Galatians 1:1-5 – Greetings and thanksgiving

Translation & Textual notes

Galatians 1:6-9 – There is no other gospel

Translation & Textual Notes

Galatians 1:10-24 – The Gospel of God, not of men

By Revelation (1:10-12)

Translation & Textual Notes

Structure:

• Is my goal to persuade/please men or God? (10a)
• If I am pleasing men I’m not serving God. (10b)
• But I am serving God by proclaiming the gospel (11a), which:
  • is not from men (11b – 12a);
  • but was revealed by Jesus Christ. (12)

Purpose: Paul commences his defence of his apostolic independence – or, more accurately, the independence of the gospel he preaches. He has just established that the gospel is the rule by which people are to be judged (1:8) and not the other way around. Here he points to the divine origin of his gospel – it comes δι᾿ ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (1:12). The implication is that the ones disturbing (οἱ ταράσσοντες, Gal 1:7) the Galatians bring a gospel κατὰ ἄνθρωπον (1:11), and παρὰ ἀνθρώπου (1:12). This is important in the overall epistle, because it establishes the strong antithesis between Paul’s gospel and that of the opponents (which Paul calls no gospel at all) based on its origins.

Gal 1:10. The two verbs prominent in this verse both have potential to invoke negative images. πείθω (‘I persuade’) carries the idea of (dishonest) cajolery,⁷ whilst ἀρέσκω can mean ‘to act in a fawning manner’.⁸ Yet God is also the direct object of πείθω (?) suggesting a more neutral reading of this verb at least. Similarly, Paul implies that by ‘serving’ Christ he is ‘pleasing’ Christ. We may gain greater insight into his meaning by considering the adverb ἔτι.

ἔτι (‘still’, ‘yet’) suggests that Paul is either confessing or being accused of having at some time striven to ‘please men’. Given the apologetic tone of this section, it is more likely the latter. This is confirmed when we consider that Paul has yet to establish the connection between Judaism (the most probable referent if this reflects Paul’s self-understanding) and pleasing men.

Gal 1:11. The preferred reading here is Γνωρίζω δὲ (see above), with δὲ suggesting a mild contrast with the previous verse. Thus, Paul is not pleasing men but preaching the gospel. Thus there is a striking similarity in this verse to 1 Cor 15:1, where Paul uses Γνωρίζω δὲ in speaking of the gospel that he preached and the Corinthians received. A majority of commentators note, therefore, that he is here also ‘reminding’ the Galatians of the gospel that they received at first. The divine origins of Paul’s gospel should not be new information to the Galatians; they need only be ‘reminded’ of it.⁹ The point should not be pressed, however, since the overwhelming majority of Paul’s uses of γνωρίζω (Rom 9:22–23; 16:26; 1 Cor 12:3; 2 Cor 8:1; Eph 1:9; 3:3, 5, 10; 6:19, 21; Phil 1:22; 4:6; Col 1:27; 4:7, 9) refer to the unveiling of new information, with only 1 Cor 15:1 definitely connoting ‘reminding’.

After the startling accusation of 1:6, and the double anathema (1:8-9), the familiar address, ἀδελφοί, strikes a conciliatory note. Paul’s diatribe is directed towards the opponents at this point, not the Galatians (though this is not the case throughout – cf. 3:1!). These are the men and women that Paul ministered amongst (1:11), and his attitude toward them is amazement (1:6) rather than hostility.

Paul firstly states his case negatively, declaring that his gospel is not according to man (i.e. of human origin). It is possible that this indicates the ground upon which the agitators were denigrating his gospel and calling the Galatians to something else. Several commentators, however, warn against assuming this. Barclay notes the inherent ambiguity of undertaking mirror-reading on a polemical work such as Galatians: (1) Paul is not directly addressing the opponents, but rather the Galatians; (2) Paul’s fierce polemic is aimed at persuading the Galatians rather than (directly) refuting the agitators; and (3)¹⁰ Thus, in this verse Paul may be outlining the grounds of his defense against some other charge, perhaps following the advice of Quintilian (so Betz, 59), rather than responding directly to a criticism from the agitators.¹¹

Gal 1:12. Paul presents the grounds for his assertion that his gospel is not κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, first negatively then positively.

Negatively, he denies having received from (παρέλαβον) or been taught by (ἐδιδάχθην) (a?) man the gospel that he proclaimed. If Paul is here responding to a direct criticism, it is likely the criticism was couched in terms of a contrast with the superior quality of their own ‘gospel’. There are a number of possibilities: (1) they had their gospel from James, a ‘pillar’ apostle, whereas Paul had his from some ‘no-name’ disciple in Damascus; (2) they received their gospel by direct revelation of the Spirit; (3) they were teaching the OT scriptures, and thus the word of God. All three possibilities find some support in the context of this Epistle, but (1) seems the most likely in light of the extended discussion on Paul’s relationship with the Jerusalem church (1:13-2:10).

Positively, Paul proclaims that he received his gospel by ‘revelation’ (ἀποκαλύψεως) of Jesus Christ. Much ink has been spilled over whether Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ should be taken as a subjective or objective genitive here. Both are possible – Christ was both the revealer (on the road to Damascus) and the content of the revelation – and there is no need to choose between them.

Not by Judaism (1:13-14)

Translation & Textual Notes

Not from Jerusalem (1:15-17)

Translation & Textual Notes

Not from Apostles (1:18-24)

Translation & Textual Notes

Endnotes

1. Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2d, Accordance electronic ed. New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 520.
2. Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2d, Accordance electronic ed. New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 520-521.
3. Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2d, Accordance electronic ed. New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 521.
4. Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (2d, Accordance electronic ed. New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 521.
5. W. Hall Harris, ed., The NET Bible Notes (1st, Accordance electronic ed. Richardson: Biblical Studies Press, 2005), n.p.
6. BDAG, 740. They cite variant readings in Mk 5:3; Lk 12:26; 20:36; J 1:25; Ac 4:12; 1 Cor 3:2; Gal 1:12a; 1 Th 2:3; Rv 5:3; 9:20; 12:8; 20:4.
7. BDAG, 791
8. BDAG, 129.
9. cf. Betz, 56, where he argues that Paul is ‘pretending’ to introduce new information as a rhetorical device for reminding.
10. Barclay, “Mirror-reading a Polemical Letter”, 368-70.
11. Indeed, Barclay raises the possibility that the ‘opponents’ did not consider themselves in opposition to Paul, but believed they were carrying on in the tradition of his own teaching. (ibid., 373.)
12. Constantin von Tischendorf, ed., Novum Testamentum Graece: Editio Octava Critica Maior (Accordance electronic ed. 3 vols.; Leipzig: Giesecke & Devrient, 1869), 630.
13. W. Hall Harris, ed., The NET Bible Notes (1st, Accordance electronic ed. Richardson: Biblical Studies Press, 2005), n.p.