1.- The so-called council of Jerusalem is a meeting between the responsible of the two large communities of the nascent Church: that of Jerusalem, full of jews who follow the law (613 precepts), and that of Antioch, full of gentiles who live the Gospel free of the law. The narration of the meeting appears in the centre of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 15). The future of the Church is at stake: Is the Gospel free of the law accepted? Should the jewish legalism be imposed to the gentiles? Is the unity of the nascent Church under menace? The problem does not belong to the pass; it has a present incidence: do we have a Christian legalism to day? Is the gentiles’ evangelisation accepted? Is such a council necessary?
2.- The community of Jerusalem is originated in Jesus´ mission, which begins in the Galilee of the gentiles (Mt 4,15) and ends in Jerusalem. When he evangelises, Jesus is not alone; he shares his mission. The Twelve (Lk 9, 1-6), the seventy two (10,1), the women who accompany him, are with him (8, 1-3). Jesus community is open to all those who listen the word of God and accomplish them (8,21).
3.- After the death of Jesus, his familiars join the group. The disciples, together in prayer, wait for the gift of the spirit; with them were some women and also Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers (Acts 1,14). Among them is James the Minor, who will lead the most tightly entailed to the law group (Ga 2,12). After Judas death, the group of the twelve is completed with the election of Mathew. The required conditions are: to have accompanied Jesus and to have been witness of his resurrection. The number of those in the meeting is about one hundred and twenty (Acts 1,15-26).
4.- The first Christian community receives the gift of the spirit among hard resistances: Suddenly out of the sky came a sound like a strong rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared tongues like fire, which parted and came to rest upon each one of them (Acts 2,2-3). It is the baptism with Holy Spirit and fire (Lk 3,16). The apostolic evangelisation constants appear: the confession of Jesus like Lord, the conversion, the forgiveness on the part of God, the gift of the spirit, the incorporation to the community, the teaching of the apostles, the communion, the breaking of bread in the homes, the prayer, many prodigies and signals, the sharing of all the belongings (Acts 2,36-47). Denounced before the Sanhedrin, Peter and the apostles answer with courage: Better fir us to abbey God rather than men (Acts 5,29).
5.- Among the different tensions, the greek sector of the community adopts its own organization with the election of the seven (Acts 6,1-6). The number of disciples multiplies and many priests come to accept the faith (6,7). The prophetic denounce of the temple and the law made by Stephen (one of the seven) means the death for him (6,8-8-4)
The meeting of Philip (another of the seven) with the Ethiopian puts out that the experience of faith overflows cultural and religious limits (8,26-40). The experience of Peter in Cornelius home opens the doors of the nascent Church to the pagans, without the need to previously becoming jews (Acts 10. 11). On the year 44 Herod kills by the sword to James the Great, one of the twelve, and he even arrests Peter, but this can escape (12,1-17). In the community of Jerusalem thousand of jews become Christians and all of them are strict partisans of the law (21-20). According to Josephus, James the Lesser is lapidated on the year 62. The community is dispersed before Jerusalemdestruction, carried out by Titus on the year 70.
6.- The community of Antioch is born with the occasion of the persecution that is centred on the greek sector of the community of Jerusalem: Those who had been scattered because of the persecution over Stephen, travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message, but only to the Jews. But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke alto the Greeks, giving them the good news or the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God´s favour, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord. (Acts 11, 19-23). Barnabas left for Tarsuslooking for Paul and brought him to Antioch: For a whole year they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. (11, 25-26).
7.- After all that, in the community of Antioch some of those who came down from Judea created a problem that should be confronted at the same time: Some persons who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers in this way: Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved. Because of this, there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them. It was finally decided that Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem where the apostles and the elders were, in order to discuss this question with them. (Acts 15, 1-2). The community of Antioch proposed the initiative. Paul and Barnabas were not convoked by the Jerusalemapostles and elders. The elders are responsible of the jewish group.
8.- Circumcision and law form an inseparable body for the jews. The circumcision is the covenant’s sign that Israel people receive from God: When he is eight days old, every male among you will be circumcised (Gn 17,12). The law shows the accomplishment of this covenant in the ordinary life. For the jewish sector of the community of Jerusalem his dependency to Israel is an essential factor in the understanding of their believer’s identity, and the adherence of the gentiles to the faith of Christ should necessarily go through circumcision and observance of the law. Nevertheless, not all the groups integrated in the community of Jerusalem are tightly adhered to such strict conception. Even Peter, in Caesarea, had baptized Cornelius, the roman centurion, and those who were with him (Acts 10,1-11,18) without any obligation of going through the circumcision rite or the strict observance of the law.
9.- When the Jerusalem council is celebrated, about year 48, Antioch community is more than ten years old and has admitted many gentiles in its organization, with no imposition to accept the jewish law. It is a group with its own identity: It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians (11,26). The community lives the Gospel free of the jewish law and it fully is the church of Christ.
10.- The delegates of the community of Antioch go through Phoenicia and Samaria, narrating the conversion of the gentiles and generating great joy between all the brothers: On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, the apostles and the elders, to whom they told all that God had done through them (Acts 15,4). But in Jerusalem there are confronted opinions. Some converted Pharisees are firm adherents to jewish law and to the need of everybody’s circumcision: So the apostles and elders met together to consider this matter (15,6).
11.- After a long discussion, Peter stood up and said: Brothers, you know what God did among us in the early days, so that non-Jews could hear the Good News from me and believe. God, who can read hearts, put himself on their side by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them and cleansed their hearts through faith. So, why do you want to put God to the test? Why do you lay on the disciples a burden that neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were able to carry? We believe, indeed, that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are. (Acts 15,7-11)
12.- Peter´s intervention is decisive. The apostle recalls his own experience in the case of Cornelius and extracts the consequence, justifying the Antioch’s community behaviour. Barnabas and Paul proclaim God´s action among the gentiles: The whole assembly kept silent as they listened to Paul and Barnabas tell of all the miraculous signs and wonders that God had done through them among the non-Jews. (Acts 15,12)
13.- Finally, James, responsible of the group that keeps the Jewish law, spoke up: Listen to me, brothers. Symeon has just explained how God first showed his care by taking people for himself from non-Jewish nations. And the word of the prophets agree with this, for Scriptures says: After this I will return and rebuild the booth of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again. Then the rest of humanity will look for the Lord and all the nations will be consecrated to my Name. So, says the Lord, who does today what he decided from the beginning. Because of this, I think that we should not make difficulties for those non-Jews who are turning to God. Let us tell them not to eat food that is unclean from having been offered to idols; to keep themselves from prohibited marriages; and not to eat the flesh of animals that have been strangled, or any blood. (Acts 15, 13,20). David’s booth (raised and rebuilt) is a signal for the gentiles who are looking for God. Jewish law must not be imposed to the converted gentiles, but the gentiles must keep a minimum (see Dt 32,17; Lev 18,6-18.17,10- 12).
14.- The apostles and elders, in accordance with the whole community, decide then, that two leaders of the community of Jerusalem, go to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, carrying a letter that says as follows: We have heard that some persons from among us have worried you with their discussions and troubled your peace of mind. We did not appoint them. But now, it has seemed right to us in an assembly, to choose representatives and to send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. We send you then, Judas and Silas who themselves will give you these instructions by word of mouth. We, with the Holy Spirit, have decided not to put any other burden on you except what is necessary: not to eat neither meat that has been offered to idols, nor any blood, nor strangled animals nor any food that is unclean (Acts 15,24-29). The delegates tell the decisions taken and deliver the letter. The brothers were delighted with the encouragement it gave them (15,31). Paul and Timothy extend everywhere the decisions taken in Jerusalem (16,4).
15.- Later on, in Jerusalem, James recalls Paul those minimums (Acts 21,25), That is nothing new for Paul (Ga 2,6). Two of them are included in the conversion into the Gospel. The participation in the pagan banquets consecrated to the idols is something that Paul clearly denounces: What if a person with an unformed conscience sees you, a person of knowledge, sitting at the table in the temple of idols? And by your knowledge the weak brother perishes. (1Co 8,10-11), you cannot drink at the same time from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons (1Co 10, 21). Paul also denounces the cases of illegal union or impurity; for instance, the case of the incestuous or the cases of homosexuality (1Co 5,1-6,20; Rm 1,26-27), As far as the prohibition of eating strangled animals or blood, it is something that (probably) did not worry him at all.
* For personal and group reflection: The problem considered in the council of Jerusalem could seem something far from us. Nevertheless, taking into account that the present canon law consists of 1752 rules:
- Is it necessary a similar council in today´s church?
- Is the Gospel accepted free of the law?
- Is a Christian legalism in force today?
- Is there today excessive number of laws and we are missing living communities?
- Are today´s gentiles evangelised?
- Is the unity of church under menace?