Immediately, in the beginning, after their accustomed manner of subscribing and inscribing their epistle, they do out of hand fall to, and touch the false apostles with whom Paul and Barnabas were in controversy, and do declare what kind of doctrine that of the false prophets was, which they had till then preached unto the churches as the catholic, true, and apostolic doctrine; to wit, that they which will be saved must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. For they thought not that faith in Christ, without the help of the law, was sufficient enough to full and absolute justification. They made their boasts, that they were sent from Hierusalem by the apostles and disciples of the Lord, who did all with one consent teach the same doctrine that they did preach; and they said that Paul with his companion Barnabas alone did, schismatic-like, sow in the churches a certain doctrine, peculiar to himself, touching faith which justified without the works of the law. Wherefore the apostles straightways, after the beginning of their epistle, do declare what they think of such false teachers and their unwarranted doctrine: “We confess,” say they, “that those false teachers went from hence out of Hierusalem, but we deny that they were either sent or instructed by us. For we gave no commandment to any such.” And so they do testify that it is utterly false, which those. fellows taught, to wit, that the apostles and disciples of the Lord did preach that the law is requisite to full justification, Yea, they do yet go on more plainly to declare
[3 ex urbe sancta, Lat. ] 18]
[: [BULLINGER, π.7]
what the doctrine of those false apostles was: They trouble you,” say they, “with words, and cumber your minds, commanding you to be circumcised and to keep the law.” The. sum therefore of their doctrine was, that, unless a man were circumcised and did keep the law, he could not be saved: whereby they did ascribe salvation to the keeping of the law, or to the merit of their works. Unto this doctrine the apostles 60 attribute two perilous effects. The first is, “” They trouble you with words.” They be words, say they, which do rather amaze, than appease, comfort, or pacify your minds; yea, they do trouble you so, that ye cannot tell what to believe, or whereto to trust: and do moreover stir up strifes, discords, and jarrings among you. To these words of the apostles doth Paul seem to have alluded in his epistle to the Galatians,
6. 7.] Saying: “I marvel that ye are so soon turned from Christ!, which called you by grace, unto another gospel; which is not another gospel indeed, but that there be some which trouble you, and intend to pervert the gospel of Christ.” The latter effect is, “They cumber or weaken your minds.” For they, which lean to the law and to works, have nothing stable or stedfast in their minds: for since the law requireth a most exact and absolute righteousness, and doth thereby kill, because such righteousness is not found in us; therefore those minds are weakened and subverted that are taught to lean to the works of the law, which law no man doth keep as of right he ought to do. Therefore Paul to the Romans saith: “If they that do belong unto the law are heirs, then is faith vain, and the promise made of none effect.” And immediately after again: “Therefore the heritage is given by faith, as according to grace; that the promise may be sure to all the seed,” ἕο. The false apostles therefore did subvert and weaken minds, by teaching that salvation is gotten by the law: which, verily, is a grievous judgment against those which with them do teach the like.
Then also they do with like liberty go on to the other and” gide, to shew their opinion of Paul and Barnabas; yea, they do adorn them, as their messengers, with a most holy tes-
[[ a Christo qui vocavit vos per gratiam, Lat.; and Erasmus: from]
[Christ which called you by grace. Cranmer, 1539.] [2 Nam lex iram operatur, Lat. omitted; for the law worketh]
[wrath. ]]
timonial, to the end that they may among all men have the more authority, and that all men may understand that betwixt them twain and the other apostles there was a full agreement and consent of doctrine and religion. “We being gathered together with ome accord,” say they, “have sent messengers unto you.” Lo here, of the false apostles they testified that they sent them not, nor gave them any commandment: but these men they send, and do with one accord give them a commandment. But who be they whom they send? “Our beloved Paul and Barnabas, which have jeoparded their lives for the name of Christ Jesus.” These twain are most choice apostles, and holy, glorious martyrs, our dearlybeloved brethren, being of the same religion and doctrine with us, who have declared what their lives and doctrine is by their manifold virtues and manful suffering of peril and dangers,
But for because Paul and Barnabas were themselves no small doers in that controversy and disputation, there were joined to them two other chosen men, Judas and Silas, to the end that they might indifferently, without suspicion, declare the things which in the council were alleged for both sides; as I mean to shew you in the exposition of the general decree. For now they do in few words comprehend the very decree of the whole and universal synod; in the laying down whereof they do first of all name the author of the decree, saying: “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us.” They first set down the Holy Ghost, and then themselves; making him to be the author of truth, and themselves to be the instruments by which he worketh: for he worketh in the church by the ministry of men. But men’s authority without the inspiration of the Holy Ghost is none at all. Therefore do the apostles very significantly say: “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us:” that is, after that we were assembled in that synod to treat of the matter of justification and of the law, (about which things Paul and his adversaries did stand in controversy,) we followed not our own judgments, neither did we use proofs of our own inventions; but, searching out and hearing the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, we do upon his warrant write this unto you.
[8 et elogio, Lat, omitted; and encomium,]; [4 editis, Lat.; displayed. ] oh]
In the second place, they do set down the sum of the decree, saying: “That we might not charge you with greater burdens than these necessary things, (that is to say) that ye abstain from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” Therefore, say they, the doctrine of the gospel which Paul hath hitherto preached with us, is sufficient to the obtaining of life and salvation. We intend not to lay any greater burden upon you than the doctrine of the gospel and abstinence from those few things. In which sentence they seem to have had an eye to the opinion of St Peter, who in the council said: “Ye know that I, being called by God, did go to the Gentiles, and did preach to them salvation through the gospel. Ye know, that to the Gentiles, being neither circumcised, nor keeping the law, while I preached to them faith in Christ Jesus, the Holy Ghost was given from above, so that their hearts were purified of God himself by faith, not by the law, and that they were made heirs of eternal life” And upon this he inferreth: “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to lay upon the disciples’ necks a yoke, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” See here, St Peter called the law a burden and a yoke: and therefore, where the apostles say that they will not lay upon the church any greater burden, they do thereby signify that the law is flatly abrogated. They do therefore set the church free from the burden of the law, and do acquit it from all burdens like to the law.
We now do gather by those words of the apostles, that upon _ those burdensome and innumerable ceremonies, which the of 3: ΟΠ ΠΡΟὮ hath received by councils and synods since the time of the apostles, were unjustly and against the apostolic spirit then laid upon the church, and at this day wickedly retained and defended in the church. For they in express words said: “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to burden you with no more than these things necessary.”
But if any man object and say, that those ceremonies were for the rudeness of the people laid upon the churches’ necks, as a rule or instruction! to guide or teach them by; mine answer is, that that kind of instruction is clean