Study guide for acts 10 by david guzik blue letter bible. It is mainly notable for a description of a miracle contest between saint peter and simon magus, and as the first record of the tradition that st. David wilber in acts 10, god gave peter a vision of a sheet descending from the heavens. Supporting this conclusion is a wealth of contextual evidence in the book of acts. Was god telling peter that its now okay to eat unclean animals. Christians are not concerned with eating kosher foods and avoiding all others. As the book of acts makes clear, christians are not obligated to follow this holiness code.
Dec 27, 2016 in his commentary on the book of acts, professor of scripture dr. Therefore our attempts to reinterpret the vision as a repealing of the biblical dietary laws is not only unwarranted, it is unbiblical. John confirm new converts in samaria after the evangelistic efforts of st. Since this vision contained a mix of clean and unclean animals that peter was commanded to slaughter and eat, some.
The lord told him to enter the city, and he would be told what he must do 9. While the meal was being prepared, peter had a vision. Peter and the apostles said in reply, we must obey god rather than men. In his commentary on the book of acts, professor of scripture dr. Visions and healing in the acts of the apostles is a clear and cogent examination of how firstcentury readers and hearers likely interpreted religious ecstatic trance experiences and healing events as reported by luke. James dunn titled his chapter on peter in his book on the apostolic period the voiceless peter beginning at jerusalem, chapter, 35. Exploring the book of acts chapter 28 we have no account of stephens preaching to the greekspeaking jews, so we dont know exactly what he told them. This morning we concluded with the last verse in chapter 10 acts 10. Peters vision i remember speaking to a sunday school teacher one morning about the vision peter had in acts 10. Consensus among academics points to its being based on the acts of john, and traditionally both works were said to be written by leucius charinus, whom epiphanius identifies as the companion of john. As the book of acts makes clear, christians are not obligated to follow this holiness. The location is the temple, with a jewish audience.
Book of acts chapter 10, part 1 christogenea internet radio 071920. Then peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from cornelius. One of the earliest of the apocryphal acts of the apostles, the acts of peter reports a miracle contest between simon magus and the apostle peter in rome. Saul received a vision of the resurrected christ while en route to damascus.
Acts 11 commentary peters defense of his gentile mission. Understanding the meaning of peters vision path of. Neither peter nor luke, the author of acts, makes any further commentary regarding clean or unclean foods, as the vision had served a greater purpose. Bible q what is the meaning of peters vision in acts 10. Johnson, 262 although the council doesnt make an issue of it, the truth is that only faith can cleanse jews as well a point made in the book of hebrews. The writers of the new testament, as well as christ himself, recognized and professed that the cleansing referred to here in peters vision was that same cleansing prophesied of the children of israel in the old testament, in the following passages. To this day, its a vision that is commonly misunderstood and generally misinterpreted. The last time we left peter was in the gospel of luke. Peters vision of all kinds of fourfooted animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air speaks to this point.
Lastly, nowhere in the context is it ever said that god had cleansed unclean meatsthis is something assumed by readers with a predisposition against this statute regulating what we should eat. The text, in its biblical context, and together with related developments in early church history, point conclusively to a single interpretation. Peters vision of all kinds of fourfooted animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air acts 10. The acts of peter was originally composed in greek during the second half of the 2nd century, probably in asia minor. Acts of the apostles is kind of a tough one to nail down, genrewise. In other words, there is no kosher code for christians. Criswell sermon library peters defense of the faith. In acts 10, god gave peter a vision of a sheet descending from the heavens. Book of acts chapter 10, part 2 christogenea internet radio 072620. And the voice came back with these decisive words in verse 15. God was not cleansing unclean animals and making them clean. For hundreds of years christians have interpreted peters vision as gods permission to.
Apr 09, 2016 peters vision in acts 10 represents the reuniting of jew and gentile, and not considering anyone unclean. Acts 10 peters vision and unclean animals freedom hill. In the first segment of our presentation of acts chapter 10, we saw that nonjudaeans, meaning those who had not been circumcised into judaism regardless of whether they were converts or had been born into it, had not yet been presented with the gospel message by the apostles. According to the acts of the apostles, chapter 10, saint peter had a vision of a vessel full of. When the man told him that this was about the gentiles. Its obviously trying to record the background of the early church and tell the tale of the individual people that worked to spread the gospel after jesus died. Book of acts chapter 10, part 1 christogenea internet. This is the vision where peter saw all kinds of animals coming down from heaven in a sheet and heard a voice saying to kill and eat.
But god has shown me that i should not call any man common or unclean. In a way, its similar to ancient histories or biographies. The voice spoke to him a second time, do not call anything impure that god has made clean. This is point 2 of part a making important decisions part 3 of 7. The paper challenges the traditional christian interpretation of peters vision in acts 10. Peter makes no comment on his personal circumstances, his perplexity about the vision or his own interpretation of the events significance 10. In the vision god gave to peter, god told peter that animals, which he once established as unclean, were no longer to be called considered unclean. Let us read therefore out loud and together, verses 15 through. Inferencean idea or conclusion thats drawn from evidence and reasoning. Peter, in verse 8, who speaks for both and preaches boldly of christ and the name of jesus. Peters vision of the sheet bible dietary law explained youtube. This is above all a factual report of the divine initiative via interpreted acts to bring salvation to the gentiles. At about the same time god gave peter a vision of animals that the jews regarded as unclean because of the ceremonial law of the old testament. Johnson, 262 although the council doesnt make an issue of it, the truth is that only faith can cleanse jews as.
This vision would begin to break down the separation that existed between believing jews and godfearing gentiles. Pilchs application of cultural anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, and medical anthropology to these events is enhanced by. Peter received his vision for the express purpose that he should preach the gospel to these people. Peter must have been shocked when he opened the door and saw two servants and a soldier acts 10. Seven major speeches of the apostle peter are recorded in a total of 97 verses in the book of acts compare chart 156. Oct 07, 2008 the dreams and visions in the acts of the apostles bryce new testament october 7, 2008 july 21, 2012 3 minutes the book of acts tells us that on the day of pentecost, following the death, resurrection and ascension of jesus into heaven, the holy spirit came and filled the apostles and they began to speak in other languages acts 2. Also, as cornelius related the incident to peter in acts 10. Peter spoke to a wide variety of audiences, from believing christians on the day of pentecost in acts 2 to the leading apostles and elders of the church at the jerusalem conference in acts 15, and from the leading priests and elders of the jews in acts 4 and 5. But we can infer the drift of his teaching from the criticisms leveled against him, and from his later speech before the aramaicspeaking sanhedrin. Peter is told, what god has made clean, do not call common. Peter has come to understand not only that the vision was about the gentiles, but recognizes that faith is the principle used by god for this cleansing of the heart. This is surely the easiest genre to interpret, and the reason i believe a simple, literal reading of the textin its historical and literary contextis sufficient to interpret it correctly. His point is that the book of acts has little to say about peter after chapter 12 and there is no historically reliable data which allows us to know much at all about peters ministry after acts 15. Book of acts chapter 10, part 2 christogenea internet.
Understand the true meaning and purpose of peters vision from scripture. Before the intervention of the holy spirit, peter had believed that the good news was only for the jews. Peters vision in acts 10 represents the reuniting of jew and gentile, and not considering anyone unclean. Some people believe that this chapter is about a change in the dietary principles outlined in leviticus, chapter 11. A voice from heaven told peter to kill and eat, but since the vessel or sheet, othone contained unclean animals, peter. A hebraic perspective on peters vision acts 10 messianic. Eerdmans publishing company photolithoprinted, 1966, p.
According to the acts of the apostles, chapter 10, saint peter had a vision of a vessel greek. Luke, who wrote the book of acts, begins chapter one by referring to his former book, namely the third gospel luke. The acts of peter is one of the earliest of the apocryphal acts of the apostles. What god has cleansed do not call common desiring god. Peters failure to get his vision is not the result of hardened resistance or spiritual obduracybut reflects the sheer difficulty of deciphering the symbols of gods message. What the bible says about peters vision bible tools. Supporting this conclusion is a wealth of contextual evidence in the book of acts and the rest of the. Acts 10, understanding peters vision path of obedience. Through acts 115, god primarily through the work of peter, paul and james has removed his work out of the judaistic mold, creating the israel of god the church designed to spread to the gentiles. John are arrested and called before the sanhedrin, it is st.
Peter who is in charge of the church in collecting funds for world evangelism and pronounces gods judgment on ananias and sapphira. And the message, entitled simon peters defense of the faith, is an exposition of the first eighteen verses in chapter 11 of the book of acts acts 1. The majority of the text has survived only in the latin translation of the vercelli manuscript, under the title actus petri cum simone. Book of acts chapter 10, part 2 christogenea internet radio. Acts is a continuation of what luke wrote about in his gospel. Peter thought about the vision, and made an inference based on it. Aug 18, 2011 the bible does not leave us guessing about the real meaning of the vision. Peter s vision of all kinds of fourfooted animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air speaks to this point. Though certain ceremonial and civil aspects of the law. Literary elements the genre of acts is historical narrative. The bible does not leave us guessing about the real meaning of the vision. The levitical laws of clean and unclean had much to say about food.
The dreams and visions in the acts of the apostles bryce new testament october 7, 2008 july 21, 2012 3 minutes the book of acts tells us that on the day of pentecost, following the death, resurrection and ascension of jesus into heaven, the holy spirit came and filled the apostles and they began to speak in other languages acts 2. Acts 10 describes peters vision of a sheet full of unlcean animals in which. His point is that the book of acts has little to say about peter after chapter 12 and there is no historically reliable data which allows us to know much at all about peters ministry. Elsewhere in the book of acts even those who are the most. Any quest for the historical peter faces serious challenges. The vision peter saw in acts 10 was a type of prophetic revelation, exposing. As well learn, peter s vision isnt about being able to eat unclean food, rather its about god accepting the gentile believer coming into faith and community. Without the vision in which he hears that he is not to call unclean what god has made clean acts 10. The meaning of the vision is clearly defined in verse 28. The peters vision of the sheet bible scriptures located in acts 10. He told peter, what god has made clean, do not call common. And now he knew, or at least highly suspected that the test was about the salvation of the gentiles. The real meaning of peters vision israel bible weekly. At about the same time god gave peter a vision of animals that the jews.
God made it clear that he was capable of cleansing the gentiles, but never said he had cleansed all of them at this time. Dec 09, 2012 a brief summary of peter s vision and cornelius salvation from acts chapter 10. A brief summary of peters vision and cornelius salvation from acts chapter 10. Peter knew that he was not to kill and eat the animals that were upon the sheet. He would have known immediately that they were not jews, and he would have wondered why god told him to go with them and why god had sent them.
All allow that the writer of the acts of peter knew and used the acts of paul. Book of acts chapter 10, part 1 christogenea internet radio. The men were on their journey and were approaching the city. Peter is preaching to a jewish audience on the day of pentecost. Acts 10 peters vision and unclean animals david wilber.
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