“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.” (Gal 2:11-12)
It is reported that Hillel and Shammai had over 300 disputes. These disputes were considered positive disputes because they were "for the sake of heaven." (Much thanks to Sandi for this thought in our discussion last night because it was pertinent to what I was writting about.)
“Every dispute that is for the sake of heaven will endure in the end, but one that is not for the sake of heaven will not endure in the end. Which dispute was for the sake of heaven? The dispute between Hillel and Shammai.” (Ethics of the Fathers 5:17)
The number of disputes recorded between Paul and Peter is considerably less than 300. One thing all four men had in common, their disputes were “for the sake of heaven.”
After 2000 years, why do we, like Paul and Peter, still find ourselves disputing what commandments a Gentile is obligated to keep? Because if we dispute from the right heart, these disputes are "for the sake of the kingdom." Therefore, do not expect that the disputes among believers will be settled next week, next month, or even next year. In the right heart, these disputes are “for the sake of the kingdom,” because they cause us to grow in our understanding, and “will endure to the end,” which I understand as the return of the Messiah.
One of the great disputes among the apostles is recorded between Paul and Peter. Most see this encounter as the pinnacle of the great debate between “works and faith” where Paul “did not yield in subjection…for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain,” (Gal 2:5). Commentary from my Community Bible Study states the common interpretation, “Paul’s…action is so crucial to the preservation of the truth of the gospel – justification by faith in Jesus Christ – that he confronts Peter and exhorts the Galatian believers who are foolishly following Peter’s example.” While justification by faith is a fundamental principle of our belief, it must always be held in tension with our obligation toward obedience and the call to perform good works. While it is true that this encounter between Paul and Peter became the catalyst for the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council, I begin with a totally different question. What was Peter doing in Antioch in the first place?
Most scholars, Daniel Lancaster included in Volume 6 of the Torah Club, simply believe that Peter was visiting the church in Antioch. However, Peter’s visitation to Antioch before Acts 15 runs contrary to his other recorded travels and his ministry to the circumcised, (Gal 2:7). Antioch was primarily a Gentile community in Syria. Although Antioch has a Jewish community, the primary concentration of the circumcision was found in Israel. Scripture records that Peter traveled throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria (Acts 9:31-32), but not north of Galilee. Even Peter’s encounter with the Gentile Cornelius came at Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in Israel.
In the Book of Acts, you always find Peter in Israel and most often in Jerusalem. Following the stoning of Stephen (A.D. 30), “they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles,” (Acts 8:1). Later, Peter went up to Samaria only after word reached Jerusalem that “Samaria had received the word of God,” (Acts 8:7). Three years after Saul’s Damascus road encounter, Saul found Peter in Jerusalem and spent fifteen days with him (A.D. 33), (Gal 1:18). Over a decade later, on Saul’s next visit to Jerusalem, he met with the “pillars,” James, Peter, and John (A.D. 44), (Gal 2:9).
When Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem several years later for the Acts 15 Council (A.D. 48), Peter is present. Only on Paul’s final trip to Jerusalem (A.D. 58)(Acts 21), is Peter not present. Peter’s first epistle, addressed “To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Pet 1:1), implies that Peter knew believers from these areas. However, the Book of Galatians is the only source in scripture, that I am aware of, which shows Peter outside of Israel prior to Acts 15. So when and why did Peter leave Israel since the largest concentration of the “circumcision” lived in Israel?
(to be continued - Scott)
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