Original Douay Rheims Bible (1582 & 1610)

The Epistle of Saint Pavl to the Colossians

He is careful for them though he were neuer with them: that they rest in the wonderful wisedom which is in Christian religion, and be not caried away either with Philosophie, to leaue Christ and to sacrifice to Angels; or with Iudaisme, to receiue any ceremonies of Moyses law.
1. FOR I wil haue you know, Brethren, what manner of care I haue for you and for them that are at Laodicia, and whosoeuer haue not seen my face in the flesh:
2. that their harts may be comforted, instructed in charitie, and vnto al the riches of the fulnes of vnderstanding, vnto the knowledge of the mysterie of God the Father of Christ Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ,
3. in whom be al the treasures of wisedom and knowledge hid.
4. But this I say Heretikes doe most commonly deceiue the people with eloquence namely such as haue it by guift of nature, as the Heretikes of al Ages had, & lightly al seditious persons, which draw the vulgar sort to sedition by allurement of their tongue. Nothing (saith S. Hierom, ep. 2. ad Nepotian. is so easie as with volubilitie of tongue to deceiue the vnlearned multitude, which whatsoeuer it vnderstandeth not, doth the more admire & wonder at the same. The Apostle here calleth it, πιθανολογίαν, persuasible speach. that no man deceiue you in loftiness of words.
5. For although I be absent in body, yet in Spirit I am with you; reioycing, and seeing your order, and the constancie of that your faith which is in Christ.
6. Therfore as you haue receiued Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ our Lord, walke in him,
7. rooted and built in him and confirmed in the faith, as also you haue learned, abounding in it in him in thanks-giuing.
8. Beware lest any man deceiue you By Philosophie.
Philosophie & other humane sciences how profitable or hurtful to the Church of God.
Philosophie and al humane science, so long as they be subiect and obedient to Christ (as they be in the Schooles of Christian Catholike men) be not forbidden, but are greatly commended and be very profitable in the Church of God. Otherwise where secular learning is made the rule of religion and commandeth faith, there it is pernicious & the cause of al heresie & infidelitie. For the which, S. Hierom & before him Tertul. cal Philosophers, the Patriarkes of Heretikes, & declare that al the old heresies rose only by too much admiring of prophane Philosophie. Hier. ad Ctesiph. cont. Pelag. c. 1. Tertul. de pręser. & cont. Hermo. & cont. Marcio. l. 5. And so doe these new Sects no doubt in many things.
The Protestants abuse Philosophie against the B. Sacrament.
For, other arguments haue they none against the presence of Christ in the B. Sacrament but such as they borow of Aristotle & his like, concerning quantitie, accidents, place, position, dimensions, senses, sight, tast, and other straits of reason, to which they bring Christes mysteries. Al Philosophical arguments therfore against any article of our faith be here condemned as deceitful, and are called also here, the tradition of men, and the elements of the world.
Schoole learning.
The better to resist which fallacies and traditions of Heathen men, the Schoole learning is necessarie, which keepeth Philosophie in awe and order of faith, and vseth the same to withstand the Philosophical and sophistical deceits of the Heretikes and Heathen. So the great Philosophers S. Denys. S. Augustin, Clemens Alexandrinus, Iustine, Lactantius and the rest, vsed the same to the great hononr of God and benefit of the Church. So came S. Cyprian, S. Ambrose, S. Hierom, and the Greek Fathers, furnished with al secular learning vnto the studie of Diuinitie, wherof see S. Hierom. ep. 84. ad Magnum Oratorem.
by Philosophie, & vaine fallacie; according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.
9. For in him dwelleth al the fulnesse of the Godhead corporally:
10. and you are in him replenished, who si the Head in al principalitie and power:
11. in whom al you are circumcised with circumcision not made by hand in spoiling of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,
12. buried with him in Baptisme: in whom also you are risen againe by the faith of the operation of God, who raised him vp from the dead.
13. And you * Eph. 2,1. when you were dead in the offenses and the prepuce of your flesh, did he quicken together with him; pardoning you al offenses,
14. wyping out the hand-writing by decrees of decree that was against vs, which was contrarie to vs. And the same he hath taken out of the way, fastning it to the crosse:
15. and spoiling the Principalities & Potestates, ἐδειγμάτισεν. hath lead them confidently in open shew, triumphing them in himself.
16. Let no man therfore iudge you In meate.
Scriptures abused by the Protestants against Christian fasting, and holydaies.
The Protestants wilfully or ignorantly applie al these kinds of forbearing meats, to the Christian fasts: but it is by the circumstance of the text plaine (as *S. Augustin also teacheth) that the Iudaical obseruation and distinction of certaine cleane and vncleane meats is forbidden to the Colossians, who were in danger to be seduced by certaine Iewes, vnder pretence of holines to keep the Law touching meats & festiuities & other like, which the Apostle sheweth wero only shadowes of things to come: which things are come, & therfore the said shadowes to cease. Where he nameth the Sabboth & feasts of the new moone, that no man need to doubt but that he speaketh only of the Iewish daies & kinds of fasts and feasts, and not of Christian holidaies or fasting daies at al.
* Aug. ep. 59. ad Paulin. in solut. 7. quæst.
in meat or in drinke, or in part of a festiual day, or of the New-moon, or of Sabboths:
17. which are a shadow of things to come, but the body Christs.
18. Let no man seduce you, That is, wilful or selfwilled in voluntarie religion. For that is, θέλων ἐν θϱήσκεία wherof commeth the word following ἐθελοθϱεςκεία, Superstition. v. 23. See Annot. v. 21. willing in the humilitie and Religion of Angels.
S Paules place concerning religion of Angels, explicated and that the Protestants wickedly abuse it against the due honour & inuocation the Angels.
By the like false application of this text as of the other before, the Heretikes abuse it against the inuocation or honour of Angels vsed in the Catholike Church, where the Apostle noteth the wicked doctrine of Simon Magus & others (See S. Chrys. ho. 7. in hunc locum, and Epiph. hær. 21.) who taught, Angels to be our Mediatours and not Christ, non tenens Caput, not holding the Head, as the Apostle speaketh, & prescribed Sacrifices to be offered vnto them, meaning indifferently as wel the il Angels as the good. Which doctrine the said Heretike had of Plato, who taught, that spirits (which he calleth dæmones) were to be honoured as Mediatours next to God. Against which S. Augustin disputeth li. 8. 9. & 10. de ciuit. as the condemneth also the same vndue worship li. 10. confes. cap. 42. S. Hierom (q. 10. ad algasiam) expoundeth this also of il spirits or Diuels, whom he proueth (out of S. Steuen's sermon Act. 7.) that the Iewes did worship, auouching that they serue them stil, so many of them and so often as they obserue the Law. Of which Idolatrie also to Angels Theodoret speaketh vpon this place, declaring, that the Iewes defended their superstition towards Angels by that, that the Law was giuen by them, deceitfully at once inducing the Colossians, both to keep the law, & to honouring of the Angels as the giuers of the same. Wherby diuers of the faithful were so seduced, that they forsooke Christ and his Church and seruice, and committed idolatrie to the said Angels. Against which abominations the Councel of Laodicea Cap. 35. tooke order, accursing al that forsooke our Sauiour and committed idolatrie to Angels, & contemning Christ, kept conuenticles in the name of spirits and Idols. Of which kind of worship of Angels and Diuels see Clemens Alexand. Strom. 3. Tertullian (li. 5. cont. Marc) expoundeth this place of the false Teachers that feined themselues to haue reuelation of Angels, that the Law should be kept touching difference of cleane and vncleane meats. Which is very agreable to that *in the Epistle to Timothee, where S. Paul calleth abstaining from meats after the Iewish or heretical manner, the doctrine of Diuels: wherof see more in the annotation vpon that place. Haimo a godly ancient Writer, vpon this place, saith further, that some Philosophers of the Gentils and some of the Iewes also taught, that there were foure Angels Presidents of the foure elements of man's body, and that in feined hypocrisie (which the Apostle here calleth humilitie) they pretended to worship by Sacrifice the said Angels. Theophylact expoundeth this feined humilitie, of certaine Heretikes, that pretending the mediatourship to be a derogation to Christ's maiestie, worshipped Angels as the only Mediatours. Al which we set downe with more diligence, that the Heretikes may be ashamed to abuse this place against the due reuerence & respect or praiers made to the holy Angels. Whom the Scriptures record so often to offer our praiers vp to God, & to haue been lawfully reuerenced of the Patriarkes, neuer as Gods, but as God's Ministers and messengers. Ios. 5. 14. Tob. 12. Gen. 48. 16. Angelus qui eruit me. 1. Tim. 5 21. And that they may be praied vnto, & can help & heare vs, see S. Hierom in cap. 10. Danielis. S. Ambrose in Psal. 118 serm. 1. S. Augustin li. 10. de ciuit. Dei c. 12. Bede li. 4. de Cantic. c. 24.
* 1 Tim. 4,1.
religion of Angels, walking in the things which he hath not seen, in vaine puffed vp by the sense of his flesh,
19. and Not holding the Head.
Because he hath much adoe with such false Preachers as taught the people to preferre the Angels which gaue the Law, or other whatsoeuer, before Christ, in this Epistle and to the Ephesians, he often affirmeth Christ to be our Head, yea and to be exalted farre aboue al creatures, Angels, Potestates, Principalities, or whatsoeuer.
not holding the Head, wherof the whole body by ioynts and bands being ἐπιχοϱηγούμενον, That is taking subminstration of spiritual life & nourishment by grace from Christ the head. serued and compacted, groweth to the increase of God.
20. If then you be dead with Christ, from the elements of this world; Why doe you.
Heretical translation.
A maruelous impudent translation of these words in the English Bibles thus: Why are you burdned with traditions? Wheras the *Greek hath not that signification: but to make the name of Tradition odious here they put it of purpose, not being in the Greek & in other places where Traditions are commended (1. Cor. 11. & 2. Thes. 2.) & where the Greek; is so most flatly (παραδόσεις) there they translate it, Instructions, Ordinances, &c.
* δογμαθίξετε.
why doe you yet δογματίζεσθε. decree as liuing in the world?
21. Touch not.
Scriptures abused against the Churches fasts.
The Heretikes (as before and alwaies) very vainely alleage this against the Catholike fastings: when it is most cleer that the Apostle reprehendeth the foresaid false Teachers that thought to make the Christians subiect to the obseruation of the ceremonies of the old Law, of not eating hogs, conies, hares-flesh, and such like, not to touch a dead corps nor any place where a woman in her floures had sitten, & other infinit doctrines of touching, tasting, washing, eating, and the rest, either commanded to the old people by God, or (as many things were) voluntarily taken vp by themselues, sometime cleane against God's ordinance, & often friuolous and superstitious. Which sort as Christ in the Ghospel, so here S. Paul calleth the precepts and doctrines of men, and superstition, and (as the Greek word signifieth) *voluntarie worship, that is inuented by Heretikes of their owne head without the warrant of Christ in the Scriptures, or the Holy Ghost in the Church, or any lawful authoritie of such whom Christ commandeth vs to obey. Against such Sect-maisters therfore as would haue yoked the faithful againe with the Iewish or Heretical fasts of Symon Magus and the like, S. Paul speaketh, and not of the Churches fasts or doctrines.
* ἐθελοθϱησκεία.
Touch not, tast not, handle not:
22. which things are al vnto destruction by the very vse, according to the precepts and doctrines of men.
23. Which are indeed Hauing a shew.
The hypocritical abstinance of old Heretikes, maketh nothing against true & sincere fastings, but commendeth it.
Againe the Heretikes of our time obiect, that these foresaid false Teachers pretended holines, wisedom, & chastisement of their bodies (for so S. Paul saith) by forbidding certaine meats according to the Iewes obseruation, euen as the Catholikes doe: It is true they did so, and so doe most vices imitate vertues. For if chastising of mens bodies & repressing their concupiscences & lustes were not godly, and if abstinence from some meats were not laudably & profitably vsed in the Church for the same purpose, no Heretikes (to induce the abolished obseruations & differences of meats of the Iewes, or the condemnation of certaine meats & creatures as abominable according to others) would haue falsely pretented the chastisement of their flesh, or made other shew of wisedom and pietie, to found their vnlawful Heretical or Iudaical superstition concerning the same. The Catholike Church & her children, by the example of Christ, S. Iohn Baptist, the Apostles, and other blessed men, doe that lawfully, godly, religiously, & sincerely indeed to the end a foresaid, which these false Apostles only pretended to doe. So *S. Paul did chastise his body indeed, by watching, fasting, and many other afflictons, and that was lawful, and was true wisedom and pietie indeed. The foresaid Heretikes not so, but to induce the Colossians to Iudaisme & other abominable errors, did but pretend these things in hypocrisie.
* 1 Cor. 9,27.
2. Cor. 11,27.
hauing a shew of wisedom in superstition and humilitie, and not to spare the body, not in any honour to the filling of the flesh.