Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Galatians 1:7 - 1:7

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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Galatians 1:7 - 1:7


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

7. ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο εἰ μὴ κ.τ.λ. εἰ μὴ = πλὴν ὅτι (Act 20:23; Rom 14:14). Two interpretations are now possible:

(1) Perhaps “unto another gospel (I mean that promulgated by the older Apostles) which is not a different gospel (from mine, for they really agree with me), except in so far as there are some that … would pervert” etc. But this seems to read too much into the sentence.

(2) More probably “unto a different gospel; which is nothing else save that there are some that … would pervert” etc. (so American Revisers’ marg., Ramsay, Winer-Schmiedel, § 26. 6 d). For ἄλλο εἰ μὴ cf. Herod, I. 200 οὐδὲν ἄλλο σιτέονται, εἰ μὴ ἰχθῦς μοῦνον. They are proclaiming another gospel which pretends to be more, but really they are only troubling you and wishing to overthrow the true.

τινές εἰσιν κ.τ.λ. St Paul here gives his opinion of their action, in (a) its primary effect, the disturbance of the proper attitude of the Galatian Christians, and (b) its purpose.

ταράσσοντες. Continuing the metaphor of μετατίθεσθε, i.e. raising seditions among you, cf. Gal 5:10. So even Sir 28:9 (Heb. not extant) ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλὸς ταράξει φίλους. In Act 15:24 the Church at Jerusalem employs the same term with reference to the same controversy.

μεταστρέψαι. Elsewhere in the N.T. Act 2:20; Jam 4:9 W.H. marg.[45], in each case of complete change into something of the opposite nature. So also here. Cf. Sir 11:31 τὰ γὰρ ἀγαθὰ εἰς κακὰ μεταστρέφων.

[45] Is affixed to a word it means that all the passages are mentioned where that word occurs in the New Testament.

τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ χριστοῦ. In itself the genitive may be subjective, the gospel preached and sent by Christ (so doubtless ὁ λόγος τοῦ χριστοῦ, Col 3:16, see note there); or objective, the gospel of Christ’s coming and work, as probably in 1Th 3:2. But St Paul’s claim to preach the gospel that he had received from Christ Himself, Gal 1:12, and his insistence upon its all-importance, suggest the former interpretation here.