The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 9)

Now, while Paul was carrying the gospel to the Gentiles, others were focused on the Jewish diaspora. Moreover, like Paul, they sometimes employed literate believers to compose letters in the then universal language of Greek to reach those scattered believers.

The anonymous epistle to the Hebrews was one of them. The letter focused on interpreting the Hebrew Bible through the Christ event and comparing the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. It opened with a declaration of Christ's role as God's representative and his superiority to the angelic realm (Hebrews 1). The author then proceeded to describe precisely how Christ brought salvation to humankind, his superiority to Moses, and how he represented the ultimate Sabbath for believers (Hebrews 2-4:13). The epistle also described Christ's role as the High Priest of the New Covenant (Hebrews 4:14-8:13). Next, the author described how Christ fulfilled the sacrificial/ritualistic system of Torah (Hebrews 9-10). Finally, the letter concluded with an explanation of the central role which faith had played in the old system and would continue to play in the new one (Hebrews 11-12).

In similar fashion, James addressed his epistle "To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion." (James 1:1) He focused on Jewish Christians demonstrating their faith in Christ's sacrifice by admonishing them to be doers of God's word, not just hearers (James 1-2). Even so, James reiterated Christ's assertion that the central responsibility of his disciples was to fulfill the Law of Love (James 2:8-13). James went on to encourage Jewish Christians to tame their speech (James 3:1-12). He also reminded his audience about the dangers inherent to giving into the passions which rage within all humans (James 4:1-12). He went on to conclude his remarks with an admonishment to remain faithful to Christ and each other (James 5).

Likewise, Peter addressed his first epistle "To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." (I Peter 1:1) Peter opened by reminding his Jewish audience that they had been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:2). He also went on to remind them that their hope was centered on the fact that God had resurrected Jesus Christ from the grave (I Peter 1:3-9). Like James, Peter reminded his audience that God had called them to live holy lives (I Peter 1:13-25 and 2:1-12). Like James, he also reiterated Christ's teaching about brotherly love and forgiveness (I Peter 3:8-12) He also admonished Jewish believers to follow Christ's example of patience and humility in the face of suffering and persecution (I Peter 3:13-22 and 4:1-19). Finally, Peter closed with an admonishment for the leadership among them to follow the example of the Good Shepherd of service to others (I Peter 5:1-11).

For Jewish Christians, the focus was on Christ's roll in fulfilling the Hebrew Scriptures. As we have already observed, these folks continued to participate in synagogues. Likewise, they persisted in observing the weekly Sabbath, Holy Days, and in observing the laws surrounding clean and unclean. Nevertheless, like their Gentile brethren, their focus was on Jesus Christ's sacrifice for them, and the fact that God had resurrected him from death. In short, they were Christians who continued to live their lives as cultural Jews.

We must also remember that MOST of them had accepted the Council of Jerusalem's decision regarding a Gentile believer's obligation to Torah (that they were NOT required to observe the tenets of God's covenant with Israel). Even so, there continued to be a small but vocal group of Jewish believers who insisted that everyone (including Gentile converts) was obligated to obey the commandments of Torah. Moreover, many non-believing Jews were, by this time, openly hostile to Christian teachings.

As a Jew and an apostle of Jesus Christ, Paul had experienced the full range of Jewish beliefs and practices. He had also been warned about what he would face in Jerusalem. Hence, he must have been aware that an appearance at the Temple would be dangerous. Indeed, as soon as some of the Asian Jews spotted Paul there, they began stirring up the crowd against him. They claimed that Paul was anti-Jewish, and that he had preached against Torah and the Temple. They also accused him of defiling the Temple by bringing Gentiles into it. (Acts 21:27-29) As a consequence, a large group of these Jews seized Paul and dragged him outside of the Temple. Although the mob clearly intended to kill Paul, the commander of a Roman regiment of soldiers intervened and took him into protective custody. (Acts 21:30-36)

When Paul's safety had finally been secured, he asked the commander for permission to address the mob. The commander gave his assent, and Paul was allowed to speak. He addressed them in Hebrew and briefly recounted his own background in the Jewish religion and in persecuting Christians. (Acts 22:1-21) The mob, however, began screaming at him when he told them that God had sent him to preach to the Gentiles. Thus, the commander intervened again and ordered his soldiers to take Paul inside their headquarters and question him about the riot that he had provoked. Nevertheless, before the soldiers began their interrogation, Paul asked them if it was legal to whip a Roman citizen without a trial. Then a centurion reported what the prisoner had said to the commander, and the interrogation of Paul was immediately suspended. (Acts 22:22-29)

The following day, the commander ordered the Jewish Council to assemble and presented Paul to them for their evaluation of him (Acts 22:20). Paul stood before the Council and declared: "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." At that, the High Priest ordered those next to Paul to slap his face. "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?" Paul responded. This only served to further inflame the High Priest and his supporters, so Paul apologized for being unintentionally impertinent. (Acts 23:1-5)

Now, Paul realized that the Council was composed of both Pharisees and Sadducees, and he declared to the assembly that he was associated with the beliefs of the Pharisees. "It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial," he declared. Hearing that, the Pharisees on the Council all said that they couldn't find any fault with what Paul was saying. As a consequence, the Council became embroiled in a heated debate between the two parties, and the tribune again had to intervene to save Paul from the uproar that his remarks had evoked. (Acts 23:6-10)

That evening, the Lord appeared to Paul and said: "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome." (Acts 23:11) Nevertheless, the next day Paul learned of a plot by over forty individuals to murder him, and that they had obtained the cooperation of some of the leading members of the Council in their plans. However, when the tribune heard about the plot, he decided to remove Paul from the Council's reach and thwart the plans of the conspirators. (Acts 23:12-22)

Thus, the commander wrote a letter to Felix, who was then the governor of the province, explaining Paul's circumstances and asking him to intervene in the matter. Toward that end, he ordered a large detachment of Roman soldiers to take Paul to Caesarea and present him to the governor. As a consequence, Felix agreed to hear Paul's case after his accusers had been given the opportunity to also appear at the hearing. (Acts 23:23-35)

Five days later, the High Priest arrived in Caesarea with a small group of elders who were prepared to make their case against Paul. Both sides presented their case to Felix, and the apostle defended both his actions and his beliefs against his accusers. The governor, however, did not want to offend the Jewish religious leadership; so, he decided to keep Paul in prison. Hence, for the next two years Paul remained in a kind of limbo. (Acts 24)

Now, although no one knows the exact date, it was about this time that accounts of Christ's life, death, and resurrection began to be committed to writing. Prior to this, they had been told and retold many times throughout the years since Christ's death and resurrection. Once again, although there is much uncertainty surrounding the process of writing the Synoptic Gospels, a scholarly consensus has rallied around what is known as the Four-Source Hypothesis. Indeed, in Bart Ehrman's The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2018), we are informed that this is "the view held by the vast majority of critical scholars today."

Ehrman wrote: "The foundation for this hypothesis is that among the three Synoptic Gospels, Mark was the first to be written and was copied, in part, by both Matthew and Luke for many of their stories. This view is sometimes called Markan Priority, that is, Mark was prior to and used by the other two. There are numerous reasons for holding this view." Ehrman went on to list three of the main justifications for holding to this view: 1) the patterns of agreement between them, 2) the sequence in which the stories appear, and 3) the fact that both Matthew and Luke make independent corrections to problematic passages found in Mark. Hence, Mark becomes the principal source for both of the other Gospels. Likewise, there must have been some other source for stories which do NOT appear in Mark but do appear in both Luke and Matthew. Finally, there is some material that is unique to Matthew, and some that is unique to Luke. I trust my readers with the math - that makes FOUR sources in total for the material found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. We should also note that there is a widespread consensus that the Gospel of John was composed later than the Synoptic Gospels and was composed independently of those accounts.

To briefly summarize, during this period, we begin to see epistles and written accounts of Christ's story circulating among the various congregations of the Christian Church. To be clear, there was still nothing like the New Testament Canon at the time. Hence, roughly thirty years after Christ's death and resurrection we begin to see some of these writings being shared among SOME of the congregations of the Church! Thus, although the developments which we have heretofore discussed are a very important part of the story of the Church, we must keep in mind that we are only about one-third of our way through that first one-hundred years! 

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 8)

In the meantime, Paul had arrived at Ephesus and found some believers there who hadn't yet been baptized (Acts 19:1-3). So, Paul baptized them, placed his hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:4-7). For the next three months, Paul preached about Jesus in the local synagogue. Nevertheless, when opposition to his message began to break out, he and the other believers withdrew from that place and began meeting in the Hall of Tyrannus on a daily basis. This continued for two years, and by the time that Paul was finished, that entire region had heard about Jesus Christ. (Acts 19:8-10)

Moreover, during this period, God used Paul to perform many miracles of healing among the people there. Indeed, his ministry was so spectacularly successful that the sons of the local priest began invoking Christ's name to cast out demons from those possessed by them. However, one spirit acknowledged Jesus and Paul, but it did not acknowledge them and attacked them instead of leaving! As a consequence, news of what had happened to the priest's sons spread throughout that region, and Christ's name and Paul's message spread like wildfire. (Acts 19:11-20)

Even so, some of the craftsmen of that region, whose business of making and selling pagan images had been negatively impacted by the impact of the gospel, incited a mob against the new religion. Indeed, the crowd became so worked up that they began chanting how great the goddess Artemis was (Ephesus was known for their worship of her). Fortunately, a local official was able to quiet the crowd and warned them that they were in danger of being charged with rioting, and the crowd dispersed. (Acts 19:21-41)

Unfortunately, at about the same time, Paul was experiencing difficulties with the congregations that he had established in Corinth and in Galatia. At Corinth, Paul had to confront other folks preaching a different theology from the one that he had presented to them. These folks apparently felt like they were wiser and more polished in the message which they presented to the believers there. Apparently, they also downplayed the role that Jesus played in the salvation of believers, and they emphasized their own background in Judaism and the Hebrew Scriptures. Indeed, Paul had to remind the Corinthians of his own background in Judaism and expertise in matters related to Torah. (See II Corinthians 11)

In fact, it became clear to Paul that a group of Jewish Christians had ignored the decision of the leadership in Jerusalem and continued to insist that ALL Christians were obligated to observe the commandments of Torah. To the saints of Galatia, he wrote: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-8) Paul then went on to remind them about what had happened at the Council of Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1-10).

For Paul, the message was clear and simple, and many of the Galatian Christians had allowed others to pervert and twist it. He continued: "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:15-16) For Paul, this wasn't just academics - his message was about the salvation of their souls! He wrote: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness?'" (Galatians 3:1-6)

Paul couldn't be there to personally correct this error which had crept back into the Church. As a consequence, he wrote this letter, and it was circulated among the various congregations in that region. He concluded: "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." (Galatians 5:1-6) Paul believed that the issue of Gentiles observing Torah had been settled. For him, there wasn't any room for a different view of the matter. This was basic and fundamental theology!

Now, after the danger had passed at Ephesus, Paul encouraged all of the believers there and departed for Philippi and Troas (Acts 20:1-6). Now, while at Troas, the disciples had all gathered together on the Sunday before Paul was scheduled to leave. The apostle continued speaking with the believers there into the night and a young man who had been listening to Paul while sitting in a window grew sleepy and fell out of the window! Unfortunately, they were meeting on the third floor of the building, and the fall killed him. Paul, however, scooped the young man up in his arms and life returned into his body. Then, Paul resumed speaking until daylight and departed when he was finished. (Acts 20:7-12)

Paul and his companions sailed to Miletus on their way to Jerusalem, and the apostle summoned the leaders of the Church in Ephesus to meet with him there. We are informed by the author of Acts, that Paul told them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:17-32) Little did they know then just how prophetic Paul's remarks would prove to be.

After leaving there, Paul and his companions sailed on across the Mediterranean Sea and came at last to Tyre. They remained there for about a week - fellowshipping with the believers from that region. When it was time to board the ship and continue on their way, the disciples followed them out of the city. Then, they all knelt down on the beach and said a prayer together before boarding the ship. From there, they traveled to Ptolemais and then on to Caesarea. (Acts 21:1-8)

At Caesarea, they disembarked and stayed at Philip's house (one of the seven). While there, a prophet named Agabus predicted that the Jews would arrest Paul and turn him over to the Gentiles if he proceeded on to Jerusalem. When they heard this, Paul's companions and the believers at Caesarea urged Paul not to go there. Paul, however, would have none of it and asked them not to make his decision to return to Jerusalem more difficult. (Acts 21:8-14) Thus, the brethren acceded to his wishes and sent him on his way.

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, it is interesting to note that Paul went to see James (Acts 21:17-18). Once again, we are told that he gave James and the Jerusalem elders a detailed summary of the work which God had accomplished through him among the Gentiles. After hearing his report, the Jewish leadership once again rejoiced. Nevertheless, they also appeared to be worried for Paul's sake because of the group of Jewish Christians who insisted on keeping the Law. They pointed out that Paul himself was a Torah-observant Jew, and that he should demonstrate his Jewishness at the Temple for all to see. However, they also reminded Paul of the decision of the Jerusalem Council and reassured him that they did NOT expect Gentile Christians to observe the Law. Thus, Paul was happy to take their advice and observed the ritual of purification in anticipation of a visit to the Temple. (Acts 21:19-26) What happened next would prove to be the beginning of the end of Paul's ministry!

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 7)

 Now, we must not forget that the Council of Jerusalem had decided that Gentiles were NOT obligated to observe the tenets of Torah or become Torah-observant Jews to be Christians. We must also remember that Gentiles did not have any experience keeping a weekly Sabbath. Indeed, in the First Century, the Roman world was in the very early stages of abandoning its "nundinal" week with a market day on every eighth day and adopting the Babylonian/Jewish seven-day week. (See The Roman Transition: From 8 Days to 7)

Hence, other than the Jewish Sabbath, there wasn't any extant religious tradition relative to a “weekly” day of worship. Sure, like the Babylonians before them, the Romans named the days of the weeks after the seven brightest celestial objects in the night sky: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. (See The Invention of the Seven-Day Week) In other words, there wasn't any pagan tradition of worshipping the Sun on Sunday or the Moon on Monday.

As we have already discussed, the Jews had their weekly sign of the covenant between them and God, the Sabbath. Likewise, we have already discussed the fact that Paul, the other Apostles, and Jewish Christians continued to observe the Sabbath. It was a part of their identity as a people.

Nevertheless, these same Jews were the original witnesses of Christ's resurrection and the founding of the Church in Jerusalem, and both of those events had occurred on the first day of the week, the day we call Sunday. In the Jewish tradition, the days of the week were numbered, and only the seventh day had any special designation or "name." However, the first day of the week came to be regarded as a memorial of Christ's resurrection and the founding of the Church. Rember, the apostles placed special emphasis on Christ's resurrection in their evangelical messaging (Acts 1:22, 2:31, 4:2, 33, 17:18, 32, Romans 1:4, I Corinthians 15, Hebrews 6:2, I Peter 1:3). Eventually, the first day of the week came to be known as the "Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10, Didache 14, Epistle of Barnabas 15).

After the Council of Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas had returned to Antioch and remained there for some time encouraging the Church there and preaching the good news about Jesus (Acts 15:30-35. Eventually, however, Paul suggested that the two revisit the congregations which they had established on their first missionary journey (Acts 15:36). Unfortunately, the two missionaries disagreed about who would accompany them on their journey and decided to go their separate ways (Acts 15:37-41).

Paul and Silas traveled to Derbe and Lystra where they were joined by a young man named Timothy, who was part Gentile and part Jewish (Acts 16:1-2). In addition to strengthening the congregations, Paul and Silas shared the decision of the Jerusalem Council with these Gentile congregations that they didn't have any obligation to observe the tenets of God's covenant with the Jews (Acts 16:4-5).

From there, they traveled in Phrygia and Galatia and on to Troas (Acts 16:6-8). While there, a man appeared to Paul in a vision beckoning him to come to Macedonia and help the people there (Acts 16:0-10). As a consequence, Paul and his companions sailed to Macedonia. They remained in the city of Philippi for several days and preached to some of the women of that place by the river one Sabbath (Acts 16:11-13).

While there, Paul cast a demon out of a slave whose owners had used as a fortune teller. When the owners complained to the authorities, Paul and Silas were arrested for ruining their business, and they were brought before the magistrates. (Acts 16:16-19) However, instead of that charge, they decided to accuse the apostles of disturbing the peace of the city and advocating Jewish customs. As a consequence, the missionaries were publicly beaten and imprisoned. (Acts 16:20-24) Even so, before they were released from prison, the missionaries had converted their jailors and elicited an apology from the magistrates! (Acts 16:25-40)

Next, Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came at last to Thessalonica. Paul spoke at the synagogue there for three Sabbaths in a row, and many Jews and Greeks accepted his message about Christ. Some of the Jews, however, were jealous of his success and began stirring up the populace of that city against Paul and Silas.

As a consequence, the believers in Thessalonica sent them on to Berea. Now, although their message was received there with even more enthusiasm than it had been at Thessalonica, troublemakers from that city showed up in Berea and began stirring up resistance to the missionaries' message. (Acts 17:1-13) Indeed, this formula of initial success followed by persecution seemed to repeat itself over and over again.

Now, when the situation in Berea became dangerous, the believers there sent Paul onto Athens by himself. And, while he was waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens, he noticed that the city was full of superstition and idolatry. As a consequence, Paul didn't confine himself to the local synagogue - he also preached every day in the local marketplace. Finally, Paul spoke to the people gathered at the Areopagus and proclaimed the one, true God to them and also preached about Christ's resurrection. Moreover, his remarks generated enough interest that he was invited to speak to them again on the matter! (Acts 17:14-34)

Nevertheless, Paul went on to the city of Corinth. There he met a Jewish couple who befriended him. Aquila and Priscilla, like Paul, were tent makers; and they all decided to work together at their trade. Moreover, the couple believed in Christ and supported their new friend in his proclamation of the gospel message. (Acts 18:1-4) In fact, by the time that Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, the trio had provoked so much opposition to their messaging among the Jews that Paul had decided to abandon his evangelical efforts among them and carry his message exclusively to the Gentiles. As a consequence, a large number of Gentiles were converted in the city, and Paul ended up remaining there for a year and a half! (Acts 18:5-11)

Now, when his mission was finished at Corinth, Paul sailed for Syria with Aquila and Priscilla accompanying him. However, when they came to Ephesus, Priscilla and Acquila decided to remain there, and Paul returned to Antioch. While in Ephesus, the couple met a young Alexandrian Jew named Apollos who was inspired to preach about Jesus. Even so, as a relatively new convert to Christianity, there were still many things that he had not yet learned, and Aquila and Priscilla happily filled in the gaps in his knowledge. In the meantime, Paul traveled on to Galatia and Phrygia and strengthened the new Christians in those regions. (Acts 18:18-28)

As these missionary efforts among Gentile regions continued, great numbers of Gentiles were converted to the new religion and came into the Church. At the same time, resistance to the Christian message increased within the Jewish communities in these areas. Hence, over time, the number of Jewish Christians compared to Gentile Christians began to shrink. In other words, more and more, the Church was becoming a Gentile community and growing away from its Jewish roots. Over the years that followed, this phenomenon only accelerated, and the number of Christians who observed the Sabbath, Holy Days, and other Jewish traditions became a smaller and smaller part of the whole.

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 6)

In talking about the first one hundred years of the Church, it is important that we understand that the ONLY written Scriptures which Christians had access to were the Hebrew Scriptures (the ones we refer to as the Old Testament). Indeed, our New Testament is literally full of quotations from the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, the apostles and saints believed that everything in the Hebrew Bible pointed to Jesus Christ!  Christians of the First Century saw Jesus in the Sabbaths, Holy Days, sacrifices, priesthood, rituals, and commandments of Torah. Likewise, they saw him in all of the writings of the prophets, and in many of the Psalms. For those who are interested in exploring this phenomenon further, I have written numerous posts covering how Torah, Prophets, and Writings pointed to Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, earlier in this series, I mentioned the fact that the epistles of the Apostle Paul are the earliest writings available to us from this period. They were written before the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Once again, scholars tell us that the earliest of these was his first letter to the Thessalonians. Nevertheless, we know from this collection of letters that the parameters of Christ's story were well-known to Christians - even before the Gospels were penned.

In that first epistle, Paul mentioned that Jesus had been resurrected, that he had delivered them from God's wrath, and that they were awaiting his return (I Thessalonians 1:10). He also talked a good deal about Christian love - one of Christ's principal teachings. Likewise, in his letter to the Christians at Rome, Paul spoke about the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, and the blood that he spilled toward that end (Romans 3:21-26, 5:12-21). Paul also talked about the efficacy of Christ's resurrection for those who believe in him (Romans 6:4-11, 8:32-34, 14:9). He also reiterated Christ's teaching about love (Romans 13:10) Paul alluded to the fact that Christ had been crucified on a cross (I Corinthians 1:17-18, 2:1-2). In this same letter to the saints at Corinth, he called Jesus "our Passover Lamb) who had been sacrificed for them (I Corinthians 5:7). Paul also outlined the Eucharist ritual which Christ instituted on the night he was betrayed (I Corinthians 11:22-26). Yet again, he reiterated Christ's teachings about love (I Corinthians 13).

Moreover, in the fifteenth chapter of that same epistle, Paul gave an abbreviated version of his own message about Christ's life, death, and resurrection. He wrote: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (I Corinthians 15:3-9) Paul continued: "Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished." (I Corinthians 15:12-18) Finally, he reassured them: "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (I Corinthians 15:20)

Indeed, Paul repeatedly spoke about the importance of Christ's life, death, and resurrection throughout his epistles. He spoke about the Christian's reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ, and how "he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (II Corinthians 5:11-21) Paul wrote to the Christians of Galatia: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree' so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:13-14) He wrote to the saints at Philippi: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11) Likewise, in his epistle to the Ephesians, he wrote this about Jesus: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." (Colossians 1:15-20)

Now, why all of these quotations from the writings of Paul about Jesus Christ? Many scholars and students of Scripture like to point out that the Gospel accounts of Christ's story were recorded thirty to sixty years after Christ's death. The clear implication being that the human authors couldn't have known very much about the story of the real man. These letters of Paul, however, demonstrate that Jesus' story was well known and began circulating among the disciples some fifteen to twenty-five years after his death. In other words, they support and corroborate those later narratives about Christ's life. In other words, the parameters of Christ's story were well known to the Christians of the First Century.

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 5) - The Council of Jerusalem

In the previous posts on this topic, we talked about how the Church was wholly Jewish for almost the first ten years of its existence. Even so, we also observed that God had given a special vision to Peter and had used him to convert and entire Gentile household. This was followed by some of the folks who had fled Judaea after the persecution following the stoning of Stephen going to Antioch and sparking the interest of some of the Gentiles who lived there in the message about Jesus. Then, we read how God raised up the Apostle Paul and commissioned him and Barnabas with carrying the Gospel message to the Gentiles more generally. Once again, however, while this turn of events was welcomed by most of the original Jewish members of the Church, for some it raised serious theological questions. Were non-Jewish Christians to be required to adhere to the tenets of God's covenant with Israel?

After all, Jesus had observed the Law of Moses (Torah), his apostles had always observed it, and the Jewish Church had continued to observe it. "Doesn't that suggest that the entire Church should continue to observe them?" some of the Jewish members asked. "If we began as Jews, shouldn't Gentiles have to become Jewish to become Christians?" they reasoned. These questions created confusion and divisions within the early Judeo-Christian community. And, with the astounding growth in the number of Gentiles coming into the Church, they were questions that would have to be answered quickly. Gentiles didn't understand Jewish customs and traditions, and Jews regarded Gentile paganism with revulsion and loathing. Thus, the stage was set for a dramatic confrontation between the two sides.

Now, you will recall that Paul and Barnabas had just completed a major evangelistic campaign in the Eastern Mediterranean, and that a large number of Gentiles had been converted to the new faith as a consequence of their efforts (Acts 14:24-28). Continuing then, in that book, we read: "But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.' And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, 'It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.'" (Acts 15:1-5)

Notice, these folks "came down from Judaea" and presumed to teach the Gentile brethren that: 1. They had to be circumcised to be a Christian, and 2. They must also keep/observe the Law of Moses (Torah). These were, after all very basic requirements for folks living under God's covenants with Abraham and his descendants, and both measures were intended to set apart the Jews from the Gentile peoples which surrounded them. Thus, it is incumbent upon us take a time out and more closely examine how these things distinguished the Jews from other folks.

In the seventeenth chapter of Genesis, we read: "And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." (Genesis 17:9-14) Once again, please note that this covenant was between God, Abraham, and his male offspring.

As we have seen, circumcision was one of the signs which God gave to identify "his" people from the other nations of the earth (Gentiles). It was, for instance, a requirement for participation in the celebration of Passover (see Exodus 12:43-49). When Moses received the Law from God, the practice was also made a part of God's covenant with the children of Israel (see Leviticus 12:3). Moreover, circumcision wasn't the only sign which God gave to distinguish his people from the nations surrounding them.

Indeed, ALL of the Mosaic Law (Torah, Pentateuch) was designed to distinguish the Israelites from the nations which surrounded them. In the book of Deuteronomy, we read: "And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them...You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you...See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?" (Deuteronomy 4:1-8) In other words, God's Law distinguished the children of Israel from the Gentile nations which surrounded them!

Likewise, in the eleventh chapter of that same book, we read: "You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you." (Deuteronomy 11:18-23) Clearly, the Law made Israel different!

In this same vein, we read in the book of Exodus that: "the Lord said to Moses, 'You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore, the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed." (Exodus 31:12-17) Among the various commandments of Torah, God singled out the Sabbath as a special sign between "himself" and Israel. In other words, the Sabbath was one of the things which distinguished them from the other nations of the earth.

Another series of Torah commandments which distinguished the Israelites from the nations surrounding them were those dealing with what they could and could not eat. In the book of Leviticus, we read: "And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 'Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.'" (Leviticus 11:1-2) Continuing, this passage goes on to inform the Israelites that they could not eat pork, rabbits, shell fish, reptiles, bears, lions, etc. and concludes with "This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground, to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten." (Leviticus 11:46-47) Earlier, in the same book, God told Moses to tell the people of Israel that: "you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people." (Leviticus 7:26-27) These dietary restrictions completely distinguished the people of Israel from their Gentile neighbors.

With this important background in hand, we are better prepared to study exactly what happened at the Council of Jerusalem. Getting back to the fifteenth chapter of the book of Acts, you will recall that some of the Jewish Christians were saying that: 1. Gentiles had to be circumcised, and 2. They had to obey the commandments of Torah. In other words, Gentiles would have to become Jewish in order for them to be legitimate Christians! From the perspective of this group, Gentiles would have to follow the example of Jesus, his apostles, and Jewish Christians in following the tenets of God's covenant with Israel! Now, we read that: "The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter." (Acts 15:6)

Continuing, we are informed that Peter rose to speak after there had been a long discussion of the subject and addressed the assembly (Acts 15:7). First, he reminded his audience that God had chosen him to be the first to invite a group of Gentiles into the Church. He also pointed out that it had been God's decision to give them the Holy Spirit. "Why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" Peter demanded. He then closed by reminding them that humans are saved "through the grace of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 15: 8-11) Next, we read: "And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles." (Acts 15:12) In other words, Peter's words had made it possible for Paul and Barnabas to talk about the work that God had been doing among the Gentiles through them.

When they were finished, we are informed that James stood up and delivered the closing remarks to the assembly. He said: "Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ Therefore, my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues." (Acts 15:13-21) James pointed to prophetic fulfillment and argued that Gentile Christians should NOT be required to become Jews. In other words, NO circumcision and NO Torah observance!

Nevertheless, he does identify four things that Gentile Christians should do to make fellowship with their Jewish brethren more plausible and less fraught with cultural prejudice. They were to: 1. abstain from partaking of things polluted by idols, 2. abstain from sexual immorality, 3. refrain from eating things strangled to death (which prevents proper draining of blood), and 4. refrain from consuming blood. Why these particular four items? Because these practices made it almost impossible for Jews to associate with Gentiles! After all, Gentile idolatry was condemned throughout the Hebrew Bible, and the children of Israel were repeatedly warned against participating in that vile practice. Likewise, Gentiles of that day and age openly engaged in many sexual practices which were forbidden in the Hebrew Scriptures (e.g. temple prostitution, intercourse with slaves, pederasty, etc.). Finally, Jewish ceremonies and sacrifices used the blood of animals, and the Hebrew Scriptures had identified that blood as being synonymous with its life. Moreover, the practice of strangling animals to death impeded the complete draining of the animal's blood. Hence, things like raw meat, animals that weren't drained properly and things like blood-based soups, puddings, sauces, etc. were considered gross and offensive to Jews.

What's more, we would be remiss not to note that Paul actually confronted many of these practices during his missionary visits to the Gentiles. For example, we are informed by the book of Acts that he found the city of Athens to be literally full of idolatry (Acts 17:16-21). In the first letter that we have from Paul, we find him commending the saints for turning to God and eschewing idolatry (I Thessalonians 1:9). In his letter to the saints at Rome, Paul tied the practice of idolatry to sexual immorality and pointed out that God could be recognized naturally - outside of the Hebrew Scriptures (Romans 1). Likewise, in his letter to the Christians at Corinth, Paul alludes to sexual immorality within that congregation and says that those practices weren't even tolerated by pagans (I Corinthians 5)! In the sixth chapter of that same letter, he warns about the corrupting power of sexual immorality. Finally, in the eighth chapter of this epistle, Paul discussed the subject of eating food offered to idols. The point being that these were practices widespread among Gentiles and were very offensive to the moral and cultural sensibilities of Jews.

Hence, we are not surprised to find these items reiterated in the letter which the Council drafted to Gentile congregations of the Church. We read: "The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." (Acts 15:23-29)

Moreover, Paul's recollection of this event seems to be fairly consistent with what is revealed in the book of Acts about it. He wrote: "Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." (Galatians 2:1-10) Paul's and Barnabas' outreach to the Gentiles had been vindicated by the Council, and Gentiles would NOT have to become Torah observant Jews!

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 4)

The book of Acts informs us that the outreach to the Gentiles began at Antioch. In fact, the persecution of the Church which arose after Stephen had been stoned to death resulted in some of the Jewish Christians fleeing to Antioch. At first, these folks continued to meet with their Jewish brethren and preached the good news about Jesus only to them. Even so, in the course of time, they began preaching their message about Christ to the Gentiles of the city. Moreover, God blessed their efforts and a great many of those folks accepted the message about Christ and came into the Church. This was the first big influx of Gentiles into the membership of the Church after the conversion of Cornelius and his household. When news of what had happened in Antioch reached Jerusalem, the leadership sent Barnabas to investigate. (Acts 11:19-22)

Barnabas was delighted by what he found in Antioch, and he encouraged the new Gentile membership to remain faithful to Christ. He also observed that the message continued to be well received within the Gentile community, and the numbers of the congregation there continued to swell. As a consequence, Barnabas found Paul and invited him to accompany him to the city. Upon their return to Antioch, they continued to find a large and receptive audience among the Gentiles, and they ended up preaching about Christ there for the next year! Moreover, our source tells us that believers were first called "Christians" at Antioch. (Acts 11:23-26) 

We are given a couple of references to rulers in this part of the story which help us to date these events. The first is a famine which we are informed took place during the reign of the Emperor Claudius (Acts 11:28), and the second is a persecution which occurred at about the same time during the reign of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1). Hence, we know that these events must have happened between the years 41-44 of the Common Era. So, we know that a little over a decade after Christ's ascension to heaven the Church had experienced phenomenal growth and had even expanded into Gentile populations!

Nevertheless, the road to that success had not been a smooth one. The disciples had met resistance at every turn and suffered persecution at the hands of Jewish religious leaders. Herod Agrippa I had even killed James (the brother of John) and imprisoned Peter. The Jerusalem Church, however, petitioned God to protect the apostle, and God sent an angel to rescue him from prison. Moreover, the Church continued to boldly preach the good news about Jesus, and God continued to bless them with growth. (Acts 12:1-24)

After returning to Antioch from Jerusalem, the prophets and teachers of that congregation were instructed by the Holy Spirit to set apart Paul and Barnabas for God's work among the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-3). This blessing inaugurated several years of an extensive missionary effort by the pair. They traveled from Antioch to Seleucia, then sailed to Cyprus and preached the message about Jesus Christ all over that island. Of interest to this account, our source informs us that they continued to use the local synagogues as platforms for their work. While there, they also encountered a pagan magician who sought to obstruct their mission. Paul, however, was having none of it and promptly announced that God would blind the magician because of his evil work. When this happened the Roman Proconsul, Sergius Paulus, was so impressed that he embraced the Christian faith. (Acts 13:4-12)

Leaving Cyprus, Paul and his companions traveled on to Perga in Pamphylia and from there to Antioch is Pisidia. Once again, we find our missionaries going straight to the local synagogue on the Sabbath and preaching about Christ from that platform. Now, our source goes on to inform us that Paul's message about salvation through Jesus Christ so impressed a large part of the audience which heard it that almost the whole city (Gentiles included) turned out to hear him the following Sabbath. (Acts 13:13-44)

Unfortunately, many of the Jews were indignant that Paul's message had elicited such interest from the Gentiles within their city. Indeed, many of them began actively opposing Paul's message and disparaged the Christian missionaries. The reaction was swift. Continuing, we read: "And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, 'It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region." (Acts 13:46-49) Even so, the Jews persisted to such a degree that Paul and Barnabas had to leave the district (Acts 13:50-52).

From there, Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium. Once again, a large number of Jews and Gentiles enthusiastically received their message about Jesus. Once again, the unbelieving Jews tried to discredit the missionaries and their message. Nevertheless, Paul and Barnabas stayed and fearlessly proclaimed the good news about the Messiah. Unfortunately, the missionaries found out about a plot to stone them, but they were able to escape before the mob was able to carry out its wicked design. As a consequence, Paul and Barnabas fled to Lycaonia and focused preaching to the folks around the cities of Derbe and Lystra. Unfortunately, the people who had opposed them at Antioch and Iconium followed them there and tried to stone Paul to death! Fortunately, Paul recovered, and he and Barnabas were able to travel around the region and encourage their converts to remain steadfast in the faith. And, before leaving, they appointed elders within the various congregations to shepherd them in their absence. (Acts 14:1-23)

From there, the missionaries traveled through Pamphylia, down to Attalia, and then sailed back to the city of Antioch where it had all begun. While there, they told the congregation about everything that the Lord had used them to do, and the new congregations which had arisen as a result of their efforts. In short, the effort had been a great success. After Paul's and Barnabas' missionary efforts among the Gentiles of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Church was no longer wholly Jewish. And, while this would be the source of much rejoicing among the saints, it also raised some serious theological questions for both believing Jews and Gentiles. Should the believing Gentiles be required to be circumcised, to keep the Sabbaths, and observe the laws about clean and unclean meats? What was their status relative to Torah? These questions were about to spark a great debate among the brethren in both camps that would only be settled by a great council of the Church's leadership at Jerusalem. (Acts 14:24-28) 

The First One Hundred Years of the Church (Part 3)

Saul's conversion to Christianity is one of the most cherished and widely known stories we have from the book of Acts. Having obtained letters of introduction to the synagogues of Damascus from the High Priest at Jerusalem, Paul was on his way there to arrest Christians who were worshipping in the synagogues there (Acts 9:1-2). Along the way, we are informed that he was surrounded by a light and heard a voice from heaven (Acts 9:3-4). "Why are you persecuting me?" the voice demanded. "Who are you, Lord?" the shaken Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," came the reply. (Acts 9:4-5) Saul was instructed to proceed to Damascus, and that he would be told there what to do next. Saul, however, had been blinded by the encounter with Christ and apparently had to be led into the city by his traveling companions. (Acts 9:6-8)

Three days later, he was met there by a Christian named Ananias who was used by God to restore his sight and talk about his future. At first, having heard about Saul's intent to arrest Christian Jews within the city, Ananias had hesitated about accepting the assignment. Nevertheless, the Jesus who had appeared to him in a vision told him to "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel." As a consequence, Ananias met with Paul and did everything that the Lord had instructed him to do. Afterwards, Saul was baptized and accepted into the community of believers and began proclaiming that Jesus was the Son of God. Later still, he returned to Jerusalem and was introduced to some of the apostles there by a Christian named Barnabas. (Acts 9:9-30)

Now, this Saul would go on to be known as the Apostle Paul and would be used by God to bring Gentiles into the Church (which was still wholly Jewish in composition). He would also go on to author of a number of letters to various Gentile congregations which would later be included in the canon of the New Testament. In fact, his first letter to the saints of Thessalonica is the oldest Christian writing available to us (written before the Gospels or any of the other writings of the New Testament). It is also important to note that Paul was a learned Pharisee prior to his conversion - a man well-versed in the Torah, Prophets, and Writings of the Hebrew Scriptures. Finally, it is equally important to remember that PAUL WAS A JEW - a member of the tribe of Benjamin, and a practitioner of the Jewish religion. (Romans 11:1, Philippians 3:5-6) Thus, we will shortly demonstrate that God used this learned Jew to bring the Gentiles to Christ and into the Church. Moreover, in doing so, Paul would transform the entire Church's understanding of the precise nature of what Jesus of Nazareth had actually done for them!

Nevertheless, before we get into Paul's story, it is important that we understand what Peter and the other original apostles had not yet accomplished. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Christ had instructed his disciples to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." (Matthew 28:19) Likewise, just before his ascension into heaven, he had instructed those same disciples that they would carry his message "to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Now, those original apostles had been very proficient in carrying the message about Christ to their Jewish brethren. However, it is important that we understand that there had NOT been any similar outreach to those outside of the Jewish community! Remember, the Church had been entirely Jewish up to this point, and those Christians had continued to fellowship and worship with non-believing Jews.

Jesus Christ, however, had been very clear about what he was doing and his vision for the future. He came to this earth to FULFILL the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17) and to make God accessible to ALL of humankind (John 3:16-17). As has already been indicated, Jesus raised up Paul to underscore what Christ had accomplished and to take his message to the Gentiles. Even so, Christ had clearly not given up on his original apostles. Peter had been a leader within the Jewish community of Christians, and he was about to make very clear to him (and that part of the Church) that the Great Commission WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED! Christ's Church would NOT be allowed to remain an insular and provincial community. Gentiles were going to be a part of his Church one way or another!

Toward that end, we read: "At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God." (Acts 10:1-2) We are informed that Cornelius had a vision of an angel instructing him to invite Peter into his home. So, he sent two of his servants to the place where Peter was staying. (Acts 10:3-8)

In the meantime, Peter had been given a vision of his own. In the dream, Peter saw a large tarp lowered from the sky like a giant sack. Inside, there were animals and insects of various kinds - many of them "unclean" according to the book of Leviticus. Then Peter heard a voice telling him to "kill and eat." "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean," replied Peter. The voice boomed out again: "What God has made clean, do not call common." (Acts 10:9-16) Notice first, that Peter had "NEVER eaten anything that is common or unclean." After years of being a Christian, Peter was still observing the dietary laws of Torah - because that's what Jews did! Even so, we are informed that Peter was perplexed about the vision and its meaning (Acts 10:17)

Moreover, while he was contemplating these things, the men whom Cornelius had sent to him finally arrived. At the same time, the Spirit revealed their presence to him and told him to accompany them. "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say," they told him. Peter invited them in, and the next day accompanied them to Caesarea." (Acts 10:17-23)

Continuing with the story, we read: "When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, 'Stand up; I too am a man.' And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, 'You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So, when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.'” (Acts 10:25-29) Cornelius then proceeded to tell Peter about his own vision (Acts 10:30-33). "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him," Peter replied (Acts 10:34-35). He then proceeded to explain to them the principle of salvation through Jesus Christ (Acts 10:36-43).

Cornelius and his household listened intently to everything that Peter was saying about Jesus. Then, we read: "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 'Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?' And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days." (Acts 10:44-48)

This was truly a momentous event in the history of the Church. The days of an exclusively Jewish sect were over. From that day forward, Gentiles would be targets of Christian evangelistic efforts and be welcomed into the community of believers. To be sure, Peter took some heat from some of the Jewish Christians for trafficking with Gentiles. However, after he explained what had happened, most of them simply rejoiced that God had made salvation available to the Gentiles. (Acts 11:1-18) The stage had now been set for what God intended to do with and through Paul.