The Occasion for the Jerusalem Council
(The Parable of the Two Ethnicities?)
Acts 15:1-5
1 And
certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except
ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no
small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and
Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the
apostles and elders about this question. 3 And being brought on their way by the
church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of
the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. 4 And when they were come to Jerusalem,
they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they
declared all things that God had done with them. 5 But there rose up certain of the sect
of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise
them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
Introduction:
In this chapter
we are confronted with the historical narrative concerning an epochal event
that constitutes another of the major turning points in The Acts of the Ascended Christ through the Holy Spirit by His Apostles.
This seeds of this event were first sown in Acts 10 when Peter was directed to
cross the threshold of Cornelius’ house.
These seeds came to full bloom in the first missionary journey presented
in Acts 13-14. God opening the door to
the Gentiles through the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Cyprus and
particularly in Asia Minor created a major theological issue for some of the
Jewish members of the Jerusalem Church. This issue embraces soteriology, ethics
and ecclesiology: 1) soteriology - Can someone be saved who is not circumcised?
2) ethics - Does the Law of Moses continue to be administered under the New
Covenant? 3) ecclesiology - Must Gentiles become Jews to be considered as valid
members of the Church?
Acts 15 may be
considered under the following headings or paragraph divisions:
The Occasion of for the Jerusalem Council (15:1-5)
The Proceedings of the Jerusalem Council (15:6-21)
The Results of the Jerusalem Council (15:22-35)
The Journeys following the Jerusalem Council
(15:36-41)
Outline:
I. The Old
Perspective - The Teaching of a Fatal Error (15:1)
II. The New
Covenant Perspective - The Response of a
Faithful Polemic (15:2a)
III. The
Ecclesiastical Decision - The Need for an Inter-Church Solution (15:2b-3a)
IV. The Joyful
Journey - The Report of Genuine Conversions (15:3b-d)
V. The Jerusalem
Report - The Declaration of God’s Work (15:4)
VI. The Minority
Opposition - The Demand for Legal Submission (15:5)
Transition:
The significance of Acts 15 -
“The success of the Gentile mission provoked what was
perhaps the most significant controversy in the NT era.” [1]
“Luke’s account of the discussion of the relation of the
Gentiles to the law of Moses forms the centre of Acts both structurally and
theologically.” [2]
“Probably no section of Acts has aroused such controversy
as this one or led to such varied historical reconstructions of the actual
situation.” [3]
I. The Old
Perspective - The Teaching of a Fatal Error (15:1)
And certain men which came down
from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the
manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Woven throughout the history of the early church along
with persecution from without are occasions of problems and attacks from
within. The first example was in Acts 5:1-11 when members attempted to deceive
the Church by lying to the Holy Spirit, and were disciplined by death. The next
was in Acts 6:1-7 when complaints about unfair treatment had to be dealt with
resulting in supervision by deacons. The
account in the verses we are considering is the first instance of a false
teaching that strikes at the heart of the Gospel, and which will persist
throughout Church history.
1. The Identity of
the False Teachers
2. The Nature of
the False Teaching
1. The Identity
of the False Teachers
And certain men which came down from
Judaea taught the brethren,
“Y’all ain’t from around here, are ya?”
These teachers were not charter members of the First Christian Church of Antioch.
The explicit geographical reference identifying where
these false teachers were from becomes the key to where the solution will be
sought. The error must be traced back to
the source. The root of the problem must
be confronted.
2. The Nature
of the False Teaching
and said, Except ye be
circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Salvation negated by an exception:
You can’t be saved!
You can’t be saved unless…!
No salvation without circumcision? They missed the point. They missed the points. The missed the point of both salvation and
circumcision.
The New/Fresh
Perspective on Paul’s teaching on Justification:
Works is being brought in the back door of the Gospel in
our day!
False teachers continue to find ingenious ways to
undermine the grace of God in the Gospel!
“Certain men” in our own times are teaching that “you
can’t be saved unless…”!
II. The New
Covenant Perspective - The Response of a
Faithful Polemic (15:2a)
When therefore Paul and Barnabas
had no small dissension and disputation with them,
Notice the emphasis in this controversy. See the “Translation Comparison” chart. This was no minor matter. There could be no “agreement to disagree”. It could neither be ignored, nor swept under
the carpet.
Notice also the elements in this controversy.
1. The Dissension
2. The Disputation
1. The Dissension -
This is a word that has the connotation of disorder, upheaval,
confusion, disruption of peace. [4]
2. The Disputation -
The sense of this word is more than a mere academic
debate, and must be seen as bearing the meaning of an argument, a strife about
words, or a quarrel. [5]
Acts 15:2 - Translation
Comparison
Trans
|
|
KJV
|
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small
dissension and disputation with them,
|
NASB
|
And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with
them,
|
ESV
|
And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate
with them,
|
HCSB
|
But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious
argument and debate,
|
NIV
|
This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with
them.
|
NLT
|
Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently.
|
III. The
Ecclesiastical Decision - The Need for an Inter-Church Solution (15:2b-3a)
they determined that Paul and
Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles
and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church,
This was not just an internal issue for the First
Christian Church of Antioch. More was at
stake than what one local church could handle.
This transcended the boundaries of a single church, since the false
teachers came from Judea. Therefore, in
order to properly address the problem at its source, and to seek counsel from
there, two churches had to work together to resolve this controversy.
1. The
Stipulations in the Decision
2. The Members of
the Delegation
3. The Essence of
the Authority
1. The Stipulations
in the Decision
they determined that….should go up to
Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
2. The Members
of the Delegation
Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of
them
3. The Essence
of the Authority
And being brought on their way
by the church,
IV. The Joyful Journey
- The Report of Genuine Conversions (15:3b-d)
they passed through Phenice and
Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy
unto all the brethren.
1. The Detailed
Description of Gentile Conversions
2. The Believers’
Response of Great Joy
1. The Detailed
Description of Gentile Conversions
they passed through Phenice and
Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles:
The Regions of Phoenicia and Samaria
2nd verb, “declaring” = “describing in detail” (NASB,
ESV), “explaining in detail” (HCSB); only other occurrence of this verb in the
NT is in Acts 13:41. The usage in that place may add great significance to what
is taking place on this journey to Jerusalem! The other word translated
“declared” by the KJV in the next verse is a completely different verb. In that case it is a very common word for
reporting or delivering a message. This
is another instance of translation decisions that fail to communicate in the
target language where meaningful differences exist in the source language. The
reader of the KJV is left with the impression that the verb is the same in both
verses when this is not the case at all.
Of course, that being said, it must also be pointed out that none of the
other translations cited above (NASB, ESV, HCSB) translate this verb in Acts
13:41 the same way they do here (“…in detail”). Why it is rendered so here and
not there is puzzling, especially when there are only these two usages, and
there is a prophecy/fulfillment connection at stake.
The Significance of Conversion - the difference between
regeneration and conversion, the possibility of false conversion, the nature of
true conversion
The Conversion of the Gentiles - What were they converted
from and to? What were they turned
from? What were they turned to?
The bottom line here is that they were not converted to
Moses or Judaism. They do not stop being
Gentiles and become Jewish when converted to Christianity in their turning to
Christ.
2. The Believers’
Response of Great Joy
and they caused great joy unto
all the brethren.
This is to be contrasted to the response of the Judaean
false teachers in the First Christian Church of Antioch, and the Pharisees in
the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem.
This is the hinge verse in this paragraph, and the mixed responses to
this news highlights the element of internal dissension amongst believers over
this issue.
Is there a connection in these historical events to the
Parable of the Two Sons in Luke 15? This
is commonly referred to as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”, but when the
point of the parable is understood, along with how it is introduced, perhaps it
is more accurately referred to as the “Parable of the Two Sons”. Is there a connection in these historical
events in Acts 15 to the meaning of the Parable of the Two Sons in Luke 15? Are the chapter numbers merely coincidental,
or is there a meaningful link between what Christ taught in Luke 15, and what
ascended Christ is doing through His Holy Spirit by His Apostles in Acts 15?
V. The
Jerusalem Report - The Declaration of God’s Work (15:4)
And when they were come to
Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders,
and they declared all things that God had done with them.
1. The Reception
by the Jerusalem Church
2. The Report to
the Jerusalem Church
1. The
Reception by the Jerusalem Church
And when they were come to Jerusalem,
they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders,
It is significant that they were received of the church.
This is not just about hospitality or fellowship. This is an acknowledgement of the unity of
the Body of Christ, and an honoring of a delegation from a sister church.
It is also signficant that the reception of them was
explicitly mentioned as including the apostles and elders. This levels the “playing field” with mutual
respect, and gets the joint effort started on the right foot.
On this sense of this reception see esp. 2 Jn. 10; 3 Jn.
8-10.
2. The Report
to the Jerusalem Church
and they declared all things
that God had done with them.
See the note on the previous verse for the different
verbs for “declaring” there and “declared” here.
VI. The
Minority Opposition - The Demand for Legal Submission (15:5)
But there rose up certain of the
sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise
them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
1. The Identity of
the Opponents
2. The Agenda of
the Opponents
1. The Identity
of the Opponents
But there rose up certain of the sect
of the Pharisees which believed,
2. The Agenda
of the Opponents
saying, That it was needful to
circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
Notice the added element which is the implicit agenda of
the teachers from Judaea mentioned in verse 1, “…command them to keep the law
of Moses.” The requirement of
circumcision is only the beginning, the “camel’s nose into the tent” if you
will. The entire Mosaic legislation
follows that command right into the Gospel tent. It is a slippery slope right back into
Judaism, out of the New Covenant and back to the Old. Remember that the book of Hebrews was not yet
written, and the Temple is still standing, so this attempt to merge the Old and
the New into a Gospel of Moses and Christ is still plausible to some. The significance of Christ’s own teachings,
and the pronouncements of the Father concerning Him when He was transfigured
has not sunk in to all believers consciousness and theology yet.
The drumbeat of these false teachers, “Keep the Law!” is
still being sounded by many in our day.
Examples may be found among the cults like the Seventh-Day Adventists,
and the Reformed churches where advocates of what is referred to as the “third
use of the Law” abound. The abiding
relevance of the Mosaic Covenant as continuously being administered in
coordination with the New Covenant is a given in many circles. Discontinuity between the Old and New
Covenants is not understood, and is explicitly denied in many churches,
schools, and in a vast body of literature still being produced. Many find it inconceivable that Christ
brought the Old Covenant, or Mosaic Law, to an end at the Cross. They continually charge those who disagree
with them as committing the error of “antinomianism”. They are very skillful at leaping over and
around justification to bring the works of the law into salvation under the
doctrine of sanctification. There are
many loud and insistent voices in our day who proclaim that “you cannot be
saved unless…!” The details may have
changed, but the error is identical at its root with what the First Baptist
Church of Jerusalem faced at this moment in the first century.
Conclusion:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not framed with a negative
as in “You can’t be saved unless…!”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not good news to those who
believe that something they must do makes the difference in their right
standing before God.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is framed with a
positive. “You can be saved if…!”
What is the “if”?
What does the Gospel of Jesus Christ call upon us to do? Does it demand
any action on our part, or law keeping? What
is the demand of the Gospel?
Acts 16:25-34 - 25 And at
midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners
heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were
opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison
awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his
sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been
fled. 28 But
Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then
he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before
Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the
Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he
took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34 And
when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced,
believing in God with all his house.
Acts 17:30 - And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Rom. 10:9-13 - 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved. 10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. 11 For
the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
Eph.
2:8-10 - 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: 9 Not of works, lest any man
should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
“The law demands a weighty
debt,
And not a single mite will
bate;
But gospel sings of Jesus’
blood,
And says it made the
payment good.
The law provokes men oft
to ill,
And churlish hearts makes
harder still;
But gospel acts a kinder
part,
And melts a most obdurate
heart.
“Run, run, and work,” the
law commands,
Yet finds me neither feet
nor hands;
But sweeter news the
gospel brings;
It bids me fly, and lends
me wings.
Such needful wings, O
Lord, impart,
To brace my feet and brace
my heart;
Good wings of faith and
wings of love
Will make a cripple
sprightly move.
With these a lumpish soul
may fly,
And soar aloft, and reach
the sky;
Nor faint nor falter in
the race,
But cheerly work, and sing
of grace.” [6]
I. The Old
Perspective - The Teaching of a Fatal Error (15:1)
1. The Identity of the False Teachers
2. The Nature of the False Teaching
II. The New
Covenant Perspective - The Response of a
Faithful Polemic (15:2a)
1. The Dissension
2. The Disputation
III. The
Ecclesiastical Decision - The Need for an Inter-Church Solution (15:2b-3a)
1. The Stipulations in the Decision
2. The Members of the Delegation
3. The Essence of the Authority
IV. The Joyful
Journey - The Report of Genuine Conversions (15:3b-d)
1. The Detailed Description of Gentile
Conversions
2. The Believers’ Response of Great Joy
V. The Jerusalem
Report - The Declaration of God’s Work (15:4)
1. The Reception by the Jerusalem Church
2. The Report to the Jerusalem Church
VI. The Minority
Opposition - The Demand for Legal Submission (15:5)
1. The Identity of the Opponents
2. The Agenda of the Opponents
[Sermon preached 22
JUN 2014 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown,
PA.]
Resources on Acts:
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old
Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 513-606.
Paul Barnett, The Birth of Christianity: The First
Twenty Years, After Jesus, Vol. 1
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005).
Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, eds. Robert W.
Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
F. F. Bruce, The
Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd
ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1952).
H. J. Cadbury,
“Lexical Notes on Luke-Acts. IV. On Direct Quotations with Some Uses of oti and
dei”, Journal of Biblical Literature 48 (1929), pp. 412-425.
I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And
Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint).
David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentaries,
gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009).
John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed.
David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992).
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, Vol. 5 in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament, gen. ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).
William H. Willimon, Acts, in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching,
series ed. James Luther Mays, New Testament ed. Paul J. Achtemeier (Louisville,
KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).
Resources on Paul:
Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through
Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians (Downers Grove,
IL: IVP Academic, 2011).
F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977).
D. A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts
Pluralism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 496-501.
W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life, Times and
Travels of St. Paul, 2 vols. in 1, unabridged American ed. (New York: E. B.
Treat U Co., 1869); on Google Books
at http://books.google.com/books?id=Bn1CAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Adolf Deissmann, Paul: A Study in Social and Religious
History, 2nd ed., trans. William E. Wilson (New York: Harper Torchbooks,
n.d.).
F. W. Farrar, The Life and Work of St. Paul (New
York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1889); on Google
Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=RB2KeCSM6KsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Bruce N. Fisk, “Paul: Life and
Letters”, in The Face of New Testament Studies: A Survey of Recent Research,
ed. Scot McKnight and Grant R. Osborne (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004),
pp. 283-325.
Richard B.Gaffin, Jr.,
"Acts and Paul", 46 lectures (MP3 format), WTS Resources Media Center
on Westminster Theological Seminary
at http://wts.edu/resources/media.html?paramType=audio&filterTopic=5&filterSpeaker=10&filterYear=2005 [accessed 20 MAR 2013].
Frank J. Goodwin, A Harmony of the Life of the St. Paul
According to the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Epistles (New York:
American Tract Society, 1895); on Google
Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=YgpEAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Richard N. Longenecker, The Ministry And Message Of Paul
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971).
Richard N. Longenecker, Paul, Apostle Of Liberty (New
York: Harper & Row, 1964).
Richard N. Longenecker, ed., The Road From Damascus : The
Impact Of Paul's Conversion On His Life, Thought, And Ministry (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).
Richard N. Longenecker, Studies In Paul, Exegetical And
Theological (Sheffield : Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2004).
J. Gresham Machen, The Origin of Paul's Religion: The
James Sprunt Lectures Delivered at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia
(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1925).
Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross
(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1955).
John Pollock, The Apostle: A Life of Paul, 3rd ed.
(Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1969, 2012); also published as The Man Who
Shook the World (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1972; originally The Apostle: A Life of Paul, New York:
Doubleday, 1969).
Stanley E. Porter, Paul in Acts, in Library of Pauline Studies, gen. ed.
Stanley E. Porter (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999; 2001
reprint of The Paul of Acts: Essays in Literary Criticism, Rhetoric and
Theology, in Wissenschaftliche
Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 115, by Mohr Siebeck, Tubingen).
W. M. Ramsay, The Cities of St. Paul: Their Influence on
his Life and Thought (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son; London: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1908); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=JryEbmKool0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, Pauline and Other Studies in Early
Christian History (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1906); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=-1ZJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen,
10th ed. (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1907); on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/ramsay/paul_roman.html
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, The Teaching of Paul in terms of The
Present Day: The Deems Lectures in New York University (London: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1914); on Internet Archive
at http://ia600404.us.archive.org/2/items/teachingofpaulin00rams/teachingofpaulin00rams.pdf [accessed
13 FEB 2013].
A. T. Robertson, Epochs in the Life of Paul: A Study of
Development in Paul's Character (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974).
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Paul The
Missionary: Realities, Strategies And Methods (Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008).
Udo Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology,
trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003; trans. from Paulus: Leben und Denken, Berlin: Walter
de Gruyter GmbH & Co., n.d.).
Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in
Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2001).
James Stalker, The Life of St. Paul, (Edinburgh: T.
& T. Clark, 1885; rev. ed. 2010 by Kessinger Publishing from 1912 ed.); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=vT0HAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 7 FEB 2013].
James Ironside Still, St. Paul on Trial (London:
Student Christian Movement, 1923).
[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, The King In His Beauty: A
Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2013), pg. 496.
[2] I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And
Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint), pg. 256.
[3] Marshall, op. cit., pg.
258.
[4] Albrecht Oepke, “καθίστημι, ἀκαταστασία,
ἀκατάστατος”,
in Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament, 10 vols., ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, eds.
Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 1967; from Theologisches
Worterbuch zum Neuen Testament, W. Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany),
III:446.
[5] Johannes Schneider, “συζητέω,
συζήτησις, συζητητής”, in Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 vols., ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans.
Geoffrey W. Bromiley, eds. Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich (Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1967; from Theologisches Worterbuch zum Neuen Testament, W. Kohlhammer Verlag,
Stuttgart, Germany), VII:748.
[6] John Berridge, “The law demands a weighty debt”, in
William Gadsby, A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship (London: Gospel
Standard Publications, 1987; also, n.p.: Gospel Standard Trust Publications,
2000), pg. 54, hymn #49. Since this hymn is in Long Meter (L.M., or
8.8.8.8.) it may be sung to many familiar tunes including the following: “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun” (Duke Street), “All People That on Earth
Do Dwell” (Old Hundredth), “Children
of the Heavenly Father” (Tryggare Kan
Ingen Vara), “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness” (Germany), “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (Hamburg), and “Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts” (Quebec).
The popular tune known as “O Waly, Waly”, or “The Water is Wide” also
fits this meter.
