New Testament 6
Galatians 1: 17-24    --  
Lecture 18
An Appeal to the First Jerusalem Visit (1: 17-24)
•	The Outline
•	A. Arabia and Damascus First
•	B. ______________ years later
•	C. to see Cephas – get acquainted visit
•	D. only ______________days
•	E. only James the brother of Jesus included
•	F. oath of honesty before God
•	G. trip to Antioch…no contact with apostles
•	H. Barnabas sent to Antioch to check on Paul 
This Paragraph
•	Has tremendous importance for Paul’s argument of independence from the 12 apostles. He depended on no man for his gospel or his commission as apostle.  Yet, we shall see that while his gospel was obtained ______________ of the 12, his ______________ as not contradictory to theirs.
Two major divisions:
•	Verses 18 – 20 tell of Paul’s first visit to ______________ and
•	Verses 21-24 relate some of his early ______________ preaching.
Colson, p. 24 sums it up:
•	“…Paul could not have learned the ______________ from the Jerusalem apostles, for he did not even see any of them for some three years after his conversion. When he finally did go up to Jerusalem, the only apostles he saw were Peter and James the Lord’s brother. His visit lasted only fifteen days, and he left without becoming personally know to the Christians in the province of Judea.”
This Visit
•	May be the same as mentioned in Acts 9:26-30 (not all agree on this). The question stems from the idea of “______________”. Does it originate from his conversion or from his return to Damascus? This may be illustrated in the following manner.

In Jerusalem
•	Paul visited Cephas (the Aramaic form of Peter). The verb suggests that they were getting acquainted.  Here it denotes a first meeting.  The visit was personal, not formal or official.  Can you even begin to imagine how these two remarkable men must have conducted themselves in such a setting?  Do you think Peter took the time to reminisce about Jesus’ earthly life and ministry? Did Paul ask questions? Whatever we might imagine, we can conclude that Paul did not receive anything different about his gospel.
The Other Outstanding Leader
•	Paul met was James, the brother of the Lord Jesus.  It appears he became a ______________around the time of the ______________ of Jesus (1 Cor 15;17).  Galatians 2:9 puts him in line with Peter and John as one of the pillars of the church in Jerusalem.  He is called an apostle here, which may indicate the early church did not always limit the term to the 12 in a technical manner.
The Length of the Visit
•	Was a mere ______________days (v. 18).
•	Acts 9:28 shows that during these 15 days Paul was “going in and out at ______________.”  He was “preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.”  This period would surely be far too short to be a detailed study of Christian truths under the instruction of Peter.  How could the Galatians or anyone else believe Paul gained his doctrine in just a night or two?
Verse 20
•	May seem uncalled for by some readers as it is a ______________.  Why did Paul use it?  Some charge that Paul was accused by his enemies with misrepresenting the facts about his visits to the other apostles.  Certainly the strength of the assertion shows the importance he attached to what he was saying.  
Similar Affirmations Appear
•	In other places:
•	1 Thess 2:5
•	2 Cor 1:23 
•	2 Cor 11:31
The Crucial Issue at Stake
•	Was the ______________and ______________of his apostleship.  He enforced his credentials by an appeal to God Himself.
After the Brief Stay in Jerusalem
•	He went into Syria and Cilicia (See Acts 9:30).  Later ______________ would invite him to join him in the work at Antioch (Acts 11:25).  Syria was north of Israel and Antioch was the third largest city of the Roman Empire.  
The Purpose of verses 21-24
•	Is to show that for a period of at least ______________ years and possibly ______________ years (1:18; 2: 1), Paul was completely out of touch with the disciples, carrying out his work as a preacher in a section completely remote from Jerusalem.  
Cilicia
•	Was Paul’s ______________ province, the capital being the university city of Tarsus, Paul’s birthplace.  This was largely Gentile territory.  Again, it was not a place Paul would have probably gone had he been under the authority of the other apostles.  They were not quite ready for the Gentile mission.

Paul Underscores His Independence
•	From the other ______________.  Some scholars feel that this is the time he experienced much of what is recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27.  
At this time
•	He is still not known by sight by the ______________ in Judea.  They keep hearing that the former persecutor is now preaching the gospel which he had once tried to destroy. (v. 23).  Again, while Paul had very limited contact with the Christians at Judea, they agreed to what they were hearing about his gospel which he preached.  
In Summary, 
•	The entire chapter has demonstrated that Paul was never dependent upon any ______________ or ______________ of men for his gospel.  He was independent of them for this. Yet, his message was identical to the one they preached about Jesus Christ.  There was no correction or adjustment of his gospel by the leaders of Jerusalem in this first visit.
A Critical Time Problem
•	As we complete chapter one and move to chapter two, we will encounter some critical problems in relation to Paul’s chronology of his life.  The two essential books involved are that of ______________ and ______________.  Let’s look at the issues and proposed solutions.  These all involve Paul’s visits to Jerusalem.
3 Texts of Acts with Jerusalem Visit
Usually
•	2:1 is equated with Acts 15:4 (Apostlic Council). 
•	1:18 is equated with Acts 9:26 which raises questions about the collection ______________  
•	How do we get out of this problem?
Some Solutions
•	1. Some relate 2:1 to Acts 11:30 which means that the Apostolic Council met after Galatians was written and thus is not mentioned in the letter.  This also explains why in 2:1 Paul does not cite the Council’s decision.
2. Others see Acts 11:30 and Acts 15 as doublets that refer to the same ______________But, if 2:1 and Acts 15
•	Are both dealing with the same event, how do we understand the passages of ______________ ______________ and ______________? How do you explain the differences between the two passages?
Perspective & Purpose of Authors 
•	Acts is concerned to assure believers converted from paganism that they are not required to experience ______________ or to observe the Jewish holidays and ceremonial law. Galatians, on the other hand, is addressed to believers who look for no such assurance but voluntarily assent to this practice, whom Paul  has to remind that their attitude is a real threat to the kernel of the gospel.
Another Issue:
•	If Gal 2:1 = Acts 15 and Gal 1:18 – Acts 9:26, why isn’t there mention of the ______________with the collection in Acts 11:30?  
2 Possible Answers
•	1. Lightfoot suggested that Acts 11:30 was a ______________ and not a ______________ issue. It was merely for disaster relief. For Lightfoot there would be no necessity for mentioning this in Paul’s argument.  
•	2. Henchen, 39-50, questions the strict chronological sequences of Acts.
As B. C. Lategan, 
•	In “Chapter 6: Galatians”, p.  99m says, “In any attempt to reconstruct the historical situation in Galatia we have to take cognizance of this difference in approach and theological aim, when we asses the various sources.  The limitations of a historical approach, in so far as both method and available details are concerned, compels the researcher to caution over any final conclusions. (______________).