excellent...now let’s wait for the Reinterpretation Train to arrive at the station, and bumble through some retelling of straight forward history to make it seem as little catholic as possible....
I thought the article and the video were both excellent. I concur with your second thought. LOL!
Yes, I agree. This article was a bumbling re-arranging of straightforward history, turning the wider truth of the matters sideways, ending up almost entirely upside down on it's head --- when essentially, it's asserted the Latin Church (as it is now, and has been for say, the last 1200 years or so) is continuing epitome of the earliest ages of the Church.
I wouldn't much care, but I hate to see God's name (and the Holy Spirit) so casually dragged through the mud.
But now, if no non-Catholic replies to this post, then that is affirmation from silence. And if they do, it is just someone bumbling through the text. A nice inoculation from discussion, and a game that is rigged so that your point of view prevails either way.
excellent...now let’s wait for the Reinterpretation Train to arrive at the station, and bumble through some retelling of straight forward history to make it seem as little catholic as possible....
There is nothing distinctively Roman Catholic in Acts 15, and the Reinterpretation Train is that of Rome, and it is RC who bumble through some retelling of straight forward history to make it seem as much Roman catholic as possible..
Consider,.
1. Rather than Peter being looked to as the supreme infallible pope reigning supreme over the church from Rome, this council was not called for by Peter, who never calls any council, in contrast to Paul, who when he was come from Miletus "sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church." (Acts 20:17)
Nor did the Paul and Barnabas decide to see the pope, but they determined that they and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders plural about this question. (Acts 15:2)
2. Peter, as the street-level leader among the 11, and the first to use the keys to the kingdom - which is the gospel, by faith in which one is translated into the kingdom (Col. 1:13) - does indeed rise to give his testimony and exhortation as to what should be done. But Peter did not provide the final judgment as to what should be done, and settle the matter.
Instead, after the testimony of Paul and Barnabas, it is James who provides the conflative and Scripturally substantiated final judgment as to what should be done, to which all assent and concludes the matter.
3. What Peter affirmed as the saving grace of God was the evangelical gospel, that,
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)
And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:7-9)
Thus they heard the word of the gospel, and believed, and the hearts of these lost seekers were purified by faith, and they received the Holy Spirit, all before baptism, which then followed. (Acts 10:47)
4. Rome is nowhere in this picture as the chief church, and the judgment is sent to "the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia."
5. No ordained Catholic priests were present (anywhere), since there was no separate class of sacerdotal believers distinctively called by the same distinctive name (hiereus) which identified such OT clergy, as instead all believers constitute the only priesthood (hieráteuma) in the NT church (1Pt. 2:5,9; Re 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).
Thus (married) Peter is more an evangelical preacher here than a Catholic one. In addition, there were no manifest apostolic successors voted for after Matthias was chosen for Judas (even though James was martyred: Acts 12:1,2), which was in order to maintain the foundational number of apostles (cf. Rv. 21:14) and which was by the non-political Scriptural means of casting lots. (cf. Prov. 16:33)
Neither were these Gentiles told to particularly submit to Peter nor is this seen in any letters to churches.
Toot Toot!!
Acts 15
The Council at Jerusalem
1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses."
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16 "'After this I will return
and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things'
18 things known from long ago.19 "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers
22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
You mean, who is going to bring Pope and his fans to account for reinterpreting as in this thread the Holy Scripture? That credits Simon for chairing this council rather than James? For a council that was inaugurated to deal with Judaizers undercutting Paul's evangelization of the Gentiles, which was within his purview and not Simon's?
"And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision" (Gal. 2:9 AV; 'they' and not Kefas alone).
Nothing like imputing ignorance and ill will to those who reasonably see things otherwise, eh?
Wasn't it Paul that verbally and effectively took Peter (= Kephas, meaning 'hollow rock') to the woodshed and soundly spanked him before the authorities of the Antioch assembly for doing exactly the opposite of what Peter finally later admitted to the Jerusalem church?
"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" (Gal 2:14 AV).
Why do y'all do such things to twist the truth that is given to us in the Scriptures? And expect that the Bible believers not legitimately straighten the matter out?
If Pope is not bumbling, then he is likely deliberately misrepresenting the annals of the Acts of the Apostles.
In fact, I see that the result of this local church council was caused by the Antioch church exercising discipline on the Jerusalem church, who ought not to have been sending out representatives that undermined the Pauline effort, including Peter, who even tried to dissolve the Paul/Barnabas evangelistic team authorized by the Holy Spirit through the doctrinally correct Antiochans to send them out as missionaries.
"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" (Act 13:2 AV).
While they were away, and Peter came to Antioch:
"And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation" (Gal 2:13 AV).
So, what do you make of that?