RSV ~ Acts 10 Notes
Acts 10:1-48 | ISB Notes
The Baptism of Cornelius and his household opens a new chapter in the history of Christianity. For the first time, Gentiles accept the gospel and become full members of the Church. The narrative stresses that God initiates, orchestrates, and approves this new missionary step: he instructs Cornelius by an angel (10:3), directs Peter by a vision (10:10-16), and pours out the Spirit as a tangible sign of acceptance (10:44).
Acts 10:1 | ISB Notes
Caesarea: A port city 30 miles up the coast from Joppa (9:43). Herod the Great renovated and greatly expanded the city to serve as the Roman capital of Judea. See note on Mt 2:1.
centurion: A military commander of 100 Roman soldiers.
Acts 10:2 | ISB Notes
feared God: Cornelius was among a class of devout Gentiles who admired Judaism (13:16, 26). Known from antiquity as âGod-fearersâ, they worshiped Yahweh, attended synagogue services, and followed many of the moral and religious precepts of the Torah. Because they stopped short of receiving circumcision, they were not considered Jewish converts in the full and strict sense. alms âŚ
prayed: Traditional acts of Jewish piety (Tob 12:8).
Acts 10:3 | ISB Notes
the ninth hour: About 3 P.M., the time of the evening liturgy, when prayers and sacrifices were offered up in the Jerusalem Temple. See note on Acts 3:1.
⢠Daniel was likewise visited by an angel while praying at the time of the evening sacrifices (Dan 9:20-21). According to the angel in this episode, the prayers and alms of the Gentile Cornelius have also ascended to heaven as a sacrificial âmemorialâ (10:4), i.e., as the equivalent of a cereal offering whose memorial portion ascended with the fire and smoke of the Temple altar (Lev 2:2, 9, 16; Sir 38:11). For earlier expressions of the same idea, see Tob 12:12 and Sir 35:2, 7.
Acts 10:9 | ISB Notes
on the housetop: Palestinian homes often had an outside staircase leading up to a flat roof.
the sixth hour: About noon.
Acts 10:10 | ISB Notes
a trance: A mystical and visionary state of communion with God (22:17).
Acts 10:14 | ISB Notes
common or unclean: As a faithful Jew, Peter declines to eat foods forbidden by the Torah (Lev 11). The vision labors to overcome his objection. It teaches him (1) that the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law that distinguish between acceptable (clean) and unacceptable (unclean) foods are now lifted in the New Covenant, and (2) that the distinction between foods is a legal allegory for the moral and religious distinction between Israel (clean) and the Gentiles (unclean) maintained under the Old Covenant. Lifting the Mosaic ban on unclean foods is thus a sign that the Gentiles are no longer banned from full and equal acceptance into the covenant (10:28).
Acts 10:15 | ISB Notes
God has cleansed: Jesus revoked the Mosaic food laws when he declared âall foods cleanâ (Mk 7:19), a teaching echoed in the catechesis of the apostles (Rom 14:14; 1 Tim 4:3-5). Allegorically, Peter was to learn that God was cleansing the hearts of the Gentiles (15:9).
Acts 10:26 | ISB Notes
I too am a man: Peter recoils, not from honor or veneration, but from worship (as did Barnabas and Paul, 14:1118). Not even the holy angels can accept the adoration that belongs to God alone (Rev 19:10).
Acts 10:28 | ISB Notes
unlawful: Palestinian Jews went to great lengths to avoid social contact with Gentiles. They generally declined both their hospitality and their food for fear of legal defilement. Peterâs actions were naturally criticized by conservative Jewish believers (11:2-3).
not call any man common: The vision taught Peter that the Jews and the Gentiles were no longer separated by covenant barriers in the messianic age (Eph 2:1116). See note on Acts 10:14.
Acts 10:34 | ISB Notes
no partiality: God shows no favoritism to one nation over another in the New Covenant, but all stand as equal candidates for divine blessing and sonship (Rom 2:10-11; Gal 3:28; CCC 761).
Acts 10:34-43 | ISB Notes
Peterâs sermon, which begins with the baptism of John and ends with the commission of Jesus to preach the good news, covers the same ground as the Gospel of Mark, which early tradition describes as a summary of Peterâs preaching. See Author.
Acts 10:38 | ISB Notes
God anointed Jesus: At his Baptism, designating him as the Messiah (Lk 3:22; 4:18; CCC 438).
Acts 10:43 | ISB Notes
through his name: Forgiveness comes through the invocation of Christâs name in Baptism (2:38; 10:48; 22:16).
Acts 10:44-48 | ISB Notes
A Pentecost experience for the Gentiles (11:15). As with the original event, (1) Peter preaches the gospel (2:1436); (2) the Spirit descends in a dramatic way (2:17); (3) the recipients speak in different tongues (2:4); and (4) a call is issued for Baptism (2:38-41).