Thomas Aquinas Commentary Galatians 4:8-12

"Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no gods: but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain. I beseech you, brethren, become as I [am], for I also [am become] as ye [are]. Ye did me no wrong:" — Galatians 4:8-12 (ASV)

Having revealed the preeminence of the gift of grace and explained it with a human example, the Apostle here rebukes the Galatians, who scorned this grace, for being ungrateful for such a great gift.

First, he rebukes them for ingratitude.

Second, he excuses himself, explaining that he does not do this out of hatred or spite (Galatians 4:12b).

Regarding the first point, he does three things:

1. He reminds them of their earlier state.
2. He extols and commends the gift they have received (Galatians 4:9).
3. He amplifies the sin they committed (Galatians 4:9): how can you turn again to the weak and needy elements?

He says, therefore: But then, indeed, not knowing God, you served those who, by nature, are not gods. It is as if he is saying: You are now sons and heirs through God. But at that time, when you were heathens—“You were previously darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8)—not knowing God, through a lack of faith, you served with the worship of latria those who by nature are not gods, but only by human opinion. “You know that when you were Gentiles, you were carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led” (1 Corinthians 12:2); “They served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).

His statement, who by nature are not gods, serves to refute the Arians who said that Christ, the Son of God, is not God by nature. For if this were true, it would not be right to render Him latria, and whoever did so would be an idolater.

But someone might object that we adore the flesh and humanity of Christ; therefore, we are idolaters. I answer that even though we adore the flesh or humanity of Christ, we adore it as united to the person of the divine Word, who is a divine hypostasis. Therefore, since adoration is due to a person of the divine nature, whatever is adored in Christ is done without error.

Then when he says, But now, after you have known God, or rather are known by God, he reminds them of the gift they received. It is as if to say: If you had been ignorant and had sinned, it could have been tolerated, for all other things being equal, sin in a Christian is more serious than in a pagan. But now, since you have known God—that is, were brought to a knowledge of God—you sin more gravely than before by serving and placing your hope in things you should not. “All shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31:34).

But the statement, after you are known by God, seems to present a difficulty, for God has known all things from eternity: “All things were known to the Lord God before they were created” . I answer that this is said in a causal sense, so that the meaning is: you are known by God, that is, God has caused you to know Him. In this way, God is said to “know” in that He is the cause of our knowledge. Therefore, because he had previously said, after you have known God, which was a true statement, he immediately corrects and explains it with a figure of speech, suggesting that we cannot know God by ourselves, but only through Him: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18).

Then he rebukes them for the sin committed, saying: how can you turn again to the weak and needy elements?

1. He amplifies their sin.
2. He shows their imminent danger (Galatians 4:11).
3. He draws them back to a state of safety (Galatians 4:12a).

Regarding the first point, he does two things:

1. He mentions the sin committed.
2. He proves it (Galatians 4:10).

It should be pointed out that this passage is interpreted in two ways. In one way, it means that those Galatians had turned from the faith to idolatry. For this reason he says, how can you turn from the faith again, that is, a second time. “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of justice, than, after they have known it, to turn back from that holy commandment which was delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:21); “They are turned back” (Isaiah 42:17). They turned to the elements of the world, which are weak, unable to exist by themselves, because they would fall into nothingness unless upheld by the hand that rules all things—“Upholding all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3)—and needy, because they need God and one another to complete the universe. It is these elements you desire to serve with the worship of latria again, that is, for a second time. And the proof of this is obvious, because You observe days, auspicious and inauspicious, and months and times and years. This refers to the constellations and the course of the heavenly bodies, all of which observances arise from idolatry, against which Jeremiah 10:2 says: “Be not afraid of the signs of heaven which the heathens fear.”

That observances of this kind are evil and contrary to the worship of the Christian religion is plain, because the distinction of days, months, years, and times is based on the course of the sun and moon. Therefore, those who observe such distinctions of times are venerating heavenly bodies and arranging their activities according to the signs of the stars, which have no direct influence on the human will or on matters that depend on free will. By this practice, they are put in grave danger. Therefore, he says: I am afraid lest perhaps it was in vain, that is, fruitlessly, that I labored among you. The faithful must therefore avoid such observances. Indeed, no hint of these things should be found among them, for whatever is done simply out of devotion to God can turn out well.

But is it never lawful to look for the influence of the stars on certain things? I answer that heavenly bodies are the cause of certain effects, namely, bodily ones. In such matters, it is lawful to consider their influence. But they are not the cause of other things, that is, of things that depend on free will or on good and bad fortune. Therefore, in such cases, to look for the influence of the stars is related to idolatry.

Although this interpretation could be defended, it does not align with the Apostle’s intention. In the entire section preceding this passage, as well as in all that follows, the Apostle is rebuking the Galatians for abandoning the faith and turning to the observances of the Law. Therefore, it is more consistent with his intention to interpret this passage as referring to their return to legal observances. Thus, he says: After you have known God through faith, how can you turn from the faith to the elements, that is, to the literal observance of the Law? It is called an “element” because the Law was the first institution of divine worship. To elements, I say, that are weak, because they do not bring anyone to perfection by justifying them—“For the law brought nothing to perfection” (Hebrews 7:19)—and needy, because they do not confer virtue and grace or offer any help by themselves.

But what does he mean by are you turned? Saying this, as well as saying again, seems inappropriate, because they were not Jews and had not formerly observed the Law. I answer that Jewish worship is midway between Christian and Gentile worship. The Gentiles worshiped the elements as though they were living things; the Jews, on the other hand, did not serve the elements but served God under the elements, in that they rendered worship to God through the observance of physical elements. “We were serving under the elements of the world” (Galatians 4:3). Christians, however, serve God under Christ, that is, in the faith of Christ. Now, when a person reaches a destination after passing through a midpoint, if he then decides to return to that midpoint, it is like returning to the very beginning. Therefore, because they had already reached the destination (faith in Christ) and then returned to the midpoint (Jewish worship), the Apostle says that they have turned to the elements and are serving them again due to the resemblance between the midpoint and the beginning.

He proves this is the case when he says: You observe the days of the Jewish rite, namely, Sabbaths and the tenth day of the month and similar things, which are mentioned in a Gloss; and months, that is, new moons, like the first and seventh month, as is found in Leviticus 25; and times, namely, of the exodus from Egypt and the practice of going to Jerusalem three times a year; and years of jubilee and the seventh year of remission. From this, a danger arises because faith in Christ gains nothing from it. Therefore, he says: I am afraid of you, lest perhaps I have labored in vain among you; and further on: If you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing (Galatians 5:2).

Then, when he says, Be ye as I, because I also am as you, he guides them back to a state of salvation. It is as if he is saying: I am afraid for you, that I may have labored in vain among you. But so that this does not happen, Be ye as I. In a Gloss, this is understood in three ways:

1. First, it means: Be as I am, that is, abandon the Law as I have abandoned it.
2. Second, it means: Be as I am, that is, correct the old error, as I have corrected mine. And this you can do, because I am as you are, and yet I have been corrected of my error.
3. Third, it means: Be as I am, that is, live without the Law, because I, who had the Law and was born in the Law, am now as you formerly were, namely, without the Law.