Chapter 4 The break from Judaism

Questions to be addressed in this chapter 1.What did the first generation of Jewish Christians think should be done with Gentile converts? 2.What was the importance of the Council of Jerusalem? 3.How did New Testament writings after Paul describe salvation in regard to non-Jews? 4.What effect did the destruction of the temple have on Christian thought?

What to do with Gentiles Jewish Christian believers did not easily accept Paul’s claim that the blessing of God had been opened up to non-Jews with the coming of Christ. Even those Jewish Christians who acknowledged that God intended to save Gentiles through Christ struggled to know how to interact with Gentiles.

The Council of Jerusalem In Acts Chapter 15, the Council of Jerusalem is described as a public open forum among the Christians in Jerusalem, and it was presided over by James the brother of Jesus. The main take-away from the Council of Jerusalem, then, was that the rules of the covenant had changed: in Genesis 17 God’s part of the covenant was to make Abraham the father of many nations and give the land of Canaan to him and his descendants; as for Abraham and his descendants, their part of the bargain was for all males to be set apart through circumcision as the symbol of their entrance into the covenant. But with the Council of Jerusalem, that was no longer necessary.

Later New Testament writers Besides Paul’s letters, few of the New Testament documents were written before the late 60s. A case can be made that Peter wrote the letters attributed to him just before his death, although this is debated by scholars. The Epistle to the Hebrews is unique among New Testament writings in that tradition does not ascribe a particular author to the letter. The Book of Revelation is one of the strangest in the Christian Bible as it is filled with apocalyptic imagery along with numbers and symbols that have been interpreted to represent all manner of things.

The destruction of the Temple Throughout the middle 60s the Romans had been clamping down on Jews who seemed not to give proper allegiance to the Empire. In 66, some of the more radical Jews began a revolt. This prompted Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus to lay siege of Jerusalem. The temple was destroyed in 70.

Epistle of Barnabas “I will also speak with you concerning the Temple, and show how the wretched men erred by putting their hope on the building, and not on the God who made them, and is the true house of God. For they consecrated him in the Temple almost like the heathen. But learn how the Lord speaks, in bringing it to naught, ‘Who has measured the heaven with a span, or the earth with his outstretched hand? Have not I?’ saith the Lord. ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool, what house will ye build for me, or what is the place of my rest? You know that their hope was vain’” (16:1-2).

Summary of main points 1.In the early years, there was no consensus about the need for Gentile conformity to the Jewish law. 2.According to the Council of Jerusalem, circumcision—and so adherence to the Jewish law—was not necessary for Gentile converts, but respect for cultural differences was expected. 3.Later New Testament writers affirmed universal significance of Christ’s message. 4.The destruction of the temple escalated the emerging divergence of Christianity from Judaism.