JERUSALEM, COUNCIL OF Refers to the gathering of early church leaders described in Acts 15:1–35. Participants included James, Peter, Paul, and Barnabas. These apostles and other elders debated whether the Jewish rite of circumcision should be enforced for Gentiles joining the Christian faith. They ultimately decided that Gentile converts could forego being circumcised but should observe Jewish prohibitions on: meat offered to idols; meat of animals killed by strangling; blood; and sexual immorality.