hoped to escape from discussion with James, the brother of the Lord,
for of what good could it be to discuss once again things on which it is
our nature to think differently, but upheld by hope that the Jews might
be numbered among the faithful at the last day I told him that the Jews
were the root of the olive-trees whose branches had been cut, and had
received grafts, but let not the grafts, I said, indulge in vainglory;
it is not the branches that bear the root, but the root that bears the
branches. And many other things of this sort did I say, wishing to be in
all things conciliatory; to be, as usual, all things to all men; but
James, the brother of the Lord, answered that Jesus had not come to
abrogate the law but to confirm it, which was not true, for the law
stood in no need of confirmation. James could do that as well as his
brother and better, and Peter not being there to bear witness of the
teaching of Jesus (he too had gone forth upon a mission with John Mark
as an interpreter, for Peter cannot speak Greek), Silas, who was with
me, was won over by James, and easily, for Silas was originally of the
Church of Jerusalem; as I have already told you, he had been sent with
us to Antioch.

But I would not weary you with such small matters as Silas' desertion of
me to join Peter, who was preaching in Syria, and whose doctrine he said
was nearer to Jesus' than mine, it having been given to him by Jesus,
whom he had known in the flesh. So be it, I said to Silas, and went
without him to Antioch, a city dear to me for that it was there the word
Christian was spoken for the first time; my return thither was
fortunate, for there I met Barnabas, whom it was pleasant after these
many years to meet again, all memory of our dissension was forgotten,
which was no great matter, it having arisen out of no deeper cause than
my refusal to travel with John Mark, his cousin. Titus was there too,
and we had much to tell each other of our travels and the conversions we
had made, and all was joy amongst us; and our joy was increased by
Peter, who appeared amongst us, bringing Silas with him, who must have
been grieved though he said nothing to me of it; but who must have seen
that the law to which he was attached was forgotten at Antioch; not by
us only, but by his new leader, Peter, who mixed like ourselves with the
Gentiles and did not refuse to eat with them.

A moment indeed of great joy this was, but it did not last longer than
m