Paul's Letter to the Galatians

by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

Introduction | Outline | Literary Issues | Themes | Questions | Bibliography


Introduction


An Outline of Paul's Letter to the Galatians

  1. Galatia: Norht or South?Letter Opening (1:1-10)
    1. Sender & Recipients: "Paul, an apostle... to the churches of Galatia" (1:1-2)
    2. Formulaic Greeting: "Grace to you and peace from God..." (1:3-5)
    3. Excoriation & Rebuke, instead of the usual Thanksgiving (1:6-10)
       
  2. Letter Body (1:11—6:10)
    1. Paul's Autobiographical Defense of his Apostleship and his Preaching (1:11—2:21)
      1. Paul's transition from persecuting the Church to preaching the Christian faith (1:11-24)
      2. The Council of Jerusalem: Paul & companions discuss Gentile converts with the "pillars" of the Church (2:1-10)
      3. The Incident at Antioch: Paul confronts Cephas/Peter about refusing to eat with Gentiles (2:11-14),
        and argues that people are justified by the faith of Jesus, not works of the law (2:15-21)
         
    2. Theological Deliberations: Arguments for Justification by Faith from the Galatians' Experience & the Scriptures (3:1—5:12)
      1. The Galatians received the Spirit by believing in Christ, even before they knew about the law (3:1-5)
      2. God's blessing of Abraham's faith is extended to all nations through Christ (3:6-14)
      3. God's promises to Abraham, which came long before the law, are fulfilled in Christ;
        the law was merely a "disciplinarian" until Christ came and brought faith (3:15-25)
      4. All believers are adopted children and heirs of God, no longer slaves to “elemental spirits” of the world (3:26—4:11)
      5. The Galatians should remember the devotion they had for Paul when he was first among them (4:12-20)
      6. Abraham, Hagar, Sarah, and their two sons are an allegory for Christians as children of freedom, not slavery (4:21-31)
      7. Concluding Application: Christ set us free, so Gentiles need not and should not be circumcised (5:1-12)
         
    3. Ethical Admonitions: Freedom for Service, Life in the Spirit, and Sharing in Community (5:13—6:10)
      1. Do not use freedom as an excuse for licentiousness, but for loving service (5:13-15)
      2. Live by the Spirit, not the desires of the flesh (with lists of vices & virtues; 5:16-26)
      3. Share with others and do good to all, especially to community of believers (6:1-10)
         
  3. Letter Conclusion (6:11-18)
    1. Personal Postscript, summarizing Paul's Message (6:11-15)
    2. Final Exhortation and Blessings (6:16-18)

Literary & Historical Issues regarding Galatians

Literary Peculiarities, esp. in the Letter Opening (1:1-10)

Galatia: North or South?Location & Date: To Whom and When Was This Letter Written?

Paul's "Opponents"


Major Themes from the Letter to the Galatians

The Council of Jerusalem: Differences between Paul's and Luke's versions

PAUL (Gal 2:1-10) LUKE (Acts 15)
When? 14 years after Paul's first visit to the Jerusalem apostles (2:1a). Some time after Barnabas & Paul had returned to Antioch
from their first missionary journey (Acts 13-14).
Paul went with Barnabas, and took Titus along (2:1b). Paul, Barnabas, "and some others" from the Church at Antioch (15:2).
He went in response to a "revelation" (2:2a). They were sent by the Antioch Church after some people from Judea
had caused a disturbance, preaching the necessity of circumcision (15:1-3).
He presents his gospel "privately to those of repute" (2:2b). They are welcomed by and report to the whole Jerusalem Church (15:4).
Titus, a Greek, was not compelled to be circumcised (2:3). [Paul supposedly has Timothy circumcised "on account of the Jews,"
because "all knew that his father was a Greek"
- 16:3]
Paul refused to submit to "false brothers" who wanted to take away
the Gentile converts' freedom and to enslave them (2:4-5).
Some Pharisees insist on the necessity of circumcision
and observance of the whole Mosaic law (15:5).
The Christian leaders in Jerusalem made Paul "add nothing" (2:6). The apostles & elders long debate the issues,
with speeches by Peter and James (15:6-18);
to conclude, James decides they should "stop troubling" the Gentile converts,
but also write a letter telling them to avoid idolatry, fornication,
meat from strangled animals, and blood (15:19-21, 28-29).

These leaders (James & Cephas & John) recognized that
Paul was sent (by God) to preach to the uncircumcised/Gentiles,
just as Peter was sent to preach to the circumcised/Jews (2:7-9).

[Acts never mentions this division of labor; on the contrary,
both Peter & Paul preach to both Jews & Gentiles;
see Acts 2; 10–11; 13–14; 15:7; etc.
]
These "reputed pillars" of the Jerusalem community gave
Paul & Barnabas "their right hands in partnership" (2:9b).
The Jerusalem leaders send two representatives with Paul & Barnabas to Antioch
to deliver their letter, which is gratefully received (15:22-31).
The only request: They were "to be mindful of the poor" (2:10). [Remembering the poor is not in Acts 15,
but earlier Paul & Barnabas had delivered relief from Antioch to Judean Christians; 11:27-30
]

Some Quotable Quotes from Galatians (NRSV translation)

See also: Justification by Faith in Galatians & Romans
 

See also: Differences between James & Paul (esp. Galatians & Romans) on Faith & Works

 


Questions for Review and Discussion

  1. Which verses or passages most surprised you, disturbed you, or inspired you as you read Paul’s Letter to the Galatians? Why?

  2. Who were the “Galatians”? What do we know about the early Christian communities in the region of Galatia to whom Paul wrote this letter?

  3. What is the one main issue addressed in this letter, and why is this so important for Paul?

  4. How do Paul’s autobiographical comments in Gal 1–2 advance his argument?

  5. What is the relationship between the Law and the Spirit, as explained in Gal 3–5?

  6. Given that most Christians today do not believe they must follow the entire Torah (the Law of Moses in the OT), can we still apply Paul’s theological arguments today? How?
     


For Further Reading and Study


Electronic New Testament Educational Resources

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