The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

101 disclosed, the food laws were not suspect prior to Acts 10, and indeed Israel's self-under– standing was not a burning question, then the perspective of seeing the vision as only referring to people would have been much easier. In our view, when Peter reflected on the vision, he would have understood it as a very dramatic and powerful statement that "Whatev– er God cleansed, he had no right to call unclean," rather than being a double pronged message which first abrogated the Law and then allowed Gentiles into the Church . Acts 15: 1-16:3, The Jerusalem Council Many understand the Jerusalem Council as a turning point in the book of Acts. It is a unique and important event in the history of the Church, for at no other time does the entire leadership convene, discuss and decree Church policy. Clearly the topic of discussion at the historic council was freedom from the Law. What is not so clear is what kind of freedom was discussed, total or near total, and to whom the results applied, Gentiles alone or everyone? We will attempt to answer these critical questions by investigating the Apostolic council from the perspectives of: (1) occasion, (15: 1-5); (2) the discussion , particularly the speeches of Peter and James , (15:6-18); (3) the decree , (15: 19-29) ; and (4) what we under– stand as a practical demonstration of the decree, the circumcision of Timothy , (16: 1-3). The Occasion 15: 1-5 The People Involved ne important clarification of the occa ion i the determinati n f th ubj t of the decree, i. . , for who e benefit wa the de i ion raft d. Wa th dir ct d only to ard entil r to J f th t rm t b th J nd entil , impl in th t th t pi f di u 1 n