of his death our Lord was hidden, that he was both God and Son of God, and he amazed by his miracles, but was covered by the body; for this reason Satan also tempted him, wishing to learn if he is the one proclaimed by the prophets, so that if he should learn that it is he, he might hinder the economy. But the evil one accomplished nothing, for he was not able to learn; for a time, therefore, Christ was hidden. But when he was nailed to the cross and died and was buried and rose again and fulfilled all things of the economy, he divested himself of being hidden, and showed with unveiled head that the divinity was to be seen with the body. First, therefore, the resurrection from the dead was a work of God, then the ascent into heaven, then the working of power through his servants and the other saints in his name. Having therefore stripped off being hidden, he made a public show of the opposing powers. And what is this public show of them? That they have become weaker than men, that they are trodden upon, that they are mocked by them in the name of the Lord. But others have taken "having stripped off for himself" as "having stripped." 323,col2 But how did he blot out the handwriting that was against us? When the law was given that cursed those who transgress, all the people of Israel cried out, accepting and agreeing; so their consent became like a handwriting. This handwriting, therefore, he blotted out by his decrees. By which ones? Those that release from the way of life according to the law, but provide the way of life in grace. Since he lived on our behalf, undoing the disobedience and 324,col2 abolishing sin, he was offered up and bore our sins. And by destroying these he brought down the diabolical power, instead of saying having stripped the principalities and the powers he made a show of them by stripping them off, and through this stripping off triumphing over and making an example of the opposing powers. In himself, therefore, he stripped them off, and over them he triumphed through what he suffered and achieved. Kol 2,16-18α Therefore let no one judge you. He teaches that the law has been abolished, Christ having blotted out the handwriting against us. And he teaches that the evil one has also fallen, the Lord having stripped off and made an example of the principalities and the powers. He commands, therefore, no longer to obey these things that have been abolished through the work of Christ; so that you should not, he says, be subject to Jews persuading you to keep the things in the law. For those things were a shadow of the body of Christ, which is the church. And the shadow runs before the body, but 325 it does not have substance by itself. Therefore he says: do not obey the law. But neither to Greeks leading you to the worship of angels or to the elements of this world; for they go into things which they have not seen, being brought down by their own mind and by their own reasoning. Therefore, "let no one judge you" is said concerning the Jews, but "let no one disqualify you" is concerning the Greeks. And he says: let no one plot against you who are already conquering and contending against the evil one. 324,col2 Which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. 325,col2 When these things happened, he says, they were a shadow of things to come; and the shadow runs before the body. Since, therefore, the shadow is the things of the law, what is the body? The things of Christ are not a shadow. When the body has come, therefore, the shadow is superfluous. Kol 2,18β What humility? In saying that we are humble, but God is great and surpasses being served by us. Since, therefore, we do not reach to him, through his angels we propitiate him and are brought to him. And above he said: who is the head of all rule and authority, and now he says: Why do you go to the elements and angels, having left their head, which is Christ? Because they were saying that God is great, he is incomprehensible, he is invisible, and we do not reach there. For this reason, since we cannot contain the great one, we are brought through angels. And he calls this humility. Kol 2,19 From this he showed the purpose of which we speak, that because some were advising to be brought through angels, for this reason he was moved. It is necessary, he says, to hold fast to the head; for the head of all is God the Word. Why then having left the

αὐτοῦ τοῦ θανάτου ἐλάνθανεν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὅτι καὶ θεὸς ἦν καὶ θεοῦ υἱός, καὶ ταῖς μὲν θαυματουργίαις ἔπληττεν, τῷ δὲ σώματι ἐκαλύπτετο· διὸ καὶ ἐπείρασεν αὐτὸν ὁ σατανᾶς, βουλόμενος μαθεῖν εἰ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν κηρυττόμενος, ἵνα εἰ μάθῃ ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν, ἐμποδίσῃ τὴν οἰκονομίαν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἤνυεν ὁ πονηρός, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠδυνήθη μαθεῖν· τέως οὖν ἐλάνθανεν ὁ Χριστός. ἐπειδὴ δὲ προσηλώθη καὶ ἀπέθανε καὶ ἐτάφη καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ πάντα τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐπλήρωσεν, ἀπεξεδύσατο μὲν τὸ λανθάνειν, γυμνῇ δὲ τῇ κεφαλῇ ὁρᾶν τὴν θεότητα μετὰ τοῦ σώματος οὖσαν ἐδείκνυεν. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἦν ἔργον θεοῦ ἡ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασις, εἶτα ἡ εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνοδος, ἔπειτα ἡ διὰ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁγίων ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἐνέργεια. ἀπεκδυσάμενος οὖν τὸ λανθάνειν ἐν παρρησίᾳ τὰς ἐναντίας ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐξουσίας. καὶ τίς τούτων ὁ δειγματισμός; ὅτι ἀσθενέστεροι τῶν ἀνθρώπων γεγόνασιν, ὅτι πατοῦνται, ὅτι ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐμπαίζονται ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου. ἄλλοι δὲ τὸ ἀπεκδυσάμενος ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐκδύσας ἐξέλαβον. 323,col2 Τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν δὲ χειρόγραφον πῶς ἐξήλειψεν; ὅτε ἐδόθη ὁ νόμος ὁ καταρώμενος τοὺς παραβαίνοντας, πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἐπεβόησεν δεχόμενος καὶ συντιθέμενος· ὥσπερ οὖν χειρόγραφον ἡ συγκατάθεσις γέγονεν. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ χειρόγραφον ἐξήλειψε τοῖς δόγμασιν. ποίοις; τοῖς ἀπαλλάττουσι μὲν τῆς κατὰ νόμον πολιτείας, παρέχουσι δὲ τὴν ἐν χάριτι πολιτείαν. Ἐπειδὴ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐπολιτεύσατο, τὴν παρακοὴν λύων καὶ τὴν 324,col2 ἁμαρτίαν ἀναιρῶν, προσηνέχθη καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἐβάστασεν. ταύτας δὲ ἀπολλὺς καθεῖλε τὴν δύναμιν τὴν διαβολικήν, ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰπεῖν ἐκδύσας τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας ἐδειγμάτισεν ἀπεκδυσάμενος, καὶ διὰ ταύτης τῆς ἐκδύσεως θριαμβεύσας καὶ παραδειγματίσας τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις. ἐν ἑαυτῷ οὖν ἐκείνας ἀπεξεδύσατο, καὶ ἐκείνας ἐθριάμβευσεν δι' ὧν ἔπαθεν καὶ κατώρθωσεν. Kol 2,16-18α Μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω. διδάσκει ὅτι ὁ νόμος κατήργηται, ἐξαλείψαντος τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν χειρόγραφον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. διδάσκει δὲ ὅτι καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς καταπέπτωκεν ἀπεκδυσαμένου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ παραδειγματίσαντος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας. παραγγέλλει λοιπὸν μηκέτι τούτοις ὑπακούειν τοῖς καταργηθεῖσι διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνεργείας· ὥστε μήτε Ἰουδαίοις, φησίν, ἀναπείθουσιν ὑμᾶς φυλάττειν τὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὑπάγεσθε. σκιὰ γὰρ ἦν ἐκεῖνα τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία. ἡ δὲ σκιὰ προτρέχει μὲν τοῦ σώματος, ὑπό325 στασιν δὲ δι' ἑαυτῆς οὐκ ἔχει. διό φησιν· νόμῳ μὴ ὑπακούετε. ἀλλὰ μὴν μηδὲ Ἕλλησι μετάγουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖν ἀγγέλοις ἢ τοῖς στοιχείοις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· ἐμβατεύουσι γὰρ ἃ μὴ ἑωράκασιν ἀπ' ἰδίου νοὸς καὶ ἀπ' ἰδίου λογισμοῦ καθαιρόμενοι. τὸ οὖν μή τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω περὶ Ἰουδαίων εἴρηται, τὸ δὲ μή τις ὑμᾶς καταβραβευέτω περὶ Ἑλλήνων. φησὶ δέ· μηδεὶς ὑμῖν ἐπιβουλευέτω νικῶσιν ἤδη καὶ καταγωνιζομένοις τὸν πονηρόν. 324,col2 Ἅ ἐστι σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων, τὸ δὲ σῶμα Χριστοῦ. 325,col2 ὅτε ἐγένετο ταῦτα, φησί, σκιὰ ἦν τῶν μελλόντων· ἡ δὲ σκιὰ προτρέχει τοῦ σώματος. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἡ σκιὰ τὰ νόμιμα, τί τὸ σῶμα; οὐ σκιὰ τὰ Χριστοῦ. ἐλθόντος οὖν τοῦ σώματος, περιττὴ ἡ σκιά. Kol 2,18β Ποία ταπεινοφροσύνη; ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὅτι ἡμεῖς μὲν ταπεινοί ἐσμεν, ὁ δὲ θεὸς μέγας καὶ ὑπερβαίνων τὸ ὑφ' ἡμῶν θεραπεύεσθαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν μέχρις αὐτοῦ οὐ φθάνομεν, διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ἐξιλεούμεθα αὐτὸν καὶ προσαγόμεθα αὐτῷ. καὶ ἀνωτέρω δὲ ἔλεγεν· ὅς ἐστι κεφαλὴ πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας, καὶ νῦν φησιν· διὰ τί ἐπὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα καὶ ἀγγέλους ἔρχεσθε, καταλελοιπότες τούτων τὴν κεφαλήν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός; Ἐπειδὴ ἔλεγον ὅτι ὁ θεὸς μέγας ἐστίν, ἀκατάληπτός ἐστιν, ἀόρατός ἐστιν, καὶ οὐ φθάνομεν ἐκεῖ. διὰ τοῦτο ἐπειδὴ οὐ χωροῦμεν τὸν μέγαν, διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων προσαγόμεθα. καὶ ταύτην ταπεινοφροσύνην φησίν. Kol 2,19 Ἐντεῦθεν ἔδειξε τὸν σκοπὸν ὃν λέγομεν, ὅτι διὰ τὸ τινὰς παραινεῖν δι' ἀγγέλων προσάγεσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο ἐκινήθη. δεῖ, φησί, τῆς κεφαλῆς ἔχεσθαι· κεφαλὴ γάρ ἐστι τοῦ παντὸς ὁ θεὸς λόγος. τί οὖν ἀφεὶς τὴν