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Agape Bible Study Acts 15
Chapter 15: The Council of Jerusalem
Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem writing on the c. 49/50 AD Council of Jerusalem: They indicated clearly by what they wrote that though the decree had been written by men who were Apostles, it was from the Holy Spirit and universal.
St. Cyril (315-386), Catechetical Lecture 17.29)
Acts 15:1-2 ~ Jewish Christians from Jerusalem upset the Christians at Antioch
Some Jewish Christians from the Jerusalem church visited the church in Antioch and began teaching the congregation composed of Jews and Gentiles that the Gentile members who had not been circumcised could not receive the gift of salvation and were therefore not equal to their Jewish brothers in the community. One can only imagine the furor that this teaching raised among the member of the community and the implications for the many Gentile Christian communities Paul and Barnabas founded on their missionary journey. If the uncircumcised Gentiles were not really members of the covenant, then they could no longer take part in the sacred meal of the Eucharist and community worship on the Lord's Day.
Council of Jerusalem
Acts 15:3-5 ~ The Antioch delegation travels to Jerusalem
Most Biblical scholars set the date for the Council of Jerusalem at c. 49/50 AD.
On their journey to Jerusalem, the Antioch delegation proceeded along the same route as earlier Christian evangelization, through Phoenicia (Acts 8:40; 9:32-43) and Samaria (Acts 8:4-25), to communities founded by St. Philip the deacon and visited by St. Peter. They used the opportunity to spread the news among these other Christian communities of the great influx of Gentiles into the faith on their mission into Asia Minor. The news was greeted with great joy.
The delegates these communities may send to the council will have already been favorably impressed by Paul's news concerning the growth of the Church among the Gentiles. They have also had the opportunity to hear Paul's argument for welcoming the Gentiles into the Church without placing a burden upon them to convert. Perhaps it was Paul's intention that this news might result in their support for Paul's case on behalf of the new Gentile converts.
Acts 15:6-12 ~ St. Peter Addresses the Issue of Gentile Converts
Notice that St. Peter is the first to address the council after the debate. Bishop James is the leader of the Jerusalem community, but Peter is Christ's Vicar and the leader of the Church universal. He begins by recalling the vision God gave him concerning the end of the old ritual purity laws (Acts 10:1-16) and the conversion experience he had with the Roman centurion, Cornelius in Acts 10:1-48 when he witnessed the Holy Spirit descend upon the Gentiles. It was an experience Peter shared immediately afterward with the Apostles and the Jerusalem church along with his conviction that God has clearly granted to the Gentiles too the repentance that leads to life (Acts 11:18). Despite Paul's earlier confrontation with Peter (Gal 2:11-14), Peter's position is clearly stated in favor of not placing the burden of circumcision or ritual law on the Gentiles.
Jews and Gentiles are both saved only through the grace of Jesus Christ. The implication is that the old Law could not grant God's grace of salvation.
Acts 15:22-29 ~ The Letter to the Churches at Antioch, Syria and Cilicia
It is significant that the council declares that the Jewish Christians who caused the disruption within the Antioch community with their teachings had no authority from the Church hierarchy in Jerusalem to teach as they did. The proclamation is sent with the agreement of the "whole Church" and by "the decision of the Holy Spirit," as will be future documents of the universal Church from future Ecumenical Councils.
Acts 15:30-35 ~ The Letter is delivered to the Community at Antioch
Verse 34 does not appear in all of the ancient manuscripts of Act. It may have been added at a later date to account for Paul taking Silas with him on the next missionary journey.
Question: Who are Silas and Judas?
Answer: They are prophets (Acts 15:32) and prominent leaders in the Jerusalem community who were entrusted to carry the council's letter to the churches in Antioch and Cilicia. Silas will become a member of St. Paul's missionary team and will suffer many hardships along with Paul during their journeys.
Silas is a Jewish Christian and a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37) who became a companion of Paul and probably Luke on Paul's missionary journey to Asia Minor and later into Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 15:41-18:5).
St. Paul's Second Missionary Journey
Acts 15:36-41 ~ Paul and Silas travel through Syria and Cilicia
The community at Antioch was prepared to send Paul and Barnabas out on a second missionary journey into Asia Minor. Barnabas wanted to take along his young kinsman, John-Mark.
Question: Who was John-Mark and why was Paul against including him? What was the result of this dispute? See Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; Col 4:10.
Answer: John-Mark was the son of Mary of Jerusalem and was Barnabas' young kinsman. Paul had not forgiven John-Mark for leaving their first missionary journey and returning home to Jerusalem. Their disagreement could not be reconciled and so they parted.
John-Mark was the son of Barnabas' kinswoman the Jewess Mary of Jerusalem and a Roman soldier (his Latin surname was Marcus). Barnabas took John-Mark with him to continue the missionary work in Cypress, and Paul invited Silas to join him. Years later, Paul reconciled with John-Mark when he was in prison in Rome (Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11; Phlm 24). John-Mark became St. Peter's secretary in Rome and when the great persecution began in Rome he left after Peter's martyrdom and founded the church in Alexandria, Egypt (today known as the Coptic Church) where he wrote his Gospel.
| SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY: Approximate dates: 50 - 52 AD Companions: Silas, Timothy, Priscilla and Aquila, Luke Mission field: Syria, Turkey, Greece Approximate miles traveled: 2,800 miles Sent by church of Antioch, Syria | |
| Syria and Cilicia (Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia was Paul's hometown) | Acts 15:23 |
| Derbe and Lystra in Lycaonia/South Galatia | Acts 16:1-5 |
| Phrygia and North Galatia | Acts 16:6 |
| Mysia to Troas | Acts 16:7-10 |
| Samothrace and Neapolis | Acts 16:11 |
| Philippi in Macedonia | Acts 16:12-40 |
| Amphipolis and Apollonia | Acts 17:1 |
| Thessalonica | Acts 17:1-9 |
| Beroea (Berea) | Acts 17:10-15 |
| Athens | Acts 17:16-34 |
| Corinth | Acts 18:1-18 |
| Cenchrea (Cenchreae) | Acts 18:18 |
| Ephesus | Acts 18:19-21 |
| Caesarea | Acts 18:22 |
| Jerusalem | Acts 18:23 |
| Antioch, Syria | Acts 18:23 |
Agape Bible Study 1 Corinthians 11 - 12
In the last chapter, Paul taught that every Christian is morally responsible not only for his own actions but also for the negative or positive influence his actions might have on others. It is the right use of Christian freedom expressed first negatively (10:32), and then positively as exemplified in Paul's life (10:33), and finally as grounded in Christ (11:1). All of our actions should give glory to God by living "in imitation of Christ." In this way, others who view our lives as sanctified to God may be encouraged to follow our example which may lead them to salvation.
Such small actions as wearing a cross or offering a prayer before meals in thanks for our food in a public place give a witness to others of our faith in Christ Jesus and our gratitude to God. St. Basil the Great (c. 330/357-379) commented on the importance of being thankful to God in our daily lives: "When you sit down to eat bread, do so thanking him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank him for his kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God's feet and adore him who in his wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise the Creator" (Hom. in Julittam, martyrem).
In Part III of his letter (11:2-14:40), Paul turns his attention to proper conduct within the liturgical assembly of the faithful:
- He addresses the recommended proper attire (11:3-16).
- He discusses improper conduct concerning the sacred meal of the Eucharist (11:17-34).
- He advises on the proper use of spiritual gifts (12:1-14:40).
1 Corinthians 11:2 ~ Introduction to Problems in the Liturgical Assembly
This sentence serves as the introduction to this part of St. Paul's letter devoted to rules of conduct in the liturgical assembly of the faithful. Not everything the community does is wrong. Paul compliments them that they "hold fast" to the traditions Paul and other ministers taught them. The "traditions" Paul mentions are the oral teachings of Jesus Christ received by His Apostles and disciples that they passed on to new believers. These "traditions" are basic teachings and specific practices Paul taught the community. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul teaches: Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by oral statement of by a letter of ours. Keep in mind that the oral teaching "tradition" came before the Holy-Spirit-inspired written word of the New Testament Gospels and letters.
1 Corinthians 11:3-16 ~ Proper Head Attire for Men and Women
Keep in mind that Paul's teaching in this passage is influenced by what was considered proper for men and women in his times. In verses 2-6, Paul's point may be that one's external presentation at public worship is important because it reflects a person's inner disposition in regard to accepted customs. In verse 3, he uses a theological argument that supports the custom of modest, married women wearing a veil over their heads in public. Corinth was full of prostitutes who served in pagan temples and other sexually immoral people. It was the custom for all women of good reputation, whether Greek, or Roman, or Jewish to always wear veils on their heads in public. Women of immoral character like prostitutes did not wear veils, and lesbians were known to go uncovered or to have their hair closely cropped like men or shaved. Male transvestites wore veils like women and like male prostitutes wore their hair long like women. Apparently some Christian women, taking advantage of their new-found Christian liberty in Christ, were laying aside their veils, drawing the criticism of other members of the congregation for their lack of modesty.
In verses 13-16, Paul appeals to the customs of the times. Since in both Jewish and Greek culture it was customary for upright women to appear in public dressed modestly with their heads veiled, it is all the more reason for Christian women to dress according to the accepted norms for their own reputations and for the reputation of other Christian women. In the same way, men should also observe the accepted customs, for example, in the length of one's hair and the neatness of one's appearance and in not dressing like a woman (i.e., wearing a veil). In a city overrun with male prostitutes (who sported long hair) and female prostitutes (who went unveiled), the presentation of the Christian community, individually and collectively, was important.
1 Corinthians 11:17-22 ~ Abuses Concerning the Lord's Supper
In verses 17-22, Paul addresses a more serious problem that threatens the unity of the community. In imitation of the complete meal of the Passover victim that Jesus and His disciples ate before He offered Himself in the bread and the wine that became His Body and Blood, it was the custom in the early Church to share a meal before partaking of the Eucharist. St. Ignatius referred to the shared meal prior to the Eucharist as an "agape" meal/"love" meal (Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, 8.2).2
Question: Such meals were also seen as an opportunity to help feed the poor within the community. However, the letter Paul received from Chloe's people reports what abuses?
Answer: Instead of a meal in which everyone shared equally, they have been eating in groups in which the rich are not sharing their food but are eating and drinking to excess and accentuating the differences between the rich and the poor.
Paul's correction reflects his opinion that the Eucharist needs to stand alone from all other food as a sign of unity and charity. It is a custom the Church won't adopt until several centuries later.
1 Corinthians 11:23-34 ~ The Tradition of the Eucharist
The celebration of the Eucharist is not a tradition they only received from Paul. The Lord Himself established the sacred meal, and Paul has only instructed them in its right practice as the tradition was passed on to him, probably by the Christians of Damascus after his conversion experience and later by the Apostles who first witnessed the gift of the Eucharist. The key word in verse 25 is to DO this in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. The Eucharist is an active participation in the life of Christ.
23 For I received from the Lord which I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, 24 and, after he had given thanks [eucharistesas], broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
The Greek word eucharistesas means "giving thanks," from the Greek word eucharistia: eu = good and charizesthai = to show favor, meaning "thanksgiving." It has the same meaning as the Hebrew word todah which also means "thanksgiving." Todah is the Hebrew word that designated the communion sacrifice and sacred meal that reestablished peace with God and was consumed in the presence of God in the Temple (Lev 7:11-21; Mishnah Zebahim, 7:3). It was a tradition among the Jews that when the Messiah came, all sacrifices would cease and only the Todah would remain (Levine, JPS Torah Commentary: Leviticus, page 43; Joseph Ratzinger, Feast of Faith, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1986, pages 58-59). It was a prediction fulfilled in the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the end of the daily Tamid liturgy in the summer of 70 AD. It is a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ's continuing Todah of the New Covenant sacred communion meal that He instituted at the Last Supper and which Catholic Christians call the Eucharist ""the thanksgiving" of the Christ (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26).
25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Question: How the phrase "This cup is the new covenant in my blood" an echo of events in Exodus 24:8 and Jeremiah's prophecy in Jer 31:31-34?
Answer: At the ratification of the Sinai Covenant in Exodus 24:8, Moses took the blood of the sacrificial victim and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD [Yahweh] has made with you in accordance with all these words of his." There is a parallelism with the sacrifice's sealing and the ratification of the old Sinai Covenant and the Body and Blood of Christ sealing and ratifying the "new covenant" promised by the prophet Jeremiah and fulfilled in Jesus. The "blood of the covenant" affirms the sacrificial nature of Jesus' self-offering that brings salvation.
In both the ratification at Sinai and in the ratification of the New Covenant in Christ, the consecration is followed by a sacred meal. In Exodus 24:9-11, the people's representatives ate a meal in the presence of God, and in the Last Supper, the first members of the New Covenant Church ate a sacred meal in the presence of God the Son.
Chapters 12: Spiritual Gifts
Paul's discussion of the spiritual gifts begins in Chapter 12 and continues into Chapter 14.
1 Corinthians 12:1-3 ~ Introduction to the Discussion
The Greek word pneumatika, "spiritual gifts" or "gifts of the Spirit" in 12:1 is virtually identical with Paul's use of the word charismata, "charisms" in 12:4. However, pneumatika emphasizes the source of the gifts in the Holy Spirit, while charismata focuses more on the gifts themselves. Paul is referring to those persons he mentioned in 2:15 who can judge spiritually, unlike the immature Christian in 3:1 who cannot.
brothers, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know how, when you were pagans, you were constantly attracted and led [led, led] away to mute idols.
Paul uses redundancy (led, led) in warning his Gentile converts who are newly liberated from paganism to avoid the temptation of being lured back to idol worship. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture notes that the repeated verb suggests more than an unhealthy attraction but in secular literature was sometimes used for those being dragged away to execution (IBGE, vol. IV, page 471; Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, page 204).
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ~ The Variety and Unity of Spiritual Gifts
St. Paul's point is that God loves all of us and He gives His same Spirit of love to all members of His Church. At the same time God recognizes that we are all different, and His response to our differences is revealed in the different kinds of gifts of the Spirit that He gives us. To make his point, St. Paul names nine different kinds of spiritual gifts. Even though these are the "different workings" or ministries, it is the same God who produces those works in us to advance the Kingdom of the Church.
Grace is the first and greatest of the gifts of the Holy Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us. Grace also includes the gifts that the Spirit grants us in associating us with His work, to enable us to have a part in the salvation of others, and in the growth of the Body of Christ that is the Church (CCC 2003). The different kinds of graces:
- Sacramental graces that are gifts proper to the different Sacraments.
- Graces of state that accompany the exercise of the responsibilities of Christian life and ministries within the Church.
Paul refers to what the Catechism calls the "graces of state" in verse 29 and in Romans 12:6-8; see CCC 2004.
Question: What are the 9 beneficial gifts of the Spirit that Paul lists in verses 7-10?
Answer:
- Wisdom
- Knowledge
- Faith
- Healing
- Good deeds
- Prophecy
- Discerning spirits
- Speaking in tongues
- Interpretation of tongues
Prophecy is often thought of as predicting future events. However, the Biblical meaning, expressed by the Hebrew word hozeh (Strong's H2374), and propheteia (Strong's G4397) in the Greek is more general. It can refer to a vision or an interpreted revelation; for example, discerning the meaning of Sacred Scripture. Discerning Sacred Scripture is the meaning St. Peter uses when he wrote, ... we must recognize that the interpretation of Scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them (2 Pt 1:20-21). Peter's point is that the Church has the power and authority to interpret the intent of God's meaning in Sacred Scripture and not the interpretation of the individual. The Church never interprets Scripture out of context of the verse, the book, or the Bible as a whole. There must be a continuity and agreement of interpretation.4
"Speaking in tongues" refers to the gift of utterance that can be an unknown "heavenly" language or "angelic tongue" (13:1) for prayer and praise or a known language the person receiving the gift didn't have previously. It was a gift that was present in the early Church and which Paul possessed (14:18), but the legitimate manifestation of the gift is relatively unknown in the Church today. The value of "tongues" to the community is when the heavenly message of prophecy can be interpreted by someone for the benefit of the faithful. Paul will address the benefits and abuses of this gift in Chapter 14.
11 But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.
Question: There are many kinds of spiritual charismata, gifts, but what features do they have in common despite their diversity?
Answer:
- There is only one Spirit who gives them.
- They are all gifts of grace that come from outside ourselves.
- All the gifts are forms of service meant to build up the Body of Christ that is the Church.
1 Corinthians 12:12-26 ~ One Body, Many Parts
In verses 12-26, Paul introduces the image of a single body with its different members/parts to explain the relationship between Christ and believers. Then in verse 13, he applies this model to the unity of the Church with her many members. In verses 14-26, Paul teaches that each individual member of the Body of the Church has a different role in the functioning of the Body. Like the different parts of a human body, the functioning of each part of the body is important to the healthy and well-being of the whole body or the person just as each believer's role or function is important to the health and well-being of the Body of the Church.
1 Corinthians 12:27-31a ~ Application to Christ
In verse 29, Paul addresses the spiritual gifts of state present in:
- Apostles (leadership)
- Prophets
- Teachers
- Givers of assistance
- Administrators
And he repeats the spiritual gifts of deeds, healing, speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues from verses 9-10.
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