Galatians

I.  Historical Background

A. Galatia – churches in a region.  Upper part of Roman province or lower?

B.  Judaisms and circumcision. 

1.  Circumcision, food laws, holidays, Temple tax, some aspects of law/ethics, and "atheism" ( that is, they worshipped only one God) distinguished Jews.  Some Gentiles became "god-fearers.

2.  Barr’s look at the conversion of the royal house of Adiabene  based on Josephus, Antiquities Book 20.  Chapter 2.  http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-20.htm   (You have to scroll down to get to Chapter 2)

Jewish merchant Ananias converts the women of the court including Queen Helena.  Her son, King Izates converts and is ready to be circumcised to become “thoroughtly a Jew”.  His mother and Ananias persuade him this will be dangerous as his subjects won’t like it.  Ananias tells him

that he might worship God without being circumcised, even though he did resolve to follow the Jewish law entirely, which worship of God was of a superior nature to circumcision. He added, that God would forgive him, though he did not perform the operation, while it was omitted out of necessity, and for fear of his subjects. (http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-20.htm; accessed 9-11-08)

But the king still wanted to be circumcised and when a Galilean Jew Eleazar arrived, Eleazar persuaded the king to be circumcised:

Eleazar, and who was esteemed very skillful in the learning of his country, persuaded him to do the thing; for as he entered into his palace to salute him, and found him reading the law of Moses, he said to him, "Thou dost not consider, O king! that thou unjustly breakest the principal of those laws, and art injurious to God himself, [by omitting to be circumcised]; for thou oughtest not only to read them, but chiefly to practice what they enjoin thee. How long wilt thou continue uncircumcised? But if thou hast not yet read the law about circumcision, and dost not know how great impiety thou art guilty of by neglecting it, read it now." When the king had heard what he said, he delayed the thing no longer, but retired to another room, and sent for a surgeon, and did what he was commanded to do.”  (http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-20.htm; accessed 9-11-08)

The disastrous effects that the queen mother and Ananias feared did not occur according to Josephus because God protected King Izates.

C.  Many options in Hellenistic cities and countryside –  Syncretisim. Mystery religions, worship of local deities, emperor worship

D.  Paul apparently stayed in Galatia due to illness when he first preached to them.

II.  Literary and Rhetorical Structure

A.  Letter Form -  Key element absent:  No thanksgiving – instead an “Expression or Statement of Astonishment”in 1:6-10

B.  Judicial Rhetoric -  Rhetorical Structure  - Five Part Judicial Argument

a. Introduction  – “to state the case” and “get listeners’ attention” and “allegiance” (Barr 121)

b. Narrative [narratio] – “to review facts of the case” and “put them within the proper historical context (Barr 121)

c. Argument –  “to clarify the issues by showing the points agreed on by the two parties and those that separate them—a sort of summary of the case” (Barr 121)

d. Proof – “ to establish truth of speaker’s point of view by a series of arguments, usually proceeding from the strongest to the weakest.” (Barr 121)

e. Conclusion –  “to sum up the earlier argument and make an impassioned plea to persuade the listeners”  (Barr 122)

Barr’s Reading Guide to Galatians – p. 122:

Introduction 1:1-11

 

Salutation 1:1-5

 

The charges 1:6-11

 

Narrative 1:12 -2:14

 

Summary of Case 2:15-21

 

Arguments 3:1-6:10

 

Proofs 3:1 – 4:31

 

Refutations 5:1-6:10

 

Conclusion 6:11-18

 

Writing 6:11

 

Summary 6:12-17

 

Benediction 6:18  

III. Theories of Opponents – Handout on on web http://www.class.uidaho.edu/jcanders/Early%20Christianity/theoriesopponentsgalatians.htm

Who are the persons Paul claims are "confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ (1:7)." What is this group teaching the Galatians and what are the Galatians doing in response? Almost any interpreter can agree that Paul’s opponents are urging the Galatians to be circumcised, but there is a lot of disagreement about the opponents’ exact identity. Which of the three views on the handout seems most plausible to you? Why?

IV.  Small Groups 

Group One – What does Paul say in the narrative section of 1:11 – 2:14 that contributes to his overall argument?  What are the key “stories” he narrates and what claims do these make? 

Group Two -  Make a list of the key arguments Paul makes in 3:1-22.  How does he use passages from the Jewish Bible?  What promises were made to Abraham?  See

Group Three – Make a list of the key arguments Paul makes in 3:23-4:7.  What was a disciplinarian (NRSV, also translated as schoolmaster in King James and Greek tutor in The Message)? 

Group Four – Make a list of the key arguments Paul makes in 4:8-20.  What are the elemental spirits and the days and seasons?  What is the rhetorical effect of recalling Paul's illness when he first preached to the Galatians?

Group Five-  How should Paul’s allegory of Hagar and Sarah in 4:21 - 5:1 be interpreted? What does it mean?  Note Paul reverses the traditional association of Hagar and Ishmael with the Gentiles and Sarah ( ancestral mother of the Jewish people) and Isaac with Israel. 

V.  Whole Group -Why and how does Paul treat the Spirit and freedom differently in Galatians and I Corinthians?  What are some passages that bring this out?