ISB ~ Acts 15 v1 - 29

The Council of Jerusalem (ca. A.D. 49) is a defining moment in Christian history. It was convened to examine the status of Gentile believers crowding into the Church. Some insisted they must be circumcised to complete their Christian initiation (15:5), but the Council rejected the push to add circumcision to the saving grace of Christ (15:10-11). This decisive break with the national religion of Israel makes the Jerusalem Council the theological center of Acts:it shows that the Church is (1) a covenant community distinct from Judaism and (2) a catholic community that embraces all nations.