Why did Paul rebuke Peter but not James?

[Lamb]

To Peter:
Gal. 2:14, ESV "But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, 'If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?'”

To James:
Acts 15:20, ESV "but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood."

Why the difference?

 

[visionary]

Both of those are dealing with oral traditions.

Peter was still trying to reconcile what he knew and how it appears among his fellow Jews. As Peter explained

Act 10:28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

James is the Jerusalem leader of the faith, and his directives are based in part on oral tradition for those gentiles who wish to learn more about the faith in the local synagogues. It was standard procedure held in common for all synagogues dealing with gentile interested parties [godfearers]. This was before "the Way"/"Nazarenes" got kicked out of Jewish synagogues which didn't happen until after 70 AD.

 

[Brighten04]

To Peter:
Gal. 2:14, ESV "But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, 'If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?'”

To James:
Acts 15:20, ESV "but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood."

Why the difference?

Peter was being hypocritical. He was having a good time communing with the gentiles before the Jews showed up. When they came, he was not so anymore, he hung back and separated himself from them like they were not good enough for him and his Jewish friends. IOW he was two faced. Paul called him on it. Good call.