Galatians 2:9
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Study Note
Study Note
The Jerusalem Council's recognition of Paul and Barnabas — James, Cephas, and John 'gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision' — establishes the two-mission structure of early Christianity through formal collegial agreement. The 'right hand of fellowship' (dexias koinōnias edōkan) is a formal covenant-gesture rather than merely a handshake — it binds the parties to mutual recognition and non-interference. The 'pillars' language ('who seemed to be pillars') is either Paul's ironic distancing from Jerusalem status-claims or his genuine acknowledgment of their foundational role, and the ambiguity reflects the complexity of the Antioch controversy (verses 11-14). Acts 15 provides Luke's parallel account of the same agreement, where the decrees address Gentile table-fellowship conditions — the two accounts complement each other in reconstructing the most important ecclesiastical meeting of the apostolic era.
Other Translations
and when they perceived the grace that was given unto me, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision;
and having known the grace that was given to me, James, and Cephas, and John, who were esteemed to be pillars, a right hand of fellowship they did give to me, and to Barnabas, that we to the nations, and they to the circumcision <FI>may go<Fi> ,
When they saw the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who had the name of being pillars, gave to me and Barnabas their right hands as friends so that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision;
Cross References
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