Background on the Book of Galatians

During their first missionary journey in 48-49 AD, Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel to Jews and Gentiles in cities in southern Galatia, including Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14), Iconium (Acts 14:1), Lystra (Acts 14:6), and Derbe (Acts 14:20), and established churches there (Acts 14:23). Paul and Silas strengthened these churches during their second missionary journey in 50-51 AD (Acts 16:4-5). However, false teachers soon followed, teaching that circumcision (Galatians 5:2) and adherence to the Mosaic Law (Galatians 4:10) were necessary for salvation. Some believers in the Galatian churches may have accepted their teachings to escape persecution from the Jews (Galatians 6:12).

Paul probably wrote this letter in the winter of 56-57 AD during his third missionary journey in Corinth. Some scholars, however, suggest it was written either before the Jerusalem Council in 49-50 AD (Acts 15:2-19) or during Paul’s 18-month stay in Corinth in 50-51 AD (Acts 18:11). Both Galatians and Romans address the truth of “justification by faith” and are closely related in their theological views. Galatians, however, strongly resonates emotionally with the Corinthian epistles. The chronological order of these three epistles might be: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, then Romans.

Bible scholars unanimously agree that the author of Galatians is the Apostle Paul, as Paul’s distinctive style is evident throughout the book. Galatians, Philippians, and 1 and 2 Corinthians are considered definitively Paul’s “core epistles.” When modern scholars use computer analysis to verify the authenticity of other Pauline letters, they use Galatians as a baseline. The earliest complete manuscript of Galatians discovered is from Papyrus 46 (P46), dating to around 200 AD.