The life and work of St. Paul

616 THB LIFE AND WORK OF ST. PAUL.
Essene teacher. The doctrine of Christ as the Divine Word, the Likeness
of God manifested to men the Pre-existent Lord of the created world could
alone divert them from the dualism and ascetic rigour which their Phrygian
mysticism and mental proclivities had led them to introduce into the system
of Christianity. And therefore having spoken of Christ, he shows "His
absolute supremacy in relation to the universe, the nativral creation (15 17),
and in relation to the Church, the new moral creation (ver. 18)." *
" Who is the Image of the Unseen God, the First-born of all Creation, since in
Him all things were created 2 in the heavens and upon the earth, the things seen
and the things unseen, whether 'thrones' or 'dominations,' '
principalities '
or
'
powers '
: 3 all things have been created 4 by Him and unto Him : and HE is 5 before
aU things, and in Him all things cohere and ; He is the head of the body the
Church who is the ;
origin, the first-born from the dead, that He and none otber
may become the Presiding Power in all things because in Him God ; thought good
tbat the whole Plenitude 6 should permanently dwell, 7 and by Him to reconcile all
things to Himself, making peace by the blood of His cross ; by Him, whether the
things on tbe earth or the things in the heavens. And you, who once were alienated
and enemies in your purpose, in the midst of wicked works, yet now were ye
1 Dr. Lightfoot, in his valuable note (p. 209), shows that Christ is spoken of first in
relation to God the word tlmav involving the two ideas of Representation and Manifestation
; and, secondly, in relation to created things the words rrptoroTcwco? iro