Galatians
Paul's fiery letter: the gospel is free grace, and Gentiles don't have to become Jews to belong.
Who wrote it
The letter names Paul (1:1, 5:2), and almost no scholar doubts that. He writes "with all the brothers who are with me" (1:2) and adds a few lines in his own large handwriting (6:11).
Who it was for
Paul writes to "the assemblies of Galatia" (1:2), several congregations rather than one. Mostly Gentiles who had turned from idols (4:8-9) and, after Paul left, were being told by other teachers that they had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be fully part of God's people. Who exactly "Galatians" means is debated (see setting).
When it happens
Scholars disagree about both the place and date. If "Galatia" means the southern Roman province (Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, Acts 13 and 14), the letter may be Paul's earliest, written before the Jerusalem meeting of Acts 15, around AD 48 to 49. If it means the northern region where the Gauls had settled, it was probably written during Paul's third journey, around AD 53 to 57. The letter itself does not say where Paul is writing from.
How to read it
A sharp, urgent letter. Instead of the usual thanksgiving after the greeting, Paul goes straight to astonishment (1:6). He argues from his own story, from Scripture (especially Abraham), and from the Galatians' own experience of the Spirit, and ends with practical advice on freedom and walking by the Spirit.
Map: Damascus, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Galatia
Open mapPaul tells his own story: from Damascus to Arabia and back, up to Jerusalem, then to Syria and Cilicia, and the clash with Peter in Antioch.
Timeline
Open timelineIn order, not to scale.
People are put right with God by faith in Christ, not by works of the law, so Gentiles belong fully without becoming Jews, and the freedom Christ gives is lived out by walking in the Spirit and serving one another in love.
- Justification by faith
- Freedom, not slavery
- Abraham's children
- The Spirit and the flesh
- One family in Christ
Who’s who
Paul
The apostle, once a persecutor, now defending the gospel of grace.
- Chapters: 1, 5
Barnabas
Paul's partner, who was swept along by the pressure in Antioch.
- Siblings: Mary
- Chapters: 2
Titus
A Greek believer who was not forced to be circumcised.
- Chapters: 2
Cephas (Peter)
The apostle Simon Peter, whom Paul visited and later confronted in Antioch.
- Parents: Jonas
- Siblings: Andrew
- Chapters: 1, 2
James, the Lord's brother
A leader of the Jerusalem church.
- Parents: Joseph, Mary
- Siblings: Jesus, Joses, Jude, Simon
- Chapters: 1, 2
Abraham
The father of the faithful, justified by faith.
- Parents: Terah
- Married to: Hagar, Keturah, Sarah
- Children: Ishmael, Medan, Midian, Zimran, Shuah, Jokshan, Ishbak, Isaac
- Siblings: Haran, Nahor
- Chapters: 3, 4
Family links and chapters: Theographic Bible Metadata, CC BY-SA 4.0. About our sources