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heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Since he knows their situation by hearsay, he has spoken doubtfully, "If indeed you continue." Clearly, perseverance in the faith confirms intimacy with God. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. The work of the Apostle is a struggle. And since he is zealous for the work, he also rejoices in the struggles which he endures for the sake of the Church. And I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the Church; of which I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you. That is, of the Church; for the Church is His. to fulfill the word of God, the mystery 95.892 hidden from the ages and from the generations; but now it has been revealed to his saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ, in you the hope of glory, whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me in power.

CHAP. II. Now I want you to know what a great struggle I have for you and for those in Laodicea,

and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be filled, being knit together in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The ministry of the Apostle is in the teaching of the word. And the word is concerning the salvation of the world, which was of old planned and determined by God from eternity, but now has been made manifest, and is known by those worthy of the knowledge, not through carnal wisdom, but through that which is ever hidden with God, being supermundane, and established in the Holy Spirit, which both those who come from human wisdom and those from the law need, because neither did the law reveal the mystery ineffectually, nor did the world comprehend it. And this I say, that no one may deceive you with plausible speech. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. For this reason, he says, I have said that all the treasures of wisdom are in Christ, so that you might not seek after worldly wisdom. Since though not present with you bodily, I am present spiritually, and I rejoice in the faith and good order of the Church. But I also see what is lacking in you, and what is in need of teaching. For upon faith, knowledge is necessary. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it. Since he does not yet know through the teaching of a letter that they are able to reach the depth of wisdom, for security he anticipates them with an instruction, saying that the tradition which they have received is good, and that the only true teaching is that concerning Christ, which Epaphras has delivered, and that it is necessary to keep steadfastness in the faith, and to add the building up of love, and to advance always in good works, and the things of tribulations in patience with thanksgiving. 95.893 Beware lest there be anyone who carries you away captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. He abounds in this epistle, reasoning with Greeks and Jews, removing the believers from each deviation. First, therefore, he guards against being plundered by philosophy, saying that philosophy is empty deceit, because it impresses by its form, and by the plausibility of words of the truth

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οὐρανὸν, οὗ ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ Παῦλος διάκονος. Ἐπειδὴ ἀκοῇ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς οἶδεν, ἀμφιβόλως εἴρηκεν, Εἴ γε ἐπιμένετε. ∆ηλονότι τῆς πίστεως ἡ ἐπιμονὴ βεβαιοῖ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκείωσιν. Νῦν χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασιν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. Ἐναγώνιον τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Ἀποστόλου. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ περὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐστὶ πρόθυμος, χαίρει καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀγωνίσμασιν οἷς ἀγωνίζεται ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Καὶ ἀνταναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ Ἐκκλησία· ἧς ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ διάκονος κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς. Τουτέστι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· καθὸ γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Πληρῶσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ μυστήριον τὸ 95.892 ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν· νυνὶ δὲ ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ, οἷς ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς γνωρίσαι, τίς ὁ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς, ἐν ὑμῖν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης, ὃν ἡμεῖς καταγγέλλομεν, νουθετοῦντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον, καὶ διδάσκοντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ, ἵνα παραστήσωμεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, εἰς ὃ καὶ κοπιῶ ἀγωνιζόμενος κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐν δυνάμει.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. Θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι ἡλίκον ἀγῶνα ἔχω περὶ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ,

καὶ ὅσοι οὐχ ἑωράκασι τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐν σαρκὶ, ἵνα πληρωθῶσιν αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν συμβιβασθέντων ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καὶ εἰς πάντα πλοῦτον τῆς πληροφορίας τῆς συνέσεως, εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν ᾧ εἰσι πάντες οἱ θησαυροὶ τῆς σοφίας, καὶ τῆς γνώσεως ἀπόκρυφοι. Ἡ διακονία τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ λόγου διδασκαλίᾳ. Ὁ δὲ λόγος ἐστὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου σωτηρίας, τῆς πάλαι μὲν ἐξ ἀϊδίου παρὰ Θεῷ βεβουλευμένης καὶ ὁρισθείσης, ἐμφανῶς δὲ νῦν καταστησάσης, καὶ γινωσκομένης παρὰ τοῖς ἀξίοις τῆς γνώσεως, οὐ διὰ σοφίας σαρκικῆς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἀποκεκρυμμένης ἀεὶ παρὰ Θεῷ, ὑπερκοσμίου τυγχανούσης, καὶ ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ κειμένης, ἧς δέονται καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας ἐρχόμενοι, καὶ οἱ ἐκ νόμου, ὅτι μήτε νόμος ἐξέφηνεν ἀργῶς τὸ μυστήριον, μήτε κόσμος κατέλαβεν. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω, ἵνα μή τις ὑμᾶς παραλογίζηται ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ ἄπειμι, ἀλλὰ τῷ πνεύματι σὺν ὑμῖν εἰμι, χαίρων καὶ βλέπων ὑμῶν τὴν τάξιν, καὶ τὸ στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως ὑμῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, εἴρηκα τοὺς πάντας θησαυροὺς τῆς σοφίας ἐν Χριστῷ τυγχάνειν, ἵνα μὴ τὴν ἔξωθεν σοφίαν ἐπιζητῆτε. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ οὐ παρὼν ὑμῖν σωματικῶς, πάρειμι πνευματικῶς, καὶ χαίρω ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει, καὶ εὐταξίᾳ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Βλέπω δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐνδεὲς ὑμῶν, καὶ τὸ ἐν χρείᾳ τῆς διδασκαλίας. Ἐπὶ γὰρ πίστει γνῶσις ἀναγκαία. Ὡς οὖν παρελάβετε τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν Κύριον, ἐν αὐτῷ περιπατεῖτε, ἐῤῥιζωμένοι, καὶ ἐποικοδομούμενοι ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ βεβαιούμενοι ἐν τῇ πίστει, καθὼς ἐδιδάχθητε περισσεύοντες ἐν αὐτῇ. Ἐπειδὴ μήπω διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολιμαίου διδασκαλίας οἶδεν αὐτοὺς δυναμένους φθάνειν εἰς τὸ τῆς σοφίας βάθος, πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν παραγγέλματι αὐτοὺς προκαταλαμβάνει, λέγων ἀγαθὴν εἶναι τὴν παράδοσιν ἣν παρειλήφασι, καὶ μόνην ἀληθῆ τὴν περὶ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν, ἣν ὁ Ἐπαφρᾶς παραδέδωκεν, καὶ δεῖν τὸ βέβαιον ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει φυλάξαι, καὶ προσθεῖναι τὴν τῆς ἀγάπης ἐποικοδόμησιν, καὶ προκόπτειν ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς ἀεὶ, καὶ τὰ τῶν θλίψεων ἐν ὑπομονῇ μετ' εὐχαριστίας. 95.893 Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς ἔσται ὁ συλαγωγῶν διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης, κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστόν. Πλεονάζει κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς Ἕλληνας καὶ Ἰουδαίους διαλεγόμενος, ἑκατέρας ἐκτροπῆς ἀφαιρῶν τοὺς πεπιστευκότας. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν τὴν ἐκ φιλοσοφίας ἀποσύλησιν φυλάττεται, κενὴν ἀπάτην λέγων εἶναι τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, ὅτι σχήματι καταπλήττει, καὶ πιθανότητι λόγων τῆς ἀληθείας