The Epistle to the Galatians is a book of the New Testament. The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel Content Authorship The gospel itself is anonymous but as early as Papias in the early 2nd century a text was attributed to Mark, a cousin The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. The Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a book in the New Testament, written by Paul the Apostle. Described by William Barclay as the "Queen of the Epistles" the Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New The Epistle to the Philippians (or simply Philippians) is a Book included in the New Testament of the Bible. The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the Bible New Testament. The First Epistle to the Thessalonians, also known as the First Letter to the Thessalonians, is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, also known as the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible The First Epistle to Timothy is one of three letters in New Testament of the Bible often grouped together as the Pastoral Epistles. The Second Epistle to Timothy is one of the three Pastoral Epistles, traditionally attributed to Saint Paul, and is part of the canonical New Testament The Epistle to Titus is one of the Pastoral Epistles. The Epistle to Titus is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the The Epistle to Philemon is a prison letter from Paul of Tarsus to Philemon, a leader in the Colossian church. The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbr Heb for Citations is one of the books in the New Testament. The Epistle of James is a book in the Christian New Testament. The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. It has traditionally been held to have been written by Saint Peter the apostle during his time as Bishop The Second Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament of the Bible, traditionally ascribed to Saint Peter, but in modern times widely regarded as The First Epistle of John is a book of the New Testament, and is the fourth catholic or "general" Epistles. The Second Epistle of John (often simply called 2nd John or II John) is a book in the Christian Holy Scriptures, the authorship of The New Testament Third Epistle of John (often referred to as 3 John) written in the form of an Epistle, is the 64th book of the Bible. The brief Epistle of Jude is the penultimate book in the Christian New Testament canon. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia. Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black It is principally concerned with the controversy surrounding Gentile Christians and the Mosaic Law within Early Christianity. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c Along with the Epistle to the Romans, it is the most theologically significant of the Pauline epistles, and has been particularly influential in Protestant thought. The Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul (Παῦλος as the first Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation.
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Galatia
Paul's letter is addressed "to the churches in Galatia" (Galatians 1:2), but the location of these churches is a matter of debate. Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. A minority of scholars have argued that the "Galatia" is an ethnic reference to a Celtic people living in northern Asia Minor, but most agree that it is a geographical reference to the Roman province in central Asia Minor, which had been settled by immigrant Celts in the 270s BC and retained Gaulish features of culture and language in Paul's day. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Acts of the Apostles records Paul traveling to the "region of Galatia and Phrygia", which lay immediately west of Galatia. The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. In antiquity Phrygia (Φρυγία was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The main theme was that the people of Galatia have turned away from God's Word.
Historical background
The churches of Galatia (Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe) were founded by Paul himself (Acts 16:6; Gal 1:8; 4:13, 4:19). Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. They seem to have been composed mainly of converts from paganism (4:8). Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world After Paul's departure, the churches were led astray from Paul's Christ centered teachings by individuals proposing "another gospel" (which centered around Judaism and salvation through the Mosaic Law), whom Paul saw as preaching a "different gospel" than that of Jesus Christ (which was centered around salvation by God's grace and Christ's atonement, not the "works" of the Mosiac law). Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The atonement is a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism. Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law (1:6–9). The Galatians appear to have been receptive to the teaching of these newcomers, and the epistle is Paul's angry response to what he sees as their willingness to turn from his teaching.
The identity of these "opponents" is disputed. We do not have a record of their activity, but are left to reconstruct it from Paul's response. However, the majority of modern scholars view them as Jewish Christians (i. Jewish Christians (sometimes called also "Hebrew Christians" or "Christian Jews") is a term which can have two meanings a historical one and a e. Judaizers), who taught that in order for pagans to belong to the people of God, they must be subject to some or all of the Jewish Law. Judaizers, see also WiktionaryJudaization, generally describes those who inculcate to Christians the adherence to Torah Laws, which is normally considered The letter indicates controversy concerning circumcision, Sabbath observance, and the Mosaic Law. Male Circumcision, when practiced as a rite has its foundations in the Bible, in the Abrahamic covenant, such as, and is therefore practiced by Jews Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to It would appear, from Paul's response, that they cited the example of Abraham, who was circumcised as a mark of receiving the covenant blessings (Genesis 17), see also Abrahamic religion. Abraham ( Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: They certainly appear to have questioned Paul's authority as an apostle, perhaps appealing to the greater authority of the Jerusalem church governed by James the Just. The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in Saint James the Just ( Hebrew: יעקב or Jacob ( Greek Iάκωβος (died 62AD also known as James of Jerusalem, James Adelphotheos
It appears the teachers made some headway among Paul's converts. Sociological research has suggested that converts from dominant paganism may have suffered a "loss of identity", and found the clarity offered by a Jewish identity and a law-observant lifestyle attractive. Proselyte, from the Koine Greek προσήλυτος/proselytos, is used in the Septuagint for "stranger" i
Paul responds angrily. He rehearses his conversion and apostolic credentials, records his relationship with the Jerusalem Church, and engages in an argument over the interpretation of the Abraham story. The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul is a feast celebrated during the Liturgical year on January 25, recounting the Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who
Authenticity
Virtually all scholars agree that Galatians is one of the most certain examples of Paul's writing. The Pauline epistles are the thirteen books in the New Testament traditionally attributed to and explicitly ascribed to Paul of Tarsus.
The main arguments in favor of the authenticity of Galatians include its style and themes, which are common to the core letters of the Pauline corpus, and the historical connection to Acts of the Apostles. Moreover, Paul's description of the Council of Jerusalem (Gal 2:1–10) gives a different point of view from the description in Acts 15:2–29, whereas a forger writing in later decades would most likely have stuck close to the account in Acts to convince his audience that this was an authentic writing by Paul. Council of Jerusalem (or Apostolic Conference) is a name applied subsequently to a meeting described in Acts of the Apostles chapter and probably referred to
The central dispute in the letter concerns the question of how Gentiles could convert to Christianity, which shows that this letter was written at a very early stage in church history, when the vast majority of Christians were Jewish or Jewish proselytes. Proselyte, from the Koine Greek προσήλυτος/proselytos, is used in the Septuagint for "stranger" i This puts it during the lifetime of Paul himself.
There is no hint in the letter of a developed organization within the Christian community at large.
Date and audience
There are three main theories about when Galatians was written and to whom. The North Galatian view holds that the epistle was written very soon after Paul's second visit to Galatia (Acts 18:23). The visit to Jerusalem, mentioned in Gal 2:1–10, seems identical with that of Acts 15, or possibly Acts 18:22 (at the end of his Second Missionary Journey), and it is spoken of as a thing of the past. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Consequently, the epistle seems to have been written after the Council of Jerusalem. Council of Jerusalem (or Apostolic Conference) is a name applied subsequently to a meeting described in Acts of the Apostles chapter and probably referred to The similarity between this epistle and that to the Romans has led to the conclusion that they were both written at the same time, namely, in the winter of AD 57–58, during Paul's stay in Corinth (Acts 20:2–3). Corinth, or Korinth ( Greek Κόρινθος ( is a city in Greece. This letter to the Galatians is written on the urgency of the occasion, tidings having reached him of the state of matters; and that to the Romans in a more deliberate and systematic way, in exposition of the same fundamental doctrines of the gospel.
The South Galatian view holds that Paul wrote Galatians before or shortly after the First Jerusalem Council, probably on his way to it, and that it was written to churches he had presumably planted during either his time in Tarsus (he would have traveled a short distance, since Tarsus is in Cilicia) after his first visit to Jerusalem as a Christian (Acts 9:30), or during his first missionary journey, when he traveled throughout southern Galatia.
The third theory concerning the timing of the writing of the Book of Galatians most widely accepted is according to:
Is “The view that Galatians 2:1-10 is the visit of Acts 11:30. This theory, which has received widespread support in recent times, is claimed to avoid all the difficulties of alternative views. It means that Galatians 1:2 may be interpreted literally as the story of the second visit of the apostle to Jerusalem. Under this hypothesis, the following reconstruction is suggested:
About a year after Paul and Barnabas began work at Antioch (Acts 11:26) the church decided to send them to Jerusalem with a relief fund for the Judean churches after hearing about the conditions from some itinerant prophets. During this visit Paul and Barnabas had the opportunity to inform the leaders at Jerusalem about developments among the Gentiles.
As Titus was with them, the question of Jewish-Gentile fellowship was brought into sharp focus, but Titus was not compelled to be circumcised (Gal 2:3). In the Christian New Testament, Saint Titus, (a common Roman first name) was a companion of Paul of Tarsus, mentioned in several of
The Jerusalem apostles acknowledged Paul's credentials as apostle to the uncircumcision (Gal 2:7ff), but laid him under obligation to remember the poor. This was the very thing he had already done, as Galatians 2:10 makes clear.
On their return to Antioch they encouraged Jewish and Gentile Christians to have fellowship together. Acts 11:19 ff certainly suggests that at an early stage there were Gentiles in the church, but no crisis seems to have arisen until the arrival of emissaries from Jerusalem (Gal 2:12). Following the reservations of Gentile fellowship by James' (Hebrew) men, first Peter then Barnabas withdrew, but this position seemed to be so intolerable to Paul that he challenged and rebuked Peter before the whole church.
Immediately following this incident the Antioch church commended Paul and Barnabas to their missionary work, which was destined to raise the same problems in a more acute form. Without doubt the Jerusalem leaders soon heard of the success of Paul's missions among the Gentiles and the Jewish-Gentile question reached a crisis for the Judean Christians. They were quite prepared to acknowledge Paul's work among the Gentiles and were quite willing to concede that Gentiles could become Christians, but they could not tolerate the abolition of all distinction between Jew and Gentile. If Gentiles wished to have fellowship with Jewish Christians they must conform to Jewish scruples. They must be circumcised and must respect Jewish ritual requirements at meal times. The Jewish leaders consequently dispatched representatives to the galatian churches and to the sponsoring church at Antioch (Gal 1:7; Acts 15:1).
The Antioch church, following the lead of Paul and Barnabas, recognized the necessity of discussing this burning question at top level, and sent Paul, Barnabas and others unnamed in Acts as delegates to the Jerusalem church, as a result of which a conference was convened (Acts 15).
If this reconstruction is correct the epistle was written before the Council was convened, but it is not possible to be any more specific than that. The letter may have been written on Paul's way to Jerusalem for the Council. In any case, it would be dated 49-50AD and in that event would become the earliest of Paul's extant epistles. ”
Contents
This epistle addresses the question "Was the Mosaic Law binding on Christians?" The epistle is designed to counter the position that men cannot be justified by faith without the works of the law; see also the Epistle of James and the Expounding of the Law. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Legalism, in Christian Theology, is a pejorative term referring to an over-emphasis on law or codes of conduct or legal ideas usually implying an allegation The Epistle of James is a book in the Christian New Testament. The Expounding of the Law ( KJV: sometimes called the ''Antithesis of the Law'', is a highly structured ("Ye have heard. After an introductory address (Gal 1:1–10), the apostle discusses the subjects which had occasioned the epistle.
In Chapter 1 he defends his apostolic authority (1:11–19; 2:1–14). Chapters 2, 3, and 4 show the influence of the Judaizers in destroying the very essence of the gospel. Judaizers, see also WiktionaryJudaization, generally describes those who inculcate to Christians the adherence to Torah Laws, which is normally considered This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament Chapter 3 exhorts the Galatian believers to stand fast in the faith as it is in Jesus, and to abound in the fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is a concept from the Christian New Testament of The Bible, specifically the Epistle to the Galatians chapter Chapter 4 then concludes with a summary of the topics discussed and with the benediction, followed by 5; 6:1–10 teaching about the right use of their Christian freedom. For example, it is clear that some took "freedom in Christ" as justification of antinomianism. For the term in politics describing socialist movements see Autonomism Antinomianism (from the Greek ἀντί, "against"
In the conclusion of the epistle (6:11), Paul writes, "Ye see how large a letter I have written with mine own hand. " It is implied that this was different from his ordinary usage, which was simply to write the concluding salutation with his own hand, indicating that the rest of the epistle was written by another hand. Regarding this conclusion, Lightfoot, in his Commentary on the epistle, says: "At this point the apostle takes the pen from his amanuensis, and the concluding paragraph is written with his own hand. Joseph Barber Lightfoot ( April 13, 1828 &ndash December 21, 1889) was an English theologian and Bishop of Durham Amanuensis əˌmænjuˈɛnsɪs is a Latin word adopted in various languages including English for certain persons performing a function by hand either writing down the words of another From the time when letters began to be forged in his name (2 Thess 2:2; 3:17) it seems to have been his practice to close with a few words in his own handwriting, as a precaution against such forgeries. The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, also known as the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible . . In the present case he writes a whole paragraph, summing up the main lessons of the epistle in terse, eager, disjointed sentences. He writes it, too, in large, bold characters (Gr. pelikois grammasin), that his hand-writing may reflect the energy and determination of his soul. "
Galatians also contains a catalogue of vices and virtues, a popular formulation of Christian ethics. The software program VICE (all caps standing for V ersat' I' le C ommodore E mulator, is an Emulator for Commodore Virtue ( Latin virtus; Greek) is moral Excellence. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting individual
An interesting literary interpretation of this period of Christianity and the character of Paul can be found in Rudyard Kipling's short story "The Church that was at Antioch". Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936 was an English Author and poet A Roman soldier and follower of Mithraism discovers the faith on his death bed, after having tried to defuse tension between the Gentile and Jewish Christians over issues of Mosaic Law such as circumcision and the preparation of food. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late Pauline Christianity is a term used to refer to a branch of Early Christianity associated with the beliefs and doctrines espoused by Paul the Apostle through Jewish Christians (sometimes called also "Hebrew Christians" or "Christian Jews") is a term which can have two meanings a historical one and a term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to It has been variously proposed that male Circumcision began as a religious Sacrifice, as a Rite of passage marking a boy's entrance into adulthood Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus, he כַּשְׁרוּת refers to Jewish dietary laws.
Textual criticism
No original of the letter is known to exist. The earliest reasonably complete version available to scholars today, named P46, dates to approximately the year 200 A. D. , approximately 150 years after the original was presumably drafted. This fragmented papyrus, parts of which are missing, almost certainly contains errors introduced in the process of being copied from earlier manuscripts. [1] However, through careful research relating to paper construction, handwriting development, and the established principles of textual criticism, scholars can be rather certain about where these errors and changes appeared and what the original text probably said. [2]
References
External links
Online translations of the Epistle to Galatians:
- Bible Gateway 35 languages/50 versions at GospelCom.net
- Unbound Bible 100+ languages/versions at Biola University
- Online Bible at GospelHall.org
- Translation of Galatians by Gerald O. Hoenecke, et al.
- Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897: Epistle to the Galatians, commencing "The genuineness of this epistle is not called in question. Its Pauline origin is universally acknowledged. "
- G. A. van den Bergh van Eysinga, "The Spuriousness of so-called Pauline epistles exemplified by the Epistle to the Galatians," 1912: a review of the critical analysis that identified Galatians among the "four Epistles" considered by critical readers to be post-Pauline.
- Galatians, Paul, The Torah-Law & Legalism:
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