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conflict, a fight of faith, so that the fact that the word "spoil" means "to rob one of his
armour" is most suggestive. Has Satan never attempted to rob you of your sword,
fellow-soldier? Has he never attempted to deprive you of your shield? Only as we stand
in the whole armour of God are we proof against the fiery darts of the wicked. Only as
we stand and stand completely, trustingly and assuredly "in Christ" for all things, are we
not only "saved" but "safe". This is the apostle's burden in this chapter--so to minister
the fullness of Christ that the vain words of men shall fall unheeded.
Having considered the threefold attack of the enemy--"false reasoning", "enticing"
and "spoiling"--we now turn our attention to the means that he employs. Again we find
that the menace is threefold: "philosophy", "tradition" and "rudiments".
The expression, "philosophy and vain deceit", is an instance of the use of the figure
Hendiadys ("two for one"), and conveys the meaning, "A vain, deceitful philosophy",
with an emphasis upon the words "vain" and "deceitful". Kenos, the word translated
"vain", means "empty", and should be read in conjunction with verses 9 and 10, where
true "fullness" is found.
What is philosophy? It is the search by unaided minds for wisdom, an attempt,
without supernatural revelation, to get to the bottom of things. The word "philosophy"
was invented by Socrates in the fifth century B.100: He intended a distinction between
himself and the sophoi, the wise men. He called himself a philosopher, not because he
had attained wisdom or knowledge, but because he sought it. Philosophy to him meant a
criticism of all the assumptions of science, in order that, as a result of this criticism, one
might be able to comprehend the whole. Alas, the task was too great for human wisdom.
"The world by wisdom knew not God" (I Cor. 1: 21). However skillfully the philosopher
may have reasoned, he was bound to fail. His premises were defective and his
conclusions could not but be erroneous. He is an example of one who has been beguiled,
or "reasoned aside", with enticing words of man's wisdom.
The nations had received a knowledge of God sufficient to render idolatry
"inexcusable":--
"When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful: but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Rom. 1: 21, 22).
It would be a mistake to limit the apostle's term "philosophy" to the Greek and the
Roman systems. Paul was a Hebrew and a Pharisee, and knew well that the word was
also applied to the various sects of Israel:--
"The Jews had for a great while those sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the
sect of the Essenes, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third set of opinions was that
of those called the Pharisees" (Josephus, Antiquities, Bk. 18: 1, 2)
It would serve no good purpose to quote all that Josephus has written concerning these
"philosophies". Of the Pharisees he says:--