Actes 15:23

23 En écrivant ceci par leur intermédiaire: Les apôtres, les anciens et les frères, à nos frères d'Antioche, de Syrie et de Cilicie, d'entre les Gentils, salut.

Actes 15:23 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 15:23

And wrote letters by them after this manner
Not that they made use of them as their amanuenses, to write their letters for them; but being written they put them into their hands, and sent them by them, and they were written in the following form:

the apostles, and elders, and brethren;
which belonged to, or were members of the church at Jerusalem; they are severally set in their proper place and order: the apostles, Peter, and James, and John, and it may be some others first; for these God had set in the first place in the church; then the elders, or preachers of the Gospel, such as were Judas and Silas: and then the brethren, or private members of the church; who are called so, because they are of one family, and have one Father, and are partakers of the same grace and privileges: these,

send greeting;
or their Christian salutation, wishing all peace and prosperity, both for soul and body, temporal, spiritual and eternal:

unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria
and Cilicia;
the brethren or members of the several churches in these parts, who were Gentiles, are particularly sent to; and not the brethren who were Jews; because they were especially concerned, and to them is the advice directed: Antioch is first mentioned, that being the place where the controversy began; but there being other churches in Syria, besides Antioch, in which were many Gentiles, and also in Cilicia, and particularly at Tarsus, Paul's native place, and where he had preached, ( Acts 9:30 ) ( Galatians 1:21 ) they are therefore mentioned, and being countries near to one another, it is very likely that the controversy had spread itself among them.

Actes 15:23 In-Context

21 Car depuis plusieurs siècles, il y a dans chaque ville, des gens qui prêchent Moïse dans les synagogues, où on le lit tous les jours de sabbat.
22 Alors, les apôtres et les anciens avec toute l'Église jugèrent à propos d'envoyer à Antioche des hommes choisis parmi eux, avec Paul et Barnabas, savoir, Jude, surnommé Barsabas, et Silas, hommes considérés parmi les frères;
23 En écrivant ceci par leur intermédiaire: Les apôtres, les anciens et les frères, à nos frères d'Antioche, de Syrie et de Cilicie, d'entre les Gentils, salut.
24 Comme nous avons appris que quelques personnes venues de chez nous, vous ont troublés par leurs discours, et ébranlent vos âmes, en disant qu'il faut être circoncis et garder la loi; ce que nous ne leur avons point ordonné;
25 Il nous a paru bon, d'un commun accord, de vous envoyer des hommes choisis, avec nos bien-aimés Barnabas et Paul,
The Ostervald translation is in the public domain.