The apostles are the ones referred to in bold. They had nothing to add to Paul. This in itself SHOULD prove to you that Peter was NOT the first pope and did NOT have charge of the universal church. Get it? Peter added NOTHING to Paul. Paul was giving Peter information, not the other way around.
The apostles are the ones referred to in bold. They had nothing to add to Paul. This in itself SHOULD prove to you that Peter was NOT the first pope and did NOT have charge of the universal church. Get it? Peter added NOTHING to Paul. Paul was giving Peter information, not the other way around.
Not really. Paul and the rest of the Apostles were agreeing as to their roles after all these years. Remember that Paul was still very much the outsider and he had a big chip on his shoulder over he, a big time wealthy Pharisee and called specifically by Jesus, having to present bona fides to a bunch of low class fishermen and others well below Paul's class. Paul was a proud man and he fought that pride his whole Christian life.
After all these years of preaching (with whatever information exchange had gone on between Paul and the 12, this was an agreement of scope and territory.
Galatians 2: 7 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter to the circumcised, 8 for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised worked also in me for the Gentiles, 9 and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me, James and Cephas and John, 8 who were reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, we were to be mindful of the poor, 9 which is the very thing I was eager to do.
You see, James, Peter and John gave Paul their agreement as to his scope of work and added final instructions as to inclusion of the poor. Paul, even though he resented it tremendously, accepted that he was under the leadership of the Council; he was not leading it, nor giving it instructions.
I will include Iscool as a courtesy on this post, since he has an interest in the role of Paul in the early Church.