Destination The Roman Province of Galatia was established in 25 B.C. in the central territory of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Prior to this, migrant tribes from Gaul had settled in the northern parts of this territory in the third century B.C. and were long known as the "Galatians". This has made it exceedingly difficult for scholars to identify the Christians whom Paul was addressing by that name (3:1). Many argue that Paul's letter was written solely for these northern Galatians, since Greco-Roman sources use the title "Galatians" as a purely ethnic reference to these tribal immigrants. Others contend that in the NT period, "Galatians" could also be used as a territorial reference to anyone living within the boundaries of the province, regardless of whether they lived in the northern or southern regions. The Jewish historian Josephus seems to use it in this more general way. Thus, with the term "Galatians" becoming more inclusive by the first century—at least in Paul's Jewish environment—it is nearly impossible to favor one view over another merely on the basis of the name (3:1). Until decisive evidence surfaces, we can be sure only that Paul was addressing Christians who lived somewhere in the province of Galatia, even though the question of North or South Galatia remains an open one.

Purpose Paul wrote this letter to defend his gospel against opponents and to dissuade the Galatians from receiving circumcision. Apparently rival missionaries, known as Judaizers, infiltrated the ranks of the Galatian churches during Paul's absence and stirred up trouble among his Gentile converts. Internal evidence within the letter suggests they preached a false gospel (1:6-7) that pressured Gentile Christians to embrace circumcision and the ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant as indispensable requirements for salvation (5:2-12; 6:12-13). Although they professed to be Christians, they felt that Paul's gospel of "faith working through love" (5:6) was incomplete without the ritual observances of the Mosaic Law. The success that these Judaizers enjoyed in Galatia forced Paul to respond with a vigorous defense of the gospel (1:11-2:10) and a sophisticated explanation of how the New Covenant inaugurated by Christ dispenses with the ceremonies of the Old (chaps. 3-4). In his view, to add circumcision and other Mosaic requirements to the gospel is to exchange freedom in Christ for spiritual slavery (2:4; 5:1). Stern warnings thus punctuate this letter as Paul appeals to the Galatians to distance themselves from the Judaizers and to disregard their propaganda.

Themes and Characteristics Galatians is clearly the most polemical of Paul's letters. Although it shares much in common with the more formal Letter to the Romans, the apologetic tone of this letter is heated and, at times, even combative. There can be no question that Paul perceived the Galatian crisis as a great spiritual threat to everyone involved. As he saw it, the issues at stake touched the very heart of Christian identity and demanded a forceful defense of the gospel.

What was the essence of this controversy, and why was it so important for Paul to resolve it quickly and decisively? For the most part, Galatians is Paul's attempt to define the essence of the New Covenant in Christ over against the Old Covenant that gave birth to it. This is why circumcision is the towering issue of the letter, with the Judaizers promoting it, Paul attacking it, and the Galatians caught in the crossfire. Before the coming of Christ, the rite of circumcision was the doorway into God's covenant with Abraham (Gen 17:9-14) and the sacrament of initiation into the family of Israel (Lev 12:3). The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, however, marks a turning point in covenant history where circumcision is now set aside, along with the entire body of liturgical and ceremonial legislation promulgated by Moses. Through his Cross, Christ has redeemed us from the curses of the Old Covenant (Gal 3:13) and unleashed the divine blessings of the New Covenant in a powerful way, inaugurating a "new creation" (6:15) and a renewed "Israel" (6:16). As Paul shows from the Scriptures, the New Covenant ratified by Christ fulfills the Abrahamic covenant of blessing for all nations even as it terminates the Mosaic covenant that was confined to the one nation of Israel in the centuries between Abraham and Christ. Now, whoever embraces Christ in faith (3:7) and receives Baptism (3:27) becomes a spiritual descendant of Abraham and an adopted child of God (4:1-7).

Paul's effort in this letter to define the terms of the gospel has made Galatians one of his most important writings. Although storms of controversy have continued to gather around this epistle throughout the centuries, we would be greatly impoverished without it. Galatians still stands as a thunderous defense of the good news, reaffirming for all time that salvation comes only by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. «

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