Chapter 1

Theophylact of Ohrid, Exposition of the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians — Chapter One

¹ Argument of the Epistle to the Galatians. Paul’s preamble is full of wrath, and so is almost the whole Epistle; for always to be gentle toward disciples who have need of rebuke belongs not to a teacher. This the Lord also does; for, having blessed Peter, he then also rebukes him; and the disciples too he calls senseless. And Paul indeed, even now in writing to others, employs severity, as in writing to the Corinthians; but most of all toward these Galatians. And the cause is of this sort. Those of the Jews who had believed, at once both clinging to the law of their fathers and reaching after being teachers, were teaching the Galatians that they ought to be circumcised, and to keep the Sabbaths and the new moons; for those around Peter, they said, did not forbid these things. And in truth these men did not forbid them, not as laying down a doctrine, but as condescending to the weakness of those of the Jews who had believed, to whom indeed they were preaching. But Paul, preaching to the Gentiles, had no need of this condescension. Yet when there came to be need of it, he too consented, and circumcised Timothy, and himself was purified according to the law. But the deceivers, not understanding the reasons for which both those around Peter and Paul himself did these things, were beguiling the simpler sort, and brought forward this very thing as a slander against Paul: that at one time he circumcised, and at another did away with circumcision, and preached different things to different people; and on top of all, that one ought not to give heed to Paul, who neither saw Christ, nor is his disciple, but a disciple of the apostles; whereas those around Peter ought to be received, as eyewitnesses. For these reasons, then, burning in his soul, he composes the Epistle; and first of all he directs himself against that which those men were saying, undermining the esteem in which he was held—that the others, indeed, are Christ’s, but he is a disciple of the apostles. Wherefore he thus begins:

² Chapter One. Paul, an apostle, not from men, neither through man. Straightway he does away with his being a disciple of men. For not from men, but from above, and from heaven, was he called; and not through man, but through Christ himself. For Ananias indeed baptized him; but it was not he who called him to the faith, but Christ from heaven. And why did he not say, Paul, called, but, an apostle? Because the whole dispute was about this very thing, men saying that he had been appointed an apostle by men; against this, then, he stands, showing that it is not so.

³ But through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. And indeed the Acts make clear that he was set apart by the Spirit unto the apostleship. It is plain, then, that the authority of the Son, and of the Spirit, and of the Father is one. And mark also the word through, set down concerning the Father, and that the Son is named first—this on account of the heretics who busy themselves with these matters. And opportunely he calls to remembrance the death and the resurrection, that he may persuade them no longer to give heed to the law, which contributed nothing on their behalf, but to Christ, who died and rose again on their behalf; and [he shows] that to set oneself against such a benefactor is great thanklessness. And the Father is said to have raised him both because of the weakness of the hearers, and because all things whatsoever the Son does are referred to the Father. For surely he himself was not unable to raise himself, who also gave to those who believed in him to raise the dead from the mere shadow of their bodies.

⁴ And all the brethren who are with me. Since they slandered him as preaching these things alone, he shows that he has many others also as partakers of his mind.

⁵ To the churches of Galatia. Behold the wrath and the grief. For he did not say, To the beloved, nor, To the sanctified, nor, To the churches of God, but simply, To the churches of Galatia. And since they were also at variance among themselves, with reason he names these too as many churches; and at the same time, putting them to shame, he gathers them into one by this name. For those who are divided into many cannot be called by this appellation, which signifies concord.

⁶ Grace to you and peace. Since they were in danger of falling away from grace, through giving heed to the law, he prays this for them; and since they had made themselves enemies of God by setting up the things of the law, which he had abolished, he leads them back toward peace.

⁷ From God the Father. God became your Father. Whence? From the law, after which you gape, or from the baptism of Christ? How then do you turn away from your benefactor? And mark the words, From God the Father, set down without the article—this on account of those who bring in the Son as lesser, from John’s saying, And the Word was God, without the article.

⁸ And of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not the law is our lord, but Christ Jesus. And the very names themselves are indicative of the benefaction. For “Jesus” is he who saved the people from their sins; and “Christ,” from the anointing of the Spirit, with which he was anointed on our behalf, having sanctified the nature in that which he assumed, and given to us to be so named.

⁹ Who gave himself for our sins. Behold, he gave himself; not then as a servant did he render service. When, therefore, you hear that he was given by the Father, understand the good pleasure and the will of the Father. And he gave himself, that he might deliver us from the sins from which the law had no strength to deliver. How then, having forsaken him who delivered you, do you give heed to the law, which has profited nothing?

¹⁰ That he might deliver us from the present evil age. Here the Manichaeans pounce upon the saying, declaring: Behold, he has called the present age evil—that is, our life. It is not so. For neither are the days themselves evil in themselves (for what wickedness is there in the course of the sun, or in the interval of the days?); nor is our life itself, in itself, evil; for how could it be, wherein we come to know God and contemplate the things to come? But by “evil age” he means the evil deeds and the corrupted choice. Just as we too are accustomed to say, I had a bad day, slandering not the time, but the circumstance and the deed. For it was not in order that he might slay us and cast us out of the present life that Christ died, but that he might deliver us from evil deeds for the time to come. For since he had said above that he gave himself for our sins, he gave assurance also for the future, that he might deliver us from the evil manner of life. But the law had strength neither for the future.

¹¹ According to the will of God and our Father. Since those men supposed that they were disobeying God in forsaking the law, he corrects their suspicion, showing that it is the will of the Father that we be set free through the Son. And do you see that he did not say, According to the purpose of the Father, but, According to the will—that is, the good pleasure? And having called God our Father, again he puts them in remembrance of Christ the benefactor, who made his own Father our Father also. How then do you depart from him?

¹² To whom be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen. Nowhere else in his preambles has he set down the Amen; here he has set it down, showing that the discourse is complete for him, and that what has been said suffices for the accusation of the Galatians. For having called to remembrance the unspeakable benefactions of God, by reason of which these men stood condemned for forsaking Christ their benefactor, then, struck with amazement at them, and being able to utter nothing further concerning them, he closes the discourse in a doxology.

¹³ I marvel that you are so quickly removed from him who called you in the grace of Christ. He shows that he had a great esteem concerning them. For I marvel, he says, that you, who have labored so much in the faith, are so quickly removed. And there are two charges, both the are removed and the quickly; so that the deceivers did not even need time—which accuses the levity of those who received them.

¹⁴ And he did not say, You were removed, but, You are being removed; that is, I do not yet believe, nor do I deem the deceiving to be complete. And mark his wisdom. Since, clinging to the law, they thought to do service to the Father, he says that those who give heed to the law are removed from the Father. For from, he says, him who called you—that is, from the Father. In the grace of Christ—that is, so as to be justified by Christ, not from works, but by grace. For the Son bestows the remission in grace, while the Father calls toward this.

¹⁵ Unto another gospel, which is not another, except there are certain men who trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. Since the deceivers called their own deception a gospel, he contends even against the name, and says that there is no other gospel beside that which you received. For there is one that contains right belief, which I preached; unless perhaps certain men trouble the eyes of your souls, and make some things appear to you in place of others, wishing to pervert the Gospel of Christ. And indeed they were not overturning the whole Gospel, but only smuggling in the commandment concerning the Sabbath and Circumcision; yet nevertheless he shows that, even when slightly counterfeited, it overturns the whole Gospel—just as he who cuts away a little from the royal coinage renders the whole coin counterfeit. And mark this, on account of those who say that it is a small matter and to be allowed. But the Marcionites lay hold of the saying, and say that from this one ought to receive not the four, but one Gospel—the one which they themselves, having jumbled together [forte: poured out] and cut down, composed. For behold, they say, Paul says that the Gospel is one. And what of this? We too say that the four are one, at least according to their concord; for neither does Paul speak now about number, but about discord. For because, he says, the preaching of the deceivers is discordant, for this reason it is not a gospel; whereas, if it were in accord, it would be a gospel—that is, an apostolic preaching. So that the words of Marcion are manifest babbling.

¹⁶ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any gospel beside that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. [He says this] lest anyone say that for love of glory he is mustering his own doctrines, since he anathematizes even himself. And since they took refuge also in dignities, and brought forward those around Peter, and James, for this reason he made mention also of angels. And he added the words, from heaven, since the priests too were called angels. Therefore, lest you suppose it to be said concerning priests, by the addition of “heaven” he made plain the powers on high. And he did not say, If they should proclaim contrary things, but, Even if they should preach some small thing beside that which we preached. By anathematizing the angels, then, he casts out every dignity; and by the word we, every kinship. For do not say to me that your fellow-apostles preach other things; nor do I spare even myself if I preach other things. Yet not as condemning the apostles does he say these things, but wishing to sew up the mouths of the deceivers, and to show that dignity is not admitted when the discourse is about doctrines.

¹⁷ As we said before, and now I say again: If anyone preaches to you any gospel beside that which you received, let him be accursed. Lest they suppose that he said these things from wrath, and on a sudden impulse, he sets them down a second time, showing that not without judgment, but firmly and steadfastly, having ratified these things within himself, he so pronounced them.

¹⁸ For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? He is about to make his defense concerning the things laid to his charge. Therefore, lest they be lifted up against him as though sitting in judgment upon their teacher, he says: Do not suppose that I am making my defense to you, or that I seek to persuade you, but my whole discourse is toward God. Whence neither do I write these things out of longing for the glory that is among you, and that I may have disciples, but as making my defense to God on behalf of the doctrines, and not wishing to please men. Or also thus. Since they slandered him as preaching different things to different people, and as changing himself to suit men, he says: Do I strive to persuade men, and to please these, or God? For if I wished to please men, I would assuredly do the things you say.

¹⁹ For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ. He establishes that he does not strive to please men; for how could he either flatter them, or preach different things to different people? For if I were striving after this, I would not have departed from the things of the Jews and come to Christ; I would not have despised kinsmen, tribesmen, glory of such a kind, and chosen persecutions, and dangers, and dishonors.

²⁰ But I make known to you, brethren, the Gospel which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. He is about to show them that he was truly transferred from the law, and for this reason he makes mention of his former life and of his sudden change—showing that he would not have been changed so suddenly, had he not received some more divine assurance. Wherefore he also says that my Gospel is not according to man—that is, I had no man for a teacher, but I became a disciple of Christ himself.

²¹ For I neither received it from man, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ. For this is what his slanderers were saying: that not, like the apostles, did he become a hearer of Christ himself, but received all things from men. He says, therefore, that He himself revealed the Gospel to me—the very one who also made disciples of those around Peter.

²² For you have heard of my manner of life in time past in Judaism. Whence is it plain that I received the Gospel through divine revelation? From my former manner of life. For such a persecutor as I was, how could I have been changed so suddenly, had not some divine revelation effectually drawn me? For that I was a vehement persecutor is plain from the fact that even you Galatians, who are so far removed from Judea, heard of it.

²³ How that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God, and laid it waste. See how he sets down each thing with intensity. For he did not say, I persecuted, but, With all excess. And not only this, but also, I laid it waste; that is, I endeavored to raze it to the ground and to make it vanish; for this is the work of a destroyer.

²⁴ And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age in my nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. Beyond all, he says, who were of the same time, I displayed much fervor, and advanced in the war against the Church; or, that I was held in honor among the Jews. But do not suppose that the matter was of vainglory, or of wrath, but of zeal. If, then, the things against the Church I did not for any human reason, but according to zeal for God, even if mistakenly, how should I now, when I have come to know the truth, preach this and that out of desire for human glory, and not the things which the truth demands, and which Christ taught me?

²⁵ But when it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb. If from his mother’s womb he was set apart unto the Gospel, and was chosen by God, then assuredly it was by some dispensation that he was left in Judaism for the time between—namely, that his change, being thus sudden, might give assurance to many and draw them on. And God set him apart not according to a fulfilling of merit, but according to a foreknowledge of his being worthy.

²⁶ And called me through his grace. God indeed called him on account of his virtue. For a vessel of election unto me, he says, is he. But Paul himself, being modest-minded, says that he was called through grace, not according to desert, but through mercy.

²⁷ To reveal his Son in me. He did not say, To reveal to me, but, In me; showing that he learned not by word alone, but that his heart also was filled with much of the Spirit, the nature being given depth toward the inward man, and Christ speaking in him.

²⁸ That I might preach him among the Gentiles. He revealed the Son to me, not that I might see him only, but that I might also carry him forth to others. For not the believing only, but also the being ordained, came to pass from God. How then do you say that I was taught by men? And not simply, That I might preach him, but, among the Gentiles. So that, how could I preach circumcision to the Gentiles?

²⁹ Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. That is, I did not enter into discourse with the apostles; for these he calls flesh and blood, naming them from their nature; or simply he says this concerning all men, that From no man did I learn anything.

³⁰ Neither went I up to Jerusalem to the apostles who were before me. How, then, does the Apostle say these things? Is he so puffed up as even to think himself sufficient unto himself, and to have no need of a counselor? And how did he not hear him who says, Be not wise in your own eyes; and, Woe to those who are prudent in their own sight? God forbid. But since those who slandered him were saying that one ought to follow the apostles, and not him, and that those men were apostles before him, he was constrained to say these things, that he might silence the deceivers. For indeed it was unreasonable that one who had learned from God should thereafter cling to men. Not, then, in despair does he say these things, but that he might show the dignity of his own preaching. And indeed he did go away to Jerusalem—yet not so as to learn himself, but so as to persuade others that these things seem good also to those in Jerusalem. Furthermore, he did not go up immediately—that is, at the outset; but afterward he went up, and then for the sake of persuading others.

³¹ But I went away into Arabia, and again returned to Damascus. He went about the untilled places, and the wild ones; for if he had remained where the apostles were, the preaching would have been hindered, and would not have been spread abroad so quickly. For this reason he ran to the most savage of the nations. And see his humility: how, in recounting the cities, nowhere did he say how many he converted, although in Damascus he so confounded the Jews that he was even plotted against by the ethnarch. So then, not for the sake of vainglory does he speak the great things that must be spoken concerning himself, but that the preaching might not be harmed, he being disbelieved as a man of no account, and a disciple of disciples.

³² Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter. And this too is a mark of humility, seeing that he who had accomplished so much went away to Peter, not for the sake of profit, but only to visit him, honoring him as greater than himself. Wherefore he did not even say, To see Peter, but, To visit him; which is what those say who go to inspect the great and splendid cities, just as we too go away to holy men—yet rather we for the sake of profit, but he only for honor.

³³ And I abode with him fifteen days. The visiting was a sign of honor; the abiding, of friendship and vehement love. And he did not say, I was taught, but, I abode with him, in the sense of, I spent the time together with him.

³⁴ But other of the apostles I saw none, except James the Lord’s brother. On account of Peter he went up, so greatly did he honor and long for him; and he saw James also, not for the sake of profit, but honoring him. And James too he mentions with honor, saying, the Lord’s brother; thus was he also free of envy. And yet, had he wished to designate him, he would have said, The son of Clopas. For neither was he the Lord’s brother according to the flesh, but was reputed to be. And how he was Clopas’s son, hear. Clopas and Joseph were brothers; Clopas having died childless, Joseph raised up seed to him, and begot this man, and his other brethren, and Mary—whom, being the wife of Clopas, the Gospel called the sister of the Lord’s Mother; Joseph having preserved toward the Virgin rather the guardianship of a father than the disposition of a husband.[1]

³⁵ Now the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I do not lie. As though about to render account before a tribunal, so does he contend in his discourse, that he may seem worthy of belief.

³⁶ 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. But they were only hearing that, He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith which once he laid waste. Because he had set foot in Judea only to see Peter, he again departs from it, both because he had been sent as a herald to the Gentiles, and because he would not endure to build upon another’s foundation. Wherefore, he says, I was also unknown by sight to the Christians in Judea. How then could I have preached circumcision to them, I who was not even known to them by sight? For this they slandered him with: that in Judea he preached circumcision. For they were only hearing concerning me that I had turned to Christ, and was preaching him.

³⁷ And they glorified God in me. And this too is of modesty. For he did not say that They marveled at me, were astonished at me; but he showed the whole to be of grace. For they glorified God in me, as being plainly the one who works the whole.