The Ethnic Conflict In Early Christianity

Abstract

"The topic of this study is the ethnic conflict in early Christianity. Early Christianity developed from a messianic sect within the matrix of late Second Temple Judaism into a religion distinct from Judaism by the second century AD.1 However, far from being smooth, this development was marked by conflicts within the emerging movement itself, of which the ethnic conflict was the most poignant. I will examine how the early church dealt with the crucial issue of admitting Gentiles into the people of God, with specific reference to the Antioch crisis (Galatians 2) and the Jerusalem council (Acts 15).2 The study will address the following questions: Do the events in Gal 2:1–10 refer to those in Acts 11:27–30 or Acts 15? Did the Antioch crisis recorded in Gal 2:11–14 occur before or after the Jerusalem council in Acts 15? Did Paul and the Jerusalem church differ and grow apart or were they in entire agreement with each other?"