Galatians Through the Centuries

Paul's letter to the Galatians is one of the most creative and subversive of the New Testament writings, drawing its energy from the fierce controversy which, to his great distress, was disturbing the congregation recently founded by Paul. One of the major sources of inspiration for the Reformation, it was also one of the writings most frequently turned to by the Fathers, as the Church sought to establish itself as the Church of the Empire. This commentary looks at some of the major commentators on the letter - Chrysostom, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Perkins, Lightfoot - and at the very different worlds which sprang from their readings. The volume opens with an extended essay, setting the commentators in their historical setting and showing the close dialogue which exists among them. It then looks more closely at how they interrogate Paul's text and at the way the text shapes their understanding of their worlds.