From G2212 (zēteō, to seek). A disputed point or controversial issue. Used in Acts for theological and legal questions about the early church.
Zētēma appears during critical moments where the gospel collides with religion and law. In Acts 15:2, Gentile circumcision is the zētēma. In Acts 18:15, Gallio dismisses Paul's case as a Jewish zētēma. The church's greatest advances came through resolving hard questions. God works through inquiry.