COMMENTARIES FOR CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Galatians N. T. Wright
C O M M E N TA R I E S
The first major biblical commentary from the pen of N. T. Wright Galatians is often read by Christians as being primarily concerned with the traditional doctrine of justification through faith, but it is also a text focused deeply on the political concerns of its specific historical moment. This commentary from N. T. Wright—the inaugural volume of the Commentaries for Christian Formation series—offers a theological interpretation of Galatians that puts that historical context of the book in dialogue with present questions, so that readers can understand both what Paul meant and what his writing might mean for us today. Each section of verse-by-verse commentary in this volume is followed by Wright’s reflections on what the text says about Christian formation today, making this an excellent resource for individual readers and those preparing to teach or preach on Galatians. The focus on formation is especially appropriate for this biblical letter, in which Paul wrote to his fellow early Christians, “My children— I seem to be in labor with you all over again, until the Messiah is fully formed in you!” TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction to Galatians
1. The Situation in Galatia 2. Paul’s Answer 3. Commentaries and Christian Formation
Galatians 1:1–17
1. Galatians 1:1–5: Apostleship and the Gospel 2. Galatians 1:6–9: Another Gospel? 3. Galatians 1:10–17: The Story So Far
Galatians 1:18–2:10
1. Galatians 1:18–24: First Jerusalem Visit: A Happy Relationship 2. Galatians 2:1–10: The Second Visit: Standing Firm
Galatians 2:11–21
1. Galatians 2:11–14: Peter in Antioch 2. Galatians 2:15–21: The Great Transformation
Galatians 3:1–14
1. Galatians 3:1–5: The Spirit and Faith 2. Galatians 3:6–9: Abraham and the Covenant 3. Galatians 3:10–14: The Curse of the Law
Galatians 3:15–29
1. Galatians 3:15–18: The Unbreakable Covenant 2. Galatians 3:19–22: Why Then the Law? 3. Galatians 3:23–25: Under the Paidagōgos 4. Galatians 3:26–29: Abraham’s One Family
Galatians 4:1–11
1. Galatians 4:1–7: The New Exodus 2. Galatians: 4:8–11: Don’t Go Back to Slavery!
Galatians 4:12–5:1
1. Galatians 4:12–20: True Friends and False Friends 2. Galatians 4:21–5:1: Two Women, Two Families, Two Covenants, Two Mountains
Galatians 5:2–26
N. T. Wright is one of the most highly respected biblical scholars in the world today and the author of over eighty books, including The Crown and the Fire, Following Jesus, For All God’s Worth, The Lord and His Prayer, The Way of the Lord, What Saint Paul Really Said, and Who Was Jesus? 978-0-8028-2560-5 | Jacketed Hardcover | 440 pages | $39.99 US $53.99 CAN | £32.99 UK | Available May 2021
1. Galatians 5:2–12: The Warning and the Challenge 2. Galatians 5:13–26: Love and the Spirit
Galatians 6:1–18
1. Galatians 6:1–10: Closing Exhortations 2. Galatians 6:11–18: Final Warnings and Example
The Commentaries for Christian Formation (CCF) series—edited by Stephen E. Fowl, Jennifer Grillo, and Robert W. Wall—serves a central purpose of the Word of God for the people of God: faith formation. Some series focus on exegesis, some on preaching, some on teaching, and some on application. This new series integrates all these aims, serving the church by showing how sound theological exegesis can underwrite preaching and teaching, which in turn form believers in the faith. Uniting these volumes is a shared conviction that interpreting Scripture is not an end in itself. Faithful belief, prayer, and practice, deeper love of God and neighbor: these are ends of scriptural interpretation for Christians. The volumes in the Commentaries for Christian Formation series interpret Scripture in ways aimed at ordering readers’ lives and worship in imitation of Christ, informing their understanding of God, and animating their participation in the church’s global mission with a deepened sense of calling.
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