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In the
book of the Acts of the apostles it is written: “And certain men which came
down from Judaea
taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be
circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they
determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to
Jerusalem
unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their
way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria,
declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all
the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they
were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they
declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of
the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to
circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the
apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when
there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and
brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that
the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And
God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost,
even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying
their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the
neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be
saved [we are saved], even as they. Then all the
multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring
what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And
after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren,
hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the
Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the
words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will
build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build
again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might
seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith
the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from
the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is,
that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and
from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old
time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues
every sabbath day. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole
church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas;
namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: And
they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and
brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch
and Syria and Cilicia: Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went
out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye
must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men
unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their
lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and
Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to
the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these
necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from
blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep
yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. So when they were dismissed, they
came to Antioch:
and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the
epistle: Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. And
Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with
many words, and confirmed them” (Acts 15:1-32)
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Therefore,
since we also are Gentiles who have believed in Jesus Christ, we also must
abstain from fornication, that is, from any sexual intercourse outside marriage;
from blood (that is, from any blood-based food, such as the blood sausage and
the blood pudding, and from flesh with its blood); from things strangled (that
is, the flesh of those animals which have been choked to death or strangled;
and from things offered to idols or polluted by idols, such as meats,
focaccias, sweets, and anything else which is offered to idols, thus we ought
to abstain also from all those foods which are prepared by the Roman
Catholics to celebrate this or that ‘saint’ of theirs.
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