34 DEBBIE HUNN gospel produces change in character. He, in fact, breaks any intrinsic connection between himself and the gospel in 1,8 when he speaks against anyone — himself included — who preaches another gospel. IV. Paul’s Defense of the Gospel Each view just critiqued has merit: Paul was an apostle, he was at times falsely accused, and his readers should follow his example where possible. However, none succeeds in fulfilling Paul’s stated purpose in 1,6-12 of verifying his gospel. To follow the argument in 1,13–2,21, we return to 1,6-12. 1. The Travelogue: Galatians 1,13-24 in Light of 1,6-12 In 1,6-9 Paul urges the Galatians to return to the gospel he taught them. He then claims in vv. 11-12 that he did not receive this gospel from human beings but through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Both Paul’s introduction to the divine origin of his gospel in v. 11, gnwrızw gar ym˜n “ for I make known to you”, and his rebuke of ¥ ù Ωı the Galatians in vv. 6-7 necessitate that he prove this claim. a) Paul’s Argument Paul begins his proof in v. 13, but how vv. 13-24 verify Paul’s gospel is not immediately obvious. He is not demonstrating, for example, a lack of opportunity to receive the gospel from human beings. Fifteen days with Peter, his years with Barnabas, and even his passing acquaintance with James would allow him multiple opportunities. The passage does indicate Paul’s independence from Jerusalem, although as Lyons noted (above), chap. 2 works against independence as Paul’s point. However, the distance Paul kept from the apostles also illustrates that he did not seek to mingle with them with an eye to prominence among them, and this answers his question in v. 10 : “Do I now seek to please people or God?” It is my contention that Paul argues for the divine origin of his gospel on the basis that he has sought to please God, not human beings, after his conversion. Exegetes generally understand that Paul makes this claim in v. 10, but they have not recognized its critical role in his defense of the gospel from 1,10–2,21. To see this, we first need to understand v. 10 and its relationship to vv. 11-12. Paul begins v. 10 with two questions: “For do I now