Galatians 1:1, 3 and Greek Prepositions

I posted this information on B-Greek back in 1998 and wanted to edit it, then post to this blog:

Galatians 1:1, 3 reads in part:

ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ πατρὸς  . . . χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

In both verses of this Pauline epistle, there is one preposition (διὰ and ἀπὸ) governing two substantives. Is this structure very common in the NT? If so, is this syntactical arrangement important?

Normally, I would make a marked distinction between διὰ and  ἀπὸ: Paul seems to employ the prepositions carefully throughout his writings.

According to Dana-Mantey, ἀπὸ apparently places more emphasis on the idea of separation (ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος). They write that ἀπὸ is only used in the ablative case (in the eight-case system); while ἀπὸ seems to approach ἐκ in meaning, ἐκ evidently focuses more on "from within" as opposed to "from the edge of." An example of this usage is τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ καταλλάξαντος ἡμᾶς ἑαυτῷ διὰ Χριστοῦ (2 Cor. 5:18). Conversely, διὰ is utilized to describe through-hood or agency. It does not appear to stress the idea of separation like ἀπὸ does: καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ. (1 Cor. 8:6).

I wonder if Paul uses διὰ in Galatians 1:1 to describe the agency of his apostolic office; in 1:1, there is less of a need to emphasize the idea of separation. As he continues writing in 1:3, however, it is necessary to accentuate separation: "may you have unmerited favor and peace from (ἀπὸ) God the Father and Christ Jesus." That could be the reason why Paul utilizes ἀπὸ instead of διὰ in the verse.

Some writers believe that one preposition governing two substantives in Galatians 1:1, 3 suggests that Paul is placing God and Jesus Christ on the same level. Bob Utley reckons that Paul employs διὰ to affirm the deity of Jesus Christ:

" 'Jesus Christ' and 'God the Father' are linked by one preposition which was the NT author's way of asserting the full deity of Christ; this occurs both in v. 1 and v. 3 (cf. 1 Thess. 1:1; 3:11; 2 Thess. 1:2,12; 2:16)."

Frank Matera (Galatians in the Sacra Pagina series, page 38): "but through Jesus Christ and God the Father: The preposition dia ('through') governs both Jesus Christ and God. Thus Jesus is accorded the honor of being associated with God. It also stands in contrast with the same preposition in the phrase above and emphasizes that Paul's apostleship comes directly from God and Jesus."

Gerald Borchert (Tyndale Cornerstone BC for Romans, Galatians): "The linking of  'God' with 'Jesus' (as in 1:1) is a Christian affirmation of their oneness of purpose, which is further explained in 1:4."

Borchert's observations appear to be less emphatic than the previous commentators, but one of the best commentaries to learn about the many issues that arise for Galatians 1:1-3, see Bruce Longenecker, Galatians in the WBC series.