2) Galatians 1:1-10

Aug 4

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

(Galatians 1:1-10, ESV Bible)

Commentary

The Apostle to the Gentiles

Paul identifies himself as an apostle, not from men nor through man. The word "apostle" simply means "an agent sent to accomplish a task." In Hebrew, the word for "apostle" is shaliach, a "sent one." In Judaism, a man can send a shaliach out on a mission for him to represent him and accomplish a task on his behalf. For example, the Sanhedrin of the first century regularly sent out "apostles" on missions to the Jewish world living in the Diaspora.

In those days, as today, more Jewish people lived outside the land of Israel than inside the land. Jewish communities were spread across the ancient world, widely dispersed, and this dispersion of Jews living outside of the land of Israel is what we mean by the word "Diaspora." Every major city in the Roman Empire, it seems, had a Jewish quarter with one or more synagogues-often several synagogues. The Roman government recognized Judaism as a legal religion, which means that Jews had state protection guaranteeing their freedom to practice their religion. Practically speaking, this meant that if you were Jewish, you were exempt from certain civic functions, such as worshipping in Roman temples. If you were not Jewish and refused to participate in the worship of the gods or the Roman emperor, you could potentially be arrested and tried for the crime of atheism. In those days, an "atheist" was someone who did not believe in the Roman pantheon.

Paul went as an apostle sent out to the Diaspora, but he did not go as one sent by the Sanhedrin or even by the other apostles. The risen Messiah himself, whom Paul had encountered in a series of mystical visions, sent him. Paul encountered him first on the road to Damascus and again later while praying in the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus appeared to him and said, "Go, I am sending you to the Gentiles."

For that reason Paul refers to himself as the apostle (the sent one) of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah to the Gentiles.

Background Context Recap

Paul claims to send the epistle of Galatians from himself and the brethren with him at Antioch, men like Barnabas and Luke. He wrote the epistle to God-fearing Gentile believers living in the province of Galatia, in the cities of Pisidian Antioch and Iconium.

God-Fearers were monotheists who worshipped the God of Israel. They were neither Jewish by birth nor by conversion, but they practiced Judaism, to some extent, as a Gentile. God-Fearers were one of the three types of people that might be found in any Diaspora synagogue: 1) Jews, 2) Proselytes, 3) God-fearing Gentiles.

God-Fearers are those Gentiles who had renounced idolatry and chosen to worship the God of Israel within the people of Israel, and even within the synagogues, but who had elected not to undergo a formal conversion in order to become halachically (legally) Jewish. Quite comfortable with being Galatians, they felt no need to become Israelites and undergo circumcision and conversion. They are the "to whom" that Paul wrote the epistle.

Paul wrote this epistle after he received word that some Galatian God-Fearers, under the influence of others, were undergoing, or planning to undergo, legal conversion to become proselytes. From Paul's perspective, the Galatian God-Fearers were looking toward conversion in order to merit God's favor and salvation. Paul saw this as a problem. He wrote his epistle to the Galatians to correct the underlying theology and to dissuade the Galatian Gentile believers from going through with their plan to become full proselytes.

The Influencers

Paul was disturbed to hear that the Galatian believers had accepted a "different gospel," i.e., a different "good news," which was really not good news at all. He said, "Not that there is another 'good news." This other gospel came from an outside influence. Paul said, "There are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Messiah."

Who were these "troublers and distorters?" Christian expository preaching for centuries has referred to them as the "Judaizers." We will take a look at that terminology as we wrestle with this question in the ensuing material, but for now, we will adopt a term currently popular in Pauline studies and simply refer to them as the "influencers." They are teachers within the Galatian communities who are influencing the God-fearing Gentiles to undergo conversion.

One quick observation about the "influencers:" They are most likely believers in Yeshua of Nazareth. This possibility is lost on many interpreters. They might be Jewish believers or believing proselyes to Judaism, but they are almost certainly believers.

How do we know? We will consider the evidence as we work through the epistle, but from the outset, Paul says that they "want to distort the gospel of Messiah." A non-believer does not want to distort the gospel; he wants to refute it and repudiate it. Only believers distort the gospel. Paul says that they preach "a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you," but they are preaching a gospel, they are teachers of the good news. For that reason we may deduce that they are believers in Yeshua of Nazareth. They believe in his birth, death, resurrection, and messiahship. They believe in the kingdom of heaven, and they are our brothers and sisters in the faith.

They are the influencers. They are believers, but Paul does not like their influence. And he says, "Let them be accursed."

A Story to Offer More Context - A Story from Adiabene

To help provide context for the Holy Epistle to the Galatians, it may be helpful to consider a story from about fifteen years earlier. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus tells a story that took place in the kingdom of Adiabene, shortly after the resurrection of the Master.

Some distance from Antioch or Galatia, straddling the highlands of what is today the Kurdish areas of Iraq, Armenia, and northern Iran, sat the kingdom of Adiabene with its capital at Arbela. Adia-bene was part of the Assyrian province of the Parthian Empire.

The Kingdom of Adiabene in c. 37 AD at its greatest extent, during the reign of Izates II

Monabazus, the King of Adiabene, had many wives and many sons, but he loved his wife Helena the most. To her first son he gave the royal name Monobazus, making him the heir apparent. Helena conceived again. It is said that once while she was pregnant with her second son, Monabazus slept beside her with his hands on her stomach. A voice spoke to him in a dream telling him to remove his hands and to protect the child, for this one was chosen by God.

Monobazus was a Zoroastrian. A Zoroastrian is a follower of Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions that originated in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) around the 6th century BCE. The religion is based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra) and centers around the worship of Ahura Mazda, the supreme god and creator, who represents good and is in constant conflict with Angra Mainyu, the destructive spirit representing evil. The voice Monobazus heard so frightened him that he woke his wife Helena and told her what had he had heard. When the son was born, he named him Izates. Like Jacob with his son Joseph, Monobazus placed all of his affection on Izates, to the point that the other brothers hated the boy. For the protection of the young man, the king sent him away to be tutored and raised in the foreign court of King Abennerig of Charax-Spasini.

King Abennerig welcomed the young man into his court and even gave him the hand of one of his daughters in marriage. While Izates sojourned in the court of Charax-Spasini, some of the wives of King Abennerig encountered a certain Jew by the name of Chananiah. This happened around the time of the persecution that broke out in connection with the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 8).

Chananiah the Jew was a tradesman, perhaps selling his wares among the royalty and the women of court. Under his influence, the women became converts to Judaism and professed faith in the God of Israel.

The Conversion of Izates

The wives of Abennerig introduced their new son-in-law, Izates, to Chananiah, who in turn introduced the young prince to the God of Israel. Izates came to believe in the One God.

The conversion of Izates took place sometime between 30 and 36 CE, and it may have preceded that of Cornelius the centurion (Acts 10). When Izates did convert, he wanted to undergo circumcision as a sign of his conversion, but Chananiah discouraged him from doing so, telling him that he could still worship God without being circumcised, even though he resolved to follow the Jewish Torah entirely. Chananiah went on to say that keeping the commandments of the Torah was superior to circumcision.

Izates is a Model of the God-Fearer

Some years later, the Apostle Paul used the same argument with the Gentile converts in his congregations. In the story of Izates, however, Chananiah the Jew gave the same ruling ten years before Paul did. It may be that the particular brand of Judaism to which Izates originally converted was that of the believers, the disciples of Yeshua, but one cannot be dogmatic on that point. More likely, the type of advice Chananiah gave to Izates was common in first-century Judaism, and Paul drew his own theology from that common Jewish posture toward Gentiles. At any rate, Izates became a follower of Judaism, but not Jewish-not a proselyte either. He became a God-Fearer.

In the Persian language today, the word for "Christian" translates literally as "Fearer." Jewish scholar Shlomo Pines points out that, in at least three Iranian languages (Pahlavi, New Persian, and Sogdian), the name for Christians is derived from the Iranian root tars, which means "to fear." Christians are called "Tarsakan," i.e., "Fearers," even to this day. These languages possess no other names for Christians except loan words borrowed from other languages. Izates became a "Fearer."

King Monobazus Dies

King Monobazus was near death. He desired to see his son again. He sent for Izates and bestowed upon him rulership of the country of Carrae (Armenia in eastern Turkey), a land that produced Amomum, a popular spice, and in addition a land famous among Jews as the resting place of Noah's Ark. Mount Ararat stood in Carrae, upon which (according to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus) the remains of the ark could still be seen on the mountain by anyone who desired to see them.

Izates relocated then to Carrae, the land of Noah's Ark, and there he remained until his father's death. When King Monobazus died, his wife Helena sent word to her son in Carrae. Then she went immediately to work securing the throne for him. She summoned all the political officers and told them how her husband Monozabus had wanted Izates to receive the throne. She said, "I believe you are aware that my husband wanted Izates to succeed him in the government and thought him worthy of the position. However, I await your decision; for happy is he who receives a kingdom, not from a single person only, but from the willing consent of the majority." And with such entreaties, she secured their loyalty.

Izates Returns Home

When he went to take his throne, Izates brought Chananiah the Jew with him to Adiabene. If he hoped that Chananiah might influence his mother to accept Judaism, he was too late. In his absence, his mother Helena had already embraced the religion of the Jews. What a surprise! Izates took this as a sign from Heaven, and he immediately sought full conversion to become Jewish. In the words of Josephus:

When he realized that his mother approved of Jewish practices, he was eager to convert, and to embrace them entirely. He supposed that he could not be completely Jewish until he underwent circumcision, therefore he was ready to have it done. When his mother realized what he was about to do, she tried to dissuade him from doing it. She told him that this thing would put him in [politi-cal] danger and that when his subjects came to realize that he, their king, was so fond of rites that were to them strange and foreign, they would find him odious. They would never submit to be ruled over by a Jew.

Chananiah the Jew agreed with Queen Helena. He confirmed her words and comforted Izates, telling him that God would certainly forgive the omission of circumcision since it literally constituted a danger to his life. Izates consented to forego conversion and simply live as a God-Fearer.

Eleazar the Influencer

Sometime later, however, a certain Galilean Jew named Eleazar arrived in Adiabene. He was a sage and Torah scholar, and King Izates sought his teaching. When Eleazar entered the palace, he found Izates seated, reading the Torah of Moses. Eleazar had some sharp words for the uncircumcised king:

Have you never considered, O King, that you unjustly violate the rule of those laws you are studying, and you are insulting to God himself, by omitting to be circumcised. For you ought not only to study the commandments, but primarily, you ought to do what they tell you to do. How long will you continue to be uncircumcised? But if you have not yet read the law about circumcision, and if you are unaware of how great an impiety you are guilty of by neglecting it, read it now."

The king sent immediately for a surgeon. After circumcision, Izates and Helena completed their formal conversions to Judaism at Eleazar's behest and under his supervision. God protected and prospered Izates and strengthened him in his kingdom. Both he and Queen Helena became prominent characters in rabbinic lore from the end of the Second Temple era.

The story provides an insightful glimpse into the first century and illustrates the issues underlying Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. It seems that influencers like Eleazar of Galilee often followed Paul and refuted his teaching that the new Gentile converts need not undergo the ritual conversion (i.e., circumcision).

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:9-10, ESV Bible)

Pleasing Men or God?

Like Eleazar the Galilean in Adiabene, the influencers in Galatia wanted the God-fearing Gentiles to complete a legal conversion to become Jewish. They represented the position held by most other Jewish believers and the vast majority of the Yeshua movement, "many thousands ... among the Jews of those who have believed ... all zealous for the law" (Acts 21:20). Paul's Gentiles were something of an aberration in an otherwise primarily Jewish sect. The majority opinion among Jewish believers seems to have been that the Gentiles needed to convert sooner or later.

If Paul had delivered the same message as Eleazar of Galilee, teaching the Gentile believers to finish their conversion with circumcision, he could have earned favor with the other Jewish believers and with the greater Jewish community present in the synagogues in which he was teaching, such as the synagogues of Galatia. Within the Jewish context, that message would have been the more socially acceptable message: "Believe in Yeshua to be saved, but after that, you need to eventually accept upon yourself circumcision, conversion, and all of the obligations of Jewish life that legal Jewish status entails."

If Paul had been preaching that message, he might not have been forced out of the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, run out of Iconium, or stoned in Lystra. He would not have had conflict with the other Jewish believers-the faction that he derisively refers to as "the Circumcision." To paraphrase, he explains in Galatians 1:10, "I am not doing this to win friends. I am not preaching to please men. I am preaching the message that Messiah gave me to preach."

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

Referneces

This lesson was curated from teachings from First Fruits of Zion “Holy Epistle to the Galatians.”

Disciple X