Act 15:23-29 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 23. And wrote letters . Greek, Having written . He does not mean that they wrote more than one epistle. By them . Greek, By their hand . After this manner . Greek, These things. Send greeting . A word of salutation, expressing their desire of the happiness (χαιρειν) of the persons addressed. Comp. ; . In Antioch . Where the difficulty first arose. And Syria . Antioch was the capital of Syria, and it is probable that the dispute was not confined to the capital. And Cilicia . . Cilicia was adjacent to Syria. Paul and Barnabas had travelled through it; and it is probable that the same difficulty would exist there which had disturbed the churches in Syria.

Acts 15:23-29

Verse 23. And wrote letters. Greek, Having written. He does not mean that they wrote more than one epistle.

By them. Greek, By their hand.

After this manner. Greek, These things.

Send greeting. A word of salutation, expressing their desire of the happiness (χαιρειν) of the persons addressed. Comp. Mt 26:49; Mt 27:29, Lk 1:28, Jn 19:3.

In Antioch. Where the difficulty first arose.

And Syria. Antioch was the capital of Syria, and it is probable that the dispute was not confined to the capital.

And Cilicia. Acts 6:9. Cilicia was adjacent to Syria. Paul and Barnabas had travelled through it; and it is probable that the same difficulty would exist there which had disturbed the churches in Syria. Verse 24. Forasmuch. Since we have heard.

That certain. That some, Acts 15:1.

Have troubled you with words. With doctrines. They have disturbed your minds, and produced contentions.

Subverting your souls. The word here used occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, (ανασκευαζοντες.) It properly means to collect together the vessels used in a house--the household furniture--for the purpose of removing it. It is applied to marauders, robbers, and enemies, who remove and bear off property; thus producing distress, confusion, and disorder. It is thus used in the sense of disturbing, or destroying; and here denotes that they unsettled their minds--that they produced anxiety, disturbance, and distress--by these doctrines about Moses.

To whom we gave no such commandment. They went, therefore, without authority. Self-constituted and self-sent teachers not unfrequently produce disturbance and distress. Had the apostles been consulted on this subject, the difficulty would have been avoided. By thus saying that they had not given them a command to teach these things, they practically assured the Gentile converts that they did not approve of the course which those who went from Judea had taken.

(+) "certain" "Some" (c) "which went out" Acts 15:1 (d) "troubled you" Gal 5:12 (e) "subverting your souls" Gal 5:4 (++) "saying" Unsettling your minds" (f) "To whom we gave" Gal 2:4 Verse 25.

(&) "one accord" "one mind"

Verse 26. Men that have hazarded their lives, etc. See Acts 14. This was a noble testimony to the character of Barnabas and Paul. It was a commendation of them to the confidence of the churches, and an implied expression that they wished their authority to be regarded in the establishment and organization of the church.

For the name. In the cause of the Lord Jesus.

(g) "hazarded their lives" Acts 13:50, 14:19 Verse 27. The same things. The same things that we wrote to you. They shall confirm all by their own statements. Verse 28. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost. This is a strong and undoubted claim to inspiration. It was with special reference to the organization of the church that the Holy Spirit had been promised to them by the Lord Jesus, Mt 18:18-20, Jn 14:26.

No greater burthen. To impose no greater restraints; to enjoin no other observances. Acts 15:10.

Than these necessary things. Necessary,

(1.) in order to preserve the peace of the church.

(2.) To conciliate the minds of the Jewish converts, Acts 15:21.

(3.) Necessary in their circumstances, particularly, because the crime which is specified--licentiousness--was one to which all early converts were particularly exposed. Acts 15:20.

(|) "Ghost" "Spirit" (h) "burthen" Rev 2:24 Verse 29. From meats offered to idols. This explains what is meant by "pollutions of idols," Acts 15:20.

Ye shall do well. You will do what ought to be done in regard to the subjects of dispute.

(i) "abstain from meats" Acts 15:20 (k) "keep yourselves" 2Cor 11:9, Jas 1:27, 1Jn 5:21, Jude 1:20,21