Summary
Paul gives an autobiographical account of his encounters with the leading figures of the early Jesus movement and seeks to distance himself from all of them.
Analysis
After narrating his conversion from persecutor to apostleDerived from a Greek word meaning "one who is sent," an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person's idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus... More (1:13-24), Paul recounts his experiences with the leaders of the early Jesus movement, namely the trio of James the brother of the Lord, Peter, and John. Paul takes pains to differentiate himself from them, first of all, maintaining that he went to see them on account of revelation, not because they summoned him (2:2). He then uses the example of his traveling companion to show that at this early stage, the leaders in Jerusalem did not compel Titus, a Greek, to be circumcised in order to be a follower of Jesus (2:3). This reference to Titus sets up Paul’s later arguments regarding the uselessness of circumcisionCircumcision is an act of cutting off part of a male (or female) sex organ for religious or health reasons. In the Bible circumcision was performed on males to indicate inclusion into the Jewish religious community. Some church calendars commemorate January 1 as the Circumcision... More (5:6). Paul continues to maintain his independence from the Jerusalem leaders, maintaining that he “did not submit to them for even a moment” and that the leaders “contributed nothing” (2:5, 2:6). Further, Paul signals his distrust through references to their social standing. Whenever he refers to them, Paul describes James, Peter, and John as “so-called” leaders (2:2, 2:6, 2:9) and summarizes his argument by dismissing their importance: “what they actually were makes no difference to me” (2:6).
Paul then recounts his encounter with Peter at Antioch, an episode that goes a long way to explaining the intensity of Paul’s animosity toward the Jerusalem pillars. Paul thought that he had established an understanding regarding table fellowship between Jewish and GentileA gentile is anyone who is not Jewish. The term, which is derived from words that the Bible uses to denote the "nations" of the world, reflects beliefs that God had designated Israel as a nation that would be distinct from others, and a blessing... More followers of Jesus. Instead, Peter, under pressure from James, refused to eat with the Gentiles. For Paul, this serves to illustrate their unreliability and their abandonment of the Gospel. Throughout his narration, he mocks Peter, calling him “Cephas,” an Aramaic translation of his name (2:11, 2:14). Paul uses this Aramaic name to label him a fraud, someone who used a Greek name (Peter) and claimed to care about the Gentiles, but who abandoned them. The subtext of the argument is clear: the Galatians, who themselves are Gentiles, should not trust anyone who claims the support of the “so-called pillars” in Jerusalem.
