Introduction to Galatians
English Standard Bible Introduction
Author - The Apostle Paul
Audience - Paul’s letter to the Galatians was likely written to the churches he had established during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1–14:28).
Setting -
Around AD 48
Paul probably wrote the letter from his home church in Antioch in Syria, sometime before the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:1–31).
Theme - Christ’s death has brought in the age of the new covenant (3:23–26; 4:4–5, 24). People do not have to become Jews or follow the outward ceremonies of the Mosaic law in order to be Christians (2:3, 11–12, 14; 4:10). To require these things denies the heart of the gospel, which is justification by faith alone and not by keeping the “works of the law” (2:16).
Although the question of the date of Galatians is related to this question of “which Galatians,” some clues can probably be found in the letter itself. The main indicator is the lack of reference to the Jerusalem council (Acts 15). Although this is an argument from silence, many commentators have regarded this as a “deafening silence.” It would have been enormously helpful to Paul’s argument if he could have mentioned the decision of the council that Gentiles should not be circumcised: this, after all, appears to be a major point of contention between Paul and the false teachers influencing the Galatians. Since the council took place in A.D. 48/49, and Paul evangelized South Galatia in A.D. 47/48, some time around A.D. 48 is a plausible date for the composition of Galatians.
Many of the cities of Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13–14) were considered part of the province of Galatia (or at least near its sphere of influence).
The early chapters of Acts record that the Christian church was born in Jerusalem, and in the beginning consisted almost entirely of Jews. As the disciples moved out to other areas, large numbers of Gentiles believed and so became part of the expanding church. With Jews and Gentiles in the same church, difficulties soon arose.
Many of the Christian Jews in Jerusalem were still very Jewish in their outlook, and looked upon Christianity as a sort of improved Judaism. They did not think it right that people of any nationality could enter the community of God’s people without any thought for Jewish laws relating to food, cleansing and circumcision.
While Paul was in Antioch, a group of Jews came from Jerusalem and taught the Gentile Christians that they were required to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses (Acts 14:26-28; Acts 15:1,Acts 15:5). These men claimed to have authority from James (the brother of Jesus and the most prominent leader in the Jerusalem church), but James later denied this (Galatians 2:12; Acts 15:24). They argued so cleverly that even mature Christians such as Peter and Barnabas stopped eating with the Gentiles in case they broke Jewish food laws (Galatians 2:12-13).
The problem caused by the Judaisers had now spread to the most distant parts of the church. It therefore needed to be dealt with quickly and decisively. Because the teaching had come from Jerusalem, that was the place to discuss the matter. Therefore, after he sent off his letter to the churches of Galatia, Paul went to Jerusalem with Barnabas and others from Antioch to settle the matter once and for all (Acts 15:2-35).
Historically, the covenant people of God were focused in one ethnic group, Israel, and they were set apart by the practices commanded in the Torah, like the circumcision of males, eating Kosher, and observing the Sabbath. And there were many Jewish Christians who believed that, for all of these non-Jews to truly become a part of God’s family, they needed to obey the laws of the Torah.
And so some of these Jewish Christians ended up coming to the Galatian churches. They were undermining Paul and demanding circumcision of all these male non-Jewish Christians. When Paul found out, he was broken-hearted and angry, and this letter is the result.
Peter Oakes Commentary
Galatians is broadly in the style of many other Greek letters. However, the text includes autobiographical narration, and much of the letter consists of argument.
Paul does not explicitly set out his purpose for writing. However, we can find quite a lot of evidence about the situation, as perceived by Paul, from what he writes about the three human parties who are primarily involved: his Galatian addressees, Paul himself, and those described with terms such as “some people who are harassing you” (1:7).
The situation leading to the writing of the letter:
Some Christian Jews have encouraged Gentile Galatian Christians to adopt circumcision.
Someone has also made accusations against Paul, especially about his gospel having come from other people.
At least some of the Galatian Christians have given Paul the impression that they are inclined to be circumcised and to take on other practices based on Jewish law, including calendrical ones.
There is probably some disunity among the Galatian Christians.
Judaizing heresies in the early church show us that the Gentiles’ inclusion as full heirs of the new covenant with the privileges of faithful Israelites was unexpected. The Judaizers’ problem was not that they thought Gentiles could not join the people of God; rather, they could not conceive of Gentiles having an equal status with Jewish believers in the covenant community without adopting the Mosaic law, including circumcision, feast days, and more (Gal. 2:1–14). They perpetuated old divisions, giving uncircumcised Gentile believers a lower status than the circumcised. But as Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:1–6 and many other passages, the fulfillment of the Lord’s plan for the nations is that there are “no racial, social, or spiritual distinctions” in the church.
- paraphrase from Dr. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary