The Early Church

And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Brethren, ye know that a good while ago God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us;

and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Now therefore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.

And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through them.

And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, hearken unto me:

Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

After these things I will return, And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen; And I will build again the ruins thereof, And I will set it up:

That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,

Saith the Lord, who maketh these things known from of old.

Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God;

but that we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.

For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

and they wrote thus by them, The apostles and the elders, brethren, unto the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting:

Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment;

it seemed good unto us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.

So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle.

And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation.