Simmonds, Issac2018-03-272018-03-272017-09Simmonds, I. (2017). Did Paul accept the Apostolic Decree (Master's thesis). University of Chester, United Kingdom.http://hdl.handle.net/10034/621041The relationship between the so-called Apostolic Decree (Acts 15:20, 29) and the apostle Paul has puzzled many scholars. Following F. C. Baur, many have maintained that there is at the heart of early Christianity a divide between Jewish (Petrine) and Gentile (Pauline) Christianity. On this view, Paul could never really have consented to - or even been present at - the apostolic council and agreed to the decree which established a minimum set of requirements for Gentile believers. This dissertation shall provide an in-depth exegesis of the Apostolic Council in Acts 15, placing in within the context of Second-Temple Judaism and the Book of Acts. Along these lines I shall suggest that there are three core issues when it comes relationship between the account of Apostolic Decree (Acts 15:20, 29) and the Apostle Paul. Ultimately, I shall argue that the divide between Jewish (Petrine) and Gentile (Pauline) Christianity has been overstated and derives from a misunderstanding of the Apostle Paul.enhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/PaulApostolic decreeapostleThesis or dissertation