Ecclesia: Discord
The members of the congregation of the early Church felt closely connected to each other. They saw each other as members of one family and addressed each other as “brother” and “sister”. At the same time, there were also disputes, for instance about:
- the standing of various teachers;
- financial issues;
- the position of non-Jews in the church.
The Position of Non-Jews in the Church
The greatest point of conflict in the New Testament is about accepting non-Jews into the originally Jewish congregations. There were fierce discussions on the topic:
- Should a congregation made up of Jews and non-Jews adhere to all the Jewish food laws
during the communal meal? - Are non-Jewish members of the congregation allowed to continue to take part in heathen sacrificial meals? Such meals were a focal point for social life at the time.
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