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Paul's Conclusion
Don't just skip over the last few verses of today's passage! This is more than just "Sincerely" or "Cordially Yours" from Paul. His conclusion in this letter is very important because he repeats his main points from the letter to drive home what the Galatians should be taking away from it. Take some time to read the last few verses and make sure that you understand them and have been tracking with the rest of the letter.
Other than that, just a quick issue to address on verse 11. What is Paul talking about? Since we read printed copies, not the original letter, it can be a little confusing. The answer is relatively simple if you understand some historical background:
"Up to this point, Paul had probably dictated the letter to a scribe. Then he took the pen into his own hand to write his final, personal greetings. Paul did this in other letters as well, to add emphasis to his words and to validate that the letter was genuine (see 1 Corinthians 16:21; Colossians 4:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:17). Paul pointed this out, perhaps because the contrast in the original letter was obvious. Paul’s scribe, if trained in writing, would have written in well-formed Greek characters. Paul, a preacher and not a scribe, had a less precise writing style. Another theory is that Paul wrote in large letters due to poor eyesight (see 4:13–15). Most likely, however, Paul wrote in large letters for emphasis, as these last verses reiterate the main points of this epistle. They were his signature. If these “large letters” were printed in our Bibles in all capital or boldface letters, we would understand the effect of Paul’s style and why he mentioned it." [1]
There you go - pretty simple answer! I personally hold to the "poor eyesight" theory myself, as I think it explains some comments scattered throughout Paul's letters, but it's impossible to know for sure and it's definitely not a vital issue of the faith.
Questions? Comments?
Paul's Conclusion
Don't just skip over the last few verses of today's passage! This is more than just "Sincerely" or "Cordially Yours" from Paul. His conclusion in this letter is very important because he repeats his main points from the letter to drive home what the Galatians should be taking away from it. Take some time to read the last few verses and make sure that you understand them and have been tracking with the rest of the letter.
Other than that, just a quick issue to address on verse 11. What is Paul talking about? Since we read printed copies, not the original letter, it can be a little confusing. The answer is relatively simple if you understand some historical background:
"Up to this point, Paul had probably dictated the letter to a scribe. Then he took the pen into his own hand to write his final, personal greetings. Paul did this in other letters as well, to add emphasis to his words and to validate that the letter was genuine (see 1 Corinthians 16:21; Colossians 4:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:17). Paul pointed this out, perhaps because the contrast in the original letter was obvious. Paul’s scribe, if trained in writing, would have written in well-formed Greek characters. Paul, a preacher and not a scribe, had a less precise writing style. Another theory is that Paul wrote in large letters due to poor eyesight (see 4:13–15). Most likely, however, Paul wrote in large letters for emphasis, as these last verses reiterate the main points of this epistle. They were his signature. If these “large letters” were printed in our Bibles in all capital or boldface letters, we would understand the effect of Paul’s style and why he mentioned it." [1]
There you go - pretty simple answer! I personally hold to the "poor eyesight" theory myself, as I think it explains some comments scattered throughout Paul's letters, but it's impossible to know for sure and it's definitely not a vital issue of the faith.
Questions? Comments?
[1] Bruce B. Barton, Galatians, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1994), 213.
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