Jerusalem Council
Acts
15:1-29
Increased number of non-Jews accepted the Christian faith. This raised questions about the need for Christians to observe Jewish law. At a meeting in Jerusalem, it was agreed that gentile Christians did not need need to be circumcised.
Context: The council determined that non-Jewish converts to Christianity did not need to become circumcised, but the status of other Jewish practices remained unclear. Acts 15:20 says that gentile Christians were to refrain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, and from certain types of non-kosher meats. Although Acts 15 implies that Paul knew of the decree and told other about it, Acts 21:25 suggests that Paul learned of this decree only later. Paul did refrain from idolatry, but did not feel constrained to keep kosher.