History of the Christian Church, Volume I: Apostolic Christianity. A.D. 1-100.

was forced, but on account of the false brethren, to whom we might yield for a moment without

submitting ourselves in principle." He thinks that προς ὥρανis opposed to the following διαμείνῃ.In

other words, Paul stooped to conquer. He yielded for a moment by a stretch of charity or a stroke

of policy, in order to save Titus from violence, or to bring his case properly before the Council and

to achieve a permanent victory of principle. But this view is entirely inconsistent not only with the

frankness and firmness of Paul on a question of principle, with the gravity of the crisis, with the

uncompromising tone of the Epistle to the Galatians, but also with the addresses of Peter and James,

and with the decree of the council. If Titus was really circumcised, Paul would have said so, and

explained his relation to the fact. Moreover, the testimony of Irenaeus and Tertullian against οἷς

οὐδέmust give way to the authority of the best uncials (אB A C, etc) and versions in favor of

these words. The omission can be better explained from carelessness or dogmatic

prejudice rather than the insertion.

§ 35. The Conservative Reaction, and the Liberal Victory—

Peter and Paul at Antioch.

The Jerusalem compromise, like every other compromise, was liable to a double construction,

and had in it the seed of future troubles. It was an armistice rather than a final settlement. Principles

must and will work themselves out, and the one or the other must triumph.

A liberal construction of the spirit of the decree seemed to demand full communion of the

Jewish Christians with their uncircumcised Gentile brethren, even at the Lord’s table, in the weekly

or daily agapae, on the basis of the common saving faith in Christ, their common Lord and Saviour.

But a strict construction of the letter stopped with the recognition of the general Christian character

of the Gentile converts, and guarded against ecclesiastical amalgamation on the ground of the

continued obligation of the Jewish converts to obey the ceremonial law, including the observance

of circumcision, of the Sabbath and new moons, and the various regulations about clean and unclean

meats, which virtually forbid social intercourse with unclean Gentiles.^466

(^466) Without intending any censure, we may illustrate the position of the strict constructionists of the school of St. James by
similar examples of conscientious and scrupulous exclusiveness. Roman Catholics know no church but their own, and refuse
all religious fellowship with non Catholics; yet many of them will admit the action of divine grace and the possibility of salvation
outside of the limits of the papacy. Some Lutherans maintain the principle: "Lutheran pulpits for Lutheran ministers only;
Lutheran altars for Lutheran communicants only." Luther himself refused at Marburg the hand of fellowship to Zwingli, who
was certainly a Christian, and agreed with him in fourteen out of fifteen articles of doctrine. High church Anglicans recognize
no valid ministry without episcopal ordination; close communion Baptists admit no valid baptism but by immersion; and yet
the Episcopalians do not deny the Christian character of non-Episcopalians, nor the Baptists the Christian character of
Pedo-Baptists, while they would refuse to sit with them at the Lord’s table. There are psalm-singing Presbyterians who would
not even worship, and much less commune, with other Presbyterians who sing what they call "uninspired" hymns. In all these
cases, whether consistently or not, a distinction is made between Christian fellowship and church fellowship. With reference to
all these and other forms of exclusiveness we would say in the spirit of Paul: "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision" (viewed as
a mere sign) "availeth anything, nor uncircumcision," neither Catholicism nor Protestantism, neither Lutheranism nor Calvinism,
neither Calvinism nor Arminianism, neither episcopacy nor presbytery, neither immersion nor pouring nor sprinkling, nor any
other accidental distinction of birth and outward condition, but "a new creature, faith working through love, and the keeping of
the commandments of God."Gal. 5:6; 6:15; 1 Cor. 7:19.
A.D. 1-100.