The Yale expositor., 1909-05-21
THE COUNCIL AT
JERUSALEM
Sunday School Lesson for May q, 1903
Specially Arranged for This Paper


be saved, even as they."-Acts 15:l1.
TIME.-About so A. d.. as is commonly
agreed, though various scholars place 1t
earlier.
PLACE-Antioch in Syria. and Jerusa-
lem.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
v. /. Certain men," perhaps those
sent by James (Gal. 2: 12) "came
down from Judea." The Bean text
says that these visitors we're Phari-
sees, members of the strictest sect Of
the Jews. Perhaps they came to in
vestigate rumors of laxity in the
church, at any rate, they taught the
brethren" (the verb Is in the imper-
feet, implying continued action, -they
kept teaching), land said, Except We
be circumclsed We cannot be
saved" "a very different doctrine
from st. PauPs' Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved
(Acts 16:3D. "-Rackham
The Importance of the Question
The Christian church, during its first
20 years, had spread over Palestine,
Phoenicia, Damascus, Antioch, Cyprus
and South Galatia in Asia Minor. IL
was rapidly growing, especially among
the Gentiles. The difference that had
arisen set off against each other the
two great centers of growth, Jerusa-
I'm and Antioch. 1t threatened to d.
vide the Christian churches into two
contending and irreconcilable fac
tions. II that happened, it would
probably be the deathblow to the
young religion, the destruction of the
hopes of the world through Christ.
Could any matter be more momen-
tous?
". 2. "They ("the brethren" v. u
determined that Paul and Barnabas,
and certain other of them (including
Titus, Gal. 2: /, afterward Pauls COM
panion, a Greek, man of much abil-
ity, who would serve as a specimen
of the Gentle converts), should go up
to Jerusalem 600 miles away about
this question" Paul went "by revela-
ton" (Gal. 2: p, which is entirely
consistent with the statement that the
church sent him.
AAbOi huCh NObabCg lhaI ONOl yOhO
might express his views, as is proper
in a democratic assembly such as all
Christian gatherings should be, Peter
spoke up. His nearness to Christ and
his strong character combined to
make him a leader. Moreover, in this
case he had had personal experience
which placed him on PauPs side-the
divine revelation bidding him go to
the Gentle Cornelius, and the outpour-
ing of the Spirit upon that convert
and his household. 1t was precisely
such witness to the right of the Gen.
tiles to enter the church without cir
cumcision as Paul himself described
insisted upon 1t with characteristic
vigor, closing with the pointed ques-
ton, why put a yoke upon
the neck of the (Gentile) disciples,
which neither our fathers nor we
were able to bear?"-the yoke being
the minute oppressive rites of Juda-
ism, with the Pharisaic additions, i'm
posed as a condition of salvation.
There is only one condition of saliva
ton, said Peter in conclusion,-"the
grace (the free gift, unbought by any
deed of ours) of the Lord Jesus
Christ" AS Peter sat down, Paul
must have clapped his hands!
The decision embodied in a Letter:
~ To clarity and unity judgment in
the preparation of it; (2) to guard
against slips of memory on the part
of the ENJOYS; (3) to prevent misun-
derstandings; (4) to preserve for fu-
ture occasions the results of the con-
ference. Capt Cuttles advice, when
found, make note on" applies to all
weighty matters.
The reasons for the restrictions:
1. The "pollutions of idols" ". 20),
explained as meats offered to idols"
". 29), came to be a sore trouble in
the church, and liberty to eat such
meat (the meat commonly sold had
nearly all formed part of sacrifices)
was at later time claimed for Chris
tians very strenuously by Paul. But
until the Gentle churches were con-
firmed In their new separation from
idolatry, it was wise to require them
to abstain from whatever might tempt
them with memories of the licentious
revels which heathenism celebrated
in the name of religion.
2. "Fornication," however. was the
great sin of idolatry, which ''glorifled
sexual vice with the halo of sacred
sanction. "-Schaff. Courtezans we're
the priestesses Of the temples of We
nus, and crowds of abandoned women
gathered around most of these so
called holy shrines. To this day, sex
ual immortality is the terrible sin of
idolatry, as the missionary annals of
Africa, India. China. japan and the
South seas most abundantly show.
8. Things strangled," meant "the
flesh of such animals as were killed in
snares. and whose blood was not
poured forth. The Jews were
forbidden to eat these, as coming I'M
der the larger restriction that follows:
4. Blood" was forbidden the Jews
as an article of diet (Inductive Study
~ hooauoa blood uuao N oxvV,toI - ltf~