Galatians 1:11-12, The "revealing" of Jesus Christ.

     11 For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel1 which was preached by me is not a product of man2 , 12 for I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me by3 the revealing4 of Jesus Christ.  Galatians 1:11-12

     Here is one more shameless plug for my upcoming Greek Studies class that starts on January 25, 2011 at TurningPointe Church. The enticing question is: Why did I translate the end of verse 12 as “but it came to me by the revealing of Jesus Christ” when most translations render it “but it came to me through a revelation of Jesus Christ”?

1 τὸ εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) 

or “the good news”.

2 κατὰ ἄνθρωπον (a product of man) 

Greek: “according to man”. In other words, the gospel that Paul was preaching was created by mankind not was it “thought up” by mankind.

3 δι ̓(by) 

or “through”.

4 δι ̓ ἀποκαλύψεως (through the revealing) 

or “through a revelation”

The Greek

11 Γνωρίζω γὰρ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ ̓ ἐμοῦ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον· 12 οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτὸ οὔτε ἐδιδάχθην ἀλλὰ δι ̓ ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.