But the real power of a law lies in its positive enact- ment ; and most people would look only to what the Decree ordered. Now, whether or not the last sentences must bear the sense, they certainly may naturally bear the sense, that part of the Law was absolutely compul- sory for salvation, and that the Nations were released from the rest as a concession to their weakness : " we lay on you no greater burden than these necessary condi- tions ". This seemed to create two grades of Christians : a lower class of weaker persons, who could not observe
Sec. 4- The Decree. 173
the whole Law, but only the compulsory parts of it, and a higher class, who were strong enough to obey the whole Law. The Gentile Christians were familiar in the pagan religions with distinctions of grade ; for stages of initiation into the Mysteries existed everywhere. It was almost inevitable that a Decree, which lays down no clear and formal principle of freedom, should in practice be taken as making a distinction between strong and weak, between more and less advanced Christians ; and it is certain that it was soon taken in that sense.
The question is often asked, why this letter was not addressed also to the Churches of Galatia ; and several answers are suggested. But the answer which seems obvious from our point of view is that the letter was addressed only to those who asked the question. The provincial organisation of the Church began through the compulsion of circumstances (p. 135) : there must either be a provincial organisation or no organisation. The principle, when it has been once stated, is self-evident. Circumstances made Antioch the centre of the Church in the province Syria and Cilicia ; and the address of this letter attests the recognition of that fact and its consequences.
Hence, when Paul went forth on his next journey, he did not communicate the Decree to the Churches in Syria and Cilicia, XV 41, because they had already received it, when it was first sent out. But, when he and Silas reached Galatia, "they delivered them the decrees for to keep, which had been ordained of the Apostles and Elders," XVI 4. But the Bezan Reviser, not understand- ing this delicate distinction, interpolated the statement
1 74 The Apostolic Council. Chap. VII.
in XV 41, that Paul and Silas "delivered the instructions of the Apostles and Elders ".
5. THE RETURN TO ANTIOCH. (XV 30) SO THEY, BEING SET FREE TO DEPART, CAME DOWN TO ANTI- OCH ; AND HAVING GATHERED THE MULTITUDE TO- GETHER, THEY DELIVERED THE LETTER. (31) AND WHEN THEY HAD READ IT, THEY REJOICED AT THE ENCOURAGEMENT. (32) AND JUDAS AND SILAS ON THEIR OWN ACCOUNT ALSO, INASMUCH AS THEY WERE PROPHETS, ENCOURAGED THE BRETHREN AT GREAT LENGTH, AND CONFIRMED THEM. (33) AND AFTER THEY HAD SPENT SOME TIME, THEY WERE SET FREE BY THE BRETHREN TO DEPART IN PEACE TO THEM THAT SENT THEM FORTH ; (34) But it pleased Silas to abide there still. (35) AND PAUL AND BARNABAS TARRIED IN ANTIOCH, TEACHING AND PREACHING THE WORD OF THE LORD, WITH MANY OTHERS ALSO. (36) AND AFTER CERTAIN DAYS PAUL SAID . . .
As in XI 24, so here, v. 32, the qualification of Judas and Silas for exhorting the congregation is carefully stated. Luke lays such evident stress on proper quali- fication, that he seems to have considered Divine gifts necessary in any one that was to address a congrega- tion (p. 45).
After the Council, Paul and Barnabas returned to their ordinary duties in Antioch, where the number of qualified prophets and teachers was now larger than in XIII 1. They remained there a short time {v. 36, cp. IX 19, 23). The second journey began probably in the spring of the year 50.
At some period v. 34 was deliberately omitted from the next, from the mistaken idea that v. 33 declared the