Galations Chapter 1

[endaman]

Line 8 and 9 mention God’s curse, can anyone tell me what is meant by Gods curse, in this context.

6 I am astonished that you are so promptly turning away from the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are going over to a different gospel-
7 not that it is another gospel; except that there are trouble-makers among you who are seeking to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven preaches to you a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let God’s curse be on him.
9 I repeat again what we declared before: anyone who preaches to you a gospel other than the one you were first given is to be under God’s curse.

Thanks
-Enda

 

[themonk86]

Line 8 and 9 mention God’s curse, can anyone tell me what is meant by Gods curse, in this context.

OK well in both translations I looked at (NAB and RSV 2CE) the word is “accursed” which is synonymous with anathema. Basically Paul’s using this phrase in verse 8 as a formula for exclusion from the community for those who preach a different gospel from the one he originally preached. You might want to cross reference Rom 9:3; 1 Cor 12:3, and 1 Cor 16:22 to read how Paul used that same word in different letters, that could help you out too.

Hope this helps and God Bless.

 

[po18guy]

From the Haydock Commentary:

Ver. 6-7. This was about three or four years after their conversion. The apostle knowing very well how to suit his discourse to his auditors, in this epistle makes use of a more severe and harsh address than is observable in his other epistles. The reason is, the Galatians were a less civilized people, and had already shewn the little attachment they had to their spiritual father. (Calmet) — To another gospel: which is not[2] another. That is, it is not properly another, because they pretended to be Christians, and teach the faith: and yet it was in some measure another, because changed by such teachers with a mixture of errors, particularly that all converted Gentiles were to observe the Jewish law: and in this sense, they are said to subvert, or destroy the gospel of Christ: so that the apostle hesitates not to pronounce and repeat an anathema, a curse upon all that preach any thing besides, that is, in point of religion, not agreeing with what he had taught. I cannot omit here a reflection, which St. Chrysostom makes on the 7th verse. Where are they, saith he, who condemn us (Catholics) for the differences we have with heretics? and who pretend there is no such essential difference betwixt us and them, so as to judge them excluded from the communion of the Catholic Church, out of which there is no salvation, unless perhaps through ignorance. — Let them hear what St. Paul says, that they destroyed the gospel who made any such innovations: to wit, by introducing again as necessary some of the Jewish ceremonies, even at a time when the Christians, who had been Jews, might lawfully use them, and even they who had been Gentiles. St. Paul says, this is to change and destroy the gospel; he repeats anathema against them. Let them hear, and take notice of this, who pretend that the unity of the one Catholic faith is sufficiently maintained by all Christian societies, that agreeing, as they say, in fundamentals, their faith is a saving faith: that the council of Trent, without reason, pronounced such anathemas against them: that all Catholics are uncharitable for denying them to be in the way to salvation, when they make Scripture alone, as interpreted by their private judgment, the only rule of their faith. They may as well accuse not only St. Chrysostom but also St. Paul, of uncharitableness, &c. (Witham)

Ver. 9. The terrible sentence awarded by St. Paul, bears equally strong against modern as against ancient innovators in religion.

 

[Crumpy]

The Ignatius Study Bible doesn’t seem to explain that word, God’s “curse.”

Our Catholic guidelines for understand scripture leads us to consider the context of the entire Bible. I think we have to understand Paul as referring to God’s condemnation of these false teachers. There is nothing redeeming about what they are doing.

 

[stevekehl]

James writes that teachers of the Word are held to a greater standard because they have studied Scriptures in depth, they are without excuse regarding sin (James 3:1). How much worse will God’s judgment be on those who distorted the Gospel.

 

[po18guy]

James writes that teachers of the Word are held to a greater standard because they have studied Scriptures in depth, they are without excuse regarding sin (James 3:1). How much worse will God’s judgment be on those who distorted the Gospel.

As well, we are obliged to test the spirits. Had Muhammad and Joseph Smith done that, world history might have been completely different.

 

[TimothyH]

The curse in Galations 1 is the curse associated with entering into a covenant. Every covenant comes with blessings for faithfulness and curse for unfaithfulness. Moses explained to Israel the blessing/curse of the covenant several times in Dueteronomy.

I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. (Dueteronomy 30:19-20)

Remember that the authors of the Scriptures and their primary audience were Jews, and the covenant relationship to God was what set apart Israel from the rest of the world. The family relationship with God, established through the covenant, was what gave Israel it’s identity. To a Jew, the covenant was everthing.

***But if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, your God, carefully observing all his commandments and statutes which I give you today, all these curses shall come upon you and overwhelm you:

May you be cursed in the city, and cursed in the country!

Cursed be your grain basket and your kneading bowl!

Cursed be the fruit of your womb, the produce of your soil and the offspring of your livestock, the issue of your herds and the young of your flocks!

May you be cursed in your coming in, and cursed in your going out!**
(Dueteronomy 28:15-19)*

The earliest Christians were Jews, and their understanding of Christ’s Crucifixion was that it was a sacrifice, the blood of which established a new covenant relationship between God and man. Being Jews, their understanding of a covenant was much more developed than ours and they would have understood that Chist’s new covenant is no different than the old covenant insofar as there is a blessing for faithfulness and curse for unfaithfulness.

For Jews under the old covenant, it was material blessings and salvation from enemies, or the curse of being exiled, enslaved, and being destroyed by foreign armies. For us it is the blessing of eternal life with God and the curse of eternal damnation without God.

-Tim-