Galatians

Galatians, Epistle to the. St. Paul's epistle is believed to have been addressed not to the inhabitants of the whole Roman province of Galatia, but to the descendants of the Keltic colony who lived in the district properly so called. It is evident from the epistle that the Galatian churches were founded by St. Paul himself, most probably during his visit to Galatia in his second missionary journey (about 52 A.D.), mentioned in Acts xvi. 6. The passage which mentions a second visit, three years later, implies that at that time there were already many disciples. The epistle was probably written soon after 55, and certainly not later than 59 A.D. Its object was to confute the teaching of a "Judaising" section, who maintained the necessity of Jewish observances. In opposition to their views it emphasises the doctrine of justification by faith.