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The Cerinthians, a sect that arose soon after apostolic times, believed that the world
was created by angels, and also enforced circumcision and other Levitical observances.
Cerinthus commenced preaching in Asia, where the church of Colosse stood. Simon
Magus, who lived in the apostle's own day, taught that it was necessary to learn the
names of the invisible principalities and powers, and to offer sacrifice to the Father by
their means. Moreover, these schools of thought held wrong doctrines concerning Christ
as Man, and placed Him "lower than the angels". Josephus tells us that the Essenes were
careful to preserve the names of angels. The Jewish philosophy, in the Cabala, contains a
great deal of mystic lore concerning the orders of angels; and the Greek philosophy of
Platonism, used by Philo in his system of theology, views the angels as mediators
between God and man. We have also the historic document of the Canons of the
Laodicene Council (A.D.320 circa) in which it is decreed that Christians may not
"invoke the names of angels . . . . . for they desert our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God"
(Canon 35); that "ecclesiastical persons may not use incantations or make phylacteries"
(Canon 36); that Christians may not receive presents from Jews on their feast days, or
feast with them (Canon 37); and that "Christians must not Judaize, and rest on the
Sabbath" (Canon 29).
"The Gnostics in general were wont to talk much of the pleroma or fullness; in which,
they meant, a fictitious plenitude of æons was supposed to subsist, and into which
spiritual men should hereafter be received" (Dr. Waterland).
"There seems to have been a combination of Greek theosophy, and Jewish ritualism
and asceticism in the system here denounced by S. Paul, which was substantially the
same with Alexandrian Judaism, as expounded in the writings of Philo. Its promoters at
Colosse were probably Jews who, desirous of retaining essential Judaism, Mosaic and
patristic (or traditional) as an element of Christianity, and of securing its ascendancy as
such, allied themselves with the other great party which had a previous system to
maintain, that of the Grecian sophists or speculatists, by adopting their language, and
representing the ascetic and ritualistic principle as the highest philosophy" (Webster and
Wilkinson).
We seldom quote at length from the writings of others in this magazine, but we feel
that in the realm of historical research it is simpler to quote the testimony of authorities
than to attempt a summary ourselves. We have devoted the space necessary, believing
that the dark background of error will but emphasize the glory and the grace that shines in
the face of Jesus Christ, in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. This
positive study we hope to take up without further preliminaries in our next article.
[NOTE.--In order to complete our study of Col. 2: and to appreciate with some
measure of fullness the doctrine intended by the contrast of "Philosophy" with
"Fullness", we hope to follow this series on Colossians with another dealing with the
findings and failures of human wisdom as contrasted with Him in Whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge.]