Separated from My Mother's Womb: An Appraisal of Paul's Testimony in Galatians 1:15

Abstract

In Galatians 1:15, Paul uniquely presents his appointment and apostleship as God's separating him from his mother's womb and calling him by grace. However, Paul's meaning behind the phrase, “separated from his mother's womb,” has been speculated with little biblical-theological substance. Thus, this article presents a fresh argument that in this phrase Paul alludes to his birth as a Roman citizen, which is later followed by his calling to be an apostle to the Gentiles. This study also concludes that Galatians 1:15 functions as the center of Paul's argument in 1:6–2:10 with 2:11–21 as its illustration.