Exegetical Brief: Colossians 2:14 What Was Nailed to the Cross?

Abstract

“In Colossians 2, Paul addresses an issue prominent in Scripture and surely prominent in the human heart universally, the inclination to view obedience to God’s law as meritorious and even salvific. In the process of presenting Christ as the ultimate in every respect, Paul describes the role of Christ’s cross in bringing spiritual victory. Surprisingly, the imagery of crucifixion in Colossians 2 does not highlight the obvious, that it was Christ who hung on wood and died for sinners. Rather, Paul focuses on something else that was nailed to a tree: τὸ χειρόγραφον”

In this exegetical brief Professor Geiger examines the vague term χειρόγραφον (“the written code”) and discusses its meaning in the context of Colossians, chapter 2.