ELEMENTAL SPIRITS IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES (SANTAMARIA)

ELEMENTAL SPIRITS IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES

FOREWORD

This is a passage much spoken about. We add it for the benefit of the brethren.

Guillermo Santamaria

In Colossians, the “elemental spirits of the world” (Greek: ta stoicheia tou kosmou) refers to the basic, this-worldly powers and principles—both spiritual and ideological—that held people in bondage before and apart from Christ, expressed in religious rules, ascetic practices, and philosophies that look “spiritual” but are ultimately subChristian and enslaving.

The Greek phrase: ta stoicheia tou kosmou

The key words are stoicheia (“elements,” “basic components”) and kosmos (“world”), together meaning “the elements/basic forces of the world.” In Greek usage, stoicheia could denote letters of the alphabet, basic principles of learning, the physical elements (earth, air, fire, water), or even the stars and heavenly bodies seen as cosmic powers. Second Temple Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts expanded stoicheia to include personified cosmic forces or spirits associated with these elements and heavenly bodies.

USAGE OF THE TERM IN PAGAN GREEK WRITINGS

In secular Greek literature, stoicheia (στοιχεῖα) most commonly referred to the basic elements or building blocks of reality, often fire, water, air, and earth, but also letters of the alphabet or fundamental principles. The term is not specifically used for demons or spiritual powers as in later Jewish and Christian contexts, but sometimes it is associated with cosmic or astral processes.

Below are selected examples from classical Greek texts, with direct translations drawn from the source material:

Plato, Timaeus 48b-c and 53c-d

“For many have held that there are four bodies which are always and only so many, and have described them as the first elements (stoicheia) of all things: fire, water, air, and earth.” (Many say that there are always four, and only four, and that these are the stoicheia of everything.)

Plato, Theaetetus 201e

“[Letters] are the elements (stoicheia) of all words…”στοιχεῖα πάντων τῶν ὀνομάτων ([Stoicheia] of all names/words).

Aristotle, Meteorologica I.3 (339a, paraphrased)

“There are bodies which are the elements (stoicheia) of all bodies, and all other bodies are composed of them…these are fire, water, air, and earth.”

Philo of Alexandria, De Opificio Mundi (On the Creation), 8

“He [Moses] says that God made the world using its four elements (stoicheia): earth, water, air, and fire,” blending Hellenistic and biblical cosmology.

Summary:

Stoicheia in Greek literature nearly always means elements or building blocks, most often in physical or linguistic contexts—letters as “elements” of words, or the four elements as “elements of bodies.” Later Hellenistic and Jewish writers begin to treat the stars and heavenly bodies as animated or divine, and the language of “elements” can then shade into the language of cosmic beings or powers. The term only expands to include spiritual powers or demons later, through Jewish apocalyptic and Christian use.

Where Colossians mentions them

Colossians uses this phrase twice: “according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (2:8) and “why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations…according to the elemental spirits of the world?” (2:20). In both places the phrase is linked with human tradition, regulations like “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,” and a philosophy that is “not according to Christ.” This shows these “elemental spirits” are closely tied to religious and philosophical systems that function as rival authorities to Christ in the Colossian church.²

Major interpretive options

Scholars and theologians usually cluster around three related readings:

• Elementary principles: the ABCs of religion—basic teachings or rudiments of the world, whether Jewish law or pagan ritual, now obsolete in light of Christ.
• Elemental spirits: spiritual beings or demonic powers working through nature-religion, astral piety, or folk beliefs.
• Combined reading: spiritual powers expressed in and working through religious rules, ascetic practices, and human philosophies. On this view, the stoicheia are both personal powers and the structures they inhabit.³

These excerpts illustrate the term’s natural, physical, or linguistic usage in Greek philosophy, rather than as personal beings. They also show how stoicheia could easily be extended, in later contexts, to speak of the basic “elements” of religious or philosophical systems as well as the building blocks of the cosmos.¹

The “spirits” or “principles” background

In wider Greco-Roman thought, the physical elements and the stars could be viewed as animated or governed by divine beings or astral gods, so speaking of “elements” easily shaded into speaking of “elemental spirits.” Jewish and early Christian writers also sometimes spoke of angels associated with natural forces or heavenly bodies, and of hostile powers ruling the present age. Because of this background, many modern translations now render stoicheia tou kosmou in Colossians as “elemental spirits of the world” rather than simply “elementary principles.”¹³

Connection to Jewish law and pagan religion

In Colossians and Galatians, the same phrase is used in contexts that touch both Jewish law and Gentile religion, suggesting a concept broad enough to cover both. Some interpreters stress that even the good, God-given law, when turned into a system of rule-keeping for status with God, becomes part of the same enslaving “elements of the world.” Others emphasize pagan practices—rites, calendars, ascetic disciplines, and reverence for cosmic powers—as concrete forms of bondage to these stoicheia. Either way, the common thread is subjection to systems that treat created things or human traditions as ultimate.¹⁶¹⁷

Examples of Elemental Spirits from Jewish Sources

Yes, there are examples of spirits associated with natural elements in Jewish lore, though they are described differently than in Greco-Roman or occult traditions.

Examples From Jewish Sources

Ashmedai, Lilith, and Other Demons: Jewish texts such as the Talmud, Midrashim, and later folklore describe various spirits and demons such as Ashmedai (Asmodeus), Lilith, and others. They may be associated with night, wilderness (Ashmedai, also called Asmodeus), and other natural spaces.⁶⁷

Sefer Chasidim: This medieval mystical text features spirits and demons connected with specific locations, such as trees, groves, and natural features. They function more as “guardian spirits” or dangerous forces than as neutral elementals.⁸

Four Elements Doctrine (Earth, Air, Fire, Water): Kabbalistic and mystical Jewish texts, especially in later centuries, discuss the four elements and their connection to divine emanations (sefirot) and angels associated with each element. While not “elementals” in the later European occult sense, these are spiritual beings connected with specific elements and functions (Michael with fire, Gabriel with water, etc.).⁹

Exorcism and Natural Elements: Jewish exorcism traditions in the first century involved invoking God’s name and sometimes using natural elements (water, herbs, etc.) in healing and exorcism. Spirits were often seen as inhabiting or influencing people and places, including wilderness or desolate regions.¹⁰¹²

In summary, Jewish mysticism and folklore include elemental associations (angels or demons connected to natural elements or domains), but they are described differently than in Greco-Roman or occult traditions. They are usually not “wood nymphs” like the dryads of Greek myth, but spirits associated with night, wilderness, or waste areas, and demons associated with night, trees, or particular dangers.¹¹

Would Paul have been thinking of wood-nymph-style beings?

Based on Paul’s Jewish background and the broader Second Temple context, it is unlikely he was specifically thinking of wood nymphs, dryads, or cute nature spirits when he referred to “elemental spirits” in Galatians and Colossians. Instead, “elemental spirits” points toward:

• Fundamental elements of creation and the cosmos (earth, air, fire, water, heavenly bodies),
• Abstract principles or cosmic forces that people treated as ultimate,
• Angelic or demonic beings associated with the cosmic order and with false worship.¹⁵

In Second Temple Judaism, the most natural referents are angels and hostile cosmic powers, not friendly tree spirits. In the Greco-Roman environment, however, those powers are often imagined in astral or elemental terms. Paul stands within this world but reframes it under Christ’s lordship.¹⁸¹⁹

Why does Paul call them enslaving?

Paul says believers were once held in “bondage” under these stoicheia, but in Christ they have died to them and been set free. They are enslaving because they demand submission—“do not handle, do not taste, do not touch”—while being “according to human precepts and teachings.” They promise spiritual security or fullness through visions, angel-worship, or harsh treatment of the body, yet have “no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” In this way, they displace the sufficiency of Christ, drawing trust away from his finished work toward regulations, intermediaries, or cosmic forces.¹⁴

The religious setting of Colossae

Colossae sat in the Lycus Valley of Asia Minor, a crossroads where Jews, Greeks, Romans, and native Phrygians interacted. The area was known for its religious pluralism and syncretism, with local gods, the imperial cult, mystery religions, magic, and Jewish communities all contributing to a complex spiritual marketplace.²¹²⁵

First-century Jewish influences

A substantial Jewish population in Phrygia brought with it practices such as circumcision, food laws, and Sabbath and festival observances, which are reflected in Colossians 2:11–17. However, this was not “pure” Jerusalem Judaism; Phrygian Judaism had already absorbed local mystical and apocalyptic interests, including fascination with angels, “wisdom,” and speculative traditions beyond the written Torah.²²²³

Jewish mysticism and angels

Second-Temple Jewish mysticism included traditions about heavenly journeys, angelic hierarchies, and the hidden wisdom of God, themes that resonate with Colossians’ emphasis on “wisdom,” “knowledge,” and angelic beings. In Colossae, some seem to have promoted practices that involved visions and a kind of humility that expressed itself in reverence for angels, which Paul rebukes as disqualifying and as not holding fast to Christ the head.²⁴

Greek and local Phrygian elements

Greek philosophy contributed concepts like “philosophy,” “wisdom,” and rational systems explaining the cosmos, which Paul counters with Christ as the one in whom all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Local Phrygian folk religion and magic added fear of cosmic powers, use of amulets, and practices meant to secure protection from spirits, all of which made people sensitive to “powers,” “principalities,” and “elemental spirits.”²⁰²⁶²⁷

The “elemental spirits” and cosmic powers

The broader Greco-Roman world often viewed the stars, elements, and fate as animated or controlled by spiritual beings, so that life was shaped by unseen cosmic powers. Colossians reflects a context where people feared such powers and sought extra rituals or mediators to supplement Christ. Paul responds by stressing that Christ created all powers, rules over them, and has disarmed and shamed them through the cross.⁹²⁹

The Colossian “heresy” as syncretism

Most contemporary scholarship sees the problem at Colossae not as one neat system (like later Gnosticism) but as a syncretistic mix. It combined Jewish legalism (circumcision, food laws, calendar), Greek and Phrygian asceticism and visionary practices, and concern for spiritual powers, forming a “philosophy” that said Christ needed to be supplemented by rules, rituals, and mystical experiences.^22313234

How Jewish beliefs shaped Paul’s response

Because the pressure included Torah-related practices, Paul uses Jewish categories—circumcision, festivals, new moons, Sabbaths—to argue that these are shadows, whereas Christ is the substance to which they pointed. He also frames Christ’s work in Exodus-like terms, portraying believers as transferred from one dominion to another, forgiven, and made part of God’s covenant people apart from legal badges like circumcision or dietary boundaries.²³

How Greek/Phrygian beliefs shaped Paul’s response

Against Greek and local notions of layered spiritual realms, cosmic intermediaries, and secret knowledge, Paul presents the Christ hymn (Col 1:15–20) as a counter-myth: Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, the one through whom and for whom all things were created. Instead of seeking protection or fullness through magic, angelic veneration, or ascetic techniques, believers are told they are already filled in Christ, who is the head of every rule and authority.²³³⁰

Overall theological impact on Colossians

The blend of Jewish and Greek beliefs in first-century Colossae compelled the church to articulate Christ both as the fulfillment of Israel’s story and as supreme over all cosmic powers revered in the Greco-Roman world. The letter’s teaching on Christ’s deity, cosmic lordship, and sufficiency is thus shaped precisely by this hybrid environment, calling Christians to resist syncretism and to live as those who have died with Christ to the “elemental spirits of the world” and been raised with him to a new way of life.

Marker of the old sphere: slavery and captivity

The phrase stoicheia tou kosmou is tied to slavery imagery: the stoicheia are powers to which people are “enslaved” or “taken captive.” In Colossians 2:8, Paul warns against being taken captive through a “philosophy” that is according to human tradition and the stoicheia tou kosmou rather than according to Christ, so the stoicheia define a pre-Christian or sub-Christian realm of captivity. In 2:20 he says believers have “died with Christ to the stoicheia tou kosmou,” so to live under them again would be to act as if one still belonged to that old world-system.¹³

What philosophy did Paul speak about?

When Paul warns about “philosophy” in Colossians 2:8, he is not condemning all forms of philosophy or critical thinking but a particular form of false teaching that threatened the Colossian church. This “philosophy” is rooted in human tradition rather than in Christ, connected to the “elemental spirits of the world,” and described as “empty deceit”—attractive but spiritually hollow. Historically, this likely included elements of Jewish legalism, early mystical or proto-gnostic speculation, and pagan ascetic or magical practices. Paul’s warning targets any “wisdom” that sidelines Christ’s person and work, substituting human regulations, mystical experiences, or fear-based asceticism for grace and fullness in Christ.³³

Link between cosmic powers and human regulations

In Colossians 2 the stoicheia stand at the junction of unseen powers and visible regulations. The same section speaks about “rulers and authorities” and about rules like “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,” showing that cosmic forces and legalistic decrees are intertwined. The stoicheia are thus not merely abstract ideas but powers that operate through religious rules, asceticism, and ritual observance to keep people in fear and bondage.¹⁴

Contrast with Christ’s cosmic lordship

Theologically, stoicheia tou kosmou serves as the foil for Christ’s absolute supremacy. Colossians presents Christ as the one in whom all the fullness of deity dwells and who is the head of every rule and authority; against that backdrop, the stoicheia are exposed as subordinate, defeated powers. By naming them, Paul can insist that believers are “filled in him” and therefore have no need to seek fullness through elemental spirits, cosmic intermediaries, or basic religious systems.²³

Critique of legalism and religious “ABC’s”

The phrase also functions as a critique of any religion reduced to elementary “ABC’s” of rule-keeping. The regulations Paul cites—dietary rules, festival observance, touch-not/taste-not commands—are described as “according to human precepts and teachings,” and yet they are tied to the stoicheia, implying that such legalism belongs to the old elemental order. In this way, stoicheia tou kosmou becomes a theological label for religion that treats created things, calendars, and rituals as ultimate rather than as shadows pointing to Christ.¹⁶¹⁷

Death to the stoicheia in union with Christ

A central role of the phrase is to articulate what it means to participate in Christ’s death and resurrection. To “die with Christ” is, among other things, to have one’s former bond to the stoicheia tou kosmou broken, so that these powers and their regulations no longer define identity or standing before God. Continued submission to such decrees is inconsistent with baptismal union with Christ, because it treats the old elemental regime as still operative.²

Summary of their theological function

Theologically, then, stoicheia tou kosmou functions in Colossians as a comprehensive term for the old order of existence—spiritual powers, religious principles, and human traditions—that stands over against the new order inaugurated in Christ. It enables Colossians to say that salvation is not merely forgiveness of individual sins but a transfer of lordship: from bondage to these stoicheia to freedom under Christ’s headship. The letter’s call is therefore to live consistently with that transfer, refusing to re-submit to the stoicheia in any form of legalism, superstition, or philosophy that is “not according to Christ.”

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Endnotes

1. https://www.scielo.br/j/archai/a/k4VxJzJgb4wNQTwbSvW75Jrh/?lang=en; For Greek text and discussion of stoicheia see e.g. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-timaeus/ and https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1572/pg1572-images.html; for Theaetetus Greek see https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0172%3Atext%3DTheaet.%3Asection%3D201e; see also on Aristotle’s use of stoicheia https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-logic/#EleLog and https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691150140/aristotle-on-the-grammar-and-arithmetic; on Philo see https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book1.html; on the development of stoicheia language into spiritual and cosmic usage see https://www.dwellcc.org/essays/pauls-usage-ta-stoicheia-tou-kosmou and https://cicministry.org/commentary/issue69.htm
2. https://www.bibleref.com/Colossians/2/Colossians-2-20.html
3. https://www.dwellcc.org/essays/pauls-usage-ta-stoicheia-tou-kosmou
4. https://www.bible-bridge.com/the-elemental-forces-of-the-world/
5. https://taylorbiblestudy.com/notes/what-are-elemental-spirits
6. https://www.heyalma.com/meet-judaisms-demons-spirits-witches-ghosts-golems/
7. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/demons-dybbuks-ghosts-golems/
8. https://momentmag.com/the-weird-and-wondrous-world-of-jews-and-magic/
9. https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/1372760/jewish/The-Four-Elementals-184.htm
10. https://www.ttschmidt.com/blog/exorcism-in-the-first-century-jewish-mind
11. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/history/articles/rabinnical-monsters-maoz-kahana
12. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/history/articles/rabinnical-monsters-maoz-kahana; on demons and demonology see e.g. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/demons-and-demonology; see also video overview in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qXimMceqlg
13. https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/element-elemental-spirit-elements; https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-are-the-elemental-spirits-paul-warns-about-in-colossians-28.html; https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=167148; https://biblehub.com/q/what_defines_elemental_spirits.htm; https://taylormarshall.com/2007/06/elemental-spirits-of-apostle-paul.html; on Jewish and Greco-Roman religious background see https://rsc.byu.edu/new-testament-history-culture-society/greco-roman-religion-new-testament; on Christ and spiritual powers in Colossians see https://tyndalehouse.com/2023/07/13/christ-and-the-spiritual-powers-in-colossians/; for additional discussion see https://evidenceunseen.com/new-testament/galatians/difficulties/what-does-paul-mean-by-the-elemental-things-of-the-world; https://www.bible-bridge.com/the-elemental-forces-of-the-world/; https://www.equip.org/articles/is-colossians-28-a-warning-against-philosophy; https://www.gotquestions.org/elemental-spirits.html; https://taylorbiblestudy.com/notes/what-are-elemental-spirits; on Jewish supernatural tradition see https://www.nypl.org/blog/2025/10/17/golems-and-ghosts-supernatural-jewish-tradition; scholarly discussion in https://www.dwellcc.org/essays/pauls-usage-ta-stoicheia-tou-kosmou; and various scholarly blogs and essays such as https://larryhurtado.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/pauls-persecution-of-jewish-jesus-followers-nature-causes/; for commentary see https://www.bibleref.com/Colossians/2/Colossians-2-20.html; more theological discussion in https://ehrmanblog.org/salvation-love-and-the-jewish-law-in-paul-are-his-views-internally-coherent/; https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicBiblical/comments/kqn4at/where-did-paul-get-his-understanding-of-the/; https://www.commentary.org/articles/jakob-petuchowski-2/paul-and-jewish-theologya-new-view-of-the-christian-apostle/; and https://www.kesherjournal.com/article/paul-within-messiah-torah-and-judaism/
14. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-are-the-elemental-spirits-paul-warns-about-in-colossians-28.html
15. https://www.anthonydelgado.net/blog-1/are-the-stoicheia-in-galatians-4-celestial-gods-or-elemental-spirits-of-idolatry
16. https://evidenceunseen.com/new-testament/galatians/difficulties/what-does-paul-mean-by-the-elemental-things-of-the-world
17. https://www.bible-bridge.com/the-elemental-forces-of-the-world/
18. https://ehrmanblog.org/salvation-love-and-the-jewish-law-in-paul-are-his-views-internally-coherent/
19. https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicBiblical/comments/kqn4at/where-did-paul-get-his-understanding-of-the/
20. What is the Colossian Heresy? – Bible Hub: https://biblehub.com/q/what_is_the_colossian_heresy.htm
21. Colossians Introduction – The Case for Torah: https://casefortorah.com/colossians-introduction.html
22. The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface between Christianity and Folk Belief at Colossae (article frequently cited on the Colossian “heresy/syncretism”): https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/papers/colossian-syncretism-the-interface-between-christianity-and-folk-belief-at-colossae/
23. Theology and Context of the Colossians Christ Hymn – research essay: https://www.joeledmundanderson.com/essays/theology-and-context-of-the-colossians-christ-hymn/
24. “The Colossian ‘Heresy’” – By Farther Steps: http://www.byfarthersteps.com/the-colossian-heresy/
25. “Colossae: A City in Confusion” – Geneva Institute: https://genevaninstitute.org/articles/colossians/a-city-in-confusion/
26. “Colossians and Philemon” – Craig Blomberg, free online course lecture (NT512): see Colossians section at https://biblicalelearning.org/new-testament/nt512-romans-through-revelation-nt512/nt512-16-colossians-and-philemon
27. Further use of The Colossian Syncretism (see note 22) for details on the religious mix in the Lycus Valley and how it informs readings of Colossians.
28. Additional use of The Colossian Syncretism (note 22) for the Jewish and Gentile elements in Colossian syncretism.
29. Further use of “Theology and Context of the Colossians Christ Hymn” (note 23) in relating the hymn to the Colossian problem.
30. “Colossians: Jewish, Greek, Roman Cultural Context” – sermon/lecture resource giving an overview of the mixed background of Colossae (e.g. https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=632418-colossians:-jewish-greek-roman-cultural-context).
31. “The Colossian Heresy(ies)” – The Berean Blog (WordPress): https://mharbuck.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/the-colossian-heresyies/
32. “THE COLOSSIAN HERESY: ITS SOURCE AND NATURE” – PDF at Indy Baptist Theological Studies: https://indybaptistseminary.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/colossian-heresy-paper-copy.pdf
33. EQUIP.org discussion of Colossians 2:8 and “philosophy,” along with Craig Blomberg and others on Colossians 2:16–23 (e.g. Hank Hanegraaff articles at EQUIP, and pieces such as “What Did Paul Really Say? Colossians 2:16”).
34. Additional reference to “The Colossian Heresy(ies)” – The Berean Blog – for discussion of whether Colossae faced a single unified heresy or multiple strands (legalistic, mystical, ascetic) woven together: https://mharbuck.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/the-colossian-heresyies/