Jerusalem Conference

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Jerusalem Conference

• (Apostolic Council)

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Background on the Jewish Ritual of Circumcision

• The Jewish practice of circumcision as a
  religious ritual goes back to Genesis 17, where
  God tells Abraham to circumcise himself and his
  descendants as a sign of belonging to the
  covenant people of God.
• By the Second Temple period, circumcision had
  become a key distinction of the Jewish people,
  marking them off from the pagan Gentiles (who
  often ridiculed the Jewish practice as rather
  barbaric).
• Male Jews who were born into the faith were
  circumcised as infants when they were eight days
  old. (According to Luke 2, baby Jesus was
  circumcised in keeping with Jewish custom.)
• Gentiles who wished to convert to Judaism
  (proselytes) were circumcised as part of the
  conversion process (which also involved a kind of
  baptism and a temple sacrifice). Circumcision
  symbolized their becoming part of the covenant
  people and obligated them to observe the Jewish
  law and rituals just as if they had been born
  Jewish.
• The issue for the early Christians was whether or
  not to continue this ancient Jewish practice. Can
  we claim to be the true Israel, Gods covenant
  people, without adopting the sign? How Jewish
  does the church need to be in observing the
  Jewish law and customs?

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Arguments for Christian Practice of Circumcision

• Some conservative Jewish Christians (sometimes
  called Judaizers) insisted that all Christians
  should be circumcised. Jewish Christians would
  have already been circumcised as infants, but
  Gentiles joining the church would have to be
  circumcised as part of their conversion (so the
  Judaizers demanded).
• We do not know exactly what arguments the
  Judaizers made to support their position, since
  none of their writings have survived. But the
  following arguments may reasonably be inferred
  from the NT discussions of the issue (mainly in
  Acts, Galatians, Romans, and Philippians)
• The practice of circumcision is biblical. God
  commanded it in Genesis 17. (Keep in mind that
  for the early church what we call the OT was
  their whole Bible there was no NT yet.)
• Circumcision is the God-given sign of belonging
  to Gods covenant people. How can we claim to be
  Abrahams heirs and recipients of the covenant
  promises of salvation without adopting the sign?
• Jesus, the apostles, and all of the earliest
  Christians were circumcised. Those wishing to
  admit Gentiles without circumcision are turning
  the church into something it has never been,
  making it un-Jewish, removing it from its origin
  in Gods ancient covenant with Israel.
• Circumcision is a sign of submission to Gods law
  as revealed in scripture. If we dont circumcise
  Gentile converts and put them under the
  discipline of the commandments, how can they have
  proper moral guidance?

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Arguments against Christian Practice of
Circumcision

• Jewish Christians connected with Antioch (such as
  Paul and Barnabas) pioneered a mission to
  Gentiles without requiring circumcision. This
  precipitated the Apostolic Council, where the
  Jerusalem apostles (Peter, John, and James)
  recognized the basic legitimacy of their mission.
  
• But some Jewish Christians did not buy into the
  agreement, so Paul had to keep defending his
  position. In several letters (notably Galatians,
  Romans, and Philippians), he makes detailed
  arguments against requiring that Gentile
  Christians be circumcised.
• In Genesis 156, God recognized Abrahams
  righteousness based on his faith, even before his
  circumcision and before the giving of the law.
  Therefore, it is faith, not circumcision and the
  law, that makes us heirs of Abraham and the
  covenant promises.
• To require circumcision would imply that
  righteousness before God is based on works of law
  instead of faith, but works of law is a dead-end
  path since no one can keep the law perfectly (and
  even if they did, it would just make them
  arrogant).
• It is evident in the Gentile mission that God is
  saving Gentiles and filling them with the Holy
  Spirit on the basis of their faith in Christ even
  though they have not been circumcised. To impose
  a circumcision requirement would surely hinder
  this mission.
• Even without circumcising the Gentile Christians
  and putting them under the Jewish law, they still
  have the moral guidance of the law of love. Jesus
  himself said that whenever we love our neighbor
  as ourselves we have fulfilled the whole law. And
  the indwelling Holy Spirit provides guidance and
  power for loving the neighbor.

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Controversy in Antioch

• After First Journey, controversy erupts over
  inclusion of Gentiles (Acts 151-3).
• Some from Jerusalem were demanding that Gentile
  converts be circumcised.
• Paul, Barnabas, and Antioch church had not been
  requiring it.
• Circumcision was the key Jewish sign of the
  covenant, going back to Abraham (Gen. 17).
• Male Jews were circumcised as infants.
• Gentile converts to Judaism were circumcised as
  adults, marking them as Jews and putting them
  under obligation to follow Jewish law, rituals,
  and customs ( such as observing Sabbath, holy
  days, eating kosher food, etc.)
• Issue is whether Gentiles (as such) can join
  church and be Christian or whether they have to
  become Jews first and follow Jewish rituals and
  customs.
• When no resolution was found in Antioch, the
  debate was moved to Jerusalem for a high-level
  Conference.

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Jerusalem Conference(Acts 154-29)

• Key participants
• Paul, Barnabas, and Titus represent Antioch.
• Peter, John, and James the brother of Jesus
  represent Jerusalem.
• Key issue Must Gentile converts be circumcised
  and follow Jewish law and customs in order to be
  saved and belong to the church.
• The debate
• Pharisaic Christians demand circumcision and
  following Jewish law as necessary for salvation.
• Peter recalls experience of Gentiles receiving
  Spirit and having their hearts cleansed by
  faith/grace apart from yoke of law.
• Paul and Barnabas recall their experiences among
  Gentiles.
• James the brother of Jesus proposes the
  resolution
• Circumcision and keeping whole law will not be
  required.
• Compromise requirements known as Apostolic
  Decree
• Gentiles must abstain from food offered to idols
  
• from sexual immorality
• and from meat not ritually slaughtered (v. 20).

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Jerusalem Conference(Galatians 21-10)

• Most scholars think Gal. 2 is Pauls account of
  the Jerusalem Conference.
• Two main differences from Acts 15
• Timing in Acts, it is Pauls 3rd visit to
  Jerusalem after his conversion in Galatians, it
  is his 2nd visit to Jerusalem.
• Substance Galatians does not report the
  compromise requirements known as Apostolic
  Decree and seems to rule them out (they added
  nothing to me).
• Possible explanations of timing discrepancy
• Acts and Galatians report 2 different meetings on
  circumcision issue (not likely).
• Galatians omits a visit to Jerusalem (not
  likely).
• There is some confusion in Acts chronology (more
  likely).

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Jerusalem Conference(Galatians 21-10)

• 4. Problem of compromise requirements known as
  Apostolic Decree
• Paul never mentions it (in Gal. or elsewhere) and
  does not follow it (1 Cor. 8-10 allows eating
  idol-meat under certain conditions).
• Even Acts 2125 assumes Paul does not know these
  requirements.
• These rules may have been formulated by Jerusalem
  church after Conference as way of allowing Jewish
  Christians keeping kosher to fellowship with
  Gentile Christians who were not.
• May be Christian adaptation of Rabbinic Noachian
  laws, a list of minimal restrictions that
  allowed Gentiles to have close contact with
  observant Jews.
• Attempts to impose these restrictions on Antioch
  church may have precipitated the incident in
  Antioch (Gal. 211-16).

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Significance of Jerusalem Conference

• Most important event in early history of church.
• Preserved unity between Paul and Jerusalem
  leadership.
• Opened the door for a wider mission to Gentiles.
• Paved the way for the eventual separation of
  Christianity from Judaism. (If the circumcision
  requirement had prevailed, Christianity would
  have remained a sect of Judaism.)
• There remained a faction not buying the
  agreement they will keep pressing the issue
  Paul will have to fight this battle again and
  again.

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Incident in Antioch (Galatians 211-16)

• Recorded only in Gal. 2 (not in Acts).
• Involves a visit of Peter (Cephas) to Antioch.
• First he ate with uncircumcised Gentile
  Christians.
• Then, under pressure from representatives of
  James, he refused to eat with Gentiles. (Perhaps
  James was trying to impose Apostolic Decree
  restrictions on Antioch church.)
• Peters refusal to eat with Gentiles caused other
  Jewish Christians (including Barnabas) to break
  fellowship as well splitting the church.
• Paul publicly denounced Peters action.
• No resolution is reported. Possibly, the church
  sided with Peter/James against Paul, who then
  went independent.
• This episode likely had much to do with the split
  between Paul and Barnabas at the beginning of the
  Second Journey.