|  | | | The Jerusalem Conference was truly the first "Apostolic Council" of the Church, as it was the very first major meeting at which all of the key leaders of the early church came together to make a decision of momentous importance for the future of the Church: How could Gentiles (non-Jews) become Christians? Did they have to be circumcised and obey all the Laws of Moses (the Torah), in essence become Jews in order to become followers of Jesus?
The story of this conference is given in detail in Acts 15. According to Acts first, "some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, 'It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses' " [Acts 15:5]. This was the conservative Jewish-Christian position.
Next, Peter stands up and gives his testimony as to how he has seen God at work among the Gentiles through the Good News of Jesus Christ. He rebuts the Pharisaic party by asking, "Now therefore why are you . . . placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?" [Acts 15:10]. Peter is in favor of doing away with the circumcision requirement for Gentile converts.
Next, Paul and Barnabas give their testimony and "told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles" [Acts 15:12].
After all the testimony has been given, James sums up the arguments and then it is he who delivers the final verdict on this crucial matter:
"I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood" [Acts 15:19-20]. James's decision (known as the "Apostolic Decree") is then written down and circulated to all the Gentile churches to much celebration. James takes a mediating position that does away with the need for Gentiles to be circumcised, but does hold them to following a bare minimum of the Law (mainly adhering to the kosher food laws and sexual purity requirements). These exact stipulations had actually long been in existence for Gentiles who wished to follow the Jewish religion without taking the step of undergoing circumcision and fully converting to Judaism (these semi-converts were known as "God fearers" ).
James's leadership of the early church is quite clear here. Both Peter and Paul defer to his decision, which speaks volumes about who had the ultimate authority in the early church.
Another piece of evidence showing James's authority over both Peter and Paul is the infamous "Incident at Antioch," in which Peter and Paul almost come to blows:
THE ANTIOCH INCIDENT
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