his inferiority to the other
apostles, and practically advocated a return to Jewish ceremonial.
Instigated by other Judaizers from Jerusalem, the Galatians had changed
their Christianity into a semi-Judaism, and this all the more readily
because of their previous familiarity with the Jewish religion.

[Sidenote: Where and when written.]

The place and date are both uncertain. The words, "I marvel that ye
are so _quickly_ removing from Him that called you" (i. 6), suggest
that it was written not long after the conversion of the Galatians.
But we cannot place it, as some writers have done, before 1 and 2
Thessalonians. Its style is allied with that of 1 and 2 Corinthians
and Romans. It must be earlier than Romans, as it is like a rough
model of that Epistle. If written soon before Romans, it was probably
composed at Corinth early in A.D. 56. It may, however, have been
written as early as A.D. 52, before St. Paul's third missionary journey.

[Sidenote: Character and Contents.]

The Epistle is intended to recall the Galatians to St. Paul's true
gospel. In order to do this, he vindicates his own apostolic authority
to preach it, and expounds its great principle--justification by faith,
and not by observance of the Jewish law.

After a salutation, without the congratulations which the apostle
ordinarily offers, St. Paul expresses his astonishment at their
perversion, and vehemently asserts that if any one dares to preach a
gospel other than that which the Galatians first received, let him be
anathema (i. 1-10). The history of St. Paul's reception of the gospel
is then set out. It came to him by revelation of Jesus Christ: this is
at once the demonstration of its unique authority, and the decisive
fact which settles the relation of St. Paul to the other apostles. He
did {154} not receive from them the gospel he preached, and, to
emphasize this, St. Paul counts up the various opportunities he had of
intercourse with them, and says what use he made of each (i. 11-ii.
10). The best illustration of the independence of his position is the
attitude which he adopted towards St. Peter, the prince of the
apostles, when at Antioch he deceitfully took the same sort of line
with respect to Jewish ceremonial that the Galatians are taking now
(ii. 11-13).[2] St. Paul describes the speech he made in opposition to
St. Peter, but while he is dictating it, he is carried away by an
orator's enthusiasm: he forgets that he is tell