Salvation History in Galatians and the Making of a Pauline Discourse

Abstract

In Paul's Galatian letter, are Gentile Jesus-followers depicted as participating in the ongoing salvation history of the Jewish people? Does the model of ingrafting that Paul employs in his olive tree analogy of Rom 11 undergird Paul's theological discourse in Galatians? This essay (1) overviews the contemporary debate, (2) outlines relevant data from 1 Thessalonians to Romans as a backdrop against which to consider the Galatian letter, and (3) investigates key passages in Paul's letter to Galatian Jesus-followers in a nuanced proposal concerning the salvation-historical dimensions of that letter. Finally, (4) I propose a 13-point reconstruction concerning fluctuations in Paul's salvation-historical discourse between the years 50 (1 Thessalonians) and 57 (Romans).