Meeting that Changed the World

The Council of Jerusalem in 49 AD and recorded in the Acts of the Apostles is the beginning of the Church's mission to the Gentiles. In a close reading of the biblical texts about the Council, the author, a Roman Catholic Biblical Theologian, explores how the Council's hard-won decision to move from nationalism to universalism is not only the most important event in the history of the early Church but remains a constant challenge for the Church today if it wants to remain credible in the contemporary world and to its own members.