Announcing Christ

Paul uses the noun “gospel” or the verb “evangelize/preach the gospel” twelve times in the first two chapters of Galatians. It is good news for the twelve tribes.

While we can’t rest too much on grammatical forms, it is interesting to note the objects of the verb euaggelizo in these chapters. Typically, the object of “evangelize” is not the audience but the content of the announcement. Specifically, in Galatians 1:16 the object is “Him,” the Son whom the Fathe who separated Paul from the womb revealed in the apostle. The verb might better be translated as “announce” or “proclaim” than “preach the gospel.” Paul was sent to “announce the Son” to the Gentiles. (“Preach” would be fine, but has churchy connotations that the original word didn’t yet have.)

In 1:23, the Paul who once persecuted now preaches the “faith.” This might well be another way of saying that He announces Christ, since “faith” seems to be a name of Jesus in 3:23. It could also refer to the faith that the gospel elicits, or the teaching concerning Jesus that forms the content of the gospel. Either way, the object is about what is said rather than the audience. Again, “anounce” or even “herald” seems to be a good translation. Paul’s calling is to announce Christ, the faith, to the Gentiles.

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.

GIVE NOW

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

The Church in the Age of Therapy

Matthew Loftus

In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…

Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot

Anna Farrow

On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…

The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen

Mike Aquilina

Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…