St. Paul's Fight for Galatia

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ...be laboured. It is an elementary principle of psychology that to keep our past experiences grouped in our memories in anything approaching their true order of date is an extremely difficult task. With that, the whole question of lying can be dismissed. But there still remains the possibility of mistake or oversight. In view of the statements by Paul himself, already quoted, concerning his debt to others, this possibility cannot be denied. Nor need it be: for we have u to choose between two evils, and this is the less. We may take it for granted that no eager Christian could converse at intervals for a fortnight with the Peter of the Gospels, and with James, the Lord's brother, without learning much concerning the one common Master. They had priceless things to tell, and if Paul was not ready to hear, why was he not? The present writer has too much respect for him to attempt an answer. Justice and respect do not require us to believe that all his syllogisms were sound, but they do require us to believe that he was not silent about Jesus Christ for a fortnight; and respect for Peter and James requires us to believe that they they would not have been silent, even if Paul had been. The crucial question is this: What kind of information, given at that time in Jerusalem, would Paul now regard as fundamental? On this point he and his opponents probably misunderstood one another, just as what was to them an honourable submission to the Jerusalem authorities was to him a dishonourable subjection. So also they did not blame him for having (as they said) formerly learnt from the Jerusalem apostles, but only for having now ceased to learn, or to abide by what he had learnt. The difference of view as to what was fundamental in his gospel...