What Colossians 2:8 Says about Philosophy

What Colossians 2:8 Says about Philosophy

What Colossians 2:8—”Beware lest any man spoil (esomai-2071) you through philosophy (philosophia-5385) and vain deceit, after the tradition (paradosis-3862) of men, after the rudiments (stoicheion-4747) of the world (kosmos-2889), and not after Christ.

1.  The English word philosophy is used only once in AV, N.T.

2.  Spoil---esomai is in future tense i.e. what will follow.

3.  Philosophy---philosophia refers to Jewish sophistry.  Sophists were teachers of logic.

4.  Tradition---paradosis-the transmission of Jewish law.

5.  Rudiments---stoicheion-the principles or propositions

6.  World-kosmos---the people of the world.  In this case what the people of the world base their beliefs upon—their philosophical beliefs.