The Council of Jerusalem or Apostolic Council is a council described in chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles, held in Jerusalem . Scholars increasingly affirm the Jerusalem Council and its rulings as a historical event."There is an increasing trend among scholars toward considering the Jerusalem Council as historical event. An overwhelming majority identifies the reference to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 with Paul's account in Gal. 2.1–10, and this accord is not just limited to the historicity of the gathering alone but extends also to the authenticity of the arguments deriving from the Jerusalem church itself.", Philip, "The Origins of Pauline Pneumatology: the Eschatological Bestowal of the Spirit", Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2, Reihe, p. 205 (2005). Mohr Siebeck.
According to Acts, the council addressed whether Gentile converts were required to be circumcised and observe Mosaic Law. The council decided that Gentiles were not required to be circumcised or keep the law of Moses, while instructing them to abstain from food associated with idols, from blood and meat from strangled animals, and from porneia, often translated as fornication or sexual immorality. These instructions are commonly known as the Apostolic Decree. The purpose, scope, and origin of the decree are debated. The decree itself "has been obsolete for centuries in the West", according to the 19th-century German Catholic bishop Karl Josef von Hefele.
Accounts of the council are found in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15, in both the Alexandrian and Western textual traditions. The council may also be referred to in Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 2, although scholars disagree about whether Galatians 2 describes the same event as Acts 15."There is an increasing trend among scholars toward considering the Jerusalem Council as historical event. An overwhelming majority identifies the reference to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 with Paul's account in Gal. 2.1–10, and this accord is not just limited to the historicity of the gathering alone but extends also to the authenticity of the arguments deriving from the Jerusalem church itself.", Philip, "The Origins of Pauline Pneumatology: the Eschatological Bestowal of the Spirit", Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2, Reihe, p. 205 (2005). Mohr Siebeck.
Historical background
Jerusalem was the first center of the Christian Church according to the Book of Acts and (according to the Catholic Encyclopedia) the location of "the first Christian church".Jerusalem (A.D. 71–1099): "During the first Christian centuries the church at this place was the centre of Christianity in Jerusalem, "Holy and glorious Sion, mother of all churches" (Intercession in "St. James' Liturgy", ed. Brightman, p. 54). Saint Mark of syriac orthodox church is also known as last supper church and believe first christian church. " The apostles lived and taught there for some time after Pentecost. James the Just, brother of Jesus was leader of the early Christian community in Jerusalem, and his other kinsmen likely held leadership positions in the surrounding area after the destruction of the city until its rebuilding as Aelia Capitolina in , when all Jews were banished from Jerusalem.
The apostles Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem to meet with the "Pillars of the Church":St. James the Less Catholic Encyclopedia: "Then we lose sight of James till St. Paul, three years after his conversion (A.D. 37), went up to Jerusalem. ... On the same occasion, the "pillars" of the Church, James, Peter, and John "gave to me (Paul) and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision" ()." James the Just, Peter, and John. The Council of Jerusalem is generally dated to , roughly 15 to 25 years after the crucifixion of Jesus (between AD 26 and 36). Acts 15 and Galatians 2 both suggest that the meeting was called to debate the legitimacy of the evangelizing mission of Barnabas and Paul to the Gentiles and the Gentile converts' freedom from most of the Mosaic Law, especially from the circumcision of males, a practice that was considered execrable and repulsive in the Greco-Roman world during the period of Hellenization of the Eastern Mediterranean, and was especially disdained by both ancient Greeks and Romans, who instead valued the foreskin positively.
At the time, most followers of Jesus (which historians refer to as Jewish Christians) were Jewish by birth and even converts would have considered the early Christians as a part of Judaism. According to scholars, the Jewish Christians affirmed every aspect of the contemporary Second Temple Judaism with the addition of the belief that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah.McGrath, Alister E., Christianity: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing (2006). . Page 174: "In effect, they [Jewish Christians] seemed to regard Christianity as an affirmation of every aspect of contemporary Judaism, with the addition of one extra belief — that Jesus was the Messiah."
Issues and outcome
The purpose of the meeting, according to Acts, was to resolve a disagreement in Antioch, which had wider implications than just circumcision, since circumcision is considered the "everlasting" sign of the Abrahamic covenant in Judaism (). The Acts say that "certain men which came down from Judaea" were preaching that you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved"; Acts states that furthermore some of the Pharisees who had become believers stated that it was "needful to circumcise [the Gentiles,] and to command [them] to keep the law of Moses" (KJV).
The primary issue which was addressed related to the requirement of circumcision, as the author of Acts relates, but other important matters arose as well, as the Apostolic Decree indicates. The dispute was between those such as the followers of the "Pillars of the Church", led by James, who believed that the church must observe the Torah (i.e. the rules of traditional Judaism ()), and Paul the Apostle, who called himself "Apostle to the Gentiles", who believed there was no such necessity. The main concern for Paul, which he subsequently expressed in greater detail with his letters directed to the early Christian communities in Asia Minor, was the inclusion of Gentiles into God's New Covenant, sending the message that faith in Christ is sufficient for salvation.
At the council, following advice offered by Peter ( and ), Barnabas and Paul gave an account of their ministry among the gentiles (), and James quoted from the words of the prophet Amos (, quoting ). James added his own wordsGill, J., "Acts 15". Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible. Accessed 13 September 2015. to the quotation: "Known to God from eternity are all His works" and then submitted a proposal, which was accepted by the Church and became known as the Apostolic Decree:
sets out the content of the letter written in accordance with James' proposal. The Western version of Acts (see Acts of the Apostles: Manuscripts) adds the negative form of the Golden Rule ("and whatever things ye would not have done to yourselves, do not do to another").
The Decree addressed more than circumcision, particularly dietary questions, fornication, idolatry, and blood, as well as the application of Biblical law to non-Jews. At the Council, the apostles and elders declared: "the Holy Spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper." (Acts 15:27–28) The Apostolic Decree was binding on Christian congregations in other regions."Apostolic Presbyterianism" by William Cunningham and Reg Barrow.
Historicity