Galatians (gr. galát’s). Inhabitants of Galatia* (Gal. 3:1). Galatians, Epistle to the. Letter written to believers in the “Galatia” of central Asia Minor (see CBA 6:929-934). I. Author. The apostle Paul, to the Christians of the churches that he had established in the Galatian region. II. Setting. There are differences of opinion about the exact region indicated by “Galatia” – either the Roman province of that name or the older region to the north, settled by a group of immigrant Gauls – and, as a result, there are differing views on regarding the time and circumstances in which the need for the epistle arose. The phrase “so soon” from Gá. 1:6 has been interpreted to mean that it was very shortly after the founding of the churches or shortly after Paul’s last visit to them. According to one theory (southern Galatia), the cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe – which Paul had visited on his 1st missionary journey (Acts 13:14-14 23), and again on his 2nd journey (15 :35-16:6)- were in the Galatia of Gá. 1:2. Therefore, the epistle was written during Paul’s 2nd journey. According to another theory (north of Galatia) the region called Galatia was to the north, and the 476 time the letter was written was during the 3rd, missionary journey, so as to allow for the previous 2 visits (cf Gal. 4:13) . From the great similarity with the epistle to the Romans in relation to the subject, it could be deduced that both epistles were written more or less at the same time. If so, the date of writing would be the winter of AD 57/58, and the place was undoubtedly Corinth. In addition, the facts mentioned in relation to the visit referred to in Gá. 4:13-15 – Paul’s illness, the warm reception he received from the Galatians and their being indebted to him – do not agree with the known circumstances of the 1st missionary journey described in detail in Acts 13:14-14:23. This Dictionary adopts a modified form of the North Galatian theory (see CBA 6:334-336). The authenticity of the epistle and its right to a place in the canon were never seriously questioned. The historical situation reflected in it is in full harmony with the known facts and the style is clearly Paul’s. Around 49 AD (Act_15) the Jerusalem council officially solved the problem: it declared that the Gentile Christians were free from the demands of the Mosaic law (vs 19 and 20). But practical life indicated that many Jewish Christians did not fully understand or accept the decision. The idea that the ritual system, ordained by God 15 centuries earlier, had become obsolete and unnecessary, was difficult for them. A Judaizing party arose demanding that all Gentile converts be practicing Jews, and they sought to impose their point of view on Paul’s Gentile converts. Such were the circumstances that made the epistle to the Galatians necessary to deal with the problem that had arisen. III. Theme. The book deals with the greatest doctrinal problem of the apostolic age: the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. For the Gentile Christian believers of that time, and for the Jewish Christians in particular, this was a very perplexing problem. To begin with, Christianity was strictly Jewish. Our Lord, himself a Jew (Rom 1:3), had declared that “salvation comes from the Jews” (John 4:22). On the occasion of his ascension he ordered that the gospel be preached first to the Israelites (Acts 1:8; cf 13:46), and for some years most Christians were Jews and continued to practice the Mosaic ceremonies and rites. As devout observers, they naturally expected Gentile converts to conform to Jewish ritual demands. But the evidence that God accepted Gentile believers as well (10:44-48; 11:1-18; 15:1-20) raised the question of whether the old rites and ceremonies were still essential for salvation. Well, against the Judaizing argument that Gentile believers should accept circumcision -the sign of the covenant and admission to the Israelite nation-, Paul answered that justification is only by faith in Christ (Gal. 6:13; 5:1-4). While the Judaizers held that salvation depended on fulfilling the legal requirements of the law of Moses – that is, on “the works of the law” (2:16) – Galatians declares that this concept is totally incompatible with the principle of justification by faith (2:21; 5:1-4; 6:15): salvation cannot be earned, but accepted as a free gift. IV. Contents. After a brief introduction (1:1-5), Paul briefly outlines the Galatian problem (vs 6, 7). He then asserts the divine origin of his version of the gospel, citing evidence to show that the apostles in Jerusalem recognized its validity and their right to build the church among the Gentiles on that basis (1:8-2:14). In the doctrinal discussion that follows – the heart of the epistle – he attempts, by presenting OT evidence, to show that “a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (2:15-5: 12). In 5:13-6:10 he makes a practical application of this principle of justification by faith by showing the fruits it will produce in the believer’s life. The argument of the doctrinal section (Gal. 2:15-5:12) is as follows: Salvation cannot be earned by performing the “works” prescribed by law, but only by faith in the death of Christ for sins and for living his life within the believer (2:16-21). That the Galatians knew to be true, because they had received the Holy Spirit by faith, apart from the works of the law (3:1-5). Abraham himself was justified by faith; therefore, he is the spiritual father of the Gentile believers, entitling them to the blessings of the promises promised to him (vs 6-9). No one has ever been able to perfectly fulfill the requirements of the law, and therefore we are all under his condemnation. We can only be redeemed by faith in Christ (vs 10-14). The law was given 430 years after the covenant with Abraham, as a “schoolmaster” until the coming of Christ -the “seed” of the covenant- so that men can more easily enter into the experience of salvation by faith. The law does not nullify the promise of salvation agreed upon by faith in Christ, 477 nor does it provide another way of salvation (vs 15-29). Before the coming of Christ the Jews were like heirs who were not old enough, and “the law” was their appointed guardian or guardian. But since Christ came, men are no longer under the tutelage or jurisdiction of the legal system with its rites and ceremonies (4:1-12). Later, in an interlude, Paul reminds the Galatians of the joy they had felt in accepting the gospel as he preached it (vs 13-20). Then, with the allegory of the 2 sons of Abraham (vs 21-31) he emphasizes that Christian believers are, like Isaac, children of the promise of the covenant and that, therefore, they are no longer under the slavery of the law as it was. are the children of a slave. The argument culminates in 5:1-12, where Paul categorically affirms what he has already shown: Circumcision and the other requirements of the legal system are of no value to the Christian, and anyone who seeks to justify himself by the works of the law has fallen. of grace The epistle to the Galatians was written to meet a specific situation in the apostolic church, but the principle contained in it – that men are saved not by supposed meritorious works, but by faith alone – is as true today as it was then. Legalism of any kind -trying to have merit before God for the performance of certain acts- is useless, since “man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16) .
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
epistle to the, letter of the apostle Paul addressed to the churches of Galatia, perhaps written in the city of Ephesus between the years 54-55 AD. C. Despite doubts, it is generally believed that the epistle was addressed to the Christian communities of early Galatia, not to the Roman province.
This letter is related to the epistle to the Romans both touch the same problem, Judaism and Christianity. The so-called “Judaizers” infiltrated the churches of Galatia, who affirmed the necessity of the Jewish Law, circumcision, in order to be authentic Christians. This tried to overthrow all the Pauline teaching about the direct path to Christ, without further ado. This motivates the writing that is characterized by the harsh language, from the same greeting, and Paul’s perplexity before these facts: “I marvel that so soon you have abandoned the one who called you by the grace of Christ, to pass to another gospel —I don’t know what else, but there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ. But even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven announce to you a gospel other than what we have announced to you, let him be cursed!† , 1, 6-8.
Paul vehemently opposes the Judaizing ideas in G., considering it a setback that renders the work of Christ useless, 5, 4; and it is not that the Apostle disdains the old Law, but rather that it has already fulfilled its function, it was something provisional in the history of salvation, “The Law was our pedagogue until Christ, to be justified by faith. But once faith has arrived, we are no longer under the pedagogue. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus† ; by this faith all men are descendants of Abraham and heirs of the promise, but no longer according to the flesh; it is the lineage of God formed by those who believe in Christ, Jews, Gentiles, free or slaves, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. You who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ† , 3, 23-29. Justification, then, comes from faith and not from works of the law.
Therefore, there is only one Gospel, the one announced by Paul, which was revealed to him by Christ, approved by the apostles, for which the Apostle confronted Peter himself, in Antioch, for his conduct, 2, 11-21; that is to say, that the Gospel is not of human origin, but divine, and that therefore there is only one, just as there is no other God or another Christ. When man accepts the Gospel, he becomes a son of God, a filiation that is realized when God sends his own son, who dies for men, in which he makes them sharers, 2, 20; but, by this, he also participates in his resurrection.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
Galatia was the region of Asia where the Gauls settled. Peter and Paul were in the cities of Galatia: Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derve.
Saint Paul’s “Letter to the Galatians” deals with “justification by faith”: (Gal 2:16).
Not only does one begin to be a Christian by faith, but one has to live every minute of life also by faith:…