cabio

Is Galatians 1:8 within the orthodox beliefs of Christianity?

Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.

What is the meaning of the text concerning an angel from heaven?

Is this inconsistent within the realms of the rest of the Biblical texts?

Clivedurdle

It is a prophecy that Mormonism and Islam are heretical!

Toto

The orthodox beliefs of Christianity are too incoherent for logical analysis, so we tend to ignore them.

The reference to the angel from heaven is possibly a off handed reference to the heretic Apelles, who preached concerning an angel.

There is more in this thread started by Roger Parvus: Ignatius of Antioch & Peregrinus and in his book referenced in the last paragraph there.

This would indicate that Galatians, or at least that verse, was written in the second century.

bacht

This was the gnostic teaching, that the Torah had been delivered by evil angels, thus obscuring the true God above El/Yahweh?

andrewcriddle

Paul is referring to an extreme hypothetical case. I don't think the passage need mean that Paul thought it at all likely or plausible that angels from heaven would preach an alternative version of the Gospel.

Andrew Criddle

sy2502

It's a hyperbole, like saying "I wouldn't change this for a million bucks" or something like that. It boils down to saying that the given words were final and not susceptible to change or revision.

Toto

Apelles seems to have thought that this angel was more incompetant than evil.

neilgodfrey

In today's language it certainly sounds to us no more than hyperbole because we can't imagine anyone taking it literally in today's world.

But we can't make the same assumption when we are talking about a text from a time when people literally believed angels did deliver the law, and others saw the heavenly christ in visions, and when there were texts claiming that angels or deities had delivered gospel messages, and when people could seriously narrate that crowds could believe that evangelists were gods come down from heaven, and people did believe angels and gods sometimes appeared as mortals.

Neil

Chili

The 'angel of light' is from heaven but a deceiver nonetheless and actaully is the substance of the other gospel, which then is why he is called Lucifer who must 'burn' bible passages to maintain his image.

Elijah

A vision would be what I would go with. Revelation could be claimed from visions by religious types, then and now.