Note 4 at Gal. 1:14: Paul advanced within the ranks of Judaism. In the Greek, the word for "profited" literally means "to drive forward (as if by beating), i.e. to advance" (Strong). Just as in a race, a person might beat an animal to drive him forward and cause him to advance over the others. So Paul was driven by religion. Paul is now speaking of his youth when he advanced and drove himself forward in the Jewish religion beyond many of his own age (Acts 22:3). He was super-abundantly zealous for the traditions of men. A good definition for religion would be the description found in Mark 7:9-13, and summed up as, "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition" (Mk. 7:13).