Preface: This chapter begins with men from Judæa going to various gentile churches and teaching them that they must be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses. Paul and Barnabas, after getting into a number are arguments with such, go to Jerusalem where they would meet with the elders and Apostles there and hammer out a policy. After a discussion, this group meets on the common ground that, of course gentiles don’t need to get circumcised or follow the Mosaic Law; but they are not to go into the heathen temples or partake of any activity related to heathenism.

Paul and Barnabas take this decision, which they themselves support, and present it to the gentile believers in Antioch. The male gentile believers are very much relieved that they are not required to be circumcised; and they readily accept a ban on their attending heathen temples. The text in Acts simply reports all of this, not taking any issue with the pronouncement out of Jerusalem or the method by which this document was arrived at. However, there are problems with what took place, which problems will be examined in this chapter.

Finally, Paul and Barnabas have agreed to go back to the places where they evangelized the people, but they run into a snag—Barnabas wants to bring John Mark along, and Paul absolutely refuses. These men will go their own ways, essentially having simultaneous missionary tours (one of which we will follow in the future).

Bible Summary: Some men taught circumcision for the Gentiles. Peter said, "God gave the Spirit with no distinction." Paul and Barnabas separated.

The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 15 (a chart); from Slide Player; accessed June 30, 2022.

This should be the most extensive examination of Acts 15 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview: (taken from Light of the Word; accessed April 22, 2022). Additional material from Wikipedia (also accessed April 22, 2022).

Time and Place as per Modern Literal Version 2020:

50 AD. Jerusalem. Caractacus of Britain conquered and sent to Rome.

Early in 51 to 53 AD. Antioch into Asia Minor & Europe. Paul’s second missionary journey. Felix was made governor of Judea. Famine at Rome. Jews expelled from Rome.

Outline of Chapter 15:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–35         The Jerusalem Council

         vv.         1–2          The problem

         vv.         3–4          Paul and Barnabas travel to Jerusalem

         vv.         5–21        The debate/discussion (with various speakers)

         vv.        22–29        The letter sent to the gentile churches up north

         vv.        30–35        Paul and Barnabas travel north to Antioch, where they present & teach the letter

         vv.    36–41         The Second Missionary Tour Begins

         vv.        36–38        The disagreement about John Mark

         vv.        39–41        The parting of the ways

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 15 (a chart)

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Acts 15 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Acts 15 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Acts 15

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Acts 15

         Introduction         The Principals of Acts 15

         Introduction         The Places of Acts 15

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 15

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Acts 15 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 15 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Acts 13–18)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

         v.       1              Palestine During the time of Herod and his Sons (a map)

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         v.      21              Preliminary Considerations of the Jerusalem Council

         v.      22              Problems with the Jerusalem Council (by Kukis)

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         v.      31              What exactly is wrong with this letter?

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         v.      39              Acts 15:39 How do we interpret this separation?

         v.      39              How do we know Barnabas was right and Paul was wrong?

         v.      41              Cyprus, Cilicia and Syria Map (a graphic)

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Acts 15 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Acts 15

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Acts 15

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         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 15:1 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Acts 15:1–4

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Acts 15:5–12

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 15:13 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Acts 15:13–21

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 15:19 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Acts 15:22–29

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Acts 15:30–35

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Acts 15:36–41

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         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Acts 15

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Acts 15

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Acts 15

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Acts 15

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An Introduction to Acts 15

I ntroduction: Remember how, in the first few chapters of Acts, all the believers were in one place and of one accord? A few years passed, during which, this continued. However, we have run into a number of instances where that was not the case. And what we have in this chapter will be the greatest dissension yet. Jewish believers had decided to go to various gentile churches and give them the minimum that was going to be required of them: they would need to be circumcised and they would need to keep the Law of Moses.

Acts 15 introduces the concept of legalism versus grace, but in somewhat of a fascinating way. This chapter begins with believers from Judæa, recognizing that many gentiles are believing in Jesus, that there is a problem—at least in their minds. In our era, we may not appreciate this, but there would not have been any Jews who were uncircumcised and this was a very, very big deal to them. Historically, remember that Moses was almost stopped cold because one of his sons was not circumcised (and neither of his sons played any sort of an important role in Israel as a nation).

There is also the Law of Moses. God spoke these words to the people. Can that be set aside?

Considering these two issues, remember that the guidance from Jesus has been limited. There are no New Testament books or letters at this point in the Church Age. Jesus did not sit anyone down, as far as we know, and say, “Okay, this is a new age and there are going to be a boatload of changes. Here they are. Point one...” Even though I have heard talk of Paul being taught by angels, there is no indication that something similar occurred. There are a great many hints and clues as to where this doctrine came from (this will be discussed further in v. 32 and elsewhere).

However, given how these issues play out, it is almost as if Jesus said, “You have the Holy Spirit; you guys figure it out.”

We should be aware of the time—it is approximately a.d. 50, 20 years after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. By this point in time, it is clear that Jesus is not going to pop in and out of their lives on occasion.

However, the are a great number of unknowns. What is the local gathering of believers? What should that look like? What is the relationship between the believers in Jesus and established traditional Judaism? In fact, what is the relationship of those who have believed and the Old Testament? After all, Paul (and others) certainly taught a lot from the Old Testament (primarily he taught Jesus from the Old Testament).

In a situation where Paul, Barnabas and Peter are gathered together in Jerusalem, from whom would we expect the chief arguments? Paul, of course. But when the Jerusalem council meets to discuss these questions, it is Peter who stands up and says what he believes to be true. Paul and Barnabas do have a say, but it is only summarized. Then James, the half-brother of Jesus stands up, and he gives a message which is preserved in 9 verses (Peter’s message was preserved in 5). And the men all come to an agreement, and that is put into writing and sent by the hands of Paul and Barnabas to the gentile churches. And that document is basically the compromise that James laid down.

The short description of this chapter is, false doctrine is being spread throughout the gentile churches just established. Judaizers tell the people that they must be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses. The Apostles (including Paul and Barnabas) and the elders of the churches in Judæa all meet and discuss this problem and they take a vote and all of them authorize a letter which is to be hand-carried to these various churches, sending Paul and Barnabas and at least two other men.

Certainly a central question should be, is this the right way to handle this problem? More to the point, are the things taking place in Acts 15 prescriptive for churches in this new age? My short answer is, no, and I would suggest that this chapter of Acts has more in common with Acts 1 than it does with the book of Galatians (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) (Folder) . Acts 1 is a false start for the Apostles, who somehow think that they need to be voting on a new Apostle to replace Judas, who is dead. The book of Galatians deals directly with the problems of legalism, and what is allowed and what is not.

In other words, when dealing with legalism, and we need guidance—do we as believers turn to Acts 15 for guidance or to the book of Galatians? Score one for you if you chose the book of Galatians.

Bear in mind that Acts is an historical record of the early church. We already know that, on occasion, the disciples make a mistake. They make wrong calls. This does not invalidate them; and this in no way detracts from the epistles which they wrote (apart from the one in this chapter). But we do have to carefully evaluate what they do, what they agree upon, and what doctrines they are teaching.

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The Jerusalem Council

The problem

The are men who came from Judæa and they were going to various gentile churches and telling them that there were certain things which they needed to do in order to conform to the Mosaic Law.

R. B. Thieme, Jr. often used the term Judaizers for such legalistic believers, so I will use that term here.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And certain ones coming down from the Judæa were teaching the brothers that, “If not you [all] might be circumcised in the custom of the [Law] of Moses, you [all] are not able to be saved.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      And certain men coming down from Judea were teaching the brothers, "If you are not circumcised in the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And some, coming down from Judea, taught the brethren: That, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        Then, there came down some from Yehud {Judea}, and they were teaching The Brothers that if you are not circumcised with regard to the custom of The Namusa {The Law}, you are not able to be made alive.

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And certain men came down from Judaea, and taught the brethren, that unless ye be circumcised, in accordance with the rite of the law, ye cannot have life.

Original Aramaic NT              But men had come down from Judea and were teaching the brethren: "If you are not circumcised in the custom of The Law, you cannot have life."

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now certain men came down from Judaea, teaching the brothers and saying that without circumcision, after the rule of Moses, there is no salvation.

Bible in Worldwide English     Some men came from Judea and taught the Christian brothers. They said, You must be circumcised with the mark made on your body in the way Moses taught us. If you are not circumcised you cannot be saved.

Easy English                          Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem

Some men arrived in Antioch from Judea. They began to teach the believers there who were not Jews. They said to them, ‘God cannot save you unless someone circumcises you. This is in the Law that God gave to Moses.’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Then some men came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish believers: "You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as Moses taught us."

God’s Word™                         Controversy about Moses’ Teachings

Some men came from Judea and started to teach believers that people can't be saved unless they are circumcised as Moses' Teachings require.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Some men came from Judea to Antioch and started teaching the believers, "You cannot be saved unless you are circumcised as the Law of Moses requires."

J. B. Phillips                           The opposition from the reactionaries

Then some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, saying “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses you cannot be saved”.

The Message                         To Let Outsiders Inside

It wasn’t long before some Jews showed up from Judea insisting that everyone be circumcised: “If you’re not circumcised in the Mosaic fashion, you can’t be saved.”

NIRV                                      Church Leaders Meet in Jerusalem

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch. Here is what they were teaching the believers. “Moses commanded you to be circumcised,” they said. “If you aren’t, you can’t be saved.”

New Life Version                    A Meeting of Church Leaders in Jerusalem

Some men came down from the country of Judea and started to teach the Christians. They said, “Unless you go through the religious act of becoming a Jew as Moses taught, you cannot be saved from the punishment of sin.”

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              ACTS 15

CHRISTIAN LEADERS ARGUE IN JERUSALEM

Q: SHOULD CHRISTIANS OBEY JEWISH RULES?

Some men from Judea [1] showed up and told people in the church, “Unless you men get yourselves circumcised, like the custom of Moses says, you can’t get saved.” [2]

¹15:1Judea was the territory around Jerusalem.

²15:1First of all, “ouch.” For many people, the hardest part of converting to the Jewish faith was circumcision along with the kosher food restrictions. That’s why some people in synagogue services were described as people who respected God but were not considered full converts to the Jewish faith. Many Bible experts say that the Jewish Christians who came from Judea were essentially telling non-Jewish followers of Jesus that in order to become Christians, they had to first become Jews and obey all the laws the Jewish people are supposed to obey. If these Judeans had won the argument, Christianity may have become just one more branch of the Jewish faith. Three main branches today are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Christians could have become the fourth branch: Messianic, Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah.

Contemporary English V.       Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord's followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught.

The Living Bible                     While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers that unless they adhered to the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision, they could not be saved.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           The Council at Jerusalem

While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers [Greek brothers; also in 15:3, 23, 32, 33, 36, 40.]: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

The Passion Translation        While Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch, some false teachers came from Judea to trouble the believers. They taught, “Unless you are circumcised, as the law of Moses requires, you cannot be saved.”

Plain English Version             The church leaders had a meeting in Jerusalem

At that time, some men came to Antioch from Judea country, and they started to teach the Christian men, “If you don’t have the young man operation that Moses wrote about, God will not save you. That operation is in our law.”

Radiant New Testament        Church Leaders Meet in Jerusalem

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and started teaching the believers, “If you aren’t circumcised the way Moses commanded, you can’t be saved.”

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Then some Jewish believers went down from Judea province to Antioch. They started teaching the non-Jewish believers there, saying, "You must be circumcised to show that you belong to God, as Moses commanded in the laws that he received from God. If you do not do that, you will not be saved."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          However, some men then came down from Judea and started teaching the brothers that if they didn’t get circumcised following the custom of Moses, they couldn’t be saved.

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            And some who came down out of Judea were teaching the brothers, "If you were not circumcised with Moses' custom, you are not able to be rescued."

Common English Bible           The Jerusalem Council

Some people came down from Judea teaching the family of believers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom we’ve received from Moses, you can’t be saved.”

A. Campbell's Living Oracles In the meantime, some, who came down from Judea, taught the brethren, Except you be circumcised, according to the manner of Moses, you can not be saved.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       But now some visitors came down from Judaea, who began to tell the brethren, You cannot be saved without being circumcised according to the tradition of Moses.

NT for Everyone                     Is circumcision necessary?

Some people came from Judaea to Antioch and, on arrival, began to teach the Christians that they could not be saved unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses.

20^th Century New Testament But certain persons came down from Judea, and began to teach the Brethren that, unless they were circumcised, in accordance with the custom enjoined by Moses, they could not be saved.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Christian Standard Bible        Dispute in Antioch

Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Conservapedia Translation    Then several men who came down from Judea started teaching the brothers, saying, "Unless you have yourselves circumcised after the fashion of Moses, you cannot be saved."

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Controversy Regarding Circumcision.

But some of those coming down from Judea taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved."

Free Bible Version                 Then some men arrived from Judea who started teaching the believers, you’re circumcised according to the rules set down by Moses, you can’t be saved.”

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           Then came certain from Jewrie, and taught the brethren except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.

International Standard V        Controversy about the Law

Then some men came down from Judea and started to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Law of Moses, you can’t be saved.”

Montgomery NT                     But some men came down from Judea and attempted to teach the brethren, saying, "Unless you are circumcised according to Moses' custom, you cannot be saved."

Riverside New Testament      BUT certain men came down from Judaea and undertook to teach the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

Weymouth New Testament    But certain persons who had come down from Judaea tried to convince the brethren, saying, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved."

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     The council at Jerusalem

• Some persons who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers in this way, “Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

The footnote for Acts 15:1 was placed in the Addendum.

Gal 5:3; Gen 17:9

The Heritage Bible                 And some men going down from Judaea taught the brothers that, If you are not circumcised after the custom of Moses, you absolutely do not have power to be saved.

New American Bible (2011)   Council of Jerusalem.

* Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,^a “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,^b you cannot be saved.”*

* [15:1–35] The Jerusalem “Council” marks the official rejection of the rigid view that Gentile converts were obliged to observe the Mosaic law completely. From here to the end of Acts, Paul and the Gentile mission become the focus of Luke’s writing.

* [15:1–5] When some of the converted Pharisees of Jerusalem discover the results of the first missionary journey of Paul, they urge that the Gentiles be taught to follow the Mosaic law. Recognizing the authority of the Jerusalem church, Paul and Barnabas go there to settle the question of whether Gentiles can embrace a form of Christianity that does not include this obligation.

a. [15:1–4] Gal 2:1–9.

b. [15:1] Lv 12:3; Gal 5:2.

New Catholic Bible                 The Council of Jerusalem^[a]

The Question of Circumcision. Some men who had come down from Judea were teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the tradition of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

[a] Christian communities have sprung up everywhere and include converts from both Jews and Gentiles. Radical problems have also arisen. The Church is clearly aware that she exists thanks only to the union of the two very contrasting portions of humanity of that time: Jews and Gentiles (Acts 15:14-17); this union should express the true reality of salvation in Jesus Christ. What we see here is an authentically theological inquiry, which consists in interpreting the experience of the apostles’ encounters with the Gentiles and shedding light on them from the Scriptures.

1

As they reflect on the words of the Prophets, the members of the Council realize that the People of God, with which all the prophecies are concerned, exists in its full reality only at the moment when Gentile inquiry meets the original nucleus of Jewish testimonies. However, the practical decisions made are more cautious than the great theological statements. The Council asks for the observance of some elementary precepts that no Jew can abandon and that people know almost everywhere.

They are not to eat meat that has been sacrificed, because this would signify a fellowship with the divinities of the Gentiles (see 1 Cor 10:18-20). They are to avoid illegitimate unions (“unchastity”). They are not to eat flesh with blood in it (“[abstain] from the meat of animals that have been strangled, and from blood” [v. 20]), since according to the mind of the time blood was the sacred principle of life. The last two concern dietary laws (see Gen 9:14; Lev 3:17; Deut 12:16, 23; 1 Sam 14:34; Ezek 33:25).

All agree on these theological principles and their practical consequences. What a staggering sentence we read here for the first time, one that has passed from the Council to our own day: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and also our decision”!

New Jerusalem Bible             Then some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, 'Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.'

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) The Council at Jerusalem

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’

Revised English Bible–1989   SOME people who had come down from Judaea began to teach the brotherhood that those who were not circumcised in accordance with Mosaic practice could not be saved.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           But some men came down from Y’hudah to Antioch and began teaching the brothers, “You can’t be saved unless you undergo b’rit-milah in the manner prescribed by Moshe.”

Hebraic Roots Bible               And going down from Judea, some taught the brothers, saying, unless you are circumcised in the manner of the Torah, you cannot be saved.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Then some men came down to Antioch in Syria from Judea. They began teaching non-Jewish brothers: "You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised. Moses told us to do it."

The Scriptures 2009              And certain men came down from Yehuah and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the practice of Mosheh, you are unable to be saved.”

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...and (Some) Ones Descending from the judea taught the brothers for if not [You*] may be circumcised [in] the custom the [thing] [of] moses not [You*] have (ability) to be saved...

Awful Scroll Bible                   And some, coming-down from Judæa, are teaching the brothers that, "If- yous shall -not be cut-around after the custom of Moses, yous able not to be preserving sound."

exeGeses companion Bible   YAH HUDIYM DOCTRINATE CUSTOM OF MOSHEH

And some men come down from Yah Hudah

and doctrinate the brothers, and say,

Unless you circumcise after the custom of Mosheh,

you cannot be saved.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And some men came down from Yehudah to Syrian Antioch and were teaching the Achim b'Moshiach that if you lack the bris milah as prescribed by Moshe Rabbenu, it is impossible for you to come to Yeshu'at Eloheinu.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.  § 25. Must Gentiles be Circumcised? The Question settled in Jerusalem.

Chapter 15.

And ||certain persons|| |coming down from Judea| began to teach the brethren—

<Except ye be circumcised according to the custom of Moses> ye cannot be saved.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

An Understandable Version   Certain men [i.e., believers, see verse 5] came down from Judea [to Antioch of Syria] and began teaching the brothers this: You cannot be saved unless you are circumcised according to the custom [required] by Moses.

The Expanded Bible              The Meeting in Jerusalem

Then some people came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the Gentile believers [^L brothers (and sisters)]: “You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised ·as Moses taught us [^L according to the custom of Moses; compare Gen. 17:9–14].”

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Later, certain men, having come down from Judea, began teaching the brothers that, "Unless you folks should (or: would) get circumcised within (or: by) the custom of Moses [D reads: and should habitually walk (= order your lives) in (by) the custom of Moses], you continue without power to be saved (or: you continue unable to be healed, made whole or returned to the original state and condition)."

Syndein/Thieme                     And certain men which came down from the ultimate source of Judea {See Galatians Chapter 2} kept on teaching the brethren, and said, "Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved." {Legalistic Jews wrong opinion}

Translation for Translators     Some Jewish believers said that God will save only people who are circumcised.

Acts 15:1-2

Then some Jewish believers went down from Judea province to Antioch. They started teaching the non-Jewish believers there, and said, “You ◂must be circumcised/must have God’s mark put on you► to indicate you belong to God, as Moses commanded in the laws that he received from God. If you do not do that, you will not be saved {God will not save you}.”

The Voice                               Their peace was disturbed, however, when certain Judeans came with this teaching: “Unless you are circumcised according to Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved.”

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         The Jerusalem Council

And some men came down from Judea and [*Here “and ” is supplied because the previous participle (“came down”) has been translated as a finite verb] began teaching [*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began teaching”)] the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

NET Bible®                             The Jerusalem Council

Now some men came down from Judea1 and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised2 according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

^1sn That is, they came down from Judea to Antioch in Syria.

^2tc Codex Bezae (D) and a few other witnesses have “and walk” here (i.e., instead of τ ἔθει τ Μωϋσέως [tw eqei tw Mwu>sew"] they read καὶ τ ἔθει τ Μωϋσέως περιπατ τε [kai tw eqei tw Mwu>sews peripathte]). This is a decidedly stronger focus on obedience to the Law. As well, D expands vv. 1-5 in various places with the overall effect of being “more sympathetic to the local tradition of the church at Jerusalem” while the Alexandrian witnesses are more sympathetic to Paul (TCGNT 377). Codex D is well known for having a significantly longer text in Acts, but modern scholarship is generally of the opinion that the text of D expands on the original wording of Acts, with a theological viewpoint that especially puts Peter in a more authoritarian light. The expansion in these five verses is in keeping with that motif even though Peter is not explicitly in view.

^sn Unless you are circumcised. These teachers from Judea were teaching that Gentiles could not be saved unless they kept the law of Moses in regard to circumcision. Thus according to them a Gentile had first to become a proselyte to Judaism, including circumcision, before one could become a Christian. This party is sometimes known (collectively) as Judaizers. They did not question that Gentiles could come into the community, but disagreed with Paul and Barnabas on what basis they could do so.

The Spoken English NT         A Conference in Jerusalem about the Status of Gentile Believers

Then^a some people came down from Judea^b and were teaching the brothers and sisters that you’re circumcised according to the custom handed down from Moses,^c you canbe saved.”

^a.Lit. “And.”

^b.Prn. joo-dee-a.

^c.Lit. “in the custom of Moses”; see Lev_12:3.

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     The Jerusalem Council
The conflict
Then some men came down from Judea and started teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved”.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  And certain [men] having come down from Judea began teaching the brothers, "Unless you_p are circumcised [according to] the custom of Moses, you_p are not able to be saved."

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       Now certain men, having arrived from Judea, began teaching the brethren, that if you were not circumcised after the custom of Moses, you were not able to be saved [become a Christian].

Bond Slave Version               And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.

Far Above All Translation       And certain men came down from Judaea and were teaching the brothers as follows: you are circumcised in the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Modern English Version         The Council in Jerusalem

Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised in the tradition of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Modern Literal Version 2020  {50 AD. Jerusalem. Caractacus of Britain conquered and sent to Rome.}

And some, came down from Judea, and were teaching the brethren, saying, If you are not be circumcised in the custom of Moses, you are unable to be saved.

New Matthew Bible                Then certain men came from Judea and taught the brethren, Unless you are circumcised as observed by Moses, you cannot be saved.

Niobi Study Bible                   Conflict over Circumcision

And certain men who came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, "Unless you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved."

The gist of this passage:     Men from Judæa came to Antioch and said that, if someone is not circumcised, then they cannot be saved.

Translation: Certain [men] came down from Judæa...

In the previous chapter, I alleged that Paul did not come with Church Age doctrine reinstalled as a part of his operating system, but that he had experiences, interactions, discussions, personal thoughts, and piece-by-piece, he built up and designed Church Age theology (which is the study and understanding of God within the confines of the Church Age).

Jerusalem had become the center of Israel’s theology and religious worship pretty much for the previous 1000 years, apart from the appearance of a pesky prophet now and again (these prophets showed up in both the northern and southern kingdoms—Jerusalem was in the southern kingdom).

Prior to Solomon, the center of demonstrable worship was the Tabernacle; and that could be moved from place to place. It landed in many different cities and territories. See the Movement of the Ark and the Tabernacle (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

However, when Solomon oversaw the building of the Temple, that was a religious center that could not be moved. For the religious Jew, Jerusalem became the very center of Y^ehowah worship.

Interestingly enough, the public ministries of John the Herald and of Jesus did not take place in Jerusalem. John’s short ministry took place along the Jordan River in the desert-wilderness; and Jesus’ public ministry took place primarily around Lake Galilee.

Palestine During the time of Herod and his Sons (a map); from Encyclopedia Britannica; accessed November 3, 2023.

Sometimes, it is much easier to look at a map, rather than talk about all of these places (some of you can see this in your mind’s eye; and for others, these are just miscellaneous name).

The yellow region on the map is roughly equivalent to the Southern Kingdom; and the southern third of the orange region and the purple region are roughly equivalent to the Northern Kingdom.

Acts 15:1a Certain [men] came down from Judæa...

In some way or another, based upon the location of the Temple, believers and unbelievers alike believed that Jerusalem was the center of true Y^ehowah worship. Based upon this, they believed that they could travel about and tell others what the true doctrines are.

The men coming down from Jerusalem are legalistic but saved Jews from the Judæan region (many of them probably came from Jerusalem).

What stands out in this verse (but it won’t stand out to you) is, these men have not been sent by anyone. The Apostles and elders did not get together, interface with these men, and say, “Here is what you need to do.” How they decided to do this and whether there was any encouragement or input from the Apostles or elders, we do not know.

These men that we are talking about are Jewish believers, they have come from Judæa, and it does not appear that they have the authorization of any local church.

Now, most recently, Paul and Barnabas have gone on a missionary journey. So some of these men from Judæa talked things over and, apparently, decided that they needed to set these new gentile converts straight about what must be done for salvation.

We do not know who agreed to this; or how many met together. I do not see this as a totally rogue group, sneaking into churches to set them straight. I would assume that, among many believers in Jerusalem, this was a consensus opinion.

This certainly opens up to question, who is in charge? Who gets to make the rules? Who calls the shots?

It should be clear at this point, which is a.d. 50, that Jesus is not going to drop in on them and set them straight on this or that doctrine. So, if a considerable number of Jewish believers have gathered together and they have come to this consensus opinion, should they not send out men to make sure everyone knows the rules?

Translation: ...[and] they were teaching the brothers that,...

This is one set of believers teaching another set of believers.

We do not know if any of the Apostles had agreed to this. Peter will argue rightly on this matter later. Had he taken a side before? Were the disciples left out of the discussion before?

Remember, at this point in time in the early church, there were no Scriptures, there was no guide book. There was nowhere to go for doctrines and practices of the church.

We should bear in mind that, God chose to do things like this. God did not drop a book onto their laps telling them what was right and wrong in this new age. Essentially, that book would be written (by Paul and others), but no one in the early church knows this.

Translation: ...“Unless you [all] are circumcised according to the custom of the [Torah] of Moses,...

Because this is addressed to the 2^nd person plural, we know that this is a quotation. This was actually said to the people in Antioch of Syria (where this is taking place).

We have a very odd thing in this verse, and if you read through the Hebrew exegesis above, you can see what it is. But, there is this definite article there, but which is not attached to Moses, as they are not the same case. So, two possibilities, as I see it: a copyist simply put that definite article in there by mistake; or, due to an early bad manuscript, the word Law was dropped out of the text. That additional word would give great authority to what we read here. This is not simply some custom developed over the years, like all of the Sabbath customs. This was actually in the Mosaic Law. Therefore, my logical read of this is, Law either dropped out of the text or is implied by the text (the missing word would stand out like a sore thumb).

Notice that two issue are brought into play: circumcision and the Law of Moses. This is a.d. 49–50. Paul will write a letter to the Galatians in a.d. 50–51. Paul will make certain that they understand the Law and circumcision as these two things relate to their salvation.