The early Christians passed on the message of Jesus orally for fifty or so years before committing it to writing. Over time different communities remembered things differently. One example of that is the variations in the Lord’s Prayer according to Matthew and Luke. Again, the report about the so-called Council of Jerusalem that St. Paul makes in the letter to the Galatians differs significantly from that of St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. Since both reports are the inspired word of God we are not that concerned about which is more historically accurate. For our purposes, it serves as a reminder of how important it is to listen to the point of view of others and not insist I’m right and you’re wrong.
