The Style of Galatians 505 4. Sentence structure Most of the sentences of Galatians are short and simple. Galatians contains 2379 words organized into 149 sentences by my count. Thus each sentence averages about 16 words in length. By contrast 2 Peter averages 25 words per sentence. However, Galatians contains several longer, more complex sentences (26). One of these is an instance in which the periodic style is used for ornament (27). The first of these longer, more complex sentences is 1,1-5, the letter salutation. a) 1,1-5 As is typical of letter salutations, this consists of naming the senders of the letter (Pau'lo" ajpovstolo"…kai; oiJ su;n ejmoi; pavnte" ajdelfoiv) and its recipients (tai'" ejkklhsivai" th'" Galativa"), and greeting them (cavri" uJmi'n kai; eijrhvnh ajpo; qeou' patro;" hJmw'n kai; kurivou ∆Ihsou' Cristou'). As is often the case in Paul’s letter salutations, these elements of the salutation are elaborated in various ways. The first sender of the letter is modified by three prepositional phrases, on the last of which depends a participial phrase. The greeting of the letter is a wish for grace and peace from God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The latter is modified by a participial phrase, on which depends a purpose clause, on which in turn depends a relative clause. While Paul commonly elaborates the salutations of his letters, this degree of elaboration is unusual. The only letter salutation that is more elaborate than this is the salutation of Romans. The next most elaborate after that of Galatians is the salutation of Titus. The length and syntactical complexity of the salutation of Galatians alone suggest that it is intended to make a good impression. However, it is also ornamented in several ways. First of all, it introduces the metaphor of Christians as the family of God. God is father (1,1.3) and Christians are brothers (1,2). Second, the opening line contains alliteration – five words that begin with a. Third, the three prepositional phrases that —————— Curse, 115, 148-149, 187, n. 17); 2,16 (MORLAND, Rhetoric of Curse, 187, n. 17); 3,2.5 (MORLAND, Rhetoric of Curse, 115, 194); and understatement/litotes (see Ad Herennium 4.50) in 5,8a (MORLAND, Rhetoric of Curse, 115, 147, 170) and 5,23b (LONGENECKER, Galatians, 263; MORLAND, Rhetoric of Curse, 115, 231). (26) Cicero recommends such use of different sentence types in Orator 211; cf. also Demetrius, On Style 15. (27) Ad Herennium lists the period among the figures of speech that can be used for ornament (4.27).