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The Council of Jerusalem was a meeting in [[Jerusalem]] between the apostle [[Paul]] and the Christian leadership in Jerusalem, probably around AD 50, to settle a dispute over the requirements behind converting to Christianity.  The community in Jerusalem believed that non-Jewish converts to Christianity needed to be circumcised and to accept Jewish law, while Paul argued that that should not be required.  Paul was able to convince the rest of the early Christian leaders that his views were correct, and the requirements that converts be circumcised and obey Jewish law was dropped.

 

The Council of Jerusalem was the Jewish senate and the highest native court in both civil and ecclesiastical matters.  Under the presidency of the high priest it regulated the whole internal affairs of the Jewish nation.  It consisted of 71 members and had an aristocratic character, being drawn from the 3 classes of chief priests, scribes and elders.  In the time of the Lord the Pharisies had the predominating influence on it (Acts 5:34,40).

The powers of the council were extensive, for the Greek and Roman masters of the Jews granted them a considerable amount of self-government.{Bible Dictionary)