What is the order of names in Galatians 2:9 and what does it show about Peter's position?
Galatians 2:9 lists the order as James, Peter, and John, not Peter, James, and John. Peter is now in second place, showing he had lost something of his prior position. The passage also indicates James was the moderator, with Peter named after James rather than first.
Les teaches that in Galatians 2:9 the order is changed from “Peter, James, and John” to “James and Peter and John.” Peter, he says, is now in second place, and James was the moderator. This connects to the earlier Acts 15 setting, where after much disputing Peter rose up and reminded them that God had used him to speak to Gentiles at Cornelius’s house twelve years earlier. Although Peter might have returned to Jerusalem urging the others to get out of that place because Gentiles were beginning to wake up, he did not; he was called on the carpet for going to a Gentile, and they stayed because God had not yet permitted them to move beyond the apostleship of the nation of Israel.
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
More Questions
Why is James listed first instead of Peter in Galatians 2:9?
James is listed first among James, Peter, and John in Galatians 2:9, indicating Peter has lost something of his prior standing, since the order of names carries a certain degree of significance.
Does Galatians 2:9 mean Peter, James, and John went to the Gentiles?
Galatians 2:9 does not show Peter, James, and John going to the Gentiles; reading it that way means reading the English incorrectly.
Who are the 'pillars' in Galatians 2:9?
James, Peter, and John are the ones described as 'pillars' in Galatians 2:9, having a leadership role in Jerusalem.