Epistle To The Galatians, a letter addressed by the apostle Paul to the churches of Galatia, and forming one of the canonical books of the New Testament. It is one of those Pauline epistles whose authenticity has never been questioned by the critical theologians, and which is therefore of prime importance for establishing the theological views of the apostle. It consists of two parts. The first (chap, i. to v. 12), chiefly doctrinal, vindicates the apostolic commission of Paul, urges the doctrine of salvation as the cardinal truth of Christianity, and illustrates the relation of the Christian to the Jewish church. The second contains exhortations and benedictions. It was called forth by some agents of the Jewish Christian party who endeavored to overthrow the belief in salvation by grace, and to incorporate circumcision and other Jewish rites with the ordinances of Christian worship. There is much diversity of opinion as to when and where the epistle was written; the majority of exegetical writers at present appear to assume that it was written from Ephesus, about the year 56. Special commentaries on this epistle have been written by Winer (4th ed., 1859), Flatt (1828), Usteri (1833), Ruckert (1833), Hilgenfeld (1852), and Wieseler (1859). See also Holsten, Inhalt und Gedankengang des Briefes an die Galater (1859).