From a team of more than 50 international scholars comes the 'Word Biblical Commentary Series'.

Harvesting the important historical, textual, literary and archaeological discoveries from a generation of scholarship, the Word Biblical Commentary Series serves the needs of professional scholars and teachers, students of the Bible and of theology, working ministers and anyone who wants a theological understanding of Scripture that is grounded in the best of today's biblical scholarship.

Although one of his shorter letters Galations is perhaps Paul's most important and influential letter. 'Historically, Galatians has been foundational for many forms of Christian doctrine, proclamation, and practice,' says Richard N. Longenecker. 'And it remains true today to say that how one understands the issues and teaching of Galatians determines in large measure what kind of theology is espoused, what kind of message is proclaimed and what kind of lifestyle is practiced.

In Galatians, Volume 41 of the Word Biblical Commentary series, Professor Longenecker offers a fresh translation of Galatians and gives the reader a thorough discussion of such matters as authorship, date, addressees, the problems Paul faced within his Galatian churches, the nature of his opponents' message, and the impact of Paul's message on Christian thought and action.

Professor Longenecker has long considered Galatians to be one of his personal favourites, and the research and devotion to detail in this volume are evidence of that appreciation. This commentary demonstrates convincingly the importance of justification by faith and the vitality of Christiian living as directed and enabled by God's Spirit. Its attention to Hellenistic epistolary convention, Greco-Roman rhetoric, Jewish themes and exegetical procedures, and an Antiochian style of interpretation, which Professor Longenecker handles skillfully as tools for interpreting the letter, make the understanding of Galatians clear and relevant for believers today.

As Professor Longenecker observes; 'Paul's Galatians is, in fact, like a lion turned loose in the arena of Christianity. It challenges, intimidates, encourages, and focuses our attention on what is really essential as little else can. How we deal with the issues it raises and the teachings it presents will in large measure determine how we think as Christians and how we live as Christ's own.