Galatians

Ver 6. I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”,

Marius Victorinus comments, "The gospel Paul announces is sure: that Christ is the Son of God, the power of God for salvation to all that believe, to the Greeks and to the Jews—and nothing besides! In fact, all hope for salvation and for the grace of God pertaining to us lies in faith pertaining to Christ, to the effect that we would believe he is the Son of God, that he suffered for our sake and rose again, from which we too might arise with the forgiveness of sins. This is the true gospel that Paul announces. Therefore, if anyone adds on something else—like Judaism, circumcision, sabbath observance, and other things of this sort—he is sinning and is a stranger to the truth." (Commentary on Galatians, translated by Stephen Andrew Cooper, pg. 253).

John Gill comments, "And besides, though such as are truly called by grace cannot be finally and totally deceived by false prophets and false teachers, yet they may be greatly unhinged by them, and may fall from some degree of steadfastness in the doctrine of faith, which was the case of these Galatians" (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible).

J. B. Lightfoot comments, "An indignant expression of surprise takes the place of the usual thanksgiving for the faith of his converts. This is the sole instance where St. Paul omits to express his thankfulness in addressing any church." (St. Pauls Epistle to the Galatians).

Ver 7. but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

Cyril of Alexandria writes, "We must try therefore and that most straitly, writings on the Divine doctrines, and if any should go along with the sacred Scriptures and speed its clear and most unerring way therein, let it be acclaimed by us too with testimonies to its orthodoxy: but if it form its language cold and astray and amiss, yea rather giver of destruction to the readers, let it hear from every mouth, But ye are uttering and telling us another error." (Five Tomes Against Nestorius, Book 1, para 3).

The Glossa Ordinaria says, "The canonical books have been brought about through the dictation of the Holy Spirit. It is not known, however, at which time or by which authors the non-canonical or apocryphal books were produced. Since, nevertheless, they are very good and useful, and nothing is found in them which contradicts the canonical books, the church reads them and permits them to be read by the faithful for devotion and edification. Their authority, however, is not considered adequate for proving those things which come into doubt or contention, or for confirming the authority of ecclesiastical dogma, as blessed Jerome states in his prologue to Judith and to the books of Solomon. But the canonical books are of such authority that whatever is contained therein is held to be true firmly and indisputably, and likewise that which is clearly demonstrated from them. For just as in philosophy a truth is known through reduction to self-evident first principles, so too, in the writings handed down from holy teachers, the truth is known, as far as those things that must be held by faith, through reduction to the canonical scriptures that have been produced by divine revelation, which can contain nothing false. Hence, concerning them Augustine says to Jerome: To those writers alone who are called canonical I have learned to offer this reverence and honor: I hold most firmly that none of them has made an error in writing. Thus if I encounter something in them which seems contrary to the truth, I simply think that the manuscript is incorrect, or I wonder whether the translator has discovered what the word means, or whether I have understood it at all. But I read other writers in this way: however much they abound in sanctity or teaching, I do not consider what they say true because they have judged it so, but rather because they have been able to convince me from those canonical authors, or from probable arguments, that it agrees with the truth." (Prologue).

John Wesley comments, "Which, indeed, is not properly another gospel. For what ye have now received is no gospel at all; it is not glad, but heavy, tidings, as setting your acceptance with God upon terms impossible to be performed." (John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible).

Ver 8. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.

Vincent of Lerins comments, "Why does he say 'Though we'? why not rather 'though I'? He means, 'though Peter, though Andrew, though John, in a word, though the whole company of apostles, preach unto you other than we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.' Tremendous severity! He spares neither himself nor his fellow apostles, so he may preserve unaltered the faith which was at first delivered. Nay, this is not all. He goes on 'Even though an angel from heaven preach unto you any other Gospel than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.' It was not enough for the preservation of the faith once delivered to have referred to man; he must needs comprehend angels also." (The Commonitory, ch 8).

Thomas Aquinas comments, "Now, a teaching passed on by a man can be changed and revoked by another man who knows better, as one philosopher refutes the sayings of another... But a teaching that comes directly from God can be nullified neither by man nor angel. Hence if a man or an angel were to state anything contrary to what has been taught by God, such a statement would not contradict God’s teaching, so as to void or destroy it; rather, God’s teaching would be against him... Hence the Apostle says that the dignity of the Gospel teaching, which has come directly from God, is so great that if a man or even an angel preached another Gospel besides that which he has preached among them, he is anathema, i.e., must be rejected and expelled...nothing is to be taught except what is contained, either implicitly or explicitly, in the Gospels and epistles and Sacred Scripture. For Sacred Scripture and the Gospels announce that Christ must be believed explicitly. Hence whatever is contained therein implicitly and fosters its teaching and faith in Christ can be preached and taught. Therefore, when he says, besides that which you have received, he means by adding something completely alien: 'If any, man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book' (Rev 22:18). And 'Neither add anything,' i.e., contrary or alien, 'nor diminish' (Deut 12:32)." (Commentary on Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians).

John Calvin comments, "And here it is not a little remarkable, that he begins with himself; for thus he anticipates a slander with which his enemies would have loaded him. 'You wish to have everything which comes from you received without hesitation, because it is your own.' To show that there is no foundation for such a statement, he instantly surrenders the right of advancing anything against his own doctrine. He claims no superiority, in this respect, over other men, but justly demands from all, equally with himself, subjection to the word of God." (Commetary on Galatians).

Ronald Y. K. Fung comments, "This implies (a) that the gospel embodies a core of fixed tradition which is normative so that no preaching deviating from it can be called 'gospel' in the proper sense of the word, and (b) that the authority of the gospel resides primarily in the message itself and only secondarily in the messenger." (The Epistle to the Galatians, NICNT, 1970).

Ver 9. As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.

Tertullian writes, "But what if a bishop, if a deacon, if a widow, if a virgin, if a doctor, if even a martyr, have fallen from the rule of faith, will heresies on that account appear to possess the truth? Do we prove the faith by the persons, or the persons by the faith?... In the Lord's apostles we possess our authority; for even they did not of themselves choose to introduce anything, but faithfully delivered to the nations of mankind the doctrine which they had received from Christ. If, therefore, even 'an angel from heaven should preach any other gospel' than theirs, he would be called accursed by us... in order that the truth may be adjudged to belong to us, 'as many as walk according to the rule,' which the church has handed down from the apostles, the apostles from Christ, and Christ from God, the reason of our position is clear, when it determines that heretics ought not to be allowed to challenge an appeal to the Scriptures... I hold sure title-deeds from the original owners themselves, to whom the estate belonged. I am the heir of the apostles." (Prescription Against Heretics, 3, 6, 32, 37).

Dionysius of Alexandria writes, "... [if] anyone alter or destroy [it], or [say] that he was either not God or not man, or that he did not die or rise again, or that he is not coming again to judge the quick and the dead; or if he preach any other gospel than we have preached, let him be accursed, says Paul. But if anyone despises the doctrine of the resurrection of the body, let such an one be at once ranked with the dead. For these reasons, that we may be in accord, church with church and bishop with bishop and elder with elder, let us be careful in our utterances." (Dionysius' Letter to Stephen, I).

John Calvin comments, "Accordingly he enjoins them to regard as devils those who shall dare to bring forward a gospel different from his, — meaning by another gospel, one to which the inventions of other men are added; for the doctrine of the false apostles was not entirely contrary, or even different, from that of Paul, but corrupted by false additions." (Commentary on Galatians).