Acts 10:30 Komentář

It is a turn very new and remarkable which the story of this chapter gives to the Acts of the apostles; hitherto, both at Jerusalem and every where else where the ministers of Christ came, they preached the gospel only to the Jews, or those Greeks that were circumcised and proselyted to the Jews' religion; but now, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles;" and to them the door of faith is here opened: good news indeed to us sinners of the Gentiles. The apostle Peter is the man that is first employed to admit uncircumcised Gentiles into the Christian church; and Cornelius, a Roman centurion or colonel, is the first that with his family and friends is so admitted. Now here we are told, I. How Cornelius was directed by a vision to send for Peter, and did send for him accordingly (Act 10:1-8). II. How Peter was directed by a vision to go to Cornelius, though he was a Gentile, without making any scruple of it, and did go accordingly (Act 10:9-23). III. The happy interview between Peter and Cornelius at Cesarea (Act 10:24-33). IV. The sermon Peter preached in the house of Cornelius to him and to his friends (Act 10:34-43). V. The baptizing of Cornelius and his friends with the Holy Ghost first, and then with water (Act 10:44-48).

There was a certain man in Caesarea,.... This was the Caesarea formerly called Strato's tower, not Caesarea Philippi; for the former, and not the latter, lay near Joppa: called Cornelius; which was a Roman name, and he himself was a Roman or an Italian: a centurion of the band called the Italian band; which consisted of soldiers collected out of Italy, from whence the band took its name, in which Cornelius was a centurion, having a hundred men under him, as the name of his office signifies.

And Cornelius said,.... The Syriac version adds, "to him", to the apostle; the following he said, in a very submissive and humble manner: four days ago I was fasting unto this hour; in the Greek text it is, "from the fourth day unto this hour I was fasting": which looks as if he had been fasting four days, and was still fasting at that hour; though the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions leave out the phrase "I was fasting": but the sense which our version and others give is the truest; that four days ago, or reckoning four days back, Cornelius was fasting on that day, until such time in that day as now it was in this present day; and which perhaps might be the ninth hour, or three o'clock in the afternoon: the account of days exactly agrees; as soon as Cornelius had had the vision, he sends men to Joppa, which was one day; on the morrow they came to Joppa, which makes two days; Peter lodged them all night there, and the next day set out on the journey with them, so you have three days; and the day after that, which was the fourth, he entered into Caesarea, and came to Cornelius's house, where he now was: and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house; which was one of the stated times of prayer; See Gill on Act 3:1. And behold a man stood before me in bright clothing; or "in a white garment", as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read: which was an emblem of the excellency, glory, and purity of the angel, and of the divine majesty in him: he calls him a man, because he appeared in the form of one, as angels used to do.

What then does Cornelius? He does not say, Why, did not the soldiers tell thee? but observe again, how humbly he speaks. For he says, "From the fourth day I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God." It seems to me, that this man had also fixed for himself set times of a life under stricter rule, and on certain days. For this is why he says, "From the fourth day." See how great a thing prayer is! When he advanced in piety, then the Angel appears to him. He does not say, an Angel, so unassuming is he: "and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God."

It seems to him that the seasons of his life had become more exacting for him, and on certain days. For this reason he said, "From the fourth day." When then the angel appears to him, this is one day; and the day on which those sent from Cornelius withdrew is one; and the day on which they came is one; and on the fourth he appeared about the third hour, after which he prayed. See then the greatness of the prayer, when he committed himself to holiness; then the angel appears to him.

A man, he says, and not an angel; therefore he was without form.

From the fourth day until this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me, and so on. In Greek and in some Latin manuscripts it is written thus: From the fourth day until this hour I was fasting, and praying from the sixth hour to the ninth, and behold, a man, and so on. It was very appropriate that he who extended his prayer for three hours from the sixth to the ninth should be heard. At which time the Lord himself, whom he beseeched, prayed with outstretched hands on the cross for the salvation of the whole world.

And Cornelius said: Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour. In Greek, it is written more fully and clearly: Four days ago to this hour, I was fasting and praying from the sixth hour until the ninth. Where it is clearly shown that four days before he spoke with Peter, he remained fasting until the ninth hour; and to make the fast acceptable to God, he prayed devoutly from the sixth hour until the ninth; hence he deserved to obtain what he sought with great persistence in fasting and prayer.

"At the ninth hour I was praying in my house." What does this mean? It seems to me that, with the most careful order in his life, his time was distributed, and moreover on certain days, which is why he said: "four days ago." See how powerful prayer is. When he was advancing in the matter of piety, then the Angel appeared to him—that is one day; when those sent by Cornelius set out, that is also one; when they were traveling—one, and the fourth turns out to be from the third hour, when he was praying. "A man stood before me in bright clothing." He does not say "an angel," but "a man." So far is he from pride. You see the thought that flows from this; you see how he was worthy of all this.

Four days ago I was fasting until this hour - It was then about three o'clock in the afternoon; and it appears that Cornelius had continued his fasts from three o'clock the preceding day to three o'clock the day following; not that he had fasted four days together, as some supposes for even if he did fast four days consecutively, he ate one meal on each day. It is however necessary to remark that the word νηϚευων, fasting is wanting in ABC, one other; the Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, and Vulgate; but it has not been omitted in any edition of the Greek Testament.

ACCESSION AND BAPTISM OF CORNELIUS AND HIS PARTY; OR, THE FIRST-FRUITS OF THE GENTILES. (Acts 10:1-48) CÃ&brvbrsarea--(See on Act 8:40). the Italian band--a cohort of Italians, as distinguished from native soldiers, quartered at CÃ&brvbrsarea, probably as a bodyguard to the Roman procurator who resided there. An ancient coin makes express mention of such a cohort in Syria. [AKERMAN, Numismatic Illustrations of the New Testament.]

Four days ago--the messengers being despatched on the first; on the second reaching Joppa (Act 10:9); starting for CÃ&brvbrsarea on the third; and on the fourth arriving.