.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in A Treatise on the Soul Chapter 3.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 28.
Cited together in Letters Letter 156.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in Confessions III.4.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 91.
Cited together in The Prescription Against Heretics Chapter 6.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies VI.8.
Cited together in A Treatise on the Soul Chapter 3.
Cited together in The City of God VIII.10.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies IX.1.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies IX.1.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies IX.1.
Cited together in The City of God VIII.10.
Cited together in The City of God VIII.10.
Cited together in The City of God VIII.10.
Cited together in The City of God VIII.10.
Cited together in The City of God VIII.10.
Cited together in Confessions VIII.2.
Cited together in A Treatise on the Soul Chapter 3.
Cited together in Letters Letter 156.
Cited together in The Refutation of All Heresies IX.1.
Cited together in Sermons Sermon 28.