RSV ~ Galatians 1 Notes

Gal 1:1-9 | ISB Notes

Unlike most Pauline letters, Galatians omits introductory expressions of praise and thanksgiving. Instead of his usual warmth, Paul opens with a sharp and confrontational tone, followed by an astonished rebuke (1:6-9). This tension is present throughout the epistle and comes to the surface in its many warnings (3:1; 4:11, 20; 5:1-12, 15; 6:7-9).

Gal 1:1 | ISB Notes

Paul an apostle: From the outset Paul defends his apostleship. Because his opponents in Galatia apparently denied him authority on a par with the Twelve, he contends that his commission stems neither from human authority (from men) nor even from the original apostles (through man). Paul, like the Twelve, received his gospel directly from Jesus Christ (1:12; Acts 26:15-18; CCC 659).

Gal 1:2 | ISB Notes

all the brethren: Not co-authors, but a group of fellow Christian supporters.

the churches: Galatians is a circular letter directed to several congregations affected by the Judaizing crisis. It is disputed whether Paul was writing to those of North or South Galatia.

See introduction: Destination.

Gal 1:3 | ISB Notes

Grace to you and peace: A conventional Pauline greeting (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2).

Gal 1:4 | ISB Notes

gave himself for our sins: Anticipates the description of Christ’s act of redemption in 3:13-14. Here and elsewhere Paul emphasizes that Jesus willingly offered himself as a sacrifice for our salvation (Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2; CCC 2824).

the present evil age: Jewish theology distinguished between “this age”, which is dominated by sin and death, and the “age to come” (Mt 12:32; Eph 1:21), when peace comes to reign in the cosmos and the powers of darkness are destroyed. Through Christ, the graces of the age to come are already pouring into the lives of believers, rescuing them from sin, selfishness, and Satan.

Gal 1:6 | ISB Notes

I am astonished: Paul is distressed that his readers have been so easily lured into error by false teachers (3:1). His concern for the integrity of the gospel is manifest through the severity of his language.

him who called you: God, through the mediating grace of Christ (1:15; Rom 8:30).

a different gospel: i.e., a false gospel at variance with Paul’s apostolic teaching.

Gal 1:7 | ISB Notes

some who trouble you: The Judaizers, who labored to bring the Galatians under the yoke of circumcision and other burdensome laws of the Old Covenant (6:12-13). In doing so, they promoted a false gospel that implicitly denied the sufficiency of Christ’s death for our salvation (2:21). Although our knowledge about these troublemakers is fragmentary, they seem to share the outlook and aims of Jewish traditionalists from Judea (Acts 15:1-5; 21:20-21).

Gal 1:10 | ISB Notes

trying to please men?: It seems Paul was accused of subtracting circumcision from the requirements of Christian initiation in order to please the Gentiles. Ironically, it is the Judaizers who are the real men-pleasers, since they preach circumcision in order to avoid persecution by their Jewish kinsmen (6:12). Paul’s willingness to preach the true gospel in the face of persecution is evidence that he seeks only the approval of God (5:11; Acts 14:19-22).

Gal 1:12 | ISB Notes

through a revelation: Paul received his gospel directly from Christ, independent of apostolic tradition and instruction (Acts 26:12-18; CCC 153, 442). It is thus impossible that his message would conflict with that of the Jerusalem apostles who were also instructed by Christ, and in any case Paul has verified it with them (Gal 2:2; Acts 15:2). Notice that Paul is focusing on the foundational message of faith and salvation in Christ; other things, such as creeds and liturgical traditions, were indeed passed along to him by others (1 Cor 11:23-26; 15:3-7).

Gal 1:13 | ISB Notes

I persecuted the Church: A dark chapter in Paul’s pre-Christian life, of which he was later ashamed (1 Cor 15:9; 1 Tim 1:13). His zeal for traditional Judaism spurred him to adopt violent and aggressive tactics that included harassing, imprisoning, and even executing early Christians (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-2; 26:9-11). After his conversion, Paul’s fiery enthusiasm was not lessened but given new direction by Christ.

Gal 1:14 | ISB Notes

traditions of my fathers: i.e., everything that comprised the Jewish way of life. This included biblical customs and institutions as well as Pharisaic practices that were devised to supplement and intensify the demands of the written Law (Mk 7:1-5). Paul studied under the famed Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) and prided himself on a strict adherence to Jewish law (Phil 3:6).

Gal 1:15 | ISB Notes

set me apart: Paul’s apostolic mission was predetermined before his birth.

• His language recalls Is 49:1 and Jer 1:5, where the messianic Servant and the prophet Jeremiah were consecrated before birth to be God’s messengers. Paul’s similar calling places him within this prophetic tradition.

Gal 1:16 | ISB Notes

to reveal his Son: In a vision on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-9; 1 Cor 9:1). It was then that Christ commissioned Paul to announce the gospel to the Gentiles and the sons of Israel (Acts 9:15-16).

I did not confer: The RSV leaves the adverb “immediately” (Gk. eutheos) untranslated. Paul does not deny that he consulted the original apostles about his gospel (2:2, 6-10); he simply underscores that his certainty about its truth exempted him from the need to do so immediately after his conversion.

flesh and blood: A Semitic idiom meaning “human beings” (Sir 14:18; Mt 16:17).

Gal 1:17 | ISB Notes

Arabia: Probably the territory of the Nabatean kingdom that stretched from Damascus, north of Palestine, down to the Red Sea, south of Palestine. This was mostly a wilderness region where no one could have instructed Paul but God himself.

• The reference to Arabia here and in 4:25 might suggest that Paul journeyed to the traditional site of Mt. Sinai (also called Horeb), where Moses and Elijah spoke intimately with the Lord (Ex 19:2-3; 1 Kings 19:8-18).

Gal 1:18 | ISB Notes

after three years: Corresponds to the “many days” that passed before Paul was forced to flee Damascus (Acts 9:2325). It was then that he traveled to Jerusalem for the first time as a Christian (Acts 9:26-29).

to visit: The Greek expression is more precise, indicating that Paul “interviewed” Peter, as well as “made his acquaintance”. He must have spent these two weeks gathering information about the life and ministry of Jesus.

Cephas: Another name for Simon Peter, often used in Paul’s letters (2:9, 11; 1 Cor 1:12; 9:5; 15:5). It transliterates an Aramaic word meaning “rock”.

See word study: Peter at Mt 16:18.

Gal 1:19 | ISB Notes

James: Tradition reveres James as the first bishop of Jerusalem, being appointed to this position by the apostles. Early Christians called him “the Just” on account of his disciplined, prayerful, and virtuous life (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2, 23; St. Jerome, On Illustrious Men 2). See note on Acts 12:17. the Lord’s brother: Not a blood brother, but a near kinsman (CCC 500). See note on Mt 12:46.

Gal 1:20 | ISB Notes

before God, I do not lie: A mild oath formula, sworn by Paul to insist on the reliability of his testimony (Rom 9:1; CCC 2154).

Gal 1:21 | ISB Notes

Syria and Cilicia: Paul withdrew first to his native city of Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 9:30) and was later summoned to the Church of Antioch in Syria (Acts 11:25-26).