Wolność w Liście do Galatów na tle myśli greckiej

Michał Wojciechowski

doi:10.21697/ct.96.1.03

Published: 2026-02-17

Vol. 96 No. 1 (2026)

Freedom in the Letter to the Galatians against the Background of Greek Thought

Michał Wojciechowski

Collectanea Theologica

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.96.1.03

Abstract

Freedom for ancient Greeks had three aspects: personal as opposed to slavery, political in a city-state (not being subjected to empires), and internal – of a sage, independent of external situation. Freedom was defined as a possibility to live according to one’s own will, but problem of the limits of freedom was known. Philosophers, especially Stoics, tried to put freedom in accord with ethics and wisdom, judging that only a sage is truly free, whereas evil people are slaves by nature. The New Testament texts on freedom are easier to understand against this background. In Gal 3:28 the internal freedom, given by Christ, is presupposed as more important than a legal status. In Gal 4:22–23 slavery attributed to Jews, although considering themselves free, is conceived as a dependence of internal chains. In Gal 4:26 Christians are spiritually free. Galatians 2:4; 5:1 refer to an internal freedom as given by Christ. Christians should not return to a slavery of their previous state. In Gal 5:13 freedom should follow love, not the flesh. Further texts contain allusions to liberation. 17 similar texts from the New Testament follow those lines of thought, forming a coherent concept of freedom.

Keywords:

Galatians, freedom in the New Testament, personal freedom, political freedom, spiritual freedom, internal freedom

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Wojciechowski, M. (2026). Freedom in the Letter to the Galatians against the Background of Greek Thought. Collectanea Theologica, 96(1), 47–69. https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.96.1.03

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