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"Among the Greeks and Romans the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who
were charged with duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better
class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them
before arriving at the age of manhood" (Thayer).
In chapter 4: the Apostle returns to the figure, this time using the double office
"tutor and governor", epitropos and oikonomos, guardians, having special reference to the
manners and morals of the child; and stewards, dealing more particularly with the
property of the child. When Paul called himself "the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you
Gentiles" and went on to speak of the "dispensation" (oikonomia) that had been given to
him, he knew that many stewards were slaves although promoted to high responsibility.
The Apostle takes one more step in the pursuit of this figure, and this time he speaks
of "the elements of the world" instead of pedagogue, guardian or steward. The word
"element" is stoicheion from stoichos a row, rank or series, hence any first thing or
principle. It denotes (1) The letters of the alphabet; (2) The elements out of which the
universe is composed; (3) The heavenly bodies, partly because of the regulation by them
of times and seasons. Thus we have three developments of one argument revolving
around the employment of three related figures:
(1)
The pedagogue.
(2)
The tutor and governor.
(3)
The elements of the world.
It is evident that in the last figure, the Apostle reaches his point and consequently,
while we need not know much about pedagogues or tutors to appreciate his argument, we
need to be well acquainted with his use of the words stoicheion "elements" and stoicheo
"to walk as by rule".
Stoicheion is used by Paul five times as follows:
"The elements of the world" (Gal. 4: 3).
"Weak and beggarly elements" (Gal. 4: 9).
"After the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2: 8).
"If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in
the world, are ye subject to ordinances" (Col. 2: 20).
"Ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of
God" (Heb. 5: 12).
Stoicheo is used of or by Paul five times, as follows:
"Thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law" (Acts 21: 24).
"Who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham" (Rom. 4: 12).
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5: 25).
"As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them" (Gal. 6: 16).
"Let us walk by the same rule" (Phil. 3: 16).
The reader will doubtless have called to mind the context of some of these references.
The Galatians were being put into bondage by the imposition of the stoicheia of the law,
whereas the Colossians were being put into bondage by the imposition of the stoicheia