COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM

VI

Prof. M. M.
Ninan
 THE CROSS-CULTURAL CHALLENGE
IN THE FIRST CENTURY

Acts 15:1 It was in Antioch that

"certain from Jerusalem taught Gentile
converts,
'Unless you are circumcised according
to the custom of Moses, you cannot be
saved'" (Acts 15:1).
(thus turning Christianity into a Jewish sect)
'Unless you are circumcised according
to the custom of Moses, you cannot be
saved'" (Acts 15:1).
 Circumcision
P and J Traditions
Circumcision was not unique to the
Israelites, as this Egyptian tomb
painting from sixth dynasty (2350-
2000 B.C.E.) Saqqara demonstrates,
but the Israelites invested it with
unique significance by using it as the
mark of the covenant.
Priestly Tradition Circumcision established itself within Judaism as the
premiere mark of covenant commitment. Sealing the covenant by circumcising the
organ of procreation with a knife, with its obvious threat of infertility, has the effect
of symbolically handing over the possibility of offspring to the grace of God. By
practicing the rite from generation to generation, the Israelites almost literally placed
their future into the hands of the God of covenant.
Yahwite Tradition The covenant was primarily a convention whereby Yahweh
granted blessing in perpetuity. For the Yahwist, covenant took the form of a charter
covenant given to Abraham with no required action in return, only a commitment of
faith. By retaining both notions of covenant within the Abrahamic narrative, the final
edition affirms that the two covenants complement each other.
 The Law or Grace?

P J
ACTS 15:2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great
dissension and debate with them, the brethren
determined that Paul and Barnabas and some
others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the
apostles and elders concerning this issue.
Jerusalem Council AD 50
Jerusalem Council AD 50
Paul Barnabáš Mathew John Peter James
 Peter supports Paul & Barnabas

Acts 15:7-11
"God is doing something new"
James, the Bishop of Jerusalem
Rules

Acts 15:13-21
 James, and not Peter,
was the undisputed leader
of the Jerusalem Church
following the death of Jesus.
 Apostolic Decree
The four prohibitions:

1) Pollutions of idols (15:20) or

things sacrificed to idols (15:29;
21:25).
2) Blood. This is a prohibition of
eating or drinking blood.
3) Strangled things.
4) Sexual immorality (porneia).
Paul's Second Missionary Journey.

Prof. M. M.
Ninan
Act 15:32 And Judas and Silas,
being themselves also prophets,
exhorted the brethren with many
words, and confirmed them.
 Silas Silvanus

One of the Elders of the Church at Jerusalem, “chief

among the brethren” (Acts 15:22).
His name may indicate him to have been a Hellenistic
Jew.
Roman citizen (Acts 16:37).
Some of the early Fathers consider Silas to have been
Bishop of Corinth,
 THE CITY OF ANTIOCH IN
SYRIA
(51 A.D.)

PAUL AND BARNABAS

SEPARATE... They disagree over
whether to take John Mark – Ac 15:37-
38
Barnabas was determined to take
John Mark
Paul insisted that he was not
reliable
Ac 13:13
PAUL AND BARNABAS SEPARATE...

Paul &
Silas

Barnabas & Mark

 PAUL AND BARNABAS
SEPARATE...
Their contention
required them to
separate
Ac 15:39
Barnabas took John
Mark and went to
Cyprus Where
Barnabas was from,
and which was visited
 PAUL AND SILAS BEGIN
THEIR JOURNEY...

Paul selected Silas to

accompany him
- Ac 15:40
Silas:
One of the two men sent by
Jerusalemwith the letter
regarding circumcision
- Ac 15:22-23,27
Who himself was a prophet
- Ac 15:32
Who had stayed in Antioch
- Ac 15:34
They pass through Syria and Cilicia,
confirming the churches - Ac 15:41

They pass through Syria

and Cilicia, confirming the
churches - Ac 15:41
* From which Paul was
from - Ac 22:3
* Where he had spent time
preaching before - Ga 1:21
* To whom Paul and Silas
likely delivered the letter
addressed to them - Ac
. IN DERBE AND
LYSTRA...

Where Paul
healed a lame
man, and was
stoned, on his
first journey -
Ac 14:6-20
IN DERBE AND LYSTRA...
Paul desires Timothy to go
with him - Ac 16:1-3
Timothy
His mother was a Jew, his
father a Greek
- cf. 2 Ti 1:5; 3:15-16
Who had a good reputation
among the brethren
Timothy
Whom Paul had
circumcised
in deference to the Jews
Galatians 5:2
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell
you that if you let yourselves
be circumcised, Christ will be
of no value to you at all.
The decrees from the
conference
in Jerusalem were
delivered
- Ac 16:4-5
IN PHRYGIA AND
GALATIA...
Ac 16:6
-
 No

They were forbidden by the Spirit to preach the

word in Asia, i.e., to head southwest toward
Ephesus - Ac 16:7
IN MYSIA AND TROAS...
No

Near Mysia they were

not permitted by the
Spirit to head north
toward Bithynia - Ac
They
16:8 arrive in Alexandria Troas - Ac
16:9-10
Where Paul has a vision, a man of
Macedonia asking him to help them.
Understood as the Lord sending them in
IN MYSIA AND TROAS...
Luke:
Luke, author of Acts,
now joins Paul and his
company

He was a physician (Co

4:14),
author also of the gospel
which bears his name,
and was with Paul in his
last days - 2 Ti 4:11
St. Luke was not a
Jew.
He was probably a
native of Antioch
From Troas they cross over to
Samothrace, and then to Neapolis
(Ac16:11). They have now entered the
Neapolis is the Aegean seaport of Philippi where Paul landed on European
soil on his second journey (Acts 16:11). He arrived here after sailing for
two days from Alexandria Troas in Asia (Acts 16:11). Today Neapolis is
called Kavala (from Latin for "horse" due to its horse trading history), a
Greek city of about 60,000 people.
III. THE REGIONS OF MACEDONIA AND ACHAIA
(52-53 A.D.) 
PHILIPPI
A chief city of Macedonia, and Roman colony - Ac
16:12
Paul from the port Neapolis (Kavalla) on the coast (Acts 16:11)
reached Philippi by an ancient paved road over the steep range
Symbolum in his second missionary journey, A.D. 51.
Paul crossed the mountains before entering
Greece.
Greek countryside
The conversion of Lydia
and her household
- Ac 16:13-15

Paul and Lydia stained

glass in Philippi Church of
Lydia
 the Purple Seller

Acts 16:12-15, 40.

Lydia, from the city of Thyatira,

a seller of purple goods,
who was a worshiper of God.

Dyed goods were imported from Thyatira to the

parent city Philippi, and were dispersed by pack
animals among the mountaineers of Haemus and
Pangaeus.
 PHILIPPI...

1. Part of the large rectangular

agora at Philippi

2. Shops and storage jars at the

agora in Philippi
3. Paving stones of the Via Egnatia in the agora at
Philippi (in the upper right corner is the concrete
embankment of the modern highway).

Paul traveled about 9 miles on foot with a couple

of companions along the Via Egnatia to Philippi.

4. Another view of the agora (the

rectangular doorframe in the upper part
of the photo, right of center, marks the
site of the library).
 5. Ruins of the unfinished "Basilica B" at the
south side of the agora at Philippi.

6. Cross-shaped baptistery in the

octagonal church at the east end of the
agora dedicated to St. Paul.

7. Theater at Philippi, built against the east

slope of the acropolis.
 8. Acropolis of Philippi with remains of the
bath house in the foreground.

9. The Gangetis River, west of the city

walls of Philippi. The traditional "place
of prayer" where Paul baptized Lydia
from Thyatira.
10. Traditional prison of Paul.
11.Roman theater
Philipi today
Aquaduct built at the time of sultan Suleyman the Magnificent
(1521-1566)
Excavated ruin, dug up by French archaeologists from 1914 to 1938.
When Paul arrived, it was one of the leading cities of Macedonia, founded
in the 350 b.c.e. by Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedonia, and
surrounded by walls.
PHILIPPI...
The healing of the demon-possessed girl - Ac
16:16-18

The Satriae tribe had the oracle of

Dionysus, the Thracian prophet god. The
"damsel with the spirit of divination" may
have belonged to this shrine, or else to
Apollo's (as the spirit is called
"Pythoness," Greek), and been hired by
the Philippians to divine for hire to the
country folk coming to the market. She
met Paul several days on his way to the
place of prayer, and used to cry out on
each occasion "these servants of the
most high God announce to us the way
of salvation." Paul cast out the spirit;
The healing of the demon-possessed girl - Ac
16:16-18
 Paul and Silas
beaten and
imprisoned - Ac
16:19-24
a. Paul refers to
this in his letter to
the Thessalonians
1 Th 2:2
b. Also in his
letter to the
Philippians - Ph
1:30
Paul and Silas Prison Cell
The earthquake, and
conversion of the
jailer and his family

- Ac 16:25-34
"Sirs, what must I do to
be saved?"

Paul and Silas

released, and
depart from
Philippi –
Ac 16:35-40
 The church at Philippi...

a. Included Lydia and the

jailer, along with their
families

Baptistery in Phillipi b. Luke, who stayed behind

(note the use of "they",
Ac 16:40;17:1)

c. Euodia, Syntyche, Syzygus

("true companion"), and

Clement - Ph 4:2-3
Euodia,
Syntyche
Quarrels Among
Sisters

Ph 4:2-3

Euodia - "fragrant"
Syntyche – “fortunate”
Remains of the Via Egnatia paralleling the modern
highway between Philippi and Thessaloniki.
Amphipolis was a large city that served as the capital of the first district of
Macedonia. Paul passed through it on his second (Acts 17:1) and (by
implication) on his third missionary journeys.
Amphipolis was located about 32 miles west of Philippi and 3 miles from
the Aegean Sea on the Via Egnatia. Its name, meaning "around the city"
(from amphi, "around," and polis, "city") , is derived from the fact that
Strymon (Strimón) River flowed around it
 The river Strymon winding around the
acropolis (right) of the ancient
Athenian colony of Amphipolis

Excavations of gymnasium at
Amphipolis

"Lion of Amphipolis;" a 4th century BC burial

monument near the Strymon River. Paul would
have passed it as he traveled the Via Egnatia
through Amphipolis.
Passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they come to
Thessalonica - Ac 17:1

Thessalonica
Thessalonica was a port city about 100 miles
west of Philippi and 190 miles northwest of
Athens. The city was founded about 315 BC
by King Cassander of Macedon, who named
it after his wife Thessalonikeia, a half-sister
of Alexander the Great.
Church of St Demetrius,
Thessolanika
IN THESSALONICA...
Paul visits the synagogue and reasons with the
Jews for three Sabbaths - Ac 17:2-4
a. Proclaiming Jesus as the Christ
b. Some of whom who were persuaded, along
with a great multitude of Greeks
Unbelieving Jews gather a mob, and attack the
house of Jason - Ac 17:5-9
 Shop remains in the agora of Thessalonica.

3rd century AD odeum (small

theater, once covered by a wooden
roof) in the agora at Thessalonica.

Part of the ancient walls of Thessalonica.

 White Tower," lighted at night, along the
Thessaloniki waterfront (once part of the
city walls).

St. Demetrios Church, the largest church

in Greece, commemorating Tessaloniki's
patron saint, located near the ancient
agora.
IN THESSALONICA...
Paul and Silas sent away by the brethren - Ac
17:10 Elsewhere, we learn the following
about Paul's stay in Thessalonica...
a. He supported himself, aided by the Philippians -
1 Th 2:9; 2 Th 3:6-10; Ph 4:16
b. The dedicated nature of his ministry - 1 Th 2:1-
10
c. The faithfulness and love of the Thessalonians -
1 Th 1: 1-8; 2:13-16; 4:9-10 
Paul and Silas sent away by the brethren -
Ac 17:10
IN BEREA...
2.The Jews are more fair-minded
than those at Thessalonica -
Ac 17:11-12
c. They received the word with
all readiness
b. They searched the Scriptures
daily to see if what Paul said
was true
•Berea Roman Road
Paul preaching in Berea
Memorial for Paul in Berea
 Synagogue in Berea
View of a building thought to have been built over the
remains of an ancient synagogue at Berea
(Acts 17:10–12).
Jews from Thessalonica came and stirred up the
crowds
- Ac 17:13
Paul sent away by the brethren, but Silas and
Timothy stay
- Ac 17:14
 Mosaic commemorating the visit of Paul to Berea
at modern Veria.

Athens Acropolis (left to right, on the summit):

Porpylaea, Erechtheum, Parthenon; on the
slope below is the Odeum of Herodes Atticus
Meteora Monasteries

Medieval Monasteries of Greece.

Meteora Monasteries

The Monastery of Varlaam, built in

1517, is reached by climbing 195
steps. It still has a rope and pulley
system in place that was once used for
hoisting visitors by hand in a free
swinging rope net.
 Staircase ascending to the propylaea
(monumental entrance) to the Acropolis.

Temple of Athena Parthenos, more

familiarly known as the Parthenon,
on the Athens Acropolis

Erechtheum, with "Caryatids" porch, the

main worship center of the Acropolis.
 Roman agora with the "Tower of the
Winds" (right).

East entrance to the Roman agora

at Athens.

Aeropagus, ("Hill of Ares" or "Mars Hill"),

the original meeting place of the Athens city
council.
Athens was named for the goddess Athena.

Inside this 100 by 230

ft. architectural marvel
was a 40 ft. gold and
ivory statue of Athena
Parthenos (the virgin).
IN ATHENS...
• Paul sends for Silas and Timothy - Ac
17:15
2. Moved by the idolatry, Paul disputes
with both Jews and Greeks - Ac
17:16-17
a. In the synagogue with Jews and
other devout persons b. In the
market place daily
3. Invited by the Epicurean and Stoic to
speak at the Areopagus - Ac
17:18-21
The
philosophers
brought Paul
to the
Areopagus to
tell them about
his "new
teaching"
(Acts 17:19).
Areopagus means "Hill of Ares," god of war, "Mar's Hill."
Paul's appearance before the Council of the Areopagus, although not an official judicial
procedure, "deliberately echoes the trial of Socrates for proclaiming new deities and
leading the populace to question its beliefs in the traditional gods." (Oxford Companion
to the Bible, p. 65).

The Areopagus in Athens

Hill of Ares
"he saw that the city was full of idols."
 "To the Unknown God"

The above altar is located on Palatine Hill, Rome, where once

stood the palaces of the Caesars. It dates from about 100 B.C. and
has the inscription, ´To the unknown God.´ Act 17:23
IN ATHENS...
Paul's sermon on "The Unknown God" - Ac 17:22-
34 a. Proclaiming the One True God
b. Proclaiming the need to repent, the coming
Judgment, and the resurrection of Jesus from
the dead
c. Reaction was varied: some mocked, others
agreed to hear more, some believed
IN ATHENS...

At some point, Timothy is sent back to

Thessalonica -
1 Th 3:1-2
a. To encourage the brethren there
b. Some believe Timothy may have been sent
from Berea
IN CORINTH...
IN CORINTH...

1. Paul arrives and lives with Aquila and Priscilla -

Ac 18:1-4 a. He worked together with them
as a tent-maker - cf. 1 Co 9: 6-15
b. He also received support from Philippi - cf. 2 Co
11:7-10; Ph 4:15
c. He reasoned with the Jews every Sabbath - cf. 1
Co 2:1-5
Aquila & Priscilla
 Corinth derived much wealth from its many pagan temples and shrines
where homage was paid to foreign as well as civic deities like Isis,
Serapis, Astarte, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Heracles, Athena and
Poseidon. Artemis

Astarte
Heracles

Serapis
Athena

Apollo
Hermes
It had a famous temple dedicated to Aesklepius, the god of healing where
patients left terra cotta replicas of body parts with the hope that their
ailments would be healed.
The most significant pagan cult in Corinth, however, was to Aphrodite
whose temple was located atop the Acrocorinth. It had more than 1000
temple prostitutes dedicated to the goddess. In the evening they would
descend the acropolis to ply there trade on the city streets. According to
historian Strabo, it was because of them that the city was "crowded with
people and grew rich." It is little wonder that Paul had so much to say in
his first letter to the Corinthians about the sacredness of the body:
 Acrocorinth, the acropolis of ancient Corinth, with
the cardo maximus, the city's main north-south road
leading from the port of Lechaion to the agora
(marketplace).

Ruins at the site of Corinth's eastern port of

Cenchrea, with its bay on the Saronic Gulf
seen in the background.
 "Diokolos" (alongside the modern Corinth
Canal), the four-mile long paved slipway on
which smaller ships were pulled across the
narrow isthmus between the ports of Lechiaon
and Cenchrea.

Platform of a temple near the entrance to

the archaeological site thought to have
been dedicated to Octavia, the sister of
Emperor Augustus

Looking toward the west end of the agora

from the top of the "bema" (NIV "court"). In
the foreground is part of the central row of
shops that divided the agora into unequal
northern and southern areas..
 "Court" (NIV) or "Bema" (per a small sign at the
site), the judgment seat/public speakers platform
in the agora where Paul stood before the Roman
proconsul Lucius Junius Gallio. The Acrocorinth
is seen in the distance.

Perine Fountain where pilgrims accessed the

water of a sacred spring.

Remaining seven columns of the temple of

Apollo. In the foreground are the remains of
the shops and temples at the west end of the
agora.
 Looking south along the Lechaion road
toward the Acrocorinth. A typical visitor
would have approached the city from the
harbor along this road. The end of the street
can be seen in front of the trees and a
staircase here makes it obvious the road was
not meant for vehicles. The synagogue, the
house of Crispius (the synagogue president)
and the meat market (see Cor. 10:25) were all
located along this road. On the right are the
remains of a basilica built along the west side
of the road.

Broken marble inscription,

originally part of the lintel over
the doorway of Corinth's
synagogue, with the partial Greek
inscription: "GOGE HEBR,"
meaning "Synagogue of the
Hebrews."
 Fountain of Glauke; beyond are the remaining
columns of the temple of Apollo.

Odeum, a small theater, once covered by a roof,

northwest of the agora.

Remains of Corinth's large theater, just north of

the odeum.
Inscription with the name "Erastus" mentioned in Romans 16:23, found
in a paved square east of the theater. Note the word "ERASTVS" at the
start of the first line.
Paul's second visit, in the summer of 54 AD, was brief and
unhappy. While Acts has no direct record of it, in 2 Cor. 12:14
he stated: "Now I am ready to visit you for the third time." It
follows that if there was a third visit, there must have been a
second! His third stay, during the winter of 55-56 AD, was for
three months during which time he wrote his letter to the
Romans.
 IN CORINTH...
Silas and Timothy arrive from Macedonia –
Ac 18:5; 2 Co 1:19

 
With good news regarding the church at
Thessalonica –
1 Th 3:6-7
Prompting Paul to write First Thessalonians (52
A.D.) - 1 Th 1:1

                                                                       
 IN CORINTH...
First Thessalonians (52 A.D.) - 1
Th 1:1

1) Purpose:
a) To praise them for their steadfastness under persecution

b) To instruct them concerning holy living

c) To correct any misunderstanding,
especially about the second coming of Christ
2) Theme: Holiness In View Of The Coming Of Christ

3) Brief Outline:
IN CORINTH...
Paul leaves the synagogue, and preaches next door - Ac
18:5-7
His success in Corinth - Ac 18:8; 1 Co 1:14-16
d. Crispus, ruler of the synagogue, believes with his
household, and is baptized
b. Many of the Corinthians believe and are baptized
c. Gaius is baptized, who later becomes host of the church -
cf. Ro 16:23
d. The household of Stephanas is baptized - cf. 1 Co 16:15
Paul's vision from the Lord - Ac 18:9-11

Be not afraid, but speak and

hold not thy peace: for I am with
thee, and no man shall set on
thee to harm thee: for I have
much people in this city.

So Paul remains a year and six months

(52-53 A.D.)
IN CORINTH...
Second Thessalonians (53 A.D.) - 2 Th 1:1
• Purpose:
a) To encourage them in their steadfastness under
persecution
b) To correct their misunderstanding about the
imminence of the Lord's return
c) To instruct the congregation on what disciplinary
action to take toward those who refused to work
2) Theme: Steadfastness While Waiting For The Coming Of
Christ
3) Brief Outline:
a) Encouragement In Persecutions - 2 Th 1:1-12

b) Enlightenment About The Coming Of The Lord - 2 Th

2: 1-17
c) Exhortations To Christian Living - 2 Th 3:1-18
Paul wrote to his congregation in Phillipi
IN CORINTH...
Paul before Gallio - Ac 18:12-17
a. The Jews bring Paul up on charges before Gallio,
proconsul of Achaia
b. Gallio refuses to heed them, the Greeks beat
Sosthenes, ruler of the synagogue
IN CORINTH...
Paul remains in Corinth a good while - Ac 18:18a 
After such a long and successful stay in Corinth, Paul
begins the backward leg of his journey and his...
FROM CORINTH TO EPHESUS...
Joined by Aquila and Priscilla - Ac 18:18
Cut his hair in Cenchrea (near Corinth), for Paul had taken a vow - Ac
18:18; cf. Ro 16:1
In Ephesus - Ac 18:19-20
Left Aquila and Priscilla there
Loading Cargo on the ship
 FROM EPHESUS TO JERUSALEM...
Anxious to get to Jerusalem in time for the feast
(Pentecost?) - Ac 18:21; cf. 20:16

Sailed from
Ephesus to
Caesarea –
 FROM EPHESUS TO JERUSALEM...
Anxious to get to Jerusalem in time for the feast
(Pentecost?) - Ac 18:21; cf. 20:16

Sailed from
Ephesus to
Caesarea – Ac
18:21-22
Went "up" (elevation-
wise) to Jerusalem and
FROM JERUSALEM TO ANTIOCH...
• He went "down" (elevation-wise) to Antioch - Ac
18:22
2. He spent "some time" in Antioch of Syria - Ac
18:23a