Fragments on the Letter to the Galatians · §4 · Gennadius of Constantinople

The elemental principles as observances of days, water, and fire

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Gennadius is explaining what Paul meant by the elemental principles of the world, offering an alternative interpretation to the introductory law.

Or he calls the elemental principles days, water, and fire. The observances of these came from the law that led into slavery: days in sabbaths, new moons, and circumcisions; water in bodily purifications and baptisms; fire in not kindling fire on the sabbaths but eating stale food. But see what a strange thing Eusebius said about this in the fourth book of his Proof of the Gospel. "It is not for your good," Paul says, "that they welcome your same faith in Christ, but so that, having shut you out of it, they may persuade you to follow themselves. This has been contrived by them for your deception."

Greek

ἢ στοιχεῖα καλεῖ ἡμέρας, ὕδωρ, πῦρ ὧν ἦσαν ἐκ τοῦ εἰς δουλείαν ὑπαγαγόντος νόμου αἱ παρατηρήσεις· ἡμερῶν μὲν

ἔν τε σαββάτοις καὶ νουμηνίαις καὶ περιτομαῖς, ὕδατος δὲ ἐν ταῖς σωματικαῖς ἁγνείαις καὶ βαπτισμοῖς, πυρὸς δὲ ἐν τῷ μὴ ἀνακαίειν πῦρ ἐν τοῖς σαββάτοις ἀλλ' ἕωλα ἐσθίειν. ὅρα δὲ τί εἶπεν εἰς τοῦτο ξένον ὁ Εὐσέβιος ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ λόγῳ τῆς Εὐαγγελικῆς ἀποδείξεως.{Gal 4,17 1} Οὐκ ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ, φησί, τὴν αὐτὴν ὑμῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν ἀσπάζονται, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμᾶς ταύτης ἐκκλείσαντες ἑαυτοῖς ἀναπείσωσιν ἕπεσθαι, πρὸς ὑμετέραν ἀπάτην τὸ τοιοῦτον αὐτοῖς μεμηχάνηται.

About this text

A few notes on Galatians: Christ as the one mediator for all nations, the Law as a wall until faith came, and what the "elemental principles" are.

Gennadius of Constantinople (d. 471) was patriarch from 458. This file holds his fragments on the Letter to the Galatians, not a full commentary.

Moses mediated the law for one nation. The mediator for every nation is Christ, truly God and truly human, who makes the two one. The law was not given to cancel the promise. It walled people in until justification by faith.

Paul's elemental principles are not the sun and the moon. They are the first lessons of the law, or the observances of days, water, and fire. Gennadius notes a strange remark of Eusebius in the fourth book of the Proof of the Gospel, then Paul's warning that some welcome the Galatians only to shut them out.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 85 (Greek)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.