basic+elements

στοιχεῖον, ου, τό (since Aristoph., X., Pla.; also BGU 959, 2) in our lit. only pl.

① basic components of someth., elements

ⓐ of substances underlying the natural world, the basic elements fr. which everything in the world is made and of which it is composed (Pla. et al.; PGM 4, 440; Wsd 7:17; 19:18; 4 Macc 12:13; Ath., R. 3 p. 51, 17), to disappear in the world conflagration at the end of time 2 Pt 3:10, 12 (Ath. 22, 3; lit. s.v. καυσόω). The four elements of the world (earth, air, fire, water) Hv 3, 13, 3 (cp. Diog. L. 7, 137 [Zeno the Stoic] ἔστι δὲ στοιχεῖον, ἐξ οὗ πρώτου γίνεται τὰ γινόμενα καὶ εἰς ὸ̔ ἔσχατον ἀναλύεται … τὸ πῦρ, τὸ ὕδωρ, ὁ ἀήρ, ἡ γῆ; Plut., Mor. 875c; Philo, Cher. 127 τὰ τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα; Jos., Ant. 3, 183.—JKroll, Die Lehren des Hermes Trismegistos 1914, 178ff; ESchweizer, JBL 107, ’88, 455–68). πῦρ … ὕδωρ … ἄλλο τι τῶν στοιχείων Dg 8:2; cp. 7:2 (s. b).

ⓑ of basic components of celestial constellations, heavenly bodies (Ar. 3, 2; Just., A II, 5, 2; Diog. L. 6. 102 τὰ δώδεκα στοιχεῖα of the signs of the zodiac; POsl 4, 18 δώδεκα στ. τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; Ps.-Callisth. 13, 1.—PGM 4, 1303 the ‘Bear’ is called a στοιχεῖον ἄφθαρτον.—Rtzst., Poim. 69ff, Herr der Grösse 13ff; Diels [s. below] 53f; JvanWageningen, Τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου: ThSt 35, 1917, 1–6; FColson, The Week 1926, 95ff) Dg 7:2.

ⓒ of things that constitute the foundation of learning, fundamental principles (X., Mem. 2, 1, 1; Isocr. 2, 16; Plut., Lib. Educ. 16, 2; Just., A I, 60, 11) or even letters of the alphabet, ABC’s (Pla. et al.) τὰ στ. τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν λογίων τοῦ θεοῦ the very elements of the truths of God Hb 5:12. This mng. is also prob. for the passages in Gal (4:3, 9 NEB ‘elementary ideas belonging to this world’; cp. LBelleville, JSNT 26, ’86, 53–78) and Col; s. next.

② transcendent powers that are in control over events in this world, elements, elemental spirits. The mng. of στ. in τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου Gal 4:3; Col 2:8, 20 (for the expr. στοιχ. τ. κόσμου cp. SibOr 2, 206; 3, 80f; 8, 337) and τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα Gal 4:9 is much disputed. For a survey s. EBurton, ICC Gal 1921, 510–18. Some (e.g. Burton, Goodsp.) prefer to take it in sense 1c above, as referring to the elementary forms of religion, Jewish and polytheistic, which have been superseded by the new revelation in Christ (so also WKnox, St. Paul and the Church of the Gentiles ’39, 108f; RGrant, HTR 39, ’46, 71–3; ACramer, Stoicheia Tou Kosmou, ’61 [the unregenerate tendencies within humans]).—Others (e.g. WBauer, Mft., NRSV) hold that the ref. is to the elemental spirits which the syncretistic religious tendencies of later antiquity associated w. the physical elements (Herm. Wr. Κόρη κόσμου in Stob. I 409 W.=Sc. 486ff, esp. 486, 23; 25; 490, 14: the στοιχεῖα, fire, air, water, earth, complain to the deity who is over all; Orph. Hymn. 5, 4; 66, 4 Qu.; Ps.-Callisth. 1, 3 [s. below Pfister p. 416f]; Simplicius In Aristot. De Caelo 1, 3 p. 107, 15 Heiberg.—MDibelius, Geisterwelt 78ff; 228ff, Hdb. z. NT² exc. on Col 2:8; ELohmeyer, Col 1930, 4–8; 103–5; FPfister, Die στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου in den Briefen des Ap. Pls: Philol. 69, 1910, 411–27; GMacgregor: ACPurdy Festschr. ’60, 88–104); they were somet. worshiped as divinities (Vett. Val. 293, 27; Philo, Vita Cont. 3 τοὺς τὰ στοιχεῖα τιμῶντας, γῆν, ὕδωρ, ἀέρα, πῦρ. Cp. Diels [s. below] 45ff; Schweizer 1a above). It is not always easy to differentiate betw. this sense and that of 1b above, since heavenly bodies were also regarded as personal beings and given divine honors.—HDiels, Elementum 1899; ABonhöffer, Epiktet u. das NT 1911, 130ff; OLagercrantz, Elementum 1911 (p. 41 στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου=θεμέλια τοῦ κόσμου); BEaston, The Pauline Theol. and Hellenism: AJT 21, 1917, 358–82; KDieterich, Hellenist. Volksreligion u. byz.-neugriech. Volksglaube: Αγγελος I 1925, 2–23; on Gal 4 and Col 2, GKurze, D. στοιχεῖα τ. κόσμου: BZ 15, 1927, 335; WHatch, Τὰ στοιχεῖα in Paul and Bardaisân: JTS 28, 1927, 181f; JHuby, Στοιχεῖα dans Bardesane et dans St. Paul: Biblica 15, ’34, 365–68; on Gal 4:3, 9 and Col 2:8, 20, LScheu, Die ‘Weltelemente’ beim Ap. Pls: diss. Cath. Univ., Washington ’34; BReicke, JBL 70, ’51, 259–76 (Gal 4:1–11); WBrownlee, Messianic Motifs of Qumran and the NT, NTS 3, ’56/57, 195–210; MKiley, SBLSP 25, ’86, 236–45.—RAC IV 1073–1100; B. 1501. DELG s.v. στείχω. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.

⁺ τό N 2 0-0-0-0-3=3 4 Mc 12,13; Wis 7,17; 19,18

elemental substances, (four basic) elements

Cf. LARCHER 1984 468-469; 1985 759; SHIPP 1979, 518; →NIDNTT

δουλεύω fut. δουλεύσω; 1 aor. ἐδούλευσα; pf. δεδούλευκα J 8:33, ptc. δεδουλευκώς 2 Cl 17:7 (Aeschyl., Hdt.+; the basic diff. between master and slave is stated Aeschyl., Pr. 927).

① to be owned by another, be a slave, be subjected

ⓐ lit., of Hagar and Jerusalem Gal 4:25. τινί to someone (Jos., Ant. 4, 115.—C. Ap. 2, 128 the Egyptians claim τὸ μηδενὶ δουλεῦσαι. Likew. in Appian, Bell. Civ. 4, 67 §286 the Rhodians are proud ἕνεκα τύχης ἐς τὸ νῦν ἀδουλώτου; Diod S 5, 15, 3 the Iolaës of Sardinia have maintained their freedom ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα … μέχρι τοῦ νῦν; in 5, 15, 4 even the Carthaginians οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν [αὐτοὺς] … καταδουλώσασθαι) J 8:33; Ac 7:7 (Gen 15:14); Ro 9:12; B 13:2 (both Gen 25:23; cp. Jos., Ant. 1, 275); 13:5 (Gen 48:19 altered after 25:23); 1 Cl 31:4 (Jacob by Laban [Gen 29:15, 20]; cp. Just., D. 134, 3).

ⓑ in imagery: of a change in masters Ro 7:6.

② to act or conduct oneself as one in total service to another, perform the duties of a slave, serve, obey.

ⓐ be in service to personal beings

α. to humans, w. dat. of pers. (PHal 1, 219 [III B.C.] ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεὺς τῷ Ἀλεξανδρεῖ μὴ δουλευέτω) Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13; 2 Cl 6:1 (on being a slave to more than one master s. Billerb. on Mt 6:24; Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 203 II, 13f; 206, 16ff). τοσαῦτα ἔτη δ. σοι I have slaved for you so many years Lk 15:29, a statement about toil rather than actual status (cp. Gen 31:41). Abs. ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ 2 Cl 11:1; μᾶλλον δ. let them be all the better slaves 1 Ti 6:2; πλέον δ. IPol 4:3. On Eph 6:7, see β. Fig., of loving service ἀλλήλοις Gal 5:13. δίκαιον εὖ δουλεύοντα πόλλοις 1 Cl 16:12 (Is 53:11).

β. to transcendent beings, esp. in expressions relating to God or Jesus Christ as recipients of undivided allegiance, for, as indicated in α, a slave can take orders from only one master δ. τῷ θεῷ serve God, where God is thought of as κύριος, and a human as δοῦλος (Eur., Or. 418; Ex 23:33; Philo, Cher. 107, Somn. 2, 100; Jos., Ant. 7, 367; 8, 257; SibOr 3, 740; Orig., C. Cels. 8, 8, 17; cp. τοῖ κτισθεῖσιν ἀντὶ θεοῦ 3, 15, 17): Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13 (on both cp. Sextus 574 οὐκ ἔστιν ἅμα δουλεύειν ἡδονῇ κ. θεῷ); 1 Th 1:9; 2 Cl 11:1; 17:7; Pol 2:1 (Ps 2:11); 6:3; MPol 9:3; Hm 8:6; 12, 6, 2; Hs 4:2; Dg 2:5 τῷ δημιουργῷ; 1 Cl 26:1. τῷ Χριστῷ Ro 14:18; cp. 16:18; Col 3:24; abs. μετʼ εὐνοίας δ. render service (to your masters) w. good will Eph 6:7 (through wordplay Jesus Christ, as κύριος, is here viewed as the ultimate recipient of the slave’s service); τῷ κυρίῳ (Judg 2:7; 1 Km 7:4; 12:20) Ac 20:19; Ro 12:11 (v.l. τῷ καιρῷ.—δ. τῷ καιρῷ means ‘accommodate oneself to the occasion’ [Plut., Arat. 1047 [43, 2]; Pallad.: Anth. Pal. 9, 441; Procop. Soph., Ep. 113 H. δουλεύειν τῇ χρείᾳ καὶ πείθεσθαι τῷ καιρῷ. The contrast is with πράττειν ὅσα τις βούλεται, or Herodas 2, 9f: ζῶμεν οὐχ ὡς βουλόμεσθʼ, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἡμέας ὁ καιρὸς ἕλκει], and can have the unfavorable connotation ‘be an opportunist’; for this reason it is expressly rejected for this pass. by Athanas., Origen-Rufinus, and Jerome, but they may be interested in sanitizing the text. S. Ltzm. ad loc.); Hv 4, 2, 5; Hs 1:7; 4:5ff; 6, 3, 6; 8, 6, 2; the Holy Spirit 5, 6, 5; 7; elements or elemental spirits Gal 4:9, cp. vs. 8 (in a relig. sense also PGM 13, 72 κύριε, δουλεύω ὑπὸ τὸν σὸν κόσμον τῷ σῷ ἀγγέλῳ; lesser divinities [δαίμονες] Just., D. 83, 4; Tat. 17, 3).

ⓑ to things, by fig. ext. of mng. in a: Be a slave to sin Ro 6:6; the law (Orig., C. Cels. 5, 6, 28) 7:25; desire Hm 12, 2, 5; Tit 3:3 (X., Mem. 1, 5, 5, Apol. 16; Pla., Phdr. 238e ἡδονῇ; Polyb. 18, 15, 16; Herodian 1, 17, 9; Philo, Cher. 71; Jos., Ant. 15, 91 δ. ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις; Iren., 1, 6, 3 [Harv. I 56, 2]); the virtues Hv 3, 8, 8; m 12, 3, 1; faith m 9:12; τῇ κοιλίᾳ the belly, i.e. appetite (γαστρί X., Mem. 1, 6, 8; Anth. 11, 410, 4; cp. Ath. 31, 2) Ro 16:18. εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον serve in the gospel Phil 2:22. For Ro 12:11 v.l. καιρῷ s. 2aβ.—M-M. TW.