As to the date of the epistle it is evident from i, 18-ii, 1, that it was written after more than aliout 15-17 years had passed since Paul's conversion. And since about 33 A.D. is the ear liest possible date for the latter event, Galatians could not have been written before 49 or 50 A.D. In other words, the visit to Jerusalem, men tioned in ii, 1-10, which took place 3+14 years 15-17 years) after Paul's conversion, must have been made about 49 or 50 ex., and as the way Paul refers to it implies that it had transpired a considerable time before he wrote, the probable date of the epistle would he some years after 50 A.D. Incidentally, these consider ations seem fatal to the identification of the visit to Jerusalem of Gal. ii, 1-10 with that mentioned in Acts xi, 27-30 (advocated by many who adopt the South Galatian view) instead of the traditional identification of Gal. ii, 1-10 with Acts xv, since the former visit took place, ap parently near the time of the death of Herod Agrippa, 44 A.D. (cf. Acts xii). In spite of differences between Acts xv and Galatians ii, 1-10, these two must be interpreted as referring to the same occasion, and Luke's account must be adjusted to Paul's. The advocates of the South Galatian theory are not at all unanimous as to the date of the epistle. Some (e.g., Luke) would date it even before the council of Acts xv ; while others would put it later. On the North -Galatian view the epistle would be dated after the time of Acts xviii, 23, especially if the expression To irporepov (Gal. iv, 13)
is taken strictly as meaning the former (of two visits). On the whole a date in the latter part of the period covered by Paul's third journey, either during the last months of his stay at Ephesus (54 A.D.) or while he was en route from Ephesus to Corinth (early in 55) seems most satisfactory. In this way the close resemblance between Galatians and Romans is best accounted for, the Galatian defection hav ing brought forcibly to Paul's mind the danger to the Church in the Judaizing propaganda, and his hurried argument in the epistle to the Gala tians being more deliberately worked out in Romans which was written soon after, while he was resting at Corinth (spring of 55 A.D.).
The literature on Galatians is extraordinarily voluminous, and for a full bibliography one may consult Moffatt, 'Intro duction to the Literature of the New Testa • ment' (New York 1915). Monographs of espe cial value are Lagrange, M. J., 'Les Judaisants de l'Epitre aux Galatea' (in Revue Biblique, 1917, pp. 129-167) ; Lake, K., 'The Earlier Epistles of Paul' (London 1911) ; Lightfoot, 'Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians' (11th ed., 1892) ; Stetnmann, (Abfassungszeit des Galaterbriefes' (Munster 1906), and 'Der Leserkreis des Galaterbriefes' (Ibid 1908); Watkins, C. H., 'Saint Paul's Fight for Gala tia' (Boston 1914).