Galatians Reconsidered: Jews, Gentiles, and Justification in the First and the Twenty-First Centuries

Review
Might cultural habits and convictions of their pre-Christian past affect the way converts discern rival interpretations of their new-found faith? In this compelling and original study, Neil Martin argues from a wide range of ancient primary sources that this is what lies behind Paul’s puzzling warning to Gentile Galatians: having come to faith in Christ, their additional adoption of Jewish observance would for them entail going back to problematic patterns of their pre-Christian past. An excellent case study in how to bring the rewards of careful historical scholarship to the service of contemporary theological, pastoral and missional engagement! -- Markus Bockmuehl, Dean Ireland’s Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford
Neil Martin has accomplished something to which few writers in the crowded field of Pauline research should even aspire: saying something both new and significant about as foundational a concept as the reason for Paul’s sharp invective in Galatians. Appropriating the best insights of the old, new, and radical new perspectives on Paul, Martin comes down squarely in none of those camps. Instead, he argues that Paul’s biggest fears were about Gentile believers adopting Jewish laws and regressing to their previous, pagan attitudes of trying to incentivize the gods to bless them. Searching questions arise about how Christians today may be unwittingly doing the same things when they imitate cultural forms in church practices that do not invite new Christians to make clear breaks from their past. Here is a book to read slowly and reflect on in detail.
Galatians is a puzzle in many ways, partly because Paul is so angry about encouraging Jewish practices that he is unconcerned about elsewhere. Neil Martin has more emotional intelligence than anyone I've ever met, so I'm not surprised he has found this solution to the conundrum. His suggestion, that Paul is concerned about the insidious effects of old habits, is so obvious once it's pointed out, it becomes difficult to read Paul's letter in any other way. In this work, he shows how churches in all cultures - not just those in first century Galatia - suffer from similar serious problems.
When writing on Galatians, scholars face two temptations. The first is the conceit that despite centuries of interpretation, you have, at long last, finally discovered the interpretive key to Paul’s most controverted letter. The other is to get so buried in minutiae that you lose touch with its life-changing relevance. In Galatians Reconsidered, Neil Martin admirably resists both temptations. Creatively drawing on an understanding of the power of habit, and applying this insight to the concern Paul has for the Galatians’ regression to the patterns of their pagan past, Martin offers a reading coherent for Pauline scholars that is also compelling for twenty-first century readers. Galatians is so much more than sophisticated soteriology; it's an actionable vision of Christian discipleship―as needed in Paul's day as it is in ours. While one may take issue with Martin’s interpretation, this is a brilliantly executed argument and a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!
Neil Martin interprets Galatians giving due weight to the fact that converts inevitably employ their existing cultural and religious resources to help understand and live their new faith. It makes a very significant difference, allowing Martin to illuminate the puzzle of Paul’s linking of the temptation for the Galatians to place themselves under the law with regression to their previous pagan religious practices (Gal 4:8-10). In the process critical questions are raised about Paul’s relationship with Judaism and a fresh discernment proposed of the contemporary significance of his struggle in Galatia. All interpreters of Galatians will benefit greatly from engagement with this stimulating and thoughtful perspective on the letter.
In Galatians Reconsidered, Neil Martin builds on the vast sco