Acts 10:1. Cornelius is divinely warned to send for Peter St Luke now brings to our notice the circumstances which attended the first preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. The Apostles, though informed by Christ's commission that they were to "teach all nations," yet tarried the Lord's leisure,... [ Continue Reading ]
_There was a certain man in Cesarea_ The oldest MSS. omit the verb _was_here, and make the sentence read, "Now a certain man in Cæsarea … a devout man … which gave much alms … saw in a vision, &c." Cæsarea is the same place which is mentioned Acts 8:40, and was usually the residence of the Roman Pro... [ Continue Reading ]
_a devout man_ i.e. he was a worshipper of the true God, but had not joined himself to the Jews in the observance of the Law. The language of St Peter in Acts 10:28 shews us that he was not a complete proselyte. Wherever in the N. T. we find mention made of Roman centurions they appear to have been... [ Continue Reading ]
_He saw in a vision evidently_[OPENLY] i.e. he was not in a trance, as we read afterwards concerning Peter, but was employed in prayer when the angel appeared. See below, Acts 10:30. _about the ninth hour of the day_ This was the hour for evening prayer see Acts 3:1. So we can see that Cornelius ha... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when he looked on him_ Literally, "having fastened his eyes on him." The angel is called (Acts 10:30) "a man in bright clothing." Such a sight would rivet the centurion's gaze at the first, and then the heavenly nature of the visitor made itself evident, and he was afraid. _What is it, Lord?_... [ Continue Reading ]
_he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do_ These words are not in the oldest MSS. In Peter's own account of the visit to Cornelius (Acts 11:14) we have "who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved;" and this is one of the numerous instances found in some later texts of... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius_[HIM] _was departed_ The proper name does not appear in the oldest MSS. When the additional note on the last verse had found its way into the text, the name of Cornelius was placed instead of the pronoun for greater clearness. The reality of the angelic... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when he had declared all these things unto them_ Omit "these" which is not in the Greek. The confidence which Cornelius placed in those who attended on him is shewn by this open communication with them at once on the subject of his vision. They had known all his former hopes and prayers, and so... [ Continue Reading ]
Peter is prepared for their visit by a Vision 9. _Peter went up upon the house_ With the flat roofs of Eastern houses, to which access could be obtained from outside without passing through the rooms of the building, the housetop formed a convenient place for retirement. It was the place chosen by... [ Continue Reading ]
_he fell into a trance_ So that the vision was seen by him only mentally, when he was rapt out of the body, and beheld all things as a man in a dream.... [ Continue Reading ]
_and saw_[BEHOLDETH] _heaven opened_ To shew him that the teaching of the vision was sent to him from God. _and a certain vessel descending unto him_ The oldest MSS. omit the two last words. _as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth_ The oldest MSS. only giv... [ Continue Reading ]
_wherein were_ i.e. appeared to be in the vision. _all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts_ The oldest MSS. omit the last six words. They have been inserted here that the text might more exactly correspond with what St Peter says in Acts 11:6 (see note on Acts 10:6). The visio... [ Continue Reading ]
_Rise, Peter; kill, and eat_ As he was hungry before he fell into the trance, here is presented the means of satisfying his hunger, and by the command in which he is directed to kill without distinction among all that he sees, this divinely-communicated abrogation of the law of Moses concerning the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Not so, Lord_ Cp. Ezekiel 4:14, where the prophet being shewn that the children of Israel shall eat defiled bread among the Gentiles, exclaims in words very like St Peter's: "There never came abominable flesh into my mouth." For the care with which the devout Jew observed the ceremonial distinction... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the_[a] _voice spake unto him again the second time_ coming from heaven as the first voice had come. There is no verb in the original, and it would perhaps be better to supply "came" rather than "spake." _What God hath cleansed, that call_[MAKE] _not thou common_ The heaven-sent voice revokes... [ Continue Reading ]
_This was done thrice_ The original has a conjunction "And" at the commencement of the sentence. The repetition of the vision three times over was made that no doubt might remain in the Apostle's mind, and the reception of the whole into heaven again was designed to point out that it was a lesson w... [ Continue Reading ]
Arrival of the Messengers from Cornelius: Peter goes with them to Cæsarea 17. _Now while Peter doubted_( WAS MUCH PERPLEXED) _in himself_ The original verb implies "to be thoroughly at a loss, and not know which way to turn." It is used (Luke 9:7) of Herod's perplexity about Christ, when men said t... [ Continue Reading ]
_and called_ i.e. on some one within the house to come forth. These messengers, like Cornelius himself, were most probably Gentiles, and so might not feel justified in entering a Jewish house without giving notice of their presence.... [ Continue Reading ]
_While Peter thought on the vision_ The original has a conjunction "Now" at the beginning of this verse. Peter was turning over his difficulty in his mind, and asking what God would have him learn by this lesson about the abolition of differences in meats. And while he was thus pondering the explan... [ Continue Reading ]
_get thee down_ Peter was still on the housetop. _doubting nothing_ The oldest texts give the verb here in the middle voice, as in James 1:6, "nothing wavering," but in the parallel passage, Acts 11:12, it is active, and signifies "making no distinction," i.e. between Jew and Gentile. The latter was... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then_(And) _Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius_ The last seven words are not in the oldest Greek texts, and are clearly an addition of later date to make the text quite clear.... [ Continue Reading ]
_of good report among all the nation of the Jews_ For the alms-deeds which he did, and on account of his reverence for the true God. They say not only among the people of Cæsarea was the piety of Cornelius known, but among all the Jews. _was warned from God_ There is no Greek for "from God," but th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then called he them in, and lodged them_ This was the first step towards laying aside the scruples to which the Jews were so much attached. _And on the morrow Peter went away with them_ The best texts read "And on the morrow he arose and went forth with them." _and certain brethren from Joppa acco... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the morrow after they entered into Cesarea_ Their road lay all the way along the coast, and as Apollonia was situate about halfway between Joppa and Cæsarea, it is most likely that they passed the night there. _And Cornelius waited_( WAS WAITING) _for them_ His attitude of preparation shews ho... [ Continue Reading ]
Arrival of Peter. Cornelius explains why he had sent for him 25. _And as Peter was coming in_ The Greek is literally, "And as it came to pass that Peter entered," i.e. before he went in, for we read of his entrance in Acts 10:27. _worshipped him_ paying him the religious reverence which the supern... [ Continue Reading ]
_But Peter took_( RAISED) _him up_ Cp. with the way in which Peter here declines to permit such reverence, the way in which the angel (Revelation 19:10) refused such worship, "See thou do it not. I am thy fellowservant.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And as he talked with him, he went in_ So that the previous part of the interview had been without. The action of Cornelius in thus coming forth to meet Peter is in the spirit of that other centurion in the Gospel, who said (Luke 7:6), "I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof." The... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing_, &c. It is said expressly by Maimonides, _Hilechoth Rozeakh, &c_. xii. 7, "It is forbidden to a Jew to be alone with heathens, because they are suspected of (lightly) shedding blood, nor must he associate with them on the road." And in the _Midrash Rabbah_o... [ Continue Reading ]
_without gainsaying_ Following in faith the guidance of the Spirit, though I only saw dimly what God would have me to do.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Four days ago I was fasting until this hour_, &c. The oldest MSS. have "Four days ago until this hour I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house." This makes the time of Peter's arrival to be after the ninth hour of the day. The prayer-service to which Cornelius refers had begun and been co... [ Continue Reading ]
_who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee_ These words are not in the oldest MSS., though they are found in some very good authorities.... [ Continue Reading ]
_to hear all things that are commanded thee of God_ The oldest authorities read "of the Lord." In "hear" there is implied the intention to obey. For the words which the centurion expected to hear from Peter were words "whereby he and all his house might be saved.... [ Continue Reading ]
Speech of Peter to Cornelius and his friends 34. _Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons_ i.e. I am now fully convinced, from what I have heard of God's angel appearing to Cornelius and from the connection of that vision with my own, that God is making Himself known to all the wo... [ Continue Reading ]
_is accepted with him_ i.e. is acceptable unto Him. God has no longer a chosen people, but calleth all men to repent, and will accept them.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ_(_he is Lord of all_)] The construction and meaning of this and the two following verses are somewhat involved. The relative "which" is left out of this verse by the oldest MSS., and "God" is not represented in the... [ Continue Reading ]
_that word, I say, you know_ Better, "ye know the tidings." The Greek rendered "word" here is not the same which is so translated in the previous verse. The former refers to the whole message of salvation through Christ, the latter to the tidings about Jesus which had gone abroad after the preaching... [ Continue Reading ]
_how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth_ It seems better to take the name "Jesus of Nazareth" as in apposition with the tidings mentioned in the previous verse, making the connection thus: Ye know the tidings, &c., "even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him," &c. This is the whole scope of what was p... [ Continue Reading ]
_And we are witnesses of all things_ Because they had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministerial life (Luke 24:48). _whom they slew and hanged on a tree_ Rather (with the oldest MSS.) "whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree." For the latter part of the expression cp. Acts 10:30 note.... [ Continue Reading ]
_him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly_( GAVE HIM TO BE MADE MANIFEST)] The literal translation implies more than the A. V. Christ was not openly shewed, but by many proofs it was made clear to those who saw Him that it was the same body, even though now glorified, which had been wo... [ Continue Reading ]
_not to all the people_ For they, having rejected Moses and the prophets, who foretold Christ's coming, and the nature of His Kingdom, were not likely, as Jesus Himself had said of some others of like character, to be converted by the rising of any one from the dead. _witnesses chosen before of God... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he commanded us to preach unto the people_ This was among the commandments alluded to Acts 1:2. Compare the charge given by Christ, Matthew 28:19, where the wide commission "Go ye, teach all nations," is one that anticipated the preaching of the Gospel not only to Cornelius, but to all other Ge... [ Continue Reading ]
_To him give all the prophets witness_ Cp. Isaiah 49:6, "I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." Also Joel 2:32, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered." So that under the Law the redemption of the Genti... [ Continue Reading ]
The Holy Ghost is sent upon Cornelius and his friends, and they are baptized 45. _they of the circumcision_ The six Jewish Christians mentioned in Acts 11:12 as companions of St Peter.... [ Continue Reading ]
_For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God_ The same kind of manifestation of God's gifts was here made as in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. See Acts 2:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Can any man forbid water_, &c. Though the gift of the Spirit has been made so apparent, yet St Peter does not omit the outward sign which Christ had ordained (Matthew 28:19) for the admission of members into His Church. _as well as we_ Thus does he recognize that God had chosen Gentiles as well as... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he commanded them to be baptized_ Peter seems to have refrained from baptizing converts, and we know that St Paul did so, and the latter indicates a reason which may have influenced all the twelve to appoint others to baptize, lest factions should arise, and men sever the Christian unity by cal... [ Continue Reading ]