Galatians Through the Centuries

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is one of the most creative and subversive of the New Testament writings, drawing its energy from the fierce controversy which, to his great distress, was disturbing the congregation recently founded by Paul. One of the major sources of inspiration for the Reformation, it was also one of the writings most frequently turned to by the Fathers, as the Church sought to establish itself as the Church of the Empire. This commentary looks at some of the major commentators on the letter – Chrysostom, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Perkins, Lightfoot – and at the very different worlds which sprang from their readings. The volume opens with an extended essay, setting the commentators in their historical setting and showing the close dialogue which exists among them. It then looks more closely at how they interrogate Paul’s text and at the way the text shapes their understanding of their worlds.

Series Editors′ Preface ix Preface xi List of Abbreviations xv Introduction: Aims and Method, Summary of Findings, Galatians as a ′World– Building′ Text 1 Galatians 1:1–9: The Beginning of Paul′s Argument 66 Galatians 1:10–24: Paul Argues for His Independence as an Apostle (I); The ′Conversion′ of Paul the Jew 83 Galatians 2:1–10: Paul Argues for His Independence as an Apostle (II); The Conference at Jerusalem 96 Galatians 2:11–21: Justifi cation by Faith: The New Life in Christ 105 Galatians 3:1–14: Life in the Spirit Contrasted with Living under the Curse of the Law 144 Galatians 3:15–29: The Purpose of the Law and the New Life of Sonship of God 188 Galatians 4:1–20: Paul Contrasts the Galatians′ Present State as Christians with Their Former Lives 214 Galatians 4:21–31: A Concluding Allegory 227 Galatians 5: The New Life of Faith 245 Galatians 6: New Creation: Life Beyond the Law 284 Glossary 302 Works Cited 309 Illustrations 319 Index 320

John Riches was until his retirement in 2003 Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at Glasgow University. Among his books on the New Testament are Jesus and the Transformation of Judaism (1980), A Century of New Testament Study (1993) and Conflicting Mythologies (2000).

“John Riches’ contribution to this excellent series is a well–focused, rich collection of work from key writers on Galatians from Marcion to the present day.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament  “An invaluable treasure trove of carefully selected interpretations, but more important is the overall picture that it paints of the extensive dialogue about Galatians, and the questions the book raises about the relationship between the text and its readers.” Ecclesiastical History   “This book is such a useful and admirable work of scholarship that I hesitate to find any fault with it.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly