1 J.M.G. BARCLAY, Obeying the Truth. A Study of Paul’s Ethics in Galatians (Studies of the New Testament and its World; Edinburgh 1988) 112. Cf. In-Gyu HONG, The Law in Galatians (JSNTSS 81; Sheffield 1993) 185: "This verse has been a vexing problem to many interpreters. Here scholarly opinions differ considerably". Regarding the context Hong notes: "The flesh appears to be a personified power that works against the Spirit ... For Paul, existence under the flesh is compatible with existence under the law ..., for subjection to the flesh causes man to break the law and thereby brings him under the bondage of the law" (87; cf. 166 and 175-176). According to J. BLIGH, Galatians. A Discussion of St Paul’s Epistle (London 1969) 446, v. 16 is the equivalent of a conditional sentence ("If you walk by the Spirit, you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh") and is clearly parallel to v. 18 ("If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law").
2 For a comparison see, e.g., P. ALTHAUS, " ‘... Dass ihr nicht tut, was ihr wollt’ (Zur Auslegung von Gal. 5, 17)", TLZ 76 (1951) 15-18; O. MODALSKI, "Gal. 2,19-21; 5,16-18 und Röm. 7,7-24", ThZ 21 (1965) 22-37, esp. 29-37; and, in a rather original way, H.D. BETZ, Galatians (Hermeneia; Philadelphia 1979) 278-281 (see our note 5).
3 In German: "anaphorisches Demonstrativ".
4 Cf. J. LAMBRECHT, The Wretched "I" and Its Liberation (Louvain Theol. & Past. Monogr. 14; Leuven 1992).
5 BETZ, Galatians, 279-280, detects two "wills", in Romans 7, in Gal 5,17 even three (the "I", the "Spirit" and the "flesh"). For Betz the anthropological theory in Gal 5,17 – basically pre-Pauline in origin – is not integrated into the soteriological context of vv. 16 and 18 and, therefore, "it must be taken for what it says: the human body is a battlefield on which the powers of the flesh and the Spirit fight against each other, so that the human will is disabled from carrying out its intentions" (280-281). Furthermore, Romans 7 is not simply the working out of Gal 5,17. "... we should assume that Paul’s theological thinking did not stop between the letters, that because of new situations he encountered and new insights he gained, new efforts were required to state his position" (280).
6 For a more detailed survey and bibliographical references, see BARCLAY, Obeying the Truth, 110-119; cf. also F.J. MATERA, Galatians (Sacra Pagina; Collegeville 1992) 206-207.
7 Cf. E. DE WITT BURTON, The Epistle to the Galatians (ICC; Edinburgh 1921, repr. 1968) 300-302: "Does the man choose evil, the Spirit opposes him; does he choose good, the flesh hinders him" (302); BETZ, Galatians, 279-281 (but see note 5); J. ROHDE, Der Brief des Paulus and die Galater (THNT; Berlin 1989) 234-235; R.N. LONGENECKER, Galatians (Word; Dallas, TX 1990) 245-246; A. VANHOYE, La lettera ai Galati. Seconda parte (Rome 31997) 221-222 (see our quotation in note 24); J.D.G. DUNN, The Epistle to the Galatians (Black’s NT; London 1993) 297-300: "... those things you want are associated with the desirings of both flesh and Spirit" (299). See also ALTHAUS, "... Dass ihr nicht tut, was ihr wollt", 15-16, who clearly describes (but rejects) "das jeweilige Wollen des Menschen" (15) and lists German exegetes who defend this majority opinion (Bengel, B. Weiss, Zahn, Schlatter, Oepke, Lietzmann, Schlier).
8 Cf. F. MUSSNER, Der Galaterbrief (HTKNT; Freiburg – Basel – Wien 1974) 375-378: The flesh and the Spirit "kämpfen im Menschen um den Menschen. Der Mensch ist jedoch den beiden Mächten nicht einfach ausgeliefert; das ‘Begehren’ des Geistes bzw. des Fleisches stellt ihn vielmehr in eine Entscheidungssituation, in der er jeweils aufgerufen ist, ‘das zu tun’, wozu er getrieben wird. Wäre der Mensch machtlos zwischen beide Mächte gestellt und wäre er das nur passive Kampffeld zwischen Fleisch und Geist, dann hätten der Imperativ des Apostels in V 16 ... und die Aussage des V 18 keinen Sinn" (377-378).
9 M.-J. LAGRANGE, Epître aux Galates (EB; Paris 1918, repr. 1950) 147-148: "Il y a donc entre les facultés humaines et l’Esprit de Dieu ce moyen terme qui est l’esprit participé, et que la théologie catholique nomme la grâce. C’est ici le sens le plus naturel, puisque les puissances sont affrontées dans l’homme" (147).
10 For the human spirit, see the closing verse "your spirit" (Gal 6,18).
11 Cf., e.g., B. CORSANI, Lettera ai Galati (Genova 1990) 353: "Sarebbe per lo meno singolare che Paolo usasse questo verbo per un soggetto comme
to\ pneu=ma".12 G.W. HANSEN, Galatians (IVP NT Commentary Series; Downers Grove, IL 1993), 170-171: Spirit-led Christians do not indulge their sinful nature (v. 13) nor gratify its desires (v. 16); they do not do the evil things they want to do; they are not "left without moral direction to do whatever they want" (171). This would also seem to be the position of CORSANI, Galati, 353-355 (esp. 355).
13 Cf. DUNN, Galatians, 297: "to supply ‘fights’ ... is unwarranted".
14 See, more particularly, ALTHAUS, "... Dass ihr nicht tut, was ihr wollt" (with references to Luther and Calvin). R. BULTMANN, "Christus des Gesetzes Ende" (1940), in IDEM, Glauben und Verstehen II (Tübingen 1952), 46, n. 6 (this interpretation "ist wohl vorzuziehen"); MODALSKI, "Gal. 2,19-21; 5,16-18", 30. D. LÜHRMANN, Der Brief an die Galater (Zürcher Bibelkommentare; Zürich 1978) 88-89, translates: "was ihr (eigentlich) wollt" (88) and comments: "Über das Gesetz kommt der Mensch gerade nicht zur erhofften Identität mit sich selbst" (89). U. BORSE, Der Brief an die Galater (RNT; Regensburg 1984) 194-196, provides a rather loose paraphrase as translation: "damit ihr (eben) das tut, was ihr nicht wollt" (194); he explains and defends his version by referring to Romans 7 (195-196).
15 BARCLAY, Obeying the Truth, 115. The Christians are not free "to live however they like", "to do whatever they want" (112). Cf. MATERA, Galatians, 207: "the dangerous position of libertinism, doing whatever they want".
16 BARCLAY, Obeying the Truth, 115. "The warfare imagery is invoked not to indicate that the two sides are evenly balanced" (ibid.). Cf. MATERA, Galatians, 199-220 and 206-207; HANSEN, Galatians, 168-172 (but see also note 12); HONG, The Law, 185-186.
17 Cf. BARCLAY, Obeying the Truth, 111, n. 10.
18 In this reading the causal (and warning) force of
ga/r is expressed in the first clause and not, as often in a (me\n) ga/r … de/ construction, in the second clause. Cf. M. ZERWICK, Biblical Greek (Rome 1963), nos. 474-477.19 The variant reading
de/ for this second ga/r is almost certainly secondary. According to MUSSNER, Galaterbrief, 176, n. 16, ga/r is "sicher ursprünglich".20 See LONGENECKER, Galatians, 245: "The neutral plural pronoun
tau=ta (these things,’ ‘these entities’) refers back to ‘the flesh’ and the ‘the Spirit,’ treating them now more as ‘things’ or ‘entities’ than personal forces".21 See LONGENECKER, Galatians, 245: "The neutral plural pronoun
tau=ta (these things,’ ‘these entities’) refers back to ‘the flesh’ and the ‘the Spirit,’ treating them now more as ‘things’ or ‘entities’ than personal forces".22 See ZERWICK, Biblical Greek, nr. 352; BARCLAY, Obeying the Truth, 112, who quotes C.F.D. MOULE, An Idiom Book of New Testament Greek (Cambridge 21959) 142, describing the "Semitic mind" as "notoriously unwilling to draw a sharp dividing line between purpose and consequence". Often the terms "telic" and "ecbatic" are used. To see in v. 17d a divine intention, as ROHDE, Galater, 234 ("von Gott her bezweckt") does, is most probably misguided.
23 See, e.g., J. LAMBRECHT, Pauline Studies (BETL 115, Leuven 1994) 271-298: "Curse and Blessing: A Study of Galatians 3,10-14".
24 VANHOYE, Galati, 221-222: "occorre tradurre con precisione há ean thelête; non significa semplicemente ‘ciò che volete’, ma ‘tutto ciò che vorreste’ (an con il congiuntivo ha questo senso)" (221). No doubt "vorreste" is the correct translation of the construction. In Paul’s text, however, there is neither
pa/nta ("tutto") nor a4tina (cf. 5,19).25 Ibid., 221.
26 Cf. J.H. MOULTON, A Grammar of New Testament Greek. Vol. III: Syntax (by N. TURNER; Edinburgh 1963) 106-110; A.T. ROBERTSON, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (London 1914) 957: "The subjunctive with the indefinite relative ... is futuristic", and hence indeterminate and universal.
27 See the opposition between "sowing to the flesh" and "sowing to the Spirit" in Gal 6,8, but there is no stalemate. The two results are indicated: "reaping corruption" and "reaping eternal life". Compare the indicative in Gal 6,12:
o3soi qe/lousin … ou[toi.28 MATERA, Galatians, 199, translates "so that you cannot do whatever you want". He brings together five English translations: "to prevent you from doing what you would" (RSV); "to prevent you from doing what you want" (NRSV); "so that you may not do what you want" (NAB); "so that what you will do you cannot do" (NEB); "so that you cannot do what you want" (REB) ( 199-200). All have "what". Equally the Lutherbibel translates: "so dass ihr nicht tut, ‘was’ ihr wollt", and the Einheitsübersetzung: "so dass ihr nicht imstande seid, das zu tun, ‘was’ ihr wollt".
29 Cf. also Gal 2,18:
ei9 ga\r a4 kate/lusa tau=ta pa/lin oi9kodomw=. K. BEYER, Semitische Syntax des Neuen Testaments (Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testamentes 1; Göttingen 1962) 171, writes about the resumptive demonstrative pronoun in the accusative: "Hier handelt es sich wohl um einen Gräzismus, da dies im Semitischen ganz selten ist" (see also p. 175).30 On the difference between Rom 7 and Gal 5, see J.M.S. BALJON, Exegetisch-kritische verhandeling over den brief van Paulus aan de Galaten (Leiden 1889) 243: "Daar is de
nou=j gebonden onder de macht van de sa/rc. Hier evenwel niet. Hier is alleen strijd". Cf. ALTHAUS, "... Dass ihr nicht tut, was ihr wollt", 16-18: "Das Subjekt des ‘was ihr wollt’ ist der von Gott geschaffener Mensch... Die Erlösung des Menschen durch den Geist Jesu Christi knüpft an die Schöpfung ... an" (18).31 Paul seems to refer to the deficiencies in the Galatian churches (see, e.g., 5,15), but any Christian reader of this text recognizes the inner conflicts and the all too frequent moral defeats.
32 This idea is not to be found in v. 17 itself but must be mentally supplied because of the immediate context.
33 Cf. A. OEPKE, "Irrwege in der neueren Paulusforschung", TLZ 77 (1952) 449-458, answering Althaus (see our note 2): As long as one remains between the two forces one does not do what one "eigentlich, seiner schöpfungsgemässig gesetzten und vom Geist erneuerten Natur nach" (458) wills. See also the rather free rendering in the Gute Nachricht Bibel: "so dass ihr von euch aus das Gute nicht tun könnt, das ihr doch eigentlich wollt". H.M. RIDDERBOS, The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia (NICNT; Grand Rapids 1953, reprint 1974) 203-204, likewise sees the content of "what you want to do" as positive ("by virtue of the new man" in the Christians). Yet as far v. 17 is concerned he speaks of "an irreconcilable conflict", of the fact that Christian life, too, "is subject to a penetrating, internal dualism. Still, this is not the last thing that can be said of the matter. It is not passivity but action that is in order...". Ridderbos then refers to vv. 16 and 18.
34 See note 14 (cf. especially the strong defense by Althaus almost 50 years ago).
35 Cf. the title of G. FEE’s book: God’s Empowering Presence. The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul (Peabody, MA 1994).