Chapter 15
Council of Jerusalem. 1 [a]Some who had come down from Judea
were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the
Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.”[b] 2 Because there arose no little
dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul,
Barnabas and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and
presbyters about this question. 3 They were sent on their journey by the
church, and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria telling of the conversion of
the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they arrived in
Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, as well as by the apostles and the
presbyters, and they reported what God had done with them. 5 But some from the
party of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, “It is
necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic law.”
6 [c]The apostles and the presbyters met together to see
about this matter. 7 [d]After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and
said to them, “My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made
his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of
the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by
granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us. 9 He made no distinction
between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts. 10 Why, then, are
you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a
yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the
contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in
the same way as they.”[e] 12 The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among
the Gentiles through them.
James on Dietary Law. 13 [f]After they had fallen silent,
James responded, “My brothers, listen to me. 14 Symeon[g] has described how God
first concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his
name. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:
16 ‘After this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of
David; from its ruins I shall rebuild it and raise it up again,
17 so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord, even
all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked. Thus says the Lord who
accomplishes these things, 18 known from of old.’
19 It is my judgment, therefore, that we ought to stop
troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but tell them by letter to avoid
pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and
blood. 21 For Moses, for generations now, has had those who proclaim him in
every town, as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.”
Letter of the Apostles. 22 Then the apostles and presbyters,
in agreement with the whole church, decided to choose representatives and to
send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who
was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers. 23 This is the
letter delivered by them: “The apostles and the presbyters, your brothers, to
the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings. 24
Since we have heard that some of our number [who went out] without any mandate
from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind,
25 we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them
to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have dedicated their
lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 So we are sending Judas and
Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth: 28 ‘It is the
decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond
these necessities, 29 namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from
blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep
free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
Delegates at Antioch. 30 And so they were sent on their
journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch, they called the assembly together and
delivered the letter. 31 When the people read it, they were delighted with the
exhortation. 32 Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, exhorted and
strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 After they had spent some time
there, they were sent off with greetings of peace from the brothers to those
who had commissioned them. [34 ][h] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in
Antioch, teaching and proclaiming with many others the word of the Lord.
V. The Mission of Paul to the Ends of the Earth
Paul and Barnabas Separate. 36 [i] After some time, Paul
said to Barnabas, “Come, let us make a return visit to see how the brothers are
getting on in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord.” 37
Barnabas wanted to take with them also John, who was called Mark, 38 but Paul
insisted that they should not take with them someone who had deserted them at Pamphylia
and who had not continued with them in their work. 39 So sharp was their
disagreement that they separated. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. 40
But Paul chose Silas and departed after being commended by the brothers to the
grace of the Lord. 41 He traveled through Syria and Cilicia bringing strength
to the churches.
Footnotes
15:1–35 The Jerusalem “Council” marks the official rejection
of the rigid view that Gentile converts were obliged to observe the Mosaic law
completely. From here to the end of Acts, Paul and the Gentile mission become
the focus of Luke’s writing.
15:1–5 When some of the converted Pharisees of Jerusalem
discover the results of the first missionary journey of Paul, they urge that
the Gentiles be taught to follow the Mosaic law. Recognizing the authority of
the Jerusalem church, Paul and Barnabas go there to settle the question of
whether Gentiles can embrace a form of Christianity that does not include this
obligation.
15:6–12 The gathering is possibly the same as that recalled
by Paul in Gal 2:1–10. Note that in Acts 15:2 it is only the apostles and
presbyters, a small group, with whom Paul and Barnabas are to meet. Here Luke
gives the meeting a public character because he wishes to emphasize its
doctrinal significance (see Acts 15:22).
15:7–11 Paul’s refusal to impose the Mosaic law on the
Gentile Christians is supported by Peter on the ground that within his own
experience God bestowed the holy Spirit upon Cornelius and his household
without preconditions concerning the adoption of the Mosaic law (see Acts
10:44–47).
15:11 In support of Paul, Peter formulates the fundamental
meaning of the gospel: that all are invited to be saved through faith in the
power of Christ.
15:13–35 Some scholars think that this apostolic decree suggested
by James, the immediate leader of the Jerusalem community, derives from another
historical occasion than the meeting in question. This seems to be the case if
the meeting is the same as the one related in Gal 2:1–10. According to that
account, nothing was imposed upon Gentile Christians in respect to Mosaic law;
whereas the decree instructs Gentile Christians of mixed communities to abstain
from meats sacrificed to idols and from blood-meats, and to avoid marriage
within forbidden degrees of consanguinity and affinity (Lv 18), all of which
practices were especially abhorrent to Jews. Luke seems to have telescoped two
originally independent incidents here: the first a Jerusalem “Council” that
dealt with the question of circumcision, and the second a Jerusalem decree
dealing mainly with Gentile observance of dietary laws (see Acts 21:25 where
Paul seems to be learning of the decree for the first time).
15:14 Symeon: elsewhere in Acts he is called either Peter or
Simon. The presence of the name Symeon here suggests that, in the source Luke
is using for this part of the Jerusalem “Council” incident, the name may have
originally referred to someone other than Peter (see Acts 13:1 where the
Antiochene Symeon Niger is mentioned). As the text now stands, however, it is
undoubtedly a reference to Simon Peter (Acts 15:7).
15:34 Some manuscripts add, in various wordings, “But Silas
decided to remain there.”
15:36–18:22 This continuous narrative recounts Paul’s second
missionary journey. On the internal evidence of the Lucan account, it lasted
about three years. Paul first visited the communities he had established on his
first journey (Acts 16:1–5), then pushed on into Macedonia, where he
established communities at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Beroea (Acts 16:7–17:5).
To escape the hostility of the Jews of Thessalonica, he left for Greece and
while resident in Athens attempted, without success, to establish an effective
Christian community there. From Athens, he proceeded to Corinth and, after a
stay of a year and a half, returned to Antioch by way of Ephesus and Jerusalem
(Acts 17:16–18:22). Luke does not concern himself with the structure or
statistics of the communities but aims to show the general progress of the
gospel in the Gentile world as well as its continued failure to take root in the
Jewish community.
Source Catholic Bible: New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)
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