Fragments on the Epistle to the Colossians (in catenae) 314 Many parts of this epistle are difficult to understand because many do not know the 315 subject-matter of the letter and the aim of the apostle. And the subject-matter is this. Those from the Greeks who had believed had those who were still Greeks drawing them away to the Greek observances, while those from the Jews had the Jews urging them to keep the law, as though grace were incomplete without the law. And the argument of the Greeks to them was that it is right also to worship angels, saying that their gods were angels; for God, being great and inaccessible to humans, bestows his powers on those in need through these angels as if through mediators. And they know, they say, the scriptures also know the benefit of angels; for God has set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God, and Michael is the prince of the Jews, and the prince of Persia is another angel. and again; behold, the prince of the Greeks is coming, and Jacob; the angel who redeems me, and in the Acts concerning the apostle Peter; it is his angel, they say, and the Lord concerning the children; Do not hinder them from coming to me, for their angels always see 316 the face of my Father who is in heaven. For from all these things, which some believed and others disbelieved, both Jews and Greeks concluded, saying that the grace through the Lord Jesus was superfluous, since the angels who from of old bring those who obey to God are sufficient. and they said it was incomplete to disregard all the observances among both Jews and Greeks. Against these things is the aim of the apostle in the epistle at hand. 314,col2 It is worthwhile to state the subject-matter which we found from the epistle; for many things in the epistle to the Colossians are understood differently by most people 315,col2 because the subject-matter is not well known, nor the aim of the apostle. Those from the Greeks who had believed also had those who were still Greeks wanting to draw them back to the Greek observances, and those of the Jews who had believed persuading them to keep the law, as though grace were incomplete without the law. In addition to these things, both Greeks and Jews were persuading the Colossians to pay attention to angels; the Greeks, on the one hand, saying their gods were angels, and that God is incomprehensible and great, not accessible to humans, but through these angels as if through mediators he bestows benefits on those who receive them; the Jews, on the other hand, that God has set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God; so also Michael is the prince of the Jews, so also the prince of Persia withstood me. and again; behold, the prince of the Greeks was coming, as also Jacob; the angel who redeems me from my youth, and in the general Acts concerning Peter; it is his angel, and the Lord; see that you do not despise one of these little ones, for their angels see the face 316,col2 of my Father who is in heaven. For from all these things, which some believed and others disbelieved, both Jews and Greeks concluded that the grace through the Lord Jesus Christ was superfluous, since there are angels who from of old bring those who obey. and it was also incomplete to disregard the observances both among the Greeks and among the Jews. Against these things is Paul's aim, and these things he corrects. For this reason also he says at the beginning; Col 1:2 It should be noted that in a few verses he mentions Christ many times; for he makes continual mention of him who is being set aside, impressing upon their souls a longing for him. Col 1:5-6 He already shows them that the hope which is laid up of the resurrection and of the kingdom was not achieved by the administration of angels, but by the coming of our savior Jesus Christ. By saying "in the word of truth" he shows that it is not without danger for the gospel to be overlooked, since it is true and without falsehood. By adding "as also in all the world" he confirms their faith; for not only, he says, 317 has the ... reached you

Fragmenta in epistulam ad Kolossenses (in catenis) 314 Τὰ πολλὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ταύτης δυσχερῆ ἔχει τὴν κατανόησιν διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς μὴ γινώσκειν τὴν ὑπό315 θεσιν τοῦ γράμματος καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλου. ἡ δὲ ὑπόθεσίς ἐστιν αὕτη. Οἱ ἀπὸ Ἑλλήνων πιστεύσαντες εἶχον τοὺς ἔτι Ἕλληνας ἀφέλκοντας αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰς παρατηρήσεις τὰς Ἑλληνικάς, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων τοὺς Ἰουδαίους παρακελεύοντας τὸν νόμον τηρεῖν, ὡς τῆς χάριτος ἀτελεστέρας οὔσης ἄνευ τοῦ νόμου. ὁ δὲ λόγος ἦν τοῖς Ἕλλησι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι δίκαιον καὶ ἀγγέλοις προσκυνεῖν, τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν ἀγγέλους λέγοντες εἶναι· τὸν γὰρ θεὸν μέγαν ὄντα καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἀνέφικτον, διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων τούτων ὥσπερ μεσιτῶν χορηγεῖν τὰς ἐνεργείας τοῖς δεομένοις. ἴσασι δέ, φασί, καὶ αἱ γραφαὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων ὠφέλειαν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατ' ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων θεοῦ, καὶ Μιχαὴλ ἄρχων τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων τῆς Περσίδος ἕτερος ἄγγελος. καὶ πάλιν· ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔρχεται, καὶ Ἰακώβ· ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με, καὶ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι περὶ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου· ὁ ἄγγελος αὐτοῦ, φασίν, ἔστιν, καὶ ὁ κύριος περὶ τῶν παιδίων· μὴ κωλύετε αὐτὰ ἔρχεσθαι πρός με, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέ316 πουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων ὧν οἱ μὲν ἐπίστευον οἱ δὲ ἠπίστουν, συνήγοντο καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες, φάσκοντες περιττὴν εἶναι τὴν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ χάριν ἀρκούντων τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος τοὺς πειθομένους προσάγειν τῷ θεῷ ἀτελὲς δὲ ἔλεγον πάσας τὰς παρατηρήσεις παρορᾶν τὰς παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησιν πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ σκοπὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων τῆς ἐν χερσὶν ἐπιστολῆς. 314,col2 Ἄξιον δὲ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν εἰπεῖν ἣν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς εὕρομεν· ἑτέρως γὰρ παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς 315,col2 νοεῖται πολλὰ τῆς πρὸς Kolοσσαεῖς διὰ τὸ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν μὴ πάνυ γινώσκεσθαι μηδὲ τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλου. Οἱ ἀπὸ Ἑλλήνων πιστεύσαντες εἶχον καὶ τοὺς ἔτι Ἕλληνας ἀνθέλκειν εἰς τὰς παρατηρήσεις τὰς Ἑλληνικὰς βουλομένους, καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοὺς πιστεύσαντας πείθοντας τὸν νόμον τηρεῖν, ὡς τῆς χάριτος ἀτελεστέρας οὔσης ἄνευ τοῦ νόμου. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ Ἕλληνες καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι τοὺς Kolοσσαέας ἔπειθον ἀγγέλοις προσέχειν· Ἕλληνες μὲν τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν λέγοντες ἀγγέλους εἶναι, ὅτι τε ὁ μὲν θεὸς ἀχώρητος καὶ μέγας, οὐκ ἐφικτὸς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων τούτων ὥσπερ μεσιτῶν χορηγεῖ τὰς εὐεργεσίας τοῖς δεχομένοις· οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατ' ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων θεοῦ· οὕτω καὶ Μιχαὴλ ἄρχων τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἄρχων Περσίδος ἀντέστη μοι. καὶ πάλιν· ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἤρχετο, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἰακώβ· ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἐκ νεότητός μου, καὶ ἐν ταῖς καθόλου Πράξεσι περὶ Πέτρου· ἄγγελος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ ὁ κύριος· ὁρᾶτε μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν τὸ πρόσωπον 316,col2 ὁρῶσι τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων ὧν τοῖς μὲν ἐπίστευον τοῖς δὲ ἠπίστουν, συνῆγον καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες τὸ περιττὴν εἶναι τὴν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριν ὄντων ἀγγέλων τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος τοὺς πειθομένους προσαγόντων. ἀτελὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ τὰς παρατηρήσεις παρορᾶν τάς τε παρ' Ἕλλησι καὶ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις. πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ σκοπὸς τῷ Παύλῳ, καὶ ταῦτα διορθοῦται. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀρχόμενός φησίν· Kol 1,2 Ἐπισημήνασθαι χρὴ διότι ἐν ὀλίγοις στίχοις πολλάκις τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέμνηται· τοῦ γὰρ ἀθετουμένου συνεχῶς ποιεῖται τὴν μνήμην ἐντυπῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὸν εἰς αὐτὸν πόθον. Kol 1,5-6 Ἤδη αὐτοὺς ὑποδείκνυσιν, ὅτι τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἀποκειμένην τῆς ἀναστάσεως καὶ τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἀγγέλων διοίκησις κατώρθωσεν, ἀλλ' ἡ παρουσία τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας δείκνυσιν ὡς οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον παροφθῆναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἀληθὲς ὂν καὶ ἀψευδές. ∆ιὰ τοῦ προσθεῖναι καθὼς καὶ ἐν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν βεβαιοῖ· οὐ γὰρ 317 μόνον φησὶν μέχρις ὑμῶν ἔφθασε τὸ