The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (208 page)

1:13 I persecuted the Church:
A dark chapter in Paul's pre-Christian life, of which he was later ashamed (1 Cor 15:9; 1 Tim 1:13). His zeal for traditional Judaism spurred him to adopt violent and aggressive tactics that included harassing, imprisoning, and even executing early Christians (Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-2; 26:9-11). After his conversion, Paul's fiery enthusiasm was not lessened but given new direction by Christ. 
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1:14 traditions of my fathers:
I.e., everything that comprised the Jewish way of life. This included biblical customs and institutions as well as Pharisaic practices that were devised to supplement and intensify the demands of the written Law (Mk 7:1-5). Paul studied under the famed Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) and prided himself on a strict adherence to Jewish law (Phil 3:6). 
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1:15 set me apart:
Paul's apostolic mission was predetermined before his birth. • His language recalls Is 49:1 and Jer 1:5, where the messianic Servant and the prophet Jeremiah were consecrated before birth to be God's messengers. Paul's similar calling places him within this prophetic tradition. 
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1:16 to reveal his Son:
In a vision on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-9; 1 Cor 9:1). It was then that Christ commissioned Paul to announce the gospel to the Gentiles and the sons of Israel (Acts 9:15-16).
I did not confer:
The RSV leaves the adverb "immediately" (Gk.
eutheos
) untranslated. Paul does not deny that he consulted the original apostles about his gospel (2:2, 6-10); he simply underscores that his
certainty
about its truth exempted him from the need to do so immediately after his conversion.
flesh and blood:
A Semitic idiom meaning "human beings" (Sir 14:18; Mt 16:17). 
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Word Study

Accursed
(
Gal 1:8
)

Anathema
(Gk.): "under a divine curse" or "set apart for destruction". The word is used six times in the NT, twice in Galatians. In the Greek OT, this word often translates a cultic and military term (Heb.
herem
) for the sacred ban that Yahweh placed on the enemy peoples of Canaan. Cities anathematized by the Lord were destined for utter destruction (Deut 20:17), and oftentimes the Israelites were forbidden to confiscate any booty for themselves (Deut 7:26; Josh 6:18). The same anathema was pronounced on cities where false prophets dared to lead God's people astray (Deut 13:12-18). The NT uses this term for a conditional curse that a person invokes upon himself when he swears an oath; it is a curse that will be activated if and when the individual breaks the oath (Acts 23:12-14). In Paul, an anathema is a curse that no Spirit-filled believer can invoke upon Jesus (1 Cor 12:3), yet it is precisely the divine judgment that awaits those who refuse to love the Lord (1 Cor 16:22). In Galatians, Paul pronounces an anathema upon heretical teachers who promote a false gospel. For the Hebrew background, see word study:
Devoted
at Josh 6:17.

1:17 Arabia:
Probably the territory of the Nabatean kingdom that stretched from Damascus, north of Palestine, down to the Red Sea, south of Palestine. This was mostly a wilderness region where no one could have instructed Paul but God himself. • The reference to Arabia here and in 4:25 might suggest that Paul journeyed to the traditional site of Mt. Sinai (also called Horeb), where Moses and Elijah spoke intimately with the Lord (Ex 19:2-3; 1 Kings 19:8-18). 
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1:18 after three years:
Corresponds to the "many days" that passed before Paul was forced to flee Damascus (Acts 9:2325). It was then that he traveled to Jerusalem for the first time as a Christian (Acts 9:26-29).
to visit:
The Greek expression is more precise, indicating that Paul "interviewed" Peter, as well as "made his acquaintance". He must have spent these two weeks gathering information about the life and ministry of Jesus.
Cephas:
Another name for Simon Peter, often used in Paul's letters (2:9, 11; 1 Cor 1:12; 9:5; 15:5). It transliterates an Aramaic word meaning "rock". See word study:
Peter
at Mt 16:18. 
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1:19 James:
Tradition reveres James as the first bishop of Jerusalem, being appointed to this position by the apostles. Early Christians called him "the Just" on account of his disciplined, prayerful, and virtuous life (Eusebius,
Ecclesiastical History
2, 23; St. Jerome,
On Illustrious Men
2).
See note on Acts 12:17
.
the Lord's brother:
Not a blood brother, but a near kinsman (CCC 500).
See note on Mt 12:46
. 
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1:20 before God, I do not lie:
A mild oath formula, sworn by Paul to insist on the reliability of his testimony (Rom 9:1; CCC 2154). 
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1:21 Syria and Cilicia:
Paul withdrew first to his native city of Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 9:30) and was later summoned to the Church of Antioch in Syria (Acts 11:25-26). 
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2:1-10
Scholars disagree over the precise circumstances of this Jerusalem visit. Some link it with the trip that Paul and Barnabas made to provide famine relief for the Judean Christians in Acts 11:28-30. More probably, Paul is referring to his presence at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:1-29. Notice that the two accounts concern
(1)
the same people (Paul, Barnabas, and companions, Acts 15:2),
(2)
the same place (Jerusalem, Acts 15:4),
(3)
the same leaders (Peter and James, Acts 15:7, 13),
(4)
the same issue (circumcision, Acts 15:1), and
(5)
the same opponents (the circumcision party, Acts 15:5). 
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2:1 after fourteen years:
Probably calculated from the time of Paul's first visit to Jerusalem (1:18).
Barnabas:
A Levite and native of Cyprus.
See note on Acts 4:36
.
Titus:
One of Paul's trusted companions (2 Cor 2:13; Tit 1:4). He is mentioned here to illustrate that, although Titus was an uncircumcised Gentile, the Jerusalem apostles welcomed him into their fellowship (Gal 2:3). 
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2:2 I laid before them:
Paul received his gospel directly from Christ (1:12), yet he submitted it for approval to the senior apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 15:2). This was to confirm that his message was in line with the doctrine of the Twelve and to remove suspicions that his missionary efforts were at odds with the authority of the Church's recognized leaders. In the end, the pillar apostles "added nothing" to his message (Gal 2:6) and openly affirmed his ministry by giving him the "right hand of fellowship" (2:9). 
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2:3 compelled to be circumcised:
The Greek expression here and at 6:12 is used by ancient writers like Josephus and Ptolemy to describe forcible circumcision. The idea is historically linked with Jewish military efforts to subjugate neighboring Gentiles during the Maccabean period by forcing them under the yoke of the Mosaic Law (cf. 1 Mac 2:46) and the administration of the Judean State centered in Jerusalem. The Judaizers are doing something analogous in Galatia by insisting that Gentiles submit to circumcision in order to be incorporated into the commonwealth of the covenant people. 
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2:4 false brethren:
Judean believers who promoted circumcision as a necessary prerequisite for salvation (Acts 15:1).
our freedom:
Christ liberates believers from the curses and ceremonies of the Mosaic Law (3:13; 5:6; 6:15). The danger here is that the Judaizers will enslave the Galatians if they successfully persuade them to receive circumcision (5:1-3). 
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2:6 reputed to be something:
The Jerusalem apostles were held in high esteem. Though his tone seems distant and cool, Paul neither affirms nor denies them this honor. 
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2:7 uncircumcised . . .circumcised:
Epithets for Gentiles and Israelites, respectively (Eph 2:11-12). This does not mean the divisions of missionary labor were drawn along purely geographical lines, since Peter traveled extensively and Paul also evangelized his Israelite kinsmen living among the Gentiles.
See note on Acts 13:5
. 
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2:9 James and Cephas and John:
I.e., James, the brother of the Lord (1:19), Simon Peter (Jn 1:42), and John, the son of Zebedee (Mt 10:2). The order of the names is unusual, as Peter is always mentioned first in the apostolic lists of the NT (Mt 10:2; Mk 3:16; Jn 21:2; Acts 1:13). Perhaps Paul lists James first as a way of undercutting the claims of the Judaizers, who, along with other Jewish conservatives, had a deep respect for James as the spiritual shepherd of the Jerusalem Church at this time (after Peter fled the city, Acts 12:17). By stressing that
James
endorsed his gospel, Paul shows that the Judaizers have no official backing from Jerusalem, even from its most conservative leadership. For more on James,
see note on Gal 1:19
.
pillars:
Important leaders in the Church, which is pictured as the living Temple of God (Rev 3:12; cf. Eph 2:19-22). 
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2:10 remember the poor:
This was the inspiration behind Paul's effort to collect charitable contributions for the believers in Jerusalem living in poverty (Rom 15:26; 2 Cor 8-9). The Galatians themselves donated to this fund (1 Cor 16:1-3). 
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2:11 Antioch:
The capital of the Roman province of Syria, north of Palestine. The Antiochene Church was the first to bring Christian Jews and Gentiles together in fellowship (Acts 11:1926) and the first to organize missionary outreaches to the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-3).
Cephas
probably came to the city after the Jerusalem Council, as did Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:35). 
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2:12 separated himself:
Peter reverts to the custom of traditional Judaism, which discouraged social contact, especially shared meals, between Jews and Gentiles (Acts 10:28;
Jubilees
22, 16). It was feared, among other things, that Gentile food might violate the purity standards of the Torah, i.e., it might be either unclean or improperly prepared (Lev 11:1-47; 17:1013). The problem here is that Peter has already been informed that the Jewish dietary laws have been set aside in the New Covenant and that Gentiles are now welcome members of the family of faith (Acts 10:9-16, 28).
men came from James:
Either a delegation sent by James or loyal associates of James who came on their own initiative. The former seems more likely, but, for the possibility of the latter, see Acts 15:24.
the circumcision party:
Jewish Christians who discouraged table fellowship between Jews and Gentiles. Peter had been criticized by them on this issue once before (Acts 11:2-3). 
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2:14 before them all:
It is precisely Peter's authority and influence in the Church that made it necessary for Paul to correct him in public.
to live like Jews:
Literally, "to Judaize", or "to adopt Jewish customs". Peter's conduct implied the very thing he had denied at the Jerusalem Council, namely, that Gentile Christians must adopt the ritual laws of Judaism in order to secure their standing in the covenant and obtain salvation (Acts 15:7-11). • The same expression is used once in the Greek OT, where it describes how Gentiles from Persia were circumcised and Judaized for "fear of the Jews" (Esther 8:17). Here too, in the case of Peter (Gal 2:12) as well as the Judaizers (6:12), fear is once again the driving force behind the impulse to Judaize. 
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