And as they passed through the cities, they delivered unto them the decrees for to keep, that were decreed by the apostles and ancients who were at Jerusalem.
ως δε διεπορευοντο τας πολεις παρεδιδουν αυτοις φυλασσειν τα δογματα τα κεκριμενα υπο των αποστολων και των πρεσβυτερων των εν ιερουσαλημ
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
“He delivered to them the decrees to keep.” It is said that they were to keep the decrees, not the mysteries of the Incarnation, but the instructions to abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from fornication (Acts 15:29). These concern the ordering of a correct life.
While visiting the churches founded earlier, the evangelists everywhere announced the decision of the council of Jerusalem. This was done to remove perplexities that had arisen from the converted Jews and to make the path easier for Gentiles turning to Christianity.
After visiting in this way the churches founded earlier, Paul set out for Phrygia. Naturally, on this journey or on the next he could not preach the Gospel in all sixty-two cities of the populated province of Phrygia.
Therefore he had to entrust much to his disciples, Col 2:1. Indeed, it is known that one of them, Epaphras of Colossae, was the founder of the churches of Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, Col 4:12-13.
From there Paul went north into Galatia. Many Jews lived in this province. Therefore it is very probable that Paul first addressed his preaching to them and to the proselytes among them.
But the poor reception he met among the Jews opened the way to the Gentiles. The Gentiles received him with great goodwill, Gal 4:13-14: "you received me as an apostle of God, as Jesus Christ."
The infirmities in the flesh, the trial in the flesh, which the Galatian Christians did not despise, were probably his recent sufferings for the cause of Christ. He speaks of them in detail in 2 Cor 11:23-26.
Or else they were an illness of the flesh, from which he asked God three times to deliver him, but received no relief. This was so that the power of God might be made more clearly perfect in his weakness.
In the present case, his weakness was not an obstacle to the spread of the Gospel. Rather, it drew the hearts of the converts to him still more.
Seeing his zeal in the work of the Gospel, despite illness and suffering, they became all the more attached to Christ's teacher. As the apostle says, they were ready to give their own eyes for him.
Paul struggled greatly with bodily ailments, as can be seen from certain hints in his epistles. There he speaks of how the feeling of human weakness weighed upon him.
This should not seem strange. Even when he was a Pharisee, striving to attain legal holiness, he did not spare his body. His new calling allowed him still less to spare himself.
At one and the same time he had to earn his food by the labors of his hands and strain all his strength according to the duty of apostolic ministry. He had to endure so many dangers, insults, and beatings.
Even a strong body could soon have fallen beneath such a weight. Yet with the feeling of human weakness, the consciousness of a higher power became stronger in him. This power rose above everything human strength can do.
He knew how to distinguish it from everything he recognized in himself as merely human. It was that victorious power of God which appeared through his preaching of the Gospel.
Feeling his human weakness, he nevertheless rose still more above himself through inner revelations and communications with the higher world, of which he was deemed worthy.
He had one especially grievous illness, which even checked the impulses of his exalted spirit. He regarded it as an instruction in humility sent by God. It was a balancing means against the moments of inner illumination allotted to him.
He said that three times he asked the Lord to free him from this grievous illness. But the voice of God answered that he should not ask to be delivered from the feeling of human weakness.
It should be enough for him to know the grace given to him. For the power of God shows itself as such precisely where human weakness also makes itself felt.
This was revealed especially during his activity in Galatia. His body was weighed down by illness. Yet the divine power of his words and actions stood in complete contrast to the weak organ that served as its instrument.
For this reason it made an even stronger impression on hearts already disposed toward it. The fiery zeal of love, sacrificing everything, compelled him to endure all things joyfully in his very sufferings for the salvation of others.
This had to draw hearts to him with still greater power. Therefore he could speak of the Galatians' disposition toward him as he does, 4:14-15.
The Galatian churches consisted chiefly of natural Gentiles. Some were proselytes, for whom Judaism was a transition to Christianity. Others had turned to Christianity directly from paganism.
To this fundamental composition of the Church were added certain Jews, who differed from the greater mass of their unbelieving countrymen by their receptivity to the Gospel.
Through proselytes and Christians from among the Jews, relations with the Jews did not cease in this Church. From this source we must derive the movements that we later see in the Galatian churches.
When Paul left Galatia, he wanted to take a southwesterly direction into proconsular Asia, where Ephesus lay on the Aegean shore. But by an inner voice, or in a vision, the command of the Spirit of God was announced to him. It restrained him from this direction.
Passing through Syria and Cilicia, the Apostle Paul reached Derbe and Lystra. In the latter city, he called to his aid a new companion, a certain Timothy. Since Timothy had a Gentile father and had not been circumcised, the Apostle Paul circumcised him. This was to make it possible for him to preach among the Jews, who were numerous in those places. Yet among those who had already believed, Paul did not cease here also to proclaim the decrees of the apostolic council. He called Christians to observe them strictly (verses 1-5).
From this it is clear that the decrees of the Council of the apostles and presbyters held in Jerusalem were ascribed universally binding force.
It is also clear from this that these decrees were handed down for observance. They became the Tradition of the Church, a Tradition which, as it was observed, entered directly into the life of the Church.
It was imprinted on her order and in her customs before it was written on paper with ink; 2 Jn 1:12.
Through this Tradition the Churches of God were planted and grew. According to it they were ordered and lived before they received Holy Scripture.
The statutes judged by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem were not at that time written down for general knowledge.
They were contained only in the Council’s epistle to the Church of Antioch. To the other churches they came through apostolic Tradition, as is said in Acts 16:4.
As Paul passed through the cities of Pisidia, Lycaonia, and Pamphylia, accompanied by Silas and Timothy, they taught them to observe the decrees concerning the non-obligatory character of the Mosaic Law in Christianity.
Christian communities had been founded there during the previous apostolic journey of Paul and Barnabas, chapters 13-14.
They delivered these decrees orally, and perhaps also in writing, by means of copies made from the original letter of the Apostolic Council.
The decrees had been established by the apostles and presbyters. Only the leaders and representatives of the Church of Jerusalem are mentioned.
The participation of the whole community of Jerusalem in this is understood of itself; Acts 15:22 and following.
Of course, this proclamation of the conciliar decrees also produced joy and consolation among the Christians from the Gentiles here, just as it had among those in Antioch; Acts 15:31.
The proclamation by Paul of the apostolic decrees of the Jerusalem Council is apparently mentioned here partly so that no one would think that he had forgotten one of them when he circumcised Timothy.
It is also worthy of note that the conciliar decrees are called statutes in Slavonic, and in Greek dogmas, τὰ δόγματα. By this they then meant opinions recognized by all.
One must also observe that the travelers are spoken of here in the plural, “they.” With Paul there were, besides Timothy, Silas and the writer of Acts himself, who later says, “we arrived,” in verse 11.
The visit to Pisidia, Lycaonia, and Pamphylia was not the first, and therefore it was not prolonged.
What was proclaimed in the name of the Council was partly transmitted orally and partly in writing. Perhaps it was even “by means of copies from the original letter of the Apostolic Council,” as Bishop Michael thought.
“We may assume with confidence,” says D. Glagolev, “that the apostles’ present stay in Iconium was longer than in Derbe and Lystra, which they had just left.
“In Iconium, which stood at the head of a tetrarchy of forty cities, there were very many Christians and a Jewish synagogue.
“In view of this synagogue, the spread of the decree of the Apostolic Council required more prolonged and persistent activity than where there were no synagogues, these centers of Judaism.
“And then one may think that the number of Iconian Christians increased considerably after the present visit of the apostle of the Gentiles to Iconium.
“One may also think that the whole Church there was strengthened, just as in Antioch.”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS