Geoff Hudson

THE EPISTLE OF JAMES TO THE GALATIANS – Obedience of the Spirit versus observance of the law.

[ ] = proposed editor’s insertions (read out)
{} = proposed original text (read in)

Chapter 1

(1)[Paul] {James}, an apostle – not sent from [men] {priests} nor by [man] {the high priest}, but by [Jesus Christ] {the Spirit of} [and] God [the Father], who [raised] {sent} him from [the dead] {heaven} –

(2)and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God [our Father] {the Spirit}
[and the Lord Jesus Christ,]

(4)who [gave himself for our sins] came to [rescue] {purify} us from [the present evil age] {spirit of deceit}, according to the [will] {promise} of our God [and Father],

(5)to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

NO OTHER SPIRIT

(6)I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the [one] {Spirit} who CALLED you [by the grace of Christ], and are turning to [a different] {an impure} [gospel] {spirit.} –

(7) [- which is no gospel at all.]

Evidently [some people] {Ananus and his brothers} are throwing you into confusion and are trying to [pervert] {pollute} the [gospel] {Spirit} of [Christ] {God}.

(8)But even if [we] {Ananus} or [an angel] {a high priest} from [heaven] {Jerusalem} should preach a [gospel] {spirit} other than the [one] {Spirit} we preached to you, let him be ETERNALLY CONDEMNED!

(9)[As we have already said,]
So now I say again: If [anybody] {Ananus} is preaching to you a [gospel] {spirit} other than [what] {the Spirit} you [accepted] {RECEIVED}, let him be ETERNALLY CONDEMNED!

(10)[Am I] {Are you} now trying to win the approval of God?
Or [am I] {are you} trying to please [men] {priests}?

If I were still trying to please [men] {priests}, I would not be a servant of [Christ] {the Spirit}.

JAMES CALLED BY THE SPIRIT (NOT BY PRIESTS)

(11)I want you to know, brothers, that the [gospel] {Spirit} I preached is not [something] {a spirit} that [man] {I} made up.

(12)I did not RECEIVE [it] {the Spirit} from any [man] {priest}
[, nor was I taught it];
rather I RECEIVED it [by revelation] from [Jesus Christ] {God}.

(13)For you have heard of my previous [way of life] {obedience} in Judaism, how intensely I [persecuted] {OBSERVED} the [church] {law} of God.

(14)I was advancing in reputation beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the {Rechabite} traditions of my father[s].

(15)But when God, who set me apart before I was born and called me by his [grace] {Spirit}, was pleased

(16)to reveal his [Son] {Spirit} in me so that I might preach him among the gentiles, I did not consult any [man] {priest},

(17) [nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was]

but I went immediately into [Arabia] {the desert}
(continues at TO BECOME)
[, and later returned to Damascus.]

(18)[Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem] (see v.21)

TO BECOME [ACQUAINTED WITH] {A DISCIPLE OF} [Peter] {JOHN THE PROPHET} and stayed with him [fifteen days].

(19)I saw [none] {ALL} of the other [apostles] {disciples} – [only James] {and John}, [the lord’s] {my} brother.

(20)[I assure you before God, that what I am writing to you is no lie.]

(21){Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem.} Later I went to [Syria and Cilicia] {Rome}.

(22)I was personally [un]known to the [churches] {assemblies} of Judea that are in [Christ] {the Spirit}.

(23)They [only heard the report:] {saw} that the man who formerly [persecuted us] {OBSERVED the law} [is] {was} now preaching the [faith] {Spirit} [he] {I} once [tried to destroy] {rejected}.

(24)And they praised {the Spirit of} God because of me.


Notes:
v.(2) “All the brothers with me” – James probably wrote the epistle from Rome (v.21).
v.(6) The Spirit is the voice of God that “calls”.
v.(8,9) An immortal spirit can be eternally condemned.
v.(10) The second person plural “you” agrees with “you foolish Galatians” in 3:1.
v.(12) The Spirit is “received” explicitly here, and implicitly in v.9. The gospel is "taught".
v.(17,18) James was a native of Jerusalem. He went from Jerusalem into the desert TO BECOME A DISCIPLE OF JOHN THE PROPHET, and to stay with him (around 34 CE).
v.(19) James wanted to assure the Galatians (who were veering towards reliance on the law) that he was well known to ALL the disciples in the assemblies of Judea (v.22) who were fully aware of his change from observing the law to obeying the Spirit.
v.(20) The editor dissimulates. He knows that James himself wrote this epistle, so he has his pseudo author Paul apparently seeing only James and the fictitious Peter in Jerusalem. He then isolates Paul by having him unknown to the Judean assemblies, despite saying Paul persecuted them. “They only heard the report” of his conversion, and Paul is sent away to Syria and Cilicia.
v.(21) The editor moved “then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem” to v.18.

Geoff

Geoff Hudson

Chapter 2

JAMES HAS IT OUT WITH THE HIGH PRIESTS

(1)Fourteen years later, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time
with [Barnabas] {John}. I took Titus along also.

(2)I went in response to a [revelation] {dispute with Ananus}, and set before [them] {the Sanhedrin} the [gospel] {Spirit} that I PREACH among the Gentiles.

But I did this
[privately to those who seemed to be leaders,]
for fear that I was [running] {PREACHING}, or had [run] {PREACHED} [my race] {the Spirit} in vain.

(3)Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a [Greek] {Gentile}.

(4)This matter arose previously because [some false] {Ananus and his} brothers tried to take away the FREEDOM we have in [Christ Jesus] {the Spirit} and to make us slaves.

(5)We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the [truth] {FREEDOM} of the [gospel] {Spirit} might remain with you.

(6)As for those who seemed to be important – whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance – these men added nothing to my message.

(7)On the contrary, they saw that I had been
entrusted with the task of preaching the [gospel] {Spirit} to the Gentiles
[, just as Peter had been to the Jews].

(8)For {the Spirit of} God
[, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews]
was [also] at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.

(9)[James, Peter and John,] {Annas and Caiaphus}
those reputed pillars, gave me and [Barnabas] {John} the right hand of fellowship when they recognised the Spirit given to us.

(10)They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles
[, and they to the Jews].

(11)All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor -- the very thing I was eager to do -- and to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.

Notes:
v.(1) After fourteen years, James had had time to establish himself as the leader of the Roman church which had connections with those in the emperor’s household. This was a high powered delegation which the high priests of Jerusalem could not ignore. It contained Titus the young son of Vespasian who was educated with Britannicus under the tutelage of Seneca. There would no doubt have been an entourage of interpreters and bodyguards. It was certainly no “private” meeting.
v.(2) Ananus was James’ chief opponent, who with his brothers, followed the mission around preaching observance of the law with its requirement for circumcision.
v.(4) It is the Spirit that gives freedom from the observance of the law.
v.(7,8) Peter is fictitious.
v.(9) The high priests had little alternative but to recognise James’ success. If the “pillars” weren’t Annas and Caiaphus, they were some other high priests.
v.(11) Titus was generous in giving to the poor and encouraged others to give by his example (1Cor:8) – It wasn’t Jesus who “was rich” and “became poor”, it was the young Titus.

Geoff