A. The Nature of the Issue (15:1-5)

The crucial question was whether Christianity was understood as the heart and center of Judaism or whether Judaism was the center out of which Christianity emerged. In the first perspective it was obvious, since Christianity was a central circle within the larger circle of Judaism, that those outside the circle of Judaism must first become Jews before they could become Christians. In brief, Christianity was subsumed under the larger context of Judaism. It was the representatives of the strength of Judaism, the Pharisees, who held this view. In the second perspective, however, it was just as obvious, since Christianity was the larger circle within which Judaism was encompassed, that Gentiles came into the new covenant community the same way as Jews, through faith in Jesus as Messiah. As Luke notes, This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. It is to be noted that Paul and Barnabas prepare for their encounter in Jerusalem by telling how the Gentiles had been converted.