The Epistle to the

Galatians

A Commentary on the Greek Text

by

F. F. Bruce

WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K.

THE PATERNOSTER PRESS

CARLISLE

Copyright © 1982 by F. F. Bruce

First published 1982 by The Paternoster Press,

3 Mount Radford Crescent, Exeter, UK EX2 4JW

This edition published jointly by Paternoster and

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 255 Jefferson Ave. S.E.,

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may

be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,

without the prior permission of

THE PATERNOSTER PRESS

Reprinted 2002

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Bruce, F.F.

The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians: a

commentary on the Greek text.—(the New

international Greek testament commentary; 2)

1. Bible. N.T. Galatians—Commentaries

I. Title II. Bible. N.T. Galatians. Greek. 1982

III. Series

227´.4´048 BS2685.3

Casebound ISBN 0-85364-299-0

Paperback ISBN 0-85364-300-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bruce, F.F. (Frederick Fyvie), 1910–

The Epistle to the Galatians.

(the New international Greek testament commentary)

Bibliography: p. 59.

Includes indexes.

1. Bible. N.T. Galatians—Commentaries

I. Title

II. Series: New international Greek testament commentary

(Grand Rapids, Mich.)

BS2685.3.B75 227´.407 81–17327

ISBN 0-8028-2387-4 AACR2

TO

CHARLES FRANCIS DIGBY MOULE

in admiration, friendship

and gratitude

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION

I. Galatians Among the Letters of Paul

II. The Galatian Churches

1. From kingdom to province

2. The ‘North Galatian’ hypothesis

3. The ‘South Galatian’ hypothesis

4. The evidence of Acts

5. Other references

6. The present state of the question

III. The Galatian Problem

1. The occasion of the letter

2. The early consensus

3. Other explanations

4. Against whom does Paul defend himself?

5. The circumcision question

6. The ‘elements’ of the world

7. The preferred solution

IV. The Truth of the Gospel

1. Galatians and the primitive message

2. The standard of judgment

3. Paul’s gospel and the teaching of Jesus

4. The law of Christ

V. Date and Related Questions

1. Galatians and the record of Acts

2. Galatians and other Pauline letters: Lightfoot’s argument

3. Galatians and the other Pauline letters: C. H. Buck’s argument

4. Justification by faith and the date of Galatians

5. Other arguments

6. Galatians and Thessalonians

7. Conclusion

VI. Structure

VII. Select Bibliography

COMMENTARY

I. Salutation (1:1–5)

II. No other Gospel (1:6–10)

(a) Paul’s indignant astonishment (1:6–9)

(b) Paul is no men-pleaser (1:10)

III. Autobiographical Sketch: Paul’s independent Gospel (1:11–2:14)

(a) Paul’s gospel received by revelation (1:11–12)

(b) Paul’s earlier career (1:13–14)

(c) Paul becomes an apostle (1:15–17)

(d) Paul meets the Jerusalem church leaders (1:18–20)

(e) Paul in Syria and Cilicia (1:21–24)

(f)...