Galatians 1:6-10 Warning

I invite you to read these verses. Paul is offering a warning by means of a rebuke and curse. He says there is no other gospel. He expresses his disgust in order to get them to reconsider their position. As Aristotle notes, sometimes the speaker has to change the frame of mind of his listeners in order to persuade them to a course of action. In this case, he wants them angry at his opponents, and even angry at themselves, for having so quickly turned away from what Paul taught them. As Calvin notes on verse 6, there is no "right time" to revolt from Christ. His surprise is that they have left their freedom so quickly. In verse 7, Paul claims to represent Christian orthodoxy. I am not sure what to make of the suggestion by Betz that "anathema" is an example of excommunication. This was the word used in later Christian tradition to "excommunicate" someone. The Roman Catholic Church placed an "anathema" upon Luther, and recently removed it. Yet, it may simply mean, as Calvin suggests, that it should never have gotten a hearing. It is a "curse" upon the people to whom Paul refers. In verse 10, the accusation is that Paul is doing nothing more than pleasing people, that is, Gentiles, by making it easier for them to be Christians.