“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 the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily — theotēs (deity, divine nature) in its plērōma (fullness, entirety) dwells sōmatikōs (bodily, corporeally) in Christ. This is incisive: Christ is not a vehicle for divine power but full deity itself. 'Dwells bodily' rejects Gnostic docetism: the divine is not illusory but incarnate. Against ascetic-Gnostic denials of matter stands bodily incarnation.
Church Fathers on Colossians 2:8
“Take heed lest there shall be any one that makes spoil of you.” Do you see how he shows him to be a thief, and an alien, and one that enters in softly? For he has already represented him to be entering in. “Beware.” And he well said “makes spoil.” As one digging away a mound from underneath, may give no perceptible sign, yet it gradually settles, so do you also beware; for this is his main point, not even to let himself be perceived. As if some one were robbing every day,…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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