Why would the circumcision of the Galatians result in the Jewish Christians (Judaizers) avoiding persecution?
If the Jewish Christians could get Christian believers from a Gentile background to be circumcised, then they could remain in favour with the Jewish community at large. 1 Presumably, most of the persecution against Christians at this point in time came from non-Christian Jews (see Acts 4:1–8:3). 2 They were upset to find Jews eating and worshipping together with uncircumcised Gentiles. 3 By emphasizing circumcision, the Judaizers assigned salvation to human obedience rather than the work of Jesus Christ. In this way they abolished the offence of the cross and they avoided persecution (Galatians 5:11). Thus, their aim was not to keep God’s law but to avoid suffering. 4
12 Tous ceux qui veulent se rendre agréables selon la chair vous contraignent à vous faire circoncire, uniquement afin de n'être pas persécutés pour la croix de Christ.