St. James the Minor
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
First Reading:
From: Acts 15:1-6
Dissension at Antioch; Judaizers
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[1] But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." [2] And when 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.
Paul and Barnabas Go to Jerusalem
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[3] So, being sent on their way by the Church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren. [4] 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. [5] But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses."
Peter's Address to the Elders
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[6] The Apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.
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Commentary:
1-35. This chapter is the center of Acts, not just because it comes right in the middle of the book but also because it covers the key event as far as concerns the universality of the Gospel and its unrestricted spread among the Gentiles. It is directly linked to the conversion of the pagan Cornelius; here, with the help of the Holy Spirit, all the consequences of that event are drawn out.
Christians with a Pharisee background--"certain men [who] came from James" (Galatians 2;12)—arriving in Antioch, assert categorically that salvation is impossible unless a person is circumcised and practices the Law of Moses. They accept (cf. 11:18) that Gentile converts can be baptized and become part of the Church; but they do not properly understand the economy of the Gospel, that is the "new" way; they think that the Mosaic rites and precepts are all still necessary for attaining salvation. The need arises, therefore, for the whole question to be brought to the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, who form the government of the Church.
2. Paul and Barnabas are once again commissioned by the Antiochene community to go to Jerusalem (cf. 11:30). Paul says in Galatians 2:2 that this journey to the Holy City was due to a special revelation. Possibly the Holy Spirit inspired him to volunteer for it. "Paul", St. Ephraem writes, "so as not to change without the Apostles' accord anything which they would allow to be done perhaps because of the weakness of the Jews, make his way to Jerusalem to see to the setting aside of the Law and of circumcision in the presence of the disciples: without the Apostles' support they [Paul and Barnabas] do not want to set them aside" ("Armenian Commentary, ad loc".).
4. This does not mean that all the members of the Church were present to receive Paul: the whole Church was morally present in those brethren who attend the gathering and particularly in the Apostles and elders.
5. "Party": the Greek and the New Vulgate both literally say "heresy". However, in this context the word is not pejorative. It is a correct use of language in view of the religious exclusivity and separateness practiced by the Pharisees: they saw themselves as, and in fact were, the rightful representatives of post-exilic Judaism (cf. note on Acts 13:15). The Pharisees mentioned here were Christians who in practice still lived like Jews.
6-21. The hierarchical Church, consisting of the Apostles and elders or priests, now meets to study and decide whether baptized Gentiles are obliged or not to be circumcised and to keep the Old Law. This is a question of the utmost importance to the young Christian Church and the answer to it has to be absolutely correct. Under the leadership of St. Peter, the meeting deliberates at length, but it is not going to devise a new truth or new principles: all it does is, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to provide a correct interpretation of God's promises and commandments regarding the salvation of men and the way in which Gentiles can enter the New Israel.
This meeting is seen as the first general council of the Church, that is, the prototype of the series of councils of which the Second Vatican Council is the most recent. Thus, the Council of Jerusalem displays the same features as the later ecumenical councils in the history of the Church: a) it is a meeting of the rulers of the entire Church, not of ministers of one particular place; b) it promulgates rules which have binding force for all Christians; c) the content of its decrees deals with faith and morals; d) its decisions are recorded in a written document--a formal proclamation to the whole Church; e) Peter presides over the assembly.
According to the "Code of Canon Law" (can. 338-341) ecumenical councils are assemblies--summoned and presided over by the Pope--of bishops and some others endowed with jurisdiction; decisions of these councils do not oblige unless they are confirmed and promulgated by the Pope. This assembly at Jerusalem probably took place in the year 49 or 50.