Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 11:30

"which also they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul." — Acts 11:30 (ASV)

And sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.—The elders of the Church are named here for the first time, and appear from then on as a permanent element of its organisation, which in this respect followed the arrangements of the Synagogue. Officers fulfilling similar functions were known in the Gentile churches as Episcopi (Bishops or Superintendents), and where Jews and Gentiles were mingled, the two names were interchangeable, as in Acts 20:17-18; Titus 1:5; Titus 1:7. See also Notes on Philippians 1:1; 1 Peter 5:1–2. In St. James's Epistle (James 5:14), written probably about this time, the “elders” are mentioned as visiting the sick and anointing them with oil as a means of healing.

It may be noted that this visit to Jerusalem has been identified by some writers with the one that the Apostle speaks of in Galatians 2:1. It will be shown, however, in the Notes on Acts 15:0 that it is far more likely that he speaks of the journey narrated there. St. Luke would hardly have omitted the facts to which St. Paul refers, if they had occurred on this occasion; nor are there any signs that the Pharisaic party had at this time felt strong enough to insist on the circumcision of the Gentile converts. It is probable that the journey would be timed to coincide with one of the Jewish festivals, and judging by the analogy of St. Paul’s other visits, we may think of this as coinciding with Pentecost. (See Notes on Acts 18:21; Acts 20:16.)