Testimonia — Early Christian Bible Commentary

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Galatians 1

1Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

2and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:

3Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

4who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father—

5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

6I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”,

7but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

8But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.

9As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.

10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.

11But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man.

12For I didn’t receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.

13For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it.

14I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

15But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace,

16to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood,

17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.

18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days.

19But of the other apostles I saw no one except James, the Lord’s brother.

20Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying.

21Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ,

23but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.”

24So they glorified God in me.

Early Christian commentary

c. 182–188 AD (historical editorial dating) | Irenaeus of Lyons

5. And that he, the apostle, was the very same person who had been born from the womb, that is, of the ancient substance of flesh, he does himself declare in the Epistle to the Galatians: "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles," it was not, as I have already observed, one person who I had been born from the womb, and another who preached the gospel of the Son of God; but that same individual who formerly was ignorant, and used to persecute the church, when the revelation was made to him from heaven, and the Lord conferred with him, as I have pointed out in the third book, preached the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, his former ignorance being driven out by his subsequent knowledge: just as the blind men whom the Lord healed did certainly lose their blindness, but received the substance of their eyes perfect, and obtained the power of vision in the very same eyes with which they formerly did not see; the darkness being merely driven away by the power of vision, while the substance of the eyes was retained, in order that, by means of those eyes through which they had not seen, exercising again the visual power, they might give thanks to Him who had restored them again to sight. And thus, also, he whose withered hand was healed, and all who were healed generally, did not change those parts of their bodies which had at their birth come forth from the womb, but simply obtained these anew in a healthy condition.

Commentary · Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 12, section 5 · Original source · Irenaeus of Lyons; The Writings of Irenaeus, Volume II, Ante-Nicene Christian Library IX; translated by Alexander Roberts and W. H. Rambaut; T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1869. Existing transcription supplied by Wikisource contributors. · Licence · Source revision · Whitespace normalized; source pagination and footnote reference markers removed. English wording unchanged.

c. 182–188 AD (historical editorial dating) | Irenaeus of Lyons

3. Now, that the Word of God forms us in the womb, He says to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before thou wentest forth from the belly, I sanctified thee, and appointed thee a prophet among the nations." And Paul, too, says in like manner, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, that I might declare Him among the nations." As, therefore, we are by the Word formed in the womb, this very same Word formed the visual power in him who had been blind from his birth; showing openly who it is that fashions us in secret, since the Word Himself had been made manifest to men: and declaring the original formation of Adam, and the manner in which he was created, and by what hand he was fashioned, indicating the whole from a part. For the Lord who formed the visual powers is He who made the whole man, carrying out the will of the Father. And inasmuch as man, with respect to that formation which was after Adam, having fallen into transgression, needed the laver of regeneration, [the Lord] said to him [upon whom He had conferred sight], after He had smeared his eyes with the clay, "Go to Siloam, and wash;" thus restoring to him both [his perfect] conformation, and that regeneration which takes place by means of the laver. And for this reason when he was washed he came seeing, that he might both know Him who had fashioned him, and that man might learn [to know] Him who has conferred upon him life.

Commentary · Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter 15, section 3 · Original source · Irenaeus of Lyons; The Writings of Irenaeus, Volume II, Ante-Nicene Christian Library IX; translated by Alexander Roberts and W. H. Rambaut; T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1869. Existing transcription supplied by Wikisource contributors. · Licence · Source revision · Whitespace normalized; source pagination and footnote reference markers removed. English wording unchanged.