The Jerusalem "Apostolic Decree" in Acts 15:1-35
The Jerusalem "apostolic decree" in Acts 15:1-35 Author: Patrick Ogbonyomi Alemayo Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108451 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2019 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. THE JERUSALEM “APOSTOLIC DECREE” IN ACTS 15:1-35 By Rev. Patrick Ogbonyomi ALEMAYO, C.S.Sp. A Thesis submitted to Boston College in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) Degree, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Brighton, MA, U.S.A. April 30, 2019 Primary Co-Mentor: Professor Christopher R. Matthews Co-Mentor: Rev. Professor Thomas D. Stegman, S.J. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Ayodele Ayeni, C.S.Sp. Provincial Superior Congregation of the Holy Spirit Province of Nigeria North-West Abuja, Nigeria with Fraternal Love and Gratitude 2 ABSTRACT The strict historical reading of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:1-35 is a problematic in scholarship. This raises the question of the purpose of the Jerusalem “Apostolic Decree” in Luke’s narrative of the Jerusalem Council. This study argues that Luke’s purpose of the Decree in Acts (15:20, 29; [also found in 21:25]) is not for a pure historical evolution of the Christian mission from Jerusalem to the Gentile world, but refers to a theological and social etiology, founded on divine choice, the Mosaic law, and the prophets, that Luke promulgates as four prohibitions, which have practical values for Luke’s community in creating the conditions necessary for enabling the table-fellowship between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.
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