Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 1:13

"For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews` religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and made havoc of it:" — Galatians 1:13 (ASV)

The first part of this cumulative argument concerns Paul’s former life in Judaism, before his conversion to Christianity. At this point, so far was he from coming under Christian influences that he actually was opposing the church and persecuting it.

The Judaism Paul practiced was an all-inclusive way of life, consuming his entire existence before his conversion. This brief reference to his former life is augmented by his lengthier descriptions elsewhere (see comments on Php 3:4– 6). “You have heard” suggests that these facts were known to the Galatians long before any question had been raised about Paul’s teaching.

Two aspects of his former life are specifically brought forward in his review of it here: he persecuted the church (v.13), and he advanced in the traditions of Judaism well beyond those of his own age among his countrymen (v.14). In both of these aspects Paul was fanatical, demonstrating his fanaticism against the church by the violence of his persecution and by his actual endeavor to “destroy” (GK 4514) it (cf. v.23; Acts 8:1–4; 9:1–2, 13–14; Acts 22:4–5).