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Culture: These are Jewish Christians who would require circumcision of the Galatians—thus alienating
them from their own Gentile culture. Some of the strictest Pharisees may have required circumcision
for salvation, but many Pharisees believed that any Gentiles who kept the few laws given to Moses
would be saved.Indeed, circumcision had even become a major cultural symbol of fidelity to Judaism:

attempts to restrict the practice led to revolts both before and after Paul’s time.Some Judean Christians
were now arguing that one must become culturally Jewish to become a full Christian and fully righteous.
After all, the Bible itself made this requirement for one who wished to belong to God’s people (Gen
17:10–14).

Geography: This matter of the founding of the Galatian churches has
kept serious Bible students at work for many years. The problem stems
from the meaning of the word Galatia. Several hundred years before the
birth of Christ, some fierce tribes migrated from Gaul (modern France)
into Asia Minor, and founded Galatia, which simply means “the country
of the Gauls.” When the Romans reorganized the ancient world, they
made Galatia a part of a larger province that included several other
areas, and they called the entire province Galatia. So, back in Paul’s day,
when a person talked about Galatia, you could not be sure whether he
meant the smaller country of Galatia or the larger Roman province. The
problem was somewhat like the one we face when someone says, “I’m
going to New York.” Is he going to the state of New York or to New York
City?

History: Paul’s brief letter to the Galatians is one of the New Testament’s earliest, probably written
around A.D. 49, but as late as 53. Like Romans, it explores the relationship of the Mosaic Law to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ and, like Romans, concludes that the Law was temporary. It has now been
replaced by a better, more effective way of relating to God through the Spirit. The Judaizers (we call
these false teachers “Judaizers” because they were trying to entice Christians back into the Jewish
religious system) who “bewitched” the Galatians (3:1) were telling them that Paul’s apostleship and
message were not trustworthy because he lacked official endorsement from Jerusalem. “We have our
credentials from Peter!” they would say, as though the approval of men is proof that a preacher is sent
of God.

Here are some practical suggestions:
1. Begin studying with prayer (Ps. 119: 18, John 16: 13 - 15)
2. Take brief notes on what you read. (use a small notebook)
3. Read slowly through the passage. Ask yourself what the passage is about. Read it again.
4. When finished, answer these questions about the passage:
a. What is the main subject of this passage?

Gentile *Gentile. Anyone who is not Jewish. In ancient Jewish parlance, this was often the equivalent of
“pagan.”

Pharisees *Pharisees. A movement of several thousand pious Jewish men who sought to interpret the
law carefully and according to the traditions of previous generations of the pious. They had no political
power in Jesus’ day but were highly respected and thus influential among the larger population. They
emphasized their own version of purity rules and looked forward to the resurrection of the dead.

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