Actschapter 15
41 verses · Luke · about AD 62 · Acts
For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from ancient times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
Introduction
Luke, Acts, Acts Overview.
Luke wrote this chapter for churches where Jews and Gentiles ate at one table, and it records the question on which that fellowship stood or fell. He later travelled with Paul and knew men he names here. The chapter moves from a quarrel at Antioch to a public meeting at Jerusalem and back with a letter. Listen for who speaks at the meeting, in what order, and what each one brings as evidence. Listen also for how the letter is received. The chapter closes with a quarrel of another kind, told plainly. Read it as the hinge on which the book turns toward the nations.
Context
- Who
- Theophilus and Gentile readers, learning on what terms Gentiles belong to the people of God.
- What
- The council at Jerusalem that ruled Gentile believers need not be circumcised, the letter it sent to the churches, and the parting of Paul and Barnabas.
- Where
- Antioch in Syria, then Jerusalem by way of Phoenicia and Samaria, then Antioch again, and at the close the churches of Syria and Cilicia and the island of Cyprus.
- When
- About AD 49 or 50 on the usual reckoning, after the first mission of chapters 13 and 14 and before the second begins at verse 36.
- Why
- To show how the church decided that Gentiles are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus as Jews are, and how that decision reached the churches.
Historical context
Circumcision was not a minor rite. It was the covenant sign that made a man part of Israel, and Greeks and Romans found it repellent and mocked it in their literature. Requiring it of Gentile converts would have kept the church a Jewish sect forever; not requiring it raised the question of whether such converts were really in the covenant at all.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
Underneath the theology sat a daily problem: could Jewish and Gentile believers eat together? The four items in the council's letter, meat offered to idols, blood, strangled animals, sexual immorality, are largely the practices that made a Gentile's table impossible for a law-keeping Jew, plus the sexual standard the surrounding culture did not share.
James presides and quotes the prophet Amos. He is Jesus's brother, and by this point he leads the Jerusalem church; his standing among strict Jewish believers is exactly why his verdict could settle the matter.
How this council relates to Paul's own account in Galatians 2 is genuinely disputed, some place Galatians before this meeting, some after, and the answer changes the letter's date. The traditional reading treats them as the same events described from two angles.
Significance
To Gentile readers, this was the decision that let them stay Gentiles. Peter's argument is that God gave them the Spirit without first making them Jews, so putting a yoke on their necks would be testing God.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
For the mixed churches, the letter was a peace treaty: no burden except these few things. And the chapter ends honestly, Paul and Barnabas split over whether to take John Mark, and Luke does not tidy it up. Two mission teams go out instead of one.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
The Circumcision Question Sends Them to Jerusalem
Acts 15:1-2
according to the custom of Moses: Men from Judea taught at Antioch that a Gentile had to be circumcised according to the custom of Moses to be saved. Their teaching makes salvation itself depend on the rite, and Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem over the question.
Acts 15:1
“And certain men - These were undoubtedly men who had been Jews, but who were now converted to Christianity. The fact that they were willing to refer the matter in dispute to the apostles and elders Act 15:2 shows that they had professedly embraced the Christian religion. The account which follows is a record of the first internal dissension which occurred in the Christian church. Hitherto the church had been struggling against external foes. Violent persecutions had raged, and had fully occupied the attention of Christians. But now the churches were at peace.”
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Acts 15:1
“Many that had been proselytes to the Jewish religion became Christians; and they would have such as were proselyted to the Christian religion to become Jews.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
engaging these men in sharp debate: Galatians 2:1 to 3 tells of a visit to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus, and J. B. Lightfoot identifies it with this one. Ramsay places that visit at the famine relief of 11:30. Gill counts Titus among the other believers sent.
Acts 15:2
“He is not mentioned in the Acts, but only in Second Corinthians, Galatians, Second Timothy, and the Epistle addressed to him [ALFORD]. should go up to Jerusalem . . . about this question--That such a deputation should be formally despatched by the Church of Antioch was natural, as it might be called the mother church of Gentile Christianity.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:2
“As faithful servants of Christ, they would not see his truths betrayed. They knew that Christ came to free us from the yoke of the ceremonial law, and to take down that wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles and unite them both in himself; and therefore could not bear to hear of circumcising the Gentile converts, when their instructions were only to baptize them.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 15:2
“No small dissension and disputation - Paul and Barnabas were fully satisfied that God did not design to bring the converted Gentiles under the yoke of circumcision: they knew that Jesus Christ was the end of the law for righteousness (justification) to every one that believed, and therefore they opposed the Judaizing teachers. This was one of the first controversies in the Christian Church; but, though the difference of sentiment was considerable, it led to no breach of Christian charity nor fellowship among themselves.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:3-4
recounting the conversion of the Gentiles: The report of the Gentiles' conversion brought great joy to the brothers in Phoenicia and Samaria. In Jerusalem they reported all that God had done through them, the formula used at Antioch, with God named as the one who acted.
Acts 15:3
“And being brought on their way by the church - Being attended and conducted by the Christian brethren. See the notes on Rom 15:24. It was customary for the Christians to attend the apostles in their travels. Compare 1Co 16:6, 1Co 16:11; 3Jn 1:6. Through Phenice - See the note at Act 11:19. And Samaria - These places were directly on their route to Jerusalem. Declaring the conversion ... - Of the Gentiles in Antioch, and in the regions in Asia Minor through which they had traveled.”
welcomed by the church and apostles and elders: Luke names three bodies, the church, the apostles and the elders, and the same three stand together at verse 22 for the decision. The elders of Jerusalem first appear at 11:30, receiving the famine gift.
Acts 15:4
“They were received of the Church - The whole body of Christian believers. The apostles - Either the whole or part of the twelve; though we read of none but John, Peter, and James. See Gal 2:9. And elders - Those who were officers in the Church, under the apostles. They declared - To this council they gave a succinct account of the great work which God had wrought by them among the Gentiles. This was St. Paul’s third journey to Jerusalem after his conversion.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:5-6
the party of the Pharisees: Some believers from the party of the Pharisees declared that the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses. Luke calls them believers, keeping them among the brothers while he names the school they came from.
Acts 15:5
“But certain Pharisees - For even believers are apt to retain their former turn of mind, and prejudices derived therefrom. The law of Moses - The whole law, both moral and ritual.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:5
He then cursorily touches on his own conversion from a persecutor to an apostle-confirming thereby the Acts of the Apostles, in which book may be found the very subject of this epistle, how that certain persons interposed, and said that men ought to be circumcised, and that the law of Moses was to be observed; and how the apostles, when consulted, determined, by the authority of the Holy Ghost, that "a yoke should not be put upon men's necks which their fathers even had not been able to bear."
Tertullian · written before 220 · Against Marcion Book Vpatristic
Acts 15:5
“But there rose up ... - It has been doubted whether these are the words of Paul and Barnabas, relating what occurred at Antioch, or whether they are the words of Luke recording what took place at Jerusalem. The correct exposition is probably what refers it to the latter. For: (1) This seems to be the most obvious interpretation. (2) The use of the words “rose up” implies that.”
The Council: Peter, Barnabas, Paul, and James Speak
the apostles and elders met: Verse 12 speaks of the whole assembly and verse 22 of the whole church, so the leaders deliberated with the congregation present. Calvin takes the meeting as the pattern for church councils. A question of doctrine was settled by the word of God in common counsel.
Acts 15:6
“And the apostles and elders came together,.... And also the brethren, or private members of the church, even the whole church, as appears from Act 15:22. Whether all the apostles were here present, is not certain; Peter, James, and John were; but who else, cannot be said: these met together for to consider of this matter; to hear what was to be said on both sides of the question, and then to judge what advice was proper to be given to the Gentiles.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:6
“And from this passage also one can conclude that the apostles had a certain special dignity, by which they stood above the elders, otherwise Luke would have designated all of them by one common name together with the elders.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 15:6
“The apostles and elders came together - This was the first council ever held in the Christian Church; and we find that it was composed of the apostles and elders simply.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:7-9
God made a choice among you: Peter points to Cornelius's house in chapter 10, where God, who knows the heart, gave the Holy Spirit to Gentiles before any council met. Peter says God made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.
Acts 15:7
Moreover, in that dispute about the observance or non-observance of the Law, Peter was the first of all to be endued with the Spirit, and, after making preface touching the calling of the nations, to say, "And now why are ye tempting the Lord, concerning the imposition upon the brethren of a yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to support? But however, through the grace of Jesus we believe that we shall be saved in the same way as they."
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Modestypatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:7
“For how really soever they were inspired, we need not suppose their inspiration was always so instantaneous and express, as to supersede any deliberation in their own minds, or any consultation with each other. Peter rose up - This is the last time he is mentioned in the Acts.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
God, who knows the heart: Peter's word for God as heart knower appears in the New Testament only here and at 1:24, where the apostles prayed before choosing Matthias. Men could doubt an uncircumcised believer. God, who sees the heart, gave His verdict by sending the Spirit.
Acts 15:8
“Note, The Lord knows those that are his, for he knows men's hearts; and we are as our hearts are. Those to whom God gives the Holy Ghost, he thereby bears witness to that they are his; hence we are said to be sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise-- marked for God.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:8
“And God which knoweth the hearts - Ο καρδιογνωϚης Θεος. We had this epithet of the Divine Being once before; see Act 1:24, and the note there: it occurs no where else in the New Testament. Bare them witness - Considered them as proper or fit to receive the Gospel of Christ. It is properly remarked by learned men, that μαρτυρειν τινι, to bear witness to any person, signifies to approve, to testify in behalf of.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:8
“God, which knoweth the hearts--implying that the real question for admission to full standing in the visible Church is the state of the heart. Hence, though that cannot be known by men, no principle of admission to church privileges which reverses this can be sound.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
He cleansed their hearts by faith: The verb for cleansed is the one the voice used in Peter's vision at 10:15, of what God has made clean. The teachers of verse 1 tied cleanness to the knife of circumcision. Peter ties it to faith.
Acts 15:9
“Where faith cleanses sins proceeding from the heart, there is no distinction between believers, whether they be Jews or Greeks. And this cleansing replaced circumcision; instead of fleshly circumcision, spiritual circumcision is granted, which through faith in Christ cleanses even secret sins.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:9
“Purifying - This word is repeated from chap. x, 15; their hearts - The heart is the proper seat of purity; by faith - Without concerning themselves with the Mosaic law.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 15:9
“And put no difference between us and them,.... Neither in the extraordinary gifts, nor special grace, of the Spirit; giving them the same graces of faith, hope, and love, admitting to the same privileges and immunities of the house of God, and giving them a right and title to the same inheritance of the saints in light, though the one were circumcised, and the other were not.”
Acts 15:10-11
why do you test God: Peter calls the demand a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear. He confesses that it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are, reversing the expected order.
Acts 15:10
“And since there are some who sometimes assert that they have nothing to do with the law (which Christ has not dissolved, but fulfilled), sometimes catch at such parts of the law as they choose; plainly do we too assert that the law has deceased in this sense, that its burdens-according to the sentence of the apostles-which not even the fathers were able to sustain, have wholly ceased: such (parts), however.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Monogamypatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:10
“Now therefore why tempt ye God - A God, by giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, evidently shows he does not design them to be circumcised, in order to become debtors to the law, to fulfill all its precepts, etc., why will ye provoke him to displeasure by doing what he evidently designs shall not be done?”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
through the grace of the Lord Jesus: These are the last words of Peter that Acts records. From here the narrative follows Paul, and Plumptre marks how fitting it is that Peter leaves the story confessing salvation by grace. James speaks next.
Acts 15:11
“The Lord Jesus - He does not here say our Lord; because in this solemn place he means the Lord of all, we - Jews, shall be saved even as they - Gentiles, namely, through the grace of the Lord Jesus, not by our observance of the ceremonial law.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:11
“There is yet another passage similar to this: "By grace you have been saved" (Eph. 2:5). Thus, formerly the law saved those who kept everything written in the law, but now the grace of the Lord, even without observance of the law, saves through faith.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 15:11
“But we believe - We apostles, who have been with them, and have seen the evidences of their acceptance with God. Through the grace ... - By the grace or mercy of Christ alone, without any of the rites and ceremonies of the Jews. We shall be saved, even as they - In the same manner, by the mere grace of Christ. So far from being necessary to their salvation, they are really of no use in ours. We are to be saved, not by these ceremonies, but by the mere mercy of God in the Redeemer.”
The whole assembly fell silent: as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. The testimony follows Peter's argument as evidence, the signs of chapter 14 now set before the council. The silence marks agreement before James speaks.
Acts 15:12
“All the multitude kept silence - The strong facts stated by St. Peter could not be controverted. His speech may be thus analyzed: 1. Circumcision is a sign of the purification of the heart. 2. That purification can only be effected by the Holy Ghost. 3. This Holy Spirit was hitherto supposed to be the portion of those only who had received circumcision. 4. But the Gentiles, who were never circumcised, nor kept any part of the law of Moses, have had their hearts purified by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:13-14
finished speaking, James declared: James, the Lord's brother and the recognized head of the Jerusalem church, speaks last. He reads the household of Cornelius as how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His own.
Acts 15:13
“And after they had held their peace,.... Meaning not the multitude, but Paul and Barnabas; when they had finished their account, and had done speaking: James answered; or rose up, as the Syriac version reads, he stood up and began to speak.”
3 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:13
“James answered - James the Less, son of Alpheus. See the notes on Act 12:1. Hearken unto me - This whole transaction shows that Peter had no such authority in the church as the papists pretend, for otherwise his opinion would have been followed without debate. James had an authority not less than that of Peter. It is possible that he might have been next in age (compare 1Co 15:7); and it seems morally certain that he remained for a considerable part of his life in Jerusalem, Act 12:17; Act 21:18; Gal 1:19; Gal 2:9, Gal 2:12.”
Acts 15:13
“His decision, though given as his own judgment only, could not be of great weight with the opposing party, from his conservative reverence for all Jewish usages within the circle of Israelitish Christianity.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 15:13
“He addresses himself respectfully to those present: " Men and brethren, hearken unto me. You are men, and therefore, it is to be hoped, will hear reason; you are my brethren, and therefore will hear me with candour. We are all brethren, and equally concerned in this cause that nothing be done to the dishonour of Christ and the uneasiness of Christians." 2.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
first visited the Gentiles: Luke uses the same verb for visited at Luke 1:68 and 7:16, of God coming to His people Israel in mercy. James now applies it to the Gentiles. A people to be His own had meant Israel alone.
Acts 15:14
“Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles,.... James begins with taking notice of Peter's speech, and agrees to it, and confirms it; for by Simeon is not meant, as some have thought, the Simeon that took Christ in his arms, Luk 2:25 who had been dead long ago; but Simon Peter, who had spoken before.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:14
“This is shown in a still clearer light from the letter of the apostles, which they forwarded neither to the Jews nor to the Greeks, but to those who from the Gentiles believed in Christ, confirming their faith.”
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book 3patristic
Acts 15:15-18
words of the prophets: James cites Amos 9:11 to 12, reading the inclusion of the Gentiles as the restoration of the fallen tent of David. The line so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord follows the Septuagint, which reads seek where the Hebrew reads possess.
Acts 15:15
“And to this agree the words of the prophets,.... In several of the prophecies of the Old Testament, which plainly speak of the calling of the Gentiles; though James thought it sufficient to produce only one instead of many: as it is written; in Amo 9:11 and this is agreeably to the Jewish way of citing Scriptures, as Surenhusius observes; so it is said (q), in twenty four places the priests are called Levites, and this is one of them, Eze 44:15 where only one place is mentioned, instead of the twenty four. (q) T. Bab. Yebamot, fol.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:15
“The words of the prophets - Amo 9:11-12. It was a very material point with them, as Jews, to inquire whether this was in accordance with the predictions of the Scriptures. The most powerful revivals of religion, and the most striking demonstrations of the divine presence, will be in accordance with the Bible, and should be tested by them. This habit was always manifested by the apostles and early Christians, and should be followed by Christians at all times.”
Acts 15:15
“The point of the passage lies in the predicted purpose of God, under the new economy, that "the heathen" or "Gentiles" should be "called by His name," or have "His name called upon them." By the "building again of the fallen tabernacle of David," or restoring its decayed splendor, is meant that only and glorious recovery which it was to experience under David's "son and Lord." 18, 19.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
rebuild the fallen tent of David: Amos spoke under Uzziah, and he pictures the fallen tent of David, the house of David brought down to a booth. Calvin reads the rebuilding of its ruins as fulfilled in Christ, the Son of David, gathering the Gentiles. The ruins become a house again.
Acts 15:16
“After this - After the Jewish dispensation expires. I will build again the fallen tabernacle of David - By raising from his seed the Christ, who shall build on the ruins of his fallen tabernacle a spiritual and eternal kingdom. The Gentiles on whom my name is called - That is, who are called by my name; who are my people.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:16
“The tabernacle of David means the race of the Jews. It must be known that after Cyrus had freed Israel from captivity, they returned to Judea and built the temple of God. Then, after they had again fortified the cities that had been destroyed before, they lived in security day by day for a long time, that is, for many days and long periods.”
Cyril of Alexandria · written before 444 · Catena on the Acts of the Apostles 15.16-17patristic
Acts 15:16
“After this I will return, and will build again, etc. - These two verses, 16th and 17th, are quoted from Amo 9:11, Amo 9:12, nearly as they now stand in the best editions of the Septuagint, and evidently taken from that version, which differs considerably from the Hebrew text.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Cross references
Acts 15:16
- QuotingAmos 9:11“In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,
'I will build again the tabernacle of David', James at the Jerusalem Council
the Gentiles who are called by My name: To be called by the name of the LORD marked a people as His own, and Deuteronomy 28:10 says it of Israel. Amos sets whole nations under that name. Gill reads the phrase of Gentiles called by grace and owned as God's people.
Acts 15:17
“Then Israel shall possess the remnant of Edom (so it is in the Hebrew); but the Jews called all the Gentiles Edomites, and therefore the Septuagint leave out the particular mention of Edom, and read it just as it is here, that the residue of men might seek (James here adds, after the Lord), and all the Gentiles, or heathen, upon whom my name is called.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:17
“That the residue of men - This verse is quoted literally from the Septuagint, and differs in some respects from the Hebrew. The phrase, “the residue of men,” here is evidently understood, both by the Septuagint and by James, as referring to others than Jews, to the Gentiles the rest of the world - implying that many of them would be admitted to the friendship and favor of God. The Hebrew is, “that they may possess the remnant of Edom.” This change is made in the Septuagint by a slight difference in the reading of two Hebrew words.”
These closing words stand beyond Amos 9:12, and Knowling hears in them Isaiah 45:21, where God declared His purpose long ago. The received text lengthens them into a statement that God knows all His works. The plan is older than the objection.
Acts 15:18
“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning - As if he had said, This is not a new counsel of God: he had purposed, from the time he called the Israelites, to make the Gentiles partakers of the same grace and mercy; and ultimately to destroy those rites and ceremonies which separated them from each other. He therefore has sent the Gospel of his Son, proclaiming equally peace to him that is afar off, the Gentiles, and to him that is nigh, the Jews.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:18
“Known unto God are all his works from eternity - Which the apostle infers from the prophecy itself, and the accomplishment of it. And this conversion of the Gentiles being known to him from eternity, we ought not to think a new or strange thing.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 15:19-21
It is my judgment: James rules against troubling the Gentiles who are turning to God, laying neither circumcision nor the whole law on them. He asks them to abstain from four things most often tied to shared meals with Jewish believers.
Acts 15:19
“Wherefore, my sentence--or "judgment." is, that we trouble not--with Jewish obligations. them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God--rather, "are turning." The work is regarded as in progress, and indeed was rapidly advancing.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
3 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:19
"Therefore I judge not to trouble." That is, not to upset matters, because if God called them, and these impositions upset the calling, then we are opposing God. He speaks with authority: I "judge."
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 15:19
“The kingdom of God, in which they are to be trained up, is not meat and drink, neither the opposition nor the imposition of indifferent things, which will but trouble them; but it is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, which we are sure will trouble nobody.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 15:19
“My sentence - Greek: I judge κρίνω krinō that is, I give my opinion. It is the usual language in which a judge delivers his opinion; but it does not imply here that James assumed authority to settle the case, but merely that he gave his opinion, or counsel. That we trouble not them - That we do not molest, disturb, or oppress them by imposing on them unnecessary fires and ceremonies.”
abstain from food polluted by idols: The four things match what Leviticus 17 and 18 require of the foreigner living in Israel, from idols to blood and forbidden unions. Codex Bezae drops the strangled meat and adds the golden rule, turning the list into moral law.
Acts 15:20
“But that we write unto them - Four things are prohibited in this decree: 1. Pollutions of idols; 2. fornication; 3. things strangled; 4. blood. By the first, Pollutions of Idols, or, as it is in Act 15:25, meats offered to idols, not only all idolatry was forbidden, but eating things offered in sacrifice to idols, knowing that they were thus offered, and joining with idolaters in their sacred feasts, which were always an incentive either to idolatry itself, or to the impure acts generally attendant on such festivals.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:20
“It was particularly frequent in the worship of their idols, on which account they are here named together. And from things strangled - That is, from whatever had been killed, without pouring out the blood. When God first permitted man to eat flesh, he commanded Noah, and in him all his posterity, whenever they killed any creature for food, to abstain from the blood thereof.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 15:20
"Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the sons of Israel, and tell them: If anyone who is from among the sons of Israel or from among foreigners, who happens to be among you, eats any blood, I shall place my spirit over the spirit which shall have eaten the blood, and I shall abolish it from among the people, since the spirit of every flesh is its blood.
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on Romans 2.13patristic
Josephus writes that Moses ordered the people to gather every week to hear the law, and Luke shows the practice at 13:15 in Pisidian Antioch. Gentile God-fearers sat in those synagogues. They heard Moses every Sabbath.
Acts 15:21
“For Moses - The meaning of this verse is, that the Law of Moses, prohibiting these things, was read in the synagogues constantly. As these commands wore constantly read, and as the Jewish converts would not soon learn that their ceremonial law had ceased to be binding, it was deemed to be a matter of expediency that no needless offence should be given to them. For the sake of peace, it was better that they should abstain from meat offered to idols than to give offence to the Jewish converts. Compare 1Co 8:10-13.Of old time - Greek: from ancient generations.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:21
"You cannot blame them if they have a great veneration for the law of Moses; for besides that they are very sure God spoke to Moses," (1.) "Moses is continually preached to them, and they are called upon to remember the law of Moses, " Mal. iv.
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
The Letter Sent to the Gentile Believers
Acts 15:22-23
select men from among them: The apostles and elders, with the whole church, chose Judas called Barsabbas and Silas to carry the decision to Antioch. Silas returns as Paul's partner at verse 40.
Acts 15:22
“Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole Church - James determined what ought to be done; and the whole assembly resolved how that should be done. Chosen men of their own company - Paul and Barnabas were to return: they could have witnessed to the Church at Antioch what was done at the council at Jerusalem; but as it was possible that their testimony might be suspected, from the part they had already taken in this question at Antioch, it was necessary that a deputation from the council should accompany them.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:22
“With the whole Church - Which therefore had a part therein; to send chosen men - Who might put it beyond all dispute, that this was the judgment of the apostles and all the brethren.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 15:22
“The wisdom of these suggestions commended itself to all present. Judas surnamed Barsabas--therefore not the apostle "Judas the brother of James" (Ac 1:13), surnamed "Thaddeus" (Mt 10:3); nor can it be shown that he was a brother of "Joseph called Barsabas" (Ac 1:23). But nothing is known of him beyond what is here said. and Silas--the same as "Silvanus" in the Epistles.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
To the brothers among the Gentiles: The letter opens in the common Greek form: sender, recipients and the single word of greeting. Claudius Lysias uses the same form at 23:26, and so does James 1:1.
Acts 15:23
The twelve, having called together the multitude of the disciples, said, "It is not meet for us to leave the word of God and serve tables." If they avoided this, much more did they shun gluttony. And the apostles themselves, writing to the brethren at Antioch, and in Syria and Cilicia, said: "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no other burden than these necessary things, to abstain from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication, from which, if you keep yourselves, ye shall do well."
Clement of Alexandria · written before 215 · The Instructor Book 2patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:23
“And they wrote . . . by them--This is the first mention in the New Testament history of writing as an element in its development. And the combination here of written and oral transmission of an important decision reminds us of the first occasion of writing mentioned in the Old Testament, where a similar combination occurs (Ex 17:14).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 15:24-27
some went out from us: The council disavows the teachers of verse 1 as men who had gone out from Jerusalem without authorization, so their demand carried no authority. It commends Barnabas and Paul as men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 15:24
“Certain which went out from us - So the persons who produced these doubtful disputations at Antioch, etc., had gone out from the apostles at Jerusalem, and were of that Church: persons zealous for the law, and yet, strange to tell, so conscientiously attached to the Gospel that they risked their personal safety by professing it. To whom we gave no such commandment - As, therefore, they went out from that Church, they should have taught nothing which was not owned and taught by it; much less should they have taught in opposition to it.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:24
“It was owing to the subtlety and malice of the great enemy of the church's peace (as it appears by Paul's frequent complaints of these judaizing teachers, these false apostles, these deceitful workers, these enemies of the cross of Christ ), that it had not this effect.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
our beloved Barnabas and Paul: The letter names Barnabas before Paul, as Jerusalem had known him first, while Luke's own narrative has mostly put Paul first since 13:43. The word for agreed is the one-accord word of the first church at 1:14 and 2:46. Jerusalem spoke as one.
risked their lives for the name: The phrase points back to the stoning at Lystra at 14:19 and the flight from Iconium at 14:5 to 6. Men who had faced death for the name had earned a hearing. Paul later called such scars the marks of Jesus, at Galatians 6:17.
Acts 15:26
“Men that have hazarded--literally, "rendered up," as in will they did. their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--Noble testimony to those beloved men!”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
tell you in person the same things: The carriers came from Jerusalem itself, so no one at Antioch could say Barnabas and Paul had written the decision to suit themselves. Henry makes that point on the verse. Judas and Silas could also answer questions a letter could not.
Acts 15:27
“Judas and Silas - shall - tell you the same things - These were proofs that the testimony of Paul and Barnabas was true; and that the letter was not forged, as they could witness the same things which the letter contained.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:28-29
seemed good to the Holy Spirit: It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, the letter says, holding human deliberation and divine guidance together. The letter names the Spirit as the author of the decision.
Acts 15:28
“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us,.... By various things they had reason doubtless to conclude, that they were under the influence and direction of the Holy Ghost in this affair; as by the spirit of prayer that was among them; by that power and energy with which many of them spoke on this occasion, and that so agreeable to the word of God; and by that unanimity with which they came into the advice given.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:28
“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us - The whole council had met under his direction; had consulted under his influence; and gave forth their decree from his especial inspiration. Necessary things - They were necessary, howsoever burthensome they might appear; and necessary, not only for the time, place, or occasion; but for all times, all places, and all occasions. See this proved in the observations at the end of this chapter.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:28
“These necessary things - All of these were necessary for that time. But the first of them was not necessary long; and the direction concerning it was therefore repealed by the same Spirit, as we read in the former Epistle to the Corinthians.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
You will do well to avoid these things: Food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality return together at Revelation 2:14 and 2:20, charged against the churches of Pergamum and Thyatira. Paul treats idol food at length in 1 Corinthians 8 to 10 and never cites this letter. Farewell was the usual Greek close.
Acts 15:29
“Now in these precepts where it says that no other burden ought to be imposed on Gentile believers except abstinence from the sacrifices of idols, from blood, from what has been suffocated and from fornication, homicide is not forbidden, nor adultery, nor theft, nor homosexual acts, nor other crimes that are punished by divine and human laws. But if it is saying that Christians must observe only that which it has recounted, it will appear to some that it granted license concerning the rest.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Commentary on Romans 9.28patristic
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:29
“From Adam to Noah no man ate flesh at all; consequently no man then ate blood. When God allowed Noah and his posterity to eat flesh, he absolutely forbade them to eat blood; and accordingly this, with the other six precepts of Noah, was delivered down from Noah to Moses. God renewed this prohibition by Moses, which was not repealed from the time of Moses till Christ came.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 15:29
“For the apostle says, "All other things buy out of the shambles, asking no questions," with the exception of the things mentioned in the Catholic epistle of all the apostles, "with the consent of the Holy Ghost," which is written in the Acts of the Apostles, and conveyed to the faithful by the hands of Paul himself.”
Clement of Alexandria · written before 215 · The Stromata Book 4patristic
Acts 15:30-33
assembled the congregation: At Antioch the whole church heard the letter and rejoiced at its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers, adding living ministry to the written decree.
Acts 15:30
"So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation." Then those brethren also exhorted them: and having established them, for towards Paul they were contentiously disposed, so departed from them in peace. For it might have been done also without letters, but that there may be a law in writing they send this Epistle: again, that they may obey the law the Apostles also told those men the same things, and they did this, and confirmed them.
John Chrysostom · written before 407 · Homily on Acts 33patristic
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:30
“The progress of the disciples — that is the consolation for the teachers!”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 15:30
“Of the latest Testament the condition is ever immutable; and, of course the public recitation of that decree, and the counsel embodied therein, will cease (only) with the word.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Modestypatristic
rejoiced at its encouraging message: The word for encouraging is paraklesis, the word in Barnabas's name at 4:36 and in the synagogue's word of exhortation at 13:15. The church at Antioch heard release from the yoke of verse 10. Joy followed.
Acts 15:31
“Which when they had read,.... That is, when the brethren of the church at Antioch had read the letter delivered to them; for not Paul and Barnabas, or Judas and Silas, who were sent with it, read it, but the brethren to whom it was sent, as was proper.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:31
“They rejoiced for the consolation - They acquiesced in the decision of the apostles and elders, and rejoiced that they were not to be subjected to the burdensome rites and ceremonies of the Jewish religion. This closes the account of the first Christian council. It was conducted throughout on Christian principles; in a mild, kind, conciliatory spirit, and is a model for all similar assemblages.”
who themselves were prophets: Antioch already had prophets and teachers at 13:1, and Agabus came down from Jerusalem as a prophet at 11:27. Judas and Silas join that company. The verb for strengthen is the one Luke uses at 14:22 and 15:41 for confirming the churches.
Acts 15:32
“Judas and Silas, being prophets - That is, being teachers in the Church. This signification of the word prophet we have often already seen. See the notes on Act 11:27; Act 13:1. Exhorted the brethren - To abide steadily attached to God, and to each other, in peace, love, and unity. And confirmed them - In the blessed truths they had already received.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
sent off by the brothers in peace: To send someone off in peace was the Jewish blessing of farewell, the words Jesus spoke at Luke 7:50 and 8:48. Judas goes back to Jerusalem. Silas is at hand again when Paul chooses him at verse 40.
Acts 15:33
“They were dismissed in peace by the brethren to those who had sent them. Where it is written To those who had sent them, in the Greek it is written To the Apostles.”
Bede · written before 735 · Retractions on Actspatristic
Acts 15:34-35
Verse 34, which says Silas decided to stay at Antioch, is absent from the oldest manuscripts and present in the received text. It was likely supplied to explain how Silas is at Antioch when Paul chooses him at verse 40.
Acts 15:34
“Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still,.... Though he had leave to go, and was actually dismissed with Judas; and doubtless intended to have gone with him, but for some reason or another he changed his mind, and thought fit to continue at Antioch some time longer: and the design of Providence in it seems to have been this; that he might be a companion with the Apostle Paul in his travels among the Gentiles, as he afterwards was, and was very useful to him.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:34
“Notwithstanding it pleased Silas, etc. - This whole verse is wanting in ABEG, a great number besides, with the Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, Slavonic, Vulgate, and some of the fathers. It does not appear to have been originally in the text.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
teaching and preaching the word of the Lord: Lightfoot places Peter's visit to Antioch at Galatians 2:11 to 14 in this season, when even Barnabas was drawn away from eating with Gentile brothers. Some readers find that strain behind the sharp parting of Paul and Barnabas at verse 39.
Acts 15:35
“Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. In those days, what the apostle Paul said was fulfilled: When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face (Galatians 2).”
Bede · written before 735 · Commentary on Actspatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:35
“Paul also, and Barnabas, continued in Antioch - How long a time is unknown. It is probable that at this time the unhappy incident occurred between Paul and Peter which is recorded in Gal 2:11-14.”
Paul and Barnabas Part Company Over Mark
go back and visit the brothers: Paul asked Barnabas to go back and visit the brothers in every town where they had proclaimed the word of the Lord. Care for churches already planted stands behind the second mission, and the dispute that follows concerns only who travels.
Acts 15:36
“Let us go and visit the brethren in every city where we have preached - This was all that St. Paul designed at first; but it was not all that God designed by his journey, whose providence carried him much farther than he intended.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:36
“Let us go - and visit our brethren in every city - This heavenly man projected a journey to Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Salamis, Paphos, Perga, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Antioch in Pisidia, and elsewhere; for in all these places he had preached and founded Churches in the preceding year. He saw it was necessary to water the seed he had planted; for these were young converts, surrounded with impiety, opposition, and superstition, and had few advantages among themselves.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 15:36
“He thought, doubtless, of the Pisidians and Lycaonians, as he thought afterwards at Athens and Corinth of the Thessalonians, from whom he had been lately "taken in presence, not in heart, night and day praying exceedingly that he might see their face and perfect that which was lacking in their faith" [HOWSON].”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 15:37-39
John, also called Mark: Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, his kinsman by Colossians 4:10, but Paul refused because he had deserted them in Pamphylia at 13:13. Luke names the break without assigning blame, and Paul later asks for Mark at 2 Timothy 4:11.
Acts 15:37
“And Barnabas determined - Greek: willed, or was disposed to (ἐβουλεύσαντο ebouleusanto). John ... - See the notes on Act 12:12. He had been with them before as a traveling companion, Act 12:25; Act 13:5. He was the son of a sister of Barnabas Col 4:10, and it is probable that Barnabas’ affection for his nephew was the main reason for inducing him to wish to take him with him in the journey.”
he had deserted them in Pamphylia: The verb for deserted means to withdraw or stand off, and Paul judged the mission needed men who would stay. Chrysostom sees Paul looking to the work and Barnabas to the man, and both aims serving the church. Each had a reason.
Acts 15:38
“But Paul thought not good to take him with them who departed from them--that is, who had departed; but the word is stronger than this--"who stood aloof" or "turned away" from them. from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work--the work yet before them. The allusion is to what is recorded in Ac 13:13 (see on Ac 13:13).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 15:38
“But Paul insisted that he should not be received. Because, standing on the very forefront of the line, he had stood too tepidly, and rightly, Paul rejected him, lest others be corrupted by his influence as though it were contagion.”
Bede · written before 735 · Commentary on Actspatristic
Acts 15:38
“But Paul thought not good - Did not think it proper. Because he could not confide in his perseverance with them in the toils and perils of their journey. Who departed from them ... - Act 13:13. Why he did this is not known. It was evidently, however, for some cause which Paul did not consider satisfactory, and which, in his view, disqualified him from being their attendant again. To the work - Of preaching the gospel.”
Their disagreement was so sharp: The word is paroxysmos, from which paroxysm comes, and Hebrews 10:24 uses it for spurring one another to love. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, his home island by 4:36. Luke leaves Barnabas there, and Acts names him no more.
Acts 15:39
“And the contention was so sharp - The word used here παροξυσμός paroxusmos is that from which our word “paroxysm” is derived. It may denote “any excitement of mind,” and is used in a good sense in Heb 10:24. It here means, however, “a violent altercation” that resulted in their separation for a time, and in their engaging in different spheres of labor. And sailed into Cyprus - This was the native place of Barnabas. See the notes on Act 4:36.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:39
“How watchful does all this teach Christians, and especially Christian ministers and missionaries, to be against giving way to rash judgment and hot temper towards each other, especially where on both sides the glory of Christ is the ground of difference! How possible is it that in such cases both parties may, on the question at issue, be more or less in the right!”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 15:40-41
Paul chose Silas: , introduced at Jerusalem as a leader and a prophet, who becomes his regular companion for the chapters ahead. Paul left commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord, the same commendation as at his first sending.
strengthening the churches: These churches had received the council's letter at verse 23, so Paul's visit carried the decision to them in person. Acts never tells their founding. Galatians 1:21 places Paul in Syria and Cilicia in the years after his first visit to Jerusalem.
Acts 15:41
“Syria and Cilicia - These were countries lying near to each other, which Paul, in company with Barnabas, had before visited. Confirming the churches - Strengthening them by instruction and exhortation. It has no reference to the rite of confirmation. See the notes on Act 14:22. In regard to this unhappy contention between Paul and Barnabas, and their separation from each other, we may make the following remarks: (1) That no apology or vindication of it is offered by the sacred writer. It was undoubtedly improper and evil.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 15:41
“Before going to other cities, he visits those which had already received the word of God. We do the same: we first instruct the earliest people, so that they do not become an obstacle to the instruction of those who come after.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
How this psalm is built
The form: Narrative with speeches and a quoted letter, the record of a church council, as Henry classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Three speakers in order | Peter speaks first from what God did at the house of Cornelius, Barnabas and Paul then report the signs God did among the Gentiles, and James speaks last with the prophets and a judgment. John Chrysostom marks the order, and reads James, who held the chief place in the church at Jerusalem, as the one who gives the decision.John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, about 400. | Acts 15:7, Acts 15:12, Acts 15:13, Acts 15:19 |
| The four things to avoid | James names four things at verse 20, the letter names them again at verse 29 in another order, and James recalls them to Paul at 21:25. Codex Bezae drops the strangled meat and adds the golden rule, and R. J. Knowling holds that moral form to be the later reading.R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 1900, on Acts 15:20 and 15:29. | Acts 15:20, Acts 15:29, Acts 21:25 |
| All that God had done through them | The missionaries report what God had done at 14:27, and the same report is given on arrival at verse 4 and before the assembly at verse 12, with God as the one who acts each time. Paul gives it once more to James at 21:19.This site's published exposition of Acts 15:3 to 4, The exposition_notes row on Acts 15:3 to 4, citing Jamieson, Fausset and Brown and W. M. Ramsay. | Acts 14:27, Acts 15:4, Acts 15:12, Acts 21:19 |
| The letter quoted whole | Verses 23 to 29 give the letter with its senders, its recipients and the single word of greeting at the head, and the farewell at the close. R. J. Knowling notes that the greeting word stands in the New Testament only here, in the letter of Claudius Lysias at 23:26 and at James 1:1.R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, The Expositor's Greek Testament, 1900, on Acts 15:23. | Acts 15:23, Acts 15:29, Acts 23:26 |
The shape of the chapter
13 more paragraphs on the patterns
The chapter falls into three movements. Verses 1 to 5 carry the dispute from Antioch to Jerusalem, where believers from the party of the Pharisees press the same demand. Verses 6 to 29 hold the council, with three speeches, a judgment and the letter that records it.
Verses 30 to 41 bring the letter back to Antioch and close with the parting of Paul and Barnabas. The second mission begins at verse 36 and runs to 18:22.
Where it stands in Acts
Chapter 14 closed at 14:27 with the report that God had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles, and this chapter tests that door. Peter's speech at verses 7 to 11 is the last time he speaks in the book, and from here Luke follows Paul.
The chapter hands its decision on to 16:4, where Paul and Silas deliver it to the churches of Galatia. Silas, sent from Jerusalem at verse 22, becomes Paul's companion at verse 40.
The debated readings
Which visit Galatians 2 records. J. B. Lightfoot identifies the visit of Galatians 2:1 to 10 with this council. W. M. Ramsay matches it with the famine visit of 11:30 and reads this chapter as a later and public meeting.
What the four requirements are. Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes read them as rules for peace between Jewish and Gentile believers at one table. The laws for the foreigner in Leviticus 17 and 18 cover the same ground. Tertullian read blood as bloodshed and the list as a moral law, which is the sense of the form Codex Bezae carries, and R. J. Knowling holds that form to be the later reading.
The wording of Amos. James cites Amos 9:11 and 12 in the Greek form, where the remnant of men seek the Lord, and the Hebrew speaks of possessing the remnant of Edom. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown record the difference.
Verse 34. The verse stands in the received text and is absent from the oldest manuscripts, and the Berean text leaves it blank.
Where it reaches
The Old Testament ground is Amos 9:11 and 12 at verses 16 to 18, with the laws for the foreigner in Leviticus 17 and 18 behind the four requirements. To be called by the name of the LORD, at verse 17, is said of Israel at Deuteronomy 28:10.
In the New Testament the chapter stands beside Galatians 2:1 to 14 and 5:1, where the yoke of verse 10 returns. Revelation 2:14 and 2:20 still charge churches with food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality. Mark, the cause of the parting at verses 37 to 39, is called useful to Paul at 2 Timothy 4:11.
Keep studying
Studies20
- The Torah
- Brit milah: circumcision on the eighth day
- Cornelius and Peter, Acts 10
- Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism
- Elders and Deacons
- God and the Nations, from Abraham to the New Jerusalem
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Words12
Subjects2
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 1865, the essay St Paul and the Three; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Acts 15, where he reads the meeting as a synod called to settle the controversy raised at Antioch and W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, 1895.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Bede, On the Acts of the Apostles; E. H. Plumptre, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, The Acts of the Apostles; J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained; J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Josephus, Against Apion 2.175; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, The Expositor's Greek Testament; W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen and William Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.