Galatians

Composition

Galatians, also known as letter to the Galatians, is a book in the New Testament of the Bible. Galatians is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, works in the New Testament. Most scholars contend that it was written by Saint Paul the apostle. Paul wrote the book as a letter to a group of churches that he had founded in the Roman province of Galatia, located in central Asia Minor. He most likely wrote Galatians while he was in Ephesus, Macedonia, or Corinth.

Paul founded the churches in Galatia as part of his Christian ministry. He was one of the apostles of the early Church but had not been a follower of Jesus during Jesus’s lifetime. Instead, Paul converted to Christianity in about 33 CE. Before his conversion, he was a Jewish leader called a Pharisee and persecuted the early Church. Paul’s conversion happened suddenly after he had a vision from God while traveling to the city of Damascus. From his vision, Paul learned that Jesus was the Messiah and that he (Paul) was supposed to tell the world, including Gentiles (people who were not Jews), about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

After his vision, Paul became an apostle of Christ, traveling to new places to start churches and spread the gospel. He founded churches in Galatia around 47 to 48 CE. Paul had always taught Gentiles that they did not have to convert to Judaism or practice Jewish customs to become Christians. However, in Galatia certain Judaizers—or Jewish believers in Christ—began questioning Paul’s teachings. These Judaizers believed that Christians should follow Jewish traditions because Paul was Jewish. Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians of these churches were in harmony while Paul remained there. However, once he left, they came into conflict with each other. Jewish Christians wanted Gentile Christians to obey the Mosaic Law, which was the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Circumcision was one such law that those of the Jewish faith considered to be important. Jewish Christians strongly believed that this rite should be required of all Gentiles who wanted to be Christians. However, Gentiles saw little, if any, value in this rite and wanted to be excluded from it. While he was there, Paul had been sympathetic with their cause. After this, though, Galatian churches began turning away from his teachings. This angered Paul, and he wrote a letter to convince the churches to change their ways.

Paul’s background as a Pharisee was important in his ministry because he deeply understood Jewish tradition and scripture and used this knowledge to help him craft a message that was more acceptable to Jewish Christians. In the letter to the Galatians, Paul mentions the story of Abraham from the Torah.

The letter has been called “Paul’s declaration of independence” mainly because he did not feel it necessary for Christians not of Jewish faith to follow the Mosaic Law. While Paul was an apostle, he differed from the others because he was not a follower of Jesus during Jesus’s lifetime but was asked for his service directly from God. In this way, he also shows his independence because he does not feel the need to seek the approval of the other apostles.

Summary

Paul begins his letter to the Galatians by introducing himself as the sender and including the words “all the brothers who are with me” in his greeting (New American Bible, Gal. 1.2). He also makes clear that he is addressing the churches in Galatia in the greeting.

Paul begins the body of the letter by immediately expressing his shock that the Galatians have begun to believe a different gospel than the one that Paul had preached to them. He reminds his audience that he converted to Christianity after experiencing a vision from God. Through his vision, Paul learned that Jesus was the Messiah and that he should preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, including the Gentiles. He reminds the audience that his vision and the information he learned during it came directly from God.

Paul then explains that he did not immediately discuss his plan with the other apostles or seek their approval for what he was preaching. Because his guidance had come directly from God, their approval was not necessary. Later, he told the other apostles in Jerusalem that he was not making non-Jewish Christians submit to circumcision and follow other Jewish rules. The apostles in Jerusalem agreed with Paul’s teachings. Later, however, Cephas (Peter)—one of the apostles in Jerusalem—stopped eating and spending time with Gentiles who became Christians. Paul confronted Peter and reminded him that Gentiles did not have to follow the rules of the Torah.

Paul supports his position by stating that Christians need only faith in Jesus Christ to be considered righteous. He further explains that Jesus fulfilled the law through his death and resurrection, which meant that the old laws and traditions no longer applied. He also explains that other figures in their faith, such as Abraham, had pleased God with their faith alone.

Paul also acknowledges that God created the laws in the Torah to serve an important purpose—to maintain order before Jesus arrived. Paul says, “Before faith came, we were held in custody under law” (Gal. 3.23). He then states that the laws were no longer necessary to maintain order once people had faith in Jesus Christ. He also says that all people, no matter their customs or beliefs, are saved through Jesus Christ. He says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3.28). Paul believes that forcing people to follow the old laws is, essentially, denying that Jesus died for people’s sins. Yet, he also warns the Galatians not to give into the temptations of sin. Those who do “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5.21).

In the last chapter of the work, Paul continues to give guidance to the Galatians, reminding them to be kind to and forgive one another. He tells them, “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6.9). He concludes his letter by reiterating his belief that it does not matter if a believer is circumcised or uncircumcised. It matters only if a person believes in Jesus.

Themes

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is one of the numerous Pauline letters (Paul’s epistles to churches) in the Bible. These letters contain many themes and ideas that Paul mentions in other books. The most important is that followers of Jesus Christ must have faith. In Galatians, Paul references the story of Abraham from Jewish scripture. He notes that Abraham’s faith in God and God’s promise alone was enough for him to be blessed by God. Paul referenced this same idea and Torah scripture in his letter to the Romans, which was most likely written after he wrote Galatians. Some scholars believe that Paul clarified and refined some of the arguments he first made in Galatians in Romans, since that text was written later. Paul also points out in the gospel of good news that he and other Christians came about because of Jesus Christ, not because of human actions. Paul’s basic argument is that Jesus changed the relationship between humans and God. This is an extremely important theological principle that became fundamental to Christianity.

Another important theme in Galatians is apostleship. This is another theme that Paul addresses in multiple letters. In Galatians, Paul feels that he must defend his position as an apostle along with the gospel that he teaches, which he believes is the true gospel. Paul was not one of the original twelve disciples, but he founded numerous churches and spread the gospel to many places. Paul seems to argue that he is an apostle because he was chosen by God to do ministry work. Paul also defends his apostleship in other New Testament letters, most notably 2 Corinthians.

Paul’s ideas about the nature of faith and apostleship were important because his letters were some of the earliest Christian writings. He was one of the first Church leaders to suggest that Jesus’s death and resurrection were fundamental to salvation, and Mosaic laws were no longer the way to gain God’s approval. Such ideas influenced doctrinal development in the early Church.

Bibliography

Dunn, James D. G. The Theology of Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. Cambridge University Press, 1993.

“Galatians.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2022, bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/0. Accessed 22 Apr. 2022.

George, Timothy. Galatians: The Christian Standard Commentary. B&H Publishing Group, 2020.

Long, Phillip J. Galatians: Freedom Through God’s Grace. Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2019.

“Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians Explained: Bishop’s Year of the Bible.” Diocese of Lansing, 14 March 2021, www.dioceseoflansing.org/news/saint-pauls-letter-galatians-explained-bishops-year-bible. Accessed 22 Apr. 2022.