大象传媒

Tha mi a鈥� dol a th貌iseachadh na Litreach an t-seachdain seo le litir. T猫 a tha m貌ran nas ainmeile na Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh, feumaidh mi aideachadh. Litir a nochdas anns a鈥� Bh矛oball. Seo p脿irt dhith.

鈥淎ch tha mi a鈥� toirt fios dhuibh, a bhr脿ithrean, an soisgeul a shearmonaicheadh leamsa, nach ann a r猫ir duine a tha e. Oir cha b鈥� ann o dhuine a fhuair mi e, ni m貌 a theagaisgeadh dhomh e, ach tre fhoillseachadh Iosa Criosd.鈥�

A bheil sibh e貌lach air an Litir sin? 鈥橲 e sin d脿 earrainn a-mach 脿 Litir an Abstoil Ph貌il chum nan Galatianach. Tha e anns an Tiomnadh Nuadh. Seo earrann eile bhon Litir 鈥� Caibideil a Tr矛, Earrann a h-Aon. Tha e a鈥� sealltainn nach robh P貌l agus na Galatianaich a鈥� tarraing buileach air an aon r脿mh, co-dhi霉 nuair a sgr矛obh P貌l an litir thuca:

鈥淥 a Ghalatianacha amaideach, c貌 a chuir druidheachd oirbh, ionnas nach bitheadh sibh umhail don fh矛rinn, d鈥� an robh Criosd air a nochdadh gu soilleir fa chomhair bhur s霉l, air a cheusadh nur measg?鈥�

Bha P貌l air a bhith ann an Galatia roimhe, a鈥� searmonachadh. Tha e ag r脿dh ann an Leabhar Ghn矛omharan nan Abstol gun deach e 鈥渢ro th矛r Galatia uile ... a鈥� neartachadh nan deisciobal uile.鈥� Agus tha e ag r脿dh anns an Litir aige 鈥� anns a鈥� cheathramh is c貌igeamh Earrann deug dhen cheathramh Chaibideil 鈥� gun d鈥� fhuair e f脿ilte chridheil chridheil bho mhuinntir an 脿ite aig an 脿m ud. 鈥淭ha mi a鈥� d猫anamh fianais dhuibh,鈥� tha e a鈥� sgr矛obhadh, 鈥渘am bu chomasach e, gun sp矛onadh sibh a-mach bhur s霉ilean fh猫in agus gun tugadh sibh dh貌mhsa iad.鈥�

Ach, anns an eadar-ama, tha c霉isean air a dhol an aghaidh teachdaireachd Ph貌il agus an aghaidh an iompachaidh a rinn e, a r猫ir na sgr矛obhas e. Anns an Litir aige, tha e ag iarraidh air na Galatianaich tilleadh don teagasg aige fh猫in.

Bhiodh e inntinneach faighinn a-mach, nuair a bha P貌l ann an Galatia, d猫 an c脿nan a bha e a鈥� bruidhinn ris an t-sluagh. Bha Galatia ann am meadhan na d霉thcha ris an canadh na R貌manaich Asia Minor. Ghabh P貌l sgr矛ob mh貌r tron d霉thaich sin. An-diugh, tha sinn nas e貌laiche air Asia Minor mar Anatolia 鈥� 鈥檚 e sin a鈥� chuid mh貌r dhen Tuirc. B鈥� e pr矛omh bhaile nan Galatianach 脿ite ris an canadh iad Ancyra. 鈥橲 e sin far a bheil pr矛omh bhaile na Tuirc an-diugh 鈥� baile m貌r air a bheil Ankara.

Carson a tha mi a鈥� togail ceist mun ch脿nain a bh鈥� aig na Galatianaich? Tha, a chionn 鈥檚 gur e Ceiltich a bh鈥� annta. Tha an Gal- aig toiseach an ainm ag innse sin. Bha iad c脿irdeach do na G脿idheil, is do mhuinntir Ghaul is muinntir Ghalicia 鈥� is bha barrachd na aon Ghalicia ann.

鈥橲 d貌cha gur iad na Galatianaich na Ceiltich a b鈥� fhaide sear a chaidh a chl脿radh ann an eachdraidh. Gu deimhinne, bha iad c脿irdeach dhuinn fh猫in, fad 脿s. Agus tha e a鈥� coimhead gu math coltach gun robh iad fhathast a鈥� bruidhinn c脿nan Ceilteach nuair a bha an t-Abstol P貌l nam measg. Chaidh aithris anns a鈥� cheathramh linn AC gun robh c脿nan aca fhathast a bha co-ionann ris a鈥� ch脿nan aig treubh eile a bha a鈥� fuireach ann am meadhan na Roinn E貌rpa 鈥� taobh Abhainn Rhine.

Ach ciamar a dh鈥櫭╥rich suidheachadh far an robh Ceiltich a鈥� fuireach ann an Asia Minor? Bheir sinn s霉il air a鈥� cheist sin an ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: Am B矛oball: The Bible; An Tiomnadh Nuadh: The New Testament; Caibideil: Chapter; Earrann: Verse; gu deimhinne: certainly; treubh: tribe.

Abairtean na Litreach: t猫 a tha m貌ran nas ainmeile na: one [fem] that is much better known than; feumaidh mi aideachadh: I must admit; tha mi a鈥� toirt fios dhuibh, a bhr脿ithrean: I tell you, brothers; an soisgeul a shearmonaicheadh leamsa: the gospel preached by me; nach ann a r猫ir duine a tha e: it is not according to [made by] man; ni m貌 a theagaisgeadh dhomh e: neither was I taught it; tre fhoillseachadh Iosa Criosd: by the revelation of Jesus Christ; Litir an Abstoil Ph貌il chum nan Galatianach: The Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians; a鈥� tarraing buileach air an aon r脿mh: altogether in agreement [pulling on the same oar]; c貌 a chuir druidheachd oirbh?: who bewitched you?; ionnas nach bitheadh sibh umhail don fh矛rinn: so that you鈥檇 not be obedient to the truth ; air a cheusadh nur measg: crucified among you; Leabhar Ghn矛omharan nan Abstol: The Book of the Acts of the Apostles; a鈥� neartachadh nan deisciobal uile: strengthening all the disciples; nam bu chomasach e, gun sp矛onadh sibh a-mach bhur s霉ilean fh猫in: if it had been possible, that you鈥檇 have plucked out your own eyes; agus gun tugadh sibh dh貌mhsa iad: and you鈥檇 have given them to me; anns an eadar-ama: meantime; aghaidh an iompachaidh a rinn e: against the conversion[s] he made; ghabh P貌l sgr矛ob mh貌r: Paul made a big journey; a鈥� chuid mh貌r dhen Tuirc: the major part of Turkey; na Ceiltich a b鈥� fhaide sear a chaidh a chl脿radh: the most easterly Celts [ever] recorded; anns a鈥� cheathramh linn AC: in the 4th Century AD.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: a Ghalatianacha amaideach: O foolish Galatians. Paul is here addressing the Galatians and the Gaelic word Galatianach [鈥淕alatian鈥漖 is therefore in its vocative plural form (not something you come across often in everyday speech). I dealt a little with the vocative plural in Litir 197 in March 2003. Note how it is formed in this instance. A similar example would be 鈥渁 bhodacha鈥� [or 鈥渁 bhodachaibh鈥漖 used in addressing a group of old men. The Bible is a very good resource for any student of Gaelic who wants to access the language in a high-register which follows traditional grammatical modes.

Gnathas-cainnt na Litreach: fa chomhair bhur s霉l: before your eyes. S霉l is the genitive plural of s霉il [following the compound preposition fa chomhair].