The Epistle to the Galatians by the Apostle Paul is a book of the New Testament that Paul addressed to the Christian community of Galatia that he established during his missionary journey.
Galatia is a region of Asia Minor, originally inhabited by the Greeks, but then assimilated by the Gauls (Celtic tribes). In 26, Galatia became a Roman province. It was a prosperous province, so these lands attracted Jews - immigrants from Judea.
Information about the country called Galatia
Galatia was the name given to the Asia Minor region, located almost in the middle of Asia Minor and surrounded from the north by Bithynia, Paphlagonia and Pontus, and from the south by Phrygia, Lycaonia and Cappadocia. This country was originally inhabited by the Greeks, but in the third century BC, the ancient Gauls (one of the Celtic tribes), who invaded Macedonia and Greece from the banks of the Rhine River and then moved to Asia Minor (in 280), settled in it. and told her their name was Galatia, or Gallo-Greece. In 189 BC, the Roman consul Manlius subjugated this country to the power of the Romans, leaving it with its own administration. In 26 AD, Augustus converted Galatia into a Roman province. Having settled here, the previously warlike Gauls turned to peaceful pursuits and arts and began to cultivate their fertile and flourishing country. Gradually they mixed with the local Greeks, adopting their customs and language. The rich Galatian country began to attract Jews, who, since the time of Alexander the Great, had been forced to move from Palestine to various other areas. Emperor Augustus declared his special patronage to the Jews moving to Galatia, as reported by the Jewish historian Josephus.
Founding of Christian churches in Galatia
We find the first mention of the enlightenment of the Galatian country with the light of the Christian faith in the book of Acts of St. apostles, at the beginning of the story about the second apostolic journey of St. Apostle Paul. Having mentioned the grief, as a result of which St. The Apostle Paul separated from St. Barnabas, after the Apostolic Council and, taking Silas as his companion, passed through Syria and Cilicia, the Writer, speaking about the addition of another new companion, Timothy, to them, says: “passing through the cities, they (that is, St. Paul with his disciples Silas, Luke and Timothy) commanded the faithful to observe the decrees made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. And the churches were established by faith and increased in number daily. Having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, they were not allowed by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia,” etc. (Acts 16:4-6). There is no doubt that at this very time St. the Apostle Paul and laid the foundation of Christian churches in the main cities of Galatia - Ancyra, Pessina, Tavia and Gordia. That the Galatian churches were founded by St. by the Apostle Paul, this is clearly evident from the letter to the Galatians itself (see 1:6-9; 4:13, etc.). The book of Acts, however, does not provide any details about this, but when describing the third apostolic journey of St. Apostle Paul The writer notes that St. the apostle Paul “went through the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, confirming all the disciples” (Acts 18.23). Of course, only those who have already been converted to faith can be confirmed in faith. Although the book of Acts does not give us any information about the circumstances of the conversion of the Galatians, we learn something about it from the letter to the Galatians itself. As can be seen from Gal. 4:13-15, St. The Apostle Paul, while visiting the Galatian country, suffered some kind of ailment of the flesh. Probably this illness detained the apostle with the Galatians for a longer period than he himself expected, and this served for the benefit of the Galatians, for it gave the opportunity to St. the apostle to write to them Christ the Lord so vividly that they contemplated Him as if crucified before them (Gal. 3:1). Because of this, they believed with special fervor and extraordinary zeal and received the apostle himself as an Angel of God, as Christ Jesus, and loved him so much that they were ready to pluck out their eyes and give them to him (Gal. 4:14-15).
Faith and Works: Galatia and the Galatians
The Epistle to the Galatians can be called one of the most emotional texts of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul practically does not hide his indignation, and even twice calls the addressees of the letter foolish (see: Gal. 3, 1, 3). For what? The apostle had reasons for this.
It must be said that in ancient times Galatia was a vast region, the center of which was the Greek city of Ancyra. Now this is Ankara, the modern capital of Turkey. The peoples who inhabited these territories were called Galatians (hence the name of the area). It is interesting that the Galatians are related to the European peoples - the Celts and Gauls (inhabited the territories of modern France, Northern Italy, Belgium, Germany), and came to Galatia from the Balkan Peninsula. It was to these European settlers that the apostle preached.
The Apostle Paul reports that he personally preached to the Galatians, although he was in the weakness of the flesh (Gal. 4:13 ), that is, sick. But it was in illness that he learned the love of those to whom he preached. The Galatians accepted him as an Angel of God, and even more - as Christ Jesus (Gal. 4:14 ). It may seem strange that the Apostle Paul compares himself to Christ. In fact, there is nothing strange in these words, but the meaning of this comparison will be discussed in more detail below.
Further, the apostle writes that the Galatians were so imbued with love and care for him that if it had been possible, they would have plucked out their eyes and given them to me (Gal. 4:15 ). But something happens that makes the Apostle Paul change (not forever) his opinion about the Galatians.
What happened?
The apostle does not give detailed descriptions of the causes of the conflict. But even from brief remarks in the first chapter we can conclude that after the Apostle Paul left the Galatian region, some preachers came, disturbing and wanting to “pervert” (that is, pervert) the gospel of Christ (Gal. 1 :7). The Galatians, as if forgetting about Paul’s sermon, accept a different gospel (cf. Gal. 1 :6). The Apostle Paul speaks out about this unequivocally: even if... An angel from heaven were to preach to you a gospel different from what we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so now I say again: if anyone preaches to you anything other than what you have received, let him be accursed (Gal. 1 :8-9). This does not mean that the apostle rejects any other gospel except his own. Not at all. He opposes preaching that leads people away from Christ. Another gospel consisted of the requirement to comply with the provisions of the Mosaic Law, in particular, the adoption of circumcision and compliance with food prohibitions. In fact, the preachers who came to Galatia taught that it was not enough to simply believe in Christ as the Savior. To become part of God's people, it is necessary to accept circumcision of the foreskin (as a symbol of cutting off the passions and a sign of belonging to God's chosen people), and also to observe regulations regarding food. But the Apostle Paul was outraged not by the very fact of such preaching, but by the fact that the Galatians accepted such ideas.
It is no coincidence that the apostle wishes the Galatians peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins in order to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father (Gal. 1: 3-4) and speaks of this that they were called by the grace of Christ (Gal. 1 :6). Suddenly it turned out that the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ was not enough to save a person. The grace of God, calling and sanctifying, is not enough either. Needs to be trimmed. The Apostle Paul gives detailed reasons for his position. He proves that salvation is possible through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the works of the law (that is, the regulations of the Law of Moses) no longer play any role in salvation.
Salvation by Faith
The Apostle Paul gives six (although this division is rather arbitrary) reasons for his position. First, he reminds the Galatians that Jesus Christ was predestined before them, as if he were crucified among you (Gal. 3 :1), and asks: Did you receive the Spirit through the works of the law, or through the instruction of faith? (Gal. 3 :2) Secondly, Paul testifies that God, who assisted Peter in his apostleship among the circumcision, also assisted me (Paul in preaching) among the Gentiles (uncircumcised) (Gal. 2 :8). Then, as a third justification, the Apostle Paul gives the example of Abraham, who believed God, and this was counted to him as righteousness (Gal. 3 :6). And the promises were given to Abraham and to his seed. It is not said: and to descendants, as if about many, but as about one: and to your seed, which is Christ (Gal. 3:16 ). Apparently, by the seed of Abraham, supporters of observance of circumcision understood the Israeli people specifically. The Apostle Paul refutes this understanding, pointing out that we are talking about Christ. Here we can recall the words of Christ Himself about the descendants of Abraham, addressed to the Pharisees and Sadducees - who were proud of their descent from Abraham: Do not think to say to yourself: “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham (Matt. 3 , 9).
The fourth argument of the Apostle Paul points to universal sinfulness: Scripture has concluded everyone under sin, so that the promise might be given to those who believe through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:22 ). The purpose of the Mosaic Law was to prepare the people for the meeting with the Savior promised by God: the Law was for us a guide to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith; after the coming of faith, we are no longer under the guidance of a teacher. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus; all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is no longer Jew or Gentile; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3 :24-29). In Christ, all receive equal grace and righteousness, regardless of origin, social status, or gender. Therefore, there is no need for anything additional. The Lord Jesus Christ grants salvation to everyone.
The fifth argument of the Apostle Paul sounds like a question: Having known God, or, better, received knowledge from God, why (you Galatians) return again to the weak and poor material principles and want to enslave yourselves to them again? (Gal. 4 :9) That is, having received the Divine truth about the salvation of all in Christ, the Galatians, accepting a different gospel about the need for circumcision, refuse saving grace, placing hope in external action, thinking to be saved through it. The Apostle even fears - was his preaching among them in vain? (see: Gal. 3 , 11)
In his final argument, the apostle Paul returns again to Abraham and his faith. Apparently, supporters of circumcision also referred to the example of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar (see: Gen. 16 , 1–16). For them, Hagar, Sarah's handmaiden, was a symbol of the pagans. And only the descendants of Abraham from his legitimate wife Sarah (the Jews) could be considered the true people of God. The apostle rejects such an explanation. Hagar is not a symbol of the pagans who did not know circumcision and legal birth, but a symbol of slavery to the law, a symbol of earthly Jerusalem: Abraham had two sons, one from a slave, and the other from a free woman. But he who is of a slave is born according to the flesh; and the one who is free, the one according to the promise. There is an allegory in this. These are two covenants: one from Mount Sinai, begetting into slavery, which is Hagar, for Hagar means Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, because he and his children are in slavery; and Jerusalem above is free: she is the mother of us all (Gal. 4 :22-26).
What should Christians do?
The Apostle appeals to the Galatians: Stand in the freedom that Christ has given us, and do not again be subjected to the yoke of slavery. Behold, I, Paul, say to you: if you are circumcised, you will not benefit from Christ at all... You, who justify yourselves by the law, are left without Christ, have fallen from grace, but we in the Spirit expect and hope for the righteousness of faith (Gal. 5 :1 –2, 4–5). Having received righteousness and freedom through sincere faith in Christ, Christians should not renounce this, should not place their hope of salvation in something else. Because Christ is the Savior of absolutely everyone. Therefore in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power, but faith working through love (Gal. 5: 6).
The works of the law, chief of which was circumcision, did not give man saving righteousness. Now believers receive righteousness in Christ. Therefore, the only works that Christians should strive to accomplish are the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control. There is no law against such (Gal. 5: 22-23). What is important for a believer is not external circumcision - a symbol of cutting off passions, but spiritual victory over one’s own passions. Therefore, the Apostle Paul writes: Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24 ). The only law that weighs on Christians is the law of love: Brothers! If a person falls into any sin, you who are spiritual, correct him in the spirit of meekness, each one watching himself, so as not to be tempted. Bear each other's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6 :1-2).
Of course, now there are no longer any preachers among Christians who convince us of the need to accept the Law of Moses for salvation. But this does not make Galatians any less relevant or outdated. The message reminds us of the One in whom our hope is and through whom we receive salvation. And if we really believed in Christ as the Son of God and Savior, then no one and nothing should overshadow Him in us. Nowhere else should we look for hope for righteousness.
Newspaper "Orthodox Faith" No. 5 (529)
The Reason for Writing Galatians
The reason for writing the letter to the Galatians was the invasion of the Galatian church by Judaizing heretics, who instilled in the Galatians the idea of the need for salvation to observe circumcision and other rituals and the establishment of the Old Testament Jewish religion. Continuing his third evangelistic journey, St. the Apostle Paul from the Galatian country arrived in Ephesus (Acts 19:1). It was here that rumors soon reached him about the unrest that had been sown among the Galatians by Judaizing heretics, apparently arriving from Palestine, since the local Jews, due to their long life together with the pagans, could hardly adhere to such fanatical, narrowly national Jewish views. These Judaizers explained Paul's teaching about freedom from the Old Testament law only by his desire to gain love among the pagans and pointed out that he was not called to apostolic service directly by Jesus Christ Himself during His earthly life and was not a living witness of His deeds and a listener of His teaching . To the great chagrin and surprise of St. Apostle Paul, many of the Galatians succumbed to this corrupting preaching, soon “turned over to another gospel” (Gal. 1:6) and cooled towards his personality. Struck by such unexpected frivolity and recklessness of the Galatians (3:1), St. The Apostle Paul immediately decided to write a letter to them regarding their error and denouncing their seducers, and he wrote it with his own hand (Gal. 6:11), so as not to waste time from the scribes and to eliminate any suspicions about its authenticity.
Galatians chapter 1
Greetings to readers (1−5). Reason for writing a message (6−10). The Apostle Paul did not receive his Gospel from men (11−24)
Gal 1:1−5. In greetings Ap. immediately outlines the main content of the following chapters. He says about himself that he is a real Apostle of Christ - which the Judaizers, who enjoyed influence in Galatia at that time, did not want to admit to him - and that Christ gave Himself to death in order to redeem people from submission to the present evil age. Ap's last thought. expresses, again referring to the Judaizers, who, one might say, deprived the feat of Christ of the proper dignity, exposing the necessity for salvation of the Law of Moses.
Gal 1:1. Paul the Apostle, chosen not by men or through man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead,
In the primal Church, apostles were generally called preachers of the Gospel, and not just disciples of Christ Himself. The Judaizers wanted to equate Apostle Paul with ordinary preachers of the Gospel, saying that he did not listen to Christ Himself and was lower than any of the 12 Apostles. That is why Paul pretends that he is an Apostle in the full sense of the word, equal to every Apostle among the 12. He, firstly, was chosen for his ministry “not by men,” that is, either by other Apostles, or by a meeting of believers, as they were chosen, for example. churches of Titus and Epaphroditus (2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25). Secondly, he was called “not through man,” that is, Christ did not place him in apostolic service through someone else, but directly called him. However, Paul calls the first culprit of his calling “God the Father, who raised Christ from the dead.” About the last fact of Ap. mentions in those ways to show that both Christ and God the Father are on his side: he, in fact, was called by Christ, and Christ was put in such a state that He could call again, after the resurrection, Apostles for Himself. - God the Father. Ap. says here that Christ was “resurrected” by God the Father, just like the next. to Rom (Rom 8:11), meaning that Christ was truly resurrected by the Father, since He, as the God-man, made Himself dependent on the Father in everything (John 5:19). But the Ap., nevertheless, was at the same time completely convinced that Christ, as God, was resurrected Himself (Rom. 4:25; 8:34).
Gal 1:2. and all the brethren who are with me - to the churches of Galatia:
Ap. wants to say that all the Christians around him at the present time (instead of “those who were” it is better to translate “those who are”) are sympathetic to the step he has taken in relation to the Galatian churches and agree with his views.
Gal 1:3. Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ap. does not add, contrary to his custom (cf., for example, the introduction to the Epistle to Rom. and 1 Cor.), praise to the readers for the firmness of their faith. This shows that Ap. was too much upset by the behavior of the Galatian Christians, who were currently on the side of Paul’s opponents - the Judaizers. - “Grace and Peace” - cf. Rome Ï7.
Gal 1:4. Who gave Himself for our sins, in order to deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father;
Gal 1:5. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Ap. Of course, here he means the Judaizers, who, by putting forward their demand that in Christianity it is necessary to observe the ritual law of Moses, thereby, as it were, weakened the power of the redemptive merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ap. therefore says that Christ “gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins, in order that, according to the will or decision of our God and Father, he might deliver us from subjection to the present evil age, or, in other words, to such an order of life in which man could not help but sin.” If Ap. calls this order of life “present” (ενεστῶς), this does not mean that it is still continuing: this word here is equal to the expression “this” (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 3:22) and is the opposite of the expression “future age”, as the times of messianic salvation are designated in the New Testament (Matthew 12:32; Rom 8:38). - Since the Judaizers, taking away the importance of the merits of Christ, at the same time humiliated both God and our Father, Who deigned to accept these merits as a completely satisfying sacrifice for the sins of mankind, then Ap. at the end of the greeting he gives praise to “God and the Father.”
Gal 1:6−10. Pointing out the reason for which he addresses the Galatians with a message, Ap. says that the Galatians allowed false teachers to distract them from God, who called them to fellowship with Himself in Christ. At the same time, he mentions that the Galatians took the side of Paul’s opponents. So, alienation from God and Christ and at the same time loss of confidence in their enlightener Paul - this is what prompts the Apostle to turn to the Galatians with a word of strict admonition.
Gal 1:6. I am amazed that you are so quickly moving from Him who called you by the grace of Christ to a different gospel,
“From him who called” is from God (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Eph 4:4). - “By the grace of Christ.” The last expression (Χριστοῦ) is recognized by the newest researchers of the text as inauthentic (see Tsana p. 44 with an indication of the most ancient codes in which this expression is not present). If we read simply “by grace,” then by “he who called” we can mean Christ Himself. - “So soon,” that is, so quickly, without hesitation at all. - “To a different gospel,” that is, to a new one that has appeared again (έτερος - denotes a difference only in quantity or time of origin). The Judaizers came to Galatia with a different or second gospel of Christ, thereby declaring the previous gospel of the Apostle Paul insufficient. Maybe they said that Ap. I forgot to tell the Galatians that Christ always spoke out as recognizing the eternal significance of the law of Moses (Matthew 17-19). They advised the Galatians to completely forget Paul’s preaching as not sufficiently illuminating the cause of Christ.
Gal 1:7. which, however, is not different, but there are only people who confuse you and want to change the gospel of Christ.
“Which, however, is not different...” Ap is already here. uses another term to refer to the preaching of the Judaizers. “Not other” - “άλλο”, that is, not different in quality, not different in content, not different from mine in content. What, in fact, could the Judaizing Galatians tell anything new about Christ? Apostle, without a doubt, depicted the life and teachings of Christ in all detail, and the Judaizers, of course, could not add anything to the actual history of Christ, without falling into fantastic inventions... - “But there are only people who confuse you and want to convert the gospel of Christ." Yes, the Apostle seems to be saying, the Judaizers are unable to add anything to my Gospel. They only want to cause confusion and anxiety among you (to confuse in Greek: ταράσσειν to disturb, to cast into alarm), to reinterpret the Gospel of Christ (μεταστρέψαι, and τοῦ Χριστοῦ - gen. subject), which Galata set forth in a completely correct form m Ap. Paul. The Judaizers obviously wanted to reinterpret the Gospel by introducing into it the doctrine of the need to observe circumcision and the law in Christianity as well.
Gal 1:8. But even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach to you a gospel different from what we preached to you, let him be anathema.
“Not like us...” more correct: contrary to what we (παρ ό) or: in addition to what we preached, that is, with additions from ourselves. - “But even if we...” Ap. suggests, based on the example of Ap. Peter (see further chapter Gal. 2:11-14) that even he is not guaranteed against the possibility of betraying his Gospel (for example, under the influence of torture). - “Angel from heaven.” This is an impossible case, and Ap. brings it only to strengthen the thought. Therefore, the expression should be inserted here: “if it were possible” ... “Anathema.” Among the 70, this word serves as a term to denote the concept of “herem” - excommunication, assignment of something taken from a person’s property or family to God, either in order to bring it as a gift to God, or for destruction, as an object that has caused against yourself the wrath of God. As in other messages of Ap. Paul (cf. eg 1 Cor 16:22), here this word is used in the latter sense. But in what sense does Ap. understands excommunication itself - in the sense of the judgment of God, or the judgment of the Church? It seems to Zahn that it only says that such a preacher of the Gospel is submitted to the court of God, and not to a disciplinary church court (p. 50). But the concept of anathema or herem among the Jews implied removal from Israeli society (cf. 1 Ezra 10:8; Nehemiah 13:28). If Tsang finds it impossible to apply church excommunication to an Angel, then this objection is unfounded: after all, Ap. thinks here of the Angel as present on earth in the form of a person and as a member of the Church, and, therefore, as in some way subject to church discipline (again, of course, presumably).
Gal 1:9. As we said before, so now I say again: whoever preaches to you a gospel other than what you have received, let him be accursed.
So, against the Judaizers, who distorted the Gospel of Christ, Apostle. utters anathema. But this should not amaze the Galatians: after all, before, during his second stay in Galatia, he said the same thing (cf. Gal 5:3,21). But then he expressed this as an assumption, because the Judaizers at that time had not yet come out openly, but now he directly sends excommunication to the false teachers who have appeared or are about to appear again. - "We said". According to Tsang, here is Ap. as in verse 8 (“we preached the gospel”) he means not only himself, but also his helpers in the preaching of the Gospel.
Gal 1:10. Am I now seeking favor from people, or from God? Do I try to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
The Judaizers, in all likelihood, reproached Paul for his apparent inconsistency: “either he,” the Judaizers said, “applied to the customs of the Jews (Gal. 5:11; cf. 1 Cor. 9:20), or he lived with the pagans as a pagan (cf. 1 Cor. 9:21). Was this not a manifestation of the desire to increase the number of people disposed towards him at all costs? This is how the Judaizers probably reasoned before their listeners in Galatia. Ap. and now he says, starting to defend himself, that he never acted like that: he only sought “God’s” favor, and he never had any hopes of respect from “people,” and therefore he cannot be accused of faking his way of action to suit the random tastes of listeners. And how could he become a “servant of Christ” if he had a tendency to seek popularity? He enjoyed enormous popularity in Judaism and yet neglected it in order to follow the thorny path of a servant of “Christ” - a preacher of the Gospel...
Gal 1:11−24. From the 11th verse the apologetic part of the letter begins, ending with Galatians 2:21. Here is Ap. proves that his Gospel is not the Gospel he received from people, but received from Christ Himself. Here he describes in detail his life after converting to Christianity and clearly shows that he did not have teachers even from among the 12 Apostles.
Gal 1:11. I declare to you, brethren, that the gospel which I preached is not human,
Gal 1:12. for I also received it and learned it, not from man, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Since the Judaizers questioned the divine origin of the Gospel preached by Ap. Pavel, then Ap. First of all, he expresses the position that his Gospel “is not human.” He did not accept it as a whole (παρέλαβον), and did not learn to understand it (εδιδάχθην) from any of the people, but through the revelation he received from Jesus Christ Himself. Before him, Christ seemed to immediately open the curtain that covered true Christianity before Paul’s eyes, and the Apostle understood all its greatness. Of course, one cannot think that this happened at one moment - at Damascus: Ap. here, undoubtedly, he means all the numerous revelations that were to him, in which he learned all the secrets of the Christian faith (cf. 2 Cor 12:2), revelations he received before writing the letter to the Galatians. It should be noted that this does not deny the possibility that the Apostle became acquainted with the historical events in the life of Christ through conversations with the oldest Christians in the time of conversion to Christ; revelation communicates only ideas, not historical facts.
Gal 1:13. You have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that I cruelly persecuted the Church of God and devastated it,
Gal 1:14. and succeeded in Judaism more than many of my peers, being an immoderate zealot of my fatherly traditions.
The life of the Apostle before his conversion to Christ clearly indicates that he could not be imbued with Christian ideas at that time. He was an ardent persecutor of Christianity, who did not want to penetrate into the essence of the new teaching. He was not like some of the Pharisees, who took a wait-and-see approach to Christianity (cf. Acts 5:34-39). He succeeded in “Judaism,” that is, in the life that developed in Judaism under the influence of the traditions of the elders, and was among his generation (“in my generation”) an immoderate zealous conductor in the life of those traditions that he inherited from his father or from his ancestors in general (the word πατρικός is not the same as πατρῶος: it denotes traditions - in this case obviously Pharisaic - kept more strictly in a well-known surname than in others).
Gal 1:15. When God, who chose me from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
Gal 1:16. to reveal His Son in me, so that I might preach His gospel to the Gentiles - I did not then consult with flesh and blood,
Gal 1:17. and did not go to Jerusalem to the Apostles who preceded me, but went to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus.
But could not the Apostle, after his conversion to Christ, submit to human influence in developing his worldview? This happened, of course, with everyone who accepted Christianity at that time: The Galatians themselves, of course, knew that without instruction from others they could not have become what they became. So, in order to exclude the assumption of such outside influence on him, the Apostle notes as a very important fact that, after his conversion, he did not go to Jerusalem to receive instruction in the faith from the Apostles, but went to Arabia, from where again, without going to Jerusalem, which was at that time the center of Christianity, returned to Damascus. - “He who chose me...” see Tolkov. Bible vol. X-th. - “Reveal Your Son in me.” Before his conversion, darkness reigned in the soul of the Apostle, which prevented him from seeing in Jesus, whom he persecuted, the true Messiah and Son of God. This darkness consisted of Jewish prejudices and, in particular, of the Pharisaic aspirations that had until then dominated Paul’s soul. The overcoming of these prejudices through a special Divine influence on the soul of Paul (cf. John 6:44) is the “revelation of the Son of God” about which the Apostle speaks here. Only through him did that first self-revelation of Christ (Gal. 1:12), with which Paul’s calling into the bosom of the Church of Christ and to the apostolic ministry was directly connected, come to its full development and become effective. The three days of bodily blindness (Acts 9:2), which followed the appearance of Christ to Paul and the calling of the Apostle, can be considered as the time during which God’s influence took place on Paul’s soul. - “So that I may preach His gospel to the Gentiles.” The purpose of this “revelation of the Son of God” in Paul’s soul was for Paul to become a preacher of the Gospel among the Gentiles. And could, in fact, Paul not preach to the pagans the One in whom he, by the special influence of God on his soul, recognized the true Son of God? Just as God is the God of Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 3:29), so Christ, the Son of God, must be the unconditional property of all nations. This was God's purpose in "revealing His Son" to Paul. - “I didn’t...” Apostle, having received a direct explanation from God about Christ, did not find it necessary to offer the conviction he acquired in such an extraordinary way to the judgment of people (“flesh and blood” cf. Eph 6:12; Mt 16:17): this would be a manifestation on his part disrespect for divine teaching. - "At the same time". He thought and acted this way from the very days of his calling. Obviously, his enemies suggested to the Galatians that in the first time after his conversion, Paul still sought recognition from the elder Christians and the Apostles, tried to get from them some of the instructions he needed, and only later unexpectedly broke off all communication with them and came out with his “false "The gospel is in open contradiction with the Jerusalem Church. - “And he did not go to Jerusalem...”. Where, if not in Jerusalem, this oldest city of Christianity, could Paul have sought guidance if he needed it? However, he did not go there (απῆλθον - according to the best reading, that is, he did not leave Damascus to go to Jerusalem). - “To those who preceded” (Τ. πρό εμοῦ), that is, those called before me. - “And he went to Arabia,” that is, if he went anywhere, maybe even more than once, - from Damascus, which served for three years after his conversion as his permanent place of residence - then only to Arabia - to the region lying to the southeast from Damascus to the kingdom of the Nebatites, in which King Aretas was the ruler (2 Cor 11:32). Regarding his stay in Arabia, Ap. he doesn’t say anything more here - he didn’t need it (about this, see Commentary on the Bible, vol. X). He only wants to show his independence from the influence of human authorities, and he does this by mentioning that he left Damascus only to Arabia, where, of course, he could not meet with the 12 Apostles...
Gal 1:18. Then, three years later, I went to Jerusalem to see Peter and stayed with him for fifteen days.
Gal 1:19. I saw no other of the Apostles except James, the brother of the Lord.
Only three years after his conversion, when, consequently, the views of Ap. Paul had to take on a completely finished form, he went to Jerusalem in order to see or get acquainted (ιστορῆσαι) properly (Paul already had some superficial knowledge about Peter before) with the Apostle. Peter. The Judaists, apparently, interpreted this visit of Paul to Jerusalem in their own way... With this in mind, Paul speaks of this visit to Jerusalem in a completely cold tone. Just as an inquisitive traveler looks for the most glorious cities and wants to see all their attractions, so Paul traveled to Jerusalem to get to know, in freedom, the head of the close circle of Christ’s disciples - Apostle. Peter. But Paul stayed in Jerusalem only fifteen days - a very short time in order to learn everything, so to speak, from the beginning and in order to forget everything that the Apostle had acquired for three years away from Jerusalem... With the other Apostles from among the 12 Paul didn’t even have to meet that time - they probably weren’t in Jerusalem. To be precise in his message about his stay in Jerusalem - after all, Ap. meant that his epistle would also be read by his enemies, the Judaizers, who, of course, would try to point out everything that was not said by the Apostle; he adds that at that time he saw the brother of the Lord James, the primate of the Jerusalem Church (see Tol. Bible vol. X th). At the same time, Ap. probably uses the word “saw” not without intention: he wants to make it clear that he only saw, but did not study with the Apostle James, did not try to learn from him anything in the field of Christian doctrine, which would be he, Pavel, does not know.
Gal 1:20. And in what I write to you, before God, I am not lying.
Gal 1:21. After this I went to the countries of Syria and Cilicia.
Gal 1:22. I was not personally known to the Churches of Christ in Judea,
Gal 1:23. but they only heard that the one who once persecuted them was now preaching the good news of the faith that he had previously destroyed -
Gal 1:24. and glorified God for me.
Having confirmed the truth of his testimony with an oath, Ap. makes a remark about what took place in his life after his above-mentioned visit to Jerusalem. He went from Jerusalem (after spending some time in Caesarea Acts 9:30) to the countries of Syria and Cilicia. It would be more accurate to say: to Cilicia (and primarily in the city of Tarsus Acts 9:30) and - then - to Syria, but Ap. mentions Syria first, because he is thinking about the geographical location of countries: it was Syria that directly bordered Palestine, and then, after Syria, came Cilicia. With this mention of areas far from Jerusalem, Ap. wants to say that even after his visit to Jerusalem he stood far from any influence of the chief apostles. Then he notes another fact that is especially important to him. Various Palestinian provincial Christian communities did not know the Apostle Paul personally, but they heard, of course, from the Jerusalemites that Apostle. Paul, who had once been a fierce persecutor of Christianity, now became a preacher of this Christianity. It is obvious that Ap. During the days of his stay in Jerusalem - precisely in those 15 days - Paul had already managed to preach the Gospel there as a completely independent preacher (see Rom 15:19). This review of the Jerusalem Christians about Paul's preaching activity, in general, was obviously very sympathetic, and the provincial Palestinian Christians praised God, who had made their enemy a zealous preacher of Christ. It is clear - as the Apostle says so - that in the first time after my stay in Jerusalem there was no thought that I was introducing some new teaching about Christ. They treated him very sympathetically, and only recently this attitude has changed...
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Lopukhin's comments on Galatians, chapter 1
Time and Place of Writing of Galatians
The letter itself refers to the first and second visits of the Apostle Paul to Galatia (Gal. 4:13). And since he expresses surprise that the Galatians so quickly move on to a different gospel from Him who called them by the grace of Christ (Gal. 1:6), it means that the letter was written shortly after the apostle’s second visit to Galatia. After his second visit to Galatia, St. The Apostle Paul spent about three years in Ephesus. From this it is clear that the Epistle to the Galatians was written by St. the Apostle Paul during his third apostolic journey, during his stay in Ephesus. Calculating the years of events from the life of St. Apostle Paul, we can more likely assume that this letter was written in 56 A.D.
Place and time of writing.
The epistle was written from Antioch in Syria around the year 48, shortly before the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch at the end of their first missionary journey. There they were visited by the Apostle Peter, who came from Jerusalem, and had fellowship with them; There he stopped eating food with pagan Christians and was publicly rebuked by Paul for his inappropriate behavior.
Meanwhile, the southern Galatian churches were infiltrated by legalistic false teachers who denied Paul's apostolic authority and taught that circumcision was necessary for salvation. Reacting quickly and decisively to Peter's behavior and the danger of the Galatian believers slipping into legalism, Paul wrote this stern letter before heading to the council in Jerusalem.
Contents of Galatians
The book of Galatians contains six chapters. In the main subject of its content it bears a close resemblance to the Epistle to the Romans, and from beginning to end it is a strong, inspired speech, breathing zeal for Christ and love for the Galatians. Arguments that are convincing to the mind are constantly mixed with suggestions that can touch the strings of the heart. The main idea of the entire message is that all people, and not just Jews, are called by the Lord into the Church He founded, and they are saved in the Church not by fulfilling the rites of the Law of Moses, but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, manifested in deeds of love. The entire content of the epistle can be divided into the following parts: 1) Preface, which contains an inscription, greeting and introduction, in which introduction by St. the Apostle Paul already outlines the main thoughts of his letter (1:1-10); 2) The defensive part, in which St. the Apostle Paul explains and proves to the Galatians his apostolic dignity, shaken in their eyes by the Judaizing false teachers (1-11; 2:1-21); 3) The doctrinal part, in which St. the Apostle Paul with force and completeness reveals the main idea of the message - about the relationship of the Old Testament to the New and about the ceased meaning of the ritual Mosaic law, which lost force after the coming of Christ the Savior (chapters 3 and 4); 4) The moral part, which reveals the beginnings of Christian life in freedom from the Old Testament law (5 and 6:1-10); 5) Conclusion, in which instructions are given regarding the attitude towards circumcision and the veneration of the Cross of Christ and the usual apostolic blessing is taught (6:11-18).
Exegetical analysis of the letter to the Galatians
The first chapter begins with an inscription and a greeting, which are characteristic in that they already contain St. the apostle points to the main points of his entire epistle: the proof of his apostolic dignity and the clarification of what our salvation consists of. “Paul is the Apostle, chosen not by men or through man, but by Jesus Christ...” Here St. Paul resolutely emphasizes the chosenness of his apostleship in spite of the Judaizing slanderers who sought to humiliate him. The form of the apostolic greeting is also characteristic: “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age...” It is indicated here that salvation for us is in Christ, and not in Old Testament ritual law (vv. 1-5). Immediately after the greeting, the apostle expresses surprise at the rapid falling away of the Galatians from the true teaching and proclaims a terrible anathema to anyone who would dare to preach any other teaching, different from the one he preached to them, even if it were “An angel from heaven” ( Art. 6-9). This is the basis for the Church to declare anathema to heretics! In verse 10 St. Paul defends himself from the accusation that he, not being a true apostle, frees the pagans from observing the Law of Moses only in order to gain their favor: “If I still pleased people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” From verse 11 the defensive part of the letter begins. False teachers, humiliating St. Paul, they said that he had never seen the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, learned the Gospel teaching from the other apostles, and then retreated from them, forming his own teaching about the uselessness of the Law of Moses; In order to cover up his retreat, when he is with other apostles, he speaks and acts like them, so as not to show his disagreement with them. Defending his apostolic dignity from slanderers, St. Paul first of all reveals the Divine, and not the human, origin of his Gospel, asserting that he learned it “by the revelation of Jesus Christ,” that is, directly from the Lord Himself, who appeared to him. Further, he invites the Galatians to see the clear finger of God in the dramatic change that happened to him, telling how from a cruel persecutor of the Church of God he became a preacher of the previously persecuted teachings of the Christian faith (vv. 11-24). Here, in these autobiographical lines, the words are especially important: “I did not then consult with flesh and blood,” that is, with people - in this case, presumably, with the other apostles, “and did not go to Jerusalem, to those who preceded me apostles, but went to Arabia,” where, apparently, St. Paul was initiated into all the secrets of Christian teaching by the Lord Himself in multiple appearances, which can be seen, for example, from Ephesus. 3:3. Only three years later St. Paul went to Jerusalem “to see Peter”—only to see or become acquainted with the famous apostle, and not to learn from him. In Jerusalem St. Paul stayed only “fifteen days,” during which he did not see any of the apostles, “except James the brother of the Lord.” All this is St. Paul emphasizes in order to show that he did not draw his knowledge of the Gospel teaching from the other apostles. “And in what I write to you, before God, I do not lie” - in these words we see new confirmation of the legality of the oath in important cases. Further, the apostle says that “after this he departed to the countries of Syria and Cilicia,” that is, again he could not see the apostles who were then preaching in Palestine, and that he was not personally known to the churches of Christ in Judea. The purpose of these words of the apostle is still the same: “I did not learn from Peter, but only saw him,” as the apostle said, “I did not learn from James, and only saw him, I did not learn from anyone else inferior to them, not such a noble person. Was it possible for me to learn from those who had not even seen my face? (Photius in Ekumenia). The second chapter is a continuation of the same defensive speech of the apostle. Here in the first 10 verses of her St. Paul tells how he, “by revelation,” went to the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, precisely to the same council at which it was decided that it was not obligatory for Christians to observe the rites of the Mosaic Law. Went there St. Paul is in fellowship with his disciple, the baptized but uncircumcised Titus, whom he introduced to the apostles and was not forced to be circumcised. Pavlov's gospel received here, at the council, the full approval of the elder apostles. The elder apostles recognized that the Apostle Paul was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter was entrusted to the circumcised. As a sign of complete agreement, James, Cephas, and John, “honored by the pillars,” offered to St. Paul and Barnabas received the hand of fellowship. As St. explains these words. Chrysostom: “In the matter of preaching, says (St. Paul), we have divided the whole universe among ourselves; and I took the pagans, and they the Jews, because it pleased God. In taking care of the poor among the Jews, I helped them.” Among the Jewish believers there were many poor people who lost everything they had and were persecuted everywhere by unbelievers. As we see, St. really cared about them very much. Paul, collecting alms for them among the believing Gentiles (vv. 1-10). Further, the apostle points to the firmness and immutability of his convictions, while the other apostles (Peter and Barnabas), out of condescension towards the Judaizers, made concessions to them: they distanced themselves from the pagans and did not eat with them. In verses 11-21 St. Paul describes how he even had the boldness to confront Peter about this and denounced him in front of everyone. This remarkable incident clearly demonstrates the equality of Paul with Peter and refutes the false dogma of the Roman Catholics about the imaginary primacy of Peter in the apostolic guise. "Vicar of Christ" St. Paul, of course, would not have dared to denounce, especially “in front of everyone.” Having laid out his denunciation of Peter to the Galatians (vv. 11-14), St. Paul quietly moved on to the main subject of his letter: “a man is not justified by the works of the law, but only by faith in Jesus Christ... by the works of the law no flesh will be justified” (v. 16). These words are especially loved by sectarians, who see in them a denial of the significance of good deeds for salvation. But it is absolutely clear that here we are not talking about “good deeds” at all, but about “the deeds of the Old Testament Mosaic Law,” which with the coming of Christ lost its meaning, which was finally decided at the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, which took place in the year 50 AD. R. X. In the next verse, 17, the apostle says that to demand that Christians observe the Old Testament law means indirectly accusing Christ Himself of sin: “Is Christ really the minister of sin?” - that is: did He really lead us into sin by His teaching, which we divulged to the world? Of course not. If the law of Moses gave justification to people, then there would be no need for the Savior’s suffering and death on the cross: “if justification is by law, then Christ died in vain” (v. 21). In verses 19-20, the apostle shows with what determination one must leave the Old Testament law in order to cleave with all one’s being to the Lord Savior, to be completely crucified with Him, in order to live only for Him and by Him: “I died by the law to the law, in order to live for God.” . I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The doctrinal part of the message begins with the third chapter. It continues in the fourth chapter and ends in the 12th verse of the fifth chapter. A general note to this entire part can be made in the words of St. Chrysostom: “Above (that is, in the first, defensive part) St. Paul only showed that he became an apostle not from men or through men and that he had no need for teaching from the apostles; and here, after presenting himself as a trustworthy teacher, he already talks with the authorities, comparing law and faith.” The subject here revealed by the apostle is the uselessness of the law for the Galatians as pagans. In the third chapter of St. Paul first speaks about the optionality of the law for the Galatians: the first proof of this he borrows from the visual experience of the Galatians themselves, who received the Holy Spirit and the grace-filled gifts of miracles (vv. 1-5); the second proof of the uselessness of the law of St. Paul borrows from the method of justification of both the founder of the justified, Abraham, and after him all future heirs of Abraham's promises: “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” From this it is clear that “those who believe are blessed with faithful Abraham” (vv. 6-9). The third proof of St. Paul, deduces from the impossibility of fulfilling all the requirements of the law and avoiding its oath: “all who are established in the works of the law are under an oath.” Why is this? The apostle explains this by referring to Deuteronomy (27:26): “Cursed is everyone who does not continually do all that is written in the book of the law.” And according to its original institution, the law did not have the power to justify before God, which is clear from the fact that in the law itself it was written: “The righteous shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4). Therefore, if righteous people were possible in the Old Testament, it was actually for the sake of faith in the coming Redeemer of men and for the sake of His atoning Sacrifice, in which the law preemptively guided all the thoughts and feelings of its Old Testament servants. Only Christ freed from the curse all those on whom it was burdened for failure to fulfill the law: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, becoming a curse for us - for it is written: cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” - these words are read in the apostolic reading at Matins of Holy Saturday , explaining the meaning and significance of the Lord’s feat of redemption of humanity. “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” - the words of Deuteronomy 21:23. “That’s not why he’s cursed,” explains the blessed one. Jerome - that hangs on the tree, but because he fell into a grave sin, that he deserved to be hanged. “Just as everything in the Old Testament has an educational meaning, so this establishment of hanging criminals and taking them down in the evening for burial was a prototype of the Savior’s death on the cross. And He was hanged on a tree, and in the evening he was taken down” (Bishop Theophan). Christ took upon Himself the undeserved oath that weighed on humanity and destroyed it. “Just as someone who is not subject to condemnation, deciding to die for someone condemned to death, thereby delivers him from death, so did Christ” (Bishop Theophan). “Having taken the curse upon Himself, He freed people from the curse.” Christ did this so that “the blessing of Abraham through Christ Jesus might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (vv. 10-14). The second half of the third chapter contains a refutation of objections to the exclusive significance for the Gentiles of faith apart from the law (vv. 15-29). Here the apostle dispels doubts that might have arisen among Jewish Christians, whether the law does not cancel the promises given to Abraham for the sake of his faith, and why was the law given at all? The Apostle explains that the “law” was given after “because of crimes, to curb crime, so that the people would be in fear, would not indulge in vices, but would live righteously and become worthy of manifesting the Promised One” (Bishop Theophan); “so that the Jews would not live without fear and would not reach extreme wickedness, the law was given to them instead of a bridle, to teach them, pacify them and keep them from violating, although not all the commandments, at least some. So, there is no small benefit from the law. The law was given “until the time of the coming of the seed.” This indicates the temporality of the law and its transitory significance. “If the law was given only before the coming of Christ, then why are you,” says St. Chrysostom on behalf of the Apostle—are you continuing it further, beyond this time?” The meaning of the law is that it “was for us a teacher to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith” (v. 24), that is, it was only a teacher to Christ, it only educated and prepared us to accept Christ’s teaching. “After the coming of faith, we are no longer under the guidance of a schoolmaster” (v. 25) - with the advent of the very faith that justifies us, he was no longer needed. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus; as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (vv. 26-27). The faith of Christ returns people to that wonderful period of immaculate childhood, in which they freely do the will of their Heavenly Father and do not need to humble them with strict discipline. This sonship to God is the reason for the uselessness of the law as a restraining principle: Christians, as sons of God, are free from all formal rules and requirements, for they are “one in Christ Jesus”, “have put on Christ” and have no need for any coercion: “There is no longer Jew nor Gentile; neither slave nor free; neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (v. 28). As spiritual children of Christ, a descendant of Abraham, Christians are true descendants of Abraham, and therefore inherit the justification and blessing that was promised to Abraham (v. 29). The fourth chapter contains exhortations to the Galatians to accept the proven truth that the law is unnecessary and that they should no longer bind themselves to Old Testament rituals. These exhortations are directed primarily 1) to the mind (4:1-10), then 2) to the heart (4:11-20), then 3) to the will (4:21-31 and the beginning of chapter 5 to Art. . 12). “Nothing convinces the mind to renounce its thoughts so much as bringing them to the point of absurdity,” says Bishop. Feofan. This is what St. does. Paul. He points out how unreasonable it is for a son who has grown up to continue to live under the tutelage and guidance of his educators. So we too, says the apostle, were under the nurturing of the law for a time. But the end of this time came: “when the fullness of time had come, God sent His (Only Begotten) Son” and through Him introduced us to the full rights of adult sons. “How absurd it is now for us to huddle under the law and keep ourselves along with slaves, when we are already sons, “and if sons, then heirs of God through Jesus Christ.” Verses 4-7 about God sending His Only Begotten Son represent the apostolic reading at the liturgy on the day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. Addressing first this exhortation to the Jews (vv. 1-7), St. the apostle then moves on to the pagans. The pagans could say: “How come they converted us into Judaism before and became completely close only to those of us who completely obeyed the entire law?” “Then it was a different matter,” the apostle answers them, “then Judaism was the only true faith on earth, and you did well by accepting it. Now, when God has appropriated you to Himself apart from the law, your appeal to the weak elements of the law does not make any sense” (4.8-10) (Bishop Theophan). Since the heart can go against all the arguments of the mind, St. the apostle finds it necessary to address the exhortation to the hearts of the Galatians. These verses 11-20 are the most moving in the entire letter. The Apostle reminds the Galatians with what ardor they received his preaching, with what love they were inflamed for him, and was his preaching really in vain? “This is a fatherly voice,” says the blessed one. Theodoret, “befits one who remembers his labors and does not see the labor.” Gently reproaching the Galatians for their change in feelings and attitudes towards themselves, the apostle calls on them to judge where the reason for this change lies. And he himself points out this reason in new teachers who are “uncleanly jealous,” solely for their own vanity. We see the highest degree of the apostle’s fatherly love for the Galatians in the following touching exclamation: “my children, for whom I am again in the throes of birth, until Christ is formed in you” (v. 19). By deviating into Judaism, the Galatians seemed to darken the image of Christ in their hearts, and St. Paul, with pronounced fatherly love, is zealous for the restoration of this image of Christ in them. “Do you see fatherly love and sorrow worthy of an apostle? Do you hear a cry much more bitter than the cry of one giving birth? - says St. Pavlova regarding this exclamation. Chrysostom “I would like to be with you now and change my voice,” that is, “change it in relation to what I would see with my own eyes” (Bishop Theophan), or “change it into a deplorable one and shed tears, and make you all cry.” (St. Chrysostom) (v. 20). “Mind and feeling,” says the bishop. Theophanes, “by going over to the side of truth, they drag the will along with them... but it can hesitate, postpone its decision.” That's why St. Paul further tries to act directly on the will of the Galatians, showing how glorious it is to be free from the law (vv. 21-31 and 5:1). This he reveals by the prototype of the two Testaments in the story of Hagar and Sarah. “Abraham had two sons: one (Ishmael) from a slave (Hagar), and the other (Isaac) from a free woman (Sarah). There is an allegory in this. These are two Testaments (4:22-24). Hagar was a type of the Old Testament with the Law of Moses, which did not give complete freedom from sin, but kept us in slavery to sin, and Sarah was a type of the New Testament Law, which gives us perfect justification and complete freedom from sin. “But just as then he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit,” that is, Ishmael Isaac, so now the foolish zealots of the Mosaic Law persecute Christians. But Scripture says: “Cast out the slave and her son,” so now we must part with the Old Testament law in order to enter into the inheritance given to us, for we are Christians, children not of a slave, but of a free woman (vv. 25-31). In the fifth chapter of St. The Apostle Paul calls on Christians to hold fast to the freedom given by Christ and not to be subjected again to the yoke of slavery of the Law of Moses, “for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power, but faith working through love” (vv. 1-6). From this chapter begins the moralizing part of the message, which ends in the next, sixth chapter, verse 10. The main idea of the entire moralizing of the apostle related to the foregoing doctrine of Christian freedom lies in 13-14 verses: “You, the brethren, are called to freedom, if only your freedom was not a reason for treating the flesh, but serve each other with love. For the whole law in one word is: love your neighbor as yourself. ” Why didn’t the Apostle mentioned the love of God here as the first and greater commandment, according to the Lord Jesus Christ himself (Matthew 22: 36-38)? Obviously, because in his thoughts it was mainly to be ahead of the decrease in mutual love between the Galates, and the true love of the neighbors and always suggests the presence of love for God in a person. Living as free in spirit means avoiding the affairs of sinful, deeds of flesh: adultery, fornication, enmity, quarrels, envy, hatred, murder, drunkenness, etc. And, conversely, to educate the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, world , patience, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, abstinence. The apostle emphasizes that moral Christian life is not easy to give, that it is a struggle that is not for life, but for death. This is self -demand, the idea of which is so clearly expressed in the words: “Those who are Christ, crucified flesh with passions and lusts” (Article 24). This crucifixion of the flesh is absolutely necessary for everyone who wants to live a spiritual life, for “the flesh wishes the opposite to the spirit, and the spirit - the nasty flesh: they oppose each other” (Article 17). Therefore, if we decide to “live in spirit”, “then we must act in spirit” (Article 25). In the sixth chapter of St. The apostle gives instructions of a moral character the most perfect and, one might think, the Primate of the Churches. He tells them to correct the sins of the “spirit of meekness”, not in vain and not exalted, considering himself something, but with fear, as if he himself cannot be tempted to fall into a sin, because God often lets in other sins for other sins falling into sin for humility (Article 1-3). “Wear the burden of each other, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” (Article 2) - this is the law of Christian love. The apostle indicates the most important impulses to the non -Osobed, kindness of God: “Do not be deceived, God does not exist”, and in the final calculation that awaits each of us at the end of this earthly life: “What a person will suffer” (Art. 7 and 8). You should not lose heart, doing the good, and we must rush to do it, “there is a long time” until there is time until death has been caught us. The conclusion of the message is 11-18 poems of the sixth chapter. Here the Apostle indicates his special guardianship about the g-laces in the fact that he wrote to them with his own message (Article 11), while he usually did it through scribes (Rom. 16:22). Then he indicates the opposite of his motives, completely clean compared to false teachers, who force Galatov to be rejected only in order not to be persecuted by the cross of Christ, and “may they boast in your flesh” (Article 12-13) in order to boast of the number of signs your circumcision (here is irony). “And I do not want to boast,” says the Apostle, “unless the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is crucified for me, and I am for the world” (v. 14), “to boast of the cross of Christ means to believe that only one is given salvation. “Through this faith,” says the Apostle, “I became a dead man for all vain worldly, and I am indifferent to both the glory of this world and persecution. The essence of Christianity, ”the Apostle repeats again,“ in becoming a “new creature”, and this is only necessary to strive, for who lives like that, the “peace and mercy, and Israel of God,” that is, in true Israel -All the faithful, following the teachings of grace ”(Articles 15-16). The Apostle Message concludes an exclamation: “However, no one burden me” - for everything is already explained and interpreted. To offer further questions and express perplexity - this would only mean satisfying diseases of disputes - vain labor. The answer to all objections is the ulcers of the Lord Jesus, which He wears on his body. Let them attest to the truth of the preaching of St. apostle “If anyone saw a warrant bloodied and counted,” says St. Chrysostom, would he began to blame him for cowardice and betrayal when this on his body wears evidence of his courage? Also, he says, he must judge about me. ” The apostle ends his message by the teaching of the usual apostolic blessing: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with your spirit, brethren. Amen ”(Article 18).
Epistle to the Gallatians
GENERAL PREFACE
The Bible Speaks Today presents us with a series of books focusing on the Old and New Testaments. The authors of these books set themselves three tasks: to provide an accurate presentation and explanation of the biblical text, to connect it with modern life, and to do this in a way that is interesting to the reader.
These books are therefore not commentaries, for the purpose of commentaries is to clarify the text rather than to promote its application. They are more like reference books than literary works. On the other hand, there is nothing like “sermons” here, when they try to speak interestingly and in the spirit of the times, but without a sufficiently serious attitude to Scripture.
Everyone who worked on the series is united in the conviction that God still speaks to us through the Bible and that nothing is more necessary for the life, health and spiritual growth of Christians than the ability to listen sensitively to what the Spirit tells them through His ancient and forever young - the Word.
J. A. MOTIER J. R. W. STOTT Series Editors
1:1–5. PAUL'S APOSTOLATE AND THE GOSPEL
1 Paul an apostle, chosen not by men or through man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead,
2 And all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
And Who gave Himself for our sins, in order to deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father;
5 To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
During the thirty years between his conversion near Damascus and his imprisonment in Rome, Paul traveled throughout the Empire with the message of Jesus Christ. On three missionary journeys, he preached the gospel and founded churches in Galatia, Asia, Macedonia (Northern Greece) and Achaia (Southern Greece). Moreover, Epistles followed in which Paul helped the established churches, guiding their development.
Galatians is considered by many to be the earliest (c. 48 or 49 CE). It is addressed to “the churches of Galatia” (v. 2). Scholars debate what is meant by the word "Galatia." (If you are interested in details, you should refer to the comments.) I myself am of the opinion that we are talking about the southern part of this province, namely, about four cities: Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, where Paul preached the gospel during his first missionary journey. You can read about this in Acts. 13 and 14.
Now there was a church in each of these cities. The New Testament says that the so-called “Church of God” (Gal. 1:13), that is, the universal Church, is divided into local “churches”. We are talking, of course, not about denominations, but about individual gatherings of believers. The New English Version of the Bible[1] in verse 2 calls these churches “Christian congregations in Galatia.” These churches were then grouped based on geographic and political considerations. Such a group of churches can be called either in the plural (for example, “Galatian churches”, “churches ... in Judea”; Gal. 1: 2,22), or collectively, in the singular (for example, “Achaia”; 2 Cor. 9: 2). Such names provide some biblical justification for defining a regional church as a fellowship of churches in a specific geographic area.
Already in the first lines of the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul identifies two themes to which he subsequently returns repeatedly: his apostleship and his evangelism. In the ancient world, letters usually began with the name of the author, followed by the name of the addressee, followed by a greeting and the content itself. But compared with his other epistles and with the generally accepted norms, Paul in Galatians pays much more attention to his right to write such instructions, as well as to what he preaches. And he has good reasons for this.
For some time now, after Paul's visit to Galatia, the believers from the churches he founded began to be troubled by false teachers. These men vehemently attacked Paul's apostleship and his gospel. They opposed Paul's gospel that justification was by grace alone through faith, insisting that salvation required more than faith in Christ. They talked about the need for circumcision and keeping the entire law of Moses (see Acts 15:1,5). By undermining the credibility of Paul's gospel, they also questioned his apostleship. “Who is he, this Pavel? - they asked contemptuously. “He certainly wasn’t among the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.” As far as we know, no one has authorized him. He simply appointed himself an Apostle, an impostor!”
Paul clearly sees the danger of such a double attack and immediately, at the very beginning of the Epistle, asserts his apostolic right and the Gospel of grace. Further in the Message he will develop his thought about this; but notice how it begins: “Paul the Apostle (not an impostor)…grace be unto you.” In this situation, these words “Apostle” and “grace” meant a lot, and if we understand their meaning, we will understand the two main ideas of the Epistle to the Galatians.
