mended. See xiii. 1-3. We have no means of fixing exactly the amount of time which the first missionary journey had occupied, but it cannot well have been less than two years. 27. opened a door of faith unto the Gentiles. The first missionary journey had settled the question as to the applicability of Christianity to the Gentiles, and had absolutely confirmed the tentative efforts at Antioch. Acts xv. THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM. I. THE PROBLEM (xv. 1–5). And certain men which came down from Judæa taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the 2 manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the 3 apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. 4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they 5 declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Antioch had evidently been moving too rapidly for Jerusalem, and consequently it was not long before emissaries came from Jerusalem to protest against the Gentile missions. At first sight it looks as if the description of the Council was at variance with earlier statements in Acts, which represent the principle of the admission of Gentiles as having been already settled in the case of Cornelius (xi. 18), and possibly also in the case of Antioch (xi. 22-23). Two facts, however, have always to be borne in mind: (a) The Church was undoubtedly prepared to recognise isolated cases of converted Gentiles, but it was not ready—at least a large number of its Jewish members were not ready-to admit the universal application of the principle, and to organise missions to the Gentiles. The Church at Jerusalem had recently been recruited from the Pharisees and the stricter Jews (cf. ver. 5), and the new element was strongly opposed to anything like the universalisation of Christianity. (b) While the principle of the admission of Gentiles had already been settled, nothing had been determined as to the demands which would be made upon them after their conversion. Many of those who assented to the principle seem to have tacitly assumed that Gentile converts would be required, as a result of their admission to the Church, to accept circumcision, and so become Jews. When it was found that such a condition was not enforced or even suggested, they seem to have turned hostile to the principle itself. The real question at issue before the Council was not so much whether Gentiles should be admitted, but rather whether after admission they ought not to be required to graduate in Judaism. The account which Paul gives of the discussion in Gal. ii. is in the main consistent with the narrative in Acts, though there are some important discrepancies upon points of detail. Sir W. Ramsay, however, and many other scholars think that the second chapter of Galatians does not refer to the same event as this passage in Acts (see n. on xi. 30). 1. Except ye be circumcised. The Jewish emissaries insisted that circumcision was an additional condition without which true salvation could not be attained. 2. no small dissension and disputation (R.V., "questioning"). The dispute between Paul and the Jewish Christians evidently raised misgiving and questioning in the minds of the Christians at Antioch. they determined. "They" refers to the Church at Antioch-the R.V. makes this clear by translating "the brethren appointed." 3. Phonice. See n. on xi. 19. declaring the conversion. Paul and Barnabas utilised the journey by recounting the story of the mission to the Gentiles to the Christians in all the towns and villages en route. 4. they were received of the church. A meeting of the whole Church was evidently summoned for the purpose of giving a welcome to the Apostles and delegates from Antioch. 5. certain of the sect of the Pharisees. This phrase indicates the source of the trouble. Certain Pharisees had joined the Church and had carried their Pharisaism over into the new religion. To the Pharisee the keeping of the Jewish Law was the essential element of religion, and the converted Pharisees were anxious to make it equally essential to Christianity. it is needful to circumcise them. Here again it is plain that the demand was that circumcision should be imposed on the Gentiles not before but after conversion. THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM—(continued). II. PETER'S ADDRESS (xv. 6-12). 6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider 7 of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word 8 of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, 9 even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us 10 and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to II bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord 12 Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. A special meeting of the leaders of the Church was held to consider the challenge of the Pharisaic Christians. After a great deal of discussion, Peter rose and recounted the story of his own work amongst the Gentiles, explaining how he had been led by the impulse of the Spirit to admit Cornelius and his Gentile friends into the Church. 6. the apostles and elders came together. The meeting apparently was composed, not of the whole body of Church members, which would have been too unwieldy an assembly for the purpose of deliberation, but of the leaders; i.e., the Apostles and the elders. Between the previous meeting of welcome and this gathering of the leaders must be placed the private conference between Paul and Barnabas and "the pillars" of the Church mentioned in Gal. ii. 2. 7. after much disputing. Luke does not record the debate which took place, or give us the arguments of Paul's opponents; he contents himself with recording the speeches of Peter and James, which were made at the close of the meeting. a good while ago. The reference, of course, is to the conversion of Cornelius recorded in chap. x. The length of the interval between chap. x. and chap. xv. cannot be accurately determined. 8. which knoweth the hearts. The Greek adjective represented by this phrase is only found elsewhere in i. 24, and it is noteworthy that it is used both times by Peter. giving them the Holy Ghost. See x. 44-46 and xi. 15-18. put no difference. R.V., " made no distinction between them and us." See xi. 12. 10. put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples. The yoke is "the observance of the law," cf. Gal. v. 1, where Paul speaks of it as "the yoke of bondage." which neither our fathers... able to bear. The Law had completely failed to ensure obedience to the will of God. Cf. Rom. viii. 3, "what the law could not do," a phrase which is illustrated by |