And yet the church of antiquity, both East and West, thought that it did, as do 90% of the Christian churches today.
How do we suppose that everyone, or almost everyone, in history could get this uncomplicated verse (Col 2:16) so wrong?
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3. But they who cast him out continued blind, forasmuch as they cavilled at the Lord, that it was the
sabbath when He made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man. For when the Lord cured with a word, the
Jews openly cavilled. For He did no work on the
sabbath day, when He spoke, and it was done. It was a manifest cavil; they cavilled at Him merely commanding, they cavilled at Him speaking; as if they did not themselves speak all the
sabbath day. I might say that they do not speak not only on the
sabbath, but on no day, forasmuch as they have kept back from the praises of the True God. Nevertheless, as I have said, brethren, it was a manifest cavil. The Lord said to a certain man, Stretch forth your hand; he was made whole, and they cavilled for that He healed on the
sabbath day. What did He do? What work did He do? What burden did He bear? But in this instance, the spitting on the ground, the making clay, and anointing the man's eyes, is doing some work. Let no one
doubt it, it was doing a work. The Lord did break the
sabbath; but was not therefore guilty. What is that I have said, He broke the
sabbath? He, the Light had come, He was removing the shadows. For the
sabbath was enjoined by the
Lord God, enjoined by Christ Himself, who was with the
Father, when that Law was given; it was enjoined by Him, but in
shadow of what was to come. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an
holy day, or of the new moon, or of the
sabbath days, which are a
shadow of things to come. He had now come whose coming these things announced.
Why do the shadows delight us? Open your eyes, you Jews; the Sun is present. We know. What do ye
know, you blind in heart? What
know ye? That this man is not of
God, because he thus breaks the
sabbath day. The
sabbath, unhappy men, this very
sabbath did Christ ordain, who you say is not of
God. You observe the
sabbath in a carnal manner, you have not the spittle of
Christ. In this earth of the
sabbath look also for the spittle of
Christ, and you will understand that by the
sabbath Christ was prophesied. But you, because you have not the spittle of Christ in the earth upon your eyes, you have not come unto Siloa, and have not washed the face, and have continued blind, blind to the good of this blind man, yea now no longer blind either in body or heart. He received clay with the spittle, his eyes were anointed, he came to Siloa, he washed his face, he
believed on Christ, he saw, he continued not in that exceedingly fearful judgment; For judgment I came into this world, that they which see not may see, and that they which see may be made blind.
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CHURCH FATHERS: Sermon 86 on the New Testament (Augustine)