(A)  In  the  former  case,  the  reconstruction  of  the  history  will  be
sometning  of  this  sort. We  must  return  to  the  council  at  Jerusalem  in
A.D. 48,  three  years  ago\  Though  the  council  had  come  to  an  unanimous
decision,  the  Pharisaic  or  Judaizing  party  was  by  no  means  satisfied,
and  they  started  a  propaganda  to  teach  the  necessity  of  circumcision  in
the  new  Gentile  churcnes. This  meant  undoing  the  work  of  S. Paul,
and  their  chief  weapon  was  an  attack  upon  his  apostolate. The  Liord,
they  declared,  had  appointed  the  Twelye  as  his  apostles,  and  with  them
rested  the  apostolic  authority. S. Paul  was  a  newcomer,  who  had  not
ffone  in  and  out  with  the  other  disciples',  had  not  seen  the  risen  Lord
(except  in  an  ecstatic  yision  which  depended  solely  on  his  own
assertion),  and  finally  had  received  no  apostolic  commission  fix)m  the
Twelve :  his  gospel  therefore  was  without  authority. On  the  other
hand  the  Judaizing  emissaries  took  care  to  fortify  themselves  with
commendatory  letters  from  Jerusalem,  and  then  invaded  S. Paul's
churches. They  would  reach  Galatia  first,  soon  afber  S. Paul  and  Silas
had  started  on  the  long  journey  which  led  them  to  Macedonia  and
Achaia. Amongst  these  emissaries  there  seems  to  have  been  a  leader
who  stood  out  above  the  rest  in  a  very  preeminent  position,  whether
this  was  owing  to  the  power  of  his  personal  influence  or  to  some  hish
ofiice  in  the  church  ^  This  *  false  apostle'  had  complete  success  in
Galatia. First  he  caused  alarm  and  consternation ^  Then  he  con-
vinced them  of  the  truth  of  his  teaching. The  gospel  of  S. Paul,
of  iustification  by  faith  and  of  liberty  in  the  Spirit^  was  a  lofty  one
and  hard  to  grasp ;  and  the  simple  Galatians  found  it  easier  to  believe
in  a  gospel  of  salvation  by  works,  by  circumcision  and  the  law,  by  the
observance  of  days  and  months,  seasons  and  years. And  so  'very
quickly  *  after  his  departure  they  *  deserted '  S. Paul  and  went  over  to
tnis  rival  evangelist^  and  S. Paul  could  only  account  for  it  by  a  kind  of
witchcraft  -*0  foolish  Galatians,'  he  exclaims,  *who  hath  bewitched  you*?*

Meanwhile  S. Paul  had  returned  from  Achaia  to  Jerusalem,  where
he  made  but  a  short  stay. 