Cheirographon

“Cheirographon”

Gen.15 is the ‘Promise Covenant’ – ‘The Book of the Covenant’ (Ex.19:5-24:8 – also called ‘the inheritance’ at Gal.3:18) is the ‘Answer’ to the Promise (Gen.15 – the ‘Promise Covenant’) made 430 years earlier (Gal.3:17/Ex.12:41- Gen15:13/16). Paul tells us that once a covenant is ‘confirmed’ i.e. ‘ratified’ you can neither add to it or take anything away from it (Gal.3:15). This is huge; for that means that the ‘law’ spoken of at Ex.24:12 is not – nor can it ever be covenant. This will be explained later being that Ex.24:12 is that place of first mention for what will be revealed as the parameters of the Book of the Law – With Dt.31:26 being that law of last mention; being Moses’ closing words actually coining the name ‘Book of the Law’. This has great bearing directly from Torah on the Apostle Paul’s use of ‘cheirographon’ (handwriting) at Col.2:14 and what was “nailed” that was ‘Against Us’. According to Torah; Moses recorded that the Law would be ‘Against Us’ not our record of sin debt.

There are those among the Christian and Messianic communities that continually stake the claim that ‘Against Us’ at Col.2:14 does not mean the law – it means the record of sin debt, by various means and platitudes. Wrong! These sin ‘debt’ proponents erroneously do so by claiming the word ‘handwriting’ translated from the Greek ‘cheirographon’ means: the itemized record of individual sin debt infractions, that were anciently recorded on clay tablets. The more scholarly may point to the Apocrypha; pointing to such places as the book of Tobit (5:2) to prove a support for this definition.

First – #1 thing first; right off the top, the Apocrypha is not Torah. Nothing can be above Torah or in place of Torah; this cannot be overstressed – intelligently or honestly ignored. Second; ‘cheirographon’ is a neutral; it can both mean the written enacting of law ‘or’ the recording of individual indebtedness to that law. Third; revealing this ploy to be neither scholastically accurate, forthright, ‘fully-accounted-for’ (a ‘truism’) or fully disclosed. Which would confuse all being taught in this sin ‘debt’ – record of sin NOT the law way.

G5498 – χειρόγραφον – cheirographon – khi-rog’-raf-on
**Neuter** of a compound of G5495 and G1125; something hand written (“chirograph”),that is, a manuscript (specifically a legal document *or* bond (figuratively): – handwriting.

“gramma” (Strong’s G1121)
1) a letter
2) *any* writing, a document (such as a law) or record …

Col.2:14 Blotting out the handwritingG5498 of ordinances that was **against us**, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

(Bible defining Bible verbiage; from Torah below)

Dt.31:26 Take this *’book of the law’*, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of YHWH your Elohim, that it may be there for a **witness against you**.

And if that were not enough the context of Dt.31 (Torah defining Torah) reveals the same scathing rebuffing reproof of Moses ‘against’ the Israelites;

Dt 31:19 … that this song may be a witness for me **against** the children of Israel.

Dt 31:20 … then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and **break my covenant**.

Dt 31:21 … that this song shall testify **against** them as a witness;

Dt 31:26 … that it may be there for a witness **against** thee.

Dt 31:27 … ye have been rebellious **against** YHWH; and how much more after my death?

Dt 31:28 … that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record **against** them.

Dt 31:29 For I know that after my death ye will **utterly corrupt yourselves**…

So; the Torah context of Dt.31 defines the use of ‘cheirographon’ at Col.2:14

It is the ‘law’ being dealt with NOT some imagination of individual ‘sin debt’

In the case of appealing to NT, TaNaK, Apocrypha, Talmud, etc. – 1st off you cannot use Bible to wrench a position against itself – This is not honest. 2nd these others are not scripture.

I do agree that these other writings can be used as witness IF they agree with and not in disparagement to direct Bible witness – Especially direct Torah witness

While I do concede that there is room for this ‘sin debt’ alternate interpretation in other applications – the ‘against us’ of the Col.2 text directly ID’s Dt.31’s enactment of ‘law’.

Ergo the duality of “cheirographon” in this case means ‘the law’

The best that the definition of “cheirographon” as ‘sin debt’ can claim is in addition to / along side the definition as ‘law’. In the case of Col.2 it cannot claim exclusivity for that distinction would have to be ‘the enactment of law’ as Dt.31 suggests.

Shalom