World English Bible · Under Rome
Colossians 2
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
For I to have you know how greatly I struggle for you and for those at , and for as many as have not seen in ; that their may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know of , both of and of Christ, in whom all the of and knowledge are hidden. Now I say this that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech. For though I am absent in , yet I am with you in , rejoicing and seeing your order, and the of your in Christ. As therefore you received Christ , walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the , even as you were taught, abounding in it in . Be careful that you don't let anyone rob you through his philosophy and deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elemental spirits of the world, and not after Christ. For in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily, and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and . In him you were also with a not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the of , in the of Christ, having been buried with him in , in which you were also with him through in the working of , who him from . You were through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your . He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us. He has taken it out of , nailing it to . Having stripped the and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no one therefore judge you in eating or drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a or a , which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's. Let no one rob you of your prize by self-abasement and worshiping of the , dwelling in the things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his , and not holding firmly to the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and ligaments, grows with growth. If you with Christ from the elemental spirits of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances, "Don't handle, nor taste, nor touch" (all of which with use), according to the precepts and doctrines of men? These things indeed appear like in self-imposed , humility, and severity to the body, but aren't of any value against the indulgence of .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- How does the death of Jesus save? · Colossians 2:13-15
- Who should be baptized, and what does it do? · Colossians 2:11-12
- Should Christians keep the biblical feasts? · Colossians 2:16-17
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.