<p>2:8 - see on Mt. 24:4.</p><p><i>Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit- </i>The Greek for &ldquo;spoil&rdquo; means literally to lead away as booty. There were clearly false teachers eager to lead off the Christian converts through deceitful philosophy; and their origin was clearly Jewish.</p><p><i>After the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ</i>- <br /><em>&ldquo;The tradition</em>&rdquo; is perhaps a reference to the Jewish Kabbala, 'the received tradition'; &ldquo;the world&rdquo; is the Jewish world.</p>