The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 104

Iie,·ers of the circumcision with their lead ere. St. Paul in conjunction with Barno.bas1 viz. What St. P1ml here relates fits in very that of Acts xi., xii. Wo know nlso the.t naturally into the circumstances relRted in he 1111,d been in close as~cif\tiou with Bar- Acts xv., though the situiition is looked o.t nabas in that first visit to Jerusalem men- from different points of view. "I went up ~io_ned abo"re in eh. i. 18 (comp.Acts ix. 27); it is_ very possible tho.t thoy had thou como again," he says; not, •• I went up a second ~1p Ill company. Now, so 1tffecting was the time." (For a more complete discu8sion of u~t~rest for St. Paul with which both these this question, see Conybeare and Howson, vts1ts were fraught, the one on his own vol. i., appendix on 'The Chronology of account. the other on account of the distres8 Gal. ii.;' Bishop Lightfoot,additional notes then suffered by the Church, tha.t we may feel certain that, in the careful review he is after Gal. ii. 10 ; and Dean Howson in now taking of the past, both of them would 'Speaker's Commentary,' New Testament, most vividly recur to hie recollection• 80 vol. iii. p. 510.) vividly. t~a.t it is quite conceivable that he The chapter falls into two sections. Of was writing to the Galatians of his "going these, viewed in their leading purport, the o.go.i~ to Jerusalem with Barnabas," with o.llus1on to those two former visits though first (vers. 1-10) exhibits the recognition he he.s not before named Barnaba;'a name formally accorcled to St. Paul's gospel and in connection with that one which alone he work Ly the highest authorities of the ha.s spoken of. If this view is not admitted Chnrch of the circumcision ; the second we must suppose a comma present afte; (vers. 11-21) displays in a Tery striking " Jerusalem." Aud took Titns with me also; or rather, perhaps, and took in our light the independence and co-ordinateness ccmpany also TitU8 (uvµ.1ra.pa>..af3wv 1<al T/-rov). of his position when standing face to face The uliv in uvµ.1ra.pa>..a.f,wv seems to allude to with the Yery chiefest of the apostles. the others whom Paul and Barno.bas as But while these seem to be their leading mentioned in Acts xv. 2, took with them objects, we find the apostle weaving in, after on that journey. So also in Acts xii. 25 his manner, trenchant references to other a.nd xv. 37; for in these two passages we are not to suppose that John Mark is named matters relevant to the main purpose of the as being their sole companion, but rather Epistle, and even enlarging upon them. that he is specified only in preparation for Ver. 1.-Theu fotlrteeu yea.rs after (fre,Ta. wJ:iat has afterwards to be told concerning li,tt lie1<aTeuua.pwv E"TOJV); then after a space him. In Acts xv. 39 ,ra,pa>..a./3611-ra. without of fourteen years. Reckoned from when? the ITVII simply indicates that Mark was llfany think from the risit mentioned in with Barnabas, without reference to others eh. i. 18; others, from the time of his con- who may or may n0t have been with them. verc:iou. At first sight, the former seems The singular number of the participle, the more obvious view ; but fuller con- (Jl)µ,rapa>..af3rfiv, appears to indicate a certain Bideration determines for the latter. The footing of independent action which St. apostle lays stress upon the interval being Paul had by this time gained for himself, so long ; as if it were, " It was not less even when viewed in relation to Barne.bas : than fourteen yeo.rs after, that a conference Paul himself attached Titus to the company. took place between me and the older At any rate, it needs to be noted· that St. apostles relative to the gospel which I Paul speaks of himself 8B simply " going preach ; during all which time I was up with Barnabas," not as "to.king Barne.bas preaching it on o. footing independent of with him;" for it would be a misconception them." There appears no other motive a.like of the import of the words before us, tha!l this for his specifying the number of and of the relative position as yet outwardly years. Thie beinl\" so, the specification would obtaining in public a.ction between the two naturally at 01,ce include the whole period men, to think of Pa.ul as the lef\der and during which he had been so engaged, and chief organizer of the o.ccompanying party not leave it to the reader to add the two and of Barnabas as subordinate to him. or three years which ha.d elapsed before the The higher apostola.te of Paul was at that ,·ieit mentioned eh. i. 18. I went up age.in time only in process of manifestation, not \0 Jenuie.lem with Be.me.ba.s (1raJuv &.v,f311v as yet fully realized in the Church (see .,, 'hpouoJ1.Vµ.a. µ.ETtt Bapva/3a.). It is quee- Introduction, Dissertation II.). Nothing is t,ouable whether this '' again" covers the known of the antecedents of Titus, save that clause" with Barnabas," or not. We assume he was a "Greek" (ver. 3), both his parents with confidence that this vi..Bi.t to J eruealem apparently being Gentiles, and that St. is the oue described in Acts xv. We know, Paul, in designating him in the Epi~tle therefore, that there had been at lea.at one addressed to him (i. 4 ), as his " true journey to Jerusalem previously ta.ken by child" ("Yvfiu,011 T<1<11011), seems to ma.rk him OJI. n. 1-21.] THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, 69