Paul on the “Elementary Principles of the World” in Galatians 4:3 -- Occult Powers or Legalism?

In verse 3 of Galatians 4, Paul applies the legal analogy of heir and an estate mentioned in Galatians 4:1-2 to the situation at hand—Jewish legalism in Galatia. No doubt, Israel’s history is in Paul’s mind when making this analogy. He’s thinking of Israel’s liberation from their bondage in Egypt under cruel task masters.[1] “In the same way we also, when we were children, [we] were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.” The Greek term translated “elementary principles” is stoicheia (στοιχεια), which refers to the “rudimentary principles of morality and religion, more specifically the requirements of legalism by which people lived before Christ.”[2] When we were children [in Paul’s illustration], we were enslaved to the basic “principles of the world.”

A number of commentators contend the term refers to “angelic powers” or cosmic forces–spiritual and occult forces.[3] But as one writer points out, the connection of the stoicheia with immaturity, as well as the fact that the law is an instrument of bondage, supports the argument that the reference is more likely referring to, “elementary imperfect teaching . . . . To accept the Jewish law or some equivalent system is to come under slavery to some imperfect doctrine. But if stoicheia denotes elemental spirits, then it has to be explained how submitting to the regulations of the Jewish law is tantamount to being enslaved by these spirits.”[4]

In Galatia the basic principles of the world (perhaps a synonym for “this present evil age” – cf. Gal. 1:4) refers to the notion that it is indeed possible to be declared righteous before God based upon human merit or rewards earned through obedience to the law. This is contrary to Paul’s assertion that works of law do not justify.[5]

When compared to American civil religion, the stoicheia would be something along the lines of “good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell.” Or, “God looks on the heart and rewards those who are sincere and try their hardest.” Since most Americans believe that people are basically good,[6] many assume that everyone goes to heaven when they die, notorious evil doers excepted, something akin to Paul’s “basic principles.” Paul, on the contrary, teaches that all people are sinful and under God’s condemnation (Rom. 3:9-20). Only those in Christ are given eternal life and receive the forgiveness of sins.

Note: Taken from the Blessed Hope Podcast season one, episode eight, “Do You Want to Go Back to Slavery?” (Ephesians 4:1-20)

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[1] Moo, Galatians, 259.

[2] Fung, Galatians, 174-75.

[3] See the helpful discussion of this term in Bruce, Commentary on Galatians, 193-194; and Moo, Galatians, 260-63.

[4] Fung, Galatians, 190.

[5] Longenecker adds, “when talking about the Jewish experience, it was the Mosaic law in its condemnatory and supervisory functions that comprised the Jews’ “basic principles” of religion. Later in v. 9 when talking about the Gentile experience, it was paganism with its veneration of nature and cultic rituals that made up the Gentiles’ “basic principles” of religion.” See Longenecker, Galatians, on 4:3.

[6] https://georgebarna.com/2020/06/survey-majority-of-americans-no-longer-see-human-life-as-sacred-yet-see-humanity-as-basically-good/