Fragmenta in epistulam ad Colossenses (in catenis) 631 Kol 1,17 And he is before all things. He did not say: "He was before all things," but: "He is before all things," that is, whatever you might conceive, you will find him pre-existing and pre-subsisting, eternally co-existing with the Father and the Spirit. Kol 1, Having made peace. The hyperbaton: having made peace through himself, that is, acting himself, and not procuring peace for us through others. And in what manner did he work this? Through the blood, he says, of his crucifixion; for having been crucified for us and having shed his own blood for us through the crucifixion, he made peace and reconciled us. Kol 1,21 And enemies in your mind. instead of: we did not do the evil deeds unwillingly and by some seizure, but with deliberation and having pre-formed the enmity towards God in our thoughts; thus we proceeded to the actions hostile to him. Therefore, the divine love for mankind is ineffable, because even being such, he both reconciled and accepted us. Kol 1,24 And I will fill up in my turn. Christ, having been struck and mocked and scourged and crucified for us, did not simply fulfill all things, but also beyond understanding, and fulfilled it in an ineffable way. Therefore, we have all become debtors, in place of those countless and world-saving sufferings, to also endure and contribute sufferings ourselves. and afflictions for Christ and for his body, that we might fill up in our turn what Christ suffered for us. But indeed to fill them up in turn, that is, to suffer equally and similarly and to lack nothing, is impossible. But whatever we may suffer is a falling short in comparison to the afflictions of Christ. For how could the suffering of a master for a slave be filled up in turn by a slave for a master? For this is not equal nor similar, far from it. Or the sinless for the sinful and offending by those in sins for the benefactor and sinless? And countless things. Therefore, whatever one might suffer wishing to fill up in turn, he fills up in turn what is lacking of the 632 afflictions of Christ. Therefore, the blessed Paul, who ran more than all on behalf of Christ, who suffered countless terrible things each day, knowing and teaching this, said it. Kol 2,17 It is possible to punctuate in two ways, both by adding a stop after "body," and after "of Christ." Kol 3,23 The "work" is common, by a change of case, "as working for the Lord and not for men." Kol 4,3 That God may open. The standard construction: "that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, as I ought to speak, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest." But the divine Paul produced the saying by hyperbaton. Kol 4,6 Let your speech always be with grace. let it be seasoned as if with salt; for just as almost nothing that nourishes the body is pleasant without salt and given for wholesome food, so also the teaching word that nourishes the soul, if it is not seasoned with grace, will neither nourish nor be given. Kol 4,16 That also in the church of the Laodiceans. There was certainly something of what was written that also contributed to the correction of the Laodiceans. Or because they would be more likely to pay attention to themselves, seeing the transgressions of others being reproved. And the one from Laodicea. not the one from Paul to the Laodiceans—for he would have said, "and the one in Laodicea"—but the one from the Laodiceans to Paul; for there was certainly something in it that would benefit the Colossians. Kol 4,17 He writes about the teacher, so that they may be admonished and, being exhorted, may obey, knowing the things declared to him by Paul. Perhaps he was 633 their bishop, or had been entrusted with another ministry of souls. Therefore he says: "a ministry in the Lord" and not one according to man. Kol 4,18 Rather, he wrote the very word of the greeting with his own hand, so that they might be more affected seeing the hand of Paul. The greatest encouragement to bear trials nobly is to know and always remember that he is in chains. Clearly, that with which they will fulfill all the commands. They need grace in order to be saved. For what could a person do without grace?

Fragmenta in epistulam ad Colossenses (in catenis) 631 Kol 1,17 Καὶ αὐτός ἐστι πρὸ πάντων. οὐκ εἶπεν· ἐγένετο πρὸ πάντων, ἀλλ'· ἔστι πρὸ πάντων, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ὃ ἂν ἐννοήσῃς, αὐτὸν προόντα καὶ προϋφεστῶτα εὑρήσεις ἀϊδίως συνυπάρχοντα τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι. Kol 1, Εἰρηνοποήσας. τὸ ὑπερβατόν· εἰρηνοποιήσας δι' ἑαυτοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν αὐτουργήσας, ἀλλ' οὐ δι' ἑτέρων ἡμῖν πραγματευσάμενος τὴν εἰρήνην. ποίῳ δὲ τρόπῳ ταύτην εἰργάσατο; διὰ τοῦ αἵματος, φησί, τῆς σταυρώσεως αὐτοῦ· σταυρωθεὶς γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ διὰ τῆς σταυρώσεως τὸ οἰκεῖον αἷμα ἐκχέας ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, εἰρήνευσε καὶ κατήλλαξεν ἡμᾶς. Kol 1,21 Καὶ ἐχθροὺς τῇ διανοίᾳ. ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκ ἄκοντες ἐπράττομεν τὰ ἔργα τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ κατά τινα συναρπαγήν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ μελέτης καὶ τὴν ἔχθραν τὴν πρὸς θεὸν τοῖς λογισμοῖς προτυπώσαντες· οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς ἐχθρὰς αὐτῷ πράξεις ἐχωροῦμεν. διὸ ἄφατος ἡ θεία φιλανθρωπία, ὅτι καὶ τοιούτους ὄντας καὶ κατήλλαξε καὶ προσεδέξατο. Kol 1,24 Καὶ ἀνταναπληρώσω. ὁ Χριστὸς ῥαπισθεὶς καὶ ἐμπαιχθεὶς καὶ μαστιχθεὶς καὶ σταυρωθεὶς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπλήρωσε πάντα ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ νοῦν, καὶ ἀφράστῳ λόγῳ ἐξεπλήρωσεν. χρεῶσται οὖν πάντες καθεστήκαμεν ἀντὶ τῶν μυρίων ἐκείνων καὶ σωσικόσμων παθῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπομένειν καὶ ἀντεισάγειν παθήματα. καὶ θλίψεις ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἀνταναπληρώσωμεν ἃ ἔπαθεν ὁ Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀνταναπληρῶσαι αὐτά, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἴσως καὶ ὁμοίως παθεῖν καὶ μηδὲν ἐλλείψειν, ἀδύνατον. ἀλλ' ὅσα ἂν πάθωμεν, ὑστέρημά ἐστι πρὸς τὰς θλίψεις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. πῶς γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἀνταναπληρωθείη τὸ δεσπότην ὑπὲρ δούλου παθεῖν διὰ τοῦ δοῦλον ὑπὲρ δεσπότου; οὐ γὰρ ἴσον τοῦτο οὐδὲ ὅμοιον, πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ. ἢ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ προσκεκρουκότων διὰ τοῦ τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὑπὲρ εὐεργέτου καὶ ἀναμαρτήτου; καὶ μυρία. διὸ ὅσα ἄν τις πάσχοι ἀνταναπληρῶσαι θέλων, ὑστέρημα τῶν 632 θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνταναπληροῖ. διὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ὁ πάντων πλέον ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ δραμών, ὁ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μυρία πάσχων δεινά, τοῦτο εἰδὼς καὶ διδάσκων ἔλεγεν. Kol 2,17 ∆ιττῶς ἐγχωρεῖ στίζεσθαι, καὶ ἐν τῷ σῶμα ὑποστίζοντας, καὶ ἐν τῷ Χριστοῦ. Kol 3,23 Ἀπὸ κοινοῦ τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι, κατὰ μετάπτωσιν ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις ἐργαζόμενοι. Kol 4,3 Ἵνα ὁ θεὸς ἀνοίξῃ. τὸ κοινὸν τῆς συντάξεως· ἵνα ὁ θεὸς ἀνοίξῃ ἡμῖν θύραν τοῦ λόγου λαλῆσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὡς δεῖ με λαλῆσαι, δι' ὃ καὶ δέδεμαι, ἵνα φανερώσω αὐτό. ὁ δὲ θεῖος Παῦλος καθ' ὑπερβατὸν τὸν λόγον προήνεγκεν. Kol 4,6 Ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν πάντοτε ἐν χάριτι. ὥσπερ ἅλατι ἔστω ἠρτυμένος· ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐδὲν τῶν σῶμα τρεφόντων σχεδὸν χωρὶς ἅλατος ἡδύνει καὶ εἰς τροφὴν εὔχυμον ἀναδίδοται, οὕτως καὶ ὁ διδασκαλικὸς λόγος ὁ τὴν ψυχὴν τρέφων, ἂν μὴ ᾖ τῇ χάριτι ἠρτυμένος, οὔτε θρέψει, οὔτε ἀναδοθήσεται. Kol 4,16 Ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ Λαοδικέων. ἦν τι πάντως τῶν γραφέντων καὶ πρὸς τὴν διόρθωσιν τῶν Λαοδικέων συντεῖνον. ἢ ὅτι πλέον ἔμελλον προσέχειν ἑαυτοῖς, ὁρῶντες τὰ ἑτέρων ἐλεγχόμενα πλημμελήματα. Καὶ τὴν ἐκ Λαοδικείας. οὐ τὴν ἀπὸ Παύλου πρὸς Λαοδικέας ἢ γὰρ ἂν εἶπε· καὶ τὴν ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Λαοδικέων πρὸς Παῦλον· ἦν γάρ τι πάντως ἐν αὐτῇ ὠφελοῦν τοὺς Kolοσσαεῖς. Kol 4,17 Περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου γράφει, ἵνα ἐπιτιμῶνται καὶ παραινούμενοι πείθωνται, εἰδότες τὰ δηλωθέντα αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ Παύλου. ἴσως δὲ 633 ἐπίσκοπος ἦν αὐτῶν, ἢ ἄλλην ἐγκεχείριστο ψυχῶν διακονίαν. διό φησιν· ἐν κυρίῳ διακονίαν καὶ οὐ κατ' ἄνθρωπον οὖσαν. Kol 4,18 Μᾶλλον αὐτὴν τοῦ ἀσπασμοῦ τὴν λέξιν ἰδίᾳ χειρὶ ἔγραψεν, ἵνα πάσχωσί τι πλέον τὴν χεῖρα ὁρῶντες τοῦ Παύλου. Μεγίστη προτροπὴ πρὸς τὸ φέρειν γενναίως τοὺς πειρασμούς, τὸ εἰδέναι καὶ διὰ παντὸς μνημονεύειν εἶναι τοῦτον ἐν δεσμοῖς. ∆ηλονότι μεθ' ἧς πάντα τὰ ἐπιταγέντα πληρώσουσιν. χάριτος εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι δέονται. τί γὰρ ἂν ποιήσοι ἄνθρωπος ἄνευ χάριτος;