NARRATIVE OF THE AUTHOR'S VISIT WITH BARNABAS TO THE CHURCH OF
JERUSALEM, HIS FRUITLESS NEGOTIATIONS WITH PARTY LEADERS, AND THE
BROTHERLY WELCOME AND RECOGNITION HE RECEIVED FROM JAMES PETER AND
JOHN. The author has shown by a rapid glance over the first thirteen
years of his Christian life how ind... [ Continue Reading ]
διὰ δεκατ. ἐτῶν. Greek usage in calculating intervals
of time between two events reckons two years for the two broken years
at the beginning and end of the period. Some critics, notably
Lightfoot, calculate this period from the meeting with Peter mentioned
in Galatians 1:18 : but this attaches far t... [ Continue Reading ]
κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν. This statement of Paul's motive is in
no way inconsistent with the independent statement in the Acts that he
was deputed by the Church. The revelation may have come to Paul
himself, and in that case he prompted the decision of the Church, of
which he and Barnabas were at that time t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Howbeit even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, had not been
compelled to be circumcised_. The last verse related the steps taken
by Paul to disarm opposition. He was, however, no less resolute in his
resistance to any encroachment on Christian freedom. The presence of
Titus with him attested h... [ Continue Reading ]
The narrative returns here, after the parenthetical reference to
Titus, to the subject of Galatians 2:1-2, and the verb ἀνέβην,
already repeated in Galatians 2:2, must here also be supplied to
complete the sense: _But it was because of the false brethren privily
brought in that I went up, men who ca... [ Continue Reading ]
εἴξαμεν. Paul here couples Barnabas with himself in recording
the determined resistance offered by both to the demand for the
circumcision of all Christians preferred at Antioch. Barnabas was at
that time a staunch supporter of Greek freedom. The verse obviously
refers to their attitude at Antioch b... [ Continue Reading ]
The author here resumes the broken thread of the narrative, which he
interrupted after Galatians 2:2 in order to show that his conciliatory
attitude at Jerusalem was not due to weakness or irresolution. He now
proceeds to relate the sequel of the advances which he made at
Jerusalem to the Pharisaic... [ Continue Reading ]
The emphatic opening of this verse, Ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον,
gives prominence to the thorough contrast presented by James, Cephas
and John to the cold reserve of these suspicious and prejudiced
opponents. It is perfectly clear in the Greek text, though
unfortunately not in the English versions, that _they_... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐνεργήσας. When this verb is applied to the work of the
Spirit in the hearts of men, the preposition ἐν is added to it. The
absence of ἐν before Πέτρῳ and ἐμοί indicates that this
verse is not describing the work of grace in the hearts of Peter and
Paul, but the work of God _for_ them, _i.e._, for t... [ Continue Reading ]
The name of James is placed before those of the Apostles Peter and
John. This was probably because as permanent head of the local Church
he presided at meetings (_cf._ Acts 21:18). The well-known strictness
of his own legal observance gave special weight to his support of
Greek freedom on this occas... [ Continue Reading ]
μόνον … ἵνα. A verb must be supplied out of δεξιὰς
ἔδωκαν expressive of the pledge that the other Apostles exacted
from Barnabas and Paul. τῶν πτωχῶν. These words are
displaced from their grammatical position after
μνημονεύωμεν in order to lay stress upon the poor being
the central object of the app... [ Continue Reading ]
INTRIGUE AT ANTIOCH TO AFFIX THE STIGMA OF UNCLEANNESS ON
UNCIRCUMCISED BRETHREN, COUNTENANCED BY PETER AND BARNABAS, BUT OPENLY
REBUKED BY PAUL. The gathering of many Christians at Antioch after the
Apostolic Council during the sojourn of Paul and Barnabas in that city
is recorded in the Acts, but... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἰακώβου. Any visitors from the Church of Jerusalem might
perhaps be said to come from James, who was its permanent head; but
these brethren appear to have been in special sympathy with James in
regard to their strict observance of the Law, and the respect paid by
Peter to their opinion suggests that... [ Continue Reading ]
συνυπεκρίθησαν … ὑποκρί σει The verb
ὑποκρίνεσθαι is often used of playing a part as an actor
in a play without any invidious meaning; but ὑπόκρισις
corresponds throughout the N.T. to its English equivalent _hypocrisy_,
and fidelity to the Greek text almost demands that rendering here. The
men who h... [ Continue Reading ]
πρὸς τ. ἀλήθειαν. Our versions render πρός,
_according to_, like κατά : and so impugn these men for want of
uprightness in their conduct rather than for inconsistency of
doctrine. But the censure of the Apostle is really directed to the
falsehood of their teaching. They _were not dealing straightfor... [ Continue Reading ]
JEWS THEMSELVES WERE DRIVEN TO RESORT TO CHRIST AS SINNERS FOR PARDON
BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT OBTAIN JUSTIFICATION BY PERFECT OBEDIENCE TO
THE LAW NOT THAT THEY MIGHT THEREBY BECOME MORE FREE TO SIN, BUT FOR
THE SAKE OF NEW LIFE IN CHRIST, EVEN AS PAUL HIMSELF ENDURED
CRUCIFIXION WITH CHRIST, THAT CH... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐ δικαιοῦται … Two methods of seeking justification
in the sight of God are here distinguished. The former took account of
nothing but stedfast obedience to the law of God. Before his
conversion Paul knew no other: he had been taught by his legal
training to base his standard of right and wrong ent... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰ δὲ … ἁμαρτωλοί. The last verse arrived at the
conclusion that Jewish converts by their own act condemned themselves
to be guilty of a broken law. The argument now proceeds on this
assumption “ _If_ it be true (as has been shown) that _we by seeking
to be justified in Christ were found to be ourse... [ Continue Reading ]
“If, indeed, I do reestablish the authority of the Law over
Christian life, it becomes true that Christ did lead me to
transgression.” So argues the Apostle as he turns to his own life
for an illustration of the incompatibility of allegiance to Christ
with the continued supremacy of the Law.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἐγὼ. The stress laid on the personal pronoun shows that Paul is
here referring to the facts of his personal history. He singles out
his own conversion for the sake of the crucial example which it
afforded of the difficulty of reconciling the commands of Christ with
the traditional law of Israel, for... [ Continue Reading ]
Χριστῷ συνεστ. The Greek order throws special emphasis on
Χριστῷ : union with Christ became from that time the central
feature of his life; it entailed in the beginning a fellowship with
his crucifixion, a real crucifixion of heart and will. By this figure
he describes the intense agony of spiritual... [ Continue Reading ]
Christ died in order that men might live before God by His grace in
spite of a broken Law; if men could keep the Law of themselves and
live, there would be no call for grace, and the death of Christ would
be proved a useless sacrifice. διὰ νόμου. Law was never, like
faith, instrumental to justificat... [ Continue Reading ]