Acts 15: a model for a Spirit-led Synod process
Although Nicaea is commonly identified as "the first ecumenical Council", the narrative account of "the Council of Jerusalem" in Acts 15 makes a strong claim as its biblical precedent. In the Lukan narrative, the elders of the neophyte Christian communities came together to resol...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Gregorianum
Year: 2024, Volume: 105, Issue: 2, Pages: 283-298 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament KCC Councils NBG Pneumatology; Holy Spirit |
| Further subjects: | B
Communities
B Jerusalem B Synod B Discernment B Spirit B Council |
| Summary: | Although Nicaea is commonly identified as "the first ecumenical Council", the narrative account of "the Council of Jerusalem" in Acts 15 makes a strong claim as its biblical precedent. In the Lukan narrative, the elders of the neophyte Christian communities came together to resolve a significant issue in the early Church. Guided by the Spirit, they worked through a process that sets a pattern for communal discernment in today's Church. Such an interpretation has been explored by several writers, but what I identify in this paper is the vital element of personal conversion on the part of the key participants. It is precisely this experience that enabled them to reach a peaceful resolution, and to receive joyful acceptance when they disseminated the decision to the nascent Christian communities. The paper concludes by outlining how this biblical narrative provides a fitting model for the Synod process. |
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| ISSN: | 0017-4114 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Gregorianum
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