1 You foolish Galatians! Who has given you the evil eye?* Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified! 2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Although you began with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing?—if indeed it was for nothing. 5 Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard? 6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, 7 so then, understand that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who believe are blessed along with Abraham the believer. 10 For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law.” 11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law because the righteous one will live by faith. 12 But the law is not based on faith, but the one who does the works of the law will live by them. 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith. 15 Brothers and sisters, I offer an example from everyday life: When a covenant has been ratified, even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it.16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, “and to the descendants,” referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” referring to one, who is Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: The law that came 430 years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to invalidate the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through the promise. 19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary is not for one party alone, but God is one. 21 Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise could be given—because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ—to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians6 chapters
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Texts in conversation
Compare Virgil, Eclogues 3 and Galatians 3:1
Classical · New Testament
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Summary
The poet Virgil describes lambs under the power of an evil eye, a belief that an envious look can cause harm. In Galatians, Paul suggests a similar influence, using the evil eye to explain how envy has caused them to want to be circumcised.
Round up the sheep, lads; if the heat of the day dries up their milk, as it did of late, in vain will our fingers press the teats.Alas, alas! How lean is my bull on that fat vetch! The same love is fatal to the herd and to the master of the herd.With mine at least – and love is not to blame – their skin scarce clings to the bones. Some evil eye bewitches my tender lambs.Tell me in what lands – and to me be great Apollo – heaven’s vault is but three ells wide.Tell me in what lands grow flowers inscribed with royal names – and have Phyllis for yourself.
1You foolish Galatians! Who has given you the evil eye?* Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified!2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?3 Are you so foolish? Although you began with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort?4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing?—if indeed it was for nothing.5 Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?
"... The idea of the evil eye is known in earlier Jewish literature (compare Deuteronomy 28.54; Sirach 14.6, 8; Wisdom of Solomon 4.12) and it is common in the papyri (compare P. Oxy, II. 292) from about A.D. 25; compare P. Oxy. 6.930). Basically, the concept is that certain persons (or even certain animals or demons or gods) have the power of casting an evil spell on someone or causing something bad to happen to them by gazing at them. The eye was seen as the window of and to the heart, the channel through which one's innermost thoughts, desires, intentions could be conveyed. This concept was closely connected with notions about envy, jealousy, greed, stinginess, as Plutarch makes clear (Quaestiones Convivales 680C 683B). In first-century society there was great fear of the evil eye, and there were various practices, such as curses, the use of amulets, spitting, that were thought to ward off or neutralize the effects of the evil eye. Especially children or the unwary were thought to be vulnerable to the malign influence of the evil eye. For example, Virgil bemoans what has happened to some children saying 'I do not know what eye is bewitching my tender lambs' (Eclogue 3.103). Broadly speaking the casting of the evil eye fell under the category of sorcery, and there was of course a widespread belief in these sorts of black arts in the Greco-Roman world ..."
