What does Colossians 2:21 mean by "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch"? Text and Immediate Translation 20 “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations: 21 ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch’? 22 These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such practices indeed have an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” The triad “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” ( mē hapsei, mē geusē, mē thigēis) represents specific, man-made taboos being imposed on the Colossian believers by ascetic teachers. --- Historical Setting in Colossae Colossae lay along the Lycus valley of Asia Minor, a trade corridor where Jewish diaspora, Phrygian mystery cults, and emerging Gnostic ideas mingled. Excavations at nearby Laodicea (e.g., 2015 Turkish Ministry of Culture campaign) show syncretistic inscriptions combining Yahweh with Sabazios, illustrating exactly the kind of hybrid spirituality Paul corrects. Jewish dietary scruples (kosher), Greek asceticism (Orphic fasts), and local angel-veneration (cf. Colossians 2:18) blended into a rules-based spirituality promising “higher knowledge.” --- Literary Context inside the Epistle 1. 2:8 – a warning against “philosophy and empty deceit.” 2. 2:16 – “Let no one judge you” regarding food, drink, festivals, new moons, Sabbaths. 3. 2:17 – these are “a shadow,” Christ is the “substance” (sōma). 4. 2:19 – false teachers are “not holding fast to the Head,” so their piety is decapitated. Verses 20-23 form Paul’s crescendo: if believers died with Christ (union with His crucifixion, cf. Romans 6:4-8), human taboos have lost jurisdiction. --- Grammatical Note on the Triple Prohibition Greek imperatives appear in quotation marks because Paul is citing the slogans of the false guides. The escalating verbs move from minimal contact (handle) to basic ingestion (taste) to even brushing (touch), echoing rabbinic hedges around Torah (e.g., m. Avot 1:1, “make a fence around the Law”). Paul’s brevity ridicules the treadmill of ever-shrinking freedoms. --- Theological Meaning 1. Union with Christ’s Death • When Christ fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17) and nullified its condemning certificate (Colossians 2:14), His people also “died” to the stoicheia (elementary principles). Earth-bound regulations are for the pre-Cross classroom; graduates need not return to class. 2. Supremacy of Christ over Asceticism • Christ’s resurrection life supplies inner power (Colossians 3:1-4). External prohibitions cannot crucify lust; only the Spirit does (Galatians 5:16-25). 3. Temporary Nature of Perishing Things • “These will all perish with use” points both to the food that decomposes (Jesus in John 6:27) and to temporary regulations abolished in the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:10). --- Connection to Old Testament Law Mosaic dietary and purity laws (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14) were good, pedagogical, and typological. But Acts 10, Mark 7:19 (“By this He declared all foods clean”), and the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) show their ceremonial phase ended. Paul defends Law as holy (Romans 7:12) yet incomplete without Christ (Galatians 3:24). Colossians 2:21 disallows resurrecting ceremonial shadows as salvation requirements. --- Contrast with Biblical Self-Discipline Scripture endorses fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), bodily training (1 Corinthians 9:27), and voluntary abstentions for weaker brothers (Romans 14). The problem is not discipline but idolizing it. When abstinence is prescribed as gateway to fullness, it mutinies against the Gospel. --- Archaeological Illustration The Dead Sea Scroll “Rule of the Community” (1QS VI) catalogs touch-and-taste bans among Essenes. Paul shows that Christianity, rooted in the same Scripture, diverges decisively in granting liberty through the Messiah. Excavations at Qumran (e.g., ink-well rooms) confirm Essene rigor, highlighting how novel Paul’s freedom sounded in the 1st century. --- Christ’s Resurrection as the Foundation of Liberty Paul grounds every ethical instruction in the historical resurrection (Colossians 3:1). Minimal Facts research (1 Corinthians 15 creed dated ≤ 5 years post-crucifixion; multiple independent appearances; empty tomb attested by hostile sources) verifies that believers truly share in a living Christ, not a philosophy. Hence, man-made diets cannot augment a completed victory. --- Practical Application for Today 1. Avoid judging fellow believers over non-moral preferences (coffee, gluten, media). 2. Celebrate God-given material creation: “Everything created by God is good” (1 Timothy 4:4). Intelligent design underscores that matter is God’s craftsmanship, not illusion to escape. 3. Pursue inward holiness empowered by the Spirit; external forms are servants, never masters. 4. Guard churches from modern legalisms (political shibboleths, ascetic trends, prosperity rules). --- Key Cross-References • Mark 7:8-9 – “You have let go of the command of God and are holding on to human tradition.” • Romans 14:17 – “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” • 1 Timothy 4:1-5 – Warning against those who forbid marriage and certain foods. • Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” --- Conclusion “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” epitomizes hollow religiosity that obsesses over transient material rules yet lacks power to subdue sin. In Christ’s finished cross-work and verified resurrection, believers died to such elemental scaffolding and now live by the indwelling Spirit. Any spirituality that re-enslaves through extra-biblical taboos denies both the sufficiency of Christ and the goodness of His creation. |
    |