Galatians is very likely to be the earliest New Testament writing (circa 48 AD), certainly if it was written by the apostle Paul shortly after he returned from his first missionary journey (cf. Acts 13:1 – 14:28)1 and before the council of Jerusalem (cf. Acts 15:1–41).2 At this time, the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) had not yet been written and the good news of Jesus Christ was still being communicated only by word of mouth.
Paul wrote his letter from the city of Antioch to the newly planted churches in the Roman province of Galatia;3 the churches found in the cities of Psidian Antioch, Lystra, Iconium and Derbe.4 He visited each of these cities on two occasions during his first missionary trip and ensured that there were elders in place before he returned home (cf. Acts 14:21–28).
The occasion of Paul’s letter was news of false teaching.5 Following his return to Antioch (cf. Acts 14:26–28), it appears as if some Jewish Christians went to visit the churches in Antioch. These Christians most likely came from Judea (cf. Acts 15:1–2; Galatians 4:17)6 and they emphasised the need for Gentile Christians to obey Mosaic law (either as a condition for salvation or as a means of remaining part of the community). Circumcision in particular was one of their big focuses (cf. Galatians 5:2). The false teaching of these Jewish Christians was at odds with the gospel that Paul proclaimed (cf. Acts 13:38–39). He wrote his letter to warn the Galatians and oppose the errors they had been taught.
1 Paul, an apostle not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead