Galatians 2:1

Galatians 2:1, in plain English

Paul is telling you about a major trip he took to Jerusalem fourteen years after his conversion, bringing Barnabas and a Greek convert named Titus with him.

Why it's here

This happened years into Paul's missionary work among the Gentiles. He's being specific about the timeline to show this wasn't a hasty decision—he'd been established in his calling for over a decade. Bringing Titus, an uncircumcised Greek believer, was intentional; he wanted to test whether the Jerusalem leaders would pressure him to change.

Who's speaking

Paul, writing to the Galatian churches to defend his apostolic authority

Where it sits in the story

This is the Jerusalem Council meeting recorded in Acts 15, a pivotal moment where the young church had to decide what it meant to follow Jesus across cultural boundaries. Would you have to become Jewish first to become Christian?

The scholarly reading

Paul returns to Jerusalem after fourteen years, bringing Barnabas and Titus with him to present his ministry among the Gentiles to the apostolic leadership.

Language and setting

This is Paul's second major visit to Jerusalem after his conversion—the first occurred around 36-37 CE (Acts 9:26), and this second visit takes place circa 49-50 CE. The interval of fourteen years, whether calculated inclusively or exclusively, marks a substantial period during which Paul had established thriving Gentile communities in Syria, Cilicia, and Asia Minor without direct oversight from Jerusalem. The deliberate inclusion of Titus—an uncircumcised Greek convert—signals Paul's intention to make a statement about the legitimacy of Gentile Christianity precisely as it was being practiced in his churches.

Voice

Paul, writing retrospectively in his letter to the Galatians, recounting events from approximately one to three years prior to the letter's composition.

Significance

This moment represents a critical juncture in the emergence of a genuinely multiethnic church. The Jerusalem council debate here prefigures the formal resolution of Acts 15, though Paul's account emphasizes his apostolic independence and direct revelation rather than a corporate decision-making process. This establishes the pattern of tension between the Jerusalem mother church and the Gentile mission that will persist throughout early Christian history.

1Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along also.

2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I spoke privately to those recognized as leaders, for fear that I was running or had already run in vain.

3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.

Read all of Galatians 2 — Paul opposes Peter to his face for withdrawing from Gentile believers. If righteousness came through the law, Christ died for nothing.