Commentary on Galatians 0.1–1.21

Prologue. Everyone who believes in Christ and keeps the law of works understands Christ wrongly: like the Symmachians, who draw their origin from the Pharisees, who, keeping the whole law, call themselves Christians, defining Christ after the manner of Photinus not as God and man, but as a man only. For if they understood Christ to be God, they would hope for nothing from the law of works, that is, from new moons, the sabbath, circumcision, and the distinction of foods; for whoever worships the God and Lord of the law is above the law, and one who agrees with the lawgiver cannot be judged by the law. Indeed the law was not given for the sake of those who worshipped God, but of those who both believed and acted badly, in contempt of the Creator. Hence he says to Timothy: “For the law is not laid down for the righteous, but for the unrighteous and those who behave badly” (1 Tim 1:9). And Moses says thus: “You shall make the children of Israel fearful” (Lev 15:31). Hence the Galatians too, or those who were subverting them, still having a heart covered with the cloud of error, do not discern the meaning of the prophet Isaiah, who says among other things: “For he is completing and cutting short the word in equity; for the Lord will make a shortened word upon the earth” (Isa 10:23). If, then, they understood these sayings, they would withdraw from the law, knowing that from the preaching of John the Baptist the law has now ceased; so that faith alone, abbreviated from the law, suffices for salvation. For in the law is contained, about God the Father and Christ his Son and the Holy Spirit, what was predestined for its time and has been made manifest in the preaching; for if the children of Israel were circumcised for the sake of a seal, so that from it they might appear to be sons of Abraham according to the flesh, circumcision ought rightly to cease; because believers have the sign of death conquered, by which they are recognized to be sons of Abraham, but according to faith; for to Abraham was promised the one who would come and conquer death. Indeed Abraham was waiting for him, and, perceiving in the spirit that he was born, rejoiced, knowing that he would shortly be brought into heaven. Hence the Lord says to the Jews: “Abraham longed to see my day; and he saw it and rejoiced” (John 8:56). For at the time when the children of Israel were still together in the desert, before they were neighbours of the gentiles, they were not circumcised. But when they were to mingle with the gentiles, then they were circumcised by Joshua son of Nun with stone (Josh 5:3), which signifies Christ: “For the rock”, he says, “was Christ” (1 Cor 10:4); so as to indicate the future circumcision of the heart through Christ, as Moses and the prophet Jeremiah had said: “Circumcise yourselves to God, and circumcise the foreskin of your heart” (Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4); so that, the darkness cut away through the forgiveness of sins received, they might become worthy to see the glory of God, which those placed under the law could not see because of sin. So, to mark Christ as God, and to assert that he had not learned from a man what he taught, he begins thus. Chapter one.

“Paul, an apostle not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” He testifies that he was not chosen and sent to preach as an apostle by men, as there were some who were chosen by the apostles and sent to strengthen the churches; nor like others, who were sent by the Jews to disturb the churches, whom he calls false apostles; but that he was sent by the Son of God, whom in this matter he seems to deny to be man for this reason: because he gave commands as God, not as man, and whom he chose, he chose by divine judgment. By this he indicates that he is a fit and firm preacher; for one whom God has chosen is certainly much better than one whom man has chosen. “Nor through man”, he says, as those who were forcing them to be circumcised thought of Christ; “but through the Lord Jesus Christ”, that is, through him who is God and man. This he makes plain at once when he says: “and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” By this saying he condemned two heresies, both of Manichaeus and of Photinus; for Manichaeus denies that Christ is man, and does not deny that he was crucified; and Photinus does not grant that Christ is God, and yet does not dare to deny that he himself, that is, raised his body from the dead; so that the Manichee, since he does not deny that he was crucified, seems foolishly not to confess him man; and Photinus, with a certain impiety, denies that he is God whom he confesses to have raised himself from the dead. For he reads that the Lord said: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it. But he spoke of the temple of his body” (John 2:19, 21). So, raising himself from the dead, he indicates that he raised his body from the dead; and nevertheless he is said to have been raised by his Father, because all the power of the Son is from the Father; so that the deeds of the Son are the deeds of the Father, from whom are all things.

“And all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia.” After commending his own authority, he adds further to the case, so as to show that all the others who were with him were stirred against them. Although his authority would suffice so that it could not be refuted, yet to make their deed weigh more heavily, by which they had departed from the first faith, he indicates that many with him were kindled to rebuke their error. For one can easily understand that he is in error if he sees himself rebuked by many.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” He shows that the human race has been lifted up by the benefit of both, the Father as well as the Son. Nor does he indicate that the Son is less when he calls him our Lord, nor the Father greater because he calls him our God; for the Father will not be true God unless he is also Lord, nor the Son true Lord unless he is also God. If, then, the grace of the Father and the Son toward us is one, why is it, he says, that, thinking less of the Son, you make the law equal to him, so as to serve partly Christ and partly the law, when you have read the Lord saying: “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath” (Luke 6:5)? So that through this they might see how great an insult they inflict on the Lord when they compare the Lord with a handmaid. “Who gave himself for our sins.” He shows plainly that the law is of no benefit when he says that Christ offered himself to suffer for us, so as to justify us, whom the law held guilty; so that, rescued from the law through faith in Christ, we might no longer be sinners, but, justified by the second birth, be called sons of God. For when the human race was held in the devil's dominion, the Saviour offered himself to the devil, who wanted him; so that, mocking him by the power of his might (for he wished to take one whom he could not hold), he might take from him those he held liable by evil right. And so, having despoiled the underworld, he carried the trophy of souls to the Father, from whom are all things; which the law certainly could not do. Although it was given to be of benefit, yet, since we sinned, it was turned so as to become hostile, and began to kill, not to give life. But Christ, forgiving offences, not only gave us life but also joined us to himself, so that, made through faith, we are called sons of God. How great an error it is, then, after grace to return under the law, that is, after receiving freedom to wish to be a slave; so that one rescued from the sword, forgetful of the favour, sells himself again to the gladiator-master! For one who leaves his buyer and goes back to his former master accuses the buyer. “To free us from the present evil age.” He says this because the Lord gave himself up to death in order to free us from the error of the age, that is, so that, made strangers to the understanding of this age, which, growing old in its courses, declines to its end, we might be sharers in the age to come, which knows no setting, in the understanding of the one God. For this is the malice of the present age, that it does not render fitting reverence to God the Creator and to Christ the restorer; while human error invents many gods for itself, or while due honour is not kept for Christ by believers.

“According to the will of God our Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” So that what he says, that Christ freed us, may be firm and full of authority, he adds that he did this with the Father's will.

“I marvel that you are so quickly being transferred from him who called you through the grace of Christ to another gospel.” A gospel is good news, and therefore the old law too is a gospel, except the law of works; but rather this one in which what was promised has been paid, through which sinners are called to pardon. He says he marvels, then, because, falling away from the best and greatest benefit, they had handed themselves over to the law of works; so as to lose what they had obtained, so as to rush from freedom received into slavery, quickly overturned; whereas it is usual for someone to pass gradually from bad to good, but these were easily led from good to the works of the flesh, which are heavy. For it rarely happens that someone flees from a country estate into exile; and therefore he marvels at the dullness of those who, placed in security, subjected themselves to empty toil. It is as if a mad sailor, standing in port, safe from the storm, should let his ship out to the deep, so as to be tossed by various gales; so these too through folly subjected themselves, to suffer the pains of shame when cut, and to take up the yoke of slavery of the law, with no hope of this thing having been preached. They had been called, then, into a gospel other than the one preached by those who had subverted them; yet not other than that which the apostles announced, which these false apostles asserted to be different, out of envy of the Apostle who had instructed them. And to get round the Galatians by this deceit, they had to say that the Apostle's gospel was other than the Saviour's teaching taught, and that this was true which was preached by them in agreement with the old law. These are the ones who raised questions with Paul and Barnabas about this matter, as is contained in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 15:2); for they taught the believers from among the gentiles that unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses and judaized, they could not be saved.

“Which is not another; except that there are some who are troubling you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” It is plain that they were doing this so as to pervert the gospel of Christ by changing the traditions, so that under the name of Christ they would be Jews; and this is to turn the gospel of Christ into the law.

“But even if you, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached, let him be anathema. As we said before, so I now say again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than what you received, let him be anathema.” Let no one wonder that the Apostle, who tamed the wildness of manners, is so stirred; for he is indignant against the enemies of Christian discipline for the salvation of the Galatians. For this indignation shows that it is no light sin, after receiving the faith, to turn to the law; for he asserts the gospel he had preached to them to be so firm and true that he teaches that not even they themselves, that is, the apostles, are to be heard if, perhaps changed, they should preach otherwise; whose fame as apostles of Christ had certainly spread through every place. Or if the devil, feigning himself an angel of God so that he might easily be heard, should appear from heaven preaching against these things, he would be known to be an adversary and held an abomination. If, then, he commanded that the apostles of Christ, whose reputation in doing signs and wonders was so splendid, and an angel from heaven, whom spiritual reason could commend, should be anathematized if they taught otherwise than they had been taught by the apostle Paul, how much more those whom no testimony can commend for seducing! He repeats the solemn warning so as to confirm them in the first tradition; for a law repeated makes the negligent more careful.

“For am I now satisfying men, or God?” That is, am I satisfying men by persuading you to return to the grace of Christ, or God? Certainly not men, but God; so that by making satisfaction they may return to God, whom they had spurned. Indeed he at once added: “Or do I seek to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” He indicates, then, that those by whom they had been overturned pleased not God but men in subverting the Galatians, as he himself had long before, when he persecuted the church to vindicate the tradition of the fathers. For so that they might be praised by the Jews, according to their will, they said the law should be kept, lest, if they preached the true gospel of Christ, they should make them enemies. But this apostle Paul, who taught that one should please God with all devotion, did not fear to offend men, provided he commended the glory of God; for, putting all present things after future ones, he commended himself to hopes as a fit servant of Christ; but those who, under the name of the Lord, pursue their own gain cannot be fit servants. But perhaps someone will say against this: “Then those who preached the law, which God is said to have given, were serving men. How then is the law said to be fit, whose preaching is described as tempered to men's wishes?” Before the Lord's coming, the law was preached according to God's will; for a time was owed to it, during which it was to be kept; but when the Lord promised in the law came, the law had to cease, according to the foretold sentence of the prophets. Hence the Lord says: “The law and the prophets were until John” (Luke 16:16); for it was not fitting that, the Lord being present, the authority of the law should be kept. And therefore if anyone thinks the law should be kept from now on, he no longer obeys the Lord's will, but opposes it; for he satisfies those like himself.

“Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man; for I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Now he opens the principles of the letter; for he wants to make plain the very meaning, that what he taught he had not learned from man, lest perhaps there be doubt about what he taught. Nor was his preaching fitted to human judgment, so as to seem unworthy of divine authority; but he says he learned it from the Son of God by revelation, when he was already in heaven after the resurrection, as I mentioned before; and that what he learned agrees with the will and majesty of him from whom he testifies he learned it. For those things are spiritual which, when kept, lay up merit with God; but those things are carnal which, kept in their time, brought neither merit nor demerit with God; not kept, they did harm; for both those who had not done the law were under the curse, and those who had done it were not justified before God, because the righteous lives by faith. For those things were commanded to be kept as a burden, not as a dignity.

“For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, that I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and attacked it, and advanced in Judaism beyond many of my age in my nation, being more abundantly a zealot for my ancestral traditions.” He briefly recalls his former purpose, by which he flourished according to the flesh, fighting the church; but he says he left this in order to be a servant of Christ. For he indicates that he was more devoted than they in vindicating the law; yet not for men's favour, but thinking this useful before God. For through ignorance, while pleasing humanity, he thought he was serving God, having a free conscience; for he did not know that it was no longer the time for asserting the law, following the teaching of the fathers, who were set either in error or in ill will; and with all diligence and fervour of mind he worked so as to seem more outstanding than others of his age by zeal for the law, raging so against the discipline of Christ that he spared no one who had entered into the covenant of faith. But when, by God's revelation, he had learned that this labour was empty, and rather contrary, he recalls that he left it and subjected himself to the faith of grace, so that he might make progress before God. If, then, this man, who is an Israelite, and was supported among the Jews by the dignity of a teacher, trained by Gamaliel, a most wise man, holding a place among men of the best life, left the law, how much more ought those who were outside the law not to have subjected themselves to the law? And if he rejoices to have come out from under the yoke of slavery, why have they bound their freedom with the chains of the law?

“But when it pleased him who set me apart from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.” Since he had confidence in the law, not knowing that it was no longer the time for keeping the law, and strove with all eagerness, thinking he did this by God's will, to resist the gospel of Christ; God, seeing his zeal was good but that he lacked knowledge, was pleased to call him to his grace, knowing that he was already fit to preach the gospel of his Son among the gentiles; for if in a very small matter the boldness of his conscience was so swift and faithful, not out of flattery of anyone, how much more constant would he be in preaching the gift of God, in hope of the promised reward? By God's foreknowledge, then, he was set apart from his mother's womb, that is, before he was born, or as soon as he was born, God knew he would be good, as he says to the prophet Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”, and so on (Jer 1:5); so too the apostle Paul: knowing who he would be, he anticipated him, so as to call him before he was converted, because he was needed. Indeed he at once took up the stewardship of God's gift, putting aside every carnal care; for he did not ask anyone's counsel, or refer to anyone what he would do; but straightway preached Christ, that he is the Son of God. For as future bad men are often good beforehand, so too future good men are often bad beforehand.

“Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who were before me, but I went away into Arabia, and again returned to Damascus.” He says that, chosen by God, he had no need to go to the apostles before him, so as perhaps to learn something from them; because God had revealed to him through his Son how he should teach. He says this to show that nothing else is to be held than what he teaches; and that one must not believe men, but God, from whom he testifies he learned; and therefore that those who had led them into the law were false teachers, because what they taught had not been handed down by God. From Damascus, then, he went into Arabia to preach, where there was none of the apostles, so that he himself might found churches there, lest, with false apostles creeping in, Judaism be sown. And from there he returned again to Damascus, to visit those to whom he had preached the gospel of God's grace as beginners.

“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days.” It was fitting that he should desire to see Peter, because he was first among the apostles, to whom the Saviour had delegated the care of the churches; certainly not to learn something from him, since he had already learned from the author, by whom Peter himself had also been instructed; but out of affection for the apostleship, and so that Peter might know that this licence had been given to him which he himself had also received. Coming to him, then, he was received as a guest, and stayed with him fifteen days, as a like-minded fellow apostle. He makes these things known to show that he had concord with the apostles and disagreed with them in nothing, as the false apostles whispered about him, so as to discredit him with the churches of the gentiles and to insinuate their own evils into the simpler, saying that they agreed with the teaching of the senior apostles.

“Again I returned to Damascus; but I saw no other of the apostles except James the brother of the Lord.” He saw James at Jerusalem, because he had been established there as bishop by the apostles; he too had formerly been an unbeliever, as the Evangelist says: “For not even his brothers”, he says, “believed in him yet” (John 7:5). This James was the son of Joseph, and was called the Lord's brother for this reason, that Joseph his father was also called the Lord's father. For so Mary says to Jesus in Luke's Gospel: “What have you done to us, son? Your father and I were sorrowful and sad, seeking you” (Luke 2:48). And in John's Gospel Philip says to Nathanael: “We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45). In this way, then, the Lord was called the brother of James and the others, in the way in which he was also named the son of Joseph. For some, led by madness, contend with impious assertion that these were true brothers of the Lord born of Mary, while they say that Joseph was not truly called his father. For if these were truly his brothers, Joseph too will be his true father; for the one who called Joseph his father also called James and the others his brothers.

“Now in what I write to you, behold, before God, I do not lie.” About to speak of what pertains to his commendation, he calls God as witness that the things he is about to say are so, lest it seem contrived; though it does not befit his person to invent anything. But when he commends himself, he wants these to benefit; for this commendation benefits them, so that they may know that what is said by him is most true.

“Then I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; they only heard: He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once fought; and they glorified God in me.” He says this because, when he was defending Judaism against the faith, like those by whom the Galatians had been overturned, he was chosen by God and taught to set Judaism aside and to preach the new law; so that the believers from among the Jews, whom he had formerly persecuted, rejoiced in him, giving thanks to God, who made a defender out of a persecutor; so that the Galatians might accordingly know that they had been deceived into professing themselves Jews under the name of Christ, circumcising the flesh of their foreskin, when the law of Christ commands otherwise than Judaism; for there is circumcision of the flesh, here of the heart; there one serves under the elements, new moons and sabbath, here God alone in the spirit, because one believes with the heart; there is a condition caused by sin, here freedom from the forgiveness of sins. There is, then, a great distance.