Derbe. When they had proclaimed the gospel there and in the neighbourhood,' they again visited those towns in which they had propagated the faith on this journey, and which through persecutions they had been obliged to leave sooner than they wished; they endeavoured to establish the faith of the new converts, and regularly organized the churches. They then returned by their former route to Antioch.

CHAPTER IV.

THE DIVISION

BETWEEN THE JEWISH AND GENTILE CHRISTIANS AND ITS SETTLEMENT. THE INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT OF THE GENTILE CHURCH.

WHILE in this manner Christianity spread itself from Antioch, the parent-church of the Gentile world, and that great revolution began, which has continued ever since to work its way among the nations, a division threatened to break out between the two parent-churches, those two central points from which the kingdom of God began to extend itself. It was a great crisis in the history of the church and of mankind. hidden contrarieties were destined to come forth in order to be overcome by the power of Christianity and reconciled with one another. The question was, in fact, whether the gospel would succeed not only then, but through all future ages.

The

There came to Antioch many strictly pharisaical-minded Christians from Jerusalem, who, like the Eleazar we have already mentioned, assured the Gentiles that they could not obtain any share in the kingdom of God and its blessedness without circumcision, and entered into a controversy with Paul and Barnabas on the views they held on this subject. The church at Antioch resolved to send a deputation to Jeru. salem for the settlement of this dispute, and their choice naturally fell on Paul arů Barnabas, as the persons who had

1 The Tepixwpos evidently means only the places lying in the imme diate vicinity of these two towns, certainly not a whole province, and least of all, from its geographical position, the province of Galatia. Hence the supposition that Paul in this first missionary journey preachel the gospel to the Galatians is proved to be untenable.

been most active in the propagation of the gospel among the Gentiles. Paul had, besides, a special reason which would have determined him to undertake the journey without any public commission. It appeared now the fittest time for explaining himself to the apostles respecting the manner in which he published the gospel among the heathen, in order to bring into distinct recognition their unity of spirit amidst their diversity of method-(as the latter was necessary through the diversity of their spheres of action)—and to obviate all those contrarieties by which the consciousness of that essential unity could be disturbed. He felt assured by divine illumination, that an explanation on this subject was essential for the wellbeing of the church. The proposal to send such a deputation to Jerusalem probably originated with himself. He went up to Jerusalem' in the year 50, in order (as he himself tells us in the Epistle to the Galatians), partly for private interview with the most eminent of the apostles; partly to render an account in public before the assembled church of his conduct in publishing the gospel, that no one might suppose that all his labours had been in vain, but might learn that he preached the same gospel as themselves, and that it had been effective with divine power among the Gentiles. He took with him a converted youth of Gentile descent, Titus, (who afterwards became his chief associate in preaching,).in order to exhibit in his person a living example of the power of the gospel among the heathen.

2

Before a public consultation was held at Jerusalem, there were many private conferences. The most important result was, that after Paul had given a full account to the apostles,3

1 On the supposition that Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, reckons fourteen years from his conversion, and that this took place in the year 36. About six years would have passed since his return from Jerusalem to Antioch.

2 We have already remarked, that though Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, particularly mentions his private conferences with the most eminent apostles, yet in doing so, he by no means excludes other public discussions. Indeed, it is self-evident, that Paul, before this subject was discussed in so large an assembly, had agreed with the apostles on the principles that were to be adopted. Nor would he in an assembly composed of such a variety of characters, bring forward everything which might have passed in more private communications.

The order in which the three apostles are mentioned is not unimportant. The reading according to which James stands first, is without

James, Peter, and John, of his method of publishing the gospel to the Gentiles and of the fruit of his labours, they acknowledged the divine origin of his apostleship, instead of presuming to dictate to him as his superiors. They agreed that he should continue to labour independently among the heathen, making only one stipulation, that, as heretofore, the Gentile churches should continue to relieve the temporal wants of the poor Christians at Jerusalem. In the private circles also, in which Paul and Barnabas recounted what God had effected by their preaching among the Gentiles, their accounts were received with joyful interest. But some who had passed over to Christianity from the Pharisaic school, now came forward and declared that it was necessary that the Gentiles should receive circumcision along with the gospel, and that they could acknowledge them as Christian brethren only on this condition, and therefore insisted that Titus should be circumcised. But Paul strenuously maintained against them the equal privileges of the Gentiles in the kingdom of God, and that by faith in the Redeemer they had entered into the same relation towards God as the believing Jews for this reason, he would not give way to them in reference to Titus, for this would have been interpreted by the Pharisaic Jewish Christians as a concession of the principle for which they contended.1

As these objections gave rise to much altercation, it was doubt the true one; the other must have been derived from the custom of giving Peter the primacy among the apostles. But the priority is given to James, because he was most esteemed by the Jewish Christians, who were strict observers of, the Mosaic Law, and stood at the head of the church at Jerusalem, while Peter, by his intercourse with the Gentiles and Gentile Christians, was in some degree estranged from that party.

1 The reading which omits ofs oùdè in Gal. ii. 5, would suppose, or the contrary, a concession of Paul in this case, but which, under the existing circumstances, would be wholly inconsistent with the character of the apostle. This peculiar reading of the old Latin church, evidently proceeded in part from the difficulty of the construction for the Latin translation, and partly from the perception of a supposed contradiction between the conduct of Paul with Titus, and his conduct with Timothy, and likewise from opposition to Marcion. That in the Greek church, which, in consequence of the principle of the oikovouía predominating in it, must have been much disposed to such a reading, no trace of it can be found, proves how very much the authority of the manuscripts is against it.

1

thought necessary that the subject should be discussed in a convention of the whole church; but this was afterwards changed into a meeting of chosen delegates. At this meeting, after much discussion, Peter rose up, to appeal to the testimony of his own experience. They well knew, he said, that God had long before' chosen him, to bring the Gentiles to faith in the gospel; and since God who seeth the heart had communicated to them the Holy Spirit, in the same manner as to the believers from among the Jews, he had by this act testified that in his eyes they were no longer impure, after he had purified their hearts by faith in the Redeemer; they were now as pure as the believing Jews, and hence, in the communication of spiritual gifts, God had made no difference between them. How then could they venture to question the power and grace of God, as if he could not without the law admit the Gentiles to a participation of salvation in the kingdom of God? Why would they lay a yoke on believers, which neither they nor their fathers had been able to bear? By "a yoke" Peter certainly did not mean the outward observance of ceremonies simply as such, for he himself still observed them, and did not wish to persuade the Jewish Christians to renounce them. But he meant the outward observance of the law, as far as it proceeded from its internal dominion over the conscience, so as to make justification and salvation dependent upon it; whence arose the dread of putting their salvation in jeopardy by the slightest deviation from it, and that tormenting scrupulosity which invented a number of limitations, in order, by such self-imposed restraint, to guard against every possible transgression of the law. As Peter understood the term in this sense, he could add, "But we also by faith in Jesus as our Redeemer have been freed from the

1 The whole church was far too numerous, to allow of all its members meeting for consultation; but that they took a part in the deliberations, appears inferrible from the words σὺν ὅλῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, Acts xv. 22. The epistle to the Gentile Christians was written in the name not merely of the elders of the church, but of all the Christian brethren.` Also the words Tâν тò πλños, Acts xv. 12, favour this interpretation.

2 Peter's words, àp' ηuegŵv àgxaíwv, are of some value for a chronological purpose, since they evidently show, that between the holding of this assembly and the conversion of Cornelius, to say the least, a tolerable length of time must have elapsed.

yoke of the law, since we are no longer bound to it as a means of justification; for we, as well as the Gentiles, believe that we shall obtain salvation through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ."

These words of Peter made a deep impression on many, and a general silence followed. After a while, Barnabas, who had for years been highly esteemed by this church, rose, and then Paul. In addition to the facts reported by Peter which testi fied the operation of the Divine Spirit among the Gentiles, they mentioned others from their own experience, and recounted the miracles by which God had aided their labours. When the minds of the assembly were thus prepared, James' came forward, who, on account of his strict observance of the law, was held in the greatest reverence by the Jews, and in whose words, therefore, the greatest confidence would be placed. He brought their deliberations to a close, by a proposal which corresponded to his own peculiar moderation and mildness, and was adapted to compose the existing differences. Referring to Peter's address, he said that this apostle had shown how God had already received the Gentiles, in order to form a people dedicated to his service. And this agreed with the predictions of the prophets, who had foretold that in the times when the decayed theocracy was to be gloriously revived, the worship of Jehovah would be extended also among the Gentiles. Accordingly, what had recently occurred among the Gentiles need not excite their astonishment. God who effected all this, was now fulfilling his eternal counsel, as he had promised by his prophets. Since, therefore, by this eternal counsel of God, the Gentiles were to be incorporated into his kingdom by the Messiah, let them not dare to do anything which might obstruct or retard the progress of this work. They ought not to lay any unnecessary burdens on the converted Gentiles. They should enjoin nothing more upon them than abstinence from meat offered to idols2 or of 1 The question whether this was the son of Alphæus, or another person, must be left for future examination.

2 What remained of the flesh of animals used in sacrifice, was partly used by those who presented the sacrifice at their own meals, (especially if they were festive in honour of the gods,) and partly disposed of in the market. The eating of what were called 'n' was regarded by the Jews with the greatest detestation. Pirke Avoth. ch. iii. § 3.