Galatians 1:13-14

1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life ¹  in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 1:14 I ²  was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, ³  and was ⁴  extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ⁵ 

[1:13]  ¹ tn Or “lifestyle,” “behavior.”

[1:14]  ² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:14]  ³ tn Or “among my race.”

[1:14]  ⁴ tn Grk “was advancing beyond…nation, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) was translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:14]  ⁵ sn The traditions of my ancestors refers to both Pharisaic and popular teachings of this time which eventually were codified in Jewish literature such as the Mishnah, Midrashim, and Targums.