Acts 15 · The Lantern

The Dispute over Circumcision

And certain ones having come down from Judea were teaching the brothers that, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

The reason why the Holy Spirit did, when the apostles at that time were consulting, relax the bond and yoke for us, was that we might be free to devote ourselves to the shunning of idolatry.

Mark how at every step of the right progress in respect of the Gentiles, the beginning is brought in as matter of necessity. Before this Peter being found fault with, justified himself, and said all that he said in the tone of apology, which was what made his words acceptable: then, the Jews having turned away, upon this Paul came to the Gentiles.

You see, the apostles were subjected to trials both external and internal. It was not simply said that circumcision was necessary, but: "unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." The opposite opinion to this was that by being circumcised, believers could not be saved.

Then, when no small commotion and controversy arose for Paul and Barnabas with them, they appointed that Paul and Barnabas and certain others from among them should go up to the apostles and elders at Jerusalem about this question.

It is to be noted that the early believers, with much searching and great eagerness, discussed dogmas, and that they benefited to such an extent through their discussions and that the Antiochians did not hesitate to send [someone] to Jerusalem to inquire about the controversy.

How in the Epistle to the Galatians he says, "I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, nor did I entrust the Gospel to them or preach it among the Gentiles"; (Gal. 1:16-17) and yet here he says that Paul and Barnabas were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders?

But Paul did not say: "Why is this? Am I not worthy of trust after having performed so many signs?" Rather, he decided to go to Jerusalem for their sake. How then does he say in the Epistle to the Galatians: "I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me" (1:17)?

They therefore, having been sent forward by the church, were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, relating in detail the conversion of the Gentiles; and they were bringing great joy to all the brothers.

And having come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared how much God did with them.

The Council at Jerusalem

But there rose up certain of those from the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, saying that, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

He then cursorily touches on his own conversion from a persecutor to an apostle-confirming thereby the Acts of the Apostles, in which book may be found the very subject of this epistle, how that certain persons interposed, and said that men ought to be circumcised, and that the law of Moses was to be observed; and how the apostles, when consulted, determined, by the authority o…

Saying that it is necessary to circumcise them. The Galatians were deceived by this error, believing that circumcision and the ceremonies of the law should be mixed with the grace of baptism.

The believers not from among the Gentiles, but from among the Jews, demanded that those who accepted the faith be circumcised and observe the other commandments of the law that pertained to the fleshly nature of man.

And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to look into this matter.

And when much controversy had taken place, Peter, having risen up, said to them: “Men, brothers, you yourselves know that from early days God chose among you that through my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

Moreover, in that dispute about the observance or non-observance of the Law, Peter was the first of all to be endued with the Spirit, and, after making preface touching the calling of the nations, to say, "And now why are ye tempting the Lord, concerning the imposition upon the brethren of a yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to support?

Observe Peter from the first standing aloof from the affair, and even to this time judaizing. And yet he says "ye know." Perhaps those were present who of old found fault with him in the matter of Cornelius, and went in with him on that occasion: for this reason he brings them forward as witnesses.

Notice: the grace to resolve the question is received by Peter, in whom even until now there remained elements of Judaism. "You," he says, "know." Perhaps those who had once accused him on account of Cornelius were present here, and perhaps also those who had entered with him into the house of Cornelius, and that is why he calls them as witnesses.

And God, the knower of hearts, bore witness to them, having given the Holy Spirit even as also to us;

and He made no distinction between us and them, having purified their hearts by faith.

"And put no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by faith." From faith alone, he says, they obtained the same gifts. This is also meant as a lesson to those objectors; this is able to teach even them that faith only is needed, not works nor circumcision.

Purifying their hearts by faith. Therefore, it is not necessary to cleanse them with the circumcision of the flesh, whose hearts such great faith purifies, that they even deserve to receive the Holy Spirit before baptism.

This faith is most noble, most solid and most splendid. Many possess it, however, without knowing it, for the face of faith is covered: it wears a kind of dark veil. It turns sinful souls into the most exalted. Hence, in the Acts, "He cleansed their hearts by faith."

Now therefore why are you testing God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we ourselves were able to bear?

For it is the "burdens" of the law which were "until John," not the remedial virtues. It is the "yokes" of "works" that have been rejected, not those of disciplines. "Liberty in Christ" has done no injury to innocence.

Why did he say this, unless they were saved through the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, not through the law of Moses? Through the law there came not healing but the knowledge of sin, as the apostle teaches when he says, "For knowledge of sin came through the law.

What does "tempt God" mean? It means: "Why do you not believe God? As though God were not powerful enough to save a person through faith." To introduce the law is a sign of unbelief. It is known to all that the law was burdensome for the Israelites. The disciples acknowledged this too.

But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same manner as they also.”

Then all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul relating how many signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles through them.

And after they were silent, James answered, saying: “Men, brothers, hear me.

Cyprian of Carthage said: The letter which was written to our colleague Jubaianus very fully expresses my opinion, that, according to evangelical and apostolic testimony, heretics, who are called adversaries of Christ and Antichrists, when they come to the Church, must be baptized with the one baptism of the Church, that they may be made of adversaries, friends, and of Antichri…

This James was bishop, as they say, and therefore he speaks last, and herein is fulfilled that saying, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." But observe the discretion shown by him also, in making his argument good from the prophets, both new and old. For he had no acts of his own to declare, as Peter had and Paul.

This James was a bishop, which is why he also speaks after. Pay attention also to his wisdom: he confirms his word both with new testimony and with Old Testament prophecies.

Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name;

and with this the words of the prophets agree, even as it has been written:

This is shown in a still clearer light from the letter of the apostles, which they forwarded neither to the Jews nor to the Greeks, but to those who from the Gentiles believed in Christ, confirming their faith. ... After him James spoke as follows: "Men, brethren, Simon hath declared how God did purpose to take from among the Gentiles a people for His name.

The Jews understood this to refer to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem after the exile. But this is not true, for that temple was destroyed many times thereafter; the prophecy promises an everlasting rebuilding. Those who say it refers to Zerubbabel have not rightly understood, as if he were descended from the line of David, and this too is not true.

Simon was known as a man close in time, but he did not have authority, since he was not an ancient man. Therefore James brings forth an ancient prophecy: "After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen." The fall was so great that it seemed irreparable. What then? Was Jerusalem restored? Was it not destroyed even more?

‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen; and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it upright,

"After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up." What? was Jerusalem raised up? Was it not rather thrown down? What sort of raising up does he call that which took place after the return from Babylon?

The tabernacle of David means the race of the Jews. It must be known that after Cyrus had freed Israel from captivity, they returned to Judea and built the temple of God. Then, after they had again fortified the cities that had been destroyed before, they lived in security day by day for a long time, that is, for many days and long periods.

After this I will return, and build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen, and the rest. The tabernacle of David signifies the shadow of the law, which was corrupted and torn apart by the traditions of the Pharisees, but when the Lord returns, that is, appears in the flesh, it is raised up by the spiritual grace of God, so that not only Jews but also all nations of the…

so that the remnant of men may seek out the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom My name has been called upon them, says the Lord who is doing these things,

known from the age.’

Therefore I myself judge that we not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

but that we write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what is strangled, and from blood.

"Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and tell them: If anyone who is from among the sons of Israel or from among foreigners, who happens to be among you, eats any blood, I shall place my spirit over the spirit which shall have eaten the blood, and I shall abolish it from among the people, since the spirit of every flesh is its blood.

"But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication" - and yet they often insisted upon these points in discoursing to them - but, that he may seem also to honor the Law he mentions these also, speaking however not as from Moses but from the Apostles, and to make the commandments many, he has divided the one into two saying, "and from…

These precautions, although they concern sensible things, are nevertheless necessary. Since these things were the cause of many evils, it was primarily from them that James restrained the believers.

For from ancient generations Moses has in every city those proclaiming him, being read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

And the churches, too, will wail with a mighty lamentation, because neither "oblation nor incense" is attended to, nor a service acceptable to God; but the sanctuaries of the churches will become like a garden-watcher's hut, and the holy body and blood of Christ will not be shown in those days.

For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him in the synagogues; that is, and if they are not burdened by the severity of the precepts now, yet with passage of time, as they more frequently gather for reading of the law and the prophets, they will gradually adopt ways of life and the interrelated laws of mutual love to be preserved.

Before the coming of the Savior, Moses was read every Sabbath in the synagogues alone, but after His coming the Law of Moses was read without hindrance in the churches of Christ as well. And this is evident from the fact that it is read constantly even to this day.

The Letter to the Gentile Believers

Then it seemed good to the apostles and to the elders, with all the church, having chosen men out from among them, to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who is called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,

In ordinations of the clergy, beloved brethren, we usually consult you beforehand, and weigh the character and deserts of individuals, with the general advice. But human testimonies must not be waited for when the divine approval precedes.

"to choose men from among them to send." They decided that it should not serve merely to have the letter present, for fear that they say that they had seized one thing for another by speaking falsely, but so that the matter might also become more credible, they send those from among them, that Barnabas and Paul may be beyond suspicion.

"Then it pleased the apostles, and the ancients, and the whole church, to choose men and to send to Antioch." It pleased the apostles and the ancients who dwelt in Jerusalem to send with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch Judas, who is surnamed Basabas, and Silas, through whom they sent a letter to this effect: they should not believe that the law of circumcision was necessary for th…

having written through their hand: “The apostles and the elders, brothers, to the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: Greeting.

The twelve, having called together the multitude of the disciples, said, "It is not meet for us to leave the word of God and serve tables." If they avoided this, much more did they shun gluttony.

Then it seemed good to us the apostles, and to James the bishop, and to the elders, with the whole Church, to send men chosen from among our own selves, with Barnabas, and Paul of Tarsus, the apostle of the Gentiles, and Judas who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren, and wrote by their hand, as follows: "The apostles, and elders, and brethren, to the b…

"The Apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia." "To those in Antioch," it says, "and Syria and Cilicia," where the disease had its birth. Observe how they say nothing harsher against those brethren, but look to one thing only, namely, to undo the mischief which has been done.

Inasmuch as we have heard that some who went out from us troubled you by words, upsetting your minds, to whom we had given no instructions,

For the apostle says, "All other things buy out of the shambles, asking no questions," with the exception of the things mentioned in the Catholic epistle of all the apostles, "with the consent of the Holy Ghost," which is written in the Acts of the Apostles, and conveyed to the faithful by the hands of Paul himself.

You have received as your patrimony the desire never to allow the teachings of our faith to degenerate into heresy. What makes this clear? In the time of your ancestors, people came here from Judea who were muddying the clear waters of the doctrine taught by the apostles. They were exhorting your ancestors to practice circumcision and to observe the Mosaic law.

They have troubled you, subverting your souls, to whom we gave no commandment. In the Greek, more is added: Subverting your souls, saying, you must be circumcised, and keep the law, whom we gave no commandment.

it seemed good to us, having come with one accord, having chosen men, to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

men who have handed over their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, and they themselves are telling you the same things by word of mouth.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no further burden except these necessary things:

Do we not, in the apostles also, recognise the form of the Old Law with regard to the demonstration of adultery, how great (a crime) it is; lest perchance it be esteemed more trivial in the new stage of disciplines than in the old?

"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us" - it is not man's doing, it says - "to lay upon you no greater burden" - again it calls the Law a burden: then apologizing even for these injunctions - "save these necessary things." For that was a superfluous burden.

It says that it was "pleasing to the Holy Spirit," so that they would not think this was a human matter. As for what was added "and to us," this was so that everyone would know that they too, the circumcised, held precisely this opinion regarding the question of circumcision.

to abstain from idol-sacrifices, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality. From these keeping yourselves, you will do well. Farewell!”

Now in these precepts where it says that no other burden ought to be imposed on Gentile believers except abstinence from the sacrifices of idols, from blood, from what has been suffocated and from fornication, homicide is not forbidden, nor adultery, nor theft, nor homosexual acts, nor other crimes that are punished by divine and human laws.

"That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well." For these things the New Testament did not enjoin: we nowhere find that Christ discoursed about these matters; but these things they take from the Law.

It is shown that there is nothing that the believers lacked; on the contrary, it is sufficient for them to "abstain from things offered to idols" and so on. By the expression "to abstain from…things strangled," murder is forbidden.

The Believers at Antioch Rejoice

They therefore, having been sent off, went to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude, they delivered the letter.

And having read it, they rejoiced at the encouragement.

And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, encouraged the brothers through much talk and strengthened them.

And having continued a time, they were sent away in peace from the brothers to those having sent them.

[It seemed good, however, to Silas to remain here.]

But Paul and Barnabas were staying in Antioch, teaching and evangelising the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey Begins

And after some days Paul said to Barnabas: “Having turned back, let us indeed look after the brothers in every city in which we have announced the word of the Lord, how they are.”

And besides, the contention cannot be said to be evil, when each disputes for such objects (as here) and with just reason.

If it seemed necessary to the apostles to travel around, and to return often to the same cities where they had preached the gospel, and to visit the believers and to examine closely how they were, what justification will we have before God if we do not fulfill through our writings what they fulfilled by traveling with great toil on their feet and going spontaneously to those wh…

It should be noted that it was the duty of leaders to care for those whom they had enlightened with the light of the Gospel — to examine whether they were sound in faith, whether they were faltering, and whether they needed to be corrected.

Now Barnabas was planning to take along John also, who is called Mark;

but Paul was considering it right not to take along the one having withdrawn from them from Pamphylia and not having gone with them to the work.

Therefore a sharp disagreement arose, so that they separated from one another, and Barnabas, having taken Mark, sailed to Cyprus.

Would to God we too made such separations, as to go forth for preaching. A wonderful man this is; and exceedingly great! To Mark this contest was exceedingly beneficial. For the awe inspired by Paul converted him, while the kindness of Barnabas caused that he was not left behind: so that they contend indeed, but the gain comes to one and the same end.

"A sharp disagreement," he said, "arose," nor a love of conflict. Yet the sharp disagreement was such that it separated them from one another; and with the highest righteousness, which each considered to be beneficial, he later confirmed this by an act of sharing toward him. [CHRYSOSTOM]

And Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. For the brother he loved and who was related to him (for they are said to have been cousins), Barnabas, separated from Paul, returned to his native island, and nonetheless carried out the evangelical work commanded to him.

But Paul, having chosen Silas, went forth, having been committed to the grace of the Lord by the brothers.

And he was passing through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.