And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
All Commentaries on Colossians 1:18 Go To Colossians 1
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
For the resurrection we Christians know already has come to pass in our head, and in the members it is yet to be. The head of the church is Christ, the members of Christ are the church. That which has preceded in the head will follow in the body. This is our hope; for this we believe, for this we endure and persevere amid so great perverseness of this world, hope comforting us, before that hope becomes reality.