Why does Paul say to the Galatians that Jesus was clearly portrayed as crucified before their very eyes?

Answer 1

A:

Galatians 2:21-3:2 (NAB): "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard?"

Paul is trying to convince the Galatians that justification comes from faith and not from obedience to the ancient Jewish laws on circumcision and diet, because of Christ's death. In case the Galatians doubt whether Christ really had died by crucifixion, verse 3:1 says that the evidence for the crucifixion has been publicly set forth and seen by the Galatians - in other words that they had read about the crucifixion. The evidence of which Paul speaks was certainly not one of the gospels, as they had not yet been written, but Paul expects the Christians of Galatia to believe it.

Answer 2

A:

According to the gospels, no - he was crucified in Jerusalem, quite a long way from the home of the Galatians. There is a passage in Galatians 2:21-3:2 (NAB): "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard?"

Here, Paul is trying to convince the Galatians that justification comes from faith and not from obedience to the ancient Jewish laws on circumcision and diet, because of Christ's death. In case the Galatians doubt whether Christ really had died by crucifixion, Paul says that the evidence for the crucifixion has been publicly set forth and seen by the Galatians - in other words that they had read about the crucifixion, although they had not seen Jesus crucified. The evidence of which Paul speaks was certainly not one of the gospels, as they had not yet been written, but Paul expects the Christians of Galatia to believe it.