el´ē̇ -ment , (τὰ στοιχεῖα , tá stoicheı́a , "the letters of the alphabet," "the elements out of which all things are formed," "the heavenly bodies," "the fundamental principles of any art or science"):
(1) In 2 Peter 3:10 , the constituent parts of the physical universe ("elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat," the American Revised Version, margin "the heavenly bodies").
(2) In Galatians 4:3 , Galatians 4:1 , the Revised Version (British and American) has "rudiments," as in the King James Version margin, and in Colossians 2:8 , Colossians 2:20 , where the reference is to imperfect Jewish ordinances. See RUDIMENTS .
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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