Christian Teaching Kasem Olketa Jew Long Taem Bilong Olketa Aposol

WANFALA important meeting kamap long Jerusalem long samting olsem 49 C.E. John, Peter, and James, wea hem haf brata bilong Jesus, attendim datfala meeting. “Luk olsem olketa nao olketa post” bilong Christian kongregeson long datfala taem. Bible talem hao aposol Paul and fren bilong hem Barnabas tu attend. Long datfala meeting olketa story abaotem hao for divaedem datfala big territory for duim preaching waka. Paul story olsem abaotem datwan: “Olketa sekhand witim mi and Barnabas for showimaot hao olketa agree for mifala go long olketa nation, and olketa bae go long olketa wea circumcise.”—Galatians 2:1, 9.a

Wanem nao diswan hem minim? Waswe, olketa bae divaedem territory for preachim gud nius long tufala grup, olketa Jew and nara pipol wea followim Jew religion, and olketa Gentile? Or waswe, olketa bae divaedem territory followim olketa spialaen wea olketa markem? For kasem ansa for diswan, iumi need for savve abaotem history bilong olketa Jew wea no stap long Palestine.

Olketa Jew Long Taem Bilong Olketa Aposol

Long taem bilong olketa aposol, haomas Jew nao stap long olketa ples aotsaed long Palestine? Luk olsem plande savveman agree witim disfala toktok long buk wea olketa kolem Atlas of the Jewish World, wea sei: “Hard for man savve long barava namba bilong olketa, bat luk olsem hem stret for iumi sei, no longtaem bifor 70 C.E. samting olsem tu and haf million Jew nao stap long Judaea and winim foa million nao stap long olketa nara ples wea anda long Rul Bilong Rome. . . . Luk olsem 10 percent bilong evri pipol wea stap anda long Rul Bilong Rome hem olketa Jew, and long samfala area wea staka Jew stap, olsem olketa taon long olketa province long east, maet samting olsem 25 percent or winim datwan nao olketa Jew.”

Olketa main ples wea olketa Jew stap long East hem Syria, Asia Minor, Babylon, and Egypt. Olketa nara Jew community wea no big tumas stap long Europe. Samfala Jew Christian wea no stap long Israel nao, hem Barnabas from Cyprus, Prisca and Aquila wea kam from Pontus and then bihaen stap long Rome, Apollos from Alexandria, and Paul from Tarsus.—Acts 4:36; 18:2, 24; 22:3.

Olketa community bilong olketa Jew wea no stap long Palestine plande taem tingim and duim samting for hom bilong olketa. Wanfala samting wea olketa duim nao, hem for sendem go tax evri year for temple long Jerusalem. Diswan hem olsem olketa tekpart long worship long temple. Wanfala savveman, John Barclay, hem sei olsem abaotem datwan: “Plande samting showimaot hao olketa community bilong olketa Jew wea no stap long Palestine strong for evritaem kolektem datfala selen, and olketa wea rich savve givim tu samfala extra selen.”

Nara samting hem wei wea plande thousand Jew savve go bak long Jerusalem evri year for celebratem olketa festival. Iumi savve lukim diswan long Acts 2:9-11 wea story abaotem Pentecost 33 C.E. Olketa Jew wea stap long datfala festival kam from Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Crete, and Arabia.

Olketa bigman bilong temple long Jerusalem savve raetem olketa leta tu long olketa Jew wea no stap long Israel. History showimaot hao Gamaliel, datfala teacher bilong Law wea Acts 5:34 hem storyim, hem sendem olketa leta go long Babylon and olketa nara ples long world tu. Taem aposol Paul kam long Rome olsem prisoner long samting olsem 59 C.E., “olketa leader bilong olketa Jew” talem hem hao olketa “no kasem eni leta abaotem [hem] from Judea, and tu, no eniwan long olketa brata wea arrive kam hem report or talem eni nogud samting abaotem [hem].” Diswan showimaot hao plande taem olketa long Palestine savve sendem olketa leta and report go long olketa Jew long Rome.—Acts 28:17, 21.

Olketa Jew wea no stap long Palestine iusim Greek transleison bilong Hebrew Scripture wea olketa kolem Septuagint. Wanfala buk hem sei: “Luk olsem iumi fit for sei olketa Jew wea no stap long Palestine savve readim and olketa acceptim datfala LXX [Septuagint] olsem Bible bilong olketa Jew wea no stap long Palestine or ‘olketa holy Scripture.’” Olketa Christian long datfala taem barava iusim tu datfala sem transleison taem olketa teach.

Olketa member bilong Christian governing body long Jerusalem savve long evri samting hia. Gud nius hem kasem finis olketa Jew long Syria and olketa area wea winim go datwan, wea insaed diswan hem Damascus and Antioch. (Acts 9:19, 20; 11:19; 15:23, 41; Galatians 1:21) Long datfala meeting long 49 C.E., luk olsem olketa wea attend mekem olketa plan for preaching waka long future. Iumi lukluk lelebet long samting wea Bible talem abaotem wei wea gud nius hem kasem olketa Jew and nara pipol wea followim Jew religion.

Gogo Bilong Paul and Olketa Jew wea No Stap Long Palestine

Firstfala assignment bilong Paul hem for “talemaot nem bilong [Jesus Christ] long olketa nation, and tu, long olketa king and olketa son bilong Israel.”b (Acts 9:15) Bihaen datfala meeting long Jerusalem, Paul gohed for preach long olketa Jew wea hem meetim long olketa ples wea hem kasem. (Lukim box long page 14.) Diswan showimaot hao luk olsem samting wea olketa disaedem saed long territory hem for markem spialaen and no for divaedem pipol long tufala grup. Paul and Barnabas duim missionary waka long west, and olketa narawan preach long olketa Jew long Palestine and olketa bigfala community bilong olketa Jew long East.

Taem Paul and olketa fren bilong hem startim mek-tu missionary visit long Antioch long Syria, spirit directim olketa for go long west thru long Asia Minor go kasem Troas. From Troas olketa akros go long Macedonia bikos olketa luksavve hao “God hem talem [olketa] for talemaot gud nius long [olketa pipol bilong Macedonia].” Bihaen, olketa Christian kongregeson kamap long olketa nara taon long Europe, insaed diswan hem Athens and Corinth.—Acts 15:40, 41; 16:6-10; 17:1–18:18.

Long samting olsem 56 C.E., long end bilong mek-thri missionary visit bilong hem, Paul plan for go long samfala ples long west wea farawe go moa and mekem kamap moa big datfala territory wea olketa markem hem for duim taem hem attendim datfala meeting long Jerusalem. Hem sei: “Mi barava interest for talemaot gud nius long iufala tu wea stap long Rome,” and tu, hem sei: “Bae mi kam kasem iufala taem mi travel go for Spain.” (Romans 1:15; 15:24, 28) Bat waswe long olketa big community bilong olketa Jew wea stap long East?

Olketa Community Bilong Olketa Jew Long East

Long taem bilong olketa aposol, Egypt nao garem community bilong olketa Jew wea big winim eni narawan, especially long kapitol bilong hem Alexandria. Plande handred thousand Jew stap long disfala taon wea hem wanfala main ples for bisnis. Olketa synagogue stap long plande ples insaed datfala taon. Philo, wanfala Jew from Alexandria, talem hao insaed full Egypt, samting olsem wan million Jew nao stap long datfala taem. Plande Jew stap tu long taon bilong Cyrene long Libya, and tu, long samfala area klosap long there.

Samfala Jew wea kamap Christian olketa kam from olketa ples hia. Bible storyim “Apollos, wea kam from Alexandria,” “samfala man bilong Cyprus and Cyrene,” and “Lucius from Cyrene,” wea sapotim kongregeson long Antioch long Syria. (Acts 2:10; 11:19, 20; 13:1; 18:24) Bat Bible no storyim eni samting moa abaotem preaching waka bilong olketa Christian long Egypt and olketa ples wea stap klosap long hem. Only samting Bible storyim hem wei wea datfala Christian, Philip, hem preach long wanfala Ethiopian eunuch.—Acts 8:26-39.

Samfala nara main ples wea olketa Jew stap hem Babylon, and olketa ples olsem Parthia, Media, and Elam. Wanfala man wea studyim history talem hao “olketa Jew stap long evri territory long flat area bilong Tigris and Euphrates, start from Armenia go kasem Persian gulf, and northeast go for Caspian Sea, and east go kasem Media.” Datfala Encyclopaedia Judaica hem sei namba bilong olketa kasem samting olsem 800,000 or winim. Josephus, wanfala Jew wea raetem history long datfala taem, talem hao plande thousand Jew wea stap long Babylon savve travel go long Jerusalem for celebratem olketa festival evri year.

Waswe, samfala long olketa Jew hia wea travel from Babylon go long Jerusalem olketa baptaes long Pentecost 33 C.E.? Iumi no savve, bat samfala wea lisin long aposol Peter long datfala day olketa kam from Mesopotamia. (Acts 2:9) Iumi savve hao aposol Peter hem stap long Babylon long samting olsem 62-64 C.E. Taem hem stap long there nao hem raetem first leta and maet mek-tu leta bilong hem. (1 Peter 5:13) Staka Jew stap long Babylon and luk olsem hem part long territory wea olketa markem for Peter, John, and James long datfala meeting wea Galatians hem storyim.

Kongregeson Long Jerusalem and Olketa Jew wea No Stap Long Palestine

James, wea hem tu attendim datfala meeting abaotem olketa territory, hem serve olsem wanfala overseer long Jerusalem kongregeson. (Acts 12:12, 17; 15:13; Galatians 1:18, 19) Hem lukim samting wea happen long Pentecost 33 C.E. taem plande thousand Jew wea visit kam olketa acceptim gud nius and baptaes.—Acts 1:14; 2:1, 41.

Long datfala taem and bihaen tu, plande thousand Jew kam for celebratem olketa festival evri year. Taon barava fulap narawe, and olketa wea visit kam mas go stap long olketa vilij wea klosap or stap insaed olketa tent. Datfala Encyclopaedia Judaica storyim hao olketa Jew wea visit kam savve meetim moa olketa fren bilong olketa, and go long temple for worship, givim sakrifaes, and studyim Torah.

For sure, James and olketa narawan long kongregeson long Jerusalem iusim disfala chance for preach long olketa Jew wea visit kam. Maet olketa aposol duim diswan long barava careful wei taem “bigfala persecution kamap againstim kongregeson long Jerusalem” bihaen Stephen hem dae. (Acts 8:1) Bifor and bihaen disfala samting hem happen, Bible showimaot hao strong bilong olketa Christian hia for preach hem mekem namba bilong olketa wea biliv hem gohed for grow.—Acts 5:42; 8:4; 9:31.

Wanem Nao Iumi Savve Lanem?

Tru nao, olketa firstfala Christian hia barava trae hard for preach long olketa Jew long evri ples wea olketa stap. Long semtaem, Paul and olketa narawan trae for preach long olketa Gentile long olketa kantri long Europe. Olketa obeyim komand wea Jesus talem bifor hem lusim olketa follower bilong hem, for go and mek disaepol “long pipol bilong evri nation.”—Matthew 28:19, 20.

Example bilong olketa teachim iumi hao sapos iumi laekem Jehovah for sapotim preaching waka, hem important for duim disfala waka long wei wea organize. Iumi lukim tu hao hem gud for preach long olketa wea respectim Word Bilong God, especially long olketa territory wea no staka Jehovah’s Witness stap. Waswe, samfala part long territory bilong kongregeson bilong iu hem garem moa pipol wea interest winim olketa nara part? Maet hem bae gud for duim olketa territory hia plande taem winim olketa narawan. Waswe, plande pipol savve hipap for olketa samting long area wea iu stap, and waswe, iu savve iusim datwan olsem spesol chance for duim enitaem witnessing and street witnessing?

Iumi savve kasem plande gud samting taem iumi readim olketa story long Bible abaotem olketa firstfala Christian, and lane abaotem history bilong olketa and ples wea olketa stap. Wanfala samting wea bae helpem iumi for minim gud olketa samting olsem hem datfala brochure “See the Good Land,” wea garem plande map and piksa.

[Olketa Footnote]

[Chart long page 14]

APOSOL PAUL TINGIM OLKETA JEW WEA NO STAP LONG PALESTINE

BIFOR MEETING LONG JERUSALEM LONG 49 C.E.

Acts 9:19, 20 Damascus — “insaed olketa synagogue hem start for preach”

Acts 9:29 Jerusalem — “story . . . witim olketa Jew wea iusim Greek languis”

Acts 13:5 Salamis, Cyprus — “preachim word bilong God long olketa synagogue bilong olketa Jew”

Acts 13:14 Antioch long Pisidia — “go insaed synagogue”

Acts 14:1 Iconium — “go insaed long synagogue bilong olketa Jew”

BIHAEN MEETING LONG JERUSALEM LONG 49 C.E.

Acts 16:14 Philippi — “Lydia, . . . wea worshipim God”

Acts 17:1 Thessalonica — “wanfala synagogue bilong olketa Jew”

Acts 17:10 Beroea — “synagogue bilong olketa Jew”

Acts 17:17 Athens — “story witim olketa Jew long synagogue long wei wea pullim tingting”

Acts 18:4 Corinth — “givim tok insaed synagogue”

Acts 18:19 Ephesus — “go insaed synagogue and story witim olketa Jew long wei wea pullim tingting”

Acts 19:8 Ephesus — “hem go insaed long synagogue and hem story witim strong for thrifala month”

Acts 28:17 Rome — “kolem kam olketa leader bilong olketa Jew”

[Map long page 15]

(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)

Olketa wea herem gud nius long Pentecost 33 C.E. olketa kam from plande ples

ILLYRICUM

ITALY

Rome

MACEDONIA

GREECE

Athens

CRETE

Cyrene

LIBYA

BITHYNIA

GALATIA

ASIA

PHRYGIA

PAMPHYLIA

CYPRUS

EGYPT

ETHIOPIA

PONTUS

CAPPADOCIA

CILICIA

MESOPOTAMIA

SYRIA

SAMARIA

Jerusalem

JUDEA

MEDIA

Babylon

ELAM

ARABIA

PARTHIA

[Bodies of water]

Mediterranean Sea

Black Sea

Red Sea

Persian Gulf