Overview  The letter from Paul to the church in Galatia was written while the apostle was imprisioned in Rome (AD) (Galatians 4:3, 10, & 18; Acts 28:16-31). Paul's purpose was to confront those orally perverting the gospel he previously taught the Galatian church in his absence (Gal 1:7), and to provide instructions for guarding against perversion in the future. "But if we, or an angel from heaven, preach another Gospel than the one I preached, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8-9). It is noteworthy that Peter, James, Jude, John, as well as Paul identify several distortions, and doctrines that were in conflict with the gospel throughout the Bible itself. This is signifigant because thousands of their preserved manuscripts, and well documented disputes survive enabling us to trace their doctrinal development relative to these Biblical warnings for ourselves. Unfortuanely, people today embracing "another gospel" other than what Paul received/passed down do not investige this paper trail. Otherwise, it would be plain their understanding of the gospel, or "restored gospel" is really a contemporary form of "revived heresy." Instead, they are conditioned to accept, blindly in some cases, contempory testamonies making contrary gospel claims on the basis of some sort of dramatic personal inspiration or revelation that not only conflicts with the Holy Bible at crucial points, but affirms that the Holy Bible is insufficient. This is something Paul strenously opposed (2 Tim 3:13-16), and warned against in the epistle to the Galatians (Gal 1:8-9). Thus, Paul not only the emphasises the true teaching of the gospel-"truth of the gospel" in contrasting perversions of it (Gal 2:14), but redirects one's focus to the true gospel itself.  Click Here, or select the English Greek Interlinear button below for more details about the gospel and this letter.

Textual History  The oldest manuscript of this letter is dated 200 CE, and is kept at the University of Michigan and Chestery Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland. Moreover, the letter to the Galatians is included among other epistles contained in the ancient papyrus, and is located on pages 58-68 of P46. Also, Galatians is included in the Muratorian fragment dated 180 AD, which is a list of the writings that were in wide-spead acceptance throughout the ancient churches predating the P46 manuscript. Marcion (3rd Cty AD) was the only person having difficulties reconcilling his own understanding with parts of the letter. Yet, he accepted the letter as a whole, ecspecially the sections referring to preserving the gospel Paul taught. It is noteworthy that both the P46 papyrus and the Muratorian Fragment predates the Council of Nicea (325 AD), Carthage ( AD) and the canonization of the New Testament. Because the writings of the apostles were widely circulated and copied immediately after they were written, it would have been impossible for any one person or group of persons to collect and then make identical changes to all existing copies of this epistle. For such reasons as apostolic approval, wide-spread circulation and acceptance among the churches, the letter to Galatians was included in the New Testament canon.

The links below will direct you to these sites, and p46 images of the Galatian portion of this manuscript. I have also included the English Greek intilenear for Galatians, and concordance. These resources will show that modern English translations of this letter are subtantially the same, and have remained in tact. Combined with preserved writings of early church leaders  acknowledging the books in the New Testament and citing passages that concurr with the same passages found in modern translations of the Holy Bible, we can have confidence in its itegrity. We should also seriously heed the message of this letter where the Apostle Paul states, "But if we, or an angel from heaven, preach another Gospel, than the one I preached, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8-9)