(Pioneer Bible Translators and The Word for the World use the following introduction in many of their translation projects around the world.)
The book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul (1:1). It was a letter that Paul wrote to churches of the Galatians sometime between 48-57 years after the birth of Christ. The Galatians were probably the people living in the Roman province of Galatia. Scholars are not sure where Paul was when he wrote the letter, but the cities of Ephesus and Corinth are two possible locations.
Paul wrote to address the Christians, both Jewish and non-Jewish, in the churches in Galatia. He wrote specifically to confront a false teaching that said Christians needed to follow the Jewish laws from the Old Testament, especially circumcision. There were a group of people among the Christians called Judaizers who were requiring non-Jewish Christians to be circumcised. They also called Paul’s apostolic authority into question. Paul defended his apostleship by telling some of his story (1:11–2:14) and he defended the gospel by explaining that salvation can only be obtained by faith in Jesus Christ (2:16). It is a result of the kindness God shows and not what people do.
Outline:
1. Paul begins his letter by greeting the churches in Galatia (1:1-5).
2. Then Paul explains some of his own background to defend his right to teach and show that he had tried to live by the law but that was not working (1:6-2:21).
3. Next he explains further the role of the law and grace in salvation (3-4).
4. Then he gives some general instructions for good Christian living (5-6:10).
5. Paul finishes his letter with a greeting and final plea to remember that being changed by God into a new person is much more important that external rules, such as being circumcised (6:11-18).
La lettre aux Galates a été écrite par l’Apôtre Paul (1 : 1). C’était une lettre que Paul a écrite à des églises de Galatie environ 48 à 57 ans après la naissance de Christ. Les Galates étaient probablement les gens qui habitaient la province romaine de Galatie. Des experts ne savent pas où était Paul quand il a écrit cette lettre, mais les villes d’Éphèse et de Corinthe sont deux endroits possibles.
Paul a écrit en s’adressant aux chrétiens, juifs comme non-juifs, dans les églises de Galatie. Il leur a écrit spécifiquement pour confronter une fausse doctrine qui disait que les chrétiens devaient suivre la loi juive de l’Ancien Testament, tout particulièrement celle de la circoncision. Il y avait un groupe de personnes parmi les chrétiens qu’on appelait les Judaïsants qui exigeaient que les chrétiens non-juifs soient circoncis. Ils ont aussi mis en doute l’autorité apostolique de Paul. Paul a défendu son autorité en racontant une partie de son histoire (1 : 11 – 2 : 14) et il a plaidé la cause de l’évangile en affirmant que le salut ne peut être obtenu que par la foi en Jésus-Christ (2 : 16). Il s’agit du résultat de la bonté de Dieu et non des œuvres des hommes.
Résumé
1. Paul commence sa lettre en saluant les églises de la Galatie (1 : 1-5).
2. Ensuite, Paul explique quelques aspects de sa vie afin de défendre son droit d’enseigner et pour montrer qu’il a essayé de vivre selon la loi, mais que cela ne marchait pas. (1 : 6 – 2 : 21).
3. Puis, il explique plus en détail le rôle de la loi et de la grâce dans le salut (3 – 4).
4. Ensuite, il fournit des instructions générales pour une vie chrétienne honnête (5-6 :10).
5. Paul termine sa lettre avec une salutation et un appel final à se souvenir que d’être transformé par Dieu en une nouvelle personne est beaucoup plus important que des règles extérieures comme d’être circoncis (6 :11-18).
Translation: Swahili
Utangulizi wa kitabu cha Wagalatia
Kitabu chaWagalatia kiliandikwa na Mtume Paulo (1:1). Hii ni barua ambayo Paulo aliiandika kwa makanisa yaliyokuwa katika eneo la Galatia katika kipindi kati ya mwaka 48 na 57 baada ya kuzaliwa Yesu Kristo. Yamkini Wagalatia walikuwa ni watu walioishi katika jimbo la Galatia lililokuwa sehemu ya dola ya utawala wa Kiroma. Wasomi wa mambo ya Biblia hawana uhakika kuhusu mahali Paulo alipokuwa wakati anaiandika barua hii, lakini wengi wanadhani iliandikwa katika mji wa Efeso au Korinto.
Paulo aliiandika barua hii akiwalenga Wakristo wote waliokuwa sehemu ya makanisa ya Galatia, yaani wale waliokuwa Wayahudi na wasio Wayahudi. Barua hii aliiandika mahsusi ili kukabiliana na fundisho la uongo lililowataka Wakristo wafuate sheria za Kiyahudi zilizo katika Agano la Kale kama sharti muhimu la imani, na hasa fundisho la tohara (kutahiriwa). Kulikuwa na kundi la watu ndani ya jumuia ya Wakristo waliojiita Wayuda ambao waliwalazimisha waumini wasio Wayahudi watahiriwe. Pia, watu hao walihoji juu ya uhalali wa mamlaka ya kitume ya Paulo. Paulo alitetea utume wake kwa kuelezea baadhi ya habari zake (1:11-2:14), na aliitetea injili akifafanua kwamba wokovu waweza kupatikana tu kwa njia ya imani kwa Yesu Kristo (2:16). Ni matokeo ya wema ambao Mungu anauonyesha kwa watu na wala wokovu hautegemei matendo ya watu.
Muhtasari
1. Paulo anaanza barua yake kwa kuwasalimu waumini wa makanisa ya Galatia (1:1-5).
2. Kisha Paulo anaelezea baadhi ya mambo yaliyomhusu ili kuitetea haki yake ya kufundisha na kuthibitisha kwamba alijaribu kuishi kwa kufuata sheria lakini alishindwa (1:6-2:21).
3. Halafu anaelezea zaidi kuhusu nafasi ya sheria na neema katika wokovu (3-4).
4. Kisha anatoa baadhi ya maelekezo ya jumla kuonyesha jinsi ya kuishi maisha mema ya Kikristo (5-6:10).
5. Paulo anamalizia barua yake kwa kutoa salamu na ombi la mwisho akiwakumbusha kwamba kubadilishwa na Mungu na kufanywa kuwa mtu mpya ni muhimu zaidi sana kupita sheria na kanuni za nje, mfano wa ile ya kutahiriwa (6:11-18).
(The Catholic Christian Community Bible [first English edition 1997, other translations into Indonesian, Chinese, Cebuano, Chavacano, French, Ilonggo, Korean, Quechuan, Spanish, and Tagalog] “for the Christian Communities of the Third World” uses the following introduction.)
Who were the Galatians? Galatia was a northern province of today’s Turkey. Once Paul had stopped there (Acts 16:6) when an illness had prevented him from pursuing his journey (Gal 4:13-14). He had visited the Galatians again (Acts 18:23) before settling in Ephesus (Acts 19:1) and he had asked them to help the poor in Jerusalem (1 Cor 16:1).
Paul is writing because the community is in danger. Strangely enough, Paul does not make any reference to scandals, laxity or to conflicts of authority, as it was the case in Corinth. There were tensions and doubts as some people wanted to go back to Jewish practices. However, it seems that the community was not expecting such a warning from Paul. He had shown greater foresight. Some people wanted to return to religious practices because they had failed to understand that being Christian was primarily living one’s faith rather than practicing a religion.
For the Galatians, discovering the Gospel had been like a bath in freedom. Those who were Jewish were freed from the constraint of religious practices and those who were Greek (and pagan) were freed from the prejudices of their society: it was like a great cleansing. But were they able to follow Paul when he declared that Christ was able to fill our lives and that the Spirit is a much better guide than any religious obligations?
At first, the Galatians had experienced what was at the core of Paul’s life. But the community found it difficult to maintain itself along such a new line. After their initial enthusiasm, most of these new Christians felt a need for rules and practices. They did have faith in Christ but it was asking for a lot to want all of them to be’“spiritual” people.
It was precisely at that time that preachers of Jewish origin were exhorting them to be circumcised and to observe the customs of Israel (4:10) by promising them a life superior to the life obtained by conversion to Christ.
Belonging to Judaism would have brought material security to the Galatians since the Israelite religion was protected by Roman laws. If they refused both idolatry and the Jewish religion, they were running the risk of being persecuted (6:12-14). On the contrary, if they adopted the Jewish nationality and the customs of Israel, they would have avoided persecution but that would have been the same as saying that Christ had died for nothing (2:21).
This is the reason why Paul reacted passionately. All of us, Jews and pagans, are solely saved by the generosity of God who has forgiven our sins and who has given us, along with his Spirit, the freedom of love (5:13-14). When we give too much credit to the rules and practices of a religion, we are locking ourselves into a system, an order in which we expect, even without saying it, a reward for our good deeds. On the contrary, faith means surrendering to God and his mystery that is as awesome as its symbol, the cross. Faith also means believing that God wants the salvation of all human beings, regardless of their nationality (3:9).
This should be enough to understand that this letter to the Galatians is still addressing us in our time when so many people reduce religion to practices. Moreover, it is a fact that to the extent that the Church has to sustain many Christians who have a very limited experience of life in the freedom of the Spirit, it tends to bring itself to their level and to become a religion. This is why the Church has to regain the awareness of its identity and to rediscover the meaning of living by faith.
Down below are the introductions in the Mandarin Chinese, Tagalog, Cebuano, and Spanish editions.
Lahat tayo’y nagpapanggap na malaya. Ngunit ano bang ibig sabihin ng maging malaya? Ang mga tunay na malayang tao ay iyong mga inaakay ng malalim na inspirasyon ng Espiritu ng Diyos. Bawat Kristiyano’y dapat maging “inspirado” sa ganitong kahulugan. Gayunpaman, maraming bagay ang nagbabanta sa “kalayaang ibinigay ni Kristo sa atin”:
– Kalimita’y pinababayaan nating lumamig ang ating maalab na damdamin noong una nating makatagpo si Kristo at naramdaman nating kaya nating gawin ang kahit ano para sa kanya. At sinisimulan nating hubugin ang ating buhay ayon sa mga gawaing hindi makapapalit sa tunay na pag-ibig.
– Puwede rin namang mangyari na masyado nating hinahangaan ang mga halimbawa ng mga Kristiyano ng ibang panahon o ibang kalagayan. At kinokopya natin ang mga huwaran ng Kristiyanong pamumuhay na hindi katugma ng inaasahan ng Diyos sa atin, kaya hindi tayo pumupunta kay Kristo sa kabuuan ng ating pagkatao at paninindigan.
Malinaw ang lahat ng ito sa Sulat sa mga taga-Galasya. Ang mga paganong ito na napa-sampalataya ni Pablo ay nakinig pagkatapos sa mga Judiong nag-aakalang mga disipulo sila ni Kristo, ngunit hindi naunawaan ang Ebanghelyo. At sinasabi ng mga Judiong ito: “Pana-nampalataya kay Kristo, napakaganda nito! Ngunit mas mahalaga sa Diyos ang pagtupad ng mga tao sa lahat ng batas at kaugaliang panrelihiyon.”
Kaya ginawa ni Pablo ang napakarahas na sulat na ito: “Kung kilala ninyo si Jesus na ipinako at inaakay kayo ng kanyang Espiritu, ano pang kailangan ninyo?”
Sino ba ang mga taga-Galasya? Tinutukoy ang mga pamayanan ng Pisidia at Galasya. Sinasabi sa Gawa 13:13-14:25 at 16:6-6 ang tungkol sa pag-eebanghelyo sa kanila.
Translation: Cebuano
Kitang tanan nagpakaaron-ingnong gawasnon. Apan unsay kagawasan? Ang gawasnon mohimog desisyon dili pinasikad sa kaugalingong interes, kondili inagak sa mas lawom nga lamdag sa Espiritu sa Diyos, nga kanunayng nagdapit sa pagbag-o. Gilamdagan ini ang matag kristyano. Apan may duha ka butang nga naghulga sa “kagawasan nga gihatag kanato ni Cristo”:
– Kadaghanan nabugnaw ang kadasig sa unang paghimamat ni Cristo, ug sa iyang pagtulun-an nga nakapabuhat nato og bisag unsa alang niya. Ug giumol nato ang kinabuhi sumala sa balansayon nga dili makapuli sa matuod nga gugma.
– Usahay nadani ta sa kanhing panig-ingnan nga dili na tukma sa panahon o sa lahing kahimtang. Miawat ta sa mga sumbanan sa kristohanong pagpuyo nga dili mohaom sa gitinguha kanato sa Diyos, maong nalayo ta ni Cristo, sa tinuod nga pagkakita ug sa gihatagag bili.
Kining tanan naklaro sa Sulat alang sa taga Galacia. Ang mga pagano nga nakabig ni Pablo, nadala sa mga Judio nga nagpatoo nga mga tinun-an sila ni Cristo, apan wala makasabot sa Ebanghelyo. Gitudloan sila sa mga Judio nga nindot ang pagtoo ni Cristo, apan ang labing mahinungdanon sa Diyos: pagtuman sa tanang tulumanon, balaod ug batasan sa Judiong tinoohan. Kay gawas nga nasayran na ninyo nga si Jesus Judio, kinahanglang mosunod mo ug motuman sa pamaagi sa mga Judio: sa mga ritwal ug tulumanon, sa pagsimba ug pag-ampo; sa hunahuna ug panglihuklihok.
Nangusog si Pablo pagsulat: “kon nasayod mo nga gilansang si Jesus sa krus ug nga gigiyahan mo sa iyang Espiritu, nan unsa pay inyong gikinahanglan?
Kinsa man ang taga Galacia? Dili klaro kining ngalana, pwede kaayo nga katilingban sila sa Pisidia ug Galacia. Ang Mga Buhat 13:42 - 14:25 ug 16:1-6 naghisgot sa panahon sa pagwali didto.
Translation: Spanish
¿Quiénes eran los Gálatas? Este apelativo, tan poco preciso, tal vez indique a las comunidades de Pisidia evangelizadas por Pablo en su primera misión (H 13,22; 14,25; 16,1-3); o tal vez podría tratarse de otras comunidades que Pablo habría fundado más al norte, en la antigua Galacia, durante su segunda misión (H 16,6; 18,23).
Pablo escribe porque la comunidad está en peligro. Es algo extraño: no hace alusión a escándalos, ni a un relajamiento, ni a conflictos de autoridad, como ocurrió en Corinto. Había seguramente tensiones y dudas, ya que algunos se propasaban y querían volver a valorizar las prácticas judías. Sin embargo y según parece, ni los promotores de esa vuelta a la Ley, ni los que se les oponían, podrían haber esperado una advertencia semejante de Pablo. Pero su intención iba más lejos que ellos: los fieles piden de nuevo prácticas religiosas porque no han comprendido o porque han olvidado que ser cristiano no es ante todo practicar una religión, sino más bien vivir la fe.
El descubrimiento del Evangelio había sido para los Gálatas un baño de libertad. Los que eran judíos habían escapado así de la tiranía de las prácticas que marcaban toda la existencia. Los que eran griegos (y paganos) se habían liberado de una visión fatalista del mundo y de los prejuicios de su sociedad; ahí también la liberación se había hecho en la forma más radical. Mas, ¿eran capaces de seguir a Pablo cuando les participaba su propia experiencia? ¿Habían descubierto que Cristo es lo suficientemente grande como para llenar la existencia y que el Espíritu dirige mucho mejor que las obligaciones religiosas?
Durante un tiempo los Gálatas habían vivido lo mismo que vivía Pablo, pero era difícil que la comunidad se mantuviera en una línea tan nueva. Transcurrido el momento del primer entusiasmo, la gran mayoría de estos nuevos cristianos sintió la necesidad de reglas y prácticas. Tenían fe en Cristo, pero era demasiado pedirles que fueran todos «espirituales».
Además había allí gente que ofrecía una respuesta. Eran tal vez cristianos de origen judío que sabían lo bueno que es tener una ley. Aspiraban, por supuesto, a tomar la dirección de la comunidad, pero el capítulo 6 de esta carta nos da a entender que no eran totalmente desinteresados, ya que la vuelta a las prácticas judías les abría todas las puertas de la comunidad judía. Existía una solidaridad muy fuerte entre los judíos en un mundo que les era habitualmente hostil, y juntarse con ellos procuraba una seguridad real. Algunos prefe rían esta seguridad a la aventura de la fe y los riesgos que las comunidades cristianas enfrentaban en aquel tiempo.
La respuesta de Pablo es severa, y tal vez nos parecerá muy parcial y negativa con respecto a las prácticas religiosas —pero es palabra de Dios—. Dar demasiado crédito a las reglas y prácticas de una religión es encerrarse en un sistema, en un orden en el que se espera, aún sin decirlo, la recompensa por las buenas acciones. La fe, por el contrario, significa entregarse a Dios y a su misterio, tan temible como la cruz que es su símbolo.
Todo esto nos indica que esta carta a los Gálatas tiene hoy gran actualidad, pues son muchas las personas que andan en busca de certidumbres. Por otra parte, en la medida en que la Iglesia deba atender a muchos fieles que sólo tienen una limitada experiencia de la vida en el Espíritu, tiene siempre cierta obligación de ponerse a su nivel con ritos, preceptos y autoridades. Debe pues mantener clara o recuperar la conciencia de su identidad y al mismo tiempo redescubrir la vida por la fe.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.