กิจการ 10:15 วิจารณ์

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 the voice spake unto him again the second time,.... The following words, what God hath cleansed; that is, hath pronounced clean and lawful to be used, as he now had all sorts of food, Mat 15:11. that call not thou common; or pronounce it to be unholy or unclean, and unlawful to be used: and the same holds good of men, as well as things; for as hereby the Lord instructed Peter, that there was nothing of itself common, or unclean, and unfit for use; so that no man, not any Gentile, Barbarian, Scythian, or be he who he would, was common or unclean, and his company to be avoided as such. Distinctions both of men and meats were now to be laid aside; and the Jews themselves own, that what is now unclean, will be clean in the time to come, or the times of the Messiah; they say (f), "every beast which is unclean in this world, the holy blessed God , cleanses it, in the time to come, (the times of the Messiah,) as they were at first clean to the sons of Noah Gen 9:3, wherefore, as the herb was clean to all, and as the beasts were clean to the sons of Noah; so also in the time to come he will loose what he has bound, or forbidden.'' And particularly they observe, that a swine is call from "to return", because the Lord will return it unto Israel. (g). (f) R. Moses Haddarsan in Galatin. l. 11. c. 12. & Bereshit Rabba in Pugio Fidei, c. 12. sect. 1. (g) Abarbinel Rosh Amana, c. 12. fol. 18. 2.

But when Peter saw the vision, in which the voice from heaven said to him, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common," this happened [to teach him] that the God who had, through the law, distinguished between clean and unclean, was He who had purified the Gentiles through the blood of His Son — He whom also Cornelius worshipped; to whom Peter, coming in, said, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation, he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to Him." He thus clearly indicates, that He whom Cornelius had previously feared as God, of whom he had heard through the law and the prophets, for whose sake also he used to give alms, is, in truth, God.

But when Peter saw the vision, in which the voice from heaven said to him, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common,” this happened [to teach him] that the God who had, through the law, distinguished between clean and unclean, was He who had purified the Gentiles through the blood of His Son-He whom also Cornelius worshipped; to whom Peter, coming in, said, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation, he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to Him.” He thus clearly indicates, that He whom Cornelius had previously feared as God, of whom he had heard through the law and the prophets, for whose sake also he used to give alms, is, in truth, God. The knowledge of the Son was, however, wanting to him; therefore did [Peter] add, “The word, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached, Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Ghost, and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him...” The apostles, therefore, did preach the Son of God, of whom men were ignorant; and His advent, to those who had been already instructed as to God; but they did not bring in another god.

Peter abstained from swine; "but a trance fell on him," as is written in the Acts of the Apostles, "and he saw heaven opened, and a vessel let down on the earth by the four corners, and all the four-footed beasts and creeping things of the earth and the fowls of heaven in it; and there came a voice to him, Rise, and slay, and eat. And Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten what is common or unclean. And the voice came again to him the second time, What God hath cleansed, call not thou common." The use of them is accordingly indifferent to us. "For not what entereth into the mouth defileth the man," but the vain opinion respecting uncleanness.

Or, as is usually done, does that deity abstain from the flesh of goats because of some reverential and religious scruple, another turn with disgust from pork, while to this mutton stinks? and does this one avoid tough ox-beef that he may not overtax his weak stomach, and choose tender sucklings that he may digest them more speedily?

"And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." "What God hath cleansed," saith it, "call not thou common." Great daring! It seems indeed to be spoken to him, but the whole is meant for the Jews. For if the teacher is rebuked, much more these.

The earth is the sheet, and the creatures in it are the beasts, those from the nations. And the "kill and eat," because those too must be admitted. And the third to happen is this, the baptism. But as Peter was in confusion, the men came conveniently, resolving the confusion. For the soul readily receives the solution. Previously it had come into confusion, just as Joseph earlier suffered restraint to be disturbed, and then the angel came. (Matt. 1:20)

Peter exhorts that the brutal and irrational sort of people be sacrificed, so that once they are cleansed what remains may become edible. The account of piety is delivered plainly, not once the divine voice having said that what God has sanctified is not common, but three times: that we may learn by the one voice God cleansing the Father, and by the other God cleansing the Only‑Begotten, and by the other the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps kneeling he had seen the vision: therefore the voice also said to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." But it showed that what he had seen was divine by reason of his being raised into a trance of mind, and because the voice descended from there, and because on the third time it declared that it was unclean. Moreover, that they came from heaven, and were withdrawn therefore, is a great argument of purification. This, however, was done for those about whom he was afterward to tell the matter. For he himself had indeed heard, "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles." (Matthew 10:5-6)

That the voice was heard a third time likewise shows the truth of the vision itself. It is clear, however, that he did not wish the utterance to be understood as concerning all foods when he says, "I have never eaten anything common or unclean," for oxen, goats, birds, and winged creatures would have been called common with him, since Peter was born among the Jews. For the Jews eat flesh, and among them the eating of meats is not forbidden. Since therefore he himself spoke from the beginning, or at least until he approached the Savior, it is certainly clear that he did not pronounce universally, saying "common and unclean," but concerning those things which the law called common and unclean. And yet when Peter was making a discourse about those things which were common and unclean in the law, God, who had given a sign to the holy Church of Christ, judged nothing to be common to him; for all things are clean to him "which are received with thanksgiving." (1 Tim. 4:4) But although the speech concerning the calling of the Gentiles was somewhat obscure, so that they should not say that those who were uncircumcised were common or unclean, Peter's speech did not entitle people, but those things which were prohibited in the law, as has been shown. [OF SAINT EPIPHANIUS, BISHOP OF CYPRUS, FROM THE FIRST BOOK OF THE PANARION AGAINST THE HERESIES]

What God has cleansed, do not call common. The meaning of this divine voice is indeed clear, that the Gentiles, whom Peter still considered unclean, the internal providence of their Creator already counted among the clean. But note the custom of Holy Scripture, which usually calls unclean things common, because whoever wants to serve various allurements cannot be clean, as Scripture says: No one can serve two masters (Matt. VI). And again: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve (Luke IV). Therefore, whoever desires to be clean should not divide his mind with diverse and multifarious thoughts, but should constrain himself to follow solely the will of his Creator.

"Again a voice came to him: 'What God has cleansed, do not call unclean.'" Apparently, the voice is addressed to Peter, but in the meantime everything is being said to the Jews. Because if this teacher endures reproach, then all the more do they deserve it. But God, who traced the image of His Church, said that she should not consider anything unclean for herself. Because everything is clean for a person that he receives with thanksgiving and the blessing of God. But if here there was contained a parabolic indication concerning the calling of the nations, so as not to consider those who have uncircumcised foreskin as defiled and unclean, still Peter's speech contained an indication not about people, but about animals forbidden by the law of Moses.

What God hath cleansed - God, who made at first the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, has a right to remove it, whenever and by whatever means he pleases: he, therefore, who made the distinction, for wise purposes, between the clean and the unclean, now pronounces all to be clean. He had authority to do the first; he has authority to do the last. God has purposed that the Gentiles shall have the Gospel preached to them: what he therefore has cleansed, "that call not thou common."

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.]

What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common--The ceremonial distinctions are at an end, and Gentiles, ceremonially separated from the chosen people (Act 10:28), and debarred from that access to God in the visible ordinances of His Church which they enjoyed, are now on a perfect equality with them.