Galatians, Volume 41

By Richard N. Longenecker

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.

Overview of Commentary Organization

• Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology.
• Each section of the commentary includes:
• Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope.
• Translation—the author’s own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English.
• Notes—the author’s notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation.
• Form/Structure/Setting—a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here.
• Comment—verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research.
• Explanation—brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues.
  • General Bibliography—occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Dec 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9780310586333

Richard N. Longenecker

Richard N. Longenecker is Ramsey Armitage Professor of New Testament, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. He receivec the B.A. and M.A. degrees from Wheaton College and Wheaton Graduate School of Theology, respectively, and the Ph.D. from New College, University of Edinburgh. His principal publications include Paul, Apostle of Liberty (1964), The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity (1970), The Ministry and Message of Paul (1971), Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period (1975), “The Acts of the Apostles” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1981), and The New Testament Social Ethics for Today (1984).

Book preview

Editorial Board

Old Testament Editor: Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford (2011–)

New Testament Editor: Peter H. Davids (2013–)

Past Editors

General Editors

Ralph P. Martin (2012–2013)

Bruce M. Metzger (1997–2007)

David A. Hubbard (1977–1996)

Glenn W. Barker (1977–1984)

Old Testament Editors:

John D. W. Watts (1977–2011)

James W. Watts (1997–2011)

New Testament Editors:

Ralph P. Martin (1977–2012)

Lynn Allan Losie (1997–2013)

Volumes

*forthcoming as of 2014

**in revision as of 2014

Word Biblical Commentary

Volume 41

Galatians

Richard N. Longenecker

General Editors: Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard, Glenn W. Barker

Old Testament Editors: John D. W. Watts, James W. Watts

New Testament Editors: Ralph P. Martin, Lynn Allan Losie

ZONDERVAN

Galatians, Volume 41

Copyright © 1990 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Previously published as Galatians.

Formerly published by Thomas Nelson, now published by Zondervan, a division of HarperCollinsChristian Publishing.

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub edition November 2017: ISBN 978-0-310-58633-3

The Library of Congress has cataloged the original edition as follows: Library of Congress Control Number: 2005295211

The author’s own translation of the text appears in italic type under the heading Translation, as well as in brief Scripture quotations in the body of the commentary, except where otherwise indicated.

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, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

To my doctoral students

of the past dozen years,

who have taught me much!

Table of Contents

Editorial Preface

Author’s Preface

Abbreviations

Commentary Bibliography

General Bibliography

Introduction

The Impact of Galatians on Christian Thought and Action

Authorship

Addressees

Date

Opponents and Situation

Epistolary and Rhetorical Structures

Text and Commentary

I. Salutation (1:1–5)

II. Rebuke Section (1:6–4:11)

A. Occasion for Writing/Issues at Stake (Exordium) (1:6–10)

B. Autobiographical Statements in Defense (Narratio) 1:11–2:14

1. Thesis Statement (1:11–12)

2. Early Life, Conversion and Commission (1:13–17)

3. First Visit to Jerusalem (1:18–24)

4. Second Visit to Jerusalem (2:1–10)

5. The Antioch Episode (2:11–14)

Excursus: Antioch on the Orontes

C. The Proposition of Galatians (propositio) (2:15–21)

D. Arguments in Support (probatio) (3:1–4:11)

1. Righteousness Apart from the Law: Against Legalism (3:1–18)

Excursus: Abraham’s Faith and Faithfulness in Jewish Writings and in Paul

2. The Believer’s Life not under Law but in Christ: Against Nomism (3:19–4:7)

3. Paul’s Concern for the Galatians (4:8–11)

III. Request Section (4:12–6:10)

A. Exhortations against the Judaizing Threat (Exhortatio, Part I) (4:12–5:12)

1. Personal Appeals (4:12–20)

2. The Hagar-Sarah Allegory (4:21–31)

Excursus: The Hagar-Sarah Story in Jewish Writings and in Paul

3. Holding Fast To Freedom (5:1–12)

B. Exhortations against Libertine Tendencies (Exhortatio, Part II) (5:13–6:10)

1. Life Directed by Love, Service to Others, and the Spirit (5:13–18)

2. The Works of the Flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit (5:19–26)

3. Doing Good to All (6:1–10)

IV. Subscription (6:11–18)

Indexes

Editorial Preface

The launching of the Word Biblical Commentary brings to fulfillment an enterprise of several years’ planning. The publishers and the members of the editorial board met in 1977 to explore the possibility of a new commentary on the books of the Bible that would incorporate several distinctive features. Prospective readers of these volumes are entitled to know what such features were intended to be; whether the aims of the commentary have been fully achieved time alone will tell.

First, we have tried to cast a wide net to include as contributors a number of scholars from around the world who not only share our aims, but are in the main engaged in the ministry of teaching in university, college, and seminary. They represent a rich diversity of denominational allegiance. The broad stance of our contributors can rightly be called evangelical, and this term is to be understood in its positive, historic sense of a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation, and to the truth and power of the Christian gospel.

Then, the commentaries in our series are all commissioned and written for the purpose of inclusion in the Word Biblical Commentary. Unlike several of our distinguished counterparts in the field of commentary writing, there are no translated works, originally written in a non-English language. Also, our commentators were asked to prepare their own rendering of the original biblical text and to use those languages as the basis of their own comments and exegesis. What may be claimed as distinctive with this series is that it is based on the biblical languages, yet it seeks to make the technical and scholarly approach to a theological understanding of Scripture understandable by—and useful to—the fledgling student, the working minister, and colleagues in the guild of professional scholars and teachers as well.

Finally, a word must be said about the format of the series. The layout, in clearly defined sections, has been consciously devised to assist readers at different levels. Those wishing to learn about the textual witnesses on which the translation is offered are invited to consult the section headed Notes. If the readers’ concern is with the state of modern scholarship on any given portion of Scripture, they should turn to the sections on Bibliography and Form/Structure/Setting. For a clear exposition of the passage’s meaning and its relevance to the ongoing biblical revelation, the Comment and concluding Explanation are designed expressly to meet that need. There is therefore something for everyone who may pick up and use these volumes.

If these aims come anywhere near realization, the intention of the editors will have been met, and the labor of our team of contributors rewarded.

General Editors: David A. Hubbard

Glenn W. Barker*

Old Testament: John D. W. Watts

New Testament: Ralph P. Martin

Author’s Preface

Why another Galatians commentary? The question is pertinent, particularly with such commentaries as those by Lightfoot (1865), Burton (1921), Mussner (1974), Betz (1979), and Bruce (1982) already existing. Ultimately, the answer to why another scholarly commentary can only be given in terms of (1) new approaches or new data of relevance to the subject, and (2) the interests and expertise of the commentator. That there are both new approaches to and new data for the study of Galatians is a thesis I hope to demonstrate throughout the Introduction and Commentary proper. As for my interests and expertise, the first can be itemized briefly below. The second, of course, must be left to the judgment of others.

My interests in NT study are most concisely stated as follows. First, I am always concerned with the history of interpretation—that is, with how a subject has been treated in the past, so as to profit from either advances or false starts in the discussion and to give direction to my own research through the isolation of crucial issues. Second, I want to know as much as possible about the circumstances behind the writing and the purposes for which its author wrote. Third, I approach the material in question asking about its literary structures—in the case of letters, epistolary and rhetorical structures—and their relations to the conventions of the day. Then, of course, I am concerned with the meaning of words in a text, both as to how particular expressions were used in the day and as to how a given author shaped those expressions for his own purposes. Following hard on the heels of philology is my concern with what may be called phenomenological historiography—that is, the identification and tracing of similar themes and parallel ways of looking at things in roughly cognate bodies of literature with the hope of spawning fresh interpretive insights. A sixth interest is in the development of thought in the apostolic period and beyond, while a seventh has to do with the relevance of the NT for Christian faith and life today.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians has been a favorite of mine. In large measure, repeated study of Galatians has generated my own scholarly interests in the NT generally. Furthermore, the letter has been of late the object of a great deal of research and specialized study. So I have worked on this commentary with great relish. Where I believe my work on Galatians is most distinctive is in (1) its stress on Hellenistic epistolary conventions, (2) its eclectic treatment of Greco-Roman rhetorical features, (3) its highlighting of Jewish themes and exegetical procedures, and (4) its Antiochian style of interpretation. I would also like to believe that at many other points—e.g., on addressees, date, opponents, and a host of specific exegetical issues—I have made a contribution as well. Most of all, however, as one who views the NT in terms of salvation history and not just with a history-of-religions perspective, it is my desire that through what follows the reader will experience something of the same impact on his or her life as I have experienced from a close study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Only then will the question of why one wants to write another Galatian commentary be truly answered.

In the course of research and writing I have had help from a number of former doctoral candidates who have worked under my supervision at Toronto, and to them I express my heartfelt thanks. Dr. Terry Donaldson and Dr. Steve Mason prepared a great deal of material on Pauline chronology, rabbinic parallels, parallels in Josephus, and ethical treatises in the ancient world. Dr. Walter Hansen’s dissertation on The Abraham Story in Galatians, in Light of Epistolary and Rhetorical Analyses (published 1989) and Dr. Murray Barron’s dissertation on The Relational Function of the Spirit in Galatians (unpublished), while incorporating some of my interests and ideas, were foundational in many ways for my writing of this commentary. Dr. Tom Sappington and my son, Dr. Bruce Longenecker, helped greatly with regard to bibliography. In addition, my wife Fran and Allan Martens (Th. D. cand.) aided in a number of ways, including proofreading. To all these faithful helpers I express my heartfelt thanks. Also, of course, I owe much to the vast host of scholars who have written on Galatians before me. I trust that in the way I handle their materials my debt will be evident. All I can pray is that my attempt to carry on their work will to some extent be a fulfillment of their endeavors, and so be to the greater benefit of the Church at large.

RICHARD N. LONGENECKER

October 1990

Wycliffe College

Abbreviations

A. General Abbreviations

Note: The textual notes and numbers used to indicate individual manuscripts are those found in the apparatus criticus of Novum Testamentum Graece, ed. E. Nestle and K. Aland et al. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1979²⁶). This edition of the Greek NT is the basis for the Translation sections.

B. Abbreviations for Translations and Paraphrases

C. Abbreviations of Commonly Used Periodicals, Reference Works, and Serials

D. Abbreviations for Books of the Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Pseudepigrapha

Old Testament

New Testament

Apocrypha

E. Abbreviations of the Names of Pseudepigraphical and Early patristic Books

F. Abbreviations of Names of Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Texts

G. Abbreviations of Targumic Material

*optional title

H. Abbreviations of Other Rabbinic Works

I. Abbreviations of Orders and Tractates in Mishnaic and Related Literature

J. Abbreviations of Nag Hammadi Tractates

Commentary Bibliography

Allan, J. A. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians. TBC London: SCM, 1951.

Ambrosiaster. Commentarium in Epistulam Beati Pauli ad Galatas (PL 17:357–94).

Amiot, F. S. Paul: Epître aux Galates. Paris: Beauchesne et ses Fils, 1946.

Augustine. Commentarium in Epistulam ad Galatas (PL 35:2105–48).

Barclay, W. The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians. Daily Study Bible. Rev. ed. Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press, 1976.

Betz, H. D. Galatians: A Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Churches in Galatia. Hermeneia. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979.

Beyer, W. Der Brief an die Galater. Rev. P. Althaus. NTD. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962.

Bligh, J. Galatians: A Discussion of St. Paul’s Epistle. London: St. Paul, 1969.

Blunt, A. W. F. The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. Clarendon Bible. Oxford: Clarendon, 1925.

Boice, J. M. Galatians. In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, ed. F. E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976. 407–508.

Bonnard, P. L’Epître de Saint Paul aux Galates. 2nd ed. CNT. Neuchâtel and Paris: Delachaux & Niestle, 1972.

Bousset, W. Der Brief an die Galater. In Die Schriften des Neuen Testaments. 2nd ed. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1908. 2:28–72.

Bring, R. Commentary on Galatians. Tr. E. Wahlstrom. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg, 1961.

Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Galatians. NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.

Burton, E. deW. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. ICC. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1921.

Calvin, J. The Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Tr. T. H. L. Parker, in Calvin’s New Testament Commentaries, ed. D. W. Torrance and T. F. Torrance, Vol. 11. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965. 3–119.

Chrysostom, J. Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians and Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians. Oxford: Parker, 1840 (PG 61:611–82).

Cole, R. A. The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. TNTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.

Cousar, C. B. Galatians. Interpretation. Atlanta: John Knox, 1982.

DeWolf, L. H. Galatians: A Letter for Today. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971.

Duncan, G. S. The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. MNTC. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1934.

Eadie, J. A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1869.

Ellicott, C. J. A Critical and Grammatical Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Andover: Draper, 1860.

Emmet, C. W. St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. The Reader’s Commentary. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1912.

Erasmus, D. Collected Works of Erasmus. Vol. 42: Paraphrases on Romans and Galatians. ed. R. D. Sider. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984.

Findlay, G. G. The Epistle to the Galatians. 3rd ed. Expositor’s Bible. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1891.

Fitzmyer, J. A. The Letter to the Galatians. In The Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 2:236–46.

Fung, R. Y. K. The Epistle to the Galatians. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

Guthrie, D. Galatians. NCB. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1973.

Hendriksen, W. The Epistle to the Galatians. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1969.

Hilgenfeld, A. Der Galaterbrief übersetzt, in seinen geschichtlichen Beziehungen untersucht und erklärt. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1852.

Jerome. Commentarium in Epistulam ad Galatas (PL 26:307–438).

Knox, J. Galatians, Letter to the. In IDB (1962) 2:338–43.

Lagrange, M.-J. Saint Paul, Epître aux Galates. 2nd ed. Paris: Gabalda, 1925.

Lietzmann, H. An die Galater. 4th ed. HNT 10. Tübingen: MohrSiebeck, 1971.

Lightfoot, J. B. Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. 10th ed. 1890; repr: London: Macmillan, 1986.

Lipsius, R. A. Briefe an die Galater, Römer, Philipper. 2nd ed. Freiburg: Mohr-Siebeck, 1892.

Loisy, A. L’Epître aux Galates. Paris: Nourry, 1916.

Luther, M. Luthers Werke, Vol. 2 (1519 and 1523 editions); Vols. 40¹ and 40²a (1538 edition). Weimar: Bohlaus, 1884, 1911, 1914.

———. Luther’s Works, Vols. 26 and 27. ed. J. Pelikan. St. Louis: Concordia, 1963–64.

———. A Commentary on St Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Tr. P. S. Watson, based on the Middleton edition of the English version of 1575. London: James Clarke, 1953.

Lyonnet, S. Les Epîtres de Saint Paul aux Galates, aux Romains. Paris: Cerf, 1953.

Machen, J. G. Machen’s Notes on Galatians, ed. J. H. Skilton. Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian Reformed, 1977.

McDonald, H. D. Freedom in Faith: A Commentary on Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1973.

Mussner, F. Der Galaterbrief. HTKNT 9. Freiburg, Basel, and Vienna: Herder, 1974.

Neil, W. The Letter of Paul to the Galatians. Cambridge Bible Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967.

Neill, S. Paul to the Galatians. New York: Association Press, 1958.

Oepke, A. Der Brief des Paulus an die Galater. 3rd ed., ed. J. Rohde. THKNT. Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 1973.

Origen. Ex Libris Origenis in Epistulam Galatas (PG 14:1293–98).

Osiek, C. Galatians. New Testament Message. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1980.

Pelagius. Expositions of the Thirteen Epistles of St Paul. ed. A. Souter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922.

Ramsay, W. M. A Historical Commentary on St Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. 2nd ed. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1900.

Ridderbos, H. N. The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia. Tr. H. Zylstra. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953.

Schlier, H. Der Brief an der Galater. KEK 7, 10th ed. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1949.

Sieffert, F. Der Brief an die Galater. KEK 7, 9th ed. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1899.

Stature, R. T., and Blackwelder, O. F. The Epistle to the Galatians. In IB, Vol. 10. New York: Abingdon, 1953.

Stott, J. R. W. The Message of Galatians. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1968.

Tertullian. Adversus Marcionem. ed., tr., and intro. E. Evans. Oxford: Clarendon, 1972 (PL 2:239–524), esp. Book 5.

Theodore of Mopsuestia. Commentaries on the Minor Epistles of St Paul. 2 vols., ed. H. B. Swete. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1880–82 (PG 66:911–22).

Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Commentarii in omnes Pauli Epistulas. Oxford: Parker, 1852 (PG 82:505–58).

Victorinus. Marii Victorini A fri commentarii in epistulas Pauli. ed. A. Locher. Leipzig: Teubner, 1972.

Watkins, C. H. St Paul’s Fight for Galatia. London: James Clarke, 1914.

Williams, A. L. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians. Cambridge Greek Testament. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1911.

Zahn, T. Der Brief des Paulus an die Galater. 3rd ed. Kommentar zum Neuen Testament. Leipzig: Deichert, 1922.

General Bibliography

Askwith, E. H. The Epistle to the Galatians: An Essay on Its Destination and Date. New York: Macmillan, 1899.

Aurray, P. S. Jerome et S. Augustin—La controverse au sujet de l’incident d’Antioche. RSR 29 (1939) 594–610.

Aus, R. D. Three Pillars and Three Patriarchs: A Proposal Concerning Gal 2:9. ZNW 70 (1979) 252–61.

Bacon, B. W. Peter’s Triumph at Antioch. JR 9 (1929) 204–23.

Bahr, G. J. Paul and Letter Writing in the First Century. CBQ 28 (1966) 465–77.

———. The Subscriptions in the Pauline Letters. JBL 87 (1968) 27–41.

Bammel, E. Gottes ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ (Gal. III.15–17) und das jüdische Rechtsdenken. NTS 6 (1960) 313–19.

———. Νόμος Χριστοῦ. In Studia Evangelica III, ed. F. L. Cross. TU 88. Berlin: Akademie, 1964. 12–28.

———. Galater 1, 23. ZNW 59 (1968) 108–12.

———. πτωχός. TDNT 6:888–915.

Bandstra, A. J. The Law and the Elements of the World: An Exegetical Study in Aspects of Paul’s Teaching. Kampen: Kok, 1964.

Barclay, J. M. G. Mirror-Reading a Polemical Letter: Galatians as a Test Case. JSNT 31 (1987) 73–93.

———. Obeying the Truth: A Study of Paul’s Ethics in Galatians. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1988.

Barclay, W. Flesh and Spirit: An Examination of Galatians 5:19–23. London: SCM, 1962; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976.

Barrett, C. K. The Holy Spirit and the Gospel Tradition. London: SPCK, 1947.

———. Paul and the ‘Pillar’ Apostles. In Studia Paulina. FS J. de Zwaan, ed. J. N. Sevenster and W. C. van Unnik. Haarlem: Bohn, 1953. 1–19.

———. Titus. In Neotestamentica et Semitica. FS M. Black, ed. E. E. Ellis and M. Wilcox. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. 1969. 1–14.

———. The Signs of an Apostle. London: Epworth, 1970.

———. The Allegory of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar in the Argument of Galatians. In Rechtfertigung. FS E. Käsemann, ed. J. Friedrich, W. Pohlmann, and P. Stuhlmacher. Tübingen: MohrSiebeck, 1976. 1–16.

———. "Shaliaḥ and Apostle." In Donum Gentilicium. FS D. Daube, ed. C. K. Barrett, E. Bammel, and W. D. Davies. London: Oxford University Press, 1978. 88–102.

———. Freedom and Obligation: A Study of the Epistle to the Galatians. London: SPCK, 1985.

Barth, M. The Kerygma of Galatians. Int 21 (1967) 131–46.

———. The Faith of the Messiah. HeyJ 10 (1969) 363–70.

Bauckham, R. J. Barnabas in Galatians. JSNT 2 (1979) 61–70.

Bauer, W. Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity. Tr. and ed. R. A. Kraft and G. Krodel. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971. 61–76.

Bauenafeind, O. Die Begegnung zwischen Paulusund Kephas, Gal 1:18–20. ZNW 47 (1956) 268–76.

———. τρέχω, δρόμος, πρόδρομος. TDNT 8:226–35.

Baur, F. C. Die Christuspartei in der korinthischen Gemeinde: Der Gegensatz des petrinischen und paulinischen Christentums in der ältesten Kirche. Tübinger Zeitschrift für Theologie (1831) 61–206.

———. Paul: His Life and Works. 2 vols., tr. E. Zeller from Paulus, der Apostel Jesu Christi (Stuttgart: Becher & Muller, 1845). London: Williams & Norgate, 1875, 1:245–57.

Beare, F. W. The Sequence of Events in Acts 9–15 and the Career of Peter. JBL 62 (1943) 293–306.

Behm, J. ἀνάθημα, ἀνάθεμα, κατάθεμα. TDNT 1:354–55.

———. καρδία. TDNT 3:605–13.

Baker, J. C. Paul the Apostle: The Triumph of God in Life and Thought. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980.

Belleville, L. L. ‘Under Law’: Structural Analysis and the Pauline Concept of Law in Galatians 3.21–4.11. JSNT 26 (1986) 53–78.

Berger, K. Apostelbrief und apostolische Rede: Zum Formular frühchristlicher Briefe. ZNW 65 (1974) 190–231.

———. Almosen für Israel: Zum historischen Kontext der paulinischen Kollekte. NTS 23 (1977) 180–204.

Bertram, G. νήπιος. TDNT 4:912–23.

Best, E. One Body in Christ: A Study in the Relationship of the Church to Christ in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. London: SPCK, 1955.

Betz, H. D. Geist, Freiheit und Gesetz: Die Botschaft des Paulus an die Gemeinden in Galatien. ZTK 71 (1974) 78–93 (ET Spirit, Freedom, and Law: Paul’s Message to the Galatian Churches, SEÅ 39 [1974] 145–60).

———. The Literary Composition and Function of Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. NTS 21 (1975) 353–79.

———. In Defense of the Spirit: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians as a Document of Early Christian Apologetics. In Aspects of Religious Propaganda in Judaism and Early Christianity, ed. E. Schüssler Fiorenza. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1976. 99–114.

Betz, O. στίγμα. TDNT 7:657–64.

Bjerkelund, C. Parakalô: Form, Funktion und Sinn der Parakalô-Sätze in den paulinischen Briefen. Bibliotheca Theologica Norwegica 1. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1967.

Blackman, E. C. Marcion and His Influence. London: SPCK, 1948.

Bläer, P. P. Das Gesetz bei Paulus. Münster: Aschendorff, 1941.

Bonsirven, J. Exégèse allegorique chez les rabbins tannaites. RSR 23 (1933) 522–24.

———. Exégèse rabbinique et exégèse paulinienne. Paris: Beauchesne, 1939.

Bornkamm, G. The Revelation of Christ to Paul on the Damascus Road and Paul’s Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation: A Study in Galatians I. Tr. J. M. Owen, in Reconciliation and Hope. FS L. L. Morris, ed. R. Banks. Exeter: Paternoster, 1974. 90–103.

Bradley, D. G. The TOPOS as a Form in the Pauline Paraenesis. JBL 72 (1953) 238–46.

Bring, R. Christus und das Gesetz: Die Bedeutung des Gesetzes des Alten Testaments nach Paulus und seine Glauben an Christus. Leiden: Brill, 1969.

Brinsmead, B. H. Galatians as Dialogical Response to Opponents. SBLDS 65. Chico, CA: Scholars, 1982.

Brown, R. E., and Meier, J. P. Antioch and Rome: New Testament Cradles of Catholic Christianity. New York: Paulist, 1982.

Bruce, F. F. Galatian Problems. 2: North or South Galatians? BJRL 52 (1970) 243–66.

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———. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977.

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Reviews for Galatians, Volume 41

[sc4-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Galatians by Longenecker is a great commentary for teaching and linguistic analysis. My main gripe is that the WBC series does not footnote their citations and prints full book titles inline with the text of the commentary. If you can patiently trudge through it then one will find it immensely helpful.

[othniel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Richard Longenecker's volume on Galatians in the Word Biblical Commentary remains one of the strongest Evangelical treatments of this important epistle. Longenecker conforms to the WBC format, which results in a work more useful for scholars and preachers than laymen. Still, I have used the commentary in preparation for teaching Adult Sunday School as well as research. Longenecker is especially strong in presenting Galatians as an ethical as well as a theological work, and in this regard the commentary is an essential source for communicating the practical ethic of the early church to the contemporary one.