Due to Paul and Barnabas’ first extremely successful missions trip, there arose a problem within the growing church regarding the varying beliefs of the Gentiles’ acceptance into the church (Wilcox, 2014). Although Paul believed that they Gentiles acceptance of God’s salvation was enough to join the church, certain Jews believed that there were others stipulations that they should follow. These terms were circumcision, kosher dietary restrictions, and significantly stricter sexual restrictions (Harris, 2014). Consequently, the focus of this argument between Paul and the Church was forced circumcision before they could join the church; furthermore, while Paul allowed that they did not have to, certain Jews believed that they must reference God’s
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So, the apostle Peter spoke first about the matter advocating against forced circumcision of the Gentiles, then Paul and Barnabas argued their point of view before the council and church. Finally, after significant discussion and arguments from both sides, James decides against forced circumcision but concedes dietary and sexual conditions for the gentiles to placate the opposing church members (Wilcox, 2014). Even though this matter had the potential to cause a significant split in the young church, the careful actions of church leaders allowed the resolution of this explosive topic without issue. Moreover, this type of care, diligence, and compromise is still useful when dealing with issues within the church …show more content…
The Sadducees were the ruling class of Jews, that was a conservative traditionalist in every sense; in fact, they only followed the written Jewish law and were the highest religious magistrates in the land (Harris, 2014). Additionally, the Pharisees were devoted to Jewish law, but they also believed in the oral law that the Sadducees did not. While the Sadducees focused on tradition and control, the Pharisee's emphasis on purity eventually led to kicking the gentile Christian out of the temple due to impurity violations of the law. Although the Essenes actions and beliefs are somewhat obscure, they did believe in a coming Messiah and were appalled at what they deemed religious usurpation for personal gain. So, they separated themselves from society and denied themselves personal comforts while they awaited the coming of the Messiah; however, their beliefs were not entirely different from later Christian teachings. Finally, the Zealots were lower class farmers tired of Roman rule, and the upper classes acceptance of this domination. While several Zealots claimed they were Messiahs, this was likely a ploy to gain unity of the Jews in their plan for revolution. Subsequently, each group’s variations that eventually led to their undoing and longevity, that is enjoyed by the Christian church of the
So, the apostle Peter spoke first about the matter advocating against forced circumcision of the Gentiles, then Paul and Barnabas argued their point of view before the council and church. Finally, after significant discussion and arguments from both sides, James decides against forced circumcision but concedes dietary and sexual conditions for the gentiles to placate the opposing church members (Wilcox, 2014). Even though this matter had the potential to cause a significant split in the young church, the careful actions of church leaders allowed the resolution of this explosive topic without issue. Moreover, this type of care, diligence, and compromise is still useful when dealing with issues within the church …show more content…
The Sadducees were the ruling class of Jews, that was a conservative traditionalist in every sense; in fact, they only followed the written Jewish law and were the highest religious magistrates in the land (Harris, 2014). Additionally, the Pharisees were devoted to Jewish law, but they also believed in the oral law that the Sadducees did not. While the Sadducees focused on tradition and control, the Pharisee's emphasis on purity eventually led to kicking the gentile Christian out of the temple due to impurity violations of the law. Although the Essenes actions and beliefs are somewhat obscure, they did believe in a coming Messiah and were appalled at what they deemed religious usurpation for personal gain. So, they separated themselves from society and denied themselves personal comforts while they awaited the coming of the Messiah; however, their beliefs were not entirely different from later Christian teachings. Finally, the Zealots were lower class farmers tired of Roman rule, and the upper classes acceptance of this domination. While several Zealots claimed they were Messiahs, this was likely a ploy to gain unity of the Jews in their plan for revolution. Subsequently, each group’s variations that eventually led to their undoing and longevity, that is enjoyed by the Christian church of the