Acts 15

Last updated
Acts 15
←  chapter 14
chapter 16  →
Codex laudianus (The S.S. Teacher's Edition-The Holy Bible - Plate XXIX).jpg
Acts 15:22–24 in Latin (left column) and Greek (right column) in Codex Laudianus, written about AD 550.
Book Acts of the Apostles
Category Church history
Christian Bible part New Testament
Order in the Christian part5

Acts 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records "the first great controversy in the records of the Christian Church", [1] concerning the necessity of circumcision, Paul and Barnabas traveling to Jerusalem to attend the Council of Jerusalem and the beginning of Paul's second missionary journey. [2] The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. [3]

Contents

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 41 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

In Greek
In Latin

Old Testament references

New Testament references

Locations

Relief Map of Mediterranean Sea.png
Red pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
class=notpageimage|
Places mentioned in (blue) and related to (black) this chapter.

This chapter mentions the following places (in order of appearance):

Timeline

The journey of Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem and the Council of Jerusalem is generally considered to have taken place around 48 [8] – 50 AD. Robert Witham dated it to 51 AD. [9]

Conflict over circumcision (15:1–5)

The circumcision controversy began in Antioch, when 'certain men' (Greek : τινες, certain 'people' in the NIV translation) came from Judea teaching that salvation was dependent on circumcision according to the Mosaic law. The People's New Testament Commentary [10] called them 'the Judaizing Teachers'; [11] Paul called them and others with the same teaching 'false brethren secretly brought in'. [12]

The dispute which arose resulted in a decision to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, to seek a resolution to the issue. In Jerusalem the pro-circumcision case was argued by 'some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed'. [13]

Council of Jerusalem (15:6–29)

The account of the Jerusalem Council is bracketed by the scenes in Antioch (verses 1–5 opening; verses 30–35 closing) as an indication that the narrator shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch as 'home ground', and might not have access to the developments in Jerusalem since Peter left that city in Acts 12:17. [14]

Verse 13

And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me:" [15]

The council listened to James because he was the first of the three pillars of church (see Galatians 2:9). He was the leader of the church in Jerusalem until he was stoned to death at the insistence of the high priest in 62 AD. James was the Lord Jesus Christ's half brother, the one who did not believe until the Lord appeared to him privately after the Resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 15:7). [16]

Verse 14

Simon has declared how God first visited the Gentiles to take from among them a people for His name. [17]

Verse 23

This is the letter delivered by them: "The apostles and the presbyters, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings". [20]

The letter was addressed to non-Jewish believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Its wider relevance was confirmed in Acts 16:4, where Paul and Silas endorse its compliance across a wider area. [21]

Return to Antioch (15:30–35)

Armed with the apostolic decree, Paul and Barnabas triumphantly returned to Antioch, accompanied by the Jerusalem delegates, Judas (surnamed Barsabbas) and Silas (verses 22, 32), who provided encouragement and strengthening (cf. Acts 14:22 ), just like Barnabas, who was originally sent from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 11:22–24 ). [2]

Paul and Barnabas part company (15:36–41)

This section opens the account of Paul's second journey (Acts 15:36–18:23 ), which started after an unspecified interval (verse 36: τινας ἡμέρας, tinas hēmeras, literally "some days"), and without the formal commissioning ceremony recorded for his first journey (Acts 13:3). E. H. Plumptre refers to a "commonly received chronology" according to which the journey commenced "somewhat more than a year" after the Council held in Jerusalem. [1]

The proposed tour was simply intended to revisit converts from the previous mission [21] ("the brethren", or "our brethren" in the King James Version but not in critical Greek texts of the New Testament). [22]

Paul parted ways with Barnabas before the departure (verses 37–39), and Barnabas disappears from the remaining chapters of Acts, although Paul mentions him in his first epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:6 ). Silas of Jerusalem (also called "Silvanus" in Latinized form), who is a 'prophet' and anointed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:32 ; like Paul and Barnabas), became Paul's new companion (verse 40). Paul and Silas began the journey through the Taurus Mountains passing Paul's home territory of Cilicia (verse 41), following the route along southern Anatolia (now Turkey) across the Cilician Gates. [21] Later, they evangelized Macedonia and Achaea (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:19 ). [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnabas</span> Early Christian disciple and bishop

Barnabas, born Joseph (Ἰωσήφ) or Joses (Ἰωσής), was according to tradition an early Christian, one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. Named an apostle in Acts 14:14, he and Paul the Apostle undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the Judaizers. They traveled together making more converts, and participated in the Council of Jerusalem. Barnabas and Paul successfully evangelized among the "God-fearing" Gentiles who attended synagogues in various Hellenized cities of Anatolia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul the Apostle</span> Christian apostle and missionary

Paul, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, and he also founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Jerusalem</span> First Christian synod (c. 48–50 AD)

The Council of Jerusalem or Apostolic Council is a council described in chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles, allegedly held in Jerusalem around c. 48–50 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 12</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the death of the first apostle, James, son of Zebedee, followed by the miraculous escape of Peter from prison, the death of Herod Agrippa I, and the early ministry of Barnabas and Paul of Tarsus. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galatians 2</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Galatians 2 is the second chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle for the churches in Galatia, written between 49 and 58 AD. This chapter contains the meeting account of Paul, Barnabas and Christians in Jerusalem, considered "one of the most momentous events in the earliest Christianity", and the dispute between Paul and Peter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 1</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 1 is the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. This chapter functions as a transition from the "former account" with a narrative prelude, repeated record of the ascension of Jesus Christ with more detail and the meeting of Jesus' followers, until before Pentecost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 8</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 8 is the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the burial of Stephen, the beginnings of Christian persecution, the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Samaria and the conversion of an Ethiopian official. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. Parts of this chapter may have been drawn from an earlier "Philip cycle of stories" used by Luke in assembling his material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 9</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 9 is the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records Saul's conversion and the works of Saint Peter. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 11</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records that Saint Peter defends his visit to Cornelius in Caesarea and retells his vision prior to the meeting as well as the pouring of Holy Spirit during the meeting. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 13</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas to Cyprus and Pisidia. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. From this point onwards, except for the Council held in Jerusalem, Luke's narrative focusses on Paul, his ministry, and the events of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 14</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas to Phrygia and Lycaonia. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 16</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the start of the second missionary journey of Paul, together with Silas and Timothy. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 18</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 18 is the eighteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the final part of the second missionary journey of Paul, together with Silas and Timothy, and the beginning of the third missionary journey. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

Acts 20 is the twentieth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. It records the third missionary journey of Paul the Apostle. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 21</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 21 is the twenty-first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the end of Paul's third missionary journey and his arrival and reception in Jerusalem. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 22</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 22 is the twenty-second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the event leading to Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 23</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 23 is the twenty-third chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the period of Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem then in Caesarea. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts 26</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Acts 26 is the twenty-sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the period of Paul's imprisonment in Caesarea. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but Holman states that "uniform Christian tradition affirms that Luke wrote both" this book as well as the Gospel of Luke, as supported by Guthrie based on external evidence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galatians 1</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Galatians 1 is the first chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle for the churches in Galatia, written between 49 and 58 AD. This chapter contains Paul's significant exposition concerning the significance of God's revelation of Jesus Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galatians 3</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Galatians 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle for the churches in Galatia, written between 49–58 AD. This chapter contains Paul's important argument about Abraham's faith and his 'offspring', a designation for "those belong to Jesus Christ".

References

  1. 1 2 Plumptre, E. H. (1905), Acts 15, in Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers, accessed 11 May 2024
  2. 1 2 Alexander 2007, pp. 1047–1048.
  3. ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
  4. ↑ Continuation List Institute for New Testament Textual Research, University of Münster. Retrieved March 29, 2010
  5. 1 2 Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 110. ISBN   978-0-8028-4098-1.
  6. ↑ Bruce M. Metzger, The Early Versions of the New Testament, Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 316.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Biblical concordances of Acts 16 in the 1611 King James Version".
  8. ↑ Robinson, John Arthur Thomas (1976) Redating the New Testament, Westminster Press. ISBN   978-1-57910-527-3
  9. ↑ Witham, R., (1730), Annotations on the New Testament of Jesus Christ, p. 474, accessed 11 May 2024
  10. ↑ M. Eugene Boring, Fred B. Craddock, The People's New Testament Commentary, Westminster John Knox Press, 2004
  11. ↑ People's New Testament, Acts 15, accessed 10 September 2015
  12. ↑ Galatians 2:4
  13. ↑ Acts 15:5 NKJV
  14. ↑ Alexander 2007, p. 1047.
  15. ↑ Acts 15:13 NKJV
  16. ↑ The Nelson Study Bible. Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1997
  17. ↑ Acts 15:14: MEV
  18. ↑ Greek Text Analysis: Acts 15:14.Biblehub
  19. ↑ Strong's Greek Concordance 4826. Sumeón. Biblehub
  20. ↑ Acts 15:23: New American Bible Revised Edition
  21. 1 2 3 4 Alexander 2007, p. 1048.
  22. ↑ Acts 15:36: King James Version, and Acts 15:36: SBL Greek New Testament

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.