Well we started our study of Galatians yesterday at Fellowship Raleigh. Super pumped about it. Check out the first sermon here.
So now it’s time to share some of that really interesting (yet detailed) information that probably would not make it into one of my sermons on a Sunday morning.
The Question: 
Galatians 1:2 states, “to the churches in Galatia.” At Paul’s time Galatia was a large Roman territory with a north and south region. Was Galatians written to North or South Galatia? Can we know? Why does this matter?
What it means if it was South Galatia:
- Galatians was written around 49 AD, making it Paul’s first letter, when he was 39.
- Galatians was written to the churches that Paul and Barnabas planted in Acts 13-14 (in South Galatia). Therefore we have more background material on Paul’s relationship with them.
- Galatians was written before the Acts 15 church council, which means Paul and the Jerusalem leaders had at least 2 significant leadership conversations about “circumcision” and Jewish/Gentile Christian issues (Gal 2:1-10, Acts 15).
- Galatians being written before the Acts 15 Council also best explains the Apostle Peter’s fear of man and racism in Antioch that we hear about in Gal. 2:11-14.
What it means if it was North Galatia:
- Galatians was written around 55AD and was not Paul’s first book written and he was 45
- Galatians was not written to the churches that Paul established in his first missionary journey in Acts 13-14
- This possibly means that Peter unfortunately displayed his fear of man and racism in Antioch after the official Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.
Argument for those who think it was South Galatia:
- In Paul’s day both North and South Galatia were one region of “Galatia” in the Roman Empire. Paul used Roman labels.
These boundary lines changed in 74AD, which may explain why so many in history have mistakenly thought Paul’s audience was North Galatia. - Paul refers to Barnabas (2:13) personally as if the Galatians know him from the first missionary journey (Acts 13-14)
- North Galatia is not a main trade route and probably not a place Paul would go.
- In Galatians there is no mention of Timothy who came on the scene in Acts 16
- Paul and Barnabas visited Jerusalem in Acts 11:27-30 = Galatians 2:1-10
Argument for those who think it was North Galatia:
- This was the view of the early church and most scholars since
- Even though the whole north-south region may have been called Galatia in Paul’s time, it was up north where the truly “ethnic” Galatians lived.
- Secular writers called northern Galatians by the name “Galatians”
- Acts 15 Council and the description of the meetings in Jerusalem in Galatians 2:1-10 sound virtually identical
- Gal. 4:13 possibly describes 2 visits by Paul. Acts 16:6 & 18:23 (note: both of which are after Acts 15) could be these 2 visits.
Paul’s ministry timeline:
This is how it all plays out below whether you choose North or South Galatia view.
This is how it all plays out below whether you choose North or South Galatia view.
|
Pauline Event
|
Bible Text
|
South Galatia
Pauline Chronology
|
North Galatia
Pauline Chronology
|
|
Birth
|
—
|
10 AD
|
10 AD
|
|
Conversion
|
Acts 9
|
34
|
34
|
|
3 Years in Arabia
|
Gal 1:17
|
34-37
|
34-37
|
|
1st visit to Jerusalem
|
Gal 1:18
|
37
|
37
|
|
Ministry in Tarsus, Syria, & Cilicia
|
Acts 11:25, Gal. 1:21
|
37-45
|
37-45
|
|
1 year of ministry in Antioch
|
Acts 11:26
|
46-47
|
46-47
|
|
A relief trip from Antioch to Jerusalem
(South view says this is also described in Gal 2:1-10)
|
Acts 11:27-30, 12:25
|
46-47
|
46-47
|
|
First Missionary Journey
|
Acts 13-14
|
48-49
|
48-49
|
|
Wrote Galatians (South View)
|
49
|
——-
|
|
|
Jerusalem Council
(North view says this is also described in Gal 2:1-10) |
Acts 15
|
50
|
50
|
|
2nd Missionary Journey
|
Acts 16-18
|
51-53
|
51-53
|
|
3rd Missionary Journey
|
Acts 19-21
|
54-57
|
54-57
|
|
Wrote Galatians (North View)
|
——-
|
55
|
|
|
Arrest in Jerusalem
|
Acts 22-23
|
57
|
57
|
|
Caesarea Prisoner
|
Acts 24-26
|
57-59
|
57-59
|
|
Journey to Rome
|
Acts 27-28
|
59-60
|
59-60
|
|
House Arrest in Rome
|
Acts 28
|
60-62
|
60-62
|
|
4th Missionary Journey
|
Historical
|
62-66
|
62-66
|
|
Arrested & Martyred
|
Historical
|
66-67
|
66-67
|
My Conclusion and Other Personal Reflections:
- I prefer the South Galatia view. I feel the evidence for that view has a stronger case (I’d say it’s about 70-30 in the favor of South Galatia).
- Dr. Oz (questionable daytime television hero) is from a city in South Galatia (Konya, Turkey) and I feel that really settles the debate as to who the recipients of Galatians were.
- God used Acts 13-14 instrumentally to form my own calling to church planting… so I love the idea that Galatians was likely written to the churches planted in those chapters, which were in South Galatia.
- It is very encouraging to reflect and meditate on the Apostle Paul’s life timeline. What a great minister of the Gospel. Praise God for his example. Great book to check out about Paul, “The Apostle of the Heart Set Free, by FF Bruce.”
Pastor Matt Schoolfield 
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