Adventistische Schriften über: "Did Paul aim to unite Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians through the donation appeal for Jerusalem?"

Yes, Paul pursued, with the collection of contributions for the believers in Jerusalem, also the goal of bringing Gentile and Jewish Christians closer to each other. He hoped that this visible expression of love and concern from the Gentile Christian communities would soothe the existing prejudices and bitter feelings of the Jewish believers and contribute to the unity of God's work.

The donation as a sign of love to overcome prejudice

»Paul was driven not only by the desire to alleviate the suffering of his Jewish brothers, but also by the hope that the tangible expression of love and concern from the Gentile Christian converts would temper the bitter feelings that many of the believers in Judea harbored toward them.«

1 - Ellen Gould White, Pacific Union Recorder (PUR October 31, 1907, par. 6)

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Voluntary gifts as an expression of fellowship

»These voluntary gifts testified to the loyalty of the Gentile Christian converts to the organized work of God throughout the world and should have been received by all with grateful acknowledgment; nevertheless, it was evident to Paul and his companions that even among those before whom they now stood, there were some who did not appreciate the spirit of brotherly love that had prompted these gifts. In the early years of the gospel work among the Gentiles, some of the leading brothers in Jerusalem, who clung to earlier prejudices and ways of thinking, did not work wholeheartedly with Paul and his co‑workers. In their effort to preserve certain meaningless forms and ceremonies, they lost sight of the blessing that would have arisen for them and the cause they loved through the endeavor to unite all parts of the Lord's work into a unity.«

2 - Ellen Gould White, The Acts of the Apostles (AA 399.3)

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