9.
by Lipsius, Holsten and Klépper, regards them as the astral spirits, the angels of the heavenly bodies. That the latter were regarded as animated by angels is certain, for we find this belief in Philo and Enoch (cf. Job xxxviii. 7, Jas. i. 17). But it is strange that the spirits of the stars should be called στ. +. κόσμου. And while they determine the seasons and festivals, they have nothing to do with many ceremonial observances, such as abstinence from meats and drinks. Spitta (followed by Everling, Sod., Haupt, and apparently Abb.) has the merit of giving the true interpretation. Accord- ing to the later Jewish theology, not only the stars but all things had their special angels. The proof of this belongs toa discussion of angelology, and must be assumed here. στ. τ. κόσ. are therefore the elemental spirits which animate all material things. They are so called from the elements which they animate, and are identical with the ἀρχαὶ κ. ἐξουσίαι, who receive this name from their sphere of authority. Thus all the abstinence from material things, sub- mission to material ordinances and so forth, involve a return to their service. We need not, with Ritschl, limit the refer- ence to the angels of the law, though they are included. Thus interpreted the passage gains its full relevance to the context, and to the angel worship of the false teachers which Paul is attacking.} The chief objection to this explanation is that we have no parallel for this usage of the word, except in the Test. Sol., ἡμεῖς ἐσμὲν τὰ λεγόμενα στοιχεῖα, οἱ κοσμοκράτορες τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. But this is late. The term is used in this sense in modern Greek. In spite of this the exegetical proof that personal beings are meant is too strong to be set aside. So we must explain, '' philosophy, having for its subject-matter the ele/ mental spirits”.—xal οὗ κατὰ Χριστόν must be taken similarly, not having Christ for its subject-matter. X. means the person of Christ, not teaching about Christ, and is opposed simply to στ., not to παρ. τ. ἄνθρ. The false teachers put these angels in the place of Christ.
Ver. 9. ὅτι is connected by Bleek and Meyer with οὐ κατὰ X., but it is much more probable that it should be connected with the whole warning introduced by βλέπετε. The false teachers represented the fulness of the Godhead as distributed among the angels, and thus led their victims captive. Paul’s warning against the false doctrine thus rests on the fact that it was in Christ that the whole ful-