World English Bible · Under Rome
Acts 15
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
Some men came down from and taught the brothers, "Unless you are after the custom of , you can't be ." Therefore when and had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed , , and some others of them to go up to to and about this question. They, being sent on their way by , passed through both and , declaring the conversion of the . They caused great joy to all the brothers. When they had come to , they were received by and and the , and they reported everything that had done with them. But some of the sect of the who rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep of ." and the were gathered together to see about this matter. When there had been much discussion, rose up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that a good while ago made a choice among you that by my the nations should hear the word of the and . , who knows , testified about them, giving them , like he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their by . Now therefore why do you , that you should put a on the neck of which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we that we are through the of , as they are." All kept silence, and they listened to and reporting what signs and wonders had done among the nations through them. After they were silent, answered, "Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has reported how first visited the nations to take out of them a people for his name. This agrees with the words of . As , 'After these things I will return. I will again build the of , which has fallen. I will again build its ruins. I will set it up that the rest of men may seek after : all the who are called by my name, , who does all these things.' "All of works are known to him from eternity. Therefore my is that we don't trouble those from among the who turn to , but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from . For from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the every ." Then it seemed good to and the , with the whole , to choose men out of their company, and send them to with and : called , and , chief men among the brothers. They wrote these things by their hand: ", the , and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the in , , and : greetings. Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your , saying, 'You must be and keep ,' to whom we gave no ; it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved and , men who have risked their lives for the name of our . We have sent therefore and , who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of . For it seemed good to , and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things: that you abstain from things to idols, from , from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell." So, when they were sent off, they came to . Having gathered together, they the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over the encouragement. and , also being themselves, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them. After they had spent some time there, they were dismissed in peace from the brothers to . 34But and stayed in , teaching and preaching the word of , with many others also. After some days said to , "Let's return now and visit our brothers in every city in which we proclaimed the word of , to see how they are doing." planned to take , who was called Mark, with them also. But didn't think that it was a good idea to take with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and didn't go with them to do the work. Then the contention grew so sharp that they separated from each other. took Mark with him and sailed away to , but chose and went out, being commended by the brothers to the of . He went through and , strengthening the assemblies.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- Where does the church's authority come from? · Acts 15
- Should Christians keep the biblical feasts? · Acts 15:1-29
- Which of God's laws still bind a Christian? · Acts 15:1-29
- Who decides, in a church? · Acts 15:1-29
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.