Writing on the Edge: Paul's Use of Hyperbole in Galatian

In his Letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul characterizes the law in such a harsh way that theologians have struggled to reconcile his statements with those made elsewhere (e.g., in Romans or the Acts defense speeches) or, indeed, with his own law-observant behavior (Acts 16:3; 18:18; 20:6, 16; 21:20--24). The present study hypothesizes that in Galatians Paul was speaking hyperbolically with regard to the law and his opponents, so one must seek a corrected (mitigated) meaning from his statements.;By surveying ancient rhetorical and modern linguistic literature, the study constructs a methodology with which to detect hyperbole in written materials. The methodology is applied to sample OT and NT passages before ultimately moving to Galatians itself.;Fourteen statements from Galatians were identified as being Paul's most negative statements concerning the law and his opponents. Of these, eight were found to be highly likely for hyperbole, four were moderately likely, and two were somewhat likely. The hyperbolic statements of Galatians were reinterpreted, and a fresh perspective was proposed for the letter.