Abstract
Given the proliferation of commentaries and monographs on Paul's letters, the publication of a new commentary on Paul's letter to the Galatians is rarely considered an event about which to be excited these days. What new can be said about this short letter? Will a new commentary not amount to a mere reshuffling of existing scholarly views? Martinus de Boer, Professor of New Testament at VU University Amsterdam, demonstrates in his new commentary that Galatians still has the power to provoke its interpreters: de Boer's commentary is fresh, an exciting read, and a significant contribution to scholarship.
De Boer makes the approach of the commentary clear from the outset: “to understand and to expound what the apostle was attempting to communicate to the very first users and interpreters of the letter” (p. 1). A brief introduction covers the standard topics: the identity of the recipients (de Boer opts for the North Galatia hypothesis; pp. 3–5), the date of the letter (ca. 51 CE, an early date for the North Galatia hypothesis; pp. 5–11), as well as an overview and structure of the book. The body of the commentary also follows a standard order: a brief introduction to the section of the letter, a translation of the passage in “literal but also acceptable, idiomatic English” (p. 3) with text critical notes, and then commentary on the passage. One noteworthy feature of the commentary are the nineteen excurses de Boer has included. These excurses are helpful and interesting brief essays that allow de Boer to explore various topics relevant to the interpretation of Galatians outside of the restrictions of the commentary format. So, for example, de Boer has an excursus on “Galatians and Apocalyptic Eschatology” (pp. 31–35), the pistis Christou debate (pp. 148–150), and the “Law of Christ” (pp. 378–381), among others.
As a whole, De Boer's interpretation of Galatians falls into the “apocalyptic” camp, represented by scholars such as J. Louis Martyn (one of the dedicatees of the commentary) and before him Ernst Käsemann. Accordingly, de Boer places great emphasis on Paul's apocalyptic language and imagery for understanding God's action in Christ – that Christ has invaded the cosmos and in his death overthrown the cosmic powers that enslave humanity and God's creation. Indeed, de Boer labels Galatians an “intensely apocalyptic sermon” (p. 71). Thus, when in Gal 1:4 Paul speaks of “this age” and “the age to come,” de Boer argues that this dualism “exhibits two distinct patterns in the available Jewish literature, one ‘cosmological,’ the other ‘forensic’” (p. 31). The former speaks to the usurpation of “God's sovereign rights” by the powers of the “dominion of evil,” while the latter focuses on the sinful rejection of God by individual humans. While de Boer believes Paul's letters exhibit both “tracks,” he argues that Galatians is specifically concerned with the cosmological pattern, going so far as to say that Paul's opponents gave terms such as “justification” a forensic meaning, while for Paul they “also acquire a cosmological-eschatological nuance” (p. 34). That is, justification is “cosmic rectification,” “liberation from the malevolent cosmic powers that hold sway” (p. 35). Sin and Death are thus personified powers, enemies of God. Accordingly, de Boer argues that “Paul posits an antimony between human activity and God's action in Christ” (p. 150). The phrase pistis Christou, then, refers not to the human's faith in Christ (objective genitive) – the human is enslaved – but to “Christ's faithfulness as embodied in his death on the cross” (p. 150, quoting Richard Hays). With other apocalyptic interpreters, De Boer is also concerned to emphasize the radical discontinuity of the Christ-event, viewing the law entirely negatively: Paul “trash [es] the law” and “[n]othing good can be said” about the interval between the promise to Abraham and the fulfillment of that promise” in Christ (p. 268). The Law exists as part of the old age, as part of the problem through which Sin enslaves humans (cf. p. 210). Thus, when Paul speaks of fulfilling the Law in 5:14, he is referring not to the Mosaic Law but to the promises given to Abraham that are recorded in scripture. As de Boer puts it, Paul speaks about “the fulfillment of the law as Scripture containing divine promises” (p. 345).
One may wonder why it would be necessary to buy de Boer's commentary if one already owns Martyn's Galatians commentary. While they are similar in content, I would stress that, on the one hand, de Boer is not simply repeating Martyn, and on the other, de Boer does a better job of “showing his work,” so to speak. That is, de Boer in many ways makes the apocalyptic line of interpretation and, therefore, also Martyn's commentary, more accessible. The “New Testament Library” commentary series is known for being readable, and de Boer's work is no exception. But more so, de Boer's work is a genuine contribution to scholarship. This commentary will be an essential dialogue partner for scholars, and it is accessible enough for the student, pastor, or interested layperson.