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Bible Dictionaries
Galatia
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
or Galati is the same as Celts, of the Kymric not the Gaelic branch. These poured into Greece and pillaged Delphi 280 B.C. Some passed into Asia at the invitation of Nicomedes I, king of Bithynia, to help him in a civil war. There they settled, namely, the Trocmi, Tolistoboii, and Tectosages (from Toulouse), and made inroads far and wide, but were checked by Antiochus I. of Syria, hence called Soter (Savior), and Attahs I of Pergamus, hence, designating himself "king." Then they hired themselves out as mercenary soldiers. Galatia lay in the center of Asia Minor, the province "Asia" on the W., Cappadocia on the E., Pamphylia and Cilicia on the S., and Bithynia and Pontus N. Ancyra (now Angora) was their capital; Tavium and Pessinus were leading cities.
Their language was partly Gallic, partly Greek, hence they were called Gallo-Graeci. The inscriptions at Ancyra are Greek, and Paul's epistle is in Greek. Paul founded several "churches" in the Galatian region, not residing for long in one place and forming a central church, as at Ephesus and Corinth (Galatians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 16:1; Acts 16:6). His first visit was about A.D. 51, during his second missionary journey. Sickness detained him among them, and he turned it to good account by becoming the first preacher of the gospel to them (Acts 16:6; Galatians 1:8; Galatians 4:13). "On account of infirmity of flesh I preached unto you at the first" (so the Greek is). At his subsequent visit (Acts 18:23) he "strengthened" them in the faith.
These files are public domain.
Fausset, Andrew R. Entry for 'Galatia'. Fausset's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/fbd/g/galatia.html. 1949.
