The Apostolic Council of ca. 48 AD settled the issue of whether non-Jewish Christians had to follow Jewish traditions. This came out of a debate between the apostles Paul and Peter. It was decided that gentile Christians did not have to keep the Mosaic law, but that they should still refraim from idolatry, fornication, things strangled, and blood. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see number 48. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... The term Christian means belonging to Christ and is derived from the Greek noun Χριστός Khristós which means anointed one, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word Moshiach (Hebrew: משיח, also written Messiah), (and in Arabic it is pronounced Maseeh مسيح). ... Alternate meanings: See Apostle (Mormonism), The Apostle (1997 movie) The 12 Apostles (in Greek απόστολος apostolos= emissary) were probably Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth , by Jesus to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, across... Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Saint Paul the Apostle (c. ... Statue of St Peter. ... The word Gentile has several meanings. ...

The Apostolic Council is recounted in the Biblical New Testament book of Acts, chapter 15, and by Paul in his letters to the Galatians and the Colossians; the account in Acts and Pauls own report are from fairly different angles. Acts states that Paul was the head of a delegation from the Antiochene church that came to discuss whether Christians should continue to observe Mosaic Law, most important of which were the practice of circumcision and dietary laws. This was said to be as a result of men coming to Antioch from Judea and "teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."" (Acts 15:1). Paul later said he had attended "in response to a revelation", to "set before them the gospel (he) preached to the Gentiles" (Gal 2:2), "because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves." (Gal 2:4) It appears that he wanted to make sure that what he had been teaching to the Gentile believers in previous years was correct — that Christ's fulfilment of the Mosaic Law, death and resurrection had freed Christian believers from the need to obey Mosaic Law and "for fear that (he) was running or had run (his) race in vain" (Gal 2:2). A Bible handwritten in Latin, on display in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Scriptures, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... The Epistle to Galatians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... This is about one of the cities called Antioch in Asia Minor, now Turkey. ... Mosaic law in the narrow sense is observance of the Ten Commandments of Moses. ... Circumcision is the removal of some or all of the prepuce (foreskin). ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... A Gentile refers to a non-Israelite; the word is derived from the Latin term gens (meaning clan or a group of families) and is often employed in the plural. ...

After much debate and discussion, Peter says that "(God) made no distinction between us (Jews) and them (Gentiles), for he purified their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:9), and James the Just states that "we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God" (Acts 15:19). They sent a letter accompanied by some leaders from the Judean church back with Paul and his party to confirm that the Gentile believers should not be over-burdened by the Mosaic Law beyond "abstain(ing) from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality" (Acts 15:29). The letter also refers to Barnabus and Paul as "our dear friends" (Acts 15:25), cf Paul's account "James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me." (Gal 2:9).

Despite the agreement they achieved at the Apostolic Council, Paul recounts how when he met Peter in Antioch not long after their meeting in Jerusalem, he berated that apostle over his reluctance to share a meal with gentile Christians (Gal. 2:11-13), specifically he publically accused Peter of Judaizing in what is refered to as the "Incident at Antioch". Acts recounts nothing of this, saying that "some time later", Paul decided to leave Antioch (usually considered the beginning of his Second Missionary Journey) with the object of visiting the believers in the towns where he and Barnabus had preached earlier. It could be that his public disagreement with Peter was a factor. However, Paul and Barnabus then had a severe falling-out over whether they should take John, surnamed Mark (Barnabus' cousin) with them and went on separate journeys (Acts 15:36-41) - Barnabus with John/Mark and Paul with Silas. Later on there is some reconciliation - Paul mentions that John/Mark is in prison with him, and tells the church in Colosse to welcome him if he comes to them (Col 4:10). Judaize, from the Greek Ioudaizo (ιουδαιζω), means literally to live as a Jew, however it was used primarily in a derogatory sense for Christians who chose to live more in accord with the Jesus described in the Bible, often this meant observing the Sabbath or the Quartodeciman or the dietary... Mark the Evangelist (1st century) is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark, drawing much of his material from Peter. ...