First read the accounts. I have removed the verse numbers for sake of the flow of the text. The paragraph breaks are mine done for ease of reading. (NRSVUE)
Galatians 2
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain.
But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. But because of false brothers and sisters secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us— we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.
And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised. They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was[a] eager to do.
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood self-condemned, for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the gentiles to live like Jews?”
Acts 15
Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.
So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.
But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.”
The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us, and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
The whole assembly kept silence and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “My brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first looked favorably on the gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written,
‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
from its ruins I will rebuild it,
and I will set it up,
so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
even all the gentiles over whom my name has been called.
Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things known from long ago.’
“Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
Then the apostles and the elders, with the consent of the whole church, decided to choose men from among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers and sisters of gentile origin in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that certain persons who have gone out from us, though with no instructions from us, have said things to disturb you and have unsettled your minds, we have decided unanimously to choose men and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
So they were sent off and went down to Antioch. When they gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When they read it, they rejoiced at the exhortation. Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers and sisters. After they had been there for some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers and sisters to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and there, with many others, they taught and proclaimed the word of the Lord.
After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the brothers and sisters in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and set out, the brothers and sisters commending him to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
The traditional view is that a “Council” was held by the early church in Jerusalem to consider the matter of gentile converts. There doesn’t seem to have been any question that gentiles could join the movement. The Hebrew scriptures assume that gentiles will have some role in the Kingdom. And it seems clear that there was some sort of pre-Pauline gentile ministry. (Interesting given Paul’s claim to be the “Apostle to the Gentiles”.) What seems to have been the issue is whether or not gentiles had to be Torah observant. If so, to what degree of practice?
Many scholars think that Galatians 2 and Acts 15 are two versions of the same event. Others disagree. We should definitely note that both Paul and the writer of Acts have agendas. The difference is that Paul was an active participant and Acts was written decades later by a non-participant. Paul spins his account to his own advantage without a doubt. But Acts seems guilty of wholesale invention to further a previously arrived at point of view.
So let’s ask some questions.
Why did Paul go to Jerusalem?
With whom did he meet?
How was he received?
Who was in the “circumcision faction”?
What was James’ actual point of view on the matter?
What was the source of the conflict between Paul and Barnabas?
Did the author of Acts know Paul’s letter to the Galatians?
There is more but there is always more.
Interrogating Cephas the first time yielded no results. Similarly, contact with eyewitnesses 14 years later did not improve Paul’s opinion about the heard accounts of how the guys and Jesus were wandering around the villages in Galilee. On the other hand, Jerusalem somehow did not care about the meaning of the resurrection according to Paul
This deal is amazing. After all, they have complementary offers: Jesus resurrected + Historical Jesus. One big gospel. There are no dramatic bad sticking points. You can combine this together by expanding your own offers. Establish financial parity and territorial division. And the issue of ethnic traditions regarding circumcision was not a problem. The fact that the split between circumcised and uncircumcised in Asia Minor was different than in the Levant is nothing new and did not cause any major problems. They allegedly divided up the area according to their own aesthetic preferences.
Paul listened to Cephas, but the implicit assumption that he accepted the stories of Cephas with Jesus and his friends roaming Galilee is wishful thinking. nothing else.
And the best part is that after several decades, some Luke tries to straighten out these obvious problems. He doesn’t do it surgically. But the client accepted the job and that was it
We know. Here Paul informs the churches in Galatia that he saw Jesus’ buddies twice, that he questioned Jesus’ closest disciple, and what? And nothing. This is enough for the recipients, and culinary issues are more important than the stories of witnesses about Jesus. No questions no answers. It is really not known why they wrote these gospels – after all, no one wanted them busy cooking
It’s hard to believe that the “Jerusalem Council” took place as described. In Acts everyone is falling all over each other to agree and to make pseudo-Pauline pronouncements. (Though even Acts has to concede there was “much debate”.)
Paul clearly has some fundamental differences with the Apostles in Jerusalem but there’s a line he can’t cross, and probably doesn’t want to. The most he can do is claim equal authority. I would dearly love to know just what Peter & James & John thought they were signing off on when they gave Paul the “right hand of fellowship”. Paul seems surprised and offended by the response of James and Peter. The conversion of an enemy of the movement must have delighted the Apostles. But maybe over time they started getting troublesome reports from the “field”. So maybe that initial enthusiasm was tempered somewhat.
Was there an actual break? I am sympathetic to the view that the author of Acts is trying to, what? restore? create? a connection between the Jerusalem Church and the Gentile Church that would have been severed by the First Revolt. Maybe the tradition of a “Flight to Pella” is even part of this effort. As time went on an Apostolic connection became more and more important. And you would have had more and more Gentile churches in various parts of the empire who had no connection to the Jewish church whatsoever.
The reason I asked all those questions is because I don’t know what the answers are. The terrible situation we’re in is that the thing we know the least about is the thing about which we’re most curious. But it is all interesting to consider. Even if it’s just what might have happened.
Does anyone dispute that the leader of the “circumcision faction” must have been James?
Robert, what is Paul saying here?
But because of false brothers and sisters secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us— we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.
It sounds like Paul begins a rant but cuts himself off.
The hermetic nature of Paul’s actions, who makes an agreement with the disciples of Jesus and does not use their stories, is absolutely counterproductive. For some unknown reason, Paul chooses to ignore the attractive material he has just acquired. This is completely incomprehensible and against his obvious interest. Unless he sees a very high risk in using this material. Nazareth, Jerusalem, Pilate, Mary somehow do not convince Paul.
And if something is incomprehensible, it means that it is the result of a collective decision. Paul is to keep doing what he was doing, it’s not worth risking his authority.
And you there, what’s your name? Luke. Okay. You sit down and write because what really matters is that those from Jerusalem can’t write. Idea is king but distribution is king kong.
BDEhrman
FreedomBen
evgendob
Robert
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