Biblical Nations - Galatians

Galatians

Key Scripture: Galatians 3:1

Figures: Ethnic - none; resident - Timothy

This week we continue looking through the people groups that were visited by Paul, among others, during the time of the New Testament.  The eastern neighbors to last week's focus group are the Galatians, a storied and fascinating people.  Unique among Paul's epistles, his letter to the Galatians was not written to a single city but to a group of churches he had planted.  A number of locations within the region of Galatia are among those he visited alongside Barnabas on his first missionary journey, so it is possible that the letter is the earliest chronological book written by Paul (although many scholars favor a later date that places it closer to the middle of his works).  Regardless of the timing, it is clear that Paul not only encountered the Jewish diaspora within the region but also Gentiles, including the very people who gave the area its name.  It is this ethnic group and their territory that we will study.

The Galatians were, like their western Phrygian neighbors, originally from Europe.  They were Gauls, descended from a Celtic people that had spread across the continent for centuries - perhaps as early as the second millennium BC.  Known to the Greeks some 600 years before the events of the New Testament began to unfold, they were thought to be wild tribesmen who were skilled in warfare.  The Galatians were hired as mercenary muscle across the northern Mediterranean for generations and threatened the legacy of Alexander the Great when they invaded Greece in 281 BC with a force of over 100,000 men under the command of Brennus, a chieftain who had crushed Rome's army less than a decade earlier.  Before these Celts were defeated, however, a group of some 20,000 separated from the main body and travelled across the Hellespont into Asia.  After sacking a number of Greek cities in western Anatolia, they were  finally defeated by Antiochus I, at which point they retreated and settled along the northern edge of Phrygia.  As the Galatians continued to skirmish with their neighbors over time, their territory and influence continued to expand until they were not only sought after as hired soldiers but were also exacting tribute from a number of nearby provinces.

The Galatian society was unique from the other areas of Anatolia, as they maintained their language, economy, and customs for centuries in spite of regular contact with the surrounding people groups.  Despite having a few urban centers, they remained predominantly rural and agrarian.  Although they were slowly Hellenized and then eventually forced under Roman rule, their character remained markedly contrarian.  One famous story that illustrates their temperament was that of the Galatian priestess Camma, who was courted by the regional tetrarch, Sinorix, despite the fact that she was married.  The cruel ruler killed Camma's husband to force her into a marriage, and after she played along during the ceremony she shared a poisoned drink with him.  As the pair began to succumb to their fate, Camma rejoiced in her successful vengeance, mocking her failed suitor and claiming victory in being able to go down to her husband in death while Sinorix went to his grave in shame.

By the time Paul and Barnabas traveled through the region, likely around AD 48, the population had a mix of nationalities that was common among Roman cities.  Starting their travel in Antioch, they initially met only with Jewish residents within the synagogue, but when the local leaders began to contradict Paul's teaching he announced his intent to turn instead to the Gentiles.  This led to a jealous reaction that involved plots against the missionaries in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, including a stoning that nearly led to Paul's death.  In spite of the threats and attacks they faced the pair were able to perform miraculous healings that led the residents to compare them to Zeus and Hermes, and they were able to not only start churches but also to place elders in charge to shepherd their growth.  The proponents of Mosaic Law continued to harass the new believers, leading to Paul's epistle to remain true to the Gospel of faith he had shared with them and not fall into the error of relying on good works.  For the citizens of a region named for a people group who had violently conquered their territory, only to see it stripped from their control, a reliance upon grace was possibly a radical (if not comforting) idea.  Paul wrapped up his letter by taking the pen from his scribe and writing in large letters that he bore the marks of Jesus on his body, likely reminding them of the violence done to him and possibly indicating a lingering vision problem the stoning had caused.  After his first visit Paul traveled through Galatia at least two additional times, and found among its believers his last and best protégé, Timothy.  Peter also wrote a letter that was directed towards the Galatian believers, among others, to remind them to maintain their hope and holiness.  The Galatians as a people group were eventually assimilated into their surroundings and no record of them appears after the 4th century AD, but their impact on the Greek and Roman empires as well as the early Christian church have made sure their memory remains intact.