f Gk brothers
g Gk all of them
h The name Tabitha in Aramaic and the name Dorcas in Greek mean a gazelle
9.1–31 The conversion of Saul, the church’s most ardent enemy, involves both an encounter with the risen Lord (vv. 3–6) and divine direction (vv. 10–16). Luke narrates this event again in 22.1–21; 26.2–23, indicating its importance for him.
9.1–2 Breathing threats and murder fulfills Stephen’s words in 7.51–52 (and see 3 Macc 2.24; 5.18, 33; 4 Macc 4.8). The report of Saul’s proposed trip to Damascus, about sixty miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee, assumes that Christianity has spread there; it also moves the persecution of the church well beyond Jerusalem. Historically, it is unclear how the high priest in Jerusalem would have had authority over synagogues at Damascus, which suggests that Luke may be exaggerating Paul’s activity for dramatic effect. For other references to Paul’s persecution, see also 22.4–5; 26.9–11; 1 Cor 15.9; Gal 1.13–14; Phil 3.6. The Way, the Christian faith; see 18.25–26; 19.9, 23; 22.4; 24.14, 22.
9.3–4 Saul’s encounter contains several features often associated with divine appearances and commissions: light (4 Macc 4.10); falling to the ground (Ezek 1.28; Dan 10.9); the use of the double vocative, as in Saul, Saul (Gen 22.11;46.2; Ex 3.4; 1 Sam 3.4, 10). Why do you persecute me? identifies Saul’s persecution of disciples as persecution of Jesus himself (see Lk 10.16). In Acts, the verb persecute seldom appears except in reference to Saul (22.4, 7, 8; 26.11, 14, 15; see also 7.52; Lk 11.49; 21.12).
9.5 Saul’s address of Jesus as Lord does not necessarily imply faith, since the Greek word kyrios can also function as the respectful address “sir.”
9.8 Saul’s blindness is consistent with Luke’s use of sight and its absence elsewhere (see Lk 2.30; 4.18; 24.16, 31; Acts 13.11;28.27).
9.10 Here Luke describes Ananias simply as a disciple (cf. 22.12); Saul will be aided by one of the disciples he set out to persecute (see 9.1). In Acts, surprising changes in mission are often set in motion by visions (e.g., 10.3; 16.9–10; 18.9–10; cf. 2.17). Here I am, Lord. See Gen 22.1; 1 Sam 3.6, 8.
9.11 Straight street was the major east-west corridor. For the first time, Saul is identified as being from Tarsus, the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia (see v. 30; note on 21.39).
9.12 Cf. the interconnected visions of Ananias and Saul with those of Cornelius and Peter in 10.1–16.
9.13–14 Ananias’s resistance reinforces the identification of Saul as persecutor and prompts the new identification in vv. 15–16.
9.15 Paul’s later audience does encompass Gentiles (17.22–31), kings (26.2–32), and Israel (13.16–41; 22.1–21).
9.16 He must suffer for the sake of my name (see 5.41; 15.26; 21.13) exactly reverses Ananias’s statement regarding Saul in vv. 13–14. On the name, see 2.38; 3.6; 4.10; 5.28.
9.17 Who appeared to you, language elsewhere associated with the Easter appearances (see 1 Cor 15.5–8).
9.18 Something like scales. See Tob 3.17; 11.13.
9.19a As in other miracles, the episode concludes with a demonstration of the healing, here through taking some food (see Lk 8.55).
9.19b–25 Saul’s preaching provides further demonstration of his conversion. His increasing power as a proclaimer and the hostility toward him mirror vv. 1–2, where his power was directed against the church.
9.20 Son of God appears only here in Acts, but see 13.33; Lk 1.32, 35;3.22; 4.3, 9, 41; 22.70.
9.25 Cf. 2 Cor 11.32–33, where Paul says he fled from the governor’s attempt to seize him (see also Josh 2.15).
9.26–31 This incident is difficult to reconcile with Gal 1.18–24, where Paul insists that he saw only Cephas (Peter) and James, although his reputation as a persecutor is a factor in both texts (Gal 1.23).
9.27 How Barnabas knows about Saul’s preaching remains unclear, but here he fulfills the name attributed to him in 4.36 (son of encouragement).
9.28 On speaking boldly as a characteristic of Christian proclamation, see note on 4.13.
9.29 The Hellenists are apparently Greek-speaking Jews who have not converted, but the same term is used of Christians in 6.1.
9.31 On the growth of the church, see note on 6.7. Church usually refers to a gathering in a single location (8.1; 13.1; 20.17), but here it refers to an entire region. Galilee, which has not been mentioned since 1.11, is striking, since nothing has been said in Acts about a mission there.
9.32–43 Two brief stories reintroduce Peter, recall the healings of Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus, and also prepare for the conversion of the first Gentile in 10.1–11.18. Lydda and Joppa (vv. 32, 26), towns west of Jerusalem, signal the movement of the gospel westward; it has already moved north as far as Damascus (v. 2). Luke does not indicate how the gospel came to these towns, but they could have been on Philip’s route from Azotus to Caesarea (8.40).
9.34 Earlier Peter heals in Jesus’ name (3.6), but here he asserts that it is actually Jesus who carries out the healing.
9.35 Sharon, the plain on which Lydda was situated. Turned to the Lord, converted, most often used of Gentiles who turn to faith in the one God (see 11.21; 14.15;15.19; 26.18, 20; Gal 4.9; 1 Thess 1.9).
9.36–43 Parallels to earlier stories concerning Elijah (1 Kings 17.17–24), Elisha (2 Kings 4.18–37), and Jesus (Lk 7.11–17; 8.41–42, 49–56) identify the prophetic power of the church with that of Israel’s prophets and Jesus.
9.36 Only here in Acts is a woman explicitly called a disciple; the feminine noun for disciple appears nowhere else in the NT.
9.39 Widows. See 6.1; 1 Tim 5.3–16.
The spread of Christianity as described in Acts 1–8 was northward from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria (see Acts 1.8). Early in the narrative Christians are found in urban centers like Damascus (9.1–22) and Joppa (10.5), and the establishing of Christianity in Caesarea Maritima (ch. 10) and Antioch (11.19–30) is described in some detail.
Acts 10
Peter and Cornelius
1In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. 2He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. 3One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” 4He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; 6he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” 7When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, 8and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa.
9About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” 15The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 16This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.
17Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon’s house and were standing by the gate. 18They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there. 19While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, threea men are searching for you. 20Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them.” 21So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?” 22Th
ey answered, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23So Peterb invited them in and gave them lodging.
The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believersc from Joppa accompanied him. 24The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him. 26But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” 27And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; 28and he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?”
30Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. 31He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.”
Gentiles Hear the Good News
34Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit
44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, 47“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
next chapter
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a One ancient authority reads two; others lack the word
b Gk he
c Gk brothers
10.1–11.18 The story of the conversion of Cornelius and the church’s acceptance of that event is narrated with considerable detail because it signals the opening of the mission to the Gentiles. (See note on 8.27.) The visions of both Cornelius and Peter (10.11–16), the repeated references to these visions (10.17, 19, 28, 30), and direct instructions from divine agents (10.7, 22, 32) demonstrate that this event occurs solely at God’s initiative and under God’s direction (as the Jerusalem community concludes in 11.18).
10.1 Caesarea Maritima, a largely gentile city north of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean coast, was the location of the Roman government of Judea. Centurion, a Roman army officer in charge of one hundred men. Italian Cohort, a unit of the Roman army, possibly anachronistic, since its presence is first attested in Syria only ca. 69 CE, well after the time of this incident.
10.2 Although a Gentile, Cornelius is here described so as to emphasize his piety and make him a sympathetic character. Luke several times refers to Gentiles who fear, or worship, God (13.16, 26; 16.14; 18.7; see also Lk 7.1–9); it remains disputed whether this was a distinct group of Gentiles who worshiped God without becoming proselytes. With all his household. As the head of the household, Cornelius establishes the religious practices of his extended family, his slaves, and their families. The people. See note on 3.11.
10.3 About three o’clock, a traditional time for prayer; see 3.1. Like the preceding stories of the Ethiopian and Saul, this one also features a divine agent, an angel of God.
10.4 As a memorial. God has remembered Cornelius’s piety (Ex 17.14; Tob 12.12; Sir 35.20–22).
10.5 For the first time in Acts, Peter is called Simon (see Lk 4.38; 5.3–5, 8;6.14), perhaps to distinguish him from Simon the tanner (Acts 9.43).
10.6 Whose house is by the seaside. References to houses and hospitality abound in this story (vv. 17, 22–23, 30, 32, 33, 48), probably because Luke understands the gentile mission to include social interchange between Jews and Gentiles.
10.9–16 Since Peter’s vision concerns food rather than people, it is sometimes suggested that the vision is an independent story about dietary restrictions inserted into an earlier story about Cornelius. In both the Bible and Hellenistic writings, however, narratives employ dreams that become meaningful only in retrospect (e.g., Gen 41.1–57; Dan 2.31–45; 4.1–27; 5.5–28; Plutarch, Brutus 20; Cicero 44).
10.11 The heaven opened, suggesting God’s presence or some revelation from God (Ps 78.23; Isa 24.18; 64.1; Ezek 1.1; Mt 3.16; Lk 3.21; Rev 19.11).
10.12 A conventional classification of animals; see Gen 1.24; 6.20; Lev 11.46–47; Rom 1.23. A variety of animals is present; some but not all would be prohibited under Jewish dietary laws.
10.14–15 See Ezek 4.14. The dialogue concerns not Peter’s practice, but his assumption that he knows what is profane or unclean.
10.22 The whole Jewish nation, an additional testimony to Cornelius’s righteousness; see v. 2.
10.25 Falling at his feet, a sign of respect or obeisance (Lk 5.12; Jn 11.32), would be highly unusual behavior for a Roman centurion meeting a local resident in occupied territory.
10.26 On Peter’s response, see 14.15; cf. 12.22–23.
10.28 Peter’s statement that Jews were not allowed to associate with…a Gentile sharply exaggerates Jewish law, which, if observed, could render social interaction with Gentiles difficult but not impossible. Especially in the Diaspora, many Jews and Gentiles would have had extensive contact. Peter’s conclusion that no one should be called profane or unclean solves the riddle of his dream (vv. 9–16) and paves the way for his sermon (vv. 34–43) and for the practice of full hospitality toward Gentiles.
10.34–43 Peter’s speech succinctly summarizes the gospel in the context of his new understanding of God’s impartiality, suggesting that Peter’s conversion to the gentile mission is as central here as is Cornelius’s conversion to Christian faith.
10.34 That God shows no partiality, an established concept meaning that God does not favor the rich or the powerful (see Lev 19.15; Deut 10.17–18; 2 Chr 19.7; Sir 35.15–16); here it takes on new meaning in the emergence of a gentile mission conducted without regard to social barriers (see also Rom 2.11).
10.35 See Ps 15.1–2. Cornelius has already been described as fearing God and doing right (see vv. 2, 22).
10.36 The message of peace was first proclaimed at Jesus’ birth (Lk 1.79; also 2.14; Acts 9.31). Lord of all, elsewhere used of Zeus and Osiris (Plutarch, Isis and Osiris 355e); in the Septuagint the God of Israel is also declared “Lord of all the earth” (Josh 3.11, 13; Ps 97.5; Zech 6.5; Wis 6.7; 8.3).
10.37–43 This summation of Jesus’ ministry replays some key Lukan themes: the ministry of John, the Spirit’s presence in Jesus, the apostles as witnesses, the death and resurrecti
on of Jesus, Jesus’ postresurrection appearance to the apostles, the prophetic witness, and the forgiveness of sins.
10.44–48 The gift of the Holy Spirit provides final and irrefutable evidence that the inclusion of the Gentiles is indeed God’s will. See also 11.15–18.
10.45–46 As at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is poured out (see 2.17–18), accompanied by speaking in tongues (see 2.4–11) and prompting astonishment (see 2.12).
10.47–48 The normal order of baptism with water and then the Spirit is reversed, as the gift of the Holy Spirit justifies baptism with water (cf. 2.38).
10.48 Invited him…several days. The hospitality extended to Peter and his companions completes the breaking down of social barriers and prompts the investigation of 11.3.
Acts 11
Peter’s Report to the Church at Jerusalem
1Now the apostles and the believersa who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believersb criticized him, 3saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us.c These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
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