11/14/19
Jerome, Commentary on Galatians, [J.P. Migne, Editor]. Patrologiae Tomus XXVI. Paris: D’Ambroise, Pres La Barriere D’Enfer, ou Petit-Montrouge, 1845. pp. 307-438.
After his forceful condemnation of the Galatians in the first few verses of chapter three, Jerome notes that Paul becomes a little more conciliatory. He observes that the desire is not to discourage good works, but to show that good works are to be the result of being justified by faith (Jerome, Galatians, 351). Nevertheless, he does provide Scriptural warrant to distinguish beetween those who are in Christ and those who have followed false teachers. As in verse six Abraham’s trust in God was counted as righteousness, so be it. Yet Jerome specifically shows Marcion departed from the faith by rejecting Abraham (Jerome, Galatians, 352). Paul’s argument, continued in verse seven, is that all “who are from faith, these are sons of Abraham” (Jerome, Galatians, 352, personal translation). Jerome argues that Paul, in Romans, shows that Abraham received God’s promise apart from circumcision, thus demonstrating that the works of the law could not have saved him. For this reason Jerome finds verses 8-9 as a natural conclusion of Paul’s argument (Jerome, Galatians, 353). God justifies the Gentiles, apart from the law, but by faith, just as He did with Abraham.
At this point Jerome ends his first book of commentary on Galatians. We will continue into the second book next time.