Paul is coming to the end of his treatise to the Galatian believers. Scattered throughout his writings are historical and personal tidbits like the one found in our verse today. While seemingly innocuous, statements like this are quite important in understanding the background and context for Paul’s writings. Two questions arise. First, why was this verse included in the letter to the Galatians and second, what insight does this give us into Paul’s method of ministry?

Paul often used what scholars call an amanuensis, one who writes from dictation of another. For example, Romans 16:21indicates that a fellow named Tertius physically wrote Paul’s letter to the Romans. He was a secretary who took down the apostle’s dictation. Whether an amanuensis wrote the entire letter to the Galatians except for this verse or whether Paul penned the whole letter himself is debated. But the fact that he includes this line for emphasizing the importance of the letter’s content is not debated.

Paul’s drawing attention to his handwriting has evoked much discussion among Bible scholars. Clearly this line acted as his imprimatur validating the authority behind the letter. Why the large letters? Could it be that as one who worked with his hands in tent making, he was not accustomed to the fine motor-skills of a scribe? Could it be a literary means of emphasis, akin to using bold face or italics, as writers today would? Or would it be a veiled indication of poor eyesight?  After all, Paul had suffered beatings prior to this point in his ministry (see Acts 14:19). And earlier in this same letter he had written, “… For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me” (Gal 4:15), implying possibly that the apostle had some sort of eye problem. Why else would the Galatians have been willing to “pluck out your eyes” for him? At best these are conjectures, but one thing we can say for sure is that Paul wrote this line because of his passion for the Galatians believers. He wanted them to know for sure that this letter was from him and that he felt strongly about its contents. After all, he wrote some pretty strong things in this letter, for example, anyone who preached a different gospel is twice cursed (Galatians 1:8-9).

Of course, we do not have any of the original autographs of the apostle (the original parchment that he wrote), so we cannot observe his actual handwriting. But the original audience for his letter would have read it and seen it as a mark of authorization.