Galatians 4:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Rather, they wish to make them worse, and by corrupt zeal to draw them backward. As an example, one may say this. A Christian reads Moses and the prophets. He knows that everything formerly presented to that people was only as in shadow and in obscure figures. It was written for our sake, for us upon whom the end of the ages has come. By circumcision he understands not so much circumcision of the foreskin as circumcision of the ears, aurium, and the heart. He has risen with Christ and strives for the things above. He has been freed from the weight and bondage of the Law, which commands, "Do not touch," "Do not taste," "Do not defile yourself." If someone wishes to persuade such a man from the Scriptures to accept what is written, not in a figurative sense, but according to the killing letter, he has a purpose. He wants to make him not a hidden Jew, but an open Jew. Such a man does not show good zeal toward him. On the contrary, he hastens to drag backward the one who, with swift movement, is striving toward higher things. He wants this man, by turning back, to imitate him instead. Therefore the speech is directed to those Galatians who were carried away by the devotees of the Law, so that they might imitate them. Yet those men ought rather to have imitated the Galatians. Indeed, it is natural for the higher to follow the lower, and not the lesser to follow the greater. For this reason, et, he says, "Have good zeal for the good always." That is, do not desire to imitate the strict followers of Jewish ordinances, but imitate what is good. He who zealously strives for another man's wealth, power, and dignity is zealous not so much for the good as for what must be avoided. So you also should have good zeal for the good, striving more for the spiritual than the carnal. Let them not teach you to become Jews, but you teach them to become Christians. And do this always, so that by unceasing movement you may be able to reach the complete fulfillment of the good work. Although you were good zealots in what is good before, when I was with you, after I left you, you lost everything I handed down to you. From a safe harbor and wholly secure anchorage, you were again caught up into the height by a swelling wave. It is no wonder if, after the Apostle's departure, the chosen vessel in whom Jesus Christ the Lord spoke, the Galatians changed. We see the same thing even now in the Churches. Indeed, whenever some teacher appears in the Church, renowned for eloquence and a good life, he stirs his hearers to the virtues as though by certain encouragements. Then we see the whole people hasten with burning zeal to almsgiving, fasting, a chaste life, care for the poor, burial of the needy, and similar things. But when he departs, the people little by little wither. As nourishment diminishes, they grow pale, lean, and sad, until all that formerly flourished comes to an end. For this reason the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Mt 9:37). One must ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest. Preparing the future wheat, they would cut, bind, and carry into the granaries the ears of the Christian people standing in the Church. In no way would they allow them to perish. This is said concerning that eagerness and corrupt zeal of which it is also said elsewhere, "Do not be zealous for evildoers" (Ps 36:1), and here, "They show zeal for you. But not well." But we also find another zeal, which the sons of Jacob showed toward their brother Joseph (Gen 36), and Miriam and Aaron toward Moses, the friend of the Lord (Num 12). In reality, neither group was moved by zeal to become better than Joseph and Moses, but by bitter grief that these were better than they. This kind of zeal borders on envy. It would take too long if I wished to bring forth from the treasury of Holy Scripture every kind of zeal, good or evil. We read of the good zeal of Phinehas, Elijah, Mattathias (Num 25; 3 Kgs 19; 1 Macc 2), and of the Apostle Jude, not the betrayer. For a certain virtue of zeal he even received the name Zelotes, the Zealot. We read of evil zeal between Abel and Cain (Gen 4) and others. The same applies to the zeal of that man of whom it is written, "And the spirit of jealousy came upon him" (Num 5). Unless this is an indifferent zeal, medius, which cannot be taken either in a good or in an evil sense. It is something between the two and is more properly called jealousy. Perhaps it may also be understood otherwise. The circumcised saw that the Galatians from among the Gentiles had in abundance powers granted by the Holy Spirit. They themselves had neither the gift of tongues, nor the gift of healings, nor the gift of prophecy. Moved by zeal, they wished to draw the Galatians away toward the yoke of the Law, so that they too might become like the circumcised. It is no wonder that after the Apostle's departure the Galatians changed, since we see the same thing even now in the Churches. Indeed, if some teacher appears in the Church, renowned for eloquence and life, and stirs his hearers to virtue, we see the whole people strive with burning zeal to give alms, fast, live chastely, care for the poor, bury the needy, and the like. But when he departs, nourishment grows scarce. The people little by little wither, grow pale, lean, and sad, so that all that once flourished comes to an end.

He wondered whether it would be useful to appear to them personally with a stern word. Such a word has great force while those being rebuked have not yet wholly fallen away from the spirit of the one who rebukes.

According to Chrysostom, the Apostle speaks as though saying this: "The false teachers are concerned in trying to deprive you of perfect knowledge and bring you to what is superficial and false.

"They do this only so that they themselves may enter the rank of teachers, and place you, who are now above them, in the position of disciples.

"But I, on the contrary, desire that you be better than they and serve as an example for the more perfect, as you were during my stay among you."

"You have shattered the image, lost your high kinship, and changed the likeness. You need another birth, a new re-creation.

"Yet I do not cease to call you children. I do not know what to say or what to devise.

"How, after reaching such a heavenly height, have you now suddenly descended to such humiliation and poverty, turning to circumcision and Sabbaths and joining yourselves to the Jews?

"Thus nothing remains but to weep."

"Good zeal draws one onto good paths, but evil zeal turns one away from them" (Chrysostom).

So they too are zealous, but without understanding. What labors they undertake to gain proselytes! But if they happen to gain them, they bring them not blessing, but final destruction, as the Savior said (cf. Mt 23:15).

Judaism was the one true faith before the coming of the Lord. After His coming, it is opposed to God and destructive, and those who follow it are sons of Gehenna.

"They want to exclude you," as cunning wolves separate some of the sheep from the flock in order afterward to strangle them.

He does not say from whom they want to exclude them, because this is clear. They want to separate them from the Apostle Paul and from following his teaching.

Through this, they separate them from the Lord and from His flock, the holy Church of God. They lead them from salvation into destruction.

"So that you may be zealous for them." It is not apparent that the Apostle accuses them of greedy motives. He points only to a certain teacherly vanity.

They want you to pass over to their side, honor them, stand for them, and, like them, be zealous for the law.

"They are concerned," says Chrysostom, "in trying to deprive you of perfect knowledge and bring you to what is superficial and false.

"They do this only so that they themselves may enter the rank of teachers, and place you, who are now above them, in the position of disciples.

"For this is what the Apostle meant when he said, 'so that you may be zealous for them.'

"But I, on the contrary, desire that you be better than they and serve as an example for the more perfect, as indeed you were during my stay among you."

This speech may also be completed thus: They draw you to themselves, but I draw you not to myself, but to the Lord.

They seek that you be zealous for them. I seek that you be zealous for the Lord and for your salvation in Him.

I seek nothing that is yours, but you yourselves, and not for myself, but for you, that you may be saved.

Look into this, then, and you will see where the truth is.

At this reminder of the zeal of the false teachers, that the Galatians should be zealous for them, there came to the holy Apostle's mind the image of true zeal for the Christian faith and life.

The Galatians had shown this zeal in his presence. Remembering this, he speaks to them as though saying: I know that you were zealous for the Christian truth, in which alone all our good lies. But: