When I read things like this I am truly astonished.Acts 15:21 for from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
People try to Act like Acts 15:21, meant that Gentile converts to Christianity, were to go to the synagogues, to learn the law. That is incorrect, big time!
Why would Paul want the disciples in the synagogues, where Judaism was taught, after going to Jerusalem to fight off Judaism? Would that make sense?
Why would Paul want his converts near the Jews in the synagogues who plotted against Paul, Acts 20:19, and would try to Judaize the church, while antagonizing Paul by that act, the very thing Paul did not want? Why put the disciples in hostile territory? Since the Jews plotted against Paul, why wouldn’t they seek to get his children? What a perfect trap, have Paul’s disciples in a synagogue, on the turf of Paul’s opponents. Why would Paul want that?!
Why would he want them near the persecutory zealots, who gathered in the synagogues, and forced circumcision, the very thing Paul fought in Acts 15, and in Galatia? Talk about a bad environment.
Why on the way to the meeting in Acts 15, did Paul and crew stop at churches, not synagogues to see Christians, and likewise after the meeting he went to churches, not synagogues to see Christians? Why did the church, send them? Christians were not in the synagogues, they were in churches, especially by 49 AD.
Why were Paul and crew glad that the council said, no circumcision, which would have bound the church to Sabbath, food laws, and feasts? "Gal 5:3, if circumcised, keep the whole law". To keep Passover one had to be Jewish, said the law.
Exodus 12:43-48 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 No foreigner or hired servant may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
So the council was saying, no feasts, food stuff, or Sabbath for the churches. It even says Sabbath in 15:21, so if the council wanted Sabbath and the whole law for the churches, they would have said they have to be circumcised. Did they want them to keep feasts? No, because they did not follow the law quoted above and have the church get circumcised.
Gee, what would those in the zealot filled, Paul’s opponent filled, proselytizer filled, synagogues think of that? “Oh yes, welcome aboard uncircumcised ones”! lol…
The synagogue leaders opened up Paul's back whipping him on 5 different occasions, 39 (40 minus one) times, as per 2 Cor 11. They would not want Paul’s Jesus praising gentiles in their synagogues, they did not like Paul, look how they tried to tear him apart in Acts 21 at the temple, the synagogues were where the unsaved Jews were, Paul's opponents and enemies, it was 49 AD.
2 Corinthians 11:24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
One more point, to an unsaved Jewish person, being a Christian was basically saying, the Jews killed the Messiah, and they were wrong. So how would a Christian fit in a Jewish synagogue? They would just be a testimony against the Jews. Oh my, how uncomfortable!
All James was saying in Acts 15:21, don't freak out the Jewish Christians, all they knew for centuries was the law, this was a transitional period. Jew and Greek were becoming one body, so there would be tensions.
Case closed!
Thanks, froggy.
#1 The Gentiles who converted joined congregations of Jewish believers. Almost ALL of the believers in Messiah for the first 15 years after the resurrection were Jews. Paul's first missionary journey did not happen until around 45CE. “Christianity” was a Jewish phenomenon.
#2 The entire topic of discussion in Acts 15 was “salvation.” The men from Judea said “if you are not circumcised, you cannot be saved.” Uncircumcised Gentiles could not sit in the same room as the Jews. A “wall of partition” separated them. It is this wall to which Paul refers in Ephesians. Circumcision was not done unless you already proved you knew Torah and observed it. The argument was about "salvation," not behavior after the fact.
#3 Paul stopped at “ekklesia.” This word, G1677 in Strong's, specifically mentions “synagogue” as one of its definitions. Likewise, a “synagogue,” G4864, could be only Christians. Both words basically mean “assembly.”
#4 Are you bound to Sunday, Christmas, Easter and the fact that you don't eat dogs or horses? What makes you think observing the Creator's calendar binds you to something? In Leviticus 23:2, YHWH says they are HIS feasts. They are not Jewish feasts. They are HIS. I think it truly sad that Christians will claim the Old Testament is full of prophecies about the Messiah, yet believe that the Creator of the Universe was not smart enough to include his feasts as Messianic prophecy.
The Messiah was born on the feast of Tabernacles.
He was circumcised on the last great day of that feast.
He was crucified on Passover.
The Torah was given to Moses on the feast of weeks. Christianity calls that Pentecost. Oh, that's the day the Holy Spirit came...
The gathering will happen on Yom Teruah, the wrath of YHWH will be poured out on the day of atonement, the marriage supper of the Lamb occurs on the feast of tabernacles, and on the last great day, Messiah returns with his saints to take back the earth. The cycle continues...
#5 --- 1 John 3:4 says sin is transgression of the Torah. The definition of sin is disobeying the Torah.
#6 To keep the Passover, one did not have to be Jewish. They had to be circumcised. Completely different.
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The Gentiles were being told to come to the assemblies to hear the Torah. They didn't have to know the Torah to be saved. But, once they accepted the Messiah, they should learn it.
Jesus said to.......
Matt 5:19
Luke 24:44
Case closed!
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