The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (227 page)

1:15 He is the image:
Christ makes visible the life and love of the invisible God (Jn 1:18; Rom 5:8). His humanity is thus the sacrament that brings the Father into view (Jn 14:9). Although man was created
in
God's image, something more is said of Christ, who
is
that image in the most perfect sense (2 Cor 4:4; Heb 1:3). • The hymn may allude to the creation of Adam, the first man to bear the image of God (Gen 1:26) and pass it along to his progeny (Gen 5:3). Because the image Adam bequeathed to the human family was damaged and disfigured by sin, Christ comes to reverse what Adam did by reshaping our image in the likeness of his own (Col 3:10; Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 15:49). • Christ is the image because he is of one substance with the Father. He comes from the Father, and not the Father from him, since the nature of an image is to copy the original and to be named after it (St. Gregory Nazianzen,
Orations
30).
the first-born:
The term for an eldest child, with emphasis on his legal right of inheritance (Deut 21:1519). Since Christ is the first and only (natural) Son begotten of the Father, he is the designated heir of the Father's estate, which is the entire cosmos (Heb 1:2). Paul's point is not that Jesus is the noblest part of creation, but that Jesus has the filial right to possess all of creation as his inheritance. See word study:
First-born
at Heb 1:6. • The apostle calls him the first-born of all creation. Notice he says first-born, not first created, that we may believe he is begotten in virtue of his nature and first in virtue of his eternity (St. Ambrose,
On the Faith
1, 7). 
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1:16 thrones . . . dominions . . . principalities . . . authorities:
Names for various classes of angels. No distinction is made here between blessed angels and demonic spirits, since Paul's point is that Christ reigns supreme over the entire host of benevolent and malevolent spirits (CCC 331). For the order of the angelic choirs in Catholic tradition,
see note on Eph 1:21
. 
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1:18 He is the head:
Points to Christ's union with the Church, who as head directs and oversees the activities of his members. Paul's analogy can likewise stress that the head and body share the same life (Rom 12:5) and that each member of the body is assigned a particular task for the good of the whole (1 Cor 12:12-26) (CCC 753, 792). See word study:
Unite
at Eph 1:10.
first-born from the dead:
Christ was the first to be raised immortal from the grave (Rev 1:5). This mystery of faith is reproduced in the lives of believers as their souls are resurrected in grace through the sacraments (Col 3:1; Rom 6:4) and their bodies are raised in glory on the last day (Col 3:4; Rom 8:11) (CCC 658). 
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1:19 the fulness of God:
Christ is fully divine because the plenitude of divine life, power, and holiness resides within him (2:9; Jn 1:16). This is one of the clearest assertions of Christ's deity in the NT (Jn 1:1; Tit 2:13). 
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1:20 to reconcile:
The death of Jesus restores peace between the Father and the human family (2 Cor 5:18-19; Eph 2:1318). This friendship was interrupted by the rebellion of Adam, who stripped the family of man of its inheritance and caused disorder and corruption to prevail throughout the world (Gen 3:1-24; Rom 5:12). Harmony is now being restored as the grace of the New Covenant permeates and renews the cosmos (Rom 8:19-23) (CCC 2305). 
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1:22 holy and blameless:
Once pagans and enemies of God, the baptized Colossians have been separated from sin and consecrated to the Lord.
See note on Eph 1:4
. 
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1:23 preached to every creature:
Rhetorical exaggeration for the first century, but nevertheless the goal of Christ's missionary mandate (Mk 16:15). Paul is describing the future as though it has already happened, perhaps as a way of emphasizing its certainty in the plan of God. See note on 1:6. 
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1:24 my sufferings:
The many afflictions that Paul endured throughout his missionary career (2 Cor 11:2329). Joy in the midst of suffering is a common NT theme (Mt 5:11-12; Acts 5:41; 1 Pet 4:13).
what is lacking:
I.e., the suffering that remains for believers in the trials of life. Suffering is a mission for all the faithful as a means of conforming ourselves to Christ (Rom 8:17; Phil 3:10), but suffering is a special calling for ministers of the gospel like Paul, who endure many afflictions in the effort to bring salvation to others (2 Cor 1:6; 4:11-15) (CCC 307, 618, 1508). • These words could be misunderstood to mean that the suffering of Christ was not sufficient for redemption and that the suffering of the saints must be added to complete it. This, however, would be heretical. Christ and the Church are one mystical person, and while the merits of Christ, the head, are infinite, the saints acquire merit in a limited degree. What is "lacking", then, pertains to the afflictions of the entire Church, to which Paul adds his own amount (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Commentary on Colossians
1, 6). 
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1:26 the mystery:
The plan of salvation, long concealed in the Scriptures but now revealed in the gospel (Rom 16:25-26). It is the deliverance of man from sin and the spread of Christ's worldwide kingdom through the Church. Paul here stresses that believing Gentiles possess the indwelling presence of Christ, which is a pledge or down payment toward their future resurrection in glory (Col 1:27; Rom 8:10-11) (CCC 772). See word study:
Mystery
at Eph 3:3. 
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1:28 mature:
Or "perfect". Paul aims to bring believers to a deeper understanding of the gospel and to a deeper commitment to apply it to their daily lives (4:12). Perfection is a goal that requires both effort and endurance (1:29; Phil 3:12-15). 
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Word Study

Elemental Spirits
(
Col 2:8
)

Stoicheia
(Gk.): "elements" or "rudiments". The term is used seven times in the NT and is common in Greek literature. It can refer to the material elements of the cosmos, like earth, air, water, and fire, or to heavenly bodies, like the sun, moon, and stars (Wis 7:17). It can also refer to angels or demons that regulate the course and movement of these elements. These ideas are closely connected with ancient forms of worship. For idolatrous Gentiles, the elements were deified and worshiped as "gods" (Wis 13:1-2; Gal 4:8). For ancient Israel, the liturgical calendar was determined by the rhythm of the elements, especially by the cycles of the sun and moon (Gen 1:14; Sir 43:1-8). Paul groups the worship of Israel and the nations together, since both are subservient to these visible and invisible elements of the natural order (Gal 4:9). In contrast to this old order, Paul stresses that Christ is seated far above all things seen and unseen (Col 3:1-3). United with him, believers no longer worship within the confines of the created world, but through the sacraments they enter a new order of worship that is supernatural and heavenly, where Christ lifts them far above the created elements of the cosmos (Jn 4:21-24; Gal 4:3; Heb 12:22-24; Rev 4-5).

2:1 Laodicea:
A neighboring city in the same region. Because Paul wrote both to the Colossians and to the Laodiceans, he directs them to exchange his letters with one another after reading them (4:16).
not seen my face:
Paul was personally unknown to his readers. 
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2:3 treasures of wisdom:
Jesus embodies the fullness of divine Wisdom in himself (1 Cor 1:24, 30). Paul makes this statement to prepare readers for the following warning about dangerous teachings that deviate from Christian truth (2:4, 823). See note on 1:15-20. 
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2:8-23
Paul confronts the teaching of Jewish troublemakers in Colossae. His comments suggest
(1)
they denied the full deity of Christ, and
(2)
they promoted the rituals of the Mosaic Law as indispensable requirements for living in covenant with God. Paul corrects these misunderstandings for his readers by asserting the divinity of Christ (2:9) and stressing that Gentile believers are already "complete" in Christ apart from the ceremonial works of the Old Covenant (circumcision, dietary laws, Sabbath observance, Temple festivals, etc.). 
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2:8 philosophy:
Although this term can refer to speculative theories about God, man, and the universe, it was also used by Hellenistic Jewish writers such as Josephus and Philo to refer to the Jewish way of life. This is probably Paul's meaning here. It is true, nevertheless, that every philosophy is vain that disregards or denounces what God has revealed as good, true, and beautiful through Jesus Christ.
human tradition:
Religious customs produced and promoted by men, not God. Perhaps Paul is following the example of Jesus by cautioning readers of human traditions passed on by Pharisees and synagogue elders (Mk 7:1-8). For Paul, only divinely instituted traditions that stem from Jesus and the apostles demand obedience from the Church (1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15). 
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2:9 deity dwells bodily:
A powerful assertion of the full humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ (1:19; Jn 1:14). The mystery of the God-made-man was a stumbling block for many in Israel, who were skeptical that Yahweh's presence could reside in a man and who were scandalized that the Messiah should suffer the curse of crucifixion (1 Cor 1:23; Gal 3:13) (CCC 242, 515). 
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2:11 circumcision of Christ:
The circumcision of the 6 heart (Rom 2:28-29). The procedure is performed in Baptism, the sacrament of spiritual rebirth (2:12). • The Israelites were marked with the covenant sign of circumcision, but their rebellion over the centuries proved that their hearts remained uncircumcised (Jer 9:25-26). Moses realized that this would continue until Yahweh circumcised the hearts of his people himself (Deut 30:6). Paul interprets this vision of Moses in sacramental terms, insisting that Christ accomplishes in Baptism what circumcision only signified in ancient Israel. It is the moment when God cuts away from our hearts the fleshly desires that keep us from loving and obeying him as we should. • Paul lays a biblical foundation for infant Baptism, inasmuch as circumcision was administered to newborn babies eight days after birth (Gen 17:9-14). Tradition bears this out, as St. Cyprian recounts that a council held in North Africa in the third century declared that Christians need not delay the Baptism of infants until the eighth day. Behind this assertion lies the assumption that the early Christians saw in Baptism what the Israelites saw in circumcision: the sacrament of initiation into God's covenant people, open to adults and infants alike. 
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