[The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team:
REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]
Acts XV : 6-22
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| St Peter. Masolina da Panicale,1426-7. |
[7] And when there had been much disputing, Peter, rising up, said to them: Men, brethren, you know, that in former days God made choice among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
[8] And God, who knoweth the hearts, gave testimony, giving unto them the Holy Ghost, as well as to us;
[9] And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
[10] Now therefore, why tempt you God to put a yoke upon the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
[11] But by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved, in like manner as they also.
[12] And all the multitude held their peace; and they heard Barnabas and Paul telling what great signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
[13] And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying: Men, brethren, hear me.
[14] Simon hath related how God first visited to take of the Gentiles a people to his name.
[15] And to this agree the words of the prophets, as it is written:
[16] After these things I will return, and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and the ruins thereof I will rebuild, and I will set it up:
[17] That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all nations upon whom my name is invoked, saith the Lord, who doth these things.
[18] To the Lord was his own work known from the beginning of the world.
[19] For which cause I judge that they, who from among the Gentiles are converted to God, are not to be disquieted.
[20] But that we write unto them, that they refrain themselves from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
[21] For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him in the synagogues, where he is read every sabbath.
[22] Then it pleased the apostles and ancients, with the whole church, to choose men of their own company, and to send to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas, who was surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren.
[6] Conveneruntque Apostoli et seniores videre de verbo hoc. [7] Cum autem magna conquisitio fieret, surgens Petrus dixit ad eos : Viri fratres, vos scitis quoniam ab antiquis diebus Deus in nobis elegit, per os meum, audire gentes verbum Evangelii, et credere. [8] Et qui novit corda Deus, testimonium perhibuit, dans illis Spiritum Sanctum, sicut et nobis, [9] et nihil discrevit inter nos et illos, fide purificans corda eorum. [10] Nunc ergo quid tentatis Deum, imponere jugum super cervices discipulorum quod neque patres nostri, neque nos portare potuimus?
[11] Sed per gratiam Domini Jesu Christi credimus salvari, quemadmodum et illi. [12] Tacuit autem omnis multitudo : et audiebant Barnabam et Paulum narrantes quanta Deus fecisset signa et prodigia per eos. [13] Et postquam tacuerunt, respondit Jacobus, dicens : Viri fratres, audite me. [14] Simon narravit quemadmodum primum Deus visitavit sumere ex gentibus populum nomini suo. [15] Et huic concordant verba prophetarum sicut scriptum est :
[16] Post haec revertar, et reaedificabo tabernaculum David, quod decidit : et diruta ejus reaedificabo, et erigam illud : [17] ut requirant ceteri hominum Dominum, et omnes gentes, super quas invocatum est nomen meum, dicit Dominus faciens haec. [18] Notum a saeculo est Domino opus suum. [19] Propter quod ego judico non inquietari eos qui ex gentibus convertuntur ad Deum, [20] sed scribere ad eos ut abstineant se a contaminationibus simulacrorum, et fornicatione, et suffocatis, et sanguine.
[21] Moyses enim a temporibus antiquis habet in singulis civitatibus qui eum praedicent in synagogis, ubi per omne sabbatum legitur. [22] Tunc placuit Apostolis, et senioribus cum omni ecclesia, eligere viros ex eis, et mittere Antiochiam cum Paulo et Barnaba, Judam, qui cognominabatur Barsabas, et Silam, viros primos in fratribus,
Notes
6. the apostles. Only St Peter, St James, and St John are mentioned. The others had evidently left Jerusalem. St Peter, who was the first bishop of Antioch, had already contended with those of the circumcision (see supra xi. 2) both in Jerusalem and in Antioch (see Gal. ii.). If this Council met circa A.D. 52, then over twenty years had passed since the Ascension of our Lord.
The matter embraced —
(1) a question of doctrine. Could the Gentile.s be saved if they became Christians without first becoming Jewish proselytes?
(2) a question of discipline. Ought they to be forced to accept circumcision ?
Although the apostles were infallible and inspired by the Holy Ghost in their teaching, they were not dispensed from employing the ordinary means of arriving at a decision ; hence they deliberated, and the Holy Ghost guided them into all truth, as Jesus had promised.
7. much disputing, — i.e. on the part of the judaizers. The apostles were perfectly united on this question.
Heretics in the first centuries and some modern critics have represented St Peter as the leader of the judaizers and opposed to St Paul, but this theory is absolutely irreconcilable with what St Luke records of St Peter’s dealings with Cornelius and his discourse at the Council of Jerusalem, and with what St Paul records in his epistle to the Galatians. The acts and words of the apostles are the best refutation of such a false supposition.
Peter, rising up, said to them, etc. St Peter was the first to speak, because he was the Head of the Church, and to him personally it had been revealed that before God all men were equal, and therefore that none were to be considered as, of their nature, common or unclean (see supra, ch. x.).
in former days. ( ἀφ' ἡμερων αρχαιων.) Some twelve or fifteen years, according to different systems of chronology had elapsed since the reception of Cornelius into the Church ; and as these years were filled with such memorable and numerous events, they must have seemed much longer.
made choice, — i.e. reserved for Himself.
among us. Among the Twelve. The revelation was made to him as he was the Prince of the Apostles, even before St Paul was called to the apostleship.
the gentiles should hear, etc. Represented by Cornelius and his kinsmen and friends.
8. God, who knoweth the hearts. The same thought occurs in ch. i. 24, where St Peter prayed with the other apostles, before voting for St Matthias : Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou had chosen. In God’s sight, purity does not depend upon accidental circumstances such as race or birth, or the absence of contact with certain objects, but upon the state of the soul.
giving unto them the Holy Ghost etc. St Peter repeats what he had said when giving an account of Cornelius' conversion. Cf. And when I had begun to speak the Holy Ghost fell upon them, as upon us also in the beginning (supra, xi. 15). Thus God gave testimony and showed that His standard of purity differed from that of the judaizers.
9. and put no difference. Compare this with St Peter’s words to Cornelius In very deed I perceive, that God is not a respecter of persons (supra, xi. 34). St Peter remembered the vision of the sheet full of clean and unclean animals let down from heaven.
10. why tempt you God ? The sect of the Pharisees that believed were tempting God by doubting His power to cleanse the soul by the Holy Spirit without the external right of circumcision ; or, as other commentators explain this passage, God had declared His will concerning the reception of the Gentiles, and to impose this rite on them was equivalent to asking Him for a second manifestation of His will.
a yoke. St Paul speaks of the law as a yoke of bondage (Gal. v. 1). The yoke which Jesus imposes upon His disciples is “ sweet ” and His burden is “ light ” (St Matt. xi. 30).
11. we believe to be saved, etc. Jews and Gentiles were alike saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Both St Peter and St Paul taught this doctrine clearly, e.g . —
(1) St Peter declared before the Sanhedrin, when speaking of the name of Jesus : Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved (supra, iv. 12).
(2) St Paul, addressing the assembly in the synagogue of Antioch, said : From all the things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, in him everyone that believeth is justified (supra, xiii 38-39).
12. telling what great signs — i.e. the miracles wrought by the two apostles on their first missionary journey. God had thus confirmed their teaching. Both St Paul and Barnabas spoke (see supra, xiv. 3), and each related miraculous proofs that God had blessed and approved his ministry.
13. James answered. St James the Less, bishop of Jerusalem, brother of the Lord, and one of the Twelve (see Annot. on xii. 17).
14. Simon. In the Greek we have the original form of the word, “Simeon” (Συμεον).
hath related how, etc. St James confirms St Peter’s statement, and goes on to prove that the reception of the Gentiles into the Church was —
(a) foretold by the prophets, and
(b) foreordained by God from eternity.
visited. Lit. “watched over” (ἐπεσκεψατο) ; hence the derived meaning “to visit.” Cf. He hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people (St Luke i. 68).
16. After these things, etc. The quotation is taken from Amos ix. 11 , and is freely rendered from the Septuagint This prophecy referred to the ruin of the Temple of Jerusalem, where the worship of God was centred in one spot. On these ruins the universal Church was to rise.
It is probable that these discourses were spoken In Greek, which was more familiar than Hebrew to the disciples from Antioch who were present. Also the letter to the churches was written in this language, as the greeting and closing salutation shew.
I will return. A Scriptural expression, meaning “ I will show mercy.”
and will rebuild the tabernacle of David. The Jews here represented by the family of David were brought low as a nation, but were to be exalted later. The word here translated “tabernacle” denotes a tent.
17. That the residue of men, etc. The Hebrew text reads : “ That they may possess the remnant of Edom and of all the heathen which are called by my name.” These variant readings probably arose from the translators reading “Adam” (man) for “Edom.”
18. To the Lord was his own work known, etc. The salvation of all men was foreordained by the Blessed Trinity from eternity, hence St James argues that the conversion of the Gentile^i? realized God’s designs.
19. I judge. St James the Less, as the bishop of the Palestinian Jews, among whom the difficulty had arisen, had a right to speak authoritatively, since those who had “troubled” the church in Antioch were members of the church in Jerusalem.
are converted. Better, “ are turning ” (ἐπιστρεφουσιν). This “ turning ” to the Lord consisted in accepting the apostles’ teaching concerning Christ. It was precisely in Antioch that a great number believing were converted to the Lord (supra, xi. 21).
are not to be disquieted, — i.e. by circumcision being enforced.
20. But that we write unto them. St James’s proposition is a compromise : the Gentiles are to be dispensed from circumcision, but are to observe certain points, which, if neglected, would render all social intercourse with their Jewish brethren very difficult, if not impossible.
pollutions of idols, — i.e. things which had been offered to idols, as explained in verse 29. At most Gentile festivals a portion of the meat was burned on the altars of the gods as a sacrifice. The remainder was used as food by the household, or sent to the market for sale. This meat was held to be polluted, and Daniel and his companions, when in Babylon, had refused to partake of such meats.
In consequence of this custom, and also because the animals had often been killed by strangulation, no devout Jew would purchase meat in a Gentile market, nor of any other than a Jewish butcher. Consequently, if Gentile converts partook of meats that had been offered to idols, no Jewish convert could sit at their tables, and thus all social relations would be out of the question. These prohibitions regarding meats were only to be observed for a time. We find that no attention was paid to such ritual precepts after the Church had completely emancipated herself from the synagogue.
St Paul recommended the Corinthian converts to abstain from meat offered to idols, not because it was wrung to partake of such food, but because of the disedification it might give to the “ weaker brethren” (see 1 Cor. viii. 4-13). He speaks even more openly In 1 Cor. x. 24-33. Therefore these decisions of the assembly were only “ a temporary expedient for a temporary emergency.”
fornication. It may appear strange that such a grievous sin as fornication should be placed m line with mere legal observances, but among the Gentiles this sin was not considered a disgrace. It even formed part of the rites of the worship of Aphrodite at Corinth and Paphos. The decision of the Council concerned only the Gentile converts. The Jews held higher views of morality, and had a great reverence for women.
things strangled. When an animal is killed by strangulation the blood is retained in the body. Now the Jews were taught, Flesh with blood you shall not eat (Gen. ix. 4). Blood was regarded as symbolical of life, therefore it was poured on the altar as a sacrifice to Jehovah. The Gentiles, on the contrary, had no repugnance for blood as an article of food, but used it freely in the preparation of certain dishes.
Tertullian states that in his days the. Christians abstained from partaking of blood (Apoc., 9), and the same statement is found in the letter from the Christians of Vienne and Lyons (Eusebius, Eccl. His., v. 1). It seems that, as long as sacrifices were offered in the Temple, it was looked upon as a grievous offence to partake of blood. In St Augustine’s time the Christians used blood as food, but the line of demarcation between Jewish converts and Gentile converts was then no longer clearly drawn,
21. For Moses of old time, etc. St James explains that he addresses his decision only to the Gentile converts, as the Jews heard Moses read every sabbath in the synagogues, and needed no other reminder of their obligations.
22. Then it ‘pleased, etc. Better, “it seemed good ” (ἐδοξε), as in verse 25. St Luke employs here the classical expression used of the authoritative promulgation of a decree. From this passage some writers have concluded that the simple faithful here designated as “the whole church” were consulted in the matter. But it is not possible that the suffrages of the laity were asked on this question of doctrine and discipline ; for although these first disciples were full of the Holy Ghost, they had no mission to guide the Church. Jesus Christ confided this charge to the shepherds of the flock, i.e. to the apostles and bishops, and the Church militant has always consisted of “the teaching church ” and “the church taught.”
to choose to send. This was the work of the apostles and ancients of their own company — of the church in Judea.
with Paul and Barnabas. As the decree coincided with what St Paul and Barnabas had taught,, two of the Judean brethren were sent to add the weight of their testimony.
Barsabas. This was evidently a patronymic, whence it has been inferred by some that Judas Barsabas was the brother of the Joseph Barsabas who was proposed for the vacancy in the apostolic ranks (see supra, i. 23). Judas is not mentioned elsewhere than in connection with this delegation.
Silas. This is probably the labourer in the Gospel who is spoken of as “Sylvanus” in St Paul’s epistles and in 1 Pet. v. 12 (see 2 Cor. i. 19 ; 1 Thess. i. 1 ; 2 Thess. i. 1). Both Judas and Silas belonged to the order of prophets (verse 32) ; and from ch. xvi. 37 we may conclude that the latter was a Roman citizen.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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