say, christianity faced a life or death moment. >> this was the major dispute in early christianity, whether followers of jesus have to become jewish in order to worship the jewish god. >> the conflict threatened to destroy the new faith. how could it be saved? >> in jerusalem, around the year 48 to 49, the first apostolic council is called in order to resolve the issue of gentile christians. do they convert or don't they convert? >> paul argues that the holy spirit had descended upon the gentiles apart from the law of moses. therefore, there was no reason to insist that those gentiles be converted first to judaism in order to be a member of the church. and james, the brother of jesus, presiding over this jerusalem council, agrees with paul.