ST. PAUL MAINTAINS THE VALIDITY OF HIS APOSTLESHIP AND THE TRUTH OF HIS GOSPEL 1-5. The Apostle sends greetings from himself and the brethren with him to the Churches of Galatia, reminding them at the same time that his apostolic authority was not of human but of divine origin. PARAPHRASE. '(1) I,... [ Continue Reading ]
AN APOSTLE] The title is used in the technical sense, and is introduced by St. Paul to assert his equality with the Twelve which had been challenged. It is always used by him in letters to Churches where his authority was questioned or to which he was unknown in person (Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE BRETHREN WHICH ARE WITH ME] Some think this refers to the Apostle's travelling companions. Others hold that it includes the whole Church. If the letter was written from Antioch, it would thus convey the greeting of the Church which was the Mother-Church of the Galatian communities, as from i... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO GAVE HIMSELF up to death FOR OUR SINS] cp. 1 Corinthians 15:3 on account of them, to atone for them, and to rescue us from their power. THAT HE MIGHT DELIVER (recover) us from the evil which characterises THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD (age), ACCORDING, etc.] connect with 'gave himself.' 5. (The) GLOR... [ Continue Reading ]
SO SOON] after their conversion; or better, after the Apostle's last visit. HIM THAT CALLED] that is, God. ANOTHER GOSPEL] RV 'a different gospel'; a (pretended) gospel of a different kind (from mine), that is, false.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH IS NOT ANOTHER] i.e. in addition to the true one, since, in the nature of the case, there can be but one. BUT THERE BE] RV 'Only there are'; these heralds of a different doctrine are Jewish Christians who believe that observance of the Mosaic Law is necessary to salvation, and are misleading y... [ Continue Reading ]
ACCURSED] the strongest possible form of condemnation: cp. Acts 23:14; Romans 9:3; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 1 Corinthians 16:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
WE] the epistolary plural, as also in Galatians 1:8 on repetition it becomes the emphatic 'I.' SAID BEFORE] in his personal teaching when with them. NOW AGAIN] emphatic and solemn repetition. 11-17. The gospel which St. Paul preached not of human origin. Twofold proof of the fact: (1) the Apostle's... [ Continue Reading ]
CERTIFY] RV 'make known'; urge and impress upon you. THE GOSPEL] the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. NOT AFTER MAN] not human, but divine, in origin and character.... [ Continue Reading ]
I NEITHER RECEIVED IT OF MAN, any more than the original Twelve received it from man (but from Christ); but I received it THROUGH (RV) THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST] His conversion was a disclosure to him of the Messiahship and Saviourhood of Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE HEARD] a notorious fact. BEYOND MEASURE] Saul killed, as well as disturbed (Acts 19:24; Acts 22:4).... [ Continue Reading ]
PROFITED] RV 'I advanced': cp. Acts 22:3. Saul was more devoted than most of his compeers to the customs and traditions of his people and his sect (the Pharisees).... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO SEPARATED] God determined upon him as an Apostle from the time of his birth: cp. Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5. AND CALLED] in his experience on the Damascus road.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO REVEAL, etc.] to disclose in my consciousness—to my soul—the real meaning and saving power of Christ. THAT I MIGHT, etc.] This revelation carried with it this result. St. Paul seems to have been absent from Jerusalem during the ministry of Christ, and to have had no direct knowledge of Him before... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER WENT I, etc.] I did not visit the seat of apostolic influence, as might have been expected. ARABIA] This is not mentioned in Acts, as St. Luke does not deal with St. Paul's private life except in so far as is necessary to explain movements in prosecution of his work. The Apostle retired to t... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTER THREE YEARS] a long time (though it probably does not mean, 'at the end of three years,' but rather, 'in the third year'), during which he could not have received instruction from the original Apostles. TO SEE] RV 'to visit Cephas' (Peter)—to make his acquaintance and hear his story. FIFTEEN D... [ Continue Reading ]
JAMES] here called an Apostle in the secondary sense: cp. 1 Corinthians 15:7. Barnabas (Acts 14:14) and Paul were also Apostles, though not of the Twelve. 20. To this solemn iteration he is moved, no doubt, by the thought of the aspersions of his enemies. 21. St. Luke says (Acts 9:30) that he went... [ Continue Reading ]
UNKNOWN] though he had preached in and about Jerusalem (Acts 9:28), since his labours there had been among the Greek-speaking Jews. THE CHURCHES.. WHICH WERE IN CHRIST] not merely 'the Christian Churches' as opposed to the Jewish; but the Churches whose members were in a living relation to Christ,... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY HAD HEARD ONLY] that was all the knowledge they had of me. PREACHETH THE FAITH] proclaims the necessity of trust in Christ as the sole essential to salvation.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY GLORIFIED, etc.] They considered Saul's conversion not as a great gain to the Church, but as a great victory of grace. IN ME] in my case.... [ Continue Reading ]