All translations seem to render ἀρχαὶ
in Romans 8:38-39 as 'ruler' or something similar, for example:
ESV:
38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
KJV:
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NIV:
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(the NIV has an alternative translation in the footnotes: "heavenly rulers")
Would it not be more natural to group ἀρχαὶ
with ἐνεστῶτα
and μέλλοντα
in a triplet translated something like "nor past nor present nor future", using what I understand is the more common sense of the word ἀρχαὶ
as "beginning"?
To my mind this would also fit the tempo of the verse better as the pattern of opposites is otherwise broken in a jarring way by δυνάμεις