Original Word: φιλοσοφία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: philosophia
Phonetic Spelling: (fil-os-of-ee'-ah)
Short Definition: love of wisdom, philosophy
Definition: love of wisdom, philosophy, in the NT of traditional Jewish theology.

5385 philosophía (from 5384 /phílos, "a friend" and 4678 /sophía, "wisdom") – properly, a friend (lover) of wisdom (used only in Col 2:8).

5835/philosophía ("philosophy") in Col 2:8 refers to secular philosophy – elevating human wisdom over the wisdom of God. Such 5385 (philosophía) is loving one's own thoughts (secular wisdom) at the expense of God's Word (true wisdom).

[5385 (philosophía) is the root of the English term "philosophy" and used only of the vain pursuit of wisdom in the NT. That is, the pursuit of truth apart from the revelation of God's Word.]

STRONGS NT 5385: φιλοσοφία

φιλοσοφία, φιλοσοφίας, ἡ (from φιλόσοφος), properly, love (and pursuit) of wisdom; used in the Greek writings of either zeal for or skill in any art or science, any branch of knowledge, see Passow, under the word (cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word). Once in the N. T. of the theology, or rather theosophy, of certain Jewish-Christian ascetics, which busied itself with refined and speculative inquiries into the nature and classes of angels, into the ritual of the Mosaic law and the regulations of Jewish tradition respecting practical life: Colossians 2:8; see Grimm on 4 Macc. 1:1, p. 298f; (Lightfoot on Colossians, the passage cited, and Prof. Westcott in B. D., under the word Philosophy).

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

philosophy.

From philosophos; "philosophy", i.e. (specially), Jewish sophistry -- philosophy.

see GREEK philosophos

Forms and Transliterations

φιλοσοφιας φιλοσοφίας philosophias philosophías

Links

Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts