Epistle to the. The Pauline origin of this epistle is attested not only by the superscription which it bears (i. i), but also by the unanimous testimony of the ancient church, (Lardner, Works, vol. ii. 8vo.) It is corroborated also by the style, tone, and contents of the epistle, which are perfectly in keeping with those of the Apostle's other writings.

The parties to whom this epistle was addressed are described in the epistle itself as "the churches of Galatia." Into this district the gospel was first introduced by Paul himself (Acts xvi.) Churches were then also probably formed; for on revisiting this district some time after his first visit, it is mentioned that he "strengthened the disciples" (Acts xviii.) These churches seem to have been composed principally of converts directly from heathenism, but partly, also, of Jewish converts, both pure Jews and proselytes. Unhappily, the latter, not thoroughly emancipated from early opinions and prepossessions, had been seized with a zealous desire to incorporate the rites and ceremonies of Judaism with the spiritual truths and simple ordinances of Christianity. So active had this party been in disseminating their views on this head through the churches of Galatia, that the majority at least of the members had been seduced to adopt them (i. 6; iii. 1, &c.) To this result it is probable that the previous religious conceptions of the Galatians contributed; for, accustomed to the worship of Cybele, which they had learned from their neighbours the Phrygians, and to the theosophistic doctrines with which that worship was associated, they would be the more readily induced to believe that the fulness of Christianity could alone be developed through the symbolical adumbrations of an elaborate ceremonial (Neander, Apostol. Zeitalter, s. 400, 2te Aufl.) From some passages in this epistle it would appear also that insinuations had been disseminated among the Galatian churches to the effect that Paul was not a divinely-commissioned apostle, but only a messenger of the church at Jerusalem; that Peter and he were at variance upon the subject of the relation of the Jewish rites to Christianity; and that Paul himself was not at all times so strenuously opposed to those rites as he had chosen to be among the Galatians. Of this state of things intelligence having been conveyed to the apostle, he wrote this epistle for the purpose of vindicating his own pretensions and conduct, of counteracting the influence of these false views, and of recalling the Galatians to the simplicity of the gospel which they had received. The importance of the case was probably the reason why the apostle put himself to the great labour of writing this epistle with his own hand (vi. 11).

Respecting the time when and the place where this epistle was written, great diversity of opinion prevails. It seems, however, probable that it was written and despatched not long after Paul had left Galatia for the second time, and perhaps while he was residing at Ephesus (comp. Acts xviii. 23; xix. 1, sqq.)

Of commentaries on this epistle the most important are the following:—Borger, Interpretatio Ep. Pauli ad Galatas, Svo, Lugd. Bat. 1807; Winer, Pauli Ep. ad Gal. perpet. Annot. illustravit, Svo, ed. tertia, Lipsiae, 1829; Rückert, Commentar. üb. d. Brief Pauli an d. Gal., Svo, Leipzig, 1833; Usteri, Commentar. üb. d. Br. Pauli an d. Gal. Svo, Zürich, 1833; Hermann, De Pauli Epist. ad Gal. tribus primis capitibus, 4to, Lips. 1832.